The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-17
From the Chicago Times-Herald.

by other than the usual modes. In the
course OF these experiments, in which
elaborate precautions were taken to
preclude cOllusion, previous knowledge
or detection through the recognized
senses, 1t was found that within two
or three minutes after one person had
tasted salt, vinegar, sugar and other
familiar substances a second person
also, who was isolated behind a screen,
had such perception of the flavor as to
be able to identify and name it before
several witnesses. In like manner it
was proved that an intellectual con-
ception of some simple mathematical
design could be transmitted from one
mind to another when the usual chan
nels of communication were carefully
stopped. In this way it was shown
that some people are strangely suscep-
tible to impressions produced by the
physical sensations of others. This
phenomenon Is known as telepathy, al
though the term as commonly used IL
comprehensive enough to include the
same sort of discernment of emotion
as well.
Persons who can be thus influenced
while in their normal condition and not
In a hypnotic trance, and who manifest
In other ways about to be mentioned
this strange supernormal perceptive
power, are sometimes called "sensa-
tives" or physics" And to many eX-
perts in psychology the phenomena
themselves render credible and par
TALLY explain many perplexiDg and
wonderful stories which few years ago
would have been disbelieved altogether.
Thus a man on ship at sea receives
a sudden and inexplicable intimation
that something dreadful and unex-
pected has just happened; weeks later,
1,.. T. hot ,.f tl,nt .antv l.Ntn h i-
wife or sweetheart, thousands of miles
away, expired. Perhaps. at the mo-
ment of the premonition, he sees the
face Of the dear one. wearing an eX-
preston of profound love and sorrow.
Or, a woman wakes in the night. hear
Ing, as she thinks, a cry of distress
from her now grown-up brother. whom,
in his childhood, she had tenderly
cared for. At this time his home Is 800
miles away. Next morning she writes
him a letter, describing the incident,
and asking II all is we'll with him.
This missve, on the road, crosses one
from him, in which he mentions that
at that very hour he had a vivid
dream, in which he was little boy
again and in some painful plight, and
appealed to her for help. Scores, even
hundreds. of such incidents may be re-
lated. Once they would have been
| sneered at or treated merely as coinci-
dences. Now, however, it Is believed
| that In some of these cases there have
occurred unintentional. but real, COM
munication. The scientific demonstra-
| ton of the genuineness of telepathy
and thought transference In special
cases imparts new Importance to we'll
attested stories of the kind alluded to.
| Experiments are being made in volun-
| tary communication by the strange
methods here described. And an addi-
| tional theory is offered to assist people
| in explaining whatever may be genuine
in clairvoyance, clairaudience and psy-
| chometry.
Entitled to Respect.
Reports of still another set of once
| discredited phenomena, ph7rtasms of
people who reside or sojonrn Mt a dis
tauce. If, indeed, they have nos departed
| this life, are now thought to he en-
titled to respect and perhaps credence,
and not necessarily the product of SUI
perstition on diseased Imagination.
Thus, in a paper read at Columbia col
| lege few evenings ago by DIR. Rich
| ard Hodgson, of Boston, the chief
American representative of the Society
for Physical Research, an English lady
| made some statements which would
| once HdNc DttIi puic ldDli
cations, but are now accepted as worthy
| of careful attention, if not of unre-
served belief. Mrs. X. Is well known
among literary and scientific people
in her own country as an Intellectual,
| conscientious, sensible and ruggedly
healthy woman, who, in addition to
| feeling deep interest in psychical re-
| search, Is herself possessed of what
| seem to be exceptional faculties. Dur
| ing the last few years, she says in this
paper, she has had many experiences
| like those mentioned here. While look
| ing earnestly at a person whom she
| meets for the first time, and about
whom she has had no Information,
she perceives an attendant human fig.
ure which Is visible to no one else,
and which proves, upon subsequent in
qu.ry, to have been symbolic or repre-
sentative of the principals character
and attainments, or of some incident in
his career. Thus. on meeting for the
| first time the husband Of a dear friend,
she observed continually for hours an
image, quite unlike him in its youthful
appearance and other aspects, always
haunting him. 1t bore a horror strick-
en- face and maintained an attitude Of
fear and pain. Eventually she ,l.soov-
cred lhat, as boy at school. he had
been guilty of some offense for which
he hadbeen compelled to run the gaunt-
let among his schoolmates. In like
manner beside stranger whom she
had n chance to observe for several
minutes before being introduced, and
as to whose identity she had no clew.
she dlscerned figure suggestive of a
Hindoo monk. The man really had
lived in India, and was we'll versed in
the philosophers and religion Of that
country.
Experience Of Traveller.