Year: 1876




At Glasgow, on the twelfth, in the
anthropological section, Prof. Barrett
read paper on some phenomena associ-
ated with the abnormal conditions of
mind. The subject was one, however, in
regard to which there had been a great
change of opinion, and no better instance
could be given of this change of front
than that afforded by DR.. Carpenter
Prof. Barrett on one occasion tsok card
and put it in book, and gave the closed
volume to girl. She held it close to
her head little behind the ear, and
then said, 81 see something inside the
book with red spots on it," He then
asked her to count the spots, and she re-
piled that there were five, which proved
to be quite correct, for the card was the
five of diamonds, and yet he was the only
person in the room who could possibly
have known what ii was. This appeared
to him to be clear case of clairvoyance,
and the important point was that every
care had been taken to prevent any un-
conscious muscular action giving any in
dication to the subject of what she was
being asked about In another case
there was lady who was in the habit of
telling the time on hunting watch after
the hands had been turned about in all
sorts OF directions. On one occasion
they found, as they thought, that she
was wrong. Returning the watch to her
they told her so. She persisted however,
that she was right, and on examining the
watch they found that such was really
the case, and it was they themselves who
had made mistake. In that case the
thoughts Of the mesmerist were against
those of his subject. He had asked Mr..
Maskelyne, one of the cleverest coniu-
rors Of the day, and a gentleman who
was engaged in an attempt to disprove
the reality of spirituslism, to see some of
these phenomena with him, and he had
since received a letter from Mr. Maske-
lines manager in which he said "In
matters of this kind your best men Of
science are more easily deceived than
the men of ordinary talent"


Mr.. Crookes, speaking as spiritualist,
contended against the theory that people
were deluded into the belief that they
saw manifestations which never occurred.
lie maintained that trained scientific
inquirer was much more than match
for any conjuror, and that il it were
a mere matter of hallucinaton the
trickery would have been found out long
ago.


DIR. Carpenter said shat there were
some pee pie who had curious power of
thoughtreading. Detective policemen,
he believed, had this power in wonder.
ful degree, and he referred to the Con-
stance Kent case and Others to show that
the officers hit upon the truth by intui.
tion. As to DR.. Slade, he frankly con-
fessed that that gentleman had done
things which had astonished him, and
just before leaving London he had chal-
lenged him to repeat them in his own
house, in the company of his own friends,
and with nothing but his own furniture
in the room. DR.. Slade had agreed to do
50, and therefore he considered him on
his trial and refrained IRON saying more
of him at present.i


Mr.. Parke Harrison referred TO an
American case in which woman had
confessed that she had been paid to pre-
tend that she was medium.


TIE president said that this woman
was afterwards proved TO have been tell
ing falsehoods when she had made the
pretended confession.


Prof Barrett, in replying on the dis
cussion, charged DIR. Carpenter with
changing his position.


DIR. Carpenter denied that he had
done so, and in regard to what had
beed said about clairvoyants referred
to the instance in which Sir James
Simpson had put $500 note in ease,
and said he would give it to any one
who woul tell its number, the result be-
ing that it lay unclaimed for months.


During this exciting incident, Rev.
Robt. Thompson was seen at the back Of
the platform dourishing bank note,
and apparently offering to submit it
to the test, but no attention was paid to
him.