The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-11-09

vainly seeking the invisible form The night was far advAnced-everything was still not stir or rustic disturbed the silence. Presently the sound of slight splash caused me to glance in the direc- tion of small globe aquarium placed in far cor ner of the room. I was surprised to observe the evident agitation of the golden carp 1t contained. That they were extremely terrified detected in moment, having studied their habits very closely Yet there was no apparent cause for such excite ment. It was impossible that the slight movement in raising my head could produce such effect No cat, dog or other animal was in the apartment Was 1t possible that the presence' hidden from me was visible to these lower creatures7
 "Night after night carefully watched the tiny aquarium. On each occasion the disturbance among its occupants was coincident with the phenomenal sensations.
 of grasping the grand secret of the supernatural. The task now to find in what respect the vision of these fish differs from our own.
 "Now the sense of sight Is the perception of light and shade. Color Is but part of light, for the ordinary white solar light Is combination of all the colofs of the spectrum. Moreover, 1t Is c fact that when light Is passed through Q prism, and broken up into the beautiful colors of the rainbow there are rays beyond the red and violet ends which are quite imperceptible to us but that they do exist be demonstrated by their effects upon cer- tain chemicals. The sensitive plate Of c camera receives them and shows the presence of celestial bodies whose beams have effect upon the human retina. Thus photographs are taken of suns which
 
 can bc photographed in the dark. Therefore we must admit our own eyes but very imperfect perceivers But how about the so-called flower animals? Has not one of our most celebrated liv- ing naturalists proved by his experiments upon ants that these insects clearly sensitive to rays beyond the vioet2 What they see Is proba bly, color perfectly inconccivable to It Is not pos sibe that the termed ghosts seers may be gifted with retina sensitive to these ultra rays? Would not this theory account for many remarkable cases of persons beholding apparitions and in which cir cumstantal evidence seems to point to the honesty of those visited? Because cannot as yet under stand these phenomena we call them 'deusions.' . Must 1t even be beyond the power Of science to supply us with a means of increasing our sense of sight in this direction?
 "Such were the questions suggested by the splash of tiny goldfish! To answer them In 6 practical form was the task now set myself determined to carry out elaborate series of experiments upon the visual apparatus of fish taking into consdera- tion the changes light must undergo in passing through the refracting media of the curved glass of the acquarium and the bubbng water 1t con- tained My goal was to see the unseen-to con- struct an apparatus which should enable the human eye to perceive the ultra raya Whether l suc- ceeded or no can be proved only upon the dissect. ing table. Perhaps after all, am mad, and the phenomena which am about to relate are but hal- lucinations of morbid mind
 "I do not intend to describe in detail the progress of this novel study, nor to disclose the various discoveries which enabled me to succeed after many weary failures.
 "rhe startling and altogether unsuspected con. sequences of my success compel me to believe that
 have overstepped the moral bounds of science, and that should be increasing my guilt were I to en- able others to follow in my path. 1t must be sufficient for me to say that the medium I con- structed through which was to behold the dead was, to all appearance, arrangement of colored lenses It was not long before had an opportu- nifty of testing my discovery. One night awoke with the consciousness that my wife was present. I even knew that she was bending over me. I could almost imagine her breath upon my cheek. My optical apparatus lay the the table within easy reach-with palpitating heart placed 1t before my eyes. For moment was dazzed by brilliant flash of light; then, clothed in indescribable coors