The morning call., 1890-09-15
{" THE EVILS OF SUPERSTITION"
"5uch Knowledge Is Too Wonderful for
Me-I Cannot Attain to It."
Witt Mo- r.r

"5uch knowledge Is Too Wonderful for
Me-I Cannot Attain to It."
Written for TIE MoRNINe CALL.
Mind-reading, hypnoti>m and mesmerism-
these are among the evil causes of super
stiIi1n; one The other connects us with
the hidden mysteries of existence, and each
carries US to the verge of immortal life. In
this intellectual age, when the mind reaches
out and expands, and compiehcnds all the
wonders ana realizes all the possibilities Of
science, physics and therapeutics, it seems
incredible that Intelligent people should at
tribute these phenomena to the super
natural, and become victims of superstition.
Hardly have we recovered from the effects
of the perusal o f the wonderful feats per-
formed by some hypnotic III iud-reader or
mesmerist, than we are startled by the an
nouncement that a still greater performance
has been witnessed, which eclipseS all SIM
liar records in the above-named arts, and
tinid and over-senSitive people experience
strange sense of hidden mystery and awe,
which carries them beyond the limits OF
science and medicine, and drops them into
that awful chasm OF superstition, which
caused the people Of the Dark Ages to suffer
untold mental and physical torture, and
which even long after the introduction of
Christianity was hatd to overcome.
From the earliest records of hl>tory-apd
that will take US back to the times that
antedate traditiOn-we find among the
Egyptians, the Greek oracles and the
Romans, that all these arts were practlced
upon the ignorant masses OF people, and
superstition YVES rampant.
And the result is that mankind has trans
mitied through generations the seeds of
superstition. which to-day prominent scien-
tific men in France, Italy, Germany and En-
gland have commenced TO investigate; and
this important subject is becoming so
thoroughly and exclusively dissected that
no intelligent or educated person need re-
main in ignorance of the causes which lead
up to and produce superstition.
Some writers claim that there never will
be a time when superstition will not be; but
others venture TO say that as mystery un-
folds itself to the intelligent, self-thinking
and believing mind, as the clouds that cover
the mountains lift and the sun reveals to us
the beauties and possibilities beyond, so
shall we be able to throw off the yoke of
superstition and attribute all effects TO their
natural causes.
do not wish to detail in length the evil
results of superstition, nor do l wish to dis
abuse the faith that many people have in
certain doctrines; for as long as the belief
in another world continues, so long as men
continue to crusS the dark river which leads
to that unknown valley and from which none
have Yet returned. until medicine and
science can unrayel for US those dark
mysteries of mind and space, and make
visible to us the hidden agents of these
phenomena, there viii always be forms of
faith which the highly sensitive Will link
TO superstition.
When learned man and student of
scientific mental and physical phenomena
has the courage to advance theory which
threatens to loosen the foundation of the
wall Of superstition lie is called skeptical,
and the question has arisen whether it
would be wise to enlighten tue people on
subject that might be investigated with
dangerous results; and whether the posses
sion of knowledge that would remove the
last traces of ancient superstition would
prove beneficial has yet to be determined.
Frederick Bjornstrom, head physician OF
the Stockholm Hospital, presents in Il care
fully written translation the rise and
progress as we'll as the results of animal
magnetism-caled by various names-and
traces its wonderful power from the ignor-
anee of superstition to its truly wonderful
cause and lis dangerous effects.
alameda, Sept. H. 1907 s. J. MITCHELL.