The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-06-01
CURIOUS CLASS or PHENOMENA.
Serious Attention Given to .Mesmeric,'
"PsychicaP' and .spiritistic..

Serious Attention Given to ssMesmeric,"
''PsychicaP' and 'spirifistic..
A notable feature Of the tendencies Of
scientific thought to-day is the serious at
tention given to the class OF phenomena
known as "mesmeric," "psychicar and "spir-
itistic" Where formerly those concerned
in these matters were chiefly ignorant,
superstitious, credulous and of Unbalanced
minds, it appears that intelligent people are
more and more giving their attention to
them, with the growing conviction that
there is, after all, something in them" and
that, amid great deal of deception, there
remain facts which cannot be explained by
any accepted laws Investigators have
hitherto had to pursue their researches in
the face of much prejudice, it having been
considered disreputable to have anything to
do with such matters.
Even men OF the highest standing in sci
enee and of unimpeachabie character, like
Alfred Russell Wallace, Baron Won Reich
enbach and Professors Crookes and Zoilner,
who began their Investigations in the skep-
teal spirit which is the first requisite, were
prosecuted and maligned by many OF their
fellow scientists for the conclusions which
they reached. Then the London Dialectic
society appointed a committee of investiga
ton, but when a report cerroborating the
actually of such phenomena was presented,
the society refused TO receive it Then, in
the beginning Of 1882, the English Society
for Psychical Research was formed with the
aim Of approaching the various problems
involved without pre- udice or prepossession
of any kind, and in the same spirit OF exact
and unimpassioned inquiry which has ena-
bled science TO solve SO many problems once
not less obscure nor less hotly debated The
society, which included many of the most
eminent men in England, accumulated a
great mass OF evidence concerning thought
transference on mind reading, apparitions,
etc.
This fact was the occasion for the forma-
ton, at meeting held in Boston in 1851, of
the American Society for Psychical Re-
search, the founders of which felt that the
evidence published by the English society
was of a measure not to be ignored by j.
entiiic men. Following the methods pur-
sued by other scientific observations, which,
when published, Immediately invite many
careful students to the work of corrobora-
ton Or disproof, tine American society felt
that there was a duty OF systematically
repeating observations similar to thosa
made in England with view to confirm
ing them if true, and definitely pointing
out the sources OF error in them if false
The American society, which has been
quietly at work for something like a year
has already attained a considerable mem
bership, and finds widespread interest in
the subiec The object of the society is
briefly defined to be the systematic study
of the laws of mental action The officers
include leading men of science in various
parts of the country, and other eminent
gentlemen interested in the subject They
represent all shades of opinion, some be
lieving, Others disbeleving, while others
are indifferent to, the existence OF so-caliel
sychicai laws Boston Herald