Year: 1874

In an essay entitled "Notes on
Ghosts and Goblins in his recently
published volume, "Tbe Borderland of
Science" Richard A. Proctor gives an
instance of optical illusion experienced
by himself, which aptly illustrates the
way in which belief in the appearance
of ghost might originate in a super
stitious age, or in any case where the
person experiencing the illusion hap
pened to have weak nerves or feeble
wits. Mr.. Proctor's mother had died
some months before the time of which
he writes, he was then a Cambridge
student, and the scene of the occurrence
was his college. ST had on one even-
ing been particularly, 1 may say un-
reasonably, low-spirited. I had sat
brooding for hours over dismal
thoughts. These thoughts had follow
ed me to bed, and 1 went to sleep still
under their influence. 1 cannot re-
member my dreams-I did dream, and
my dreams were melancholy-but al
though I had perfectly clear remem-
brance of their tenor on first waking,
they had passed altogether from my
recollection the next morning. IL is to
be noted, however, that I was under the
influence of sorrowful dreams when [
awoke. At this time the light of a
waning moon was shining into the
room. opened my eyes, and saw with
out surprise or any conscious feeling of
fear, my mother standing at the foot of
the bed. She was not in her habit as
she lived but clothed in white sa-
mite, mystic, wonderful Her face was
pale, though not with the pallor of life;
her expression sorrowful; and tears
which glistened in the moonlight stood
in her eyes.


"And now a strange mental condition
followed. My reason told me that l was
deceived by appearances that the fig
ure I saw was neither my mothers
spirit nor All unreal vision. L felt GER
tain I was not looking sat phantom of
the brain which would show itself with
out, and felt equally certain that no
really existent spirit was there before
me. Yet the longer looked, the more
perfect appeared the picture. [ racked
my memory to recall any objects in my
bed room which could be mistaken for
a shrouded ghost, but my memory was
busy recalling the features of the dead,
and my brain against the action of my
willy was tracing these features in the
figure which stood before me. The de-
ception grew more and more complete,
until I could have spoken aloud as to
living person. Meantime, my mind had
suggested, and at once rejected the
idea of trick played me by one of my
college friends. [ felt a perfect assur-
ance that whatever it was which stood
before me, it was not a breathing creature
self-restrained into absolute stiffness.
How long I remained gazing at the fig
ure I cannot remember, but 1 know
that I continued steadfastly looking at
it until I had assured myself that Ito
my mind, in it's probably unhealthy
condition. the picture was perfect in all
respects. At last raised my head from
the pillow, intending to draw nearer to
the mysterious figure. But it was quite
unnecessary. L had not raised my head
three inches before the ghost was gone,
and in it's place-or rather, not in its
space, but five or six feet farther away
hung nay college Surplice." "The
tears which glistened in the moon
light" Mr.. Proctor accounts for in this
way "Over my suplice, I had hung a
rowing belt, and the silvered buckles
(partly concealed by the folds of the
surplice) shone in the moonlight"