The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-05-10
AS seen In
THE MAGIC GLASS.
Strange Sights That Have Been Noticed
by Patient Investigators.
Remarkable Instances of Events Foretold by
the Extraordinary Mirror-Double
Consciousness Shown.

as shining metal, crystals, water and glass.
The high priests sometimes received revela-
tions from Jehovah in an ornament Of six
bright and six dark stones.
Diyination rings were also In use. The
cup which Joseph put in Benjamin's sack
was the cup from which he was won't to
divine. The thumb nail mas also been used,
and has proved of marvellous power and
faithfulness, while a fayorite method in
some places is to pour into the palm of the
bent hand and in its depths read the mes
sages from the unknown. Mirror gazing
was always popular in the Orient, and as a
superstitious practice still prevails, says
contributor to the ST. Louis Post Dispatch.
In Egypt IN 1884 magician conjured up
the figure of LORD Nelson, which he de-
scribed to the bystanders with perfect fidel-
ity. The most successful Of all these
was Dr.. Dee, who lived in the latter part
of the sixteenth century, lie used crystal
called the Holy Stone, which was large and
round. The regency of the Duke Of Or
leans through the death of the Prince was
predicted by means of the mirror.
This is the last case of historical prophecy
by this means. American spiritualists have
used the mirror and pretended to have good
results and accurate information from it.
1t is impossible to suppose that all the nu-
merOUs Instances of visions are wholly
fraudulent. Some flick of truth must be in
them, for there is too much unanimltY of
testimony and close agreement in the evil
dence TO permit. the belief of pure supersti-
ton.
Nevertheless, no attempt was ever made,
until the past ten years, to study the sub
jeel and by sensible people all the stories
were rejected as so many fables.
RQt few wears ago a number of scientists
in Germany and England took up the sub
ject and have gaZed perSistently into the
mirror and patiently awaited for the sights
they hoped might reward them. They main
tanned that the tales of magicians could not
all be sheer lies, and even though no
prophecies were made on the strength of
the mirror, something real must in some
Instances have appeared
IN THE MAGIC GLASS.
Only the old-time magicans probably
erred in attributing the images to an exter-
nal influence. Whatever they saw in the
mirror was put into it by the mind Of the
gaZer, was a projection from the uncon-
scious depths of the seer's own soul, not
reflection of any actual object present be-
fore the glass. With this assumption they
began their experiments.
The Berlin Society of Experimental Psy-
chOlogy laid in a stock of mirrors, crystals
and other rejecting surfaces, and the mem-
series OF experiments extending over several
years they had nothing to report The mir
rors give forth no visions. In England,
however, better luck has attended the efforts
of the Society of PSychlcal Research.
A lady reports to the society series of 20
experiments of which she made careful
notes. She is said to be clear-headed and
fully alive to the fact that whatever is seen
is simply subjective illusion, as it is called.
Colored bright balls, the back of gold
watch, mirrors and rock crystal were all
used, the aforementioned producing the best
results. The simplest case reported is this:
" find in the crystal bit OF dark wall
covered with white jeSsamne, and | ask
myself where have walked to-day? have
no recollection OF such sight, not COM
mon one in the London streets, but tO-mor-
row viii repeat my walk of this morning
with a careful regard for creeper-coveIed
walls.
"To-morrow solves the mystery. find
the very spot, and the sight brings with it
the further recollection that at the moment
we passed this spot l was engaged in alb
sorbing conversation with my companion,
and my voluntary attention was preoceu-
pied"
This was asingle case of double conscious
ness. When the lady passed the spot she
did not know that fact had passed into
her consciousness, and she would never
have known it had it not emerged and been
reflected from the crystal
The next case is curious one: ~ had
carelessly destroyed a letter without pre-
serving the address of my correspondent. [
knew the county, and, searching In map,
recognized the name of the town, one un-
familiar to me, but which / was sure
should know when / saw it. But had no
elew to the name of the house or street, till
at last 1t struck me TO test the value of the
crystal as a means Of recalling forgotten
knowledge.
"a very short inspection supplied me
with 'Hbbs House in gray letters on
white ground, and having nothing better to
suggest from any other source. risked post
ing my letter to the address so strangely
supplied. A day or two brought me an am
swer headed 'Hibbs House in gray letters
on a white ground"
THIS WAS A TRICK OF MEMORY.
The lady had the impression "Hibbs
House" imbedded in her Consciousness, and
it is not mysterious that it came forth when
tempted by the magic mirror but it is myS-
terious that it should appear in gray letters
on white background. That seems to be
prophecy.
Here is case of mere memory, but it is
marvellous and incredible. ION March 10th
| happened to want the date of Ptolemy
Philadelphus, which / could not recall,
though feeling sure that l knew 1t, and that
associated it with some event of Import
ance. When looking into the crystal some
AVulS L plCtuto Vi du Olu
man with long white hair and beard,
dressed like a Lyceum Shylock. and
busy writing in large book with tar
nished massive clasps. / wondered much
who he was, and what he could possibly be
doing, and thought it good opportunity of
carrying out suggestion which had been
made to me of examining objects in the
crystal with magnifying glass.
1.-The glass revealed to me that my old
gentleman was writing in Greek, though
the lines faded away as 1 looked, all but the
characters that he had last traced, the Latin
numerals Xxx Then it flashed into my
mind that he was one Of the Jewish elders
at work on the Septuagint, and that its
date, 277 b. g., would serve equally well for
Pt0lemy Philadelphus.
1T may be worth while to add that the
fact was not in my conscious memory at the
moment that l once learned a chronology
on mnemonic system which substituted
letters for figures, and that memoria technica
for this date was how Jewish elders indi to
Greek copy"
The use of the magnifying glass in this
experiment only adds to she mirror. The
numerals Xxx were of course projections
Of the experimenters' own sub-conscious-
ness, but it is hard to explain how the nag-
nlfylDg glass, a mechanical device, gave
definition to the vague hint of the crystal
In the case given above the visions were
clearly projections, or subjective Illusions.
The gazer got out of her mirror precisely
what she put into it. The mirror acted as a
sort of spur to the slumbering conscious
ness. But others are not so easily explained.
ION Saturday, March 9th, had written a
| somewhat impatient note to friend, accus-
| ing her of having, on her return from two
| months absence on the Continent, spent ten
| days in London, without paying me a visit.
| i was not, therefore, surprised when on Sum-
| day evening she appeared before me in
| crystal, but could not understand why she
| should hold up, with an air of depreciation,
| what appeared to be music portfolio"
On Monday received an answer written
ho hut r@i,, n thafSho naS
| attending the Royal Academy of Music, and
| Was engaoad there during the greater mari