The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1904-01-01

which we had labored since boyhood
and to take more ease and pleasure in
the world. But the opportunity to en-.
JOY Is one thing and the power is an.
other. had little appetite for amuse.
ments, and Hackett had none. We
were uneducated men, with narrow so.
cial interests, and, to be brief about II.
we really did not know what to do with
ourselves. Unlike many others in the
same situa ton. however, we knew
What was the matter with us-we need.
ad mental exercise. This decision we
had reached before the Englishman's
book fell into our hands and offered
an acceptable suggestion. II we had
not chosen to investigate psychic phe.
nomena. the hidden wonders of the hu.
man mind. we should have followed
some other line, with less definite re.
suit perhaps.
u would be singular If two truined
business men. with thoroughly practi.
s Rs affHfEa4aa aafa faats from their youth
accomplish anything In such an under
taking. We approached the subject
without prejudice. When we discussed
the matter in the light of the blazing
logs in my library. Hackett would be
the skeptic on n Tuesday evening and
| OH q Wednesday. We never agreed
in those early stages except upon q
statement Of the first essential Of the
investigation. AS TO that, we never
differed. We decided to base our work
upon the wisdom Of the old proverb
which says, First catch your rabbit,
and then cook him." There is no doubt
whatever that nearly all mankind have
tried to cook this particular rabbit be-
fore catching him.
Suppose we take the psychic problem
In its simplest form. which used to be
called clairvoyance. and l still think
that that Is the best term for it. Is
there upon record one single genuine
case OF it. proved beyond doubt? Hack.
ett and read fifty books and failed to
fnd an instance based upon such evi.
dence as we would accept In our bust.
ness. Yet where there is so much
smoke there must be n little fire, and,
using this crystal Of popular wisdom
; as touchstone In the matter, l would
be willing to assert that one ten
millionth Of the labor wasted in base
| less discussion Of doubtful facts would
| have sufficed to give the world enough
! genuine facts to satisfy all candid
| minds.
Have patience with me; l am get
! ting the philosophy Of the subject out
Of the way as fast as can. The es-
sential point is that Hackett and I
went out to catch real rabbit-in 9th.
er words. human being who had had
genuine supernatural" message.
| We did not care where 1t came from
or what it was about or how it was
transmitted SO long rs 1t could be
proved that it came and that no known
organ Of this mortal body could have
enabled the individual to receive 1t.
When / was n boy. | used to hunt
rabbits In a piece of woods which
was supposed to be particularly good
place for them. All youthful hunters
went there. and as result Visible Il
me I'm these mature years. all sane
rabbits had gone over into another
county. One day, when the snow hat
come and the rabbits had put on thei
I winter coats, some Jester set up tn,
corpse Of a white cat in the edge O
the woods in an absurdly conspicuou
position. / saw 1t and blazed away
though my common sense should hav
told me that it could not be rabbi
because such preposterously reckles
rabbit would have been shot long age
Yet l wasted my powder, and. havin
done so. I set the creature up again II
s. the same place. and every mother
son that came that way exercised hi
craftsmanship 80 long as there wa
: anything to shoot at, And next day, 4
, a different spot, but equally conspicu
Gus. the joker played the game ono
more. remember that for a long tim
, afterward all the boys we're ashame