The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-02-13
a Phenomenon Sill

"A correspondent III IniS ISSUE uAi
fers with us In the opinion expressed
in the last issue that accident and
imagination" might account for tue
phenomenon concerning Mr.. Will
Harris amputsted hand. To aPpre-
ciate our critics arguments his paper
must be real. We are not disposed
to argue the question at length or t"
answer seriatim the argument
against us, bit we beg to remind our
friend that one phenomenon cannot
be proven by citing another.
Our friend asks if we have never
noticed dog howl while bell was
ringing. Indeed we have; and for
that matter we have noticed a dog
howl when the bell was not ringing.
But our friend says further that he
believes 1.-THE dog and bell have unison
cords tunedI to the same tension
Hence when the bell begins to ring
the same tension cord in the dog
causes him to howl"
Now we confess we had not thought
of it in that way, and the proposition
gives rise to some interesting ques-
tons we will submit to the gentle
man. For instance if the bell is tuned
high will the dog howl tenor? Or if
the bell is low will the dog howl base
And stranger still, il it is a Cathedral
| chime will the dog go all the notes
And speaking of dogs reminds us oil
.ats, and suggests the tension that ex-
lists between cats and boot jacks. We
would be glad if our friend and critic
would explain that to us.
Our critic asks us if we have ever
noticed window glass to shake and
rattle when it Numbered. He says
he has, and that he accounts for 1t in
the same way he does the dog and
bell unison. He asks If our Imagina-
ton can attribute this to accident
| Well not exactly. We have thought
that the vibration caused by the
thunder, shook the window glass.
We had never before thought that
the thunder, without the vibrations
III such were POSSIBILITY would have
any more to do with the window
r Ittling than the rattle would with
the thunder. But II 1t did, then we
would have q cause and not a Phe-
nomenOn.
Our critic cites the well-knOwI
Example of one vibrating tuning fork
starting another of the same pitch
sounding. That Is no phenomenon
/ Of that fNhG
vibrations of the air causes each
To prove that, take one too far for the
vibrating waves to reach 1t, and the
sound of the other has no effect on it
Besides, what has all that to do with
the question? According to oul
friends own faith one is mind and thu
other matter. Take the case in point
and If, as the gentleman suggests, II
is the mind of the mai reaching GU
lfter it's lost member, then we take i
the mind will have sense enough Il
do the thing over again, and GU
critic has al opportunity now, b!
actual experiment repeated severa
tunes over, to inform himself an
,nlighten the balance OF US, as I
whether or not the mind of Mr. Harri
cLn follow his amputated hand an
Ill exactly what is being done to il
Books like newspapers report goo
.uany phenOmenan and good man
, lies. We hope to settle this disput
, " the case in point. The gentlema
nav theorize as much as he likes, bu
IN ounce of proof is worth pound c
heory. Let him test his theory if h
will, he knows where the hand ii
Until he does, having nothing else
, Predicate an opinion upon we inclin
, o the idea that the first experimer
n phenomenon was imagination
. ,uess work and accident combine'