The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-09
A BUNDLE OF QUEER STORIES.
FACTS GATHERED BY THE sOCIE-
TY FOR PHYSICAL RESEARCH.
Strange Powers of Perception-Get-
ting Information by Other Than
ordinary Means-The "Sub-Limi-
nap Self.


From the New York Tribune.
Coming into great city by rail at night
the traveller passes through OUTLYING dis
tricts almost devoid of dwellings but
Astounding in lights. The latter seem to be
waltzing about in hopeless confusion ow
ing to the motion of the train. But every
minute or two some of them suddenly fall
into two straight lines, stretching miles
away, perhaps; and one then perceives
that he is looking down a long avenue
whose position and existence had not been
previously indicated. Some modern psy-
biologists suspect that, in a similar man
ner. a lot of strange and apparently unre-
lated phenomena will some day arrange
themselves in one common, orderly sys-
tenn.
person placed under the influence of
ether sometimes cries out piteously during
a surgical operation. An hour later, hav-
ing entirely regained his senses. he de-
clares that he was utterly oblivious of the
occurrence and felt no pain whatever. A
bookkeeper, troubled over his failure to
balance his accounts, rises in his sleep
goes to the office, straightens out the err
ror and then returns home. On reaching
his place of business next day he is as COM
pletely surprised at the discovery as any
one else connected with the establishment
"A HdIl,. IdlllIS from a ladder. receives a
severe blow on the back of his head and
for six weeks cannot speak, does not know
his own name, falls to recognize his friends
and shows wonderful change of dispo-
sition, although evidently as Intelligent
and conscious as ever. In short he an
pears to be different person. Then, sud
oeniy, weren't headache, which has both
cred him during this interval, abates He
looks around like one awakening from
sleep, and asks, Where am l ~ He has be-
come nlmself again and has no recollec-
awning
he lost his footing on the ladder A good
subject, having been placed in a hypnotic
trance, may be made to believe himself
greater actor than Irving, a finer singer
than either of the De Reszkes or a dain-
tier Verse-writer than Shelley The delu-
sion is as complete as that of the worst
lunatic in an asylum. But with snap of
the finger the hypnotizer can bring the fell
low back to his normal condition.
These and many other unusual and puz-
zling cases resemble, in one respect at
least the more familiar experiences of
sleep and dreams (such as perfectly heal
thy people may have( and of hysteria
and insanity. They all suggest that hui
man beings possess various faculties
which may be active without their being
aware of 1t. Hence, few of the scien-
lists who have studied the matter care
fully have acquired the habit of distin-
gushing, in their talk, between the CON
scious and unconscious self. They also
call the latter the ''sub-liminal" self. be-
cause, as they say, it is that part of
the mind which lies below the threshold
or consciousness. Whether this mart nj
a persons nature is a unit or is sub-di-
vided into several personalities is a cues
ton on which leading psychologists still
differ, but there is now a general dsposi-
tion to concede to the "sub-liminal' self
greater dimensions and more startling pos
Sibilities than would have been granted a
few years ago
A wonderful power of obtaining infor-
nation by other than the ordinary meth
DDS of communication is among the Gifts
in which some of these cold bloOded slxen
teal scientists evince faith They do not
believe that every one possesses it. on
the other hand, at present they are in
clined to limit ii to a comparatively small
class. But evidence on this point is in
adequate. The matter is still under in
Vestigation. 1t is suggested on the one
hand that in many, If not in all, Instances
there is only an exercise of usual sem
sibilities, exceptionally sharpened. That
sort of perception is called "hyperaesthe
STA" But some of the facts are thonpb+
to point, on the other hand to the eX
istence of a distinct faculty. still in a
rudimentary state, perhaps and found
only here and there; as if evolution yera
about to add still further to the equipment
of mans higher nature. However, This
may be. diligent hunt has been rnads
for years after stories of telepathv mind
reading, second sight, clairvoyance crvs-
tai vision, and so on, by the Society for
Psychlcal Research; and great pains have
possible. 81
one Of the most experienced and indie