The Red Cloud chief., 1881-08-04
THE MENTAL EFFECTS OF EARTH
QUAkES.

The outbreak OF new rtnquak
first at Agram, then in lschia. and now
in Chios, the last the most d~eStruct.v We
of all. and costing thousands af lives
within a few weeks of each other. seems
to show that a period of earthquake
shock NAV have begun which may al
feet. to an extent by no means IN on
siderable, the history and lille OF our
century,. No one can doubt that the
earthquakes and volcanic eruptlons
which visited the same general region;
hut more especially Asia Minor II
-~luring the ,frst and second Ten
turtles of our era, produ ei great elects.
not only on the minds and characters
of that generation, but even on the
distribution of population; nor that the
earthquake ut Lisbon, in the last centu-
~, produced almost as great a shock On
the thoughts of men as it produced
physically on the immense region over
which its effects were felt-a region
which included almost all Europe, part
of Africa and part of the American
Continent. A spell of earthquake of
any violence OF duration, which should
extend over such q field as that, would,
in a time like our own, when every
influence is intensified by the simulta-
neous transmission of the Impressions
it produces to all parts OF the globe.
produce the most powerful effects, not
simply on the countries wh'ch m ght
suffer from it, but on all the world.
No physical phenomena, however
dreadful. seem to produce the same
sense of paralysis as earthquakes.
a correspondent of Captain Basil Hall,
who was in the earthquake of Copiapo.
i'm 1922, describes the effect onthe mind
as something which begins before any
other sign of the earthquake has mani
tested itself at alan anticipa'ory hor-
ror, which is eve more marked IN the
case of the lower animals. Before we
hear the sound, Or at least are fully
conscious of hearing it, we are made
sensible, lido not know how, that
thing uncommon is going to happen;
everything seems to change color; orr
thoughts are chained immovably down;
the whole world appears to be in d sor-
der; ali nature looks different to what
it is won to do; and we feel quite sub
dued and overwhelmed by some invisi-
bic power, beyond human control or
apprehensie--" In the Neapolitan
earthquake of 1905. these anticipatory
signs were most remarkable in relation
to the lie of the animal word. An
Italian writer. quoted in Mr.. Wittich's
"Curiosities of Physical Geography
says: Il must not omit in this pace tC
mention those ~prognosticS which were
derived from animals. They were OBJ
served in every place where the shocks
were such as to be generally percepti
bic. Some minutes before they wer,
felt the oxen and COWS began to below,
the sheep and goats bleated, and. rush.
ing in confusion m on the other, tricd
to break the wicker-work of the folds
the dogs howled terribly, the geese and
fowls were alarmed and made much
noise; the horses which were fastened
in their stalls were greatly ayi
tated. leaped up, and tried to
break the halters with which
they were attached to the hangers
those which were proceeding on the
roads suddenly stopped and snorted in
a very strange way. The cats were
frightened, and tried to conceal them.
selves. or their hair bristled up wildly.
Rabbits and moles were seen to leave
from the places on which they had
alighted; and fish left the bottom OF
the sea and approached the shores,
where at some places great numbers
of them were taken. Even ants and
reptiles abandoned, in clear daylight.
their s~ubterrauean holes in great diSor.
der, many hours before the shocks were
felt. Large flights of locusts were seen
creeping through the streets of Naples
toward the sea the night before the
earthquake. Winged ants took refuge
during the darkness in the rooms OF
houses. Some dogs, n few minutes
before the first shock took place, awoke
their sleeping masters, by barking aud
pulling them as if they wished to war;
them of the impending danger, and
several persons were thus enabled to
save themselves" What it is, before
the sound or shock of earthquake i:
felt, which warns both animals and hu'
man beings of the approach of some
dreadful catastrophe threatening The
very basis of their existence no one. o.
course, a say, since the impression
made upon the nervous system is, a
least a regards our own species, evi
IDENTIFY n OF general disturbance. and
not one to which experience attache:
any explicit significance. Itmay be, o.
course, that some very great change
in the magnetic conditions of a spor
threatened with earthquake lead;
to that extreme excitement o.
mind exhibited by all living crea
lures previous to the onset of the
earthquake. That, however, is pure
conjecture. What is interesting is
that a certain blank CONSERVATION
seems ALWAYS to be the characteristic
herald of an earthquake. as well as the
Characteristic result. That it should be
the Characteristic result is. of course
no wonder. The very condition OF hu
fais the solidity of the not very
nfst on which we hye. ant
IS exchanged forpos
the worst earth