The San Francisco call., 1898-11-27
Special to the Sunday Call.

~: T-N RESNO, Nov. 17.-Should min- :. 1o'tl notisn? n: the '0Spsi practice nSD' This is the rather peculiar - question which is being dis :- cussed in church circles in this =. city. This agitation is the result of sew ... eral remarkable cures which Dr. J. E. carpenter, pastor of the South Metho- : dist Church, has effected by means of : :hNpnotsm. He has cured the cigarette : habit, drunkenness and dyspepsia
 three things which the reverend gen. tlenfan declares do not yield readily to : preaching.
 :. Dr. Carpenter has been in Fresno for :: the last three years, having come here
 from Stockton, where he was pastor of :. the Grace. Methodist Episcopal Church. -- He has been very popular in this city, " and his sermons have been character : ized by broadness and even radical :. views. He has been enterprising and . progressive, and under his pastorate the present handsome church-the hahdsomest in the city-was built. At the last conference Rev. MT. Carpenter : was assigned to a charge in New Mex ico. and left a few days ago for his new field.
 .*. When a Sunday Call correspondent leferred to the objections raised by some of the townspeOple about his hyp- : notic feats-objec which are not clearly defined, but still objections-the minister said rather warmly:
 Such people would burn witches. There are people In this town to-day : who would burn witches. Yes, sir, would burn witches, for what was a witch but a hypnotist?"
 Then you contend that 1t is perfectly proper for a minister to hypnotize- that is, becoming to his station and all that?"
 T most assuredly do. Why, take drunkard, for instance. In nine cases out of ten-yea, ninety-nine out of huhdred-you might preach to him un- til the crack of doom and you could not induce him to change his ways. to re- form, become a sober citizen and an ornament to society. Preaching does not reach him, but you give me five minutes with that same man and allow me to get him under the influence of suggestion, and I'll cure him.
 And right here" continued the clergyman, warming to his subject, let me tell you that l do not hypnotize- that iS except in rare cases. l can hyp- notize and sometimes do, but in my
 
 ly hypnOtize any one. You know when d person is hypnOtiZed he is uncOn- sCious of all surroundings. Now, hardly any of those upon whom l have oper- ated have been unconscious. merely get them under my control, put their bodies in a relaxed condition and get them under the influence of suggestion. l then tell them they have no further desire to smoke or to drink, and they have not. Except in rare cases l do not believe in thorough hypnotism."
 Do you object to it upon moral or upon physical grounds?"
 Purely physical. I have seen per sons under hypnotic influence and do not think it is or can be good. But in the case of two evils we sometimes have to choose the lesser"
 How long have you been practicing hypnotism?"
 - Nearly all my life. I have always had a latent power. which l never called by any particular name. My mother noticed the power when I was a child. She discovered that I could cure a sick headache by merely pass ing my hand close to the persons fore