The herald., 1896-03-07

g., g.
Robert F. Brown OF Sacramento reports
that although the storm has been of in
caiculable benefit on the whole, yet that
much damage has been done in aome Sec
tions OF the valley by the heavy hail. April
cots, almonds, prunes and early peaches
have suffered severely, but it is too early
yet to exactly estimate the actual amount
OF damage done, except that in the Upper
American and Orangevale colony districts
the apricot trees were completely stripped,
thus destroying all hopes of a crop this
year. Cereals are looking we'll, as also
roots, of which there will be heavy crop.
very interesting discussion was had
yesterday between Prof. ] f. Whitwell of
San francisco, Rev. G. II. Delaine of Bos-
ton and Bahadoor Yung Jamsetgee on
mental telegraphy, the Bahedoor closing
| the symposium with the following remarks:
Although "heirs of all the ages" we can
hardly presume to have investigated more
than very minute portion of the domain
OF fact and law; future generations will
doubtless acquire, in new state of eX-
istence SO rapidly being ushered in, inter-
ests and points of view by which to fill out
the many gaps in our knowledge and re-
duce to order and consistency what to US
seems strange and curious. The possibility
OF The transference of thought, apart
from the recognized channels of sensation,
has been too frequently discussed with the
suppressed or unconscious assumption,
that our knowledge of the means by which
we ordinarily and normally convey to
others some notion of what is passing in
our own minds, is comprehensive and ex-
| haustive. Nothing could be farther from
the truth. Whenever fact of sensation,
no matter how limited or apparently
trivial, has been thoroughly investigated,
there have been discovered, or at least sug-
gested, unrecognized possibilities of its use
and development. And no result of expert
mental inquiry is more constantly illus
trated than the extent to which differences
from sensations and the exercise of facul-
| ties may proceed without arousing con-
seriousness of their existence. The fact
that portion of everyone's retna is as
blinG as his finger-tip escaped observation
till not much more than a century ago, be-
cause the normal use of our eyes does not
present the condition of its easy detection,
and for a like reason we persistently refuse
to see the double images that are con-
stantiy formed upon the retina. With the
same uncOnsciousness that we receive sem
sations and draw inferences from them, do
we give to others indications of what is GO
lLk Ou IIlIIluSs aUu Tedu DotWeeu
their words and under their expressions
what half reveals and half conceals the
thoughts that lie within. 1t is necessary to
emphasize the great limitations az yet sur.
rounding our knowledge of the normal
modes of sensation and the corresponding
hesitancy with which we should regard
any series OF facts, no matter how APP
parently lnexplicable, as evidence Of SUI
| pernormal kind of mental telegraphy.
1t is important to bear in mind the great
similarity of our mental functions in mat
| ters great and small, and the resulting fire.
| quency with which the same conclusions
| must be reached by different persons, as
the outcome of similar but independent
brain functioning. All of us have great
tendency to overestimate and eXaggerate
the individuality of our own ways of
thought and expression, and yet but little
reflection is necessary to suggest how
easily this fond belief may be at least par
TALLY delusive. With the marvelously in
creased facilities for the dissemination and
transportation of thought, the range of
mental community is greatly extended.
The tendency of insisting that the laws of
science shall be strictly and in detail APP
plicable to individl cases poss 3ssing a
personal interest for us, las led to many a
serious error. Superstitions have arisen
from it, and many phases of pseudo
science. Take for instance the much dis
cussed question of the differences in brain
CnardcterlStlcS OF IlleH anu women. Inc
claimants for wonan's equality point to
| the admitted inability of an expert anato.
mist to determine whether particular
brain belonged to man or a woman, and
regard this evidence as conclusive. A
sounder logic would insure greater caution.
| The differences between mems and women's
brains may be certainly established and
typical, and yet depend upon statistical,
not upon individual facts. Give the anato-
| mist number of fairly selected brains.
and tell him that all the women's brains
| are in one group and all the mems brains
are in another, and he will tell you which
| group is masculine, which feminine,
and this more than offsets his failure
! in the former test. 1t is clearly
| the policy of science to allow the utmost
latitude of opinion and theory, and to in
tterpret the possible in an unprecedented and
! liberal spirit; but it is equally the policy of
science to demand of all claimants for rec
ognition authentic credentials framed ac-
cordng to the laws of logic and the princi-
| Piles of evidence and probability. Telep-
athy must not be coDfounded with coinci-
dences or, what is commonly called
! thought transference, for we find that the
complicated interests of a life of civiliza-
ton give endless room for condolences,
and that their frequency is clearly related
to the commences of the event, and the
close relation of familiarity to our habit of
thought. Telephathic power can only be
exercised by him who, to use the words of
Paul, 'Keeps his body under and brings it
into subjection.' When this has been ac-
complshed by purity of life, prayer and
suffusion of the Infinite, the human mind
quires Godlke attributes.
Captain A. d. Fonseca, Cuban exile, is
authority for the statement that the United