New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-07
POPULAR OBSERVATIONS.
INTEREST IN PSYCHICAL RESEARCH.
THE INVESTIGATIONS HAVE NOT AFFECTED
SCIENTIFIC MEN IN THE WAY THAT WAS
ANTICIPATED.
ANTICIPATED.


TO the Editor OF The TIL bune
sir: Professor William james publishes In the
August number OF "The Forum" an article on What
Psychical Research Has Accomplished which adj
dresses itself mainly to the "unnstructed" reader.
As one Of that class ask your permission to ex-
press few thoughts which his article has suggested
to me.
Professor James relates that the society was
founded In 1850 for the purpose OF carrying on sys-
tematc experimentation with hypnotic subjects, me-
diums clalrvOyantS etc, and OF collecting evidence
concerning apparitions, haunted houses and similar
phenomena No one acquainted with the character
and scientific standing Of the president Of the English
society," Professor Henry sdgwick, and the vcepresl
dents OF the American branch, Professors james ana
Langley, will doubt that the work oil the society mas
been carried on conscicntiously ana with hgh
d.rre. of intelligence Every precautlon has been
taken against fraud Witnesses have been cross-ex-
AHMED all testimony has been sfed and the result
Of ten years work TO summarize Professor James
summary seems to be rs follows:
The expcriments with clarvoyants were not salts
factory owing 10 lack OF subjects rs well rs Oh
skilled exporimcncrs As to thought -transference,
since the first three years OF the socieys existence no
new subjects have turned up with whom experiments
ON n larger scale could be carried The dvinlng-
rod cxperimcnted with i'm the first year, has never
again shown lis face in the 'Proccedings." lhVeSu
cations into slate writing furnituremoving etc nave
been destructive Of the claims OF all the heu""'
examined on the other manu- experiments !" "'P
notIsm prove that below The upper consciousness
the hypnotic consciousness persists, engrosSed WIN
the suggestion and able TO express itself through Tue
lnvOlunarly moving hand C"aeS vi "PP'
were collected 10y the hundreds ana large humoer
of those were vcridlcal,' that Is to say, lh'S 'o
ipc,dd with some calamity that happened to the per
son who had appeared rs an apparltioh' Inc W."
.s ~ bollucInatons" collected answers from @'ooo
poopIc who had been asked at random In different
ti ia. I'm
hoard q voice seen "A form felt touch when coulu
ro hc oscred o any material presence and the result
seems to be that about adult In ten mas hau such
an experience at least In his He ana OF lh' ~
perenccs themselves II per cent coihciueo VII" sum.
rl distant cvcnt In other words, l person out OF
every 40 professor james, II the above figures arr
correct oucht to have said in every seventy III
| 49,, n,o,,,i,v has had A veridlcal hallucnation Of
| SOM. SORT or other vague precise The inves'i-
c,,or NJ Ghost Stories pure and simple, mas resui'eo
| I'm a division ~ opinion on the part oil t'e ",'
dealing with them. Professor James him'elI oon
c.,s TO at least partial belief In the SUPERNATURAL
na,,lv on the evidence furnished by an American
| medium Mrs npcr, who " has shown III her u"n'cs
knowledc, of the personal affairs OF living anu u'"u
oorc which II is impossible to suppose that shc can
,.v. Gained I'm any natural way Professor james
| cNpr.ss.d this belief In variety OF "ays-h' "'' :
| not even shrink from the name OF ghosts -"o
,r,linely I'm passage which must quote al '''s'n
"or,hodoyy T. almost n much matter ." ~
T., ,.,cc ~. If +, I'm thcs hurch. We believe In all
/ sort, Of law. Of nature which We cannot ourseiNe'
understand merely because men whom We "u",''
I'D ,ru.t y.uch for them. II MessrN. iielmholI'
/ uu,l,y pastrur and Edison were SIMULTANEOUSLY ="
Announce themselves "A, converts 10 '"lrNoS WV
tbonclt tran.fcrcncc and ghosts VII" can u""o' wa"
/ there would De- u prompt popular s'Ahi'lo' III '
/ ;-c.i,,, NJ. should have great sl"Sh ol
.,l.u,tly' I'M the scientific press Is We no" nav VI
.i.,s ID, tIc medical press. We shohlu Hd'''"
90 ,,,,l. ,.,, ..ical explanation, without winding ana
/ far to De Identified with 10y gon" regime Il W.
| hold had. In ~ocety "" should eagerly let !" w
tnovn that w. had Away thought there was OASIS
~ trutb An haunted HOUSES and had, A. i"I oa'h a.
