Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-04
CHAPTER III (Continuedl

we'll the dead.
CHAPTER III Continued
s.DuT 1t is not only in sleep that this dream
ID personality takes the place of that
which call the real self. The opium-eater in
habits a world, opened to him by his drug,
and closed even to his memory, when the
effects of that drug wear off. Then. there is
that curious phase of dipsomania in which
the victim, apparently possessed OF all MS
faculties, goes through actual experiences
travels. talks with people transacts business
and when he RECEIVERS from his fit OF in
toxication finds it impossible TO remember a
single circumstance of the many known to
him while under the sway of alcohol. The
phenomena of hypnotism give instances OF
similar independent mental divisions in a
single human personality. All this is the
familiar material of modern psychology, out
of which the scientists build strange and
varied theories. / call these divided, or lost,
personalities ghosts
Ghosts of the living, not of the dead
More uncanny than the old-fashioned
kind" mused Una. Fancy meeting ones
own ghost -
Gases of such meetings on record;
shelleys, for instance" said Leighton driy
The thing is strange and worth investigat-
ing. But" added David laughingly. Il am
not an investigator"
ct is fascinating declared Una em-
phaticaly. Tell us more about it, Uncle
Harold You spoke of an experiment.
THE experiment. by all means said
David. Just what Is t?"
Trapping ghost" was the laconic an
swer.
And if you succeed in trapping it,"
"Ah, then--science generally leaves its
ghosts to take care of themselves It's
good rule"
you say you are going to trap a ghost;
you don't really mean that" protested Una
Remember there two kinds of ghosts
AS scientist I am not Interested IN the
ghosts of the dead. If they exist outside or
fairy tales and theology let some one else
hunt them But l am interested in the other
and more profitable kind-the ghosts of the
living"
II don't understand" said David.
ut needs explanation. Remember what I
said as to the phenomena presented by the
dreamer, the hypnotic subject, the dipso-
maniac, the narcomaniac. In each OF these
cases one human mind seems capao'e Vi
division into two independent halVcs.
"And each half seems to forget, or TO De
ignorant of the doings OF its mate. Now
am hunting for this Ghost of the Forgotten
Sounds romantic" remarked David. Ac-
cordinp to your theory, don't you need
hypnotized subject--or at least dipsomahiac
for your experiment.? ,
mo The Ghost of the Forgotten turks In
all of US The man or woman in whom thls
Ghost is not to be found Is eXcepuonah
doubt IL such a being eXists-a being whose
Book of the Past is as clear, as lesible, as
his Book of the Present.
But, your experiment uncle" demanded
Una; "show 1t to us
"I need help for satisfactory trial An
experiment isn't picture. or a book. you
know, 1t needs a victim of some kind. What
do Won saw. David?" he asked, turning
abruptly to him.
David I'm ready. Feel just like my name
sake before he tackled that husky Philistine.
Tell me what I'm to do.
They were standing at the fireplace, Una
with one arm through her lovers, the other
resting on her uncles shoulder y scarceY
perceptible frown clouded Leightons Tea
lures before he accepted David's offer.
II merely want you to answer some cues
tions" hs said finally. You will think them
trivial: but ! want you to answer them un-
| der unusual conditions. Let me show you my
| latest prize and explain things.
Leighton strobe to the center of the room
and thence down to that end or II where
the tools of his laboratory were Kept DAVID
and Una followed, enjoying the momentary
relief from the scrutiny of the old saVant,
| who was now, apparently. engrossed in ms
scientific apparatus. There was not much OF
the latter in sight and to the novice un-
| familiar with the interior of physicist $
| laboratory, and who carries away con-
| fused impression of glass and metal jars
| tubes. coils of WIRE electric batteries, revolv-
| ing discs and all the nameless paraphernalla
| of such a place. the appointments OF Harold
1 ltl
| enough. Yet, the machine before which Leigh
| ton paused comprised one of the newest dis
| coveries in this branch Of science. Its sensa-
| tional purpose was to measure and probe the
| mind through the purely physical operations
| of the body.
| What appeared to be, at first glance, an
| ordinary galvanometer stood by itself on a
| table. It's polished brass frame, its fawless
| glass cylinder nclosing the coils of wire
| recording discs and needle, suggested moth
| ing more than the instrument, familiar tc
| the physicist, by which an electric current
| Is measured and tested Connected with this
| galvanometer, however. was a curious con
| trivance consisting Of a mirror, over the
| spotless surface of which, when the machine
| was in operation, a ray of light, projected
| from an electrified metal index. or finger
! moved back and FORTH The exact course oi
| this ray of light, the twists and turns made
| by II In traversing the mirror, was transfer
| red by an automatic pencil to a sheet o.
| paper carried on a revolving cylinder. This
| paper thus became a permanent record Of
| whatever experiment had been attempted.
| That the subjects investigated by thi:
| unique galvanometer were human and mo-
| inanimate was indicated by two electrodes. at
| tached by wire hanging from the machine
| intended to be grasped by the hands of
| person undergoing the test.
| Its use, also, as detector of human
| thought and emotion. and not of mechanical
| force. was described by its name-the Elec-
! trio Psychometer.