TELEPATHY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 181, 4 September 1909, Page 3

TELEPATHY.

THEimTJTH ABOUT IT.. | Among scientific men On the Conti-i nent, as well as in England and America,! the question of telepathy is arousing in-1 lerest. Articles on the subject appear! from time to time in unexpected places. In Foi et Vic for Kith June, for example, we find an article entitled "Must We Believe in Telepathy!" The writer, Dr. Burnand, uses this expression: "La question de la telepathic passionne lc publie." !

"We hear about it," he says, "in draw.' ing-rooms where conversation flourishes,' and even in those on which dullness has fallen. A hostess whose evening pa-ty is dying out in Hat and dreary talk need only turn the thoughts of her guests to -,he subject of presentiments. In a moment the ice is broken, talk grows livelier— stories —any number of stories overpowering up : on every side. The guests are all talk-1 ing: they can hardly hear their mn voices; the party is a great success.' This is a perfectly safe plan; it never fails."

Dr. Burnand says very truly that drawing-room talk is not of much use to the enquirer into the secrets of telepathy. He goes away from the party "a little more nervous and a little mure superstitions than lie was, but lie is nut any better informed." "Is it not p<»sible," asks Dr. Burnand, "to approach the question seriously, to reduce it to its simple elements, and to solve it '*. . .

Our days and nights are constantly being! disturbed by little odd coincidences, by superstitions which we do not confess, oy secret fears which follow us- with a haunting insistence. The most sceptical amongst us are subject to these vague fears, or at any rate they would be glad, for the sake of their own mental peace, to be able to give to such things their proper value. . . ." In common 'with all the newer exponents of telepathy, Dr. Burnand climinates an immense number of facts which lie quite outside its province. The public, as he points out, takes into the sphere of its interest a vast variety of presentiments which have never been fulfilled. The old saying "Dreams go by contraries" is established on a much surer basis of evidence than the telepathic premonitions which find a corresponding fulfilment. "Dream of a funeral and you hear of a marriage" is a maxim which has probably been verified many times in the experience of ordinary people. But if, once in a lifetime, a foreboding dream is fulfilled, the believer in telepathy denies all possibility of coincidence, and attempts to build up a now seience on isolated facts.

It is natural that Dr. Burnand should refer His readers to the works of Professor Jules Grasset of Montpelicr, who is one of the chief French authorities on matters cunnected with occultism. This eminent medical and scientific expert has published a series of volumes which

ought to he widely known to English students, Dr. Buraand mentions only the last of these —the work entitled "Occuilism of Yesterday and To-day," which !'iv feasor Grasset published in 11107. in order to *> ju-tiee to Dr. Grasset's work, in the field of occult research we must go hack to the books he published :n 1903 and 1904—namely, "L'Hypnotismc et la Suggestion" (1903) and "Le Spiritisme devant la Science" (1001). Me has for years been a student of hypnotism; and spiritualistic phenomena nave interested him chiefly in their associations with psychological and patho. logical ,|iiestions. He has devoted much time to Ihcstmlv of telepathy, and it need hardly he said that he has"followed with close attention 'the researches of -Messrs. Gurnov, livers, and Podinore. In one of his earlier books Dr. Grasset said that the instances in which telepathy appears to have succeeded ought to be set side hy side with the immense numbc- of cases in which it has failed, with those presentiments and strange leclings which have no contact with reality ('-Le Spiritisme derail I 'a Science," p. 320). H e tells a story, often narrated in his own family, of a young wife who dreamt, during the war of 1870, that her husband, who was an officer, was eovcrcd with Wood' and dying. Two days afterwards the news came that he had been killed that very mght bv the Imrstiag of a shell. Professor Grasset admits that this was a (iirions .■oim-ideiicc, hut he adds that during the anxieties of that period the young wife must have had many other foreboding dreams. "No notice was taken of these until the dreams became a reality,"

"Three months ago," adds the Prolessor. "llic_snine lady parted from her I'nindson with a fixed presentiment that -lie would never see him again. Thev met a few days ago in mv presence, and ••••ere both i„ nerfect health. That presentiment will never be talked of like (he other."

