The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-03-07
Looking Into Spiritualism.
[Springield Republican.

The era of the scientific investigation of the phenomena of spiritualism has fairly begun. The American Society for Psychical Research has organized re- gently, with the astronomer and msthe. matician Professor Simon Newcomb for president, Professors G. Stanley Hall, C.. s. Fullerton, E. C. Pickering and Doctors H. P. Bowditch and C. s. Minot for vice. presidents; with council, among whose members, besides the officers named, are Professors c. F. Barker, John Trow- bridge, A. Hyatt and ]. M Pierce, Doc tor C. C. Everett, T. w. Higginson and Moor6eld Storey. We do not recognize in the full list any professed spiritualists, although there are several who have be- come interested and indeed familiarized with many of these phenomena. The de- sire of Editor Bundy, of the Chicago Re- Agfo PhiIosobhieai JoSrnai. for repre- sentation of spiyitualists in such society, whose formation he has advocated so earnestly, is thus not grati6ed; but this does not appear to us as derogation from the usefulness of the socie,y's pro- ceedings. It is announced that one of the first lines of investigation will be en- deavoring to ascertain whether there is a transfer ef thought, or of mental images, from one person to another. This is the very alphabet of inquest, as the notion is the first one induced from the observa- ton of the elementary manifestations of table-tipping and the raps. It will be as well to begin that way as any, and it will be very easy to trace many of the phe- nomena to this influence of mind on mind. Many individual investigators have done this to their personal saiisfac- tion, so far as they went; but 1t will simply leave the inquirers at the thresh- old of extraordinary things which the transfer of thought does not hit.
 While this society of ps> chical research begins its work in the direction of the English society, with the same purpose, the Seybert Commission for the investi- gation of spiritualism has been busy for some time at Philadelphia. This com mission was appointed under the will of Henry Seybert, of that city, a prominent spiritualist, who left $6o 900 to establish a chair of mental and moral philosophy, with the condition of looking up these mysterious phenomena. Seybert was . dupe of the Blisses and the Katie King sensation, which so abused the con6- dence of that excellent man, the late Robert Dale Owen. But the exposure of the humbugs to which he hao given im- plicit credence did not shake his faith in the reality of spirit communication, any more than it did that of MT. Oven. The commission appointed to carry out his intentions have already been visited by several of the rxa09f n0fed rsaedisfnss in the country. who have been paid literally for their services and the latest of these is Dg. Henry Sade, who has just concluded series of what are called remarkable manifestations before the commission. Slade is very able man in his profes- sion, but he is not always conscientious, as many who have private sessions with him know. The magician Heller has contracted with the Seybert Commission to duplicate everything Slade has shown them, and ts reveal to them aftex he has done it his whole mode o4 operation. The inquiry into me Iiumship will, with. out . doubt, bring to light a deal of tri kery-which those who believe in the agency of spirits commonly explain by one of two hypotheses-that the medium, when his power is deficient, resorts to tricks to counterfeit the genuine efects i; or that malicious spirits interfere to ipjure the medium's reputation. Perhaps the scientific Investigators may. be able to dixtinguish fraud from fact