Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-15

months old he was deprived of sight, and |
for no length of time has it been restored. |
Yet Hendrickson perceives-that is to say,
an unnamed sense appears to have devel-
eped, by which he sees some things almost
as well as those blessed with eyesight
Thus, when he enters a room, though he
touches no object in it, nor the walls, he
Immediately gives its dimensions with re-
markable accuracy and describes its char
acteristics. Possibly he is aided in this by
the acuteness of the sense of hearing, that
enables him to detect reflected sound
waves which the ordinary ear does not
hear. But HendEickson dispntes this de-
claring that he sees the room, that con-
stantly there is light all about him, and
that he discerns everything.
Not long ago this remarkable man, who
Is by no means spiritually or neryously
sensitive in character, was enyeloped in
blankets, to put at rest any possible skepti-
cism concerning his seeing with his eyes.
Then before or behind him, it mattered
not, an ordinary cane was held up in vari-
Gus positions, and in answer to the inquiry
"In what position am holding it ?" he
gave prompt and correct answers without
a single mistake, sometimes describing
acute or oblique angles. Perhaps one of
the strongest proofs of his ability to see
without eyes is his counting of the tele-
graph poles as he is whirled by in rail
way train under full speed. He AYERS
that he does not do this by calculation,
but that he is conscious when the train
passes pole, and it is observed that he
counts at exactly the right time, varying
properly with the speed of the cars.
In 1881 this man of perception was in
New York city and had occasion TO go to
the house of friend on Forty-frst street.
He walked from Union Square without
guide, and to the house, ascending the
right steps with perfect confidence that
he had reached the right house. As he
puts it, II knew I was right; perceived
the house; l knew il" He adds: 4 am
very good skater, and can, when gliding
swiftly, see every crack and rough spot, no
matter how small and indistinct. The
faster l go, the palmer 1 can see. Well, l
don't mean that I can see, but perceive,
or something. It is light to me, and l
seem to discern everything"
If one stands in the same room with
Mr.. Hendrickson, and makes motions in
the air, as if leading an orchestra, but de-
scribing phonetic characters by the mo-
tions, this strangely gifted man will inter
pref the characters formed in the air, and
rarely if ever makes a mistake. He is
now studying shorthand, and expresses
confidence in his ability 10 acquire the
reporting style.
1t is an interesting study for scientists
to ascertain with what subtle sense Hen
erickson is endowed. Is it possible that
there is a capacity to perceive through
some mental sense, of which we have no
definite knowledge, or is it simply this,
that Hendrickson, by reason of depriva-
ton of sight, is so fully developed in all
the other senses that he feels through the
medium of the atmosphere, without touch
ing; that he hears sounds inaudible to
ordinary mortals that the sense of smell
is so delicate that even he does not realize
that it is one of the mediums for convey
ance of intelligence to his brain. May it
not be, is it not altogether probable, that
the delicate sensitiveness of all these
senses combine in manner he is himself
incapable of Analysing to inform him of
material objects, and to give him accurate
ideas of proportion and harmony? He
declares that there is communicated to
him, how he cannot explain, the fact of
the presence, the confguration and the
size of objects, the character Of motions,
and the harmony or discord of things
related to each other. This would seem
to indicate some sort of mediumship, as
the spiritualists would nominate it, Or a
telepathic quality, as some students in
psychical research would describe it. But
it is probable that the true solution for
Hendrickson's remarkable powers is to be
found in the abnormal development of his