Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-12-01
HYPNOTISM OF PUPILS.
Vt Causes a Sensation In Public
School Circles at She
bOVQ2n.

Sheboygan, Wis, Nov. 27-[Special.
The school board has been asked to dis
miss George w. Ferguson, instructor OF
drawing in the public schools, and spe-
cial meeting of the commissioners will be
held next Monday evening at which
Prof. Ferguson will be given hearing
The charge against the drawing instruc-
tor is that he took eight or ten pupils
from the Fourth ward school and used
them as subjects in an exhibition of hyp-
nosis. Mr.. Ferguson does not deny the
charge, but asserts in his own defense
that no injury was done the children, and
that when they were used as subjects he
did not imagine the parents would CD
ject.
1t developed today that several pupils
of the Fourth ward school were recently
pills and that the art has been practiced
on other school children. This also will
be investigated by the board.
Prof. Ferguson has been in ShebOygan
several years, and for two years has
been instructor of drawing in the schools.
He is an artist of unusual talent ana
spent some time i'll Paris in pursuing his
at studies. He became a student Of
hypnotism, and has made a study of the
science as an amateur, and has become
an expert in suggestion. There are a
large number OF followers Of Mesmer IN
Sheboygan, and Mr.. Ferguson;s expert
ments were similar to those of other stu
dents in hypnOtiSm, intended to amuSe
gatherings of friends.
Mr.. Ferguson became involved in his
present trouble through q conversation at
social function recently, when several
acquaintance declared they had never
seen an experiment in hypnotism. Mr..
Ferguson promised to give them a dem
Onstration. and on Monday afternoon,
while at the Fourth ward school, it is
charged, told q number Of the pupils to
accompany him to a neighbOring house,
the home of his friends. There all of
the children, except one or two who were
not susceptible to suggestion, were hyp-
Noticed. 1t is not charged that the chill
dren were told to do anything improper
While IN state of hypnosis, or that they
were injured by the experiment; but the
complaint is based on stout objection
to the entire affair
Among the children used as subjects
was Il daughter OF Adolph Kuhlmann, SUI
perintendent of the NATION Manufacture
ing company, who, when informed of the
against Mr.. Ferguson with the school
board through Commissioner John ].
hoepsell Of the Fourth ward. Mr.. Keep
sell laid the charges before Superintend-
ent OF Schools Heller, who yesterday sent
a letter to the instructor of drawing, no.
ufying him of the charges and warning
him against repeating the alleged offense.
Mr.. Keller said today that a special
meeting of the school board would be
called for some evening next week, proba-
bly, for Monday night, at which Mr.. Fer
guson would be asked to- defend himself
from the charges. 1t is not believed by
the friends sof Mr.. Ferguson that the
board will more than reprimand him at
the farthest, and that the matter will be
dropped with a warning against repeating
the offense.
The charge that has been brought
against Prof. Ferguson causes quite Il
sensation, not only because he is con-
neeted with the schools and his subjects
were drawn from one of the schools, but
owing to the growth of hypnotism in the
city There are several young men who
have become experts and at many social
entertainments experiments are made in
hypn0tism. A number of boys are used
as subjects, and it is surmised that if
THEN parents knew it they would enter a
stout UrOtGSt