Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-06-26
PLANCHET..
How the Little Machine Ruined a Mans
Peace of Mind.


In the Tribune of April 90, 1885, appeared
communication entitled Grant and the
Metaphysicians." Referring to the illness
of General Grant, the writer of the article
mentioned above says: He has been
under the special care of the school of
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., who have been treating
him quietly three times day at Boston
and Chicago. These metaphysicians, who
TO nv certain knowledge have performed
wonderful cures, claim TO have discovered
new way of reaching the unconscious or
non-voluntary mind, which presides over
the functions of digestion, sleep, nervous
action, ETC." Since reading the above a
year ago several cases have come under my
observation that may illuminate the work
ings of this strange theory. | will briefly
state one of them
A man of my acquaintance engaged as a
draughtsman in an engineers Office in
Kansas became interested in the little mys-
tic apparatus known as planchet. He
was informed by the supposed spirits that
he was in bad health, and must get cured
up In short, the whole theory of the met
aphysical curing was elaborated to him,
and the names and location of some of its
practitioners made known. He was told
that he could be completely cured of all
his ills, and would become great man
that he must say nothing about it, as then
he would have no trouble, and have all the
money he wanted, but he must go to a GER
| tain Western city first, as sort of medium,
or missionary, to scatter the germs of the
new era simply by his presence there. He
paid little attention to it, but not long after
became so troubled with a peculiar ner-
vousness that he quit work and went home
to Des Moines, Ia, to rest. In &
day or two his wife became very
nervous, and without any really sufficient
motive took him to the city he had been
directed to go to, and remained there with
him for six weeks, walking about and
boarding at the expense of his slim purse.
That man and his family, strange as it
seems, have been the victims of a succession
of unheard. of decisions. Nothing seems
to go right, and they have suffered untold
misery and torture. | do not pretend to
say that any person or persons are con-
cerned in any occult schemes to produce
such effects, hut there are people, and they
are quite numerous, who pretend to say
that certain decisions of the senses are
harmless; in fact, they justify the very
senseless gable of planchet board as
being Just right. and countless numbers of
otherwise sensible people are being led
astray by it and by kindred Authorizations.
Ii can not be too strongly urged, it never
can be too well known. that there is hardly
possibility of an unknown force to be
discovered by some lucky diver into ma
ture, and it is the insanity of self'estimate
that tempts the unhappy victim of over
work and intense thought to search -or
something over there, up there, | know
not what it is" but something they think
they can find Molecular action of the
nerve forces will explain all the mysteries
ofmind reading. supersensory intelligence,
condolences of thought, etc. and it is
almost certain that mediumistic phenomena
indicate but an abnormal or diseased con-
dition of the nervous system which ought
to be cured Without any great amount OF
love for the regular physician. and still
less for his medicine, am impressed with
the great value of his advice in all cases
where there is the least doubt, and in the
case of my friend referred to above, the
timely advice of good doctor would have
save him untold trouble and thousands OF
dollars Chicago Tribune.