Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-02-03
wv by E;
! Phrenology:
: F allied;
: Science Tested On the Heads of 8
D Three DrunmerS by Stranger

s~@~S ~I~S 9~SU~G ~9~G~0~G~z~4
Three commercial missionaries in
the writing room Of the Jefferson Ho-
tel at Macon, No, were discussing
everything under the sun.
Wonder why we never see any
phrenolCgists on the road any more?"
said the grocery man. They used
to be as thick as campaign lies"
"Oh, the people got on to en-" re-
sponded the agent for Kentucky
whiskey. They are all fakes. 1 had
one Of 'em tell my fortune once by
fooling with my bumps; said I'd
make a good parson What do you
think O. that?"
'Over in Linn county a phrenolog-
list came to town one day." said the
typewriter salesman, and they put
up Job on him.
There was a murderer in the
county jail. They diked him out in
a new suit Of clothes, made him
swear to saw wood and took him up
to the hall where the reader of top
pieces was showing off When he
called for subjects they let him fool
with the murderer's head.
The professor said it was the best
head in the bunch, that the bumps
of generosity and goodness were
wonderfully developed, that he would
make good missionary or a leader
in the Salvation Army They hanged
him before the year was out"
Served him right" put in the
grocery man. "a man who will try
to deceive people by reading heads
ought
Get out" cried the typewriter
man. Give the devil his due, 1t
wasn't the head reader they hung"
They are all Frauds said the her
aid of Kentucky xxx. Reading
heads is a good deal like telling the
weather. You don't know a cussed
thing about it till it happens"
BEG pardon, gentlemen, but you
are wrong. Phrenology is an exact
science"
A tall dark man with glow
ing black eyes and bushy hair stood
smiling down on the three sceptics
YES" he said, overwhelmingly, cit
is also one of the most interesting
of all studies. I know there are
lots of quacks, but so there are in
all professions. Now while l don't
pretend to be a master, yet I've given
the subject some consideration and
I feel confident I can demonstrate to
you gentlemen that there is some
merit in phrenology if you'll let NE
try"
Don't believe word OF It,
growled the grocery man.
and yet"
There amt no vets about it," ex-
"It's a humbug, buncombe. moon
shine and nonsense, a fool idea got
up to separate silly people from their
dollars"
The grocery man talked so loud
that a crowd began to gather around
the debaters. Without showing the
least offence the dark man said:
perhaps you don't know, but it is
fact that there are certain cords
directly connecting the mind with the
surface of the head, and as the mind
works in certain directions these con-
Meeting cords develop the surface in
dications so that in properly sensi-
live heads the enlargement may be
detected or read with surprising &C
curacy"
"Shucks!''
IT'S true" persisted the dark man;
"a scientific fact"
I'll bet you treats for the crowd
&C. can't examine our heads and tell
thing about them," cried the gro
Gerry man.
I'll take the wager, though, as |
told vCu. I'm not a master and nay
fail" said the stranger pleasantly.
please move your chair around this
way. Well leave our friends here"
indicating the crowd-"to decide
the wager"
The defender of phrenology ran
his long fingers through the grocery
mans sandy locks, felt his head as
if he was kneading dough, tapped the
forehead and rubbed the neck. All
the while clouds of chagrin gathered
over mis- face Finally he announced
that he would like to examine the
two ether men before giving his opin-
ion. The typewriter agent and the
whiskey man were subjected to the
same humping process, and then the
head artist quit with sigh.
Cup stump. eh?" said the gro
serv man. gleefully.
'Tm afraid I am" said the dark
man. whereat the crow7, led by the
three subjects, jeered him.
When they had quoted down a bit
the skull scientist said:
you people viii bear me out.
said phrenoIcgy was based on the
theory that the bumps were de-
velopment from the brain?"
Eyes. You said that" admitted one
or two in the crowd.
"But in these three heads said |
the dark man. solemnly, there is abb /
solutely no evidence of a developing /
agent"
The three commercial tourists sat /
for a moment. and then with /
3ne accord they rose in their might; /
put the operator had wisely executed /
, retreat through the laughing crowd. /
AS he was settling his bill next
morning the grocery man asked Land
ord Thompson what had become of /
The phrenologist.
"Phrenologist?" repeated Thomp-
son
Yes, that tall, dark Completed /
nan who reads heads
"Oh! Why, that's Bledsoe, the
,offin man of Rock Island. Fine fell
ow Did you meet him."
"Yes, but I'd like to see him again.
There's three of us here who'll give I
him a chance to use some of his
ywn goods If he shows up."-New
York Sun.
Gives Votes 10 Women.