Manchester Democrat., 1910-11-09

~ natural On the con.
the newly accepted
theory. they are to be classed as
natural phenomena, chemical in char.
acter
Why is 1t that ghosts, since time
immemorial. have been so intimately
associated with graveyards? Why is
It that the dead in cemeteries are SO
universally believed to "walk" at
night? Why. when specters walk. are
they so generally accustomed Tin pop
ular helief) to be sheeted-that is to
say. clad in winding sheets though
nowadays people are nearly always
buried in ordinary clothing?
These questions. and others equally
interesting, in regard to phantoms. sci
ence is now for the first time prepared
to answer AS to the first point, the
reputation graveyards have for being
haunted is attributable to the fact
that ghosts, of the kind now recogniz
ed1as real. do actually and not infre-
5quently walk about in such places.
They are seen at night (rather than
in the daytime) because their chem
!cal constitution is such that they can
not be visible except in darkness,
Finally, they are Cor rather, appear to
be) 'sheeted" for the reason that the
gases Of which they are composed
here we begin to come to the explana
ton flicker and waver in fashion
suggestive of garments.
For some reason not easy to ex-
plain the dead are supposed to. be
hostile TO the living. Few people
there be who would not run. terror.
stricken, from ghost. If they thought
they saw one. But. making all allow
ance for this fact. and for the influ-
ence of imagination. 1t still. seems
strange that the conviction that a
graveyard is a dangerous and dreadful
place to venture into at night should
be so widespread even among educat-
ed persons. Nobody objects to enter
Ing, or wandering through. burying
ground in. the daytime rather the
contrary, indeed, most cemeteries be-
ing attractive spots. But at night 1t
is different.
The real cause of this fear lies in
the circumstance that phantoms. for
reasons presently to be made clear,
are. and always have been, haunters
Of graveyards. People have been
frightened by them time and time
again, in such places. Other persons,
who have. not seen them. and who
have professed disbelief. have never
theless been Influenced by testimony
Of the sort. Not often has anybody,
witnessing phenomenon Of this kind,
attempted to investigate it. Much
safer does 1t seem under such circum-
stances to take to ones heels.
Nothing but the skepticism Of sci
ence can fortify a man against the
terror Of such an experience. But as
IT CHANGED, some years ago. govern
ment anthropologist, Of high reputa-
tion (now connected with the depart
Inent VI agriculture). Prof w. ]. Nc
Gee, had an opportunity to study this
matter at first hand. He was living
at the time, in a small town. In the
middle west. where, only few weeks
earlier. burglar engaged in the ex-
ercise of his hazardous profession.
had been shot to death. Hastily bur-
led, he might have been expected to
refrain from disturbing the commu-
nifty ther-instead. of which, he pro-
ceeded to "wslk, ;, his ghost being re.
peatedly seen by a number Of reliable
witnesses. stalking about the potter's
field where his grave was located.
Professor McGee being appealed to
on the subject, in his capacity of sci
entific investigator, finally consented
to look into it. He went to the pot
ter's field on a moonless night, sat
down short distance from the grave
lcarelessly left only half filled up)
which had been pointed out to him as
that of the late burglar. and proceed.
ed to wait for something to happen.
Nothing did happen for quite while,
and he was just making up his mind
that he had come on fools errand
when he deserted dim light imme.