The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-03-21
ABOUT MESMERISM.
THE CAPITAL EXCITED CONCERNING
SUBJECTS" AND "SENSlTWES."

A Correspondents Accidental Discovery.
Animal Magnetism as Amusement.
Experiments with a Glass in Hypnot-
ism-An Operators CONCLUSIONS.
This letter will be in the nature of "a confes-
sion. Last spring, discovering by accident
that l could mesmerize, took up mesmerism
as a diversion for the amusement of myself
and friends. l had long believed in it
entirely, and carefully watched its pro-
cesses, but wished to study it's philosophy
and find out, if / could, the cause and the
limits of its mysterious phenomena.
first found that l could, by placing my
hand on the forehead of a young acquaint-
ance and accompanying the slight pressure
with an imperative command, close his eyes
and keep them firmly closed against all eff
forts of his viii. could compel him to dance
or keep him from moving from his tracks;
could prevent his rising from his chair; pre-
vent his striking his hands together, and, at
last could prevent him from speaking In
fact l absolutely controlled his voluntary
muscles in every respect, and could compel
him to do anything that he was physically
capable of doing.
Extending the experiments, obtained the
same control over others, both men and
women till / had quite class of sensitives
so responsive that could control them with
ease. Up to this time they were all perfectly
conscious and without any Authorizations;
they knew who they were, where they were
and what they were doing, and they laughed
as heartily at the absurd results obtained as
any spectator. Up to this time, too, 1 had
no means of ascertain ing whether the APP
parent results were genuine. / might be the
dupe of cunning people who were conspiring
to fool me- for in these early stages there
seems to be no way of scientifically prov
ing it.
1t was some time before I was able to carry
the experiments further and get control of
the consciousness and senses of my class At
last success came. made them see and hear
mosquitoes and fight the tormentors with
great energy. AT this point they became
dazed, and it was easy to command their
senses in O. her respects. At suggestion
they lard IL Isic the noises of riot, a thun-
der stem, the roaring of lions, speech by
Col Ingersoll, and they gradually came to see
wildly anything to which 1 directed their
attention In this world of hallucination
they lost consciousness rather, they
abandoned their real existence and assumed
an abnormal existence, does in
dream.
VARIOUS EXPERIMENTS
I am not yet certain whether this strange
condition is imposed on them by my will or
whether it is self imposed, subjective and the
result of expectation ON their part l am in
clined to believe the latter theory is true,
because when | direct their attention to a
horse, for instance, each one sees different
sort of horse and his head is in different di-
rectiOnS.
By few additional passes can induce a
cataleptic state in which the sensitive be-
comes perfectly rigid and can be laid out be-
tween two chairs, his head on one and his
heels ON another like log. They can also
be easily made insensible to pain, so that
pins are stuck through their hands, teeth
drawn and painful but harmless acids put in
the eye without extorting sign of feeling.
In this way, and others even more conclu-
sive, have demonstrated the good faith of
my class.
have given several receptions for the en-
tertainment of my friends and record here
some result for the benefit of those in other
J cities who choose to try similar experiments.
The available class consists of eight
four gentlemen and four ladies, from II to 40
years of age. Two of these (both ladies'
have never been able to take into the region
of Authorizations. / can control them physi-
cally, can prevent their unclasping their
hands, or laying down fan, or rising from
their chairs, or pronouncing their
names; but here my influence stops. / cam
not make them think that the room is hot or
cold, or that mosquitoes are prevalent, or
disturb the testimony of their senses in any
way.
The other six are lost to the realities of life
the instant touch them. One of them can
put into sound sleep in second, and he
will sleep until l awaken him.
1t should be stated here that these sensitives
are above the average of intelligence and
mental activity. Three of them are clerks in
no Io<J;
tory in college, being an artist in the Smith
sonian Two are in business for themselves;
one of Them a shrewd, sagacious and level
headed man as one would meet anywhere,
with sharp commercial turn of mind This
man differs from the others in being keenly
ncredulous-skeptical of his hallucinations
when they seem unreasonable.
SOME CONCLUSIONS.
know of no other thing in which there is
so much entertainment as meSmerism For,
the benefit of those who desire to experiment
j append certain conclusions from my OWE
experiments here:
/. About one person in ten can be mes
merized.
g The proportion of people who have the
power to mesmerize, if it be power / do
not know.
g. Mesmerism is trance and seems to me
almost identical with somnambulism.
4. 1t Is as harmless as sleep. My senSlt1yes
occasionally come to me in the daytime to be
put to sleep for the purpose of obtaining rest
5. Authorizations that take place under
mesmerism are seldom remembered in a sub
sequent waking state, but are generally
called with vividneSs in subsequent mes
meric state.
g. Mesmerized subjects do not see the OBJ
jects or people in the room or hear any noise
whatever except the voice of the operator.
T. My sensitives could have an arm or
leg amputated, I have no doubt, without
suffering any pain.
g. Some of my sensitives are able to tell
what goes on behind them, and where they
cannot see it, by some occult sense of which