THE QAWN 
 
 v 
 
 '
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 SANTA BARBARA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 JOY MYERS
 
 MAN II A I, 
 
 OF 
 
 PSYCHOMETRY: 
 
 THE DAWN OF A NEW CIVILIZATION. 
 
 BY JOSEPH RODES BUCHANAN, M. I)., 
 
 / 
 
 Authorof " Anthropology," " Therapeutic Sarcognomy " and " Moral Kdu 
 cation " Professor of 1'liyslology and Institutes of MciUcinc in tour 
 Medical Colleges successively, from 1845 to 1881 and for flve years 
 Dean of the Eclectic Medical Institute, the psirent school ot 
 American Medical Eclecticism Discoverer of the impres- 
 sibility of the brain ofPsychometryandof Sarcognomy. 
 
 Published by the Author 29 Fort Ave., Boston. 
 
 I COPVRIOMT, l"::8. BY JOSEPH ROOtS BUCHANAN I 
 
 HUSTON : 
 
 HOI.MAX ItltO'l IIKItS, I'UKSS OF TIIK KOMII'KY A ll\'< M 'A I K. 
 188S.
 
 TO THE MARTYRS 
 
 OF TIM Til, KELH5IOX AM) LIBERTY, IX ALL AGES, 
 THIS VOLUME 
 
 is "WITH I:KVKKENCK DEDICATED.
 
 CONTEXTS. 
 
 Fn>ut ispicc< Eugniving Portrait of Mrs. Huchanan. 
 PREFACE. 
 
 PART I. INTRODUCTORY AM> I IlSTOKK A I.. 
 
 I'AOE 
 
 Introduction Ill 
 
 CIIAPTKU 1. 
 Original Sketch <if Psyehometry - - 1-J-CT 
 
 fHAPTKIl II. 
 Original Sketch continued 07 124 
 
 ( IIAPTKU III. 
 Later Developments - l _'.">- IT.~> 
 
 rllAPTKU IV. 
 Tlirl'sycliic Faculties their location, and iicculcntjil nianifentutiun, 170-212 
 
 PART IT. PUACTICAI. 1'Tii.rriK.s. 
 
 CHAPTER \. 
 Psychonu'try in Self Ciiltun 1 , C'onjiij, r al JU-lations and Hiisiiu -s> - 1 10 
 
 CIIAPTKK VI. 
 
 INyclioinotry in Mcdirul Scicuct- and < liok-t- of Physicians - .; ; M; 
 
 ( IIAPTKR VII. 
 
 Psychomctry in Politics ST lls 
 
 ClIAPTKlt VIII. 
 
 Psychomotry in Literature li! 141 
 
 <'IIAPTi:il IX. 
 Prophetic Intuition - 1 ;_' 104 
 
 PART III. THK NI.W J'HII.OSOIMIV AM> PKI.H.ION 
 
 ( IIAPTKIJ X. 
 
 Psychometry and Anthroiioloiry - - I :;i 
 
 CIIAPTKU XI. 
 Future Life and L< a<lers in Ki li.i<>n :;j Tt 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Prophecy of Cnzotte Frequency of Prevision -- I>estiny of th. 
 
 Your.-' ;."!)
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 This volume has been somewhat hastily prepared, to fulfil 
 the promise recently made to the public of a MANUAL OF PSY- 
 CHOMETHY a work to introduce the subject to the general 
 reader not an elaborate memoir for scientists, which need 
 not be offered until it is called for. 
 
 Public opinion on philosophic subjects is always shallow, 
 superficial, and erroneous, until the thought of the best 
 thinkers lias enlisted the co-operation of leading minds 
 In reference to Psychometry, the profound productions of 
 Prof. Denton have attracted far less attention than that 
 simple exhibition of Psychometry which is called " Mind 
 Reading," which I have never thought worthy of any special 
 cultivation, but which, as an exhibition, answers the purpose 
 of challenging skepticism, and giving to those who are pro- 
 foundly ignorant on this subject, facts which compel their 
 reluctant attention, and thus prepare them for scientific in- 
 novation. 
 
 When a full exposition shall be required, many volumes 
 will be necessary one for the medical profession, one for 
 hygienists, one for geologists, one for astronomers, one for 
 ethnologists, one for physiologists, one for historians, one 
 for pneumatologists, one for the devotees of religion and 
 duty, and ten for the students of Anthropology for all 
 these subjects are illuminated and developed by Psychometry. 
 
 1 cannot now promise that much of this will ever be writ- 
 ten by myself as it might have been ere this for my 
 life is too far advanced, and co-operation does not yet ap- 
 pear. Uut as Psychometry developes all these departments 
 of knowledge, these works must all be written. 
 
 As this volume contains the reports of many psychometric 
 experiments with Mrs. U., I would state in advance that all 
 such experiments which I report are as pure and true ait 
 illustration of Psychometry as possible an accurate report 
 of mental impressions as they arose, recorded as they were
 
 Preface. 
 
 spoken deliberately. The mind of the psychometer in my 
 experiments is always carefully guarded from all impressions 
 but those which come from an invisible source by contact, 
 without knowing what is the object or person to be described, 
 which must be carefully concealed to insure the purity of the 
 result. Questions are never of a leading character, being 
 only used to direct attention to the matters that need de- 
 scription. The reports are as careful and faithful as I 
 could possibly make them, but most of them are imperfect 
 illustrations of her psychometric intuition, given often when 
 fatigued by her daily duties. 
 
 The present volume is larger than I designed, but a great 
 deal of interesting and important matter has-been excluded 
 to keep it within the proposed limits. The investigations 
 of geology, paleontology, and astronomy have been omitted. 
 A second volume will be necessary to do justice to the in- 
 troduction of Psychometry the introduction, merely, for I 
 have but lifted a corner of the veil that hides incalculable 
 wealth of knowledge and wisdom. 
 
 BOSTON, 29 FORT AVENUK, JUNE 1, 1885. 
 
 P. S. A special volume, devoted to Pneumatology and 
 Religion will be required to illustrate the comparative views 
 of the world's religions, and the view of Biblical history and 
 religion sanctioned by Psychometric exploration a A'iew 
 which may dissipate much superstition, but will strengthen 
 our faiih in the past, while it refines and invigorates our 
 religious nature.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 PSYCHOMETRY FROM 1842 TO 1885. 
 
 THE question, " WHAT is PSYCHOMETRY? " was 
 happily answered in a poem from the pen of the 
 celebrated philanthropist and poet, the Rev. JOHN 
 PIERPOXT, which was delivered in August, 1850, at 
 the grand anniversary of Yale College, and spoken 
 of in the Tribune as the " Gem of the occasion." 
 J. M. S., a correspondent of the Cleveland Plain 
 Dealer, speaks of the occasion and poem as follows : 
 
 " The occasion was the meeting of the Alumni of Old Yale celebra- 
 ting her one hundred and fiftieth anniversary. By invitation from the 
 officers of the institution, he delivered a poem the subject was Pr- 
 ijress. After alluding to the various improvements of the day, light by 
 gas, printing, phonography, new modes of travel, telegraphs, daguerreo- 
 typing, etc., be touched upon this interesting subject alike unknown to 
 the fjreat and lf(irne>l ones of Old Yale (in sorrow I say it), a< to your 
 honorable self. There were songs sung, and speeches made Jiy various 
 distinguished individuals, during a sitting of not less than eight Inur-. 
 There were present from twelve to fifteen hundred Alumni reprrs- nt:i- 
 tives from classes which graduated in 1TTT to the year IsoO." 
 
 KXTRACT I-'KO.M IMKRI'ONTS 1'OKM. 
 
 But much, Daguerre, as has thy genius done 
 
 In educating thus Latona's son. 
 
 In thus educing, in the god of light 
 
 The power to paint so, at a single sight, 
 
 BtVHANAN has transcended thee, as far
 
 2 Introduction. 
 
 As the sun's face outshines the polar star. 
 
 Thine art can catch and keep what meets the eye- 
 
 His science, subjects that far deeper lie. 
 
 Thy skill shows up the face, the outward whole 
 
 His science measures and reveals the soul. 
 
