Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-12-10
STORIES OF SECOND SIGHT"
BY A. CARGILL.

entire human family as that inhe rent
sensitiveness to the apprehension of the
supernatural. But, somehow, few of the
civilized nations have suffered more from
the suspicion, to term 1t mildly, OF unduly
fostering a belief in, or regard for,
things uncanny than the people of Scot
land.
From the days of Macbeth down even to
the present time, one OF their most dis
tinguishing characteristics has been their
sympathy with such Happening" as were
supposed to have supernatural origin.
This sympathy with the outre element of
being has, indeed, long moved the popular
Imagination, as expressed, for example, in
the writings OF Scott, Burns, Hogg, Will
son, and others; wierd and feysome
faculty that revelled in the doings Of
fairies, brownies, ct hoe genus omne.
which peop!ed every woodland and haunted
every glen from Dee to Yarrow, and that
even was as familiar with such like ''im-
material essences as with the palpable
creatures of flesh and blood.
1t is, however, chiefly with respect to q
very genera! prevalence III Scotland of the
belief in what is termed the "uncanny
gift, >" or second sight, - that this psyche
logical trait in the national character is
applicable.
All classes of the people are more or
less subject to It's influence. Even in the
better educated circles, among clear. head
ed clergymen, and hard headed, sceptical
lawyers, this remarkable endowment-if
it may be so ealled-is known to find
lodgment, and, at times, wonderfully to
exhibit itself With many of the humb-
Ter classes, however, belief in the second
sight is kind of second nature while
as the media for its remarkable manifes-
tations they have somehow acquired a
decided monopoly. The fact that all classes
are more or less under the influences of its
spell-wben the power operates-must
justify the opinion that ordinary human
nature, wherever found, is sufficiently
orthodox, when brought into contact with
the spirit world, to at least assent to the
dictum Of the poet that
.,We are but spirits, 'scaped little while
From the dominion of the spirit world;
And yet, though panoplied in flesh and blood,
Are its obedient slaves!''
What ever may be its precise meaning
and significance in psychological phrase
ology, the ''uncanny gift" is certainly not
confined to any particular age or sex,
though, perhaps most of the really remark
able Instances on record of its manifesto
tions are associated with aged females
"Wrinkied SYPHILIS of fourscore, who sit
Spying the features of futurity."
Yet many cases may be cited where
young people, even lads in their teens,
have been known to possess it to an ex.
tracrdinary degree.
A few years ago, the writer knew of
boy Of sixteen who was supposed to be
uncannily "gifted," for on more than one
occasion he gave evidence of his "posses-
sion" in very striking and inexplicable
manner.
Seated one evening by the ''ingle-neuk"
(he was farmers SOM, he quite suddenly
ter, and two brothers, ooh! there's my
father ia n into the pond!''-a little loch
on the farm, Jet so fa- away as to be out
of sight of the inmates of the house
but added ne presently, she's got DOT
againn'
time after the father was met coming, in
a pitiful plight, from lis accidental i'm
mersion-
On another occasion he informed his
parents that he had "seen'' Old Rab "a
favorite horse) lying dead in his stable.
Pretending to laugh at the lads ''silly
haivers, the father presently proceeded to
the stable, ostensibly to ''yoFe to" his
beast, but in reality, as be afterwards de-
cIared, to prove or disprove the truth of the
uncanny dream. To his CONSERVATION and
grief, he found Old Rab lying stiff and
stark and in the very position described by
the boy, whose trustworthiness was, of
course, beyond all suspicion The lad
himself died few years afterwards from
a peculiar form OF epilepsy, but how far, if
at all, that malady had to do with his ex-
visions, of which the fore
going are only examples, was never de
termined.
Bat this instance is cited merely to show
that young person may have the faculty
or gift of second sight" as well as an aged
ndividual-though, of course, it is i'm
possible to::explain the degree of possession.
In many places in S .otland it is believed
that in families where succession of
daughters is unbroken by the intervening
birth of a son, the seventh she is des-
tim sooner or later to acquire the gift of
second sight, and that in an uncommon
degree. Why the seventh daughter should
be so lowered, and not. say, the fourth or
fifth daughter, or indeed any of them,
seems a singular sort of arrangement.
Proba bly, the virtue attaching the mystic
number seven has good deal to do with
the explanation.
Of the various classes of people, fisher
folks are we'll known to be superstitious,
especially in the matter of second sight
Some of those who live on the east and