The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-16

out INTO 1t and gather me some corn.
IL was at night and made the expert
ihent IN opposition, / am sorry to say,
W the wishes of some ladies who were
present. The weather was warm and
kenw no harm could result. At the sug-
gestion, the subject at once walked out
INTO the water without the slightest
hesitation, and did not stop until | told
MN. do not know whether or not he
would have gone beyond his depth; for
| would make no such experiment and
ADVISE all who read this to make none
such. 1t Is always criminal to trihe
with human life, even If crime may not
result from the tritlling.
AT another time / made a boy sit
down on a hot stove without seeming
discomfort, and with no apparent dam
age beyond the scorching through of
two pairs of pants which he was wear
ing, and which | replaced by two pairs
Oh new ones. 1t was a very cold day,
and he did not wake. Such foolish eX-
periments as these were made only dur
ing the first days of my experience, when
l was testing the phenomena of hypno-
tlsm. had read no books upon the sub
Ject and none were, in fact, available.
L was anxious to learn what one could
90 with hypnotism.
NOT SUPERNATURAL.
I am almost through, but I must, be-
fore closing. take issue with those who
claim that the hypnotist is q person of
supernatural possibilities. Anyone who
Will practice with patience the rules
mere laid down can successfully typno-
tlze; but you need not expect, even If
you should so desire, to hypnotize per-
son against his will, at least not in the
first instance. I have, after hynotizing
one subject quite a number of times.
say fifteen or twenty times, succeeded
repeatedly in mesmerizing him in op-
position to his will and against his ply
slcal resistance; but / believe such
cases are rare
Nor can you possess the mystical and
mythical power of Svengali! If a per-
son has not music in her soul she can
neither sing nor play (even though hyp-
notiZed) at the dictation of a Svengali
the Aamented Du Maurier and many
sentimentalists to the contrary not
withstanding! You may have person
hypnotized ever so thoroughly and that
person cannot read your mind nor the
mind of anyone else; nor can the per-
son hypnotized foretell events, nor tell
what Is happening in another part OF
this or any other country, though spir-
itualists and charlatans think other
wise.
Hypnotism is not something unreal;
IL Is not something new. 1t is only a
illelltdl phenomenon, long discovered
though not yet understood. being now
put to practical use. In the hands OF
physicians the good to mankind of this
force, this phenomenon, this menta
condition Cor whatever it may be
calleD, is inestimable. / myself have
quit practicing it; and to me many OF
its mysteries will be mysteries forever
l have never studied the philosophy ol
the subject, and / shall not | have
learned what I know from practical ex.
perience, and l want no more know.
ledge and no more experience. Not
that / know all about the subject, for
do not, nor does anyone; but my deci
| sion has been made from the firm be
| lief that it is not well for a layman t
| practice hypnotism. [ sincerely beleV,
| that it should be used for the benefit o
humanity, and not Rerely to CRAFTY
the curiosity of the operator and fol
| the amusement of his friends. | know
| how to hypnotiZe, but I do not know
how to apply it's use to the benefit o
| mankind; therefore, with this treats,
| or 1t may be dignified by the name)
leave the subject and its practice for
ever.