Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-05-17
TALK ON HYPNOTISM.
A MANS MENTAL ABILITY NOT A
TEST OF RESPONSIVENESS
Carpenter-The Power Cannot BE
Used for Evil Purposes.
boy. il you don't wake up I'll hypno-

boy. II you don't wake up I'll hypno-
tie YOU"
These words were addressed in jocose
manner to sleepy-lookIng colored youth
at Ford's Hotel yesterday afternoon about5
o'clock ma two gentlemen started to ascend
in the elevator.
The speaker was Professor Carpenter. the
hypnotist who has been giving entertain
ments st the Theatre for the past week,
and his companion was a DISPATCH reporter
who had called upon him TO have talk
about the mystic science Of mesmerism.
When the elevator had stopped at the
thi-d floor and the Professors room was
reached he invited the newspaper-mGn in,
and having been told the object OF tho
seribe's visit he Immediately plunged into
the subject with enthusiasm.
People make a mistake said he, " in
supDosing that the power lies so much
with the hypuotist. Just as much de-
ponds on the subject, and some subjects
are much more responsive or receptive Gas
We say than others. In some cases / find
subjects without the slightest difficulty,
and then again am by no means so sue
ceSsful.r
80 On what class Of people con you ope-
.t+~N 'AAN lAbrA tt0llE h.hNu AAb AtpOAA'As
Is man Of high intellectually as much
susceptible as one who is W eak-minded2"
MENTAL ABILITY NOT A FACTOR.
=" Well" replied the Professor. ~ don't
think mans mental ability makes any
difference. 1t all depends on getting
the subjects mind TO follow yours.
When person is asleep-tbat is a
hypnotic state-yOu con, with care,
get his mind to follow yours to
certain extent. BY questioning person
IN sound slumber. If You get his mind IN
communication with yours, You can make
him talk aud answer questions. once ex-
perlmented on a class of twenty theOlogl-
cal students at Yale College, and out OF
that number l think / found five subjects,
so you see it doesn't depend so much on
mans mental powers as 1t does on his ner-
yOus temperament
The Professor then cited instances
where he had worked with great success
upon other subjects who wero possessed OF
unusual mental ability.
TIE FAMOUS FRENCH CASE.
The reporter asked the Professor if he
lad read the accounts OF the famous hyp-
notism case which was brought into the
French courts few months ago.
He answered that he had followed mp
III AAlt lAtAo IL ItDOlltiA " NtlD Nv "
with great interest. In that case,' said
he THE Judge ruled out the testimony of
several experts in hypnotsm. and think
he did right The Miss BOmpard in this
case" continued the Professor, was
girl who was Gy nature bad. She
was, however. thorough subject to hyp-
notism and had frequently been hypno-
tizCd. Her father seeing Der naturally
immoral tendencies consulted an eminent
hypnotist for the purpose of getting HIM
10 use his powers to change her course.
She in her deprayity refused TO let
the hypnotist use his influences over her.
For these reasons, | think, the Judge in his
decision was right. The young man in
Volvod in the case was, l think, the one
who was hypnotized, If anybody was, IN
stead OF the girl, although u was charged
that he had used mesmcric influences III
Affecting her ruin and leading her to be-
como bad.
"Hypnotism." continued the speaker,
cannot be used TO accomplish base pur-
pose unless the mind OF the subject IL ma
turally perverted and has evil tendencies.
DIFFICULT SUBJECTS.
"The hardest thing we have TO contend
with is 10 influence a receptive who has
fixed moral purpose before him. For In
stance, ! have gotten men on the
. blAkt--ltlup hbp tlAh lhhNAA4 ~ NV AAANiA
and after getting them under my IN
| fluence. ordered them to come and drink.
| In these cases the men who were habtual
drinkers would Btralghtwsy order whiskey
or something like that, while the tenn
peranco men would order sarsaparllla or
| lemonade.
~ here there is a fixed mental impress
sion or determination like this 1t Is hard
/ 10 overcome. For these reasons If man
I l.. L t4yall ND N a moral manner
il is hard TO make hin do wrong. He has
cot the abhorrence to crime stamped III
etfactably in his mind.
"Noy. If were TO tell young man TO
come up on the stage and let me expert
ment on him, even If he was responsive,
and il occurred 10 him while complying
with my request that be had on solled
shirt | could not induce him 70 take ms
coat on, no matter how mucn influence
had over him. / could get him To take OH
his shoes, but not his coat.
SAL oRs AND SOLDIERS Easily INFLUENCED.
sailors and soldiers" added the Pro-
fessor. who are used TO obeying orders,
make very easy subjects, for the reason
that they have learned to be obedient.
| Once | had whole crew imagining that
| they were in storm. and they presented
/ perfect picture"
The hvpnotist mentioned an instance
where some scientist trying to refute the
| theory that hypnotism could not be used
! for evil purposes gave the subject paper
| dagger. and telling him that certain man
! Ind wronged him, commanded him to stab
! his imaginary enemy. The subject lm-
mediately rushed to the man and plunged
! the paper dagger at his body. This, the
| scientist said. showed that hypnotism
could be used for immoral purposes, or
! for making subjects do as the. hypnotlst
! desired, whether it was good or bad,
Now think his arguments were wrong
| for this,reason," said he.Professor. Inc
| subject necessarily knows to certain ex-
| tent what is going on in the mind OF the
! hypnotist, and in the case refer TO be-
! ieye the receptive knew that the dagger
was paper and obeyed tho command for
| that reason. The real test would have
! been with an actual dagger, ana under
| these circumstances the man would not
| have struck unless he was naturally bad"
KNEW THEY ARE ACTING FooLIsHIY.
professor. according to this argu-
ment.n said the reporter. when you Or
! der man to make a fool of himself on the
/ stage, as you often do, he would neces-
/ sarlly know that he was making tooI OK
/ himself. Isn't that sO!"
YES" replied the hypnotist; in some
/ instances the subjects are aware OF thlS'
/ but not always"
You mentioned some cases" said the
! reporter, where you made men Imagine
/ thoy were drinking, and you say that the
state Of hypnotism is very similar TO- the
/ state Of dreaming. Now, | have been
/ dreaming for some twenty years Of more,
| and have had some very pleasant visions,
but never had the pleasure of tasting
ANYTHING in my seleep, nor have l ever
/ dreampt that he was eating and tasted the
I food"
by the way" said the Professor. +" l
| don't believe / ever dreampt that way
either. but have certainly had my SUB
| jects to imagine they were eahng ana