 Thy subjects must be present his may be 
 
 Sunk in the depths of the mysterious sea ; 
 
 Their bodies may have mouldered into dust. 
 
 Their spirits long have mingled with the just 
 
 Made perfect : Yet if one has left behind 
 
 A written page, whereon the living mind 
 
 Has been pour'd out, through pencil, paint or pen, 
 
 That written page shall summon back again 
 
 The writer's spirit ; pressed upon the brow, 
 
 Or by the hand of many, living now : 
 
 It shall the writer's character disclose, 
 
 His powers, his weaknesses, his joys, his woes. 
 
 The manly air, the sycophantic smile, 
 
 The patriot's valor, and the traitor's wile, 
 
 The fire that glowed beneath the snows of age 
 
 As in the " Hero of the Hermitage," 
 
 When he exclaimed (methinks I hear him still), 
 
 " By the Eternal, I will not, or will ! " 
 
 All is revealed ! The prompting spirit threw 
 
 Itself upon the paper and the few 
 
 " Spirits that are finely touched to issues fine " 
 
 Will move the hand, thus touch'd, along the line, 
 
 And catch the soul that issues from it yet, 
 
 (As fishes taken in an evil net), 
 
 And the detecting spirit shall declare 
 
 " The form and pressure "' of the soul that's there, 
 
 With greater truth than e'er a Sybil sung,
 
 /// trodu ctio n . 3 
 
 And with as great as fell from prophet's tongue ! 
 Mysterious science I that has now displayed 
 " How fearfully and wonderfully made " 
 Is man, that even his touch can catch the mind, 
 That long has left material things behind ! 
 Fearful the thought, that when my clay is cold, 
 And the next Jubilee has o'er it rolled, 
 The very page, that I am tracing now, 
 With tardy lingers and a care-worn brow, 
 To other brows by other fingers prest, 
 Shall tell the world, not what I had been deem'd, 
 Nor what I passed for, nor what I had seem'd, 
 But what I -cas! Believe it, friends, or not, 
 To this high point of progress have we got, 
 We stamp ourselves on everv page we write ! 
 Sen'd you a note to China or the pole 
 Where'er the wind blows, or the waters roll 
 That note conveys the measure of your soul !" 
 
 The word Psychometry, coined in 1842 to express 
 the character of a new science and art, is the most 
 pregnant and important word that has been added to 
 the English language. 
 
 Coined from the Greek (psvc/ic, soul and inctron* 
 measure) it literally signifies soul-incastiring* being 
 analogous to the words, thermometry, barometry, 
 electrometry, and similar terms, which signify spec- 
 ial measurements. The thermometer measure's caloric 
 (thcrmoi temperature). The barometer measures 
 the weight (baro* weight) of the atmosphere: tin- 
 electrometer measures electric conditions : the psy- 
 chometer measures the soul (psyche).
 
 4 Introduction. 
 
 In the case of Psychometry, however, the measur- 
 ing assumes a new character, as the object measured 
 and the measuring instrument are the same psychic 
 element, and its measuring power is not limited to the 
 psychic as it was developed in the first experiments, 
 but has appeared by successive investigations to 
 manifest a wider and wider area of power, until it 
 became apparent that this psychic capacity was 
 really the measure of all things in the Universe. 
 Hence, Psychometry signifies not merely the measur- 
 ing of souls and soul capacities, or qualities by our 
 own psychic capacities, but the measurement and 
 judgment of all things conceivable by the human 
 mind ; and Psychometry means practically measur- 
 ing by the son/, or grasping and estimating all 
 things which are within the range of human intelli- 
 gence. Psychometry, therefore, is not merely an 
 instrumentality for measuring soul powers, but a 
 comprehensive agency like mathematics for the- 
 evolution of many departments of science. 
 
 As a science and philosophy, Psychometry shows 
 the nature, the scope, and the modus operand! of 
 those divine powers in man, and the anatomical 
 mechanism through which they are manifested ; 
 while as an art it shows the method of utilizing these 
 psychic faculties in the investigation of character, 
 disease, physiology, biography, history, paleon- 
 tology, philosophy, anthropology, medicine, geology, 
 astronomy, theology and supernal life and destiny. 
 Granting, as this volume will show, that Psychometry 
 gives us the command of all these sciences, it is 
 apparent that the introduction of Psychometry must
 
 Introduction. 5 
 
 prove the dawn of a new era in science, philosophy 
 
 and social. progress, more important as to human en- 
 lightenment and elevation than all the arts and 
 sciences heretofore known to the skilful and learned : 
 for if all libraries, manufactories, and repositories of 
 the arts in the world at present were suddenly des- 
 troyed by tire, leaving only in human minds a full 
 knowledge of Psychometry, all might be restored in 
 one generation, and far nobler institutions of learning, 
 of practical art, of social order and of religion would 
 arise from the ashes, purified and relieved from a 
 vast amount of falsehood an inheritance from ancient 
 ignorance. 
 
 I am perfectly aware that such assertions mav 
 appear extravagant, even to those who have some 
 knowledge of the ordinary applications and powers of 
 Psychometry, and will appear to many of the 
 educated, or rather miseducated classes as insane as 
 once did the doctrine of the rotundity of the earth and 
 the existence of men at the antipodes with heads 
 hanging downwards from us ; and according to the 
 usual policy of those who seek popularity and repu- 
 tation, such assertions should be reserved for the end 
 of the volume, to be read only after the scientific 
 methods and practical success of Psychometry have 
 been made familiar. I prefer however to state 
 at once frankly the true scope and power of Psy- 
 chometry. and if any reader be repelled by my 
 frankness it is well that he should be repelled, for he 
 who cannot tolerate a novelty in science cannot do it 
 justice, and I desire none but candid, truth-loving 
 readers.
 
 6 Introduction. 
 
 Only to the patient students of Psychometry and 
 explorers of psychic mysteries will my statement 
 appear as it is a too concise statement of the grand 
 results of psychic investigations, which not only make 
 scientific mysteries translucent, but change the mys- 
 tic dreamland between two worlds into a realm of 
 luminous reality for man, the influence of which will 
 work a far greater and speedier change in the des- 
 tiny of the human race than the discovery of Amer- 
 ica, or any revelation which science has hitherto 
 made. 
 
 I address these assertions to the most enlightened 
 of today, and to my friends of the twentieth century 
 who will know how to appreciate them ; for I cannot 
 expect to see Psychometry enthroned in the Univer- 
 sities until at least two generations shall have succes- 
 sively carried down to the tomb the falsities in which 
 they have been educated. 
 
 For more than forty years I have been before the 
 public as a teacher of new truths, and more than a 
 thousand pupils have entered the medical profession 
 under my professional teaching (many of whom, like 
 most of my cotem'poraries and colleagues, have passed 
 on to a higher life), and during all this time there lias 
 been no hostile verdict upon the sciences which I have 
 presented publicly, ever courting investigation by the 
 learned : on the contrary every report of investigating 
 committees has been a satisfactory endorsement of the 
 sciences presented, and the Science of Psychometry 
 has not only been endorsed by all who have become 
 familiar with it, but is widely established in practical 
 utility by psychometers who give descriptions of char-
 
 Introduction. 7 
 
 acter, and by physicians in the diagnosis of disease 
 among present or absent patients. 
 
 Hence I can speak of Psychometry as an introduced 
 and established science. Establishment in the phil- 
 osophic sense does not consist in currency among the 
 multitude it does not consist in a favorable verdict 
 from public opinion, which as Douglas Jerrold once 
 said, is but " the average stupidity of mankind," and 
 which is always steadily and persistently opposed to 
 great and revolutionary discoveries. Establishment 
 consists in the favorable verdict of the competent, 
 as ownership depends on the acknowledged deed from 
 the donor. The competent alone can establish, and 
 the court of the competent is so harmonious with 
 itself in science, that the verdict of the first score 
 whom we meet is virtually the verdict of the thousands 
 and the millions who succeed. The court of the com- 
 petent consists of those who honestly love the truth, 
 and who with earnest zeal either devote themselves to 
 its search or hold themselves ready to give it a wel- 
 come , and who with sound judgment make a fair and 
 full investigation ; all such in matters of demon- 
 strable science come to a substantial agreement, am* 
 their first verdict is as conclusive as the last. The 
 sagacious listen and respect it, but the multitude 
 (learned and unlearned alike) look not to the compe- 
 tency of the court but to its personal rank, social in- 
 fluence, and numerical strength. 
 
