Litchfield enquirer., 1881-03-03
Modern Miracles of Healing.

Our readers have probably not forgotten the miracles of healing claimed 10 have been per formed year or two ago under the ministrations of the Wo,cottvile colored woman, Mrs Mix: Her chief champion, and firm believer in the miraculous results following her prayers
 was the editor .of, the New Milford Ray It wasa suspicious circumstance that her most woaderful cures were claimed for Wo'cottvi!le, where, nevertheless, al eF~ Heafly all people of intelligence considered her hnmbng: The editor of the Ray made claim of wonderful results, however, occurring under his own ob- servaiion. Subsequent reports failed to fulfil the sanguine expectations of Mrs. Mix's sup
 pOrters. Apparent improvement turned in many cases to permanent injury. The mira e-worker. fell into disrepute; and, for long time, we have seen nothing about Mrs. Mix even in the columns of the Ray. .aa rr"g v
 The claim of q superstatious woman to the possession of miraculous power never seemed to us anything like 90 wonderful as the belief of an intelligent editor. lawyer, and minister in the existence of such power Yet it is but fair to acknowledge that the power some times exercised by mind over body for the cure of nervous, muscular, and other affections, might naturally seem miraculous to those un- skilled in such matters, and who are at all ac- customed to attribute to miracle results whose causes they do not understand. 'ii
 The Mix phenomenon was brought viyidly kS.x snla
 lisbed by Dr. Hammond of New York in the March number of the International Review upon ':The Scientific Relations of Modern Miracles" What seems Sc wonderful in all modern miracles of healing is a mere matter of common experience with this distinguished specialist in medical science. He devotes himself mainly to an explanation of that most noted of modern Catholic miracles the vision, and cures ef ''0ur Lady of Lourdes." He tells the story as related by the believers in the .lirseIes. which is in substance this: Ber- nadesfe SOubiroEs. pious girl of IA was about crossing the river Gave, a mountain stream In France. She had been bending down, taking of her shoes and stockings pre- parztory to doing so; when, hearing rushing ss of wind. she looked up. There was no wind, but she saw the Virgin Mary standing in little niche In the rock on the river bank. No one believed her story at first, but she had repeated visions of the Virgin at the same place. who sent a message to, the priests de- manding the building of church there, and finally announced herself as the Immaculate Cu1ceptiOu." A fouDTain was discoyered, at the place pointed out by, Bernadette; the church was built; many miracles of healing are claimed to have been wrought by the wafer Of the fountain and Dr. Tyng, noted Episcopal minister of New York, has recently avowed his faith in their genuineness.
 Having told the story Dr.. Hammond pro- cseds iO explain the visions and the healings
 He gives numerous instances of visions result ing from undue pressure of blood on the brain. That pressure is always increased by bending down the head. This was the precise posi- tiOa Of Bernadette when she first saw the vissOn- The roaring sound in her ears was another indication of such pressure. Among the instances occurring underhis own obser- vatiOa Dr. Hammond mentions 'the case, of . gentleman unier his professional care, who could al any time cause the appearance of im- ages by tying a handkerchief moderately tight around the neck There was in this case one form which was always tlie first to come and the last to depart It consisted of male fg- ure clothed in the costume worn in England three hundred years ago, and bearing a striks Raleigh ThIs figure not only imposed on the sight, but also on the hearing; for it conversed well and at great length on the prominent questions of the day. As soon as the constric- ton ot the neck " as removed, the images d,s- appeared and the conversation ceased" An other is that of Catholic girl in New York who also saw repeated visions of the Virgin. Sue was brought to him for rtreatment. and soon ceased to seethe visions Soon after she became a Protestant-and had visions again-but, this time, it was Christ not the Virgin whom she saw. Another case cited from Leipsic professor of theology is as fol- lows: ....'--".,.,..t ,.,.I
 ''In a moment. of enthusiasm g. girl who had fallen, after her first communion into the sOmnambulic state, cried out that she saw such beautiful and glorious things ;and when the elders asked her what she saw she answer. ed, God surrounded. by the angels, the apos- ties. and Mary ' The same girl was subse. quently thrown by magnetism into the som. nambulic state by a. friend of the elders, who was VOltairian; and when he asked the ec- static patient what she saw, she replied God, acc0mpaniedb by his two apostles, lNoltaire and Rousseau. - s.IQAaJ s .s.Aslssi'' ai-
 In short the vision takes it's color entirely from the predominant feeling or predisposi- ton of the patient: if she is Catholic, it is almost certain to be the Virgin; if Protestant. Christ; if Deistic, perhaps God, and some favorite philosopher of that school. .,a.. ,,l
 Besides this tendency tS see visions f ffroonn, on being troubled with an abnormal flow, of blood to the brain, Bernadette was also subiect. says Dr. Hammond, to paroxysims of "ecsta. sy." This be describes as followsi;:. s...., ~.
 Ecstacy is one of those hysteroid affections of which catalepsy and ,hystero-epilepsy, afe others. and which are manifested as mysticism stlgmatlsm, fasting girls, etc.i Ameng the most celebrated ecstatics have been St. Cathe. rlne of Vienna. St. Therese, Joan of Arc, St. Francis d'Assissl Louise Latean, the stigma. tized Belgian girl, and we must now add Der. nadette Soubirons.l Ecstasy. though closely allied to catalepsys differs from itiin several important particulars, chiefly in the fact that the ecstatic recOilects -1he train of thought which has been going on and the images which have been seen, and speakS of Stheup On emerging. from. the zpafoxysm.a Besitiss, ir ecstasy there, is rather anpscular ditnmsblity than rigidity, althoughthis lastenis sonietimes present as In catalepsy. Thesyes are open, the lips parted. the face is turned upwards the hands raised as if to heaven, and the body il erect stretched out to its fullheight'; if kueel. ing, inclined forward to the utmost extent ii recumbent, extended to itsuextreme lepgth and sometimes but only aEssith Roman Cathe
 lies. the feet crossed, and the arms placed ai right angles to the body as in csueifxieu.o Al the same time.a peculiar expressionIef, joy