Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-06-28
egularly every Christmas sends her present

In the workhouse department room devoid
OF any furniture is used for solitary confinement
| on bread and water. a punishment which it is
| sometimes necessary to inflict upon rebellious
prisoners This mode Of punishment. however,
Is not used as often as formerly. as when once
| locked up the term Of confinement is made con-
| tlnsent on the prisoners alacrity in attending
| TO MS duty. Some attention is also paid to the
dispositions OF prisoners and often more is &C
| compiished by little fiattery and praise than
could be effected by harsh treatment.
| TwENTY-sIX OLD MEN.
One OF the mos. affecting sights is that pre-
sented by the twenty-six old and decrepid COL
ored men in one of the old powder houses Some
OF these men are very old-George Williams.
Stafford county, Va. being put down as 10S
years. Nearly all OF these come from the neigh
boring states OF Maryland and Virginia, and the
District Is supporting them. They are allowed
a little plot OF ground on which they are raising
some sweet corn and other vegetables. Some
SIT out and sun themselves and others keep
about their beds day in and day out They seem
! quite happy and contented. One among the
| number is affected with diseased mind which
makes him believe that he sees witches whether
| he Is asleep or awake
| THE FARM
There are now some twenty acres of ground
under cultivation in corn. rye, and vegetables,
aud considering the backwardness of the season
all the crops are looking well. The stables are
located behind the amshouse. 1t Is proposed
| soon to remove the frame shell house 100 feet
long. and put it up for a barn. A brick gateway
| Is being erected at the north end of the enclo-
sure and preparations are being made for the
| erection of coal shed nearit. There have been
| numbers OF improvements made in the interior
| OF the buildings.
| THE READING ROOM.
In the second story nall of the workhouse
there is fine organ and there is also reading
room, but the supply Of literature is limited.
The few books and papers have been read again
and again, and the intendant would be glad if
| citizens would make contributions of books and
papers The officers of the institution are
| W. II. St0utenburgh, intendant: S. +. S. Stout
| enburgh. matron; d. Tindall. clerk; H. Miller
| baker;J McGuigan engineer: F. B. Graf. II. c.
ADDISON, g. Z. Ostrander, D. d. Thompson J.
| steer. d. Stewart. overseers; G.. w. Mcmahon
ID. O'Connor, and NJ. Clune. watchmen.
--------->>>--
Miss Hurst Scientifically Considered.
To the Editor of The EVENING STAR:
The success Of the demonstrations Of Miss
Hurst. the so-called Georgia wonder, rests alto
gether on the person or persons subjected to
| them. There is nothing that goes out from her
| as an emanation, as any one else can bring on
the same state or condition in persons who are
sensible to the hypnotic influence and it has
been found to be that two men in ten are or
| four women in ten. The subject Of hypnotism
was first brought to the notice of the world
about 20 years ago by person named Mesmer
who published an account OF his discovery in a
book called animal Magnetism" 1t did not
especially interest the profession at that time
Tor the reason that MeSmer enormously claimed
that 1t was an influence which emanated solely
| from him, and which, he stated, overpowered
the nervous energy of the person subjected to
1t, who then came entirely under his control.
AS he started.Wfth a, wrong theory he was con-
seqnently false In his deductions He and his
theory. therefore. soon fell into dsrepute. Some
time after this Mr.. laird, of Manchester Eng
land, investigated the subject and was the
hrst. 1t ls said. TO do. so scientifically. 1t was
he who proposed the name of 'hypnotism" for
this state. and q person was brought into it
then precisely in the same way as is now gener-
ally done. namely, simply by attracting his
attention and Keeping it fixed on some object
held near the eyes Mr.. Baird was also called a
quack. Persons calling themselves ''electrO-
biologists" next took up the subject. and while
giving exhibitions in England attracted the
attention of Dr.. Carpenter and others. who
carefully studied the subject and published their
opinions thereon. which have generally been ac-
cepted. The subject, can also be Influenced
through the senses of hearing and smell, and
many persons have the power of putting them
selves into the hypnotic condition by locking
hXedly for While at any object. or at another
person. The mind of hypnotised person is in
a condition where it is capable of being nfu-
enced by another person. through words or
other means; in fact. he can be made to perform
any criminal act. In illustration Of this the fol-
lowing case Ia cited; At one of the medical
clinics IN New York, several years ago. a
hypnotised person was given piece of paper,
rolled up and told that it was dagger, and that
he must kill a man who was standing near him
HE hesitated moment and then sprang on
the man like q tiger. and plunged the supposed
dagger into him again and again. He was then
dragged off from his victim. Next, paper was
placed on the floor, and he was given a match,
and told to set fire to that house. He lighted
the paper, and drew back with smile. and adj
mired the flame he had'made. He was then re-
stored to his senses" Animals can also be
hypnotised. Hens frogs and crabs are consid-
cred good subjects A crab can be hypnOtised
simply by standing it on its head. especially in
the summer time, when it is most active. To
beak down upon table or other flat surface for
few seconds frog to be brought into this
condition must be squeezed gently behind the
head and then carefully thrown upon its back
upon the hand or table. Scientifically, the
mental condition Of hypnotised person is sup
posed to be one in which the seat OF conscious
ness is abolished. that is. cut off from acting In
the natural mental condition q sensation is car
ried first to small organ in the brain called
the optic tilaalnus." where it is probably con-
an impulse is conveyed along certain nerve
iibfes to the seat Of consciousness the cortey
here the individual becomes aware of the per
ceptiOn From the cOrteX another impulse is
sent along certain nerve tibres to the muscles
which are to cause the performance of the act
required. Now. in the mental state Of hypnO-
tism impressions are conveyed In the same way
except that instead OF being transmitted from
the supposed seat of the perceptions to the seat
OF consciousness they go by a different set of
nerve flores directly to the muscles and cause
the same acts that would have followed had
they taken the normal course. There is, there
fore. no consciousness on the part of the hypno-
tised person OF his acts; he Is. in fact, in the
same condition as if he had no cortex. 1t seems
therefore. that in the condition of hypnotism
the seat of consciousness is cut off from acting,
as was said above, while the optic thalamus
and the spinal cord alone ares active;
that is, are capable OF receiving nor
mally impressions transmitted by the
senses. Be that as it may, the hypnO-
tic influence. scientifically considered, is
one of the most important powers of nature
and one about which there Is good deal yet to
learn. In conclusion have only to add that
the force exerted by Miss Hurst in her exhibi-
tiOns is mainly due to her physical strength.
which is above that of the average female, and
that only part fher power over people is due
to hypnotism, of which, by the way she seems
to know very little. The statement that she
can raise a char with q person sitting in it, so
that the chair and the person both will be off
the floor at the same time has not been veri-
fled by personal observation. The only thing
that saw her accomplish in this connection at
one of her recent exhibitions here was smpy