Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-14
ABOUT PHANTASMS.
Post ortem ApparitiOns From the
Point of View Of Scientist.
WHAT REAL GHOSTS ARE LIKE
The Actual Manifestation n Opposed to the
spook Of Vulgar Popular C0nception-It L.
the Haunting Soul That Takes the shape OF
Phantom.

| spOok Of Vulgar Popular Conception-It ID
the Haunting Soul That Takes the shape Of
Phantom.
ssno I BELIEVE IN GHOsTS2" SAID
~ DR.. Elliott Coues, the eminent expert
in psychical science, to q writer for TIE SrAR.
| mo, do not believe in ghosts in the popular
sense Of the term, for the reason that the popu-
lar sense has the least foundation in fact and
is as far rs possible from any scientific concep-
ton Of what IL properly designated az q post
norton apparition. Besides. like Coleridge, ]
have seen too many ghosts Of the popular type
to take any stock in them whatever.
81 have reason to know from my own expe-
rience and observation that certain post-mortem
apparitions Of persons whose bodies have died
do occasionally make themselves perceptible to
our senses. apparently by an act Of conscious
volition on their part and for certain definite
purposes Of their own. Ecclesiastical history
is full of instances Of appearances by the dead
| to the living Ordinary history includes num-
berless allegations of such occurrences. The
entire body Of modern spiritualism turns upon
| the pivotal fact of the continual communica-
| ton Of the souls of the dead with the living,
| whether usually, audibly. tangibly or other
| wise.
FROM A SCIENTIFIC STANDPOINT.
81 do believe in ghosts from the purely scien-
tific point of view. We ara moi. in fact. single
- ~,
-AN 'AP Poi'ohals' Anoio 40 ~ cue" Vi
US an inner Individuality OF wh1cn we are
seldom, ever, intellectually aware; find. as
| a matter Of fact, that this inner individuality,
which, Tor convenience will call the soul, is
very little, if at all, affected by the physical
c0noiuon OF its environment on the material
pane OF eAistence. for example, II does not
appear 10 De SUBJECT TO the law OF gravitation,
wnlcn we know 10 De universal In the pnysicei
"ora. II b NOT capable OF peing mecnanloaliy
anecteo 70 is injury OF Deneut. IL ooes not
Gepend LOT lIs Deing upon the organlzauon OF
tne pody wnlcn II inhabits. Unhke our normal
consciousness, II Is not product or result OF
the organization OF the body. 1t exists in its
own nature, independent OF those chemical
comDinatons winch form our bodily structure:
| Nothing forbids the assumption that the soul
may have annotated the body which 1t now In
habits and there is not priori reason why it
| may not survive the dissolution of the latter.
Should it SO continue to exist for even an hour
al.er oeatn, re'aanlng consciousness, vohtion
that If might monifest Itself To ns Whether Il
ever docs 80 or not becomes simply a question
Of evidence.
THE EVIDENCE.
'Such evidence is abundant, conclusive and
| of kind which by the ordinary laws of human
tost;,o,v ho,,,a sre;o. 20 .,.oh,;.h a. g.. :,
,.'-. :.
d Iny Soul .. VI NV sery .M.s1 nu,noel u ~
Iegea Postmorsem apPsritiohs nave iateiy Deen
subjected to every possible test and scrutiny,
. WIN Crosse Aanination OF witnesses,an psycn-
.cai lesearcners nave, m my Jug sn,, authori-
."tNeIy "uu nnaiiy uecioeo sonne VI 'neee SaseS
70 De genuine.
opposed TO the ghost OF fancy. Aside from any
question OF mere SUBJECTIVE nailuclnauons.
wmch constitute the vast majority OF popular
ghosts understand the genuine post-mortem
apparition 10 De the spiritual Dody OF de-
ceased person, SUSTAINING ana conveying his
CONSCIOUSNESS In the same manner that the
phySicai DoGy sustains ana EXHIBITS our mental
quaE.ies. For, Just as with the physical eye
we only zee one announcer Pnysicai Dodies, SO Is
| sniritual sense of a living nsraon Tnasmncb 40
this spiritual sense is rarely operative in liv-
ing person, actual apparitlons are rare: Hence
so sno reary Irsoasai ;9 ao w.! vi ueir occur
nc nn- IT. in tha ho,lv Fiat tbo sansas % e..
| soul come into conscious operation.
| THE oyosr cuu,
a.. -..:. -.
premoniuon Vi an appari.,on WHICH iS
presently to be perceived Is usually given by a
| sensation technically called the ghost chill.
| This ia a svmptom of a change in the mapnetic
etato of fha bodv durinp which cbange tho
Threshold of consciousnessi ia shifted To the er-
font If randorjpo noasihle a copsciona ,,orco,
t;on ~ somatb;nP orS;nar,Iv ;nv;sb,a III
oh.nea 10 ornoet aivavs varv fr;af nsmaiI,, -
| -. hSs,, e. saonnJ: drr;n Ehion a. as.s:
fasstatnr occrrs With tha rs+m-,' ., H. ;ra;
v;dmai 10 orl;nsrv consc;onsnsss ths anna-t;o,,
,aaass.r;,n S;san1eors ,snaIIv Ioan;nI r. ~
n;,,;,,t j., ora wa donht 90 20 xhatho VIC ~.
brs Saen he subiect ~ an baIluc;nst;on Th ne
Jonht howayar ,nov 10 dono owov LIZ r., 81,
ssonantiv ascerto;n;ng thronoh crd;narv 49, Sau
81 ~ ~ sorrmat;nn that ~, o,cnrra-c o. sa,
The dsath ~ the nerson whose sn;r;tnaI ho,r Il.
tbns onnearaJf tool nIace at n NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. " !,
time and nnder c;rcnmsta nces ~ which fba 20
cinient was made aware dnrino the trans;forv
snnorit;on No other e,nl.nat;or ~ smch a ~ oc'
crrrance annsars 70 m ~ no eonajIv s;mnia ~
reasonsb,sf md am tberefore honnd to aoca,'t
II until . betser one can he Jav;sed W "'o'p'
NO MATERIAL EXISTENCE OF THE SPIRITUAL BODY.
Gas conceive it, the spiritual body. soul or
ohoet NV wh;cbever name Won choose En- oo,,
it-bas no material existence vba,evar in ,ha
ordinary sense of the word. That ststement
raises the whole ouestion of the Constitution ~
matter as distinct from mind. For my own
part think that no absolute distinction is nos
sible. The experiments of such men as Clerk
Maxwell, William Crookes and Prof. Tyndall
have demonstrates the existence of states of
matter designated as radiant in which none
of the ordinary properties of matter appear. A
bar Of iron, you know, seems to us perfectly
solid and homogeneous, and vet there is reason
to believe that the particles which compose it
are as far apart from one another in propor-