The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-01-02
CURED OF THEosOPHY.
startling Eject of Demons tration .
Young Mans Mind

Young Mans Mind
Ny friend Abcrnethy tells pretty
good story at his own expense, writes
William Wallace Cook in the Detroit
Free Press, and below | give il TO the
reader in his own words. as nearly as /
can recall them:
About ten years ago, / found myself
racing neck-and-neck with savants,
ancient and modern. in the hippodrome
of philosophy Throwing aside every
system with supreme contempt / reared
a cosmos 70 suit myself and gave the
microcosm commanding niche in my
temple. There said /. "was chaos;
such-and-such a power drew out the
Universe and so-and-so sustains il.
Yonder is God and here is man-lo,
what a marvel / have wrought" / inn
agined how the great, throbbing world
would one day receive my theory. 1
knew TO a certainty / would be crowned
with bays and that my disciples would
be innumerable- ] was assured beyond
the possibility of doubt that ! would 60
tearing down the ages-my features
perpetuated in stone and marble and my
name the signal for reverent prostra-
ton in every country. / believed all
this-for was but eighteeni
1t was while dreaming after this bent
that met Miss Il, a venerable lady
with philosophical turn of mind. She
was well-read woman. a prominent
figure in the Theosophici.l Society and
professed admircr of my harc-braincd
theories. Anxious to gain converts TO
the society of which she was an ardent
member, Miss Il strove TO overcome
the thousand and one objections which
/ urged against theosophy. She en-
deavored to persuade me for several
weeks, but 10 no purpose; then she
made me the following propositions:
''Your theories are theosophical TO
the core. Nine Blavatsky has cx-
pounded many of them before you. You
claim TO desire a practical demonstra-
tion of some of our theories that differ
from yours Let me propose an cxp-ri-
ment. Set your watch with mine. and
tonight, at precisely eight, retire alone
to your chamber, extinguish your lamp
and center your thoughts upon me. At
the same hour / will do likewise and
think of you. This will be an interest
ing test, and If you are not startled by
the result | shall be greatly surprised" ="
Dabbling in occult phenomena, so
fell in with Miss lis proposition
without more ado.
Night came, and eight o'clock found
me in my lonely study without a lamp
and with only the spectral moonlight
quivering over my books, marble busts
and astronomical instruments. Subject
to such conditions, my room was indeed
a ghostly place, and thought il just the
thing for putting me en- rapport with
Miss H and making me passive
factor in our experiment j centercd
my thoughts upon the venerable lady at
the time specified. For five minutes
nothing very startling occurred. In
fact, it seemed very difficult for me 10
keep my mind upon my patroness. At
| the end of five minutes, however, ]
found myself in state OF very great
| nervousness. ! pushed my feet about
on the carpet and moved my hands in
cessantly. 1t was impossible for me 10
| remain quiet This mood gradually
| gave way TO one of calmness, but ii
was a calmness such as j had
! never before experienced. 1t was
like the forebcding stiffness that
| precedes hurricane, and ! felt
throughout my whole body that some
| thing supernatural was about 20 happen.
| In few moments / thought / heard the
| voice of Miss H calling my name. ]
| trembled violently and the perspiration
| stood out on my forehead. ! remember
trying TO shake off my body, for | was
terribly wrought up and believed such 4
thing was possible. Once, twice, / en-
| deavored to obey Miss Il-'s voice. II
was in vain, but the third time, what a
| sensation ] experienced, ] seemed tO
float upward. Matter had no restraining
| power. My body could not keep me and
| passed through the walls of my study
like sunbeam through clouds of mist
left my body with its head on its hand,
! sitting at my desk / had peculiarly
| buoyant, immaterial feeling and ! real
| lied that /, the conscious entity, the
ego, the soul, was no longer subject to
| earthly conditions. Was ! dead in the
sense that the world knew death, or was
l merely playing into the power OF Miss
H? i found myself at last suspend
ed like Mahomet's coffin between
Heaven and earth. / seemed to poise
| in higher atmosphere like some bird
The sensation was too delightful TO be
| described. Words fail me, and 70 car
the climax of my strange situation ] be
held the venerable Miss H floating
toward me in a white cload. / was about
to address her when, like flash.
opened my eyes and found myself-ir
my study.
was overcome with this strange eX.
! perience and l decided then and there
that if theosophy was science fraughi
with such interesting phenomena, Mis-:
H might claim me for a disciple
Certainly, in the whole range of my ex
perience nothing could comyare witt
the wonderful experiment in which
had participated.
The next day I called upon my pat
roness. / was prepared for an uncondi
tional surrender. Imagine my conster
nation when she met me with the fol
lowing:
"Ah, Mr.. Abernethy. or course yo'
are all prepared TO declare theosophy
fraud But / was unable to perform m.
| part of our experiment last evening
The society sent for me at half pas
seven on some important business
consequently, at eight o'clock, instea'
of thinking of you, / was head-over
heels in some Hindoo-"
What" gasped; do you mean to sa
that you were paying no attention I
me at eight o'clock last night?"
Indeed, you mustn't scold. 1t was
] fear ] left Miss H somewhat dis
courteously; but was provoked to fin