National Republican., 1884-06-20
WHAT Is ITl
Some speculations Relating TO the
Strange Forces Brought into Action by
Lula Hurst.


lula Hurst.
TO me Editor
It was reported in the Ecenino star Of yes
terday that an eminent scientific gentleman
of this city has expressed the opinion that
the extraordinary phenomena occurring in
this lady's presence arc due to nothing else
than unusual muscular strength" If they
arc due to nothing else than muscu-
lar strength, IL would be a very easy matter
to discover whether the muscles of the arm
swell when, for example, she places tho palms
Of both hands on tho side of chair which
three men can only with great difficulty
press to tho floor. The swell of the muscles
of the arm in this case might bo tested by
encircling it with delicate thread which
would easily break under pressure For ono,
1 could discern no other muscular effort in
her performances than was due to the
ondeavor to keep her hands on the
chair as it moved from side to side,
under the resultant action of forces
emanating from her person and from those
who were trying TO press 1t down. Nor do
believe tho force evolved from her person Is
| in any other than very small degree mus
cular. Muscular force is the product of the
decomposition of muscular and nervous
tissues. In Miss Hurst's case the muscles
| and nerves conduct force not generated
| within them. 1t Is said that objects at u dis
tauce sometimes move from place to place in
response to her volition. / sec no reason to
discredit this statement, after somewhat
large experience with phenomena of q similar
character. L do not, however, consider her
will source of energy in such case, much
| less that disongagement OF force from the
muscles moves the object. How could suoh n
force make contact with and adhere
to the object whom she does not touch
it? But it may be said that Miss
| Hurst has given no such exhibition
in public. Possibly not. But Angelique
Coffin, in Paris, somewhere about 1885, gave
such exhibitions before certain savans of that
city, among whom was Arago. Physical OBJ
| jects in her presence were moved with
tremendous force, when 1t was quite clear
to the observers that she had no physical
contact with them. Tho popular cry was
that the phenomena were produced by cleo
| tricity. But no electrometer in the hands oi
| the savans was delicate enough to dotect IT,
| 1t was after having witnessed these phenom-
ena that Arago is said to have remarked
"Gentleman, he is bold man who, outside
of mathematics, ventures to utter the word
impossible"
If, as is alleged, the movement Of physical
objects sometimes occurs in Miss Hursti
presence without her personal contact with
| them, but in response to hel
volition, we must logically infer
force not muscular. Mental yolitton
do but direct force, they do not generate 1t
A mental volition sets up decomposition Of
muscular and nervous tissues, and tho torc
with which one moves hand,,or an arm is thu
evolved and discharged. But no mortal can Of
feet control of this kind Of force with ply
steal object, unless some bodily organ is in con
tact with such object. Tho forces comini
through the person of Miss Hurst can achiev
a contact at times with physical objects, whol
she has no personal contact with them. This /
the beautiful mystery incidental to her phe
nomena. She is another Angelique Cottin
but at present with less astonishing powers
We have named that form of electricit.
evolved from decomposing copper and zin
when decomposing in contact), ealvanisn
from DIR. Gslvani. Why not call the ne'
force evolved in Miss Hursts presence Lu
lism or Cottinism. Tho name will serve as a
objective point dc mere toward which ou
studies and speculations in regard to the new
force may converge. 1t will be time enoug
to call it muscular force when we have com
to believe that the electric current tina
shatters a church steeple should be calle
steeple force, and that it is evolved from til
weather cock. d. l..
JUNE 10, 1884.