Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-01-09
THE SIXTH SENSE.
Cannot Be Explained But it is Real
Endowment.


We are supposed to have but FIVE
senses: hearing, by which we perceive
sounds; seeing, which gives US Ideas
Of color and form; smelling, to re-
ceive the impressions of odor; tasting,
which reports to US flavor ideas; and
touch, by which we learn II a thing be
smooth or rough, hot or cold,
But thing may be other than cold
or hot or fragrant or colored. or
sweet or sour, and the like. To speak
loosely. 1t may be satisfactory or un-
satisfactory, appealing or 'repelling,
good or bad.
In other words there are other
qualities besides the physical.
To perceive these other qualities
we have a sixth sense.
1t is hard to define because 1t dis
Germs many subtle things. But these
things are, nevertheless. quite as i'm
portant as odors and colors.
It Is not located in any organ, as
seeing Is located in the eye. but hides
somewhere in the soul; which
amounts to saying that it Is in US, but
we don't know where.
Still, vague as 1t is, 1t procures for
us some Of the most valuable infor-
nation about men and things,
It Is the sixth sense that makes the
race "incurably religious" Men go
on believing In God, because they go
on sensing God. As Balzac says, God
is not to be proved; He Is to be di-
vined, sensed" I'll Sc diyine.)
But this sense Is by no means con-
fined to religion.
Maeterlinck. In THE Blue Bird"
speaks Of things, such as sugar,
bread, fire and milk, having souls.
This Is not a new and fanciful notion.
Men have always guessed 1t. The
ancients personified trees and brooks,
and the sun and moon. 1t Is perhaps
among the oldest Ideas Of the race.
Poets use this sense; to many,
weakly endowed with 1t, 1t seems
nonsense.
We call 1t all sorts Of names OF a
great general or business man we
say, He Is a good judge Of men"
That means that somehow, In the
back Of his mind, he can, as 1t were,
taste a man. and get at real charac-
ter.
1t Is the sixth sense that makes a
girl blush. 1t Is real and physical
enough to send the blood to her
cheeks.
It Is this sense that draws you to
one person and repels you from an
other. 1t senses not only the per-
sons body and words and deeds, but
his aura or spiritual shadow.
am not speaking Of psychic fol-
de-rol, but of plain facts and expert
ences we find every day.
1t is in the development Of this
sixth sense that men become great
and are called geniuses, Raphael,
Leonardo and Millet apprehended
something about nature that escaped
others.
1t Is exactly because we cannot tell
Just what 1t Is. that 1t makes a man
great when he has it. If we knew,
we too might get it.
1t is this that gave Shakespeare his
magic in the selection Of words. that
made Beethoven a master In the
choice and use of sounds.
But it is not a rare faculty. given to
an elect soul now and then. 1t Il
most common. We all have 1t.
What we call love is the greatest
and the commonest, exercise OF the
sixth sense 1t goes out from us and
makes it's choice with a sort Of divine
wilfulness. 1t Is the old query of low
ers! How did you ever come to like
me?"
Somewhere in the secret place OF
the soul is an eye, an ear, nerve, a
mystical faculty. which tests and
tastes the spiritual essence of all
things. ideas and men.
To discipline and strengthen the
sixth sense is the art of life.-Dr.
Frank Crane.