■)
T H E TORCH OF REASON, S IL V E R T O N , OREGON, S E P T E M B E R 13, E. M. 300 (1900.)
row lim its, and on condition th a t o n stratio n , to retu rn to faith and ieting, was evidenced in the effects rowed m ysticism .
th ey converge toward a common find th a t it is the surest of all sci- produced. N othing transpired in
Those who understand hypno
point. It drains for its own use— 'cntific forces of which h um anity any experim ent which was not tism iu the true sense of the word,
at least in the proportion possible has any knowledge. I am going ante-dated by this expectancy.
well know th a t th at was the most
— the entire cerebral activity.
to try to show you why
Hence the law is well estab ridiculous hullabaloo the scientific
In cases of spontaneous a tte n
U ntil the doctrine of faith was lished; the invidual himself, whose world ever instigated. In the sci
tion, the whole body converges proclaim ed, there was no appre expectancy has been aroused, works entific analysis and complete u n
towards its object, the eyes, ears hension whatsoever of the nature the needed cure upon himself.
derstanding of hypnotism , there is
and sometimes the arm s; all mo of sp iritu al forces or of the law
It is, therefore, scarcely just to nothing whatsoever dangerous to
tions are arrested. Our personality which underlay their operation. In denounce C hristian Science m erely
the hum an race. We m ust, how
is captured, th a t is, all the ten d en all ages so-called m iraculous cures because it rests upon auto-sugges
ever, thoroughly com prehend its
cies of the individual, all his a v a il have been effected, and w ithout a tion, since auto-suggestion is the
laws before we seek to exercise it.
able energy aim at the sam e point. doubt, because of the exercise of underlying principle on which all
Foolish experim enting with it— a p
The physical and external a d a p ta th e faith of the individual in the hypnotic experim entations rest.
proaching it from an unscientific
tion is a sign of psychic and inw ard one who operated upon him ; and P erhaps this ju st and em phatic
and ch a rlatan point of view—m ay
adaptation. Convergence is a re j e t no one, until the time of Jesus, criticism of C hristian Science may
indeed induce certain dangers. But
duction to unity substituting itself clearly em phasized the idea th at be made, th a t it em ploys a scien
so would electricity, dynam ite,
for th a t diffusion of movements there m ust exist in the individual tific law as a religious superstition,
gun-cotton and liquid air. Fools
and attitu d es which characterizes this q u ality of faith before the and thus befogs the m inds of the
m ust not rush in where angels fear
the norm al state.
sought-for cure can be effected. simple, while it fills the temples of to tread.
In cases of voluntary attention, You will see, friends, th a t in mod learning with a m eaningless jargon
The scientific world is now be
ad ap tatio n is most frequently in ern science we are just beginning whose very verbosity defies the
ginning to understand th a t w hat
complete, in term itten t, w ithout to discern the m eaning, the law arid gods.
is called the hypnotic power—the
solidity. The m ovem ents are in the operation of the principle [im
Modern discoveries reveal this
hibited, yet to reappear from time pulse] of faith. This discovery law of iife: Man is endowed with supposed ability of one man to
to time. T he organism converges, does not prove th a t the individua certain capabilities which he may throw another into artificial sleep,
but in a languid, relu ctan t sort of in whom the faith is exercised pos discover through the exercise of and m ake it im possible for the su b
way. Interm issions of physical sesses any essentially superior the established laws of his being, ject to awaken until the hypnotist
adaptation are a sign of interm is qualification. I t proves only— by which he m ay overcome the a p elects to release him —is very
sions of m ental adaptation. The and the scientific law consists in parent lim itations of m atter, and largely a figment of the mind, a-
personality has been only partly th is— th a t faith aw akens the m en only when he rises superior to the pure m y th —an invention of ig
won, and at interm ittent moments. tal expectancy of the individual; lim ited possibilities of his physical norance.
H ypnotism is sim ply the opera
A ttention consists in an intellect and as his m ental expectancy is powers and reaches his e x tra
ual state, exclusive or predom inant, aroused, his own m ental forces ordinary forces, is he able to a cer tion of one m ind by suggestion
with spontaneous or artificial adap produce the desired effect. In short, tain extent to conquer the body, upon another m ind; sim ply an ex
tation of the individual.
“ faith is the religious synonym the physical environm ents in which aggeration of th a t fam e process
It will be seen, in the end, th a t of the scientific term “ auto sug he dwells, and to look out beyond which we are exercising every day
attention in no respect resembles gestion.”
and above him into a “ spiritual upon one another when we engage
in the ordinary associations and
an independent activity; th a t it is
We have heard much concerning realm ’’ which invites to h ith erto
relations of life. We have not u n
bound up with perfectly determ ined
auto-suggestion in these modern undream ed-of victories.
physical conditions; th at it acts
H ad it not been for the storm oi derstood the law; th a t is all.
days. I t has become an especial
only through the latter, and is de
G rad u ally science is beginning to
topic of discussion in cu rren t scien denunciation incited by the profes
pendent on the same.
