Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-06

skilled in the Grecian and other ancient OBJ
servances can easily perceive the analysis.
MEsMERIC OR CLAIRvoYANT.
The prophet Elisha is described with a
career full of marvels, apparently of the
mesmeric and spiritualistic order. He
sweetened brackish waters with salt, and
when some boys rail at his bald or tonsured
head he curses them and they are torn by
bears. The accounts of increasing the
widows oil, feeding hundred men with 20
cakes of bread, are probably legendary. 1
do not credit them as literal, nor will 1 sneer
at them. There is probably some meaning
behind which will explain their purport.
The episode of the Shunamite woman's son
is more transparent. The prophet COM
mands his servant to 60 forward,
neither saluting any one nor answer
ing a salutation, and to Law his staff
on the face of the sunstruck child. This is
parallel to the direction of Jesus, to salute
no man by the way" In such case there will
be parting with energy and spiritual force
which is required at the opportune moment.
Many persons around a speaker often draw
away his vitality. The servant fails, the
magic staff of the prophet does not recall the
child from apparent death. Then the
prophet goes himself. The child lies in his
room, and he enters it alone, that no one
may drain him of the required akasa-torce.
He lies down by the child in close contact,
mouth upon mouth, eyes to eyes, hands
joined to hands, and the whole body in most
intimate nearness. "And the flesh of the
child wa1ed warm" He then rises
up and walks the house; then re-
turning, lies down again on the body, "Aud
the child sneezed seven times, and the child
opened his eyes," The healing of Naaman,
fhaC C,,r zf -, 4
category. He, too, believes in healing by
the magic touch. "I thought" says he,
che will surely come out to me, and fix his
eyes on me, and call on the name of Yava,
his god, and put forth his hand over the
diseased spot and take away the leprosy."
This IS evidently mesmeric manipulation,
or perhaps massage, not to say outright
mind cure" In the further account Of
Gehazi the prophets servant, there is dis
tinct clairvoyance, like that exhibited by
Miss Fancher, of Brooklyn.
POSSIBLE PHYSICAL EXPLANATION.
Elisha is also recorded as causing an iron
ak to fioa. upon the water. To explain this
would require a superior knowledge of
nature. Gravitation we may regard as a
form of polarity. Bodies positive and mega
tive to each other will have a mutual attrac-
ton, while those of like polarity repel each
other. II the prophet had the occult power
to change the magnetic condition of the
metal he could make it float. Perhaps the
rapid darting upward of birds may be e1-
planned by this power of reversing their
polarity. Jesus is recorded as walking on
lake on stormy night, and Iamblichus,
the philosopher. tells US OF persons who
were elevated above the ground and moved
in the air. am not willing to dismiss these
stories with the arrogant denial that these
things ever happened. The wonders
recorded of Jesus are of like
nature 10 those credited to the Hebrew
prophets. We are informed that
he healed persons from distance. Perhaps
this is no more marvellous than Elisha dis
closing the secret designs of the King, Ben
Hada. The gospels explain how these cures
were effected. Those who received or pro-
cured them are described as having ''great
faith" while as to Jesus Himself, "virtue,"
or dynamic force, "went out from him." even
when He put forth no conscious volition or
energy. The mind world, whatever it is,
has its own atmosphere, with laws analo-
gous to those of physical nature. AS sound
will pass on the telephone wire or the ray
of light, SO vital force maylpass from one to
another in the mental atmosphere without
regard to distance by the medium afforded
by concentrated will and a receptive tenn
per of mind.
Third-I do not believe that such men as
Houdin, Heller and other adopts in legerdo-
main can duplicate or equal the ancient
marvels." But that these "ancient mar
yels" can be duplicated, and perhaps sur
passed, I do confidently and reverentlY be-
ieve. ALEXANDER WILDER.
Editor of the Rdden,e.