The Topeka state journal., 1911-04-08
EVENING CHAT
BIZ RUTH CAMERON.

There are more things in Heaven
and Earth. Horatio. than are dreamt
OF In your philosophy
Wel, 1 don't believe there is any
thing in hypnotism or telepathy or any
OF those tomfool things. The whole
kl. and Doodle of them are nothing
put fakes, gotten up to please a pub
nc mats crazy to be faxed"
With an air of having settled the
WnoIe matter, the speaker, a young
newspaper man. sat back in his chair
and eyed the rest of the group.
In the group, besides the young
newspaper man. were the man-who-
thinks. the writer-man, a professor of
psychology and two or three women.
They had been discussing the perform
ances of non-professional hypnotist
VINO was personally known to the pro-
fessor.
At the delivery of the conversational
bombshell noted above. the man-who-
thinks started to speak. then bit 1t
back, the writer-man lifted his eye
brows and the professor inquired very
mildly, You have been studying into
this matter? You have read some
thing that convinced you?"
The diSbeliever Snorted at that.
We'll, hardly. Never had time to
waste reading that sort of stuff. But
takes in the newspapers to convince
me it's all nonsense. Take it from me,
it's all taking, mighty cleverly done,
maybe, but taking just the same"
you are surely a hard and fast ma
teria1ist, sir" admitted the professor
courteously-he is as noted for his
courtesy as his learning-and turned
the conversation into other channels.
All of which I have rotated for this
reason. The first speaker is a type.
A type of the ignorance that with
out having read or studied or investi-
O-of fod Of nh nnnnpcfadt
with the psychic powers of man, feels
qualified to announce boldly that he
knows that all supposed manifestations
of these powers are fakes, and all peo-
pie interested in investigating them are
takers.
If you bring up the subject of hyp-
notism or clairvoyance or spirit COM
munication in a group of people you
will notice that it is always the ig-
norant one who speaks up promptly
and says he does not believe in any
thing of that sort.
The men and women who are read
ers and thinkers and who have conse-
quently read something on these sub
jects, though they may not be believ-
ers, do not feel qualified to express
such sweeping unbelief.
Twenty five years ago if anyone had
told you that man claimed to be able
to send a message from ship fifty
miles out at sea to the land, you would
probably said. "He must have some
accomplice on the land. 1t is trick"
Today-well, you know what I
would say, SO why take the space to
say it?
Many manifestations of clairvoy-
ance and hypnotism and telepathy are
already being recognized and studied
by sober, scientific men. Hynotism is
already an increasingly common medi-
cal agent. All the methods and forces
of science are being employed to push
farther into this unknown realm or
mans psychic powers.
Who knows but that the black art
of yesterday will be the commonplace
of tomorrow and telepathy and clair
voyance may seem no more wonderful
twenty-five years from now than the
wireless telegraph and the moving pic
lures of today?
The next time you go to the library,
suppose instead of bringing home an
armful of novels. you get one good
scientific book on some of these sub
jects.
If you do 1 think you will be repaid
both in immediate interest and in sub
sequent breadth OF view.
1 don't promise you will be con-
vinced of anything
But I do think you will be ready to
say: This is a very wonderful world
There are many things in it that 1 do
not fully understand"