 To the suggestion that the court of the competent 
 is nearly unanimous in reference to demonstrable sci- 
 ence, I must add that Psychometry greatly enlarges 
 
 *> w O > 
 
 the amount of the demonstrable by removing from the
 
 8 Introduction . 
 
 sphere of speculation and debate many subjects here- 
 tofore beyond the reach of positive scientific methods. 
 
 It is over forty-two years since the discovery and 
 public demonstration of the science and art of Psy~ 
 chometry. Todav it is widely known the practice 
 of Psychometry is an honorable and useful profession. 
 Competent psychometers describe the mental and vital 
 peculiarities of those who visit or write to them, and 
 create astonishment and delight by the fidelity and 
 fullness of the descriptions which they send to persons 
 unknown, at vast distances. They give a minute 
 analysis of character and revelation of particulars 
 known only to the one described, pointing out with 
 parental delicacy and tenderness, the defects which 
 need correction, or in the perverse and depraved they 
 explain what egotism would deny, but what society 
 recognizes. 
 
 In physiology, pathology, and hygiene, Psychome- 
 try is as wise and parental as in matters of character 
 and ethics. A competent psychometer appreciates the 
 vital forces, the temperament, the peculiarities, and 
 every departure from the normal state, realizing the 
 diseased condition with an accuracy in which external 
 scientific diagnosis often fails. In fact the natural 
 psychometer is born with a genius for the healing art, 
 and if the practice of medicine were limited to those 
 who possess this power in an eminent degree, its pro- 
 gress would be rapid and its disgraceful failures and 
 blunders would no longer be heard of. 
 
 But while Psychometry is thus gradually winning 
 its place as our guide and leader in medicine, in 
 education and self-culture, and has excited so lively
 
 Introduction. 9 
 
 an interest that a newspaper has been devoted to this 
 subject, no complete and systematic exposition of the 
 science is before the public. Its only exposition has 
 been by essays in the 'Journal of Alan thirty years 
 ago, by chapters in my System of Anthropology, of 
 which no new edition has been issued since 1854, anf l 
 by the "Soul of Things " in three volumes, from 
 Wm. Denton, the eminent geologist, a book of mar- 
 velous interest and originality, developing the highest 
 phases of Psychometry in the exploration of history, 
 paleontology and astronomy, far beyond the utter- 
 most limits of previous scientific investigation. His 
 able and interesting work has not had the circulation 
 it deserves, because it is too far in advance of the 
 age, presenting the grandest results of Psychometry 
 to a public not yet acquainted with the science. 
 
 The present work lias long been called for by those 
 who have learned of my discoveries, and if Psychom- 
 etry has even the tenth part of the scientific interest, 
 the practical value and the power of advancing 
 scientific civilization, and elevating the condition of 
 all humanity which is believed by those who are well 
 acquainted with it, it is the duty of every philan- 
 thropist to call attention to this work and promote its 
 diffusion. 
 
 But what is Psychometry (which means literally 
 soul - measuring), what the process, the modus 
 operand! and the results? 
 
 This question will be- fully answered by a sketch 
 of the investigations and experiments which have 
 developed the science, but it mav be briefly answered 
 now, that Psychometry is the development and
 
 i o In tro du ctio n . 
 
 exercise of the divine faculties in man, a demon- 
 stration of the old conception of poetry and mystic 
 philosophy as to the Divine interior of the human 
 soul, and the marvelous approximation of man toward 
 omniscience. It is moreover a demonstration of the 
 normal dignity of human nature, showing in all 
 humanity neglected and often nearly extinct powers, 
 which have heretofore been deemed utterly incredi- 
 ble, or if credible at all, only as a miracle from 
 Heaven, or as rare, anomalous, mysterious and 
 inexplicable facts, belonging to some abnormal phase 
 of life, or else the hallucination of the visionary, if 
 not the illusion of the dupe. 
 
 The dark underworld of intellect in which we find 
 the responses of oracles, the revelations of magnetic 
 somnambules, the prophecies of the saints, the fore- 
 casts of the fortune teller, the mysterious presenti- 
 ments and sudden impressions by which many are 
 guided, the warnings of death, calamity or accident, 
 and the mysterious influences attached to places, 
 apartments, amulets and souvenirs, is illuminated by 
 the light of psychometric science, and its phenomena 
 made entirely intelligible ; for Psychometry demon- 
 strates in man, and explains the mechanism of those 
 transcendent powers which have heretofore defied 
 the comprehension of philosophy, and have been 
 regarded with defiant hostility by materialistic culti- 
 vators of mere physical science, while they have 
 been welcomed by poetry, religion and the deepest 
 emotions which ally man to heaven. In studying 
 Psychometry, mystery disappears, and the most 
 cautious inquirer in vital science will feel that he is
 
 Introduction. n 
 
 treading on safe and solid ground. That he should 
 enjoy this feeling of certainty and security he should 
 be introduced to the science by the successive steps 
 of its original development, and therefore I would 
 take the reader back forty-three years to my first 
 experiments, showing how Psychometry was evolved 
 
 FORTY-THREE YEARS AGO. 
 
 The following sketch of Psychometry appeared in 
 BUCHANAN'S JOURNAL OF MAN (published at Cincin- 
 nati), in 1849. It is so fair and complete a presenta- 
 tion of the subject as then developed, that I prefer to 
 republish it without change and follow it by such 
 further discussions and expositions as are suggested 
 by more recent investigations.
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ORIGINAL SKETCH OF PSYCHOMETRY. 
 (From Buchanan's Journal of Man, Cincinnati.) 
 
 First discovery in New York Introductory remarks Such investiga- 
 tions must develop the wonderful Sensibilities discovered in Bishop 
 Polk Found tilso in others- Testing through the lingers Number 
 capable of such experiments Electric transmission of influence 
 Mode of experimenting on medicines Experiments on medical class 
 and professors Influences felt from human beings Influences 
 transmitted from the brain First autographic experiment with In- 
 man Its wonderful accuracy Methods of beginning experiments 
 Inferences from the experiments as to the laws of mind and matter 
 Principles of psychological chemistry Value of Psychometry De- 
 scription of psychometric experiments Experiments with Rev. Mr. 
 Kent Description of Gen. Jackson Appeal from the old to the 
 young Difference of individuals as to psychometric impressions 
 The achromatic mind not common Illustrations of variety Extreme 
 physical sympathy with the writer Psychometric diagnosis of Dis- 
 ease Six applications of Psychometry Accuracy of psychometric 
 portraiture Experiments of Chancellor Scott Description of Lafay- 
 ette Description of Webster Of Miss Martineau. 
 
 IN the autumn of 1842, in the city of New York, I 
 had the pleasure of ascertaining and proving, by ex- 
 periment, the existence of a wonderful power in the 
 constitution of man, the discovery and use of which at 
 once opens before us a wide realm of knowledge. In 
 that single discovery lay the germ of a science of lofty 
 pretensions, and so wonderful in its facts as to be diffi- 
 cult of belief, if not utterly incredible, to the greater 
 portion of our scientific men. Yet, high as its preten- 
 sions are, they are demonstrable in the most rigid
 
 Original Sketch. 13 
 
 manner, and, incredulous as the public may be, it 
 cannot be long ere the truth of my assertions shall be 
 familiarly known in Europe and America. 
 
 I have made but little effort to bring this matter be- 
 fore the public. Wonderful as it is, and well adapted 
 to exciting an intense interest, I have quietly prose- 
 cuted my experiments for the last six years without 
 endeavoring to arouse the public mind to a conscious- 
 ness of those sublime and beautiful truths which the 
 investigation of the human constitution has developed. 
 While thus feasting upon the richest intellectual ban- 
 quet which nature offers in any department of her vast 
 existence, I have naturally felt an earnest desire to 
 call in the wise and good, from every quarter, to par- 
 ticipate in the feast of knowledge. But, until the pres- 
 ent time, there lias been no suitable medium through 
 which to address the public. I could not expect, by 
 the mere weight of my own assertion, to make a deep 
 impression upon the public mind, and I had good rea- 
 son to suppose, that when my discovery of the im- 
 pressibility of the human brain had already marshalled 
 against me the universal spirit of skepticism, and was 
 but beginning to receive justice from a few, the pro- 
 mulgation of anv additional wonders, still more incred- 
 ible, would have done much to overshadow, with still 
 darker clouds of disbelief, tin- dawn of true neurologi- 
 cal science. 
 
