Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-05-19
QUEER OCCURRENCES.
Tales That Are Not the Pro-
duct Of Superstition.
OF THE PSYCHIC SOCIETY
What 1t Has Accomplished in the
Realms OF the Intangible.
THE cORROBORATIvE EVIDENCE
Regarding the Existence of Strange
Powers Possessed by Some People.
The Opinions OF Famous Men.

Up to but short time ago there
was an intense prejudice against any
thing pertaining to the occult Only
during the past few years have studies
Of this character been allowed. and not
interdlcted In the home circle. The
desire for information. however, mas
almost entirely overcome the old pre-
iudlce. IL IS not the super-curious
alone who now indulge In these re-
searches, but level-headcd men and
women, men OF science, and strange to
say, ministers Of the Gospel. The So
ciety for PsyChical Research has been
the means Of accomplishing this much
II It's labors have not brought forth
any other result It's members are oil
OF high standing IN the world of art,
science. literature and religion. aud the
opinions OF such IA body are surely worth
the consideration OF rational beings.
Hut before this society, first organ
Yea In London, got into working order
inc prejudice against touching the sub
Jgct had 60 be overcome And this has
been "a more Giucuit matter than muuy
might suppose. II was no easy mat
ter 70 ECt such men as Gladstone and
stead 10 attend meetings FOR the pur-
pore OF examining psychic phenomena.
He very hume Medium mas bcen
u synonym Tor charlatanryl
In cotton Mathpr8 umo a man or
woman who had In his or her
possession book porWininR 10
the occult was IN serious dan
ger OF being incincratcd for
witchcrutt II was then only In secret
That ouch subjects were examined
into, and to have II known that you
possessed any occult, or what is com
monty called mHdlumi7tiC power was
to be stunned la a lcpur, and the cry
"UncleunI' Missed into your ears.
How now? why reputable men the
world over arc Interesting themselves
In the subject Everybody reads Bull
wcr'a 'Nnnpni;' reputable magazines
such aH the Arena and Forum, devote
much space almost each month to dis
cuHslons of the question, and such
work as Marie Corellfs Romance of
Two Wurlds' may be found upon the
shelves OF every public library OF any
pretgntiuug and vs. handed out to the
youngest readers.
II would take many columns to rotate
the results of the pyschicnl Research
Soclety's inyustigations suffice to say
that 10 years ~ Investigation has
served to unrnycl many mysteries OF
tho occult, and has served to convince
thousands or people that the claim
thnt some people possess strange pow
ers was not all ghum, During %
ing president Of the society. while Prof
William Jamesof Harvard snow serving
III mat capacity. Among the honorary
members OF the society are such names
rs Hon, w, Y, Gladstone, John Rusltin
and Alfred Russell Wallace The So
clety has branch organizations IN New
york, Boston. Chicago md san Fran
cisco. Dr. II. tlodgson is the secretary
for the United Stntos, located at Bus-
ton The objects Of the society are as
follows;
The society was formed at the begin
ming OF 1852 for the purpose Of making
an organized and Systematic attempt
tu Investigate various sorts of debat-
able phenomena which nre prlmn facle
inoNpliCable on any generally recog-
ni6od hypothesis. From tho recorded
testimony OF many competent wilt
uosBca past and present, including OBJ.
sgrVaiOns recently made by scientific
mon OF omincuce in various countries.
there appears to be- amid much ilu-
sion and deception, an important body
Of facts to which thls description would
apply and which therefore, II incon-
] toatahly established, would be OF the
| very highest interest The task OF cN-
aiming such residual phenomena has
/ often been undertaken by individual
/ effort, but never hitherto by scientific
\ society organized on sufficiently
/ broad basis, The following are the
| principal departments OF work which IL
| is proposed to undertake.; % An ex-
! animation OF tho nature ana extent of
] any influence Nnicn may be ONorted