New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-31
URGES PSYCHIC TESTS.
DR.. Funk Wishes to Hare the Sub
ject Treated Scientifically.
To the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor OF The Tribune
Sir: AS the anti-psychic storm has subsidized,
though the sea here and there still runs high will
not the press permit few suggestions as to
the methods of investigation which. in my judg-
ment will prove helpful in separating the true
from the false phenomena and in determining the
laws that govern them and as TO how the press ana
the public may render essential in helping to
right conclusions? My meaning will be more easily
understood through several concrete illustrations;
First Class of Phenomena.-A few weeks ago. In
Chicago. DR., Carl A. Wickland, intelligent and
GIG North Weiis-st. gave me a number of personal
d RE wheh have him 5 eat Of
large per cent OF insanty-over one-half, ne
sionai Sensitive" or medium he has made hun
dreds of Investigations, ana has applied many IN,
foreign intelligences. He claims to have cured
many cases Of nsanity by w0rk 6gop aesg TINS ms
sane. We may laugh at this, but is there solid
hypnotism may not be fact between spirit out OF
the flesh and one in the flesh, as 1t is a fact pc
we rearly all rldiculed hyPnotism as wholly char
enough in christ's time. Many insane Christ
and His disciples cured by casting out devils,
who believe and practice as does DR.. Wickand
VIII Inc not the press gather nG l tbe vin
names and addresses and verified details especially
Of one he soeaeG Prt IS it
while? Let us remember single sclentlnca any
dscarnate spirit will do more to prove the continu-
immortality that have been preached in the last
ten years That single demonstration would be the
Second Glass of Phenomena.-By an arrangem9e ant
scientist Of wide repute I in Brooklyn drew the
figure OF hsh and then pointed to the ZENITH nth
him at that moment that drew a fish and pointed
to the zenith No one but myself ro9 ac b @
scientifically recognized method OF communication
similar SsG5 % are Occurring many PLACES
not the press be hospitable 70 then ana GIos s;
way may be whispering to- our dull senses Of forces
fhan those tba gae us s Wireless eegraphy
Third Class Of Phenomena C. L. seabuIyt mo, No:
and truthfuiness can be easily tested. has given
the facts to the least detail of test experiment n
him an @ a til GqesSSn In the So
sitting. The evdential value Of such test depends
upon the honesty Of the sitter. his secrecy as 10
formation to the medium during the sitting A
qFge cent Of EtsF are as
examined Mr.. Seabury and think this case typical
Cation ga arf On pages No St | Of
many experiments Of this class are given Which which
Margaret G$auie C'Miss B. under test conditions
at stngT 6 ss ordef B W2s
is the explanation of them If they are taken In con
Hyslop of message sent in English from Boston
through Mrs. Piper and received almost sm1ltan t
neither medium understanding Greek? If the press
f facts po Of this eass the seensts quite likely viii
in due time solve for also this puzzling riddle.
I gave to the press the case Of man finding his
father Who had rad left home In BEEN @
by the Family Since then have got ALL h so1 en
executors cross-examined the man, and have
found him well to do, and deemed by friends AM; and
neighbors to be of unimpeachable veracity: The
case from every point that / have approached IT.
f feaps expanRs IT, What is the explanation?
Coincidence? Yes. SAYS one If we may sup,
Somewhere in the universe and some time in eter-
nifty produce the Had
Genuine cases of the above and other classes.
wherever occurring. should be searched for by the
press than IL they were Jumps or goId' ana
should be verified, If possible, to the mnutest in
cident and given not loosely. but seriously to the
world My time is occupied that can give but
a few minutes and then to this work-a few
minutes of my recreation hours. Why Will not the
press soberly take up this matter? Rightly
handled, there is sensation in it worthy of the most
royal purple journalism Believe me, there is more
than fraud and coincidence in these experiences
Gladstone was right when in his membership let
ter to the Society for PsychicaI Research. he said
that this work of investigation sis the most i'm
portant work which is being done in the worldly
far the most important"
No hypothesis of explanation is as yet given that
matches al around theory has as yet passed
beyond the speculative stage
Permit additional point or two
In these Investigations. 1t is not wise to assume
that sensitive" you deem worth testing Is dis.
nothing Be wise as serpents but harmless as
doves Remember, Christ could do no wonders In
his own country because of their unbelief. Learn
what that means. you who know II all" and are SO
"cocksure.' A prestidgitator IS good at detecting
tricks, but may not be worth his salt in the In
vestigation of genuine psychic phenomena Psychic
things psychically discerned as musical Things
are unsteady discerned. A Darwin, whose faculty
for music is arophied is Judge as to whether 1t
Judgment of a child musically developed is far
better. All things carry their proof to G
faculty up to the level OF the faculties develop
ment. Also predisposition is a sword that cuts
both WAYS; deception invites deception; like draws
like. These things true, whether the psychic
phenomena which are being investigated are from
the subjective mind Of the medium or from foreign
intelligences Words, words and nothing more.
is all this nine out of ten OF cultured read
ers; but If they will study it out they will find
these words the hardest kind of sense.
things will be upset If some new truth Is dfscov-
ered-natural truth not supernatural there is moth
ing supernatural but God, and He most probably is
infinitely natural Never forget God has made the
universe fireproof and has thought it altogether
safe to trust with the match box to experiment
with.
And will not the press permit me to suggest that
the instruction be reversed that seems in some
newspaper offices to be given to reporters: Young
men first be interesting; second. be interesting;
third fourth and fifth be interesting; and Them in
cidentally. IL convenient, be truthful
NewYork. March q. l. K. FUNK