The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-03-16
ABOUT MESMERISM.
THE CAPITAL EXCITED CONCERNING
SUBJECTS" AND "SENslTNEs.D


a Correspondents Accidental Discovery.
/ Animal Magnetism as an Anlusement.
Experiments with Glass" In HypnOt-
ism-An Operators Conclusions.
This letter viii be in the nature OF a confes
sion Last spring, discovering by accident
that l could mesmerize, l 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 its philosophy
and find out, if 1 could, the cause and the
limits of its mysterious phenomena.
l first found that 1 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 danes
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, I obtained the
same control over others, both men and
women, til had quite class of sensitives
so responsive that / could control them with
ease. Up 10 this time they were all perfectly
conscious and without any hallucinations:
they knew who they were, where they were
and what they were doing, and they laughed
as heartily at the absurd results obtained as
Rny spectator. Up to this time, too, had
no means of ascertai- -ng 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 was able TO carry
the experiments further and got control OF
the consciousness and senses of my class. AZ
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 other respects. Az suggestion
they heard music, the noises of riot a thun-
dar. star7l the -
an abnormal existence, as one does in a
dream. -
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 j am ir-
clfneI to believe the latter theory Is true,
because when 1 direct their attention to a
horse. for instance, each one sees a different
sort of a horse and his head is in different di-
rections.
Bv few additional passes can induce a
cataleptic state in which the sensitive be-
comes perfectly rigid and can be laid OUT Boz
tween two chairs, his head on one and his
heels on another like log. They can also
be easily made insensible to pain, so THAI
pins are stuck through their hands, teeth
drawn and painful but harmless acids put In
the eve without extoTting sign OF feeling.
In this way, and others even more conclu-
sive. have demonstrated the good faith or
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
cities who choose to try similar experiments
The available class now consists of eight
your gentlemen and four ladies, from II to 40
years Of age. Two Of these Goth ladies)
have never been able to take into the region
of Authorizations. / can control them physi-
callv. can prevent their unclasping their
hands. or laying down q fan, or rising from
their chairs, or pronouncing their Own
names; but here my influence stops. / cam
not make them think that the room Is hot or
cold, OF 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 I touch them. One Of them / can
| NIT into n sound sleep in a second and he
! viii sleep until awaken him.
IT should be stated here that these seusitivea
are above the average Of intelligence anG
mental activity. Three OF them are clerks il
the departments, one, who took the valedic
tory in college, being an artist in the Smith
| sonian Two are in business for themselves
one Of them, a shrewd, sagacious and leve
headed man as one would meet anywhere
with a sharp commercial turn of mind. Thi
/ man differs from the others in being keenll
ucredulous-skepticaI of his hallucination
when they seem unreasonable
SOME CONCLUSIONS
I know of no other thing in which there
so much entertainment as mesmerisTn. Fo
the benefit Of those who desire TO experiment
I append certain conclusions from my owl
experiments here;
/. About one person In ten can be nee
rnerized.
2. The proportion oP people who have tn
s'pover' TO rnesmerize, if it be a power, 1 d
not know.
2 gTesDlorisrn is n trance and seems to m
almost idle tiCal with sOmnambuilsm.
Il is as harmless as sleep. Ny sensitive
occasionally come to me in the daytime 70 .
mt tr sleep for the purpose Of obtaining res
Authorizations that take place unde
roe~r7erisyn are seldom remembered in n sui
seauept waking state, but are generally r
called with vividness In a subsequent me
rneric state
g. Efesnerized subjects do not see the o.
iccrs OF people in the room OF hear any moi
whatever except the voice OF the operator.
T. Ny seusitives could have arm or
leg amputated, have no doubt, witho1
suffering any pain
&. Some Of my sensitives are able 70 t.
what goes on behind them, and where the
cannot see II. by some occult sense OF whl'
I am ignorant I am at present pursun
study along this line.
Others here are now experimenting, and
think rnesmerism is the coming fashionat
J. aafad. Wv. A CrofFut in New York Mail al
n Express