The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-06

psJCulCdl matters, VINO denies because he
has not seen, declares that there are no
arrive when it will be no longer pos
sible 20 refuse belief in post-mortem ap-
partitions.
SIT has been accounted strange that a
post mortem phantom should be 50 rarely
recognized by the person who sees ghost
as the likeness OF any one in life. The rea-
son for this may be simply that we transit
tory tenants of the earth's surface can have
no claim to appropriate all the memories
which act upon the departed. If appari-
tions be the dreams OF the dead the latter
will dream of affairs of their own in which
We have no share. The notion that such
apparitinns are actually such is entirely
speculative. II iJ were true their dreams.
equally with the dreams of the living
might include figures which were not the
figures Of the dreaming dead themselves.
and this would account for the oft-recorded
appearances Of the specters OF dogs, cats
and other animals. But, for that matter,
there is no prima facie reason wherefore
we should take it for granted that cats and
dogs have not ghosts of their own as well as
human beings However, this is dipping
too deeply into the imaginative.
AS TO HALLUCINATIoNs.
an considering the subject Of phantasms
of the dead it is necessary that one should
take into consideration most Importantly
the element Of hallucination- B.fore decid-
ing that any testimony possesses valuable
evidence there must be reason for believing
that 1t does not rest upon illusion The fai
hnility of the human mind, owing to the
lmperfection of the senses and Of the
Judgment behind them, in distinguish.
i & the real from the deceptive, rem
des necessary the drawing of sharp
line between the two. There is probably
not one of us who might not be haunted
this very day or night by a specter pro-
Jected from his own imagination. Men Of
great reputation for learning have in nu-
merous instances recorded their observation
of familiar phantasms, which. though their
Recognized them as purely creations of the Y
own brains, have been constant companions
of their waking hours, always likely to be
at hand and accepting no hints to part.
1T has been urged that the melancholy
and almost idiotic spectacle which so mauy
actual apparitions Enthusiastically lacking
In apparent purpose and xhlbitiDg mere
blank and fugitive appeal-serve to repel
the student OF psychioaI phenomena, which
seem TO lead up to such degradation or
parody of the hope of eternal lie WHAT
men want is the assurance of personal hap
pi ess after death. In seeking the consola-
lions Of religion they desire to be relieved
from speculation on the subject and from
AoNA ~ Guy COSJ. Dub tu6T6 Is an
OF mind, becoming more widespread year by
year among educated men. which, though
neither cynical nor pessimistc, yet regards
the present without enthusiasm and the flu
ture without eagerness. There is an acquies-
cence in the life of earth, and a deep dis
trust of the unknown. With the advance of
knowledge, with the quickening of imagi-
nation, feeling almost new in the world
has arisen-a kind of shrinking from the
mATnifnda fafn a., l..
and eternity are no longer mere counters
for the use OF theologlans. They have taken
on an awful Significance from our growing
realization or the immensely of being. A
soul from which the christian confidence is
Withdrawn may well feel that it is going
forth into void, a spark of sentieucy in
volved amid emo nous forces aud capable
of unimagined pain. Yet would there not
be something cowardly in refusal to accept
the only definite facts attainable bee use
they are not the kind of facts which We
should best have liked to knowl Aud would
there not be something childish in the notion
that the unseen world must consist of
vague and CHASTITY obje Its
Mockerles and masks of m otion and mute
Or attn.
Leaving of life the superhux of death.
STORIES WHICH POSSESS VALUE AS EvI-
DENCE. .rs
''The societies for psychical re earch in
this country and abroad have gathered
together great number Of stories of an
partitions which seem to p )ssess value as
evidence. l will mention one or two of
them wherein the same ghosts were seen by
more than one individual 80 as to es5a lis
a confirmation of the facts which W uld
seem to preclude the possibility either of
cheat or OF hallucination. For example. a
MIS-. Stone IF B idgeport, E Igland, writes !:
In the summer OF 1880 my cousin Emily
was staying with me, and my friend NJ ~
Jenkins was spending the day with us.
We drove over one afternooh in july to
my uncle's vicarage at Sydling in a lit
the four wheeled car iage They were all
at home, delighted to see us, and we spent
most charming evening. We left early
enough TO reach home before dark A most
beautiful evening 1t was, and three more
merry girls could hardly be met with.
Just after passing Wrackleford the road is
rather elevated. 1t had been somewhat
dusky before, but here the evening glow
showed the hedges, roads and all near OBJ
jects. There it was that saw the figure of
man on the right-haud side, walkl z. or
rai her gliding, at the head of the horse.
Ny first idea was that he meant tc stop us.
but ne made no attempt OF the Kind
sim ly keeping on at the same pace
of the horse, neither faster nor
slower AL nrSt i thought him
Of great hight, but after " ard remark that
he was gliding along at least a foot above
the ground Mary was sitting by me;
pointed out the figure, but she did no. see
It, Emily was sitting by tn man servant
on tae front seat She heard what l said,
turned around and said softly: Il see nc
man you mention distinctly Then the
man-servant said in a frightened voice
For Gods sake. ladies, don't ay anything
It's ghostP We were silent, aud the sh ne
kept onfor some distance until at the ca
trance of the village of Charminster in van
lshed and we saw IL 10 more.
A WOMAN WITH HER THROAT CUT.
under date Of May 10, 1885, Mrs. c.,
landlady OF London lodging house, writes:
On Tuesday night, about the end of
November of last year, l woke up with a
feeling Chat some one was in the room, |
had my fac away from the wall, but |
turned around and saw between the bed
and the wall the figure of a woman about
so years Of age, with dali hair and eyes, a
red dress and mob cap. l looked at her
aud asked her what she wanted. She bent
b head slowly back, and / saw
what thought at first was very wide
N 'uth. Then l saw that it was not
m buth at all, but that her
throat was cut from ear to ear. was very
frightened and called out to her in the
name Of the Father, the Son and Holy
Ghost 10 go away. She did not stir, how
ever, and L remained looking at her
her by the light of two candles in
the room until | heard a knocking at nv