The San Francisco call., 1897-10-15
ure he was perfectly honest about
while workinE with me-"
SCIENTISTS OPINIONS.
Slate-W Writing Falls Under General
CCnde emn tiOn.

The trend OF scientific opinion seems
generally to be opposed to a belief in slate
writing. Some of those who have ex-
pressed themselves have put their opin-
ions in mild language, while others are
vigorous IN their denunciation. The sub
iect is pretty thoroughly covered in the
following interviews with men selected at
random. all admit;elly conVersant with
the subject treatet:
Professor II. W. Harkness: "In nv
opiniO1 ii is the grossast fraud imagin-
able. Such hum buGgery has existed from
time immemorIaL ! have found evidence
OF il among the wild tribes of the African
continent; | have seen the thing in va
rious forms in Cairo, Egypt. and have
been placed in position since early youth
where ! could be an ependent inves,i-
gator. 1t is to be universally condemned,
yet there are times when ii looks as if The
world were growing more credulous in
such matters. However, | believe the
tendency OF the times is toward enligh en-
ment. even in this resrect. Whenever it
is admitted that he universe is filed with
spirits astral bodieS-cal them whatever
you choose-some Of whom are exercising q
a malign influence upon the affairs of the
world and some of whom are working for
the general good OF humanity, then We
are governed by forces we can in no
measure control. Then we are at sea.
/ Then we are drifting helpessly, and
whatever is our fate we can 10 no; hing at
all. We might as well give up all human
eudeavor.
"As 10 mlnd-reading or telepathv there
is no doubt that such exists, but there is
/ nothing supernatural about 1t at all. 1t
( IS governed by natural law, Though we do
/ not know at present Just what hat law is.
Scientists are diligently working at 1t
l.H.-
/ elucidation OF that law Is not far distant
/ When it is discovered and can be written
! down in black and white it will be one of
! the greatest boons to mankind ever dis
covered. 1t will put an END 10 the prac-
tice OF slate-wriiing, clairvoyancy, second
sight and all the rest of that rot by which
the gulible are entrapped.
"W hen Bishop, the so-called mind
reader. was here, l was present a n
'seance' held n the Palace Hotel Two
other gentlemen and myself took Z watch
and hid II IN drugstore. Then | entered
! . closed carriage with Bishop, blind
/ folded, and he took me directly 10 where
the watch was hidden. l have not the
least doub, that he secured the inforra-
tion from me. But l challenged him to
let me hide a watch afterward, and told
him he would never discover its hiding
place, and he would not accept. Why d?
Because l knew how 10 prevent him.
But he might read the minds of the
others.
Not long ago, at the solicitation of a
! gen tleman friend and his wife, | visited a
celebrated female mind-reader whom
they believed was a phenomenal person.
Ny friends believed | was born in Massa-
chuserts; so l was but l took care 10 dis
a buse their MINDS of the fact on the way
by telling them OF affairs surrounding nv
birth in Edinburgh.
When we entered the woman's pres-
enCe l placed my mind in Princess street.
Edinbur b, and she told me l was born
there, and described accurately the scene
before my minds eye. Ii l had not de-
ceived my friend. she would probably not
have made this blunder. l would spend
the remainder of my life in investigating
this subject if l could discover the nai-
ural law which governs the process 1t
would leave my name famous, because ii
would end all the fraud of sIate-writing g
and other iorms of deception"
DR.. f. S, Grey, manager OF the Baldwin
Pharmacy-There can be such thing
possible only when a new dimension of
space is discovered. We now recognize
only length, breadth and thickness, and
such manifestations are i'm possible in he
absence OF fourth. ] have studied these
! thing closely, and believe that so-calle
/ writing Is fraud.
DR.. G. W. Davwaii-So far as | know of
v -
! Is impossible. l have investigated the
subject carefully and have seen states
! claimed 10 AVE been written by spirits
/ but who or what aid it l am unable to saw.
Matter i subject to force, and that fol ce
/ Is directed by intelligence. Almost aDv
! phenomenon may be the result.
DR.. Jerome a. Anderson, president of
! he san Francl-co Theosophical Societv-
! do not care much for phenomena. The
explain ton OF such as slate.vrI+iD,, &, is
/ practically unknown, but do not believe
! hal slate-wrting by spirits is possible
believe II is possible for living men TO
write on slate without actual contact
/ This is done by the manipulation OF GER
! tain magnetic and electrical forces of
which we practically know nothino
/ either. l don't know how to do 1t nv.
| self. 1 think there are mediums who can
| produce slate writing, but they don't
/ know how, and because OF their ignorance
! they attribute it to spirits.
/ DR.. ID. +. Ragan, School D rec5or-Tba
! whole proposition in nutshell is this.
| I he hand is faster than the eve. II ia a
! physical law that the hand can onerata
/ more rapidly than the eye can follow and
register the characters on the reiir.a
! have seen the same thing done by clever
I seight-of- hand performers who laid not
/ the least aim TO being mediums. In the
/ hrst place, L 90 not lieve there are
! spirits, and consequently refuse to believa
! that nonentity can . rform an oction
! Some OF the e things are merely tn ex
/ presslons OF the operation of mind over
matter, such as the planchette. have
put my hand on one OF Them rendered
! the mind passive ana controlled The mus.
/ cles, and yet nerve force would be resnon-
siple Tor some character or other.