The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-05-28

DR.. MKAHAN N HIS GHOSTLY GUARDIAN.
Kahan says: 81 am blind and have been
since 1890. I am in the regular daily habit
Of walking IN the street for exercise, and
in these walks there comes to me out of
the darkness and gloom of my perpetual
night a phantom shadow. 1t has q hui
man form and takes its place by my side.
AS | go along it goes with me, when l
stop it stops, when / turn about it does
the same and acts like q sun shadow, but
that it is not q sun shadow I know from
several facts. 1t is darker than a sur
shadow, being black, and is often on the
same side with the sun. 1t is present on
a cloudy day or clear day and appears even
on the darkest night. 1t is therefore
clear that it is not produced by any exter-
nal light. There nave been constant visit
ors Of some kind since total loss of vision,
ahd they lave come with more of less reg
ularity ever SINCE. Iwould be very glad
to have q scientific explanation of these
phenomena"
DIR. Arthur E. Mink, a St. Louis neu-
rologist, maintains in The dispatch
that the case is one of optical hallucina-
ton. A Authorization is a false percep-
ton as distinguished from an illusion,
which is a perverted perception. Dreams
are healthy Authorizations. They are
caused by a normal congestion of certain
brain cells. The dream corresponds to the
mental impressions stored in the longest
ed cells. There are two theories as to the
cause Of waking hallucinations. One is
that they are caused by irritation of the
cerebral cortex, and the other, held by
Theodore Meynert and others, is that it is
due to irritation of the subcortical gan
glia, in which the optical nerves end. We
do not see with the eye, but with the brain.
The eye is simply a camera obscura. The
CLASSY portion, or cornea, along with the
crystalline lens, represents the photo
graphic lens. The delicate expansion in the
back Of the eye represents the ground glass
The black choroid represents the black
cloth. The brain is the photographer. He
concludes that the man is afflicted with a
cerebral irritation of some sort, which first
caused the blindness and is nov causing
the hallucination Persons whose sight is
unaffected are just as liable to have optical
Authorizations as blind persons. Luther
had q hallucination Of seeing the devil,
and it was SO real to him hat he hurled
an ink bottle at it. Napoleon when
wrought up thought he saw the star of
destiny. Savanarola thought he saw the
sword of Gods vengeance. These hallu-
cinations are caused by pondering over one
set of impressions until the cells where
they are stored become congested.
Mrs. James w. Hadloch, aspiritualist of
national note, declares hat from the
standpoint of q spiritualist there is no
phenomenon connected with the case of
DR.. MoKahan. His companion is a spirit
friend, sent to guide his steps and lead
him safely through trying ordeals.
Not till total blindness s~upervened, he
tells us, did this phantom visitor come.
Before he lost his sight his mind was so
crowded with material worries and cares
that no opportunity was given for the
manifestation OF a spirit being. Now that
he lives in darkness his mind gropes about
for something to feed upon, something to
sustain it, and it is rising above earthly
things on to q spiritual plane, where the
longed for relief and rest will be found.
His mind, now free from petty entangle-
ments, is In a receptive condition, and his
spirit friend is recognized. That friend
has been with him always, but it was not
until nature closed his natural eyes that
his spiritual ones were opened and his life
long friend greeted. It is q part OF the
spiritualist's belief that some spirit from
the other world is constantly lowering
over us. Some call it conscience, some IN
understanding of right and wrong, n
others term it honor, but we believe the
still small voice. is that Of q departed
soul who loves us and would keep our
feet in the path of safety and honor. In
the hustle and care of everyday life we be-
come so absorbed in our duties that the
promptings Of our invisible protector are
drowned and we oftentimes GO aStray.