The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-11-04
A CENSUS OF GHOSTS.
The Report of Prof. sidgwick's Com
mittee.
From the Westminster Budget.

From the Westminster Budget.
The census of hallucination has occu-
pied the time and attention of the Psychi-
cal Research Society for the last six
years. The report, a very voluminous
document, occupying SEQ pages Of the Au-
gust Proceeding" of the society, has
just made it's appearance Although, as
might be anticipated from the character
of the members of the committee and the
extreme gravity of the subject which is
under consideration, the conclusions at
which they have arrived are stated very
guardedly, there is no doubt that tho
report marks distinct advance toward
the recognition of the weight of evidence
in favor of the continuance of the indi-
vidual after death.
IF man die shall he live again." is
the question with which most readers
will APPROACH the elaborate analysis Of the
statistical tables accompanying this cen
sus. The attentive reader viii not have
much difficulty in deciding which way
the ultimate verdict will go. At present
the committee confines itself to saying
that, while the amount of evidence at
present does not suffice in itself TO con-
stitute conclusive case for post norton
agency, the cases recorded afford some
| argument for the continuity of psychcal
life and the possibility of communications
from the dead. They further say that
| the census affords some remarkable cases
which prma facie are not purely subjec-
tive and which suggest the action of the
dead.
They quote one of the cases which zap
pear to suggest that the deceased are con-
tinuing to take an interest in mundane
affairs" The story, which they say is
one of the strongest in their collection
is communicated by Miss Dodson, and it
| is certainly very remarkable. In brief It
is as follows On Sunday, June 3, 1881
! close upon midnight, Miss Dodson was
reused by hearing her name called three
times. She answered twice thinking it
was her uncle The third time she recog-
/ nized the voice of her mother, who had
/ been dead sixteen years Il said con-
| tinued Miss Dodson, " Mamma.
"She then came round a screen near
/ my bedside with two children in her arms,
| and placed them in my arms and put
/ the bedclothes over them, and said:
! Lucy, promise me to take care Of them,
| for their mother is just dead I said,
| Yes, mamma She repeated, Promise
/ me to take care of them l replied, Yes
l promise YOU and l added, oh, mamma,
stay and speak 10 me, I am so wretched
/ She replied: Not yet my child then she
| seemed to go round the screen again, and
/ remained, feeling the children to be still
/ in my arms, and fell asleep. When !
awoke there was nothing. Tuesday morn
ing, June Z, I received the news of my
/ sister-in-law's death, She had given
birth to a child three weeks before which
1 did not know till after her death"
Professor Sidgwick says, as the result
/ of an interesting conversation with Miss
/ Dodson, that the children were of ages
Al
/ dren of her sister-in-law they seemed to be
little girl and a baby newly born. The
only way an ingenious sceptic can get
/ round this case is by supposing that q
telepathic impulse from the living brother
. might conceiVably embody itself in the
form of his mother. But the idea of "A
/ brother I'm Belgium being able to transmit
a telepa thic message in the assumed shape
and with the voice of his mother, who had
. been dead for sixteen years. ana also to
telepath into existence in London the two
. little children who were living an his house
at Bruges constitutes too great draught
| upon the Imagination of man.
Between deaths aad apparltions of the
/ dying persons connection exists which
. les not due TO chance alone. This We hold
| as a proved fact Tho discussion Of its
! run implications cannot be attempted in
/ this paper. nor perhaps exhausted i'm this
. age" with these words Prof Henry
/ SidgWlck, T.. w II. Myers Frank Pod
more Mrs. Sidgwick and Miss johnson
. conclude this elaborate report.
Prof SilEvicl, and his colleagues have
/ for some years past been engaged iu con-
I Quoting an inquiry on very extended
/ scale into the evidence. or the amount OF
tho evidence, that WINS procurablo On ono
. side of the vast subject that is po1uIarly
known 1s Tho supernatural, and IL mas lr
/ we'll briefly Go describe tho nature of the
census on which their report De- founded
Tho conclusion above quoted la that