New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-07
PHOTOGRAPHIC THOTGHT.

It's a pity to prick such pretty bubble. but 1t
seems to be necessary. We have had week or
trying weather: the silver craze Is an old story;
the sea serpent has temporarily retired TO his
lair and 1rst-cass sensations are exceedingly
scarce A good. lively topic Of conversation and
newspaper discussion, like the captivating sug-
geston that thought can be photographed. Is a
nerfect godsend Just now. But In every intell-
gent community there are few people whose
minds are so constituted that they forever insist
on separating. or trying to separate fact from
fancy 1t Is hard to escape such persons; and
when they begin to ask just how to take Dr.
Baraduc's alleged discovery one might as well
surrender instantly. They are sure to extort an
answer sooner or later.
French physician Of no particular eminence,
who has given special attention to the uses or
electricity for curative purposes, claims to have
found that If a person holds his hands near two
delicate magnetic instruments for several min
utes the registering needles will be detected IL
he had ever visited magnetic observatory. and
had observed the elaborate precautions taken
there to keep people away from the apparatus,
he would have learned that the warmth OF a hu-
man body will produce some II not all. OF the dis-
turbing effects which he has noticed.
The doctor further declares that when he sub
ter and the human hand was held near 1t for a
sufficiently long period Of time. an impression
would be made. just as II faint luminous radi-
ance had proceeded from the fingers or the ex-
perimenter In some cases there were fine dots.
I'm others fibrous structure and In still others a
fog sufficiently uneven to have faint outlines.
Although heat leakage of light. electricity and
magnetism could affect a sensitive film In very
much the same manner, DR.. Baraduc hastily con-
cludes that the force at work is not physical. but
psychical I'm character and proceeds from the
brain Of the individual whose fingers are extend
ed toward the plate. His imagination. thus fired,
inspires the hope that he will some day be able to
represent. by the pattern OF the IMPRESSION the
particular emotion with which the subjects OF
his experiments are animated. He does not
claim to have done this yet, however.
Proceeding a step further with his investiga-
tion. the Frenchnan requested several persons
to think intently OF some object while the hand
was outsretched toward the Photographic plate.
In the majority Of cases. apparently, the result
was unsatisfactory even to the doctor himself.
But once in a while the disinterested observer
could detect n feeble resemblance between the
foggy blur thus obtained and something real:
precisely as one forms pictures out OF the clouds
or glowing Goals Such impressions are curious.
OF course but are not definite enough to serve as
scientific evidence. Besides. they were few In
number. and constituted very small proportion
of the three hundred which are said to have been
secured. Perhaps the only photograph In the
collection which was an unmstakable likeness
represented a mans head. wrapped In turban.
! And this while taken under what might be
called test conditions" must. for various rea-
sons, rest under suspicion until a dozen or a
score OF other such pictures have been taken
under the scrutiny Of experts. The fact Is, pho
Biography can be made to tell some atrocious fbs;
and DR.. Baraduc and his associates may have
been imposed upon.
Besides the inadequacy OF the testimony and
, the possibility Of easily explaining by purely
physical causes. oil. or substantially OIL OF toe