The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-07-22
sYMPkTHETIC IMITATION.

Singular Erect or Hsnd5U pon nrIna spirit.
uausn, Epiasaies Of sulsfde, lEaraes
and Other Criaes-Ths influence ef
Words.
At . reception recently given At the
Long Island College Hospital, DR.,
Samuel G. Armor, Dean of the college
faculty, delivered an address on 1.-The
Interacfion Of Mind and Body" which
spanked with gems Of thought
1.-The singular quality of the human
mind, said the lecturer, of being .saf-
fected by the affections of another, /" is
one Of the great facts Of human history
which at different periods Of the world &
history has had . strange and powerful
influence IN shaping human destiny; and
yet Is b scientific TACT, historically con-
sidered, il has received but little investi-
cation. Men are bound utogether not
more by the mutual dependencies dis
covered by reason than by the intuitive
sense of the emotions that move and the
unreasoning impulses that direct and
guide each other in action. And all
these emotional impulses are born
Of sympathy, and involve IN impulse to
initiate in feelings and in action those
whom we love and admire. This prin-
ciple of sympathetic imitation, like
other elements Of human character. .ex-
lists In different degrees in different per-
sons Some arc born leaders Of men;
others are born for the rank and file.
The principle Of imitation differs also at
different periods of life. and in the differ
emit races of men. Children learn in
sensibly to model their habits on the APP
pearance and manners OF those with
whom they are Familiarity conversant.
As we advance to maturity the pro-
pensity to imitation grows weaker. Our
improving faculties gradually divert our
attention from the models around Us to
ideal standards, more comfortable to
our tastes, The inferior races OF men
are in this respect much like children.
They learn largely by imitation their
ideal standard being feeble in comparison
with their initiative faculties. 80
That the mesmerized subject often
passes into the state Of anesthesia, as well
as other peculiar mental states, have
had abundant testimony. And that the SO
called Spiratualists-some OF them at
least believe they have communications
with the dead. / can readily believe.
Nay more, that to their minds they actll-
ally see and converse and walk with the
dead is not improbable. 1t is in harmony
with what Is known Of certain psyche
logical phen0mena--the concentration
theory OF trance. Strong concentrated
mental impressions, acting upon what
psychologists call the emotion Of expec-
tation, not unfrequently become convert
ed into sensational realities. The eye,
for instance. sees what the mind strongly
conceives; the ear hears q voice that still
fingers IS memory in the brain; the in
tenesly superstitious see in the dim twi-
light the ghost wrapped in its winding
sheets. Learned school men call this
perversion of mind and sense objective
subjectivity.. Common people call it q
delusion. The most extravagant perform
ances of-the subjects Of hypnotism, ~
It is. now called, is no external, super
natural spiritual manifestation it is
merely an exaggeration Of what we wit
ness in everyday life, an extreme mani
festatiou Of the control Of one person
over anothers which we so constantly
witness. During the Middle Ages, when
the superstitious and fanatica1 element
largely predominated, numerous nervous
affections spread as epidemics in waves
of sympathy. sometimes spreading over
whole communities like the fury Of !
storm. In Germany at one time it took
the form Of the dancing mania. which
was probably nothing more than an en-
aggerated form of st Vitus' dance. Il
was characterized nv con;cal and Indie
rious grimaces. and sometimes by VIC
lent contortions. leapings and fantastic
OSCILLATIONS Hundreds flocked to see
the strange delusion, and soon. we
are told, all Germany was dancing
and gesticulating with the unhappy
sufferers. About the middle of the
Tenth Century . strange panic seized