Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-08-11

Of his apostles should come here and advo-
cato his cause. n.
CATALEPSY OR sTATuvOLENCE.
By WIN. Baker Fahnestock, M
For the IHrlLLIaENcHR.
"What good can be effected by cata- |
lcpsy or statuvolence in the army or
navy?"
The above question has evidently been
asked by those who have not made them |
selves familiar with its true nature or its |
usefulness as remedial agent in diseases,
as we'll as injuries, to which the human
frame is subject, especially in wars where
long journeys, endurance and vigilance
without fatigue, arc often necessary in the
soldier and sailor.
Catalepsy Is a natural condition, but can
also be assumed at will by the statuvolist.
It has heretofore been considered disease
and the medical faculty, even at this late
day, treat it as such in their latest works,
as we'll a. in their practice, by prescribing
medicines which, ifnot positively injuri-
GUS, are at best utterly useless.
Unfortunately for tho calculation of
statuvolence, its most useful phenomena
have been perverted and publicly exhibited
to crowded audiences, who, for want Of
correct knowledge in regard to it, encour-
aged deception at the expense of truth,
thus subjecting useful science to ridicule
instead of aiding In its elucidation and
dissemination for tho relief Of human suf-
fering.
In answer to tho question of "What
good can be effected by oatalepsy or statu-
violence in the army or navy?" We state
that every soldier and sailor who has been
taught its true nature, and his power while
in it, can throw his body, or any part of it
into the state at will, Independent of the
rest, and can then endure extraordinary
hardships without fatigue; and in case Of
accidents, wounds, scalds or burns, ETC.,
can, by an act of his own will, at any time,
render his body or any part Of it, insensi-
ble in an instant, and consequently, will be
free from pain or uneasiness as long rs it is
his will to be so, simply because it is possi-
bic to the condition, and he has acquired
the power to keep the body in the state,
or to throw it off at pleasure Independent
of anyone, or of its interfering with his
power to move in the least.
If they should be wounded in battle or
elsewhere, it would bo their own fault if
they suffered the least pain, or the want of
any aid from their fellows Except from
profuse hemorrhage) until circumstances
would render their being cared for possible.
Should surgical operations become neces-
sary they could pass through them, not
only without pain, but without tho least
knowledge of undergoing them if they
desired to do 50. Under such circumstances
the system would not receive the shock
which is usually experienced when patients
are conscious consequently there would
not only he less suffering, but less fatality
in their removal from tho battle field, and
much!less time lost in their recovering, as
we'll rs many moro chances of being able
to do SO.
1t is impossible in the brief space of a
newspaper article to givo half the uses to
which this art can be applied, or tho relief
that it is possible to afford, in unhappy
conditions of tho mind, rs we'll as Of the
body.
In regard to the use that persons can
make of their clear-minded powers, while
in this condition, we have to remark in
this connection, that it has been used by
soldiers, and it is notorious, that in a ccr-
tain portion of the southern army, during
the late war, clairvoyance WAS used
and gave correct information. To give
the reader an idea of what is possible, and
has been done, we will briefly state, that
a gentleman of our acquaintance-who
mostunwillingly passed through that un-
happy struggle, although not understand
| ing the true nature Of his powers-frc-
quently gave correct information in regard
to the position of the union army, and
never failed to tell twenty four hours be-
fore the time, whether, or not, his regiment
| or any part of tho army would be engaged
in battle. Upon one occasion he stated to
tho commanding officer that there would
| not be ga gun fired that day ''-althougf
"everytlling" Gas the officer stately indi-
Gated an immediate attack. Yet he in
/ sisted that it would not take place. The
result proved him to be a true prophet, for
"not a gun was fred" Upon another Oc-
casion he stated that certain officer
would be killed by bullet through his
brain, and regretted exceedingly that Cir
cumstances prevented him from giving
him timely warning. The officer was
killed as stated, "upon tho first fire. y
Again, upon the eve of battle he stated
that he himself would be struck by a ball,
but would not be killed. This prophecy
and many others during the war were full
filled, SO that he became an oracle and was
regularly consulted by the officers and
men of his regiment. These things may
seem incredible, but what arc we to do
with the facts? Before the telegraph and
many other useful discoveries were made
known, the enumeration of the uses to
which they have been applied would
have been considered just as imprOba-
bic, as it is now, for most per-
sons to beliovo, that one mind can
read another, or that man can
render any part of his body insensible to