The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-05-28

TRANCE STATE BAI4KS
AT CRIME
Impossible to Hypnotize . Per-
son Into Doing Wrong, Ac-
cOrding to Scientist.


son Into Doing Wrong, Ac- .
> cOrding to Scientist. =
. .
(New York Press.)
Scientists who observed keenly the
case of Ramona Borden, daughter OF
the millionaire New York milk mag
nate. declare it was not the power Of
a superior mind and mental sugges-
ton that prompted her to escape
from a sanitarium within which she
was seeking rest on her fathers or
ders.
mo person ever vas ~hypnotized in
to committing a crime or a wrong
that might reflect discredit upon their
family" Is their unqualified statement,
and they dare the world to disprove 1t.
DR.. John d. Quackenbos. the most
eminent authority on hypotism ! n the
United States. gives q clean bill Of
wholesomeness to the oft-discussed
and much criticized power Of mental
suggestion and control.
Hypnosis cannot compel q person
to commit a wrong OF any nature II
clares. ut Is true that the influence
Of n person frequently Ia applied to
lead another from the path OF right
eousness, but this Is not hypnotic in
fuence. Such transgressions general
ly are obtained through the influence
Of word Of mouth-the persuasive
powers of speech.
II have searched the records of the
New York police department., and all
the big detective bureaus and I v
nave succeeded in finding a ase
where the ultimate results showed
crime instigated by hypnotic influence.
This fact, coupled with expert
ments and o~bservances covering a long
period, has established the belief
among scientific investigators of mem
tai phenomena that a man cannot be
hypnotized to commit wrong, even in
the deepest trance states-in other
words. that the subliminal self Of an
individual Is %intrinsically wholesome
and honest and will, not be swayed
without being deliberately subjugated
by the objective mind.
II mean by this that the mind of a
man in hypnotic trance, while open to
suggestions of wrong, and l believe
that Providence has arranged it thus
to protect from just such things as
hypnotic influence in crime.
Several years ago, when hypnosis
began to be practiced more widely in
sons thrown into simple mesmeric
Transcript to sleep. as the express
sion goes-could be made to commit
all manner Of ridiculous tricks at the
suggestion of the hypnotist.
"Sedate Judges rode broomsticks
about the parlor, imaging they were
horses; men stretched between two
chairs sustained weight on their bodies
that would have crushed them while
out OF a trance; old ladies danced, be-
lfeving they were young girls again,
and other absurdities were performed
by all degrees of persons.
This showed the wonderful power
the hypnotist could exert upon the
subjective minds of persons in trance
state. Naturally the question arose In
the minds of the public, if such things
can be done in franc at the mere bid
ding of a mesmerist where will the
thing stop?
Cannot a mesmeric operator put
a millionaire into trance and make
him write a check for all his wealth ?
Or, what power has a mesmeric over
the moral character of those who for
a few moments lend themselves to his
will and go into trance? Or, again.
broadly and briefly, what is there to
prevent those possessed Of the power
Of mesmerism making criminals out
of all who become subject to them ?
Surely, nothing could be easier than
W nSpAAOSiHC n man LII ScUu HlIII OUT
to steal for you, We're common ques-
tons and comments.
The apparent possibility Of such
things did much to throw popular
sentiment against hypnotism and its
many estimable uses for a long time.
1t was only comparatively recently
that 1t has been proved that hypnosis
has no powers to make a man do
wrong.
Through countless experiments it
was ascertained that the subjective
mind has a strange stamina all its
own. We found that, while a subject
in trance might do all manner of alb
surd tricks at the suggestion of the
operator, the subjective mind was full
ly aware that the body was making "a
fool of ITSELF and was enjoying the
fun quite as much as the operator and
spectator.
"Also. when the trance suggestions
were good this subjective personality
readily to carrying out the suggestion.
But when the suggestion was evil
well, the subjective person was Just
as p%erceptive Of that. and fuzzy
capable of resisting. In other words,
the subjective self might obey and
will Of the mesmerist to do a foolish
trick, or perform a harmless or good
act. but when wrong was suggested it
fatty refused to act. There is no mis-
taking the hand Of Providence in this.
Quite another state prevails in
cases Of dual personality. In such cas-
es Jekyll and Hyde instances occur
frequently. A man, when one person
ality is in control Of his body, may be
a laW-abiding citizen, and in a flash,
when the other personality gains as
cendancy, may become a. fiend in
%carnate.
THE historic instances of this sort
are too we'll known t. need repetition,
but 1t must be remembered that dual
personality has nothing to do with
hypnotic influence"
DR.. Quackenbos pointed out that the
only authenticated case where hypno-
tic power seemed to have actually
been exerted to unjustifed ac-
ton by a person took place in New
York several years ago, and in that
instance the individual believed to
have employed the hypnotic influence
was not a living entity.
The wife Of q well-known psychical
investigator, 1t was said, was induced
to leave her husband by the spirit of
q dead person. who. 1t Is believed. cast
a hypnotic spell over her from the
spirit world. She subsequently broke
away from the influence and returned
to her husband.
II have the greatest respect for the
subliminal SELF" DR.. Quackenbos con-
tinued. Experiments with several
thousand cases have shown met that
the mind of a subject Is mesmeric
trance is pure. above reproach and be-
yond the influence of evil, though
open to suggestion Of good"
The statement Of this eminent ply
stefan. who has devoted many years to