Birmingham state herald., 1896-07-19
OUR SOCIAL WORLD

(All Items of social interest will be gladly noted in these columns if sent to Mrs. George c. Bal, Nineteenth street, between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, South f1lgh- lands. Telephone 9SS)
 If you have kept abreast with these stirring times-and who has not with newspapers galore flooding our homes with pillows of useful and useless mat ter-you are posted upon the latest scientific discovery which is now arous- ing interest. And you are aware that it is nothing more nor less than the ability to photograph thought and emotion, which functions of our bralns-aecord- ing to the nineteenths century savants- are entirely physical forces and not spiritual or metaphysical. There is no longer any doubt as to this marvellous discovery. The scientists have brought forward indisputable proof of what has been accomplished and they give start ling examples of this power to reproduce upon the sensitized photographers plate, the impressions that come from the brains of men and women. The eXperi- ments proved, among other things, that the vital force is much stronger in the
 
 possible to photograph grief, fear dis gust, anger and the long list of emotions which disturb our equilibrium and dis tract our nerve centers. Thus far, be It said for the comfort of large classes ot humanity, our affections and ambitions have not been laid bare upon the cruel and relentless plate
 The aspirations of the statesman nor the craving for power and place in the heart or mind-wherever you may place .l not yet exhibited to us by the "magnetome- tre," which, to the just and unjust alike, lays before us the instincts that make the difference between man and brute. But, confidentially, there is no need for such photographs to enlighten us., We cannot confound the statesman-the man who loves his country loves his people and gives the best years of his life in their service and for their advancement with the politician whose practices have brought politics into disrepute with many good folk. We all can decide be- tween these two types without catching a glimpse of the innermost recesses of their gray matter" And we do not al- ways need camera to show us the dir ference between an honest man or Wom- an and dishonest one; we generally can locate fraud-male and female-with- out the assistance of science, and we can make the distinction between miserable sham a human pretense, and true, fellow creature. But think what awaits us if we are to have constantly thrust into our faces photo- graphs of our opinions which in no wise accord with our words. Consider having our secret sentiments and our verbal ex- pressons placed side by side in the glare of the monday sun.
 What a future is ahead of the younger generation in this age of delving, inyes- tigating members of French academies No man can whisper a harmless aVoWal of his undying love to a sweet and con- fiding girl without running the risk of having some member of the girls fam fly ask him 'Is this a picture of your emotions, sir?' and there before his at- frghted gaze will be clearly outlined the photograph of some other girl whom he really loves and who Is the very opposite of the one to whom he was just pleading the unutterable CD affection of his heart Or, what girl cares to spend her youth pursued by terror ofsthe mental pho- tographer? If she desires to say sweet nothings" every evening in the week to credulous men why should she be in mor- tai dread of having the true inwardnesS of her affections distinctly pictured for the disappointment of few, and bring upon her brown, raven or golden head, al the case may be, the ridicule and de- rison of a heartless world? If man wishes to say to his faithful long-suffer- ing wife that only the most imperative business carries him away from her pres ence evening after evening, is the world to be benefited because some monster wretch-some kodak fiend who may not love him-immediately presents this un- suspecting wife with @ photograph, in brilliant colors, of the emotions of hope and anticipation that danced through out her husbands brain while his inn purturbable face confronted hers?
 No; for one enter my protest against the utter annihilation of the right to inly n fAxU those thoughts outlined in black and white, or in vivid shades of color, for th6 pleasure of our enemies and friends. The French savants have gonesa step too far along the lines of progress This discov- cry seems to be the acme of human en- deavor and self-respecting people have only left in their power two simple means of redress. Before 1t Is too late We must assert our rights. We can say to these scientists: We have stood your X rays; we have submitted to having our muscles slnews, flesh and bones photo graphed; we have permitted you to find imbedded in painless repose In. our bod ies bullets. nails and needles; we have been tortured with discoveries of dire diseases in what we thought were our healthy. robust frames, and we have sub mtted to illustrations of insidious germs, which you tell us abound in all the beau-' tlful things of life; but we simply draw the line at this last effort of the restless
 
 think as we please and when we please; have a sacred and tender emotion, a fierce and honest hate and an unmiti- ga ted disgust occasionally without fur nishing pictorial recreation and diversion for our acquaintances. And if this priv ilege is not granted us, as of yore, we shall declare our right to stop thinking entirely! Unless we can ruminate when the mood suits us; unless we can muse when we see fit without at once making a collection of artistic mental photo-s graphs, we shall cease to ruminate, de- cline to muse. A few, very few things are absolutely ours, and one of these linn ited privileges Is the right to think with out having our thoughts photographed, and we do not intend to allow an in- fringement of that right"
 
 This startling discovery of thought photography was made by Dr. Baraduc of Paris. who has been experimenting in this field for three years. Colonel de hochas of Paris and Dr. Elmer Gates of Washington City have also made very valuable discoveries in this study, all of which are in accord with those of Dr. Baraduc. There really seems to be no 1tnit to the DOwar of the human hra