The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1881-06-02
Another New Science.

Psychometry is the impressive name
Of a so-called science afrom which no
mortal man can conceal his thoughts If
he will dare to write what he pretends
arehis convictions onpaper. The moment
he commits himself the pyschometric
expert can tell with an Invaluable GER
tainty whether what he has said is true
or false" The method is simple and a
majority of persons have the power OF
operating the science. One merely puts
the paper on which a statement is writ
ten to his forehead and he is at once
conscious of the real sentiments of the
writer. While there are certainly some
advantages in an infallible method OF
learning the thoughts of men, on the
whole the disadvantages are overwhelm-
ing. Abstractly we make too much of
truth; it is exalted above other virtues
which at times are of superior con-
sequence. The courtesies which make
social life bearable are necessarily full OF
deceptions, and society would be wrecked
if we had the power of knowing the
truth in particular instances. In the
present frail condition of humanity, a
| palace of truth would be an lntolerable
residence. Yet abstractly we insist upon
truth as the highest essential of human
happiness. Practically the world would
reject a system which threatened to lay
bare the little deceits which make social
life ~peaceable.
But the medical features of psychome-
try. if they can be separated from the
rest. can be of the highest utility. The
d~iscoverer finds that a large portion OF
the human race can be affected by drugs
held in the hand. He frequently, during
his lectures, put his auditors to sleep by
placing opium in their hands. Tins,
however. is not startling, as many lee.
turers have the ability to put an audience
to sleep without the opium. He ha
found that cathartics and stlmulants ano
other substances will operate on the
system after contact with the hand. 1
is well known that under the influence
OF hasl1ish persons become remarkabl,,
credulous. BY covering his door knoll
with this drug a man can have al
advantage over his aggressive creditor
By the time the creditor is seated ant
ready for an offensive campaign, tn
medicine will have begun its work ant
he viii be as clay In the hands OF tn
potter. If he escapes without 'lendln!
his debtor all the money he has, he vii
be fortunate. The method will common
1GSGlI 10 6QllOIo WIZ W1ObO bAh oAO
about which a man with a club calls t
inquire. Under the influence of hashisl
the man can be persuaded to kick him
self down stairs under the impression
that he wrote it himself. ont
The best place for a boil, it is said, j
on some other person. This Jest, unde
the operation of psychometry, can b
made aserious possibility. The iscovere
afirms that by placing his hands on
patient, the expert psychometi transfer
the disease from the patient to himsel
This is better than the substitution {
diseases about, which something hi
, been said. A man CAM hire his doctor I
be sick for him, and in this way doctor
may prove of some value to the world
If psychometry will abandon its atteml
: to abolish lying, since this would owe
turn society and destroy the legal pr
t ~fession, the world will accept its medic
methods with alacrity. r
' 11abic0D