The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-05-13

\ the tales OF peasants. Then came the mo-
! ment-like the moment which the spec
| tral inquiry is traversing now-when IN
| curing men who had actually spoken
with the peasants and seen the stones be-
| lieved that the latter had fallen. Then all
at once the fall of meteorites was accepted
/ as fact of nature-a mysterious but I'M
/ deniable fact. Lavoisier had said: There
are no stones in the air, therefore none
/ can fail upon the earth Nevertheless he
was wrong. The skeptic in psychical mat
! tiers, who denies because he has not seen,
| declares that there are no ghosts. In my
opinion the time Will soon arrive when IL
will be no longer possible 10 refuse belief
in pOst-mortem apparitiOns.
at has been accounted strange that
/ post-mortem phantom should be so rarely
recognized by person who sees a ghost
| as the likeness of any one in life. The
reason for this may be simply that we
transitory tenants of the earth's surface
can have no claim to appropriate all the
memories which act upon the departed.
| If apparitions be the dreams of the dead
the latter will dream of affairs OF their
own in which we have no share. The no
| tons that such appariiOns are actually
such is entirely speculative. If it were
true their dreams, equally with the dreams
of the living, might include figures which
were not the figures of the dreaming dead
themselves, and this would account for
the olt-recOrded appearances OF the spec
tiers of dogs. cats and other animals. But,
for that matter, there is no prima facie
reason wherefore we should take it for
granted that cats and dogs have not ghosts
of their own as we'll as human beings.
However, this is dipping too deeply into
the imaginative.
"In considering the subject of phantoms
OF the dead IL Is necessary that one should
take into consideration most Importantly
the element OF hallucination. Before de-
Gliding that any testimony possesses value
as evidence there must be reason for be-
lieving that il does not rest upon illusion.
The fallibility of the human mind, owing
to the imperfectiOn of the senses and OF
The judgment behind them, in dis
tinguishing the real from the deceptive
renders necessary the drawing of sharp
line between the two. There is probably
not one OF us who might by a specter pro-
ected from his own imagination. Men of
great reputation for learning have in
numerous instances recorded their obser-
walton OF familiar phantasms. which,
though they recognize them as purely
creations OF their own brains. have been
constant companions in their waking
hours, always likely to be at hand and
accepting no hints to depart.
1T has been urged that the melancholy
and almost idiOtic spectacle which so
many actual apparitions afford-dreamily
lacking in apparent purpose and exhibit
ing mere blank and fugitive appeal-serve
to repel the student OF physical phenomena,
which seems to lead up to such a degrade
ton or parody of the hope of eternal life.
What men want is the assurance of per-
sonal happiness after death. In
seeking the consultations OF religion
thew desire to be relieved from specula-
ton on the subject and from fear at any
cost. But there is an attitude of mind,
becoming more widespread year by year
among educated men, which, though
neither cynical nor pessimistic, yet re-
CARDS the present without enthusiasm and
the future without eagerness. There is
an acquiescence in the lie OF earth and
deep distrust of the unknown. With the
advance of knowledge, with the quicken
ing of imagination, feeling almost newin
the world has arisen-a kind OF shrinking
from the magnitude of fate. The
words lnfinity and eternity are no
longer mere counters for the use OF theO-
lOgians. They have taken on an awful
significance from our growing realization
of the immensely of being. a soul from
which the Christian confidence is with
drawn may well feel that is going forth
into void, spark of sentiency involved
amid enormous forces and capable OF UNI
imagined pain. Yet would there not be
something cowardly in refusal to accept
the only definite facts attainable because
they are not the kind of facts which we
should best have liked TO know? And
would there not be something childish
in the notion that the unseen world must
consist of vague and CHASTITY objects?
Mockeries and Of motion and mute breath,
Leavings OF life, the superfux Of DEATH
''The societies for physical research in
this country and abroad have gathered
together n great number OF stories OF APP
partitions which seem to possess value as
evidence. ! will mention one or two of
them wherein the same ghosts we're seen
bv more than one individual, so as to es-
tablish a confirmation OF the facts which
would seem to preclude the possibility
either OF cheat or of hallucination. For
example a Mrs. Stone of Bridgeport,
England, writes: In the summer of 1880
my cousin Emily was staying with me
and my friend, Mary Jenkins. was spend
ing the day with us. We drove over one
afternoon in July to my unces vicarage
at Sydling in little four-wheeled car
riage They were all at home, delighted
to see us, and we spent a most charming
evening. We lett early enough to reach
home before dark. A most beautiful
evening il was. and three more
merry girls could hardly be
met with. Just after passing
Wreckleford the road is rather elevated.
1t had been somewhat dusky before, but
here the evening glow showed the hedges,
road and all near objects. There it was
that / saw the figure Of a man on the
right-hand side walking, or rather gliding,
at the head of the horse. My first idea
was that ne meant to stop us, but he made
no attempt of the kind, simply keeping on
at the same pace with the horse. neither
faster nor slower. At first / thought him
of great hight, but afterward remarked
that he was gliding along at least foot
above the ground. Mary was sitting by
me; pointed out the figure, but she did
not see Emily was sitting by the man
servant on the front seat. She heard
what said turned around andsaid softly:
81 see the man you mention distinctly"
Then the man servan, said IN a frightened
voice: For Gods sake, ladies, don't say
anything It's a ghostw We were silent,
and the shape kept on for some distance
until the entrance OF the village of
Charminster it vanished and whe saw it
no more.
sT~ndar date ~ Nav TX 1853 Nrs q