The herald., 1897-04-02
ANIMAL SOUL
Impure Magnetism Makes
Meat Bad for Food
A "QUIETIST" THEORY
Dead Sages the Inspiration OF
the Present
PROSPECTIVE LIFE IN AN EGG
rs NO BAR TO ITS PRESENT
ENJOYMENT
Miss Charlotte Farnsworth Proves
an Interesting Witness = She
Heard a Voice but Has no
Theory Regarding It

When Mesmer set the French Acad-
envy by the ears by reason of the results
he obtained by very simple means, the
fight among the scientific big-wigs of
that day ragged around the question OF
animal magnetism. In the Times libel
cult the same disputed point has arisen
IL with a slightly larger meaning at
tached to it does not spoil the compari-
son altogether-and upon this hinges the
Hindu doctrine of the transmigration of
souls.
Indeed, if all the things said about the
teachings of Miss Holmes were only
true, or only half of them, then she and
her following must hold cosmopolitan
kind of belief indeed. Some of her
staunchest adherents have spoken of an
animals magnetism being repellant to
the human race, and have divided the
magnetisms of human beings into the
dark, impure kind and those of light
and essentially pure nature. NO one
has, however, yet ventured to volunteer
any statement and no one has been
asked what the magnetism of a person
or of an animal is. Braid, the English
investigator was the first modern
scientific investigator who denied the
presence of any magnetic fluid when
person was mesmeriZed. Since then
mesmerism has yielded place to hyp-
notism, but Charcot and his followers,
as we'll as the Nancy school of investi
gators, have also denied any magnetic
fluid or current between an operator
and a hypnotic subject. To find be-
lief in it one has to travel eastward, and
there among the Oriental schools of
philosophy the magnetic theory, so to
speak, is definitely set forth. But all
such teaching is taboo in the west, al
belt many of the things known and
practiced for centuries in the east are
only now being revealed to the western
nations through the patient labors of
scientific man.
Under these circumstances it seems
rather odd to hear witnesses speaking
of an occult something, which they term
magnetism, and if it was ordinarily re-
ceived and understood instead of be-
ing open to very grave doubt to put
it very mildly. The human magnetism,
whether pure or impure, if veritable
attribute of the human body pertains
to white and black magic and any in
forma ton on such branches of knowl-
edge must be sought in a school
of thinkers not recognized as orthodox
by western scientists. All that the
latter know is what has been revealed
by clairvoyants and the matter of such
subjects having a secondary vision at
all has been more the study of scientific
investigators rather than that each hui
man body is enveloped in an aura OF
1r,- a,.xri- ftoc had In 10 IA
temperament and characteristics of the
individual. The touching upon these
points was very light yesterday and
only at intervals but they served to il
lumine the general belief of the re-
spective witnesses very considerably.
THAT UNSAVORY COMPARISON.
The days proceedings opened with the
Identification by Mrs. Taylor of the dress
worn by Miss Holmes in court as the
one worn on the eventful evening spok-
en- of by Miss Irwin, when the plaintiff
was said to be reminiscent in her ap-
pearance of a "cross between q tortoise
shell cat and faded rattlesnake." The
dress was a Gull red in color with a
close-fittng bodice, and trimmed with
red velvet. Mrs Taylor said the dress
was the same save for the fact that
when referred to by Miss Irwin it had
no velvet upon 1t and the bodice was
made with Greek front, and was worn
with a white girdle around the waist.
Mrs. Ida f. Russell the "tenth-rate
actress of the alleged libelous article,
followed Mrs Taylor upon the witness
stand and proved quite an interesting
speaker upon moral philosophy. Her
examination resolved itself largely into
q series of disconnected disquisitions
upon certain philosophic questions af-
fecting conditions of the human mind
A ill.,; l., 1
she first met Miss Holmes in San Fran
cisco, and incidentally spoke of her mar.
riage in 1887 as " relation of love and
Q union of sympathy and kindness. I"
Her husband used to travel a good deal
and wrote to his wife every day, and So
apparently, the tribute paid was de-
served.
Mrs. Russell denied having ever had
any experience upon the stage. or of ever
having associated with actors or ac-
tresses, or having made any study Of
elocution. The fact remains however,
that her manner is stilted and her enun-
citation of that sharply precise charac-
ter identified In the mind generally with
theatrical folk who have not developed
beyond the "ranting' point of their Ax-
perience.
The witness furthermore denied hav-
ing ever been in a circle, and had never
known Spritualist. to her knowledge
Che had attended all the meetings at
the hall, and while rot remembering the
several subjects discoursed upon by
Miss Holmes, did remember that the
theme of one was peace and Quietness
as q Motive in Life She spoke of
peace, contentment and gratitude to God
for his bounties as being essential 10 a
higher standard of character. and to
live at peace with our fellow men.
NO SPIRITS-JUST OLD THOMAS.
Witness Indignantly denied that the
doctrine of Spiritualism, "or any such
nonsense" was ever upheld by Miss
Holmes. Her text book was the Bible.
The witness had spoken at the meetings
and had received her inspiration from
the works of Nine. Guyot. Thomas a.
Kempls. Marcus Aurelius, Plato, Elmer
son and the quietist school of thought,
tending to eubdue the mind rather than
intoxicate 1t. Eggs butter, cheese and
milk entered into the diet at Belmont
hail. and animal food was not excluded,
though witness did not pertake of it,
She regards vegetarian diet as a more
wholesome and cleanly diet, and as for
the animal spirit, she was not wasting