• N iiting six years ago on telepathy. . I):-. said: "When I say that I telcicvthy is ;:-)| proved, T do not mean )'!'!■!'• Umu il lines not exist. S\ T c "'"■'' ," ''' • '■'" « T;.]ess telegraphy must •'•>'• '■'•"• a priori the idea of an even .remote nfal suggestion. But we if-, quire scientific proof, and that proof is not forl-hcoimng." (In a no te to hisl volume of 1903, pp. 41)4-405, Dr. Grasset says: "I confess that I do not understand the remarks of Buchner that science denies the existence of telepathv on the ground that telepathy is in itself impossible The resurrection of a dead man, according to Buchner, would not he a greater miracle than thought-trans-ference from a distance.") In his newest volume Dr. Grasset remains as unconvinced fcs ever on the central idea of telepathy. He gays"The facts of telepathy are not hallucinations, but their scientific existence has not been demonstrated."

\J c may note in this connection that such an authority as Armand Bussy was careful to distinguish telepathy from hallucination in the ordinary sense. "While -hallucination consists in a sensory perception without any external object to create it, the telepathic apparition," he says, "corresponds to a precise and simultaneous material fact, which takes place, however, under such conditions that it could not make any direct impression on the sensory organs'" Dr. Grasset says: "If telepathic facts exist we shall not need to classify them in the chapter of hallucinations. We have still got to learn, however, whether they do exist, whether their positive existence has been scientifically proved For my own part, I do not think it has and I am not the only one who is sceptical." . ' The Montpellier doctor tells of a gentleman who believed that he would some i! iv be killed in a motor accident and 'whoso life actually did end in this way. Tin- fact naturally caused much stir anion? his friends, but, as Dr Grasset says, there are "many other people who believe that they will die in railway or carriage or motor accidents. Theipredictions arc not fulfilled, and so the world hears nothing of their forebodings."

On this point of unfulfilled presentiment the words of Dr. Burnaad are worth quoting: "The truth is 'that we. have all had planning dreams, in which we have seen dear friends suffering from dangerous illness—friends who are perfectly well to-day. We have forgotten these dreams. ! »hen we saw a relative off by one of the express trains which travel at so madly ewift a rate, we have all felt fa the depths of our sorrowing hearts, .mingling with the regret at parting some presentiment of a cat/istrophc. If the collision does not take place . , we think no more of the presentiments! But if by some unlucky oVii'.c the express runs off the rails and is destroyed, we cry nut that our presentiment'was' miraculous, a prophecy of di=.n='er. 7lp re is one move fact which w; ' ' ' ...|

.'limit, told in exaggerated furni, aml mod to 'buttress popular superstition as ii striking or painful example. How few of our terrors are justified in proportion to our many needless fears. So few that chance or a mere coincidence mav perhaps explain them." Professor Grnesot considers that wire, less telegraphy proves absolutely nothing with regard to telepathy, though many people imagine that the o-ne involves the other. In his opinion, the only way of getting at the facts with regard to telepathy would he to conduct a loin; series of experiments with one person. "Then we shall lie. able >o nidge. Meanwhile, until this work Jmsl been done I maintain that the existence (if telepathy and 1 premonition has not been scientifically established." Charles Kichet, the broad-minded scientist, who has followed with close personal nJtentinn the occult developments of the last twenty years, has expressed, like Dr. Grasset. 'grave doubts as to the scientific value of the results acliievod. He saysi "The alchemists spoke longingly of their Inst experiment —experimentnm orucis—which, as they believed, would put the crown on ail their previous efforts. Well, the fact u Hint no one lias yet been able to perforin that experimentum erucis."