We could remember, had faith IN drm"H'"'"l Po'''s
sion. ~
Now. r. 3. certain that n The cat ever does Jump
al, ga. tb.. ,oriioif. methods Of IN" society for
! r.,.lt,al Research VIII give 1t position Of extra
l -,,i,.r, Influence ~ after another 'h'
fashion settling converts dropped In and III" popular
/ ,r.dulity began a., efforts at cNacutude about cyl
! a.ucc and IT, tmidity In Specializing ""uiu '''In
/ -,nr.,r.i, ,lr,uou. sober beaded scientists would
| 80 , A., ,,,u.r a. a hulwarh whilst ITS poor,
u,tl. detached fact. longer 80 dioiic ana mcgee
/ an, voult rrovc the least Of possible entering
y,oc,s for ts,u,oi,Ai-t, and other, who had re"uN
made supernatural tic PHILOSOPHERS to propagate III
hort The. so.riy for p-y chical Research would b'
ur,rl.lu.y u.cah mediator between the ola ana the
| new. ,,,, .,,.
60 All mi, on the ~uppo-ltion that Tho lielmhoItcs
and lIuAl,y, did bccomr converted. Now 'he
! ,, writer mot wholly in,cn-lhlc to the Ill con
! ,,,,o..s -, uniting himself on record a. Ai'"
uropheu must oaudidy cNPcNA his own Suspicion ll''
! sooner or later tine cat must Jump ti' way luz
,,l ,n.,n ~ nj, conversion have been the frances
If H.. medium whose case In the proceedings WAS
! alluded to above.
Tn. negative results Of the work Of the society for
ltffl,. val
n,f.rrst mat q vast number OF the pheh"ni'ha II.
vr.lsad would prov" WORTHLESS wa, 10 Ice 'Np't.,u,
r,.u. az th, work have AT least partially 'oN'''u
rof.,.or Jnmc, himself. Even more pr9houc Ecu ~
80 tho .,.Iry MIR Richard Ilodg>"n Of whom Professor
Lame. say, that he j. persuaded "i me rraiN y.
nia h" head II The I'm; lsh society enertalns
tlr o,. tinatc belief that th,r" Is ,om.thlns y.
r.ubrr. nl The society incline more or less ow"Iu
Splrilunli,m. How dos the public at l"rH" We" "'
Professor Jane, Ia, addressed himN- 70 the
unn,lructcd" reader. who cannot meet hnl "n
,a, IN. tr,mrndon, Importance Of the revolution
vhirh The ~oc!rty for P>yclicai EretHrh "'hs ~
effect the leap lnl" the Hn",oWm W h"i , s"clty
him to take. II VIII not 90 l" NY , u,' ,r,I and
is engaged I'm the search for sci"h'ihc rum, nnu
that such truth must be- told no matter Hn1 Tfs,,r
qucncc, may be-. The s,h'n,' 10 "",o" M r',li, =
jane, has become convert IN" h"lni III 'h' r,niS
which rest, ola th" laws oil m"lur' Il, "' ,. h.fnr.
! ycnlrd 10 us. and may well pause IN NV, neIor'
"a. recon theory ol th' uhlN'I9', III
! In The fact. disclosed hy the society Tor f},hi'"'
Research Gntil now thu greatest mnd' "l n ,l," y,
hnvr .nrnt their best effort In Kidding the Worlu "l
sI,p.r,ttion Professor Sidgwi'k The founder OF ths
.soccty Of Psychcl Research, himself , u"p",'
| izing what may be- called proeN>onnl opinion WIN
regard to supernatural matters. Is !. !" W " ,Io
, ,5a h hi . SR T Morla h" T E uS"rS
an the sId. Of the society for Psychlcal t'H'hr'h
nh. EIGHT volumes of the " Proceedings ar" open ~
| the world Of thought. How many converts nave
they made ,,, ,..t.,,ro
| know that Professor James wonld gladly wclcomr
the accession of the most Trptical liVeallsaWrN "
The ranks of his society but why do learned pouc'
| ,,to 80 lille Interest in its dOngs Five yeaIs
.rr believe several members OF the rhilAdrpnls
Xcndemv of Natural science, the late Or. joseph
I'd, Professor Angelo llcilprin and several others
investigated at thc request OF the society certain nn
| rhi tunistic phenOmga, WIN" "erv ."', h.t b
| ,'lh'rrNm"i Of me ask Professor james whethei