discern and grapple it. Ignorance
tific literature. Most of the c riti sions ol' a Paracelsus, a Mesmer, a
As a m atter of fact, in every cism directed against the theory is G asner and others, who attracted is all th a t is dangerous about h y p
sound hum an being there is always
notism . Ignorance is the only
based on m istaken and erroneous the atten tio n of the scientific world
a d o m in an t idea th a t regulates his
premises. Some assert th a t C hris to what was inherent iu the hum an danger th a t ever has, or ever can,
conduct, such as pleasure, money,
tian Science is merely the super organism , we could not today boast confront hum anity. To fear to
am bition [d u ty ], or the soul’s sal
stitious and ignorant em ploym ent of a B ernheim , a Charcot, a Ribot, learn is th e stoutest link in the
vation. This fixed idea, which lasts
of “ auto-suggestion.” T he d istin with their wonderful discoveries chain of slavery. Some fools may
throughout life—except in cases
guished professor, Dr. Jno. D. and clear, logical analyses, prophe have to be killed th a t wisdom m ay
where another is substituted for it
Quackenhos, of Columbia Uuiver- sying a final system of rem edies come, but the world can afford to
•— becomes finally resolved into a a;fv v v
,i
■
sacrifice its fools for the sake of
,
.
, . ,
sity, N. 1 ., denounces C nristian or the alleviation of physical an d
nxed passion, which once more
Science, sim ply because, as he a l m ental disorders which bids fair to scientific progress. H ypnotism is
proves th a t atten tio n and all its
the last call to Science. If she
leges, it rests wholly upon the overthrow M ateria Medica itself.
forms of appearance depend on
Hence we behold today the en- heeds not, Folly will anticipate
principles of auto-suggestion.
em otional states. The metamor-
ire medical fratern ity standing her and th e C h arlatan will usurp
Auto-suggestion,
plainly
stated,
phis of attention into a fixed idea
aghast, with eyes dilated, at the the ch air of the instructor.
is
a
suggestion
of
the
individual
to
is much more clearly seen in great
achievem ents of modern hypno-
W hen Benjam in F ran k lin tim
him
self
th
at,
if
he
subm
its
to
cer
men. “ W hat is a great life?” asks
ism. At first they railed at and idly approached the forked lig h t
tain
conditions,
he
will
become
con
Alfred de Vigny. “ A thought of
spat upon it. I t was aw ful; it was ning with kite and string and key,
our youth, realized in m ature age.” scious of certain elfects in his m en the superstitious bugaboo of m edi and for the m om ent was cast down
In
m any
famous
men
th is, tal and physical organs.
evalism ; it was the invention of by the shock, the unscientific world
“ th o u g h t” has frequently been so! ^ ome years ago Professor Car- the devil himself. “ Touch it n o tl”
proclaim ed the fact as an evidence
•
■ .
_
l a
absorbing and ty ran n ical th a t no penter, iu E ngland, made a series said they; it is a horror; it is one
th a t m an should not fool w ith the
one can hardly dispute its morbid of very rem arkable ex p erim en ta of the bubbling founts of hell,
devil, and if he does, it is a t his
tions, extending over a num ber o f which is full of the su lp h u r of d am
character.
everlasting peril. Nevertheless, the
years, in which he sought to dis- nation; and if you but put the tips
scientific world, undism ayed by
H y p n o tism , F a ith an d Religion. cover l,,e law underlying the oper- of your fingers to it, it will burn
F ra n k lin ’s tem porary discom fiture,
---------- -
ations of auto-suggestion. In his t rough and through your soul and
continued to experim ent with this
BY HENRY frank .
day it was called odic or m esm eric body.” “ Leave it alone,” they
m ysterious and defiant elem ent,
i force. He was able to show th a t cried, “ for it is the most dangerous
until it tam ed and chained the
We may pooh-pooh it as we all the results produced were th e
of all possible scientific pu rsu its.” m onster, forcing it to do m an ’s b id
please from every conceivable direct effect of expectancy. W hen
And in their wake followed the re ding, directing it at will hither and
scientific stan d p o in t; we may argue he operated on a subject, he would
ligious an tediluvians, who were as th ith e r
throughout
the earth,
th a t faith is a chim era, a mere fig- either aw aken in him certain ex-
much terrorized at the possibility henceforth to be his slave and not
inent of the m ind, a bugaboo of re- pectant results or he would dis-
of a scientific ex p lan atio n of so- his m aster, to the glorification of
ligious superstition; th at it is fol- cover what the conscious or uncon-
called biblical m iracles as the mod hum an knowledge and the benefac
de-rol and folly, stupidity and ig- scious expectation of the subject
ern pseudo-religionists, who fear tion of the entire rtce.
norance; nevertheless, we shall be was, and in every case the expect-
lest the m antle of m ystery be torn
T his will be the final issue with
lorced, by absolute scientific dem- ancy th u s aroused, or latently ex-
from the shoulders of their bor- | hypnotism . It will be scientifically