The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-20
WHAT ARE GHOSTS,
Can wineeA Ghosts From Bombay he Here
yvlhout Cou,lure

for him such fascination as ball Of crystal
| has for almost any dreamy person when 1t Is
| long and steadily looked into.
"There are sensitive people," said the man.
who can gaze into empty space and see
there forms and appahtions which probably
have no objective existence whatever. In
saying that they probably have no objective
existence I do not moan that they do not
| really exist. but only that, with equal oppor-
| tunities and looking In the same direction.
| two persons never see tho same apparition."
rs visibility to two or moro persons tho
proof OF the objectivity OF a material thingY"
LET us distinguish" said the man. Some
material things IRE by their very nature In
visible. and oil things are invisible in the dark
Besides this. 1t is o fact that some things
such. for example. as tho stars and the north
ern lights-can be seen only In tho dark. The
great majority Of ghosts come under this cato
CORY. although there are others that are visi-
bio by day. II I were member OF any OF tho
| various Psychlcal Research Societies should
suggest. as a primo necessity OF scientific re-
search into the nature OF ghosts. that they
should be classified at first under two general
heads. First. those that como by day. and.
second those that come by night This would
do very we'll for q beginning. afterward other
divisions would be in order. and investiGa-
lions should be entered upon to discover
whether or not some species are alnphibons.
and come by day a. we'll Us by night. Some.
and possibly very large class. would be found
to be vespertine In their habits. coming out
and fitting through the dusk in search. pos
sibly. Of the stuff, whatever it may be. which
affords them suitable sustenance.
Are you not very materialistic in your ten
denciesr II apparitions have no objective
reality. what need have they OF food?"
Your question Is natural enough" said tho
man. but it displays singular lack OF sngac-
i.evinG that subjective ANNA! ed existences
DO not require toodf Eyen tho larye OF ghosts
remains in the larva state some sixty or sew:
enty years and then. with tho assistance. OF
comes a pupn. after which he. becomes an
image. true ghost. and occasionally comes
lad sopg
and a truer knowledge of this fact than We
moderns have AS they were in advance Of US
They 1 %sde Of f the xhoss T
anticipation OF coming events: Psychical
sGs0p but GF sheSId ps sydeSt
iarya Of a ghost prevents the final emerGsnee
Of the image. which the Egyptians, called the
casd i9s 5 bsn t thu the
ians. or as we moderns. scientifically speak
INTERCHANGEABLE" said the man: "anpa:
vision Of tho poets has often observed them
with wings, which. however. IN most modern
hs Of wees
clothes, Naked ghosts are now never seen at
Undertakings stances. and Il. at present not ono
The ssnsIemsniy sdiseS q tSe ' 1sa BAL Gssse
motion than legs, and feet. And yet these
members alone will not account for the rapidity
from da e ndon sneh besgs
have wings and very possibly thos; nemhe I
times in second and consequently they can
q similar fact in the case OF appartions"
But would not their wing. become visible
ar soo n the gh9Hts ceased their flight and
That depends" said the man. I'm the case
OF the fol,eoptera; the true flying wings gre
flight ceases. and II ghosts belong to this class
OF insects. rs there is much reason for believ-
buff they eau 10 seen !ethor In motion nor
At rest It. h9T OF their exist
~, 1.-THE pitch Of the sound emitted BY the RAP.
sar sad tie " man. possty Sy p Using Ing
tLe micrpphone; Having once found the pitef;
process. provided Of course that the di.nen-
sions OF the wings were known. see no way
OF arriving at those Dimensions except instnn-
taneous photography. and even this would fnil
ifthe vibrations OF the wings per second should
be more numerous than the vibrations OF
light Indeed. it Is very doubtful that II
tho motion, were considerably less than
this we should be able to photograh
BY their friction against tie mir would be SUIT
unless they we're composed OF some such sub.
stance as asbestos and this would be an
anomaly in nature. unless there. are such
things as IMMORAL insects or insects partially
composed OF mineral substances. And this
may be 80. even II it be anomalous. Outside Of
mathematics everything Is possible. and some
new calculus may bcforelong make oil things
possible even In mathematics
AT present. at all events 1t Is impossible to
get at the dimensions of ghosts wings"
II think SO. said the man. but, OF course.
there is no telling. Science advances. Mr.:
Edison is going into the metaphysics OF
going into their physics: and what may We
not Hope for In tho line OF invention and dis
covery? Even ]. with my restricted acquant-
ance with physics and metaphysics. and even
Of the universe ITSELF can Imagine a way in
which the matter OF which ghosts. or ut least
the wings Of ghosts 9re constructed. might be
determined. though doubt that their dimen-
siOnB could he arrived nt III they move with