The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-02

- NV uyS0 luz HsosS IMAM taAcS ~~sA-
turisa TIE books a. we'll ~ the players
have given an the Hamlet Of Booth ever
since either were originated 1t GER
tafnly 10 . paiast revolution to have
made performance that may alter our
books - well ~ our stages.
PROF. aYsLOP AND THE PRESS.
Or. James H Hyslop. professor Of
Psychology. ethics and logic at Column
bic. university. recently startled the
educational world. Of which he - q
prominent member, and aroused per-
feet tornado Of newspaper comment and
criticism. by publicly announcing
through tie medium Of the press that
HE psychological Investigations had led
him to believe that he had obtained
scientific proof Of the Immortality of
the soul
The announcement u made on behalf
II the Boston Society Of Psyehical Re-
search. which fnr the past seventeen
years has besn mailing . series Of In
vesttgAttons 20 determine the authen-
ITCHY Of certain phenomena, and OF
which society Prof. Hysiop Is . men,
Der. Associated with MIN 10 Prof. VIII
Nam Janes. Of Harvard, who holds the
same belief which Prof. Hysiop has just
announced. II would be di6icult to find
two men better equipped by education.
training and nantal poise to conduct =
careful. scientific and unpre5udiced In
vestigation Of psychological phenomena.
Both men are absolutely removed from
the fanatic. or over-spirited type. and
both began the Investigation with the
ekepticism born Of scientific training
b the most practical Of schools.
The result Of the announcement.
clearly foreseen by Prof. Hysiop. is that
svesy long-hairsd spirituaiistic fraud In
the country hsils the investigators az
brothers in belief and knowledge. and
nearly every newspaper writer speaks
Of Prof. Hyslop with sarcasm or con-
tempt AZ another victim Of mediums
tic fraud. although he himself says that
he has found the element Of fraud the
most potent and irritating obstacle to
investigation Of psychicai phenomena.
OF the claims Of the spiritisfs in New
York city he says: They represent
nothing but the kind Of trash for which
there II no adequate language In the
court OF contempt to describe its char
acter" Neither fraud nor guessing is
required to explain the phenomena Of
these so-called mediums, but 'only the
simplest kind OF deiusion on the part
OF the innocent, credulous fools who go
20 them"
This II not the language Of one who Is
himself the victim Of the frauds whom
he 90 vigorously unmasks and d.
nounces. yet In the face of this we ind
column after column Of editorial sar-
casm. pity and contempt. describing him
a. another strong mind gone astray, the
dupe OF oft-exposed receptions These
nippant writer's are neither trained
thinkers. nor have they investigated
with scientific care the phenomena
which they SO easily decide has already
been demonstrated to be fraudulent.
Prof. Hyslop. with the caution OF a
careful student. says in one years time
he hopes to be able to report the result
Of his Investigations to the society and
adds: Il believe / have scientific proof
Of the Immortality Of the soul" 1t is
important that the eminent professor
should have such q faith. but It is not
the demonstration Of the Immortality Of
the soul that he 10 most likely to arrive
at. What he may prove. and possibly
spirit existence. t. e.. a continuation
after death OF the present existence In
a form pereeptible to the present human
nature. But this will merely afford a
basis for knowledge that the death as
now known Ia only q transformation.
II viii not prove that there Is no further
death. 1t will bring within the range of
rational explanation another important
phenomenon and still further cemen.
the faith OF mankind in the power Of his
own mind.
Prof. Hyslop deserves. ard should re-
celve. comuendation and encourage
ment In his work. He Is exploiting a
legitimate field for study in most sci
entific. rainssaking way. and for this
alone the world is indebted 70 him and
his associates. We all hope that he
may be successful. however much We
may doubt. II he IL able to demonstrate
scientifically u continued existence after
what we cali death. the question 81 i'm
mortality will ss.il remain % vex the
inauirine mind.
We would remind the phtfisstres 1T