New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-14

experiments like the Italian's but has considered
t re snance that impulses may be sent from one
- III " announcer over long distances In the form
i,ca,,nr waves. He declines to talk for pub
~ on On this point, although confesaing that he
Ii.si.aIns positive opinions relative thereto.
i,oweVer. William Crookes the eminent British
o n.'st and newly elected president Of the So
ciety Tor Psychlcal Research was more out
apoheh In his recent inaugural address In London
Inc ne suggestions which he offered in regard to
orain waves" while by no means new, and
,. ir.s received with favor by comparatively
UNITED class as yet, are wonderfully attractive
W people possessed Of Imagination
DIFFERENT WAVE vELoCITIEs.
Every one who has given any attention to the
phenomena Of sound. heat and light is aware
that the first-named form OF energy Is propagat-
ed through ponderabe matter in waves ranging
In number from 80 to 10000 per second
Light. 1t is generally believed consists Of
INNOVATIONS numbering from 400 trillon lat the
req end or the spectrum to 800 triliion tat the
violet end. These waves are transmitted through
hypothetical weightless medium which the
physicists are practically sgreed In supposing 10
MI all space between the stars. and TO pervade
all matter. Heat is believed TO be represented by
a set Of vibrations only trihe slower than those
or light. say from 81 trions 10 400 triOns a sec
ond in frequency. Below this point in the scale
there Is an enormous gap OF possibilities, broken
so far as we know, only by the various grades of
electric waves here referred to- and covering an
exceedingly small fraction Of the interval Then
again, there still more rapid oscillations than
airy yet mentioned. Al eye at the spectroscope
can perceive nothing beyond the violet. But the
camera extends the spectrum TO about twice its
visible length in this direction. Crookes. still
tire ating the waves thus registered light, says
that we know Of vibrations reaching frequency
OF 1910 trillions a second, and asks how much
further may go. Then comes the profoundly
absorbing question: What other phenomena, OF
which we rnortalS are now. or may some time be-
conscious, are represented by the unknown re-
gions here limited at. in the scale Of etheric vibra
ton?
DOES THIS EXPLAIN TELEPATHY?
athy." thought transferrence' and kindred in
terchanges Of feeling and idea by a mysterious
process Are these genuine experiences? And are
they explained by ether waves at higher fire.
Quency than any yet known? Mr. Crookes be-
lieves both OF these propositions credible al
though not yet demonstrated. The vibrations
might be regarded not susceptible to either re-
fraction or reflection and travelling in straight
liEes through any kind OF matter with ease The
hypothesis is involved in more than difficulty
and vast amount Of research is vet necessary
to its confirmation. In this connection the FOL
lowing passage from note TO The Electrical
Engineer" relative to Mr. Crookess ideas. may
properly be quoted. with the predatory remark
that the author is well-known authority in
electrical science He says:
1T is very improbable. I pointed out long
ago that brain action is unaccompanted by wave
disturbances In the ether. 1t Is only question as
to their intensity and capability Of awakening
thought in a recipient brain. This, as 1 under
stand It, is the real question at ISSUE not whether
there be brain waves, but whether they be capa-
bic Of accounting for the phenomena of telepathy.
/ still see no reason TO change my opinion as to
the possibility of this action"