Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-20
GOSSIP FROM BOOKLAND.

The London Society for Psychical Re- search, which has developed branches in this and other countries, was organized for the purpose of making a systematic search among all psychic manifestations of the human intellect, normal or abnormal, and including extensive investigations along the line of phenomena designated as mes merism, hypnotism, trance, mental thera- peutics, etc. A thoughtful man, if he Lut stop to consider, will doubtless decide that the human race has groped amid the dark ness of materiality long enough seeking peace and rest from material objects about him, and be more than ready, aye, anxious to raise his head high above such and learn the true meanings of his innermost spirit ual soul. Those learned in occult lore say that we are living in what they call a semi- spiritual cycle of time and are nearly at the close of It; and soon now will be upon us the cycle of spirit, and it does appear promising after considering the undreamt of achievements of the material domain during recent years that there must still be much, very much for man to learn res pecting the unlimited qualifications of the human mind, spirii, soul, as you choose to name it. And it is greatly due to the thoughtful, earnest men that so largely compose the membership of the psyhcical society that the world at large is being taught that man himself has put these material limitations about bis own mind and soul and is proving beyond gainsaying the wonderful aud powerful attributes of mind. Let each of us strive then to hasten the day of our own understanding, and throw off our own prejudices of igno- rance.
 ''rhe Law of Psychic Phenomena, a Working Hypothesis,' ,'' by Thomas jay Hudson, Is an able exposition along this line of thought. The author very truly states that psychology has not so far been placed within the domain of exact science simply because no working hypothesis has been formulated sufficiently comprehea- siye as to embrace all psychic phenomena. This the author strives to do in his work, and under the rules of correct reasoning assumes that '.man has two minds" For convenience Mir. Hudson designates the one as "objective', mind, the other as tsubjectiye'' mind.
 This idea of man being endowed with dual mental organization is far from new, and the author pleads that proposition, the substantial correctness of which has been so widely recognized, must possess solid basis of truth.
 The author states the difference between mans two minds as fellows: "The objec- tive mind takes cognizance of the objective world. Its media of observation are the five physical senses. Its highest function is that of reasoning.
 ''The subjective mind takes cognizanoe LII US SutiTODLucub Dy uGau6 luUepeuue0C of the physical senses. It perceives by in- tuition. It IS the seat of the emotions, and the store house of memory. In a word, it is that intelligence which makes itself manifest in hypnotic subject when he is in state of somnambulism.'
 There are many chapters-"P "Perfect Memory of the Subjective Mind" o-Therapeutics, ,'' IA New Sys- tenn of Mental Therapeutics ''-all en- crossing subjects and information which will he a parf rnUpIptiOu tn aa man and woman accustomed in their g- norauce to consider hypnotism aud such like phenomena fraud and delusion.
 zone day,' says an American. "I went into bookshop in the Strand aud asked for Hare's Walks in London In America the book is sold in one thick volume. The clerk brought it in two. 'ohl' said, as looked at them, you par, your 'nHare" in the middle, do you?' T, sir?' he said with bewildered look, 'Oh, no, sirl saw he didn't see the joke, so l didn't explain, but bought the books and went away.
 "A week later went to the same shop. from the back of the shop laughing vocif- erously. 'Goodl' he shouted. Capital! Part your sHare'' in the middlel That's capital. sir, capital..' "-Tit Bits.
 ssMadame Sans- Gene,'' by Victorien
 
 A. Curtis Bond. The story is of course in- teresting. Sardou i5 master iu his art and never fails to either arouse admiration or satisfy curiosity. The play is being York, with Augustus Cook as Napoleon, although Napoleon is not the central char acter. The plot is grouped around the central figure of the Duchess of Dantzg- Mime. Sans- Gene.
 Tn ha rrolno0a ia ah he where Napoleon, then poor young lieu tenant, has his washing done, and the laundress, whose real name is Catharine Hubscher, commonly known as Mime. Fouche, one of her customers. Twenty years pass and we again find Catharine, now the wife of Lefebre, who is marshal of France and Duke of Dantzig. An inter- esting plot is woven around these central figures that include not only the Emperor Napoleon, but his two beautiful sisters as well.
 The present Lord Tennysop, it is said, has had to read 50 ,O00 letters in the course of writing the biography of his father that is in addition to papers of all sorts and kinds. The book will probably not be ready before 1896 or 1897, as it is much more of an undertaking than was at first antci- pated.
 Capt. Charles King has made the success of his life in writing a book for boys. It is a story of a military academy, and he has come near doing for the West Point of his day what Thomas Hughes did for the Rugby of his. General Wolseley has said that hls description of the battle of Gettys- burg in ''Between the Lines'' is the best description of a battle ever written. Cap. tain King never touches pen and he frankly tells his stories for money. He talks all of them into a photograph and sends the rolls to typewriter, who makes the manu- script.
 MT. Lang gives his vote to ''Pepy's Diary" as the very prince ofbedside books, the one (which may send man to sleep with smile on his lips." and declares 1t owes it's fitness for the post to the ease with which it can be forgotten. "Your deeds and misdeeds,' he writes, "your dinners and kisses, glide from our recollections, and being read again, surprise and nmuse us afresh. Compared with you Montaigne is dry, Boswell too full of matters; one can take yon up anywhere and anywhere lay you down, certain of being diverted by the picture of that companion with whom you