Los Angeles herald., 1890-10-19
GREAT MEMS ILLUSIONS.
DEAN SWIFT SAID ALL MEN ARE
MAD IN SOME DEGREE.

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Il has been said or sung that all men
axo more or less insane, differing only in
degree. Certainly those who are consid-
eEed sane-in which category the gentle
reader u included-are liable to halluci-
nations, and it depends upon the extent
70 which we give way before, and believe
IN, the Illusions of the brain, whether we
walk abroad with our follies or are placed
IN . padded room
Byron often received visits from a
gpecter. but he knew it to be creation Of
~ imagination. Pope saw an arm ap-
parently come through the wall, and
made inquiries after its owner. Goethe
states that he one day saw the exact
counterpart Of himself coming toward
him. Ben Jonson spent the watches Of
the night an interested spectator Of q
crowd Of Tartars, Turks and Roman
Catholics, who rose up and fought round
his arm chair till sunrise. DIR. Jonson
heard his mother cali his name in clear
vctce, though she was at the time in an
Cher city. And Sir Joshua Reynolds,
having his house, thought the lamps
were trees and the men and women
bushes agitated by the breeze.
VISIONS APPEARED.
NicolM was alarmed at the appearance
q = dead body which vanished and came
again ct intervals. This was followed
by human faces, which came into the
room, and after gazing upon him for a
while departed. None Of his friends
was among the faces he saw. After
enjoying q silent acquaintance with his
visitors for some weeks, they began to
speak, and he describes their converse
4ion - brief and agreeable. Such visi-
1tors would cause many to lose their
reason, but Nicolai knew they were but
the effects Of indigestion.
Bostock, the psychologist, saw similar
figures and faces, and after recovering
6om . momentary surprise, he set him
eelf to study the habits and customs Of his
curious visitors. This he had ample op-
portunity to do, as they remained with
him three days and nights. There was
ono human face constantly before him
for twenty-four hours. the features and
headgear as distinct as those Of a living
person, yet having no resemblance to
any one he had ever known. Finally
the phantom disappeared, to make way
for troops Of little human figures, which
diported themselves like fanticcini for
his entertainment
The reason, says Connolly, that Nico-
lai and Bostock did not become hopeless
" insane was because they never believed
IN the reality Of the visions. The effects
Of the illusions Of some men have been
felt in history. Religions have been
founded ON the words Of men supposed
to have been inspired, but who were
merely suffering from form Of madness
which medical science calls 'ecstacy."
Oliver Cromwell, lying sleepless on his
couch, saw he curtains open and gigan-
tic woman appear. who told him he
would become the greatest man in Eng
land.
In 1906 GEN. Rapp, having important
nswA entered the emperor's apartment
unannounced, and found the great war
xior IN : rapt attitude, gazing at the CELL
ing. The general made an intentional
poisa. whereupon Napoleon seized his
arm and said excitedly, ''Look up therer
He looked and saw nothing "Why,"
said the emperor, "do you not see it? It
- my star; it is before you beaming; it
has never deserted me. Isee it on every
great occurrence urging me onward; it
ID m mfailing omen of success"
SPIRITS THAT INSPIRED.
+: Sro k1
severe in their Ife's work by self con-
tured illusion. Loyola, lying wounded
during the siege Of Pampeluna, saw the
Virgin, who encouraged him to prose-
cute his mission. Benvenuto Cellini, i'm
peisoned at Rome, resolved to free him
self by self destruction, but was deferred
By the apparition Of young woman Of
Wondrous beauty, whose reproaches
turned him from his purpose. This
spirit returned and consoled him on
cEher occadons when he was low spirit
ID Descartes was followed by an in
visible person whose voice he heard urg-
ing him to continue his researches after
truth.
Many have fondly chung to their illu-
sions, and though reasonable in most
things have at least been distinctly mad
IN one. Tasso firmly believed that he
bad . familiar genius, whose great de-
hight and chief recreation was to con-
verse with him. His friend, ]. B. Man
70. tried to persuade him Of this illusion,
whereupon the poet offered to introduce
his unbelieving friend to the spirit. But
though he often heard Tasso in conver.
sstion with the imaginary being, il
never made itself visible to other eyes.
Few believe that Luther actually held
. warm discussion with an important
parsonage from the other world, yet thai
be believed 1t himself we have his word
and be has even left on record some &C
count Of the dispute, from which il
would appear that his opponent il not sc
willy - we have been led to believe. Al
any rate he could not wind himself argu
mentatively round the sturdy priest
Ravni1lac, while chanting the "Mis
I; ererer and 'De Profundis," fondly be
lieved that the sounds he emitted were
of the nature and had the full effect of {
trumpet. Count Emmanuel Swedenborl
believed that he had the privilege Of in
tsrviswing persons in the spirit world
Jean Engelbrecht was under similar
Impression. Zimmerman was for som,