 Unwilling, therefore, to tax too heavily the public 
 credulity at that time, I have waited for the gradual 
 establishment of my cardinal proposition, in reference 
 to the human brain, before presenting an essay upon 
 Psychomctry. The six years which have elapsed
 
 14 Original Sketch. 
 
 since the discovery, have produced a marked change 
 in public opinion a prevalence of more liberal views 
 a willingness to receive from nature newer and pro- 
 founder truths, and a conviction that experiments 
 upon the human brain are not entirely deceptive or 
 fanciful. 
 
 In this more favorable condition of the public mind, 
 I would submit a frank and unreserved narrative of 
 my experimental inquiries. This may be done with 
 greater ease and pleasure, on account of the fact that 
 I am now addressing a circle of readers comprising 
 many of the most liberal and philosophical class, many 
 who appreciate justly the science of Anthropolgy, who 
 look with deep interest upon its recent developments, 
 and who wish to sustain a journal devoted to progress 
 in this most interesting of all sciences. 
 
 With this apologv for an apparently dilatory course, 
 I would proceed by asking for my narrative, a candid 
 and patient attention. It is not to announce a theory, 
 that I write, nor to dogmatize in reference to any mat- 
 ter of opinion but to present the facts which I have 
 witnessed, and the inferences to which they most ob- 
 viously lead. If I be but recognized as a fair, candid 
 and careful reporter of the facts, I willingly yield to 
 every one the privilege of reasoning upon the facts 
 according to his own philosophy, and drawing the 
 inferences which they suggest to his own mind. I 
 would but ask that my personal testimony be allowed 
 its proper force as a sincere statement, and that the 
 questions involved be not slurred over in any indefi- 
 nite manner by the reader, but firmly and frankly met 
 and examined.
 
 Original Sketch. 15 
 
 I think it but just to demand upon this subject a 
 more liberal and expansive mode of thought than is 
 usually demanded by the teacher of physical science. 
 The mind of man is so wonderful and mysterious in 
 its action and in its whole existence is so widely 
 separated, in its nature and in its phenomena, from 
 the ponderable material world, that he who brings to 
 this subject the rigid material spirit of chemistry and 
 mechanical philosophy, will find himself unable either 
 to perceive its phenomena or to detect their causes. 
 Every moment of conscious thought presents a grandly 
 beautiful mystery, for the explanation of which we 
 must be utterly incompetent, unless we can rise to the 
 dignity of the subject and deal familiarly with facts and 
 laws as wonderful as the mystery which they solve. 
 
 He who expects to solve the mysteries of mind, 
 without encountering any unusual or extraordinary 
 facts who thinks that psychology should present 
 nothing more profound or strange than material phil- 
 osophy, and who is determined to resist every fact or 
 principle which is essentiallv new and wonderful, may 
 be very respectable as a man of science and learning, 
 but he cannot possibly do much for the advancement 
 of psychology. We should bear in mind, that all the 
 co-operations and correlations of mind and matter, 
 are intrinsicallv wonderful, but are governed by defi- 
 nite laws, and that these laws, when discovered, must 
 seem, at first, no less wonderful and mysterious than 
 the nature of mind itself. If, then, any fact which I 
 may state should, at the first glance, appear incredi- 
 ble, the liberal reader will bear in mind, that a certain 
 wondrous strangeness is inherent in the very nature of
 
 1 6 Original Sketch. 
 
 the subject, and that it cannot be possible to arrive at 
 any explanation of the relations between mind and 
 matter, which does not involve principles and facts 
 essentially new. 
 
 My investigations of the nervous system of man for 
 the last twelve years, have clearly shown that its 
 capacities are far more extensive, varied and interest- 
 ing, than physiologists or philosophers have been 
 willing to acknowledge. We find in the nervous 
 system the vast aggregate of powers which constitute 
 the vitality of man, existing in intimate connection 
 with the vast and wonderful powers of his mind. 
 Those faculties which, in an instant, grasp the re- 
 motest objects of landscape which fly, in an instant, 
 to the remotest periods of time, and which are ever 
 reaching forth, as if seeking to become commensurate 
 with the universe are still, with all their buoyancy 
 and power, bound to the fibres, tubes, and fluids of 
 the nervous system, by which the}' instantaneously 
 operate throughout the body. Is it rational to sup- 
 pose that this nervous matter, which is thus so 
 intimately correlated with mind, and upon which 
 mind depends for the manifestation of its powers, 
 should be entirely limited to the narrow sphere to 
 which it has been assigned bv physiologists? that 
 it should be so intimately connected with the great 
 eternal miracle, our spiritual existence, and yet be 
 so incapable itself of rising above the humble grade 
 of the ordinary operations of vitalized matter? 
 
 In truth, if we glance at the subtle phenomena of 
 the nervous matter of our constitution, we must at 
 once perceive how inadequate are the common con-
 
 Original Sketch. 17 
 
 ceptions of the nervous system. About nine years 
 since, in conversation with Bishop Polk,* of the 
 Episcopal Church, he informed me that his own 
 sensibility was so acute, that if he should, by accident, 
 touch a piece of brass, even in the night, when he 
 could not see what he touched, he immediately felt 
 the influence through his system, and could recognize 
 the offensive metallic taste. His cerebral conforma- 
 tion indicated uncommon acuteness of the external 
 senses ; and when I mentioned his peculiar develop- 
 ment, he gave the above statement as an illustration 
 of its truth. 
 
 The discovery of such sensibilities in one so 
 vigorous, both in mind and body, led me to suppose 
 that they might be found in many others. Accord- 
 ingly, in the neurological experiments which I soon 
 afterward commenced, I was accustomed to place 
 metals of different kinds in the hands of persons of 
 acute sensibility, for the purpose of ascertaining 
 whether they could feel any peculiar influence, recog- 
 nize any peculiar taste, or appreciate the difference of 
 metals, by any impression upon their own sensitive 
 nerves. 
 
 In these experiments it soon appeared that the 
 power was quite common, that there were manv who 
 could determine by touching a piece of metal, or by 
 holding it in their hands, what the metal was as 
 they recognized a peculiar influence proceeding from 
 it, which in a few moments gave them a distinct 
 taste in the mouth. But this power was not confined 
 
 * Bishop I'olk afterwards Ix-cainc :i ircneral in I lie Conlrtlrratr army, am! 
 lost liis life in the war.
 
 1 8 Original Sketch. 
 
 in its operation to metallic substances. Every sub- 
 stance possessing a decided taste appeared to be 
 capable of transmitting its influence into the system, 
 and of being recognized by its taste. Sugar, salt, 
 pepper, acids, and other substances of a decided 
 taste, made so distinct an impression that each 
 could be recognized and named by many of those 
 upon whom the experiment was performed. It did 
 not appear that the sense of taste was translated to 
 the fingers, or changed any of its known laws, but it 
 did appear that contact of the sapid substance with the 
 papillag of the tongue was by no means necessary. 
 
 The peculiar influence of the substance touched or 
 held in the hand by sensitive persons, appeared to 
 affect the hand locally, and thence to be transmitted 
 gradually along the arm, recognized by some 
 peculiar sensation as it passed, and producing no 
 other effects until it reached the chest or the head. 
 In the head it produced its impression upon the brain 
 and nerves-j and if possessed of sapid qualities, was 
 recognized by their characteristic impression upon 
 the tongue and fauces. The sweetness of sugar, the 
 pungency of pepper, and all' the peculiarities of other 
 tastes were recognized, as if the same substances, 
 instead of being held in the hands, had been gradually, 
 in small quantities, introduced into the mouth. 
 
