The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-03-08
HOW CHILDREN
SEE GHOSTS.

inand In Chicago. Residences long vacant
occause they are said 10 shelter ghustly
Inhabitants have attained new value.
Ihe reason for this sudden call for these
dwellings, usually undesirable. is not
AS might be hastily supposed. a wish TO
avoid rent paying
IL Is stated 10 be philanthropic desire
10 destroy once for all the old. world
wide superstition that some places are
tenanted by spirits.
Even ~ one Of these seekers OF haunted
houses could not obtain rendezvous for
spooks and dwell In year on SO without
seeing or hearing anything unusual or in
expNcable II would not necessarily follow
that some more spiritually endowed hu-
man organism could do the same
The writer lived for seven years in n
house where no adult was ever known TO
ncounter anything in the least out Of the
ordinary, and yet where child. too
Young 20 talk plainly appeared 10 be
greatly amazed because the family could
not sec the man. mani TO whom he Of
ten called their attention in various places
in the family sitting room.
It was not until the child finally COM
pretended that he was seeing and hearing
what was invisible and inaudble 10 others
that he ceased his efforts 10 compunicate
on the subject, and became shyly reticent
when questioned.
GHOSTS SEEN By ANIMALS.
Very young children and many animals
may often be observed following with
their gaze and appearing deeply interest
cd IN some moving object in the room
which remains invisible TO the other oocu-
nH4s
may be concluded that IL everybody could
see ghosts people would cease TO be afraid
OF them.
Indeed large number OF authentically
rscorded cases OF spiritual appearances
the persons seeing the apparition were
nnished. and the seer suddenly discovered
mat ne had been momentarily exercising
an abnormal optical power.
However. firmly convinced adults may
pe OF the non-existence OF apparitic is it
= very. .unwise I'm them to take children
70 dwen ifehouses with ghostly reputa-
,ons, rs ehildrep's greater susceptibility
~ psychological Impressions and their In
SllncuNe rsficence on the subject OF Pc
lunar personal experiences, might COM
pine 10 cause them to suffer Ia silence
rem experiences likely TO lnjure them.
Afe writer numbers among her acquain-
fances fniddle-agcd woman who attri-
pltes the nervous susceptibility which has
made her existence almost insupportabie
to her TO the experiences she endured
while she was yet too young 10 make her
intantile prattle express her terror.
The family lived in "A house, which ac-
cording To knowledge. gained by her In
later years, had always borne the rep-
Gration Of being haunted. She well -
n.embered on one occasion being alone In
4 circular gallery, out OF which opened
eight doors, when all of these eight doors
opened noiselessly with one accord and
after remaining wide open moment
swung silently and simultaneously shut
rhereat she ran terror stricken TO her
mother, unable so young was she. To com
mand language To explain her fright.
No coaxing. scolding or punishment coold
ever after induce her TO walk alone
through that gallery.
DIR. COUEs' CLAIRvoyANT
Dr. Elliott Cones. the famous ornitholo-
gist and member OF the National Acad-
emy OF Science. declared himself To be
born ghostsecr He brought To the In
Nestigation OF phaDtoms the same method
Of passionless analysis which he applied
To any matter he considered approachable
by rational argument.
Some condensed quotations from his
published remarks on the subject OF appa-
ritions ought To prove of interest TO would
be dwellers In haunted houses.
The non-appearance OF ghosts" he
says may be question not OF the ex-
istence of specters. but OF the acutenese
OF our perceptive faculties. Our senses
take cognizance OF no forms OF matter
except those which are I'm a certain degree
OF condensation, but the spiritual body
stance.
u have no notion Of the nature OF the
substance that makes a ghost but | sup
pose that when a man dies II separates IT.
self from the grosser particles tha tcom-
pose his physical organism"
Or. Coues recognized the fact that
phantom IL sometimes projected by "A NV
ing human being-it being an involuntary
act, and ordinarily resulting from great
mental perturbation.
The Society for Psychical Research has
~
these Northumberland cases OF the ap-
pcsrance OF death wraiths." DIR. Coues
says:
tween the specter of "a living human be-
ing and the apparition OF dead person.
They look like hg1res thrown upon
screen by a magic lantern, being recog-
nized for few moments, and then fad
ing, but In some cases they have every
appearance of solidity, 10 the extent OF
hiding objects behind them.
IA specter shows few signs OF life.
II does not speak or use it's limbs Its
method OF locomotion, when " moves be-
ing gliding. IL IN clothed In garments
such as were worn in life by the individ-
ual OF whom II is the image"
SPIRIT THAT WAS TALKATIvE.
In another connection the learned scien-
fist alters somewhat OF description of
apparitions, and gives account OF a mater
ialzation more In accord with the gem
orally accepted idea OF "A spirit. Tie says
II was alone and composing myself TO
sleep. when felt an overpowcring sense
OF the ncarness OF the presence OF a per-
son lately deceased There arose slowly
from the floor "A nebulous mass of shin
ing white vapor. Gradually it assumed
a most distinct outline, until II presented
radiant image of my friend.
THE lips appeared TO move. and from
them came an intelligible utterance~-a
message from the departed-of such a
nature az 10 eliminate the theory of hal
lucination.'
II persons IN general would consider the
ghost question phlosophically. spooksi
would soon be an acknowledged fact or
an exploded superstition. Most OF us
however are I'm the mental attitude OF the
woman who. when asked IL she believed
In ghosts, responded!
''Do believe I'm ghosts? No. or course
don't believe in ghosts; but I'm awful
~ afraid OF them"