St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-16
Change Going on in Scien-
tific World Concerning
Nature Of Man.
The Mind Has Far More In
fiuence Over Body Than
Body Over Mind.
Modern Science Is Carrying
Us Back to Old Ex-
pepiences.

or the sermon of Rev. w. S. Vail
before the UniverSaiist society of the
Peoples church. Tue reverend gentle
man related the story of Saul's visit to
the Witch of Endor, saying that the
three striking incidents were the identi-
ficatiOn of the king by the woman, the
claim that Saul saw the ghost of sam
uel and the prophecy that Saul would
be defeated the next day. He proceeded
to pave the way for the solution by saw
ing a man was limited to an extent by
his point of view and that the point of
view in this instance would be the
ground taken by what NAV be called
the new school Of science-this would
limit him to what he believed actual
achievement. The platform may be
brOadened; as yet we have no right to
anticipate. He continued:
The first step in the solution is the in
PRODUCTION of telepathy to explain the
knowledge the woman had of the king
without the interference of a cOnfeder-
ate. Telepathy assumes that mind may
act OH mind, even at long distances.
without the ordinary channels of sense.
Sometimes men talk one way and YOU
exact opposite. Letters are at times
written by people widely distant at the
same instant. Indeed, our common life
is full of subtle unSp0ken Influences
ana few can tell how many of these are
constantly acting on our lives. And
modern research has established beyond
doubt our minds do speak. This is
the meaning of your feeling that a per-
son comes OH given errand. This is
the reason why men like Summer were
able for so many years to forecast the
future Of national movements. This is
why gifted minds in all timeS.are leaders
OF the worlds thought. The idea pene-
trates and permeateS our life to such ali
extent that it needs no further elabora-
ton. 1t explains how the Sybil knew
the king. She
Read His Mind.
The second step is more difficult. AL
lowing that / cannot believe that this
was special providence, and that | do
not believe it was a form materialized
by the power of the sybil, is there any
alternative left other than the theory
that IL is all rubbish? We are now told
that the simple conclusion is that there
was nothing apart from the mind of
Saul. Had he been absent no apDari-
ton would have been visible. The
mind was in state of expectancy. He
believed Samuel would come. He saw
what lie expected to see. Still. the sub
Ject takes a much wider range than this,
and shows tnat mind may act in a SUI
pernormal as well as in an abnormal
state.
TennysOn in writing ''In MemOriam'
was at times exalted until he was able
TO see as from higher point OF view.
There can be nOdoubt but that Mr.. Lin
coin in his later life when composing
reached stage of thought and feeling
that certainly transcribed his common
life. He stood at moments as prophet.
and impressed men as such. What
bearing does all this have OH the sub
ject? Does it not show that the abnor-
mai condition of Saul. his sharing in the
beliefs OF his time, made hallueina-
ton probable, and then does it not show
that the king restored once more by his
belief in SamuePs presence rose to the
SupernOrInal condition. and easily fore
cast with accuracy the result of the bat
tie of Gilboa. 1t was the higher Saul
tranScendent for a moment. reading the
doom of the lower Saul who had for
gotten the law Of the Lord and
Led the People Astray.
Theodore Parker supposed he dis
tinctly heard voice commanding hun
to refrain from a certain act. 1t was
his conscience. 1t was his own hi CHER
self. 80 / believe it was in the case
Saul. There may be other theories til at
fit other cases; but for this particular
case telepathy, hallucination and an
ability to rise to a SupernOrm cOndi-
ton seem sufficient To explain the cir
cumStanceS.
Nd c,o I,
stance. | feel that it develops most
naturally larger and more compre-
hensive view of the religious situation.
There is silently going OH to-day an en-
tire change OF front i'll the scientific
world concerning the nature of man.
Sometimes q sentiment seems to die in
people when it is only dormant. A ma
ton becomes Indifferent to patriotism.
Political night comes down, and all
beasts and birds of prey come forth to
devOur. And just as despair is about to
seize us wave of patriotism carries all
before it as does the fire Oh the prairie,
when the grass is like finder. Twenty
years ago the scientific world was deter
mined to prove that man is an animal.
Three of the foremost scientific men
promised to show spontaneous genera
ton of life and do away with first cause:
they promised to show that mind or per-
son had no existence apart from brain,
and just in proportion as the braindied
the man died; they promised TO show
that all other systems OF thought were
wrong. But new generation of men
have taken their places, and the study
of man to-day is the study of mind in its
normal and SuDernormal. as well as in
its abnormal condition. And it has been
established that sudden death, instead
of
Binding the Cords
about man more, often released them.
1t has been proven that the mind has
far more influence over the body than
the body has over the mind. And when
we survey the evidence now being
studied by these men, when we stop to
realize that we are only on the Threshold
of new discoveries, we are moved TO
wonder at the possibilities of life rather
than take the smaller view. We must
look with interest, if not with pride, on
the fact that scientific men are giving
the channel OF their thought a new d.
rectiOn. feel sure that the average of
the most Intelligent men will feel that
there must De something most strength
eniRg in the fact that so much is being
done in the scientific world that eontin-
uallv develops noOier view of man
AiVOO II ID ildlutA iCIl s4t lUOu0it
has not gained current circulation. But
it is slowly sitting into the minds of the
people. and Will change the atmosphere
of feeling in time to come until men
will have a different attitude toward
questions of life and hope.
When we make a more personal ap-
Dlication OF this sub ject we find it of
large Importance in
Cur Personal Lives.
If | can make boy understand that
he has within him the possibility of
forming a supernOrmal. or ideal char
acter. and if can succeed in showing
him that this character IS endowed with
powers tranScending his common en-
dOwment, then l can bring him to an
important point in the development of
his life. This condition is spoken OF in
science as the supern0rmal. 1t Is
spoken of in the New Testament as the
new birth. 1t is spoken of by st. Paul
10, Al.