The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-28
The subcOnscious Mind,

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The SubcOnsctOus Mind,
"L'esprit gouverne, lie corps obeit''
IN the optimistic maxim Inscribed i'm
the front of DR.. JoHN ID. QuAcRENpos's
new book. Body aud Spirit. an Inquiry
into the Subconscious (Harpers). The
author announces hat his conclusion;
are based upon 10000 cases in his "
practice. He believes In the value of
suggestion under hypnotism. as a
curative force In the treatment of
mental and moral abnormallties. The
author IL a born optimist. He believes
not only In the control Of disease bus
In the transformation OF character and
the evocation Of aesthetic sensibility
by suggestion. The book covers.
rather specifically II must be con-
fessed. II great number of cases, in
Guiding cases OF multiple personality,
telepathy. narcotic addiction. insanity
and various forms of v suffer-
ing. In many cases DIR. Quackenhos's
conclusions fail to coincide with the
most advanced thinking of the pro-
fcssion. For example. he is fully con
'''''' ~ 'it NaiN' VI uIlAeTld'dl SllR-
gestion given by the potential mother.
a theory now denied by most doctors.
Again. confidence Is somewhat shaken
by h chapters on "X-Itay Vision
and "Prescience.' Doubtless many in.
applicable condolences Of this sort do
occur. but unless the investigator Is
overcredulous some sort OF natural ,x-
PLANTATION Is usually found. The story
or the deviation of "A bunch Of pansi -
from a vase. until they were showere!
over a mother grieving for her dead
child. taxes the imagination:
We accept this story Of the pan.,es he.
cause II 10 a scientific fact that objects
have been moved BY supernormal forces.
but We have thus far no reliable evidence
regarding so-caiicd naturalization Time
and lime again investigators have been
beguiled into p~sinstaking examination Of
such phenomena. always with the same re-
suit. The discovery Of deception on the
part ~ inscriptions practitioners and of
q corresponding credulI,y and mental
blindness In their dupe.. The value Of
any psychic phenomenon or alleged p.ychic
phenomenon depends upon two things
first and principally. the crcIiSility OF tn.
witness and his general reputation FOR
Ncricity. and secondly. the relation which
the phenomenon bears to the accumu.
lated psychic experience OF tbs past. Of
IN" authenticity % which there can and
does remain no question In the mind Of the
scientific Investigator. Now the narrator
IN this case is undoubtedly a thoroughly
reliable witness. In other words,
1t was not the spirit OF tho dead child
Emily that lifiei the pans.es and show
cred them upon the mother ana father.
but IN" mothers subilm'nal self. The AL
i"ged vision OF her child appearing at the
same moment can he explained only ne a
coincidence, There was no apparition save
In the ovcrNrought imagination Of the
mother. But that does not preclude the
possibility 81 the leyita,ion OF the pansies,
which levitat!un was accomplished by the
la. herself. however ignorant she may
effectively have been OF the operation Of
the psychic force she used. The fact that
sac was thus ignorant would be no obstacle
tn her exploiting in the objective earth
ny" her own supersensible attributes and
power. In which event Il Is. as already
stated. entirely within the domain OF ac-
credited fact that the phenomenon should
have AIKEN place precisely as described.
II from the book We were set Tn.
task OF deriving the type OF mind of
the author. We should say he was
tender hearted. optimistic. impression
able and sentimental. There are men.
ana men OF science. whose conclusions
We cannot accept. even while We admit
that they may be perfectly honest an!
we'll intentioncd. There is DIR. Hys!op.
for example, whose honesty no one
doubts, and yet whose conclusions
few people can accept. He is Of the
class h "a Prof. James once called
THE tender minded" n class RATIONAL
lstic. intellectualistic. idealist!c, opti-
mist!c, religious, free Whilst. monist!c
and dogmatical. Now when We invcs-
tigate the supernatural and inexplic-
able the tough minded class OF mind
serves better to reach a safe conc,u-
sion; then we want a man to he en-
piricist, sensationalistic. materialistic.
pess!mistic, irreligious, fatalistic, p,u-
ral!s'ic and sceptical.
DIR. Quackenhos's stories OF ghosts
and levitations and visions are inter-
cst!ng. but they do lot somehow COM
pei belief, Though after all, the only
reply 10 all these phenomena IL, that
there are more things In heaven and
earth than are dreamed Of in any
mans philosophy, The book Is inter
csting and there are doubtless ma "
psychic and nervous diseases that car
he shocked into health by continuous
suggestion. DR.. QuackenbOs wisely
suggests that hygienic methods be al
ways coupled with the mental ones In
cases OF diseased personality.