The sun., 1903-09-27
THE OBSESSION
i OF THE ANGLER.
Case of the Fish Liar Who Repented
Set Forth to An Expert In Psyehics.

The humble inquirer and the learned
professor OF psychics sat on a roof over
looking the Hudson, eating table
d. Eote dinner.
The mystical look, which was the pro-
fessor's habitual expression. gradually
wore away with the appearance Of the
delicious soup, the succulent entr6e and
the bottle 0! rin ordinnire from California
and his astral body was unconsciously
recalled from its intercourse with the de-
parted gods to help in the material proc
ess Of digestion.
The humble inquirer, wishing to improve
the chance for mental culture, said:
Professor, do you believe that telep-
athy will ever become a demonstreable
scientific fact?'
MY dear fellow" replied the professor.
"telepathy has already been proved to the
complete satisfaction Of thousands Of men
and women who have never been accused
Of having wheels in their heads
Yes, yes, | know" replied the humble
inquirer, eagerly. "but do you think it will
ever become 80 firmly established a. the
Marconi sound waves?'
Certainly, certainly said the professor.
4You see, telepathy is the sympathetic in
fluence Of one mind or person by another
at distance. through supposed emotional
attraction. Now, science has been too
busy to explore the realm OF emotional
influence, but the Mahatmas have known
all about it for ages
II have heard vague rumors about those
Mnk a. srN,
-They run a post Office in the Himalayas,
and have clerk called a juvinmukta,
haven't they?'
Il don't like your tone of cynical in
quiry. my friend" said the professor,
reaching for the paprika ut implies doubt.
The difficulty il that we do not understand
the conditions under which telepathy acts. "
Our crude, Western, materialstic minds
are too coarse fully to appreciate the mar
vels Of this supernatural science. Soaring
after the unattainable with unhedged
wings or diving after the unfathomable
before we can swim is likely to end in
! disaster
"Swedenborg tells US that the goblins II
git ye' if you try to triae with the in
finite. Please pass the salt this way
! 4The reason / asked you,' continued
the humble inquirer, is because most
remarkable phenomenon has occurred,
which l think is worthy Of investigation.
You believe in an obsession. OF course,
professor"
"You mean the existence OF an influence
of an external spirit or demon that takes
possession OF some Of us, presume?"
"Yes; only in this case it was an idea,
and not a demon. that took possession Of
the subject
Precisely" said the professor, with his
bring another quart of claret. 60 on,
/ am listening. Ideas are demons,
A young friend Of mine just out Of
theological seminary" continued the
humble inquirer. came TO visit me about
month ago. He was man Of exquisite
sensibility, keenly alive to his moral obllga-
| tions-and you are no doubt aware, pro-
fessor, that Renan says that the good man
heads the procession of humanity-and
am positive that he had never told lie
'Indeed, the idea Of deliberately mis-
| stating fact was abhorrent to him. Some
| tragedy in his family, caused by an un-
| truth, had made a deep and lasting i'm
| preston upon him.
well, | took him around town, and
showed him all the conventional sights,
and then proposed a days fishing. Mv-
| ing in an interior town and being engrossed
in ecclesiastical pursuits. he had never
| caught fish, and he readily agreed to Co.
| "Aparty WAS made up, but. unfortunately,
| was taken i'll. and was forced to remain
at home But my friend went, and en-
| joyed himself hugely, and also caught
| fish.
Il did not see tho fish, but my friends
who went with him have assured me that
| he did catch one. My theological friend
| was delighted with his success. He was
1 as tickled as boy with his first pair of
| boots.
Here is where the obsession comes in.
! Now, you know, professor, that there is a
pestilence that walketh at MONDAY, a
demon that prowls at night, that is called
a fish liar. He is ubiquitous and his name
| is Legion | presume there is no man
| alive who ever told the truth about the
size and weight Of a fish he had caught.
And if this demon has such an awful
! effect upon men, seasoned by time and
experience, how much deeper would be
| its malign influence upon a young and
impassioned mind, open like sensitive
plant to every impression' Do you follow
me, professors"
"Yes, | can readily perceive the drift of
your argument said the professor, help
| ing himself to some gorgonzola
| 1T must have been the yarns he heard
! the other men tell resumed the humble
inquirer. "aided by the demon of ,lntruth
| in the air, that caused my friend 10 descend
| from his pedestal Of perfection and stretch
| that fish out from 10 TO 20 inches in length
"Then came the terrible reaction When
| l. thnth hxa kaI sN.r 81
army Of fish liars his grief was awful
| Ananias. in his estimation was an angel.
of light in comparison with him, and his
pillow was wet with the tears Of his
| remorse."
"Ah, tbs fearful thing whom evil invades
the arcanum Of truth" said the professor,
az he sadly peeled a banana.
| THE demon worked on my friends
mind with such terrible force and ma!ignty
that he became delirious," continued the
truth seeker, "and three days lat er he died
And here the telepathy comes in, where
I shall need your help, I think I shall
send it to the psychical society in London
for investigation, unless you can explain
| it,
Three days later l had gone to bed .
| but was feeling strangely excited, so that
| I tossed from side to side unable to sleep.
| The impression made upon me by my
| friends sudden death was profound. and
presume was in that peculiarly emotion
ally receptive condition which you have
| cited as necessary to successful telepathy,
| professor.
A.. fxn