Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-16

CALM But kAOTlONAL R'-MR. EYkRS
AND Nh. PoDxoRE's THEORIES.
Just at present the English mind is deeply
involved in considering the always absorbing
subject of ghosts. From an article in the Lon
don Globe IL appears that one<pf the leading
bands Of individuals devoted to psychical re-
search is exercised over an article, alleged to
be true. contributed by Karl Dignowitki of
schlssisn- He says: About q year ago there
died in neighboring village q brewer
called Wunscher, with whom l stood in
friendly relations His death ensued after
Q short illness, and as I seldom had an
opportunity Of visiting him, knew nothing OF
his illness nor OF his death. On the day of his
death l went to bed at 8, tired with the labors
which my calling as q farmer demands of me-
Here must observe that my diet is of q frugal
klnd; beer and wine are rare things in my house.
and water. as usual, had been my drink that
night Being Of a very healthy constitution
fell asleep as soon as lay down.
In my dream heard the deceased call out
win loud voice, Boy, make haste and give
me my boots" This awoke me, and noticed
that, for the sake of our child, my wife had
left the light burning. l pondered with pleas
ure over my dream, thinking in my mind how
Wunscher, who was a good-natured, humorous
mar, would laugh when / told him of this
u, b
voice soolding outside, just under nv window.
sat up in my bed at once and listened, but
could not understand his words. What could
the brewer want. / thought, and knew for
certain that was much yexed with him that
he should make a disturbance in the night, as
felt convinced that his affairs might surely have
waited till the morrow
suddenly he came into the room from behind
the linen press stepped with long strides past
the bed OF my wife and the child's bed; wildly
gestlculafing with his arms all the time, as his
habit was, he called out: What do you say to
this, Herr Oberamtmann? This afternoon at 5
o'clock have died" Startled by this informa-
ton exclaimed: "Oh, that is not true" He
replied: Truly, AZ l tell you and what do you
Think They want to bury me already on
Tuesday afternoon at 2 O'clock" he replied,
accentuatlng his assertions by gesticulations.
During this long speech of my visitor l ex-
amined myself as to whether / was really awake
and not dreaming.
l asked myself: Is this ballucination? Is
my mind in full possession of its faculties?
Yes, there is the light there the jug, this is
the mirror and this the brewer; and came to
the conclusion was awake. Then the thought
occurred to me, What will my wife think if she
sees the brewer? In this fear Of her waking
up turned round to her, aud to my great re-
lief saw from her face, which was turned to-
ward me, that she was still asleep; but she
looked very pale. l said to the bre wer, Herr
Wunscher, we will speak softly, so that my wife
may not wake up; it would be very Disagree
able to her to find you here" To which Wun-
scher answered in a lower and calmer tone.
Don't be afraid, will do no harm to your
wife" Things do happen for which we find
no explanaton-I thought to myself, and said
to Wunscher: If this be true that you have
died, am sincerely sorry for it. will look
after your children" Wunscher stepped to-
ward me, stretching out his arms and moving
his lips as though no would embrace me;
thprafOra I sail in thra FOR md
looking steadfastly at him with frowning brow:
Don't come 80 near, it ID disagreeable to me-"
and lifted my right arm to ward him of, but
before my arm reached him the apparition had
vanished.
My first look was to my wife to see if she
were still asleep. She was. got up and looked
at my WATCH it was 1907. Ny wife woke up
and asked me: ITO whom did you speak SO
loud just now?" "Have you understood any
thing2" 1 said NO." she answered and went
to sleep again.
There is q split in the London Psychical
Society, according to the Daily Neocs, which
says: One Of the secretaries, Mr.. Myers holds
one theory OF our ghostly friends; another is
put forward in the proceedings of the society
by the other secretary, Mr.. Podmore. We think
that MIR. Myers hypothesis is much the more
gruesome and likely, but there does remain
the third supposition that the people who see
the ghosts are awful leears." Mr.. Myers thinks
that the ghosts are ''dead mems dreams, "
which they impress on the minds of the
living, somewhat az ideas are impressed by
living hypnotizers on the minds of hypnotic
patients. This at least is the way in which we
try to understand MIR. Myers Ghosts walk.
indeed, but in their sleep. This accounts for
the fact, admitted by both disputants, that in
the best authenticated stories the ghosts are
wandering, aiuiless, objectless, inconsequent
souls. Their appearances are like the visions
OF q feverish dream. OF course the theory is
not comfortable. Better have no future life at
all than future Of vague delirium. But, as
Mr.. Myers very wisely remarks, we know little
about II. Ghosts may not always be dreaming
bad dreams; it may be only these dreams that
manage to reach such Of US as have 1.-The smell
for ghost" which is not q sense common to
the majority Of mankind.
1t would be great deal to prove that
something goes on existing after death; to
prove it scientifically, for faith is a differ
emit matter and rests on another basis But
Mr.. Podmore is more sceptical. He does
not think that ghosts are dead men walking
in their sleep, but that they are hallucina-
tions impressed by one living mind on an
other. Both scholars agree that one living
mind can thus affect another; they think
their evidence and experiments have demon
strated that. 1t IL admitting a good deal;
and II Miss K, believing that she has seen
q house full Of ghosts, can by this belief make
Mr.. B. see them too, and that though she never
saw Mr.. b. and is at q distance from him, why
any tnluS may udppeu we 10 NOT know now
to advise lady to act who sees good many
ghosts like lady known to the society. There
is difficulty on all sides. AS an example, we
now tell briefly the stories, first Of Miss Morris
and next of "the calm but emotional butler"
Miss Morris took q small house, we kno not
where, in October, 1882. On the first night of
her tenancy heavy-footed ghost stumped up
and down the drawing room, but was invisible
In three weeks pale woman in black made
her appearance. Then the door bell rang in
cessantly and knocks were heard, but nobody
could be found at the door. Miss Morris left
the place and Mrs. G. took it in 1887.
Mrs. G. heard q sweet voice thrice
remark: "Oh, do forgive mew The chill
through the door. Mrs. G. explained this to
the infant mind as q trick played by a magic
lantern. But the little girl again saw "a little
old woman" and "often heard pitter- patter
OF course magic lanterns could not do thai"
said the young philosopher. Mrs. G. should
have advanced q theory Of rats, but the'heavy
thumps" in the house seemed beyond that
agency. They learned that somebody had
committed suicide in the house, but as q po-
iceman reminded them, uncomfortable things
have occurred in most houses.
Lights and white skirts, where no skirts
should be, and man with freckles, and some
one who cried, and figure in black, and a
white figure were frequent visitors. People
offered savage bulldogs as good for ghosts, but
Mrs. G. preferred the disease to the remedy
Finally, the house became untenable and Mrs
G. departed. Two human faces at her elbow
we're more than she could endure. Then some
inquirers tried the house, and q clergyman ex-
orcised the ghosts, which seems to have put
them down" good deal Now, Is IL not Just
- likely that these apparitions were dead
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