 (It is perhaps necessary for me to state that 
 these experiments were entirely independent of any 
 mesmeric process, and consisted simply of what I 
 have stated. The public mind has been so accus- 
 tomed to the processes of mesmeric operators, that 
 unless a special disclaimer is made, it may be sup-
 
 Original Sketch. 19 
 
 posed that such experiments were made upon mes- 
 meric or somnambulic patients, prepared by a 
 magnetizing process. ) 
 
 The number of individuals who could exercise the 
 acute sensibility and taste which I have described, 
 appeared to be variable in different localities, being 
 greater in warm climates than in cold. In some 
 places one-fourth, or even one-half of the whole 
 population appeared to be capable of displaying this 
 new power of the nervous system. In other places 
 not more than one in ten or fifteen could display it 
 distinctly. Mental cultivation and refinement, acute 
 sensibility, delicacy of constitution, a nervo-san- 
 guineous temperament, and a general predominance 
 of the moral and intellectual organs, constituted the 
 most favorable conditions for its exercise. 
 
 I need not here discuss the rationale of these 
 phenomena. 4 It may be supposed that an impression 
 made upon the nerves of the hand, is propagated by 
 contiguous or continuous sympathy to the head, or 
 that some imponderable agent, proceeding from, or 
 through, the sapid substances, conveyed their in- 
 fluence into the body. In behalf of the latter su<r- 
 
 9f 
 
 gestion it may be remarked, that when I placed my 
 hand or lingers in contact with the substance, its in- 
 fluence appeared to pass more promptly and effec- 
 tually than when it was left to its own power. This 
 I attributed to the passage of nervous influence, or 
 nervaura, from my own constitution, through tin- 
 substance. 
 
 I have since proved, by experiment, that a gal- 
 vanic or electric current, passing through a medicinal
 
 2O Original Sketch. 
 
 substance, will transmit its influence into the con- 
 stitution which receives the current. 
 
 Indeed, the influences which are transmitted by 
 mere contact, are not limited to an impression upon 
 the sense of taste, but convey the entire medicinal 
 power. In the first number of this Journal, the 
 reader will recollect that my experiments in New 
 York were reported by a scientific committee of dis- 
 tinguished gentlemen, and among those experiments 
 were several upon medicinal substances. These 
 substances manifested their full effects upon the 
 constitution of the lad}' upon whom the experiments 
 were tried, by holding them in her hand. 
 
 It would readily occur to the reader that in such 
 experiments, an excitable imagination might produce 
 important effects and materially modify the results. 
 The desire to guard against any such delusions led me 
 to adopt precautions to prevent the individuals experi- 
 mented upon from knowing the name or nature of the 
 medicine used. It was either concealed from their 
 sight or so enveloped in paper as to be invisible, and 
 thus the experiment was generally made in such a 
 manner, that any play of imagination would have been 
 immediately detected. Sometimes, as in the experi- 
 ments at New York, the medicine was unknown to all 
 present until the close of the experiment. 
 
 It was thus fully established that a large portion of 
 the human race may be affected by medicinal sub- 
 stances, even without immediate eontaet a iact which 
 I now consider as well settled and familiar as any 
 other in medical science so much so as to become a 
 necessary subject of medical instruction ; and in every
 
 Original Sketch. 21 
 
 course of lectures which I deliver to the medical class 
 in the Institute, I state these principles and accompany 
 them by immediate demonstration upon the members 
 of the class. Medicinal substances, enveloped in paper, 
 are distributed among the members of the class, who 
 hold them in their hands, while sitting at ease, list- 
 ening to the lecture and waiting for the effect. It 
 frequently happens that when a vigorous emetic, ca- 
 thartic, or stimulant, is distributed in this manner, its 
 impression will be so distinctly recognized by some of 
 the members of the class, as to enable them to name- 
 it correctly, if they have ever before experienced its 
 operation as a medicine. 
 
 During the present session of the Institute the usual 
 experiment has been made, and the following mem- 
 bers, out of a class of about one hundred and thirty, 
 have experienced decided medicinal impressions by 
 holding in their hands different medicinal substances, 
 principally emetics and cathartics. 
 
 " CINCINNATI, January, 1849. 
 
 ' k We, the undersigned, members of the medical 
 class of the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, 
 have, at the suggestion of Prof. BUCHANAN, per- 
 formed the experime it of holding in our hands, lor 
 a short time (generally from live to twenty minutes), 
 various medicines, enveloped in paper, so as to be 
 unknown to ourselves, except bv their medicinal 
 effects ; and we are convinced that in these experi- 
 ments, distinct effects were produced upon us strictly 
 similar to those which would be produced by the
 
 22 Original Sketch. 
 
 action of the same medicines administered in the 
 ordinary method. 
 
 Wm. Owens, Jason Holloway, Wm. W. Hadley, 
 J.Pitts, A.Bauer, J. S. M. Hawkins, 
 
 Jas. G. Hunt, Jas. Milot, Benj. F. Radcliff, 
 
 Edward Walker, Geo. Black, Wm. Webster, 
 
 N.L.Northington,Benj. F. White, A. Hildreth, 
 J.B. Allensworth,Thos. H.Walters, S. F. Conklin, 
 O. D. Brooks, W. J.-Wann, D. A. Austin, 
 D. Porter Wooster,C. W. Arnold, Wm. H. Jones, 
 Franklin Talbott, E. J. Martin, Thos. Robinson, 
 Alfred Shepherd, T. M. Cobb, E. McKenzie, 
 R. S. Finley, A. C. Overton, Jos. Short, 
 M. T. Perrine, D. A. McCord, H.M. Chatterton, 
 A. R. Brown, J. F. Baker, J. B. Jones, 
 Edwin A. Lodge, J. T. Hance, C. H. Spining, 
 W. H. Shepherd." 
 
 The distinct effects alluded to were such, that in 
 several instances, when an emetic (lobelia) was the 
 subject of the experiment, the individual was able to 
 avoid vomiting only by suspending the experiment. 
 
 The forty-three gentlemen who thus testify to the 
 effects of the experiments upon themselves, constitute 
 nearly one-half of all who actually tried the experi- 
 ment on this occasion. I have no doubt that if the 
 experiment had been carefully tried upon all of the 
 class, at least sixty-five would have felt its influence. 
 There are many physicians in our country who 
 possess this impressibility in a high degree, several 
 of whom are professors in medical colleges. Dr. B-
 
 Original Sketch. 23 
 
 L. Hill, Professor of Anatomy and Operative Surgery 
 in the Institute, authorizes me to mention him as one 
 of those who have experienced the most distinct and 
 perfect impressions in this manner.* 
 
 There is an analogy to these experiments, in the 
 well known fact, that medicines placed in contact 
 with the skin, especially upon the epigastrium, are 
 capable of producing their usual influence upon the 
 individual. But it has always been supposed that 
 in these cases a partial absorption occurred, and the 
 medicine was thus brought into actual contact with 
 the nerves. Now, on the other hand, it is demon- 
 strated that no such absorption^or contact is necessary, 
 and that the interposition of paper between the 
 medicinal substance and the hand, or cuticle, does 
 not prevent the physiological impression. 
 
 It may, therefore, be recognized as a law of the 
 nervous system, that it is capable of being affected 
 by the subtle influences which emanate from adjacent 
 objects. Influenced bv this consideration, I supposed 
 it probable that those who possessed this acute sensi- 
 bility would be distinctly affected by contact with 
 living beings, and would be able thus to appreciate 
 the influence proceeding from the living nervous 
 action. 
 
 This conjecture was soon verified bv experiment. 
 I found that all persons of an impressible constitution 
 were sensibly affected by placing the hand in contact 
 
 * Tlio psychometric capacity was distinctly manifested by four other 
 medical professors of the Institute: I'rof. W. Sherwood. Prof. I>. 
 Vaiij.'h:m. I'rof. II. F. (iutchell. I'rof. John Kimr. all well known a> able 
 orient itic writers.
 
 24 Original Sketch. 
 
 with the heads or bodies of other persons. The 
 effect might not be so prompt or forcible as to arrest 
 their attention under ordinary circumstances, yet, by 
 sitting still and concentrating their attention upon the 
 experiment for a few minutes, a decided effect was 
 experienced. In this manner, by placing the hand 
 upon the epigastrium of a patient laboring under any 
 disease, a morbid impression would be experienced, 
 corresponding to the character of his case. For the 
 last three or four years, I have myself become so 
 sensitive to morbific impressions, that I cannot be in 
 contact with a patient even for a few minutes, without 
 being injuriously affected. 
 
 When impressible persons thus come in contact 
 with those who are in sound health, by placing the 
 hand upon the different portions of the head or body, 
 they experience, at each point, a distinct effect cor- 
 responding to the peculiar vital functions of the part. 
 By holding the hand upon the forehead, the seat of 
 the intellectual organs, they experience an increased 
 mental activity. By holding the hand upon the 
 superior portion of the head, they experience a 
 pleasant and soothing influence, peculiar to the 
 moral organs. Upon each locality of the head, the 
 influence of the subjacent organ may be recognized 
 and although the impression is generally of but 
 moderate force or distinctness, those who have a hi^h 
 
 ~ 
 
 degree of susceptibility may realize the exa6t charac- 
 ter of the organ touched, and describe not only its 
 general tendency, but its particular action and 
 strength in the individual who is examined. 
 
 In short, it may be stated, that any person of a
 
 Original Sketch. 25 
 
 highlv impressible temperament, who will cultivate 
 his faculties for such investigations, may learn to 
 place his hands upon the different portions of the 
 head, to recognize and describe the action of the 
 various organs, and to estimate their relative strength 
 bv the impressions which he receives from contact. 
 
 Having thus ascertained that one of impressible 
 constitution could easily diagnosticate the action of 
 the living brain by means of contact, I found that 
 actual contact was not indispensable, but that holding 
 the hand in close proximity to the head, would 
 answer the same purpose, though in a far more 
 imperfect manner. By holding a metallic conductor 
 in contact with the different localities of the head, 
 the influence of each organ appeared to be transmit- 
 ted almost as well as by direct contact of the finger. 
 Thus I have employed impressible persons for several 
 hours, in investigating the action of the brain in dif- 
 ferent persons ascertaining the positions of organs, 
 describing their functions, and estimating their com- 
 parative strength. A pencil-case, or any other 
 convenient metallic in.strument, would be applied to 
 the various points upon the surface of the head, and 
 thus a psychological survey would be accomplished, 
 of incredible minuteness and accuracy. After several 
 months had been occupied in this manner, ascertain- 
 ing the exact functions of the brain in its different 
 portions, I was tempted to take a step further in 
 advance. 
 
 It seemed probable that if the psychological influ- 
 ence of the brain could be transmitted through a 
 suitable conducting medium, it might also be impart-
 
 26 Original Sketch. 
 
 ed to objects in proximity to it, and retained by 
 them, so as to be subsequently recognized by one of 
 impressible constitution. Without relating the expe- 
 riments which established this proposition, I would 
 proceed at once to the most wonderful experiment of 
 all. 
 
 To proceed with my narrative : It was in the latter 
 part of '42 that I made the experiment which I would 
 narrate now not merely to appeal to the reader's 
 faith, but to give him an example for his own experi- 
 mental inquiries. I had clearly ascertained in a young 
 gentleman,* with whom I had made many experi- 
 ments, the existence of extraordinary acuteness of sen- 
 sibility. In a moment's contact with the head of any 
 individual he would discover his entire character by 
 the sympathetic impression. Reasoning, which I need 
 not now repeat, had convinced me that he possessed 
 the power of recognizing a mental influence in any 
 autograph that he might touch. I was sitting with my 
 young friend in an apartment in the Astor House, 
 when I resolved to test his powers. I proceeded to 
 my trunk and took forth four letters written by indi- 
 viduals of strongly marked and peculiar characters. 
 I placed them successively in his hands and requested 
 him to watch the mental impressions to which they 
 gave rise in his mind, and report his conceptions of 
 the characters of the writers. He did so, and his de- 
 scriptions surpassed my anticipations. He entered 
 into the spirit of each character as familiarly as if he 
 had been in contact with the individual, and described 
 not only his intellect and his principles of action, but 
 
 * C'liiirlcs Imiiaii.
 
 Original Sketch. 27 
 
 even his personal appearance and physical constitu- 
 tion. He knew not of whom he was speaking he 
 did not even know what letters I had placed in his 
 hands yet I can say, without exaggeration, that his 
 description would not have been more correct if he 
 had described the individuals from familiar personal 
 knowledge ! 
 
 Does this statement, kind reader, appear utterly in- 
 credible? I have repeated such experiments more 
 than a thousand times with similar results, and could 
 adduce the testimony of thousands who have been the 
 witnesses or the subjects of such experiments. If 
 human testimony can establish any proposition, it is 
 sufficiently strong upon this subject. But it is my 
 principal object to induce you to perform similar ex- 
 periments yourself, and thus remove every vestige of 
 doubt from your mind. My narrative ma}' be wonder- 
 ful, but you will soon find that you have yourself sim- 
 ilar wonders to relate, and will even arrive at some 
 results more wonderful than any communicated by 
 this essay, if you persevere in your experiments. 
 
 The description of the four individuals just men- 
 tioned, was given almost immediately on taking hold 
 of the letters. It was not (like a description based 
 upon physical clairvoyance) a sketch of their external 
 appearance, and an inference of their characters it 
 was a sympathetic impression of their minds, describ- 
 ing them from the interior and proceeding forth from 
 their own consciousness to 'their external relations and 
 their physical development. So thoroughly did he 
 sympathize with their views and feelings, he not only 
 appreciated their position in relation to society, but
 
 28 Original Sketch. 
 
 even discovered their sentiments in reference to each 
 other, and discovered that, between two of the individ- 
 uals especially, there was an irreconcilable antagon- 
 ism. So keenly did he feel their mutual hostility, 
 that, after a time, he requested the suspension of the 
 experiment, as it was disagreeable to him to enter into 
 their contentions and realize their unpleasant feelings. 
 As he recognized the feud, which really existed, so 
 correctly (for the gentlemen in question had been 
 once associated together, but were at that time in open 
 hostility), I asked him what would be the effect of 
 their collision, and which of the parties would be most 
 successful if any contest should occur between them ? 
 " This one," said he, holding the letter of the stronger 
 man, "would crush the other." Such was the fact. 
 They were distinguished medical men, and the one 
 whose superiority he had so emphatically recognized, 
 had, in fact, by superior talent and force of character, 
 defeated and crushed the other in a well known public 
 contest.* 
 
 Another of the letters he recognized as that of a 
 man of great mental and physical power. lie was 
 one whom I intimately knew who was as eminent 
 in talent, eloquence and virtue, as in political rank. 
 To obtain the most critical test possible, I requested 
 mv friend to state what he thought would be the prob- 
 able result of a collision between these two eminent 
 gentlemen of different professions. This he declined 
 doing, saying that he did not believe any collision 
 
 * Procuring his removal from the chair of surgery. Dr. .). H. Flint \vai 
 the Hiirjfoon. Dr. Charles Caklwell the founder of the collesre (at Louisville) 
 his opponent.
 
 Original Sketch. 29 
 
 would take place between them. I insisted that he 
 should give his opinion of the probable result of such 
 an event, if it should occur. He still objected, remark- 
 ing that they would both be very reluctant to come 
 into any collision with each other, and would maintain 
 dignified and courteous relations. This I knew to be 
 true, as I had been frequently struck with the grace, 
 the dignity and the courtesy, with which they met 
 each other on all occasions. But as I insisted upon a 
 description of the probable results of a collision be- 
 tween them, he at length pronounced the opinion, that 
 if any collision should occur, it would go no further 
 than this that the eloquent statesman might give a 
 gentle rebuke, or check, to the other individual, by 
 which he might slightly wound or humble his pride. 
 This was a true statement of an occurrence which had 
 actually taken place ! And the only instance in which 
 any approach to a collision between these eminent 
 gentlemen had ever occurred. Delicacy forbids my 
 alluding to these personal matters in fuller detail. Suf- 
 fice it to say, that in this first psychometric experi- 
 ment of the kind, I was fully satisfied that, by this 
 process, we might obtain a mental dagncrrcotvpc ot 
 anv one whose autograph we obtain, as perfect as the 
 physical daguerreotype of the features, obtained by 
 the agency of solar light. 
 
 In the next number I shall proceed with the narra- 
 tive of my experiments upon autographs from the first 
 experimental trials to the recent investigation of the 
 characters of our presidential candidates, Gen. Tay- 
 lor, Gen. Cass, Martin Van Buren and Gerritt Smith. 
 Before that number is published I would earnestly
 
 3O Original Sketch. 
 
 request that each reader of the Journal should make a 
 series of these experiments himself, that he may fully 
 realize their character and fairly appreciate their 
 value. To do this, select an impressible individual, 
 according to the method presented under the head of 
 " Interesting Experiments" (in the January number), 
 by ascertaining whether he is susceptible of attraction. 
 When you have found an individual who is evidently 
 attracted by placing your hand near his forehead 
 while he is standing erect, request him to take his 
 seat and bring his intellectual powers to bear upon a 
 new experiment. If you are not perfectly certain of 
 his possessing the highest degree of impressibility, 
 commence with an experiment upon medicinal sub- 
 stances. Select those of a marked character at first, 
 such as stimulants of capsicum, cloves, opium, &c. ; 
 emetics of ipecac, lobelia, tartarized antimony, &c. ; 
 cathartics of jalap, podophyllum, gamboge, &c. ; nar- 
 cotics of belladonna, stramonium, hyosciamus, &c. 
 Request him to sit still and hold any of these sub- 
 stances between his two hands (his muscles being 
 perfectly relaxed) : let the medicines be contained in 
 a piece of paper, if you wish to conceal from him their 
 nature, and let the quantity used be five or ten times 
 as much as would be required for an internal dose. 
 In looking for the results, bear in mind that each med- 
 icine produces numerous and complicated effects, and 
 that we should not expect its action to be merely 
 emetic, cathartic, stimulant, narcotic, &c., according 
 to its classification in the Materia Medica. If we sup- 
 pose that our patient or subject is deceiving us, merely 
 because his descriptions do not exactly coincide with
 
 Original Sketch. 31 
 
 our imperfect conceptions, we will do him great injus- 
 tice. Nor will his experiments always coincide with 
 each other. The different amounts of the medicine, 
 and the different states of his constitution at different 
 times, will necessarily modify the result. 
 
 If, in this experiment, he shows impressibility, by 
 medicines in a high degree, it is extremely probable 
 that he will be impressible by autographs. To ascer- 
 tain this, select from your letters the one which was 
 written with the greatest intensity of feeling and force 
 of thought. If you have any written under deep 
 grief, violent anger, lively joy, or tender love, and 
 especially if you have such as are opposite to each 
 other in their character, select the most marked one 
 for experiment, and place it upon the center of his 
 forehead. Let him place himself at ease, and quietly 
 support the letter with one hand, resting the arm 
 upon some convenient support. Before his taking 
 the letter, it will generally be desirable to excite the 
 intellectual organs by gently touching the central 
 portion of the forehead (just above the root of the 
 nose) for a few moments. Request your subject, 
 while the letter is in contact with his forehead, to 
 yield passively to the impression, and follow the 
 natural current of his ideas or feelings. Let him 
 state frankly his thoughts and emotions while under- 
 going the experiment, and observe if they differ from 
 his previous train of mental operations. If they do, 
 then ask him to infer or conjecture from the impres- 
 sion made sympathetically upon his own mind, what 
 was the mental condition, or what were the mental 
 peculiarities, of the writer.
 
 32 Original Sketch, 
 
 This he will probably be reluctant to do. He may 
 be conscious of a new and peculiar train of thought 
 or feeling, but he will suppose it accidental, or 
 attribute it to some trivial circumstance. He will 
 be quite reluctant to suppose that he is mentally 
 impressed by the letter. If he gratifies you by mak- 
 ing the conjecture, and stating that the letter may 
 have been written under feelings of sadness or grief, 
 and if, upon opening it, he discovers that his impres- 
 sion was true, he may be struck with the coincidence, 
 but he will probably think it accidental. The impres- 
 sions upon his mind were so vague and delicate, that 
 he can scarcely believe they were produced by the 
 letter. It is only after repeated success in such 
 experiments, that he acquires confidence in his own 
 impressions, and learns to speak out freely. 
 
 Sometimes you will find your subject capable of 
 determining correctly only the state of feeling in 
 which the letter was written. With higher powers, 
 he will enter more thoroughly into sympathy with 
 the writer, and appreciate the traits of his character, 
 the strength and peculiarities of his intellect, his 
 favorite pursuits, his usual relations to society, his 
 actual position, his rank or office, his reputation, his 
 general career in life, his age, state of health, per- 
 sonal appearance, and all other peculiarities of his 
 physical constitution. Much more than this is fre- 
 quently accomplished, but this much may easily be 
 verified by any one in the course of a few experiments. 
 
 And if we find these things true, to what do they 
 tend? Do they not tend to solve the problem of the 
 relations between MIND AND MATTER?
 
 Original Sketch. 33 
 
 Does it not appear that something emitted from the 
 person or mind of the writer, has become attached 
 to, or connected with, the paper, as if the mental and 
 the physical were capable of entering into a psycho- 
 material combination? That some mysterious influ- 
 ence or mental snbstance is attached to the writing, 
 is proved by the experiment. We find that imme- 
 diate contact of the writing with the forehead, yields 
 an impression more promptly than contact of the 
 writing with the hands. When the letter is held 
 between the hands, the impression is at first local 
 in the hand. Thence it gradually passes up the arm, 
 like the influence of a medicine, and reaches the 
 brain, where it affects the mental organs and gives 
 an impression of character. We find, too, that while 
 immediate contact of the writing with the forehead 
 imparts readily its mental influence, that influence 
 may be imparted even if the writing in question be 
 enveloped in a fold of blank paper ; but every addi- 
 tional fold of paper intervening between the head of 
 the subject and the writing investigated, will retard 
 the experiment, and increase the difficulty of arriving 
 at a correct decision. Thus it appears, that a psvcho- 
 Kigical influence, or power, has become attached to 
 the writing, and is capable of exerting its influence 
 with different degrees of intensity at difierenl dis- 
 tances. 
 
 This leads us, then, to the threshold of the science 
 which explain. 1 ; the connection between mind and 
 matter. If such combinations or unions exist, they 
 constitute the subjects of a science which might be 
 analogically called Psychological Chemistry. The
 
 34 Original Sketch. 
 
 combinations of mind and matter are continually 
 occurring in nature. The grains of corn which this 
 year are growing in open fields, unconnected with 
 animal life, are destined, next year, to yield their 
 particles to enter into combination with the active 
 minds of the present generation. The carbon, 
 oxygen and hydrogen of the corn, are capable 01 
 entering into this union by means of a well known 
 process. They do not change their nature, but con- 
 tinue still the very same carbon, oxygen and 
 hydrogen, with the same chemical powers and 
 properties. They merely change slightly their 
 molecular arrangement, enter the cavities of the 
 human body, and pass, in company with the vjta- 
 lized blood, throughout its channels of circulation, 
 and in contact with the various vital structures 01 
 the body. The elements of corn, after being suita- 
 bly dissolved, become vitalized simply b\ contact 
 'with the interior of the living organs of the bod\. 
 
 s <J O ' 
 
 The most careful investigations of physiologists 
 have gone no further than this. They show that the 
 absorbed chyle from the digestive organs gradually 
 approximates the character of blood, as it moves 
 toward the lungs, and that after it has passed the 
 rounds of the circulation (modified as it goes In- 
 various secreting organs), it becomes fully vitalized 
 and ready to unite with the living organs. Then 
 where a demand exists for new materials in any of 
 the tissues, this well prepared substance takes its 
 place, and by means of contact or union with the 
 the vital tissues, becomes a part of that living, mind- 
 obeying machine, the human body. Previous to
 
 Original Skc\ch, 35 
 
 this process, the vegetable carbon had no connection 
 with mind, but now it has become implicitly obedient 
 to the mind operating through the brain. Thus a 
 large number of the substances of the material world 
 are capable of becoming united with the human mind 
 as its obedient organs, by coming under the influence 
 of contact with the living body in its interior. 
 
 Contact and the nervous influences transmitted 
 by contact, are the efficient causes of the change 
 from dead to living substance, by which mind and 
 matter are brought into union. But if any change or 
 union is wrought by immediate contact* may not 
 phenomena of a similar character be produced at a 
 greater distance? May not the vitalizing and mcn- 
 talizing influence extend to substances exterior to our 
 bodies as well as to those in the interior? 
 
 That the vital influence may thus combine with 
 inanimate matter, is proved by the phenomena of 
 contagious and infectious diseases, by the experi- 
 ments of animal magnetism, and by these ex- 
 periments on letters. Whether these mental 
 influences proceed directly from the mental organs 
 to the paper, or are transmitted by the arm and 
 conducted by the pen, need not be discussed at 
 present. Suflice it to say, that any highlv impres- 
 sible individual may recognize, in any piece of 
 writing, the entire mental and physical influence 
 of the writer. 
 
 By appreciating this influence justly, he may 
 measure accurately the entire mental character. 
 There are other methods of arriving at a scientific 
 knowledge of character, or measuring the mind :
 
 36 O "right al Sketch. 
 
 but the art of mind-measuring, or Psycho-metry. has 
 
 o 
 
 no method of investigation more perfect or delicate, 
 and universally applicable, than this, which is, pur 
 excellence, entitled to be called PSYCHOMETRY. 
 
 Will you not, kind reader, do yourself the justice 
 to institute these experiments which I have des- 
 cribed? I pledge myself, that if you persevere in 
 them, you will fully succeed. Until you have done 
 this, let me suspend my narrative. Meantime, 
 repeat the experiments as fully as possible which I 
 have described, and then, when we meet again, this 
 narrative will be continued, with all the advantages 
 of positive knowledge and mutual sympathy. 
 
 The sublime bearing of these discoveries upon the 
 question of the nature and immortality of the soul, 
 and their important practical application to the in- 
 vestigation of character in public and private life, 
 will readily occur to the reflecting mind. The 
 phrenologist will rejoice to recognize in this new 
 science, a method of ascertaining character far more 
 accurate and satisfactory than craniology, and the 
 speculative philosopher will perceive that we have 
 reached the commencement of a new era in science. 
 
 In the application of this discovery, a series of 
 researches may now be undertaken, which will not 
 only unfold the general laws of mind, but elucidate 
 the characters of living men and throw a novel light 
 upon the darker passages of history. 
 
 The course of experimental investigation is ex- 
 tremely simple. Any one who can obtain interesting 
 autographs, and who has a circle of intelligent ac- 
 quaintance, is fully prepared for a course of philo-
 
 Original Sketch. 37 
 
 sophical experiments. I have usually selected for 
 my first experiments, letters written under intense 
 feelings. The best that I have used, is a letter 
 written by a gentlemen of strong character and ardent 
 emotions, immediately after the death of his wife. 
 The overwhelming grief and agonizing sense of 
 desolation, with which he narrated the death of his 
 beautiful and queenly bride, never failed to arouse 
 vivid feelings in those of high impressibility. In one 
 of my first experiments, that letter was placed in the 
 hands of a lady, the wife of Dr. C. of Boston, who, 
 as well as her husband, was entirely skeptical as to 
 such experiments. The first effect discovered was 
 visible in the tears which she could not restrain. 
 Several times, in other cases, I have simply placed 
 the letter upon the forehead, and left it to tell its own 
 tale of woe, in the sad countenance and tearful eyes 
 of the subject of the experiment. Where the svm- 
 pathy was thus complete, they were generally able, 
 upon composing themselves, to inform me that the 
 feeling aroused in their own minds, was that of grief 
 such as would be caused by the loss of some very 
 near and dear friend or relative. Quite a number 
 have been able to state, from their impressions, that 
 the grief of the writer, was caused by the death of 
 his wife ; and some have even vaguely described her 
 appearance. 
 
 When the individual (subjected to the experiment) 
 was capable of strong emotions of grief, or had met 
 with similar misfortunes himself, he generally appre- 
 ciated better the feelings of the writer ; but, when 
 naturallv callous to such emotions, he would -recoil-
 
 38 Original Sketch. 
 
 nize the intense and unpleasant excitement, without 
 appreciating its cause. But the characteristic effects 
 of the letter were (in proportion as manifested) alike 
 in all cases an accelerated action of the heart, a 
 deeper respiration, a feeling of excitement and 
 anxiety gradually deepening into confirmed sadness, 
 an excitement and tension in the lateral and posterior 
 parts of the head, over the location of the organs most 
 excited : such were its usual effects. Some who could 
 not receive any impression from ordinary letters, 
 could perceive from this a feeling of excitement with 
 an increased pulsation and respiration. Others could 
 merely perceive that it produced a serious or grave 
 mental condition, bordering upon melancholy. Mrs. 
 G., a lady of vigorous mind, after holding the letter 
 upon her head a short time, decided that she felt no 
 impression ; but, as I perceived its effect upon her 
 countenance and voice, I asked, what had been the 
 direction of her thoughts? when she confessed, that 
 she had fallen into a melancholy vein, and was think- 
 ing sadly of the utter worthlessness of earthly pleas- 
 ures and objects of pursuit. 
 
 It is necessary that the inquirer should be prepared 
 to assist and encourage his subject, in their first expe- 
 riments, to give him the requisite confidence and in- 
 duce him to scrutinize and report the various mental 
 operations, which he might otherwise overlook, until 
 he has learned the nature of his task. It is an effort 
 of very delicate observation and self-conscious scru- 
 tiny, for which those will be best qualified whose 
 minds are well disciplined in meditation. It is not the 
 insignificant and entirely passive character, which will
 
 Original Sketch. 39 
 
 excel in such experiments. Talent requires talent for 
 its appreciation, and the various emotions or passions 
 would be poorly conceived or described by those who 
 had nothing equivalent in themselves. The philoso- 
 pher, hero, orator and philanthropist, can be thor- 
 oughly and fully appreciated onlv by their peers ; 
 hence, it is important that the subjects of these experi- 
 ments should be themselves possessed of sufficient in- 
 tellectual power and fullness of character, to weigh 
 and estimate judiciously the intellect and character of 
 others. 
 
 Often have I found the experiment yielding an im- 
 perfect result on account of the incapacity of the sub- 
 ject to appreciate the writer, when the same individ- 
 ual could describe with fidelity others more nearly 
 akin to himself, with whom he could establish an inti- 
 mate sympathy. 
 
 The agonizing emotions of the letter of grief, above 
 mentioned, would upon some make no deep impres- 
 sion ; but, no sooner was it applied to the head of the 
 talented Bishop Otey, of Tennessee, than his warm 
 sympathies were elicited, and he felt, as he described 
 it, the same emotions which he experienced upon 
 hearing of the death of his friend , killed by 
 the explosion, on the steamboat Lucy Walker, and 
 thus snatched, in the prime of life, from a large circle 
 of friends. 
 
 We should be guarded against relying implicitly 
 upon opinions pronounced in this manner, in refer- 
 ence to character, even by those of much penetration, 
 for unless the judgment be sound and well balanced, 
 the emotions and passions fully developed, and all
 
 40 Original Sketch, 
 
 the circumstances of the experiment fair and judicious, 
 it may evince material errors. 
 
 But, accuracy in determining character, should not 
 be regarded as our aim, or the object of the experi- 
 ment. Its true aim is, to establish the important 
 principle, that man possesses a psychometric sense, 
 or power of receiving delicate impressions from any 
 living organism, by means of some delicate, impon- 
 derable agency, not visible to the eye, nor known to 
 the researches of chemistry. 
 
 It is important to establish this proposition, because 
 in so doing, we lay the foundation for valuable 
 scientific knowledge. We verify an instrumentalitv, 
 by means of which, as by the galvanic battery, we 
 acquire new powers of investigation and analysis. 
 
 To verify this power, it is necessary merely to show 
 that the impression derived from autographs corres- 
 ponds to the