The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1885-07-04
OUR LETTER FROM BROADBRlM

An Old Healing Art Revived-Vas Christ
Mind ls6atler?-A Boom for Clairvoy-
ance-Denying Brothers Legitimacy
ParsOn Beeclleer on Evolution-Arrival
of the Bartholtil Statue-Poliee Reform.
New YOnK, June q, 1885.
EDITOR CHIEF:
About two years ago gentleman ap-
peared in New York who called himself a
mind-reader. Put in communication with
any individual in his audience, by some
sort of psychological influence or connec-
ton, he seemed to come into possession of
the persons thoughts and he certainly did
some very wonderful things in the presence
and under the close scrutiny of many cul-
tivated and critical audiences. While the
affair was phenomenal and curious we had
no idea where it was eventually going to
lead u.s. We often hear it said ''that there
isnothing new under the sttn," and the dis
ciples of the new revelation of which l am
going to speak, will be astonished to learn
that the corner stone of their philosophy
was=, laid by George Berkley, the good
Bishop of Cloyne, hundred and fifty years
ago. Mind-reading served as an amusement
for the hour; but it appears that it was only
the first ray of light to something practical,
for we can now exclaim with Macbeth,
throw physic to the dogs, I'll none of it"'
The philosophy base of the new doctrine is
that we are the creatures and victims of
imagination. You only imagine you are
sick; the thing has no foundation in fact;
in short, If yoa can only be brought to view
things properly you could sail through life
from the cradle to the grave, on the tran
dull waves of summer sea-
demonstrated Unusual power US mind
healer. It was not faith cure, pure and
simple, as we understand it, according to
the orthodox standard. It was not a
prayer cure, for neither physician or pa
tient belonged to any evangelical congre-
CATION. 1t might be called case of con-
dition, where the powerful mind of the
operator made the subject believe there
was nothing the matter with him, and hey,
presto, there was not. As the Savior said
to the woman who touched the hem of his
garment {" Thy faith hath made thee whole d
There was no application of medicine there,
it not possible that the Savior, understand
ing exactly the working of natures law,
knew the effect of mind upon matter, and
knew if the woman could only imagine
herself cured that she would be cured?
1t half the cures reported by this Boston
expert are true, the days of miracles are
not yet past. She tooka woman who hae
been imbecile from her birth and restored
her to her right mind; she tried her hand
on female paralytic, and to-day she walks
sound assany woman in the city; but it i:
useless to enumerate and We can only asE
ourselves, can these things be ture? Bishop
Berkley, a hundred and fifty years ago
maintained exactly the doctrine of thes,
mind -healers. What we cali seeing wa.
only Imagination, and as a substantial fac
we see nothing. The impression tina
reaches the brain through the retina of tht
eye is myth for the people see as much il
their dreams as they do waking, SO that tn,
eye is quite Ga likely to look in as out
Within mouth mind-healers have sprung
up in various portions of the city and most
of the practitioners are pupils of the Bos
ton lady. She charged them 500 each tt
teach them how the thingwas done-and nov
all of them are doing thriving business
for the practice seems to have become sud
denly popular.
Clayirvoyance has had a boom. An OK
pressman by the name OF Whitetouse dis
appeared very suddeny week ago; q gen
eral alarm was sent ont; the whole city va
~,s,sacked. but the I:,an vas lost as sure,