Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-21
MARK TWAIN'S THEORY.

MARK TWAIN'S THEORY.
Mr.. Metcalf Tells Why He Rejected tn
Artioie-,Hi Explanation OF Mental TeIe
patby-Three wsys to Account for It
| Some Amusing Liars.
WRITTEN FOE THE pIspArcH.ls
In recent article in Ha,per's Magdaa
by Mark Twain, in which he gives his rea
sons Tor believing that it is possible for ont
mind to communicate with another, al
though the individuals may be separated By
many miles. Mr.. Clemens describes many
experiences of his own as proof of the exist
ence of this power, which he calls menta
telepathy. He also intimates that the
Psychical Society of Great Britain, after in
vest1gation, is inclined to the opinion that
such power does exist, and that its opera
tion should be the subject of most careful in
yestigation.
says that this paper was written some years
ago, and that desiring to have the subject
considered seriously, he offered 1t
anonymously to one OF two magazines. His
fear was that anything which appeared over
his signature would be regarded as a humor-
Gus contribution and he was never more
earnest than when he wrote this article. He
says that he offered it to Mr.. Lorettus s.
Metcalf, who was then in charge of the
North american. ReUieiC and that Mr.. Metcalf
was willing to accept it, provided Mark
Twain would sign the article. He did not
care to publish it as an anonymous paper,
for it would seem to commit the magazine
to the conclusions reached.
Not of Scientific Value.
MIR. Metcalf remembers very well the
circumstance. He said:
"On examination of the article it seemed to
me that Mark Twain's deductions did not
have scientific precision OF in fact did not
contain any presumptive evidence in favor
OF his view, and therefore it would be un-
wise TO print what seemed to me to be an
unsclentlhc statement anonymously. told
MI Clemens so, and 1 said that would
gladly print 1t as contribution from him.
He would not leave the manuscript All the
phenomena described by Mr. Clemens in
this article can, think, be explained with
out recourse to the theory OF mental tele-
pathy. have given good deal of study to
these questions, and 1 am satisfied that
these phenomena and others like them,
with which everybody is familiar in his own
experience, can be traced to one of three
causes-either to coincidence, to association
or ideas or to unconscious exaggeration. l
insist that the theory of coincidence ac-
counts Tor most of the phenomena that Mr..
Clemens describes.
All HiuiFluual mas nundredS OF dlSt1nct
every day, and every day hun
dreds OF events are occurring that relates in
some way to.him. What more natural than
that many of these should accord? As to
tne 1act that two persons together frequent
ly have the same thoughts at the same time
the element of association comes in there,
ana sometimes very curiously, one circum-
stances or idea suggesting another often
ample, suppose that person is in a house
with another who is constantly practicing
one piece of music. Suppose this person is
dressed continually in some single bright
color Now, after the air and the peculiar
lty in color have become impressed upon
the people of the house, the sight of that
particular tint will perhaps always suggest
that air. Yet no possible connection be-
tween the two would ever occur to an out
slider.
How People Believe Falsehoods.
"a third explanation to be considered is
unconscious e1aggeration. When an inter-
esting idea is planted in the mind of an
imaginative person, it grows and grows,
until the statement of it at different periods
becomes, without any purpose on his part,
more and more exaggerated. I have had
'ome very curious illustrations of this in my
personal experience. For instance, 1 know
u very seriouS-mlnded, Sedate old Presby-
er1an elder, the very incarnation of honesty
u purpose, who tells the story that in his |
,oyhood he and two companions who were |
'ery athletic were skating on a deep lake |
.no came upon hole very unexpectedly, |
The hrst one sank out of sight, went along |
everal feet. and came up in a hole further |
n, emerged upon the ice, and continued |
eating around as before. The other two,
lose upon his heels had not time to turn.
nd did the same thing
"Another case is that of a woman of the |
cry highest morality and intellectually, |
With great deal of interest her first visit
Niagara. She says that she went with
er rather, and he desired to give her the
ovel experience Of letting the falls burst
pom her in their full splendor at her first
lew; so selecting an hour in the day when
ew visitors were about, he blindfoided her
nd went with her down the inclined way
o the foo: of the American falls where he
uddenlY took off the bandage and she de-
cr1Des In striking way the effect that the
AIS mad upon her under these circum-
tances. Recently her father stated that
here was not O word of truth in the story |
xcept that he went with her to the falls
lie said that he was aware that she had told
70 story for years and she believed it i'm
l1c1tly, and he dislfked to make any COM
lent in her presence because he knew that
would hurt her feelings.
Troubles of Story Writer.
Tone of my friends who is brilliant
ritter OF short stories am satisfied has al
lost lost the power to recall correctly any
ling that he has experienced so thoroughly
- a. /
on. Recently most exciting tale appeared
ON his pen of a circumstance which he de-
are literally occurred in his boyhood. He
i'd that the young people of his neighbor-
ood IN the country village where he then |
ved, one clear, cold night made up q skat
g party on neighboring lake. The ladies
capped themselves in large sleigh and
le men drew them by means of long ropes. |
hile over the deepest part OF the water a |
rong,. clear-headed man at the end of
le OF the lines realized that the
e burden placed upon il, but instead
losing self-possession and stopping, or
Ten speaking to the others of the danger,
ligious hymns of the time with which ali
ere familiar, to distract tho attention Of
% company, while at the same time he
adually directed their course toward the
saster which would proably have DESTROYED
e lives of all. Meeting my friend after
aiding this sketch and speaking to him in
gard to 1t, he solemnly assured ME shat
cry word OF it was true. Another friend
mine, who was one of his companions at
Q time the incident which he described oc- !
rred, and who could identify the occasion, {
i'd there was no truth whatever in the ]
le except that the ladies were drawn upon I
lied by party of men with two ropes. S
Tho Success of spiritism.
Ceases are constantly occurring which '
ustrate these tendencies in connection
tn what call spiritism. That delusion )
peals to people who are very desirous of L
eing wonderful things, and who have a
'ong imagination. These two qualities of
nd, which we may call superstition and
agination, are undoubtedly accountable =
most of the phenomena which are not :
fraudulent. / remember having =
en- on q public platform when a so-called
,dium reached from his cabinet out toward r
Q audience n guitar, which was rubbed =
til PHOSPHORUS. My friends and myself 4
W and agreed that the guitar reached no K
rther than the footlfghts but afrerward 4
e of my friends describing the circum-
nee asserted that the guitar extended
-ther than that, and afterward whenever
repeated the story he increased this dis
ice until he now asserts that it reached 81
3 middle OF the room" Il
fr, Metcalf has in his investigations col ii
ted great number of in cidents. all going | s,