New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-08-30
VAMPIRES NIGHTLY GUESTS OF SILESIANS

co,ercd. and there was an end Of those visits
Cases such as these might be multiplied ndeh-
utcy. What is one 10 think OF such happenings?
Like all beliefs Of the Lind, must assume that
there is some resduum Of truth amid the error
and superstition. It cannot all be imagination.
But If there is any truth in these stories, how
much and what is it?
About two hundred years ago a learned priest,
Iy name Augustine Calmet, published work, m
TWO volume. IN which he critically examined
number of these stories Of vampires. After mar
rating a number Of them he goes on 70 say: 81 lay
down IL first this principle that il may be that
there are co-pscs which. although Inferred some
days. shed fluid blood through the pores Of their
bodies" Although this is hardly the case, under
certain peculiar conditions something akin TO n
make take place. and thus give rise to the stories
where fresh blood is found in the corpse.
- to the death Of some OF the persons who
were attacked by vampires Calmet says: 81 add
moreover. that it is very easy for certain people
20 fancy themselves sucked by vampires. and that
tho fear caused by that fancy should make revo-
luton DO their frame sufficiently violent TO de
priyo them Of life"
Had he lived in these days he would have put
such eases down 20 the influence OF suggestion.
There are eases on record where the beard. hair.
nails. etc. are found to have grown after death,
and this was thought 20 be q sign Of yamprism.
Blu; to this Calmet says:
"Expcrence teaches ms that there certain
kinds Of earth which preserve dead bodies per
foctiy fresh. A to the growth Of the
nails the hair and the beard. it is often perceived
Doe many corpses While there yet remains good
deal of moisture IN the body, IT is not surprising
that sometimes We see some augmentation in
.bo.c parts which do not demand vital spirit
A. 20 the cry uttered by the vampires
when fhc stake driven through the heart, moth
ing is more natural; the air is there confined, and
thus expelled by violence necessarily produces
shat noise ir passing through the throat"
While much Of NJ. CaImets physiology is little
shaay. stil he mas graspcd the main truth Of the
question. he saw that natural physical causes
operating in tho body produced. on occasion those
odd changes and influences which were thought 20
be proof Of vamprism.
Vet the difficult problem still remains: How
Coss this body get out Of its grave TO come sno
haunt living persons? To this Calmet replied
,la The figure, seen were doubtless appartions
IhlIluciraticnsl and not physical beings az all
and were helped out by dreams. delusions and
other morbid phenomena. When the person said
he touched the igure this was probably case Of
so-cal.cd tactic" hsllucnation just as there are
auditory and visual Authorizations. None Of
thcm s real or objective.
Such are probably the foundations OF belief
which has over hadoved Southeastern Europe foi
centuries Doubtless there are no real vampires
n the enae commonly supposed. but there ar'
edo psychc-l facts which have given rise to The
belief appartiors. Dreams Authorizations Of va
rous kinds. suggestion and the effects Of fear a
wei "a. certain morbid physical and physiological
phenomena. These are the fundamentals of tn
belief Accompanying ,hem We have also certai
odd cases where che body ha5 been rcmarkabl
rrescwed after death as we know TO he the cas-
WHOM The body &. placed .n AN atmosphere of cal
bonic acid gas m CERTAIN earths, when The patien
t1a died e certain diseases etc. These, then, az
,ho basic facts. thc vast superstructure OF hi
f.arfal belief has been built upon them May III
da. nor ne iar distant when advancing educatior
c.ei..1aton and progress will forever Danish n
vampires from these lands, and they have bee
banished from other countries over the ciyilzs
ri.h.