Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-30
Is There a sixth Sense?
From the Toroa INTO Mail.

Some months ago the welI.worn dues-
ton, Is there sixth sensei was dis
cussed In these columns. But the reader
will probably recollect that no very start
ling discoveries were made, the discus
sion in the end taking the form of an ex-
perience meeting on the subject of spir-
itualism. The London papers OF Oct 80
announce the appearance of two volumes.
entitled "Phantasms of the Living" being
the first contribution of the Society for
Psychical Research. This society, it NAV
be well to say, embraces such men as
Prof. Balfour Stewart, it's President:
Prof. Henry SidgwicK, the Bishops of Car.
Isle and Ripon and Lord Rayleigh. the
DISTINGUISHED mathematician. who was
President Of the British Association for
the Advancement of Science when that
body visited Canada in 1884. From a
brief review in the Times we learn that
the main purpose of these volumes Is to
break new ground In the region of psych-
ical inquiry; to show, by vast collection
of authenticated material, that there is
at least prima facie reason to think that,
as matter Of observed and verified fact.
transmissions of thought and feeling
from one person to another do occur by
other means than through the recognized
channels of sense; and to claim for this
branch OF inquiry and for the phenomena.
real or supposed. with which it deals, a
legitimate position within the field OF
scientific research, The main theses
formulated are these: ~ Experiment
proves that telepathy-the supersen-
sorry transference of thoughts aud
feelings from one mind to an
other-is fact In nature, ''supersensoryD
being defined to mean independent of the
recognized channels of sense. (2) Testl-
mony proves that phantasms Empress
slons, voices or figures OF persons under.
going some crisis-especially death-are
perceived by their friends and relatives
with frequency which mere chance cam
NOT explain. (3) These phantasms, then,
whatever else they may be, are instances
of the supersensory action of one mind
upon another. The third thesis, as the
Times observes, stands on totally differ
emit basis from the other two, though evil
IDENTIFY regarded as a cOrollary.
The books cite vast amount of evil
dence, such as il is, relating TO appari-
lions, and this evidence is held to support
the first thesis, although the question:
Are apparitions apparitions or deusions?
remains unanswered. Upon this point
the Times says it should be borne in mind
that the subject of an apparitiOn is not
generally in condition OF mind favorable
to scientific inquiry. He can tell US what
he saw, or what be thinks be saw, but he
cannot tell us much more, and before we
believe him we must apply judicial rather
than scientific tests. We have all
OF us heard stories OF apparitions.
and their frequency and persistency may
perhaps be regarded as affording faint
presumption In favor of their truth. But
the presumption is, after all, very faint
one. Strict verificatlon is, from the ma
ture OF the case, out oil the question. 1t
may possibly be proved beyond reason
able doubt that A saw an apparition OF Il
at the moment of the latter's death at
distance, and similar cases may be null
tipIied on equally credible and conclu-
sive testimony TO an almost indefinite
extent. But in order TO establish the OBJ.
jectisereality of the apparitions we should
have to examine minutely the mental
history and condition OF all the AS. And,
of course, in cases where long interval
of time has elapsed between the apparl-
ton and the narration of IL all these diff
culties are aggravated. A, writing In
1885, says that twenty years ago at a
given hour on a given day he saw an APP
partition of b, who, at that hour on that
day, died in India. 1t is not sufficient to
prove that b did die at the time specified,
allowance being made for the differ
ence of longitude. We should
have TO put A under strict cross
examination and ascertain exactly
how much he remembered and how
much he bad since imagined. Even then
we should have TO make large allow
ance for chance condolences, and to ex-
anime the cases where appapitions occur
panied by any corresponding
crisis. Assuming, however, that appari-
lions do really occur there remains the
task of showing that the telepatby &C
counts for them. the Times thinks the
authors have failed to establish this part
OF the case also; 80 explain them by tele-
pathy," it says, sis surely, in the present
condition OF our knowledge, 10 beg the
whole question:"