The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-08-24
N. A. Lane Attempts a Scientific
Explanation of Strange and
Interesting Subject,
WOMEN SEE MORE GHOSTS
Belief in Supernatural vista
tions Is Somehow Related
to the Ability to Per.
ceiVe ColOrS.

Why is it that people are afraid OF
ghosts? There is no doubt that peo-
pie generally have great fear OF
ghosts This belief is one of the most
ancient and firmly established of hu-
man convictions. Laugh at 1t as you
may, yet there it is--a fact indisputa-
BILE! No matter what mans training
has been, he cannot truthfully say that
he is not afraid of ghosts, or at least
he cannot truthfully say that there
never was a time when he was afraid
of them. All men, without exception
have been at one or another time of
their lives victims of this popular
dread.
Now, if one admits that ghosts really
exist and occasionally manifest them
selves to the eyes and ears of men in
the flesh the answer is easy. Men are
afraid of ghosts for the same reason
they are afraid of any other thing that
threatens to do them harm. They fear
ghosts because ghosts are believed TO
work injury to human beings In the
flesh. But let US assume that ghosts
have no existence; that the belief in
them is merely a popular deluson.
How account for this popular delusion
in a manner that VIII satisfy the ra-
tional mind?
A moments thought will convince
any one that the popular belief is real
ly delusion. A woman recently in
formed me that she had seen her
fathers spirit at a seance, and she
told me of the good advice it had given
her. She was a woman of unusual in
telligence and education, one widely and
publicly known in this community. l
asked her whether her fathers spirit
had worn a costume of any kind.
o, yes, she had replied. He had
worn the same black coat he loved
to wear during life and the same old
style plated shirt and black silk tie.
OF course, l did not push the ques-
tions, but it occurred to me to Won
der whether the coat, shirt, and tie
were ghosts of coat shirt and tie, and
how the ghost of this woman's father
had managed to get them. Was the
spirit supplied with ghost wardrobes
stored with ghost clothes? Did ghost
clothes wear out, and were they made
Of ghost silk. linen, cotton, and wool?
Were shirts laundered in the spirit
world, and what would a poor ghost
gentleman do were he to lose his col
lar button? unless we assume that
there are ghost factories. ghost mines,
ghost notion stores, ghost railroads
and all the rest of the entire meeiran-
ism of industry.
1t would have been futile to put such
questions to this woman. for the alb
surdity of her belief which they i'm
ply would have totally escaped her.
But the point to be brought out by this
incident is not the absurdity of the
belief, but the important fact that
while this woman firmly believed in
the existence of ghosts she was not in
the slightest degree afraid of them!
And she was not afraid because she
was civilized woman and at the
same time an old one.
Here now is clew by which certain
anthropologists lay claim to having
nationally accounted for the fear of
ghosts that is universal with men:
for if the woman above mentioned had
never gone to a spirit seance, and
hence had never seen what purported
to be her fathers spirit, she probably
would have as little belief in ghosts
as the average woman or man of her
own age, whereas the fact of her age
had removed her fear even in spite
of her strong belief induced by the
doings at the seance.
Anthropologists have a theory that
the children of civilized society have
much the same beliefs and fears that
mark the minds of mature savages.
Tennyson says that the gray bar
barian" is 'lesser than the Christian
child" Anthropologists hold much the
same opinion; and a great mass of sci
entific literature has been produced to
prove the truth Of the contention. The
theory will assuredly commend itself to
any one who gives it even the most
casual investigation; and 1t can hardly
be denied that this theory accounts in |
the most satisfactory way for the Pc
culiar facts concerning the belief in |
and the fear of ghosts among civilized
peoples. Mature or aged civilized men
have little belief in ghosts. Mature
civilized women still retain a compar-