Telegram-herald., 1890-11-13
GREAT NESS ILLUSIONS


sseaks aaa sSsrs Iaassnssa ~ Kasza-
+ hss been sat3 ~ surg sat SO men
sre sore cr less tHzaEe. Ger e1iT Pc
3sgTee Csrtssnly these who are consit-
sFsd saEs--la FaAca category Ese llls
FeE4ag Is lngla1ec-are haels e. aaligei-
asaoas. and d deFa..s Epen ths extent
- Whle2 Ne giFs way before. ana believe
II. Ils llasiens ~ tae BRAN. - aetasE We
valk abEoSd ~ cur s1ili1s o. are placed
il a padded roen
Byron ofsaa received visits from a
spsctsr. bar hs knew L % be creation u
tie mag ia4.ion Pope saw an arm ap-
pa-cntly eolns through tae w~A. and
made inquiries after IS owner. GOeths
states tbat b. ore day saw the exact
counterpart q himself coming toward
him Ben Jonzon sPent the watches u
the night a. interested spectator q
crowd u Iartars, Turks ard Roman
Catholics. wao rose up AID fought round
his arm chair I'll sunrise DE- Jonson
heard ais mother cal his name IN q clear
voice. though she was - the uIae IN an
other city. Aud SIR Joshua Reynolds
leaving his house. thought the lamps
were trees and the men and women
bushes agitated BY the breeze.
VISIONS AFFEARED
Nieolsd ygss alarmed ~ the appearance
~ "A dead body which vanished and came
again AZ intervals TINS was followed
bv human faces. which came into the
room. and after gazing upon him for u
while departed None Of his friends
was among tho faces he SAW. After
enjoying Il silent acquaintance with his
visitors for some weeks, they began 20
speak. and he describes their converse
ton as brief and agreeable. Such yisi-
itors would cause many 10 lose their
reason, but Nicolai knew they were bat
the effects Of indigestion
Bostock. the physiologist. saw similar
figures and faces, and after recovering
from a monentRry surprise, he set him
self 10 study the habits and customs Of his
curious visitors. This he had ample op
portunity to do. as they remained with
him thrse days and nights. There was
one human face constantly before him
for twenty-four hours, the features and
headgear IS distinct rs those Of living
person, yet having no resemblance 10
any ore he had ever known Finally
the phantom disappeared. TO make way
for troops Of little human figures. which
disported themselves like fanticcini fol
his entertainment.
The reason. says Connolly. that Nico
lai and Bostock did not become hopeless
ly 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.'
J Oliver Cromwell. lying sleepleSs on his
I couch. Saw the curtains open aud yigan
tic woman appear. who told him he
would become the greatest man in Eng
land.
In 1906 Gen. Rapp, having important
news. entered the emperor's apartment
unannOuQced, and found the great war
nor in a rapt attitude, gazing at the cell
I ing The general made al intentional
( poise. whereupon Napoleon seized his
arm and said excitedly, Look up there"
/ lie looked and saw nothIrg Why"
I said the emperor, do you not see it? 1t
/ is my star. it Is before yoa beaming; it
/ has never deserted me. see it on every
! great occurrence urging me onward; it
Is an unfailing omen OF success"
SPIRITS TTAT INsPIRED.
Some men have been inspired to per-
severe IN their life's work By self con-
jured illusion. Loyola, lying wounded
during the siege Of Pampelana. saw the
I Virgin. who encouraged him TO prose
cute his raission. BenYenuto Cellini, i'm
prisoned 1T Rome, resolved to free HIM
self bv self destruction. but was deferred
by the appanuon Of p young woman Of
wordroUs beauty, whose reproschos
turned him from his purpose. TINS
spirit returned and cousoled him on
other occasions when he was low spirit
ed. Descartes was followed by an in
viabls person whose voice he heard urg
ing hiin 70 continue his researches after
truth
Many have fondly clung 70 sheir illu-
sions. and though reasonable IN most
things nave az least been distinctly mad
in one Tasso firmly believed that ne
had a familiar genius, whose great do
light and chief recreation WAS 20 con-
verse with him His friend, J. T. Man
so. tried 70 persuade him Of this illusion,
whereupon the poet offered to introd uce
his unbelieviDg friend To the spirit. But
though BE often heard Tssso in conver-
s3ti0n with the imaginary being. Il
never made itself visible to other eyes
Few believe thst Luther actually held
warm discussion with an important
Parsonage from the other world. jet that
he believed It himself We have hss word.
and he has even left on record some sc-
count of the dispute. from which It
would appear that his opponent Is not 50
willy as We have been lei to believe. At
any rate be could not wind himself aTgu-
men satively round the sturdy priest
RaTaiLac, while chanting the Mis-
erszs' aud De PTofuudis,~ fondly be
heved that the sounds be emitted we're
Of the nature snd had the full effect Of =
trumpet Count Emmanuel Swe9enooTg
believed that he mad the privilege Of M
ter7iewing persons in the spirit world.
Jean Engsl6rechs was under a similar
impression. Zimmerman was for some
time Ia constant fear o. 81 imaginary
enemy. whom he expected 70 arrive AZ
apY moment. break iaso and wreck his
dwelling London standard.
sc-st-Re~pectabte.