The Minneapolis observer., 1890-08-23
POWER o. SUGGESTION.
A Mach More Powerful Factor Than 4
Generally supposed.

I A Mach More Powerful Factor Than IL
Generally supposed
II Fletcher. OF saltoun. had lived In
our day. he would have modified his
Nell-known aphorism. and declared
that Let me make the newspapers
OF people. and care not who makes
the laws" II is, indeed, a matter OF
common observation that the man who
reads but one newspaper Is likely to be-
come more or less consciously the echo
Of It's opinions. hut recent investiga-
lions OF tho phenomena OF hypnotism
show that the imprint made upon the
brain by reading. however cursory, Is
much deeper and more permanent than
Is commonly supposed. a patient AT
ono OF the Paris hospitals was able,
while in the trance state. to repeat
word for word scientilc lecture which
she had heard some time before, but OF
which in her normal condition she
could not roeollect syllable. Other
experiments showed that had she read
the lecture. instead Of bearing IL. the re-
suit would have been the same. Anoth.
or instance indicating that impressions
made upon the brain. though we may
not BE- able 10 reproduce them AZ viii,
really last as long as the life Of the
organism. is mentioned by Sir William
! Hamilton. IL IL the case OF n man who.
l in the delirium Of fever, uttered SEN
fences in several foreign languages
with neither OF which did be In state
OF health possess any acquaintance. 1t
/ turned out upon Inquiry that At ono
I period Of his lie tails man had heard
those languages spoken. though he had
neveF understood them. II we reflect
upon this seemingly well-established
( iTnperishahility o. cerebral impressions.
We can not but feel that 10 immensely
/ heightens the moral responsibility OF
all writer's. and especially OF contrihu.
tors 10 newspapers which have q world.
wide audience
The daily record OF crime and vice.
though Il may not atterward be recover
able hy the reader through sny deliber-
ate effort Of the memory, is neverthe-
less engraven on the tablets Of the
brain, and who can say that It's evil
suggestions may not under certain
morbid conditions, Or at some grave
moral crisis. exercise an impereepuble
but malignant influence upon the char
aeter and conduct II is certain that
the crimes which hypRotiEed persons
may b. made 20 c0mnlit are perpetrated
/ In obedience 10 suggestions addressed
10 those very sections of the brain,
normally inactive. which. under
special stimulation. evince the
extraordinary tenaeity Of memory
above described. Why. under hy-
photic conditions may NOS crime be-
selt-snggestedq This Aeld OF inquiry
is as ret but impertectly explored. but
some experiments indicate that what Is
called Interrogation. or morbid inn
pulse excited by the remembered wrong-
doing ef Others may be irresistible By a
hypnotined person. while In his waking
hours IL &oela be easily controlled.
Tho Inference Is that evil communities.
tons msy oorrapt good manners in ways
more sahtle than have hitherto becn
Imagined. and that he shonld do we'll 70
safeguard yoang men and young women
not only from those books and news.
papers which deliberately pAlliase
crime and vice. but even from those
which present colaFieSs rccnrA 81 evil
aoiags considered ~ mass=x 81 news
~ Y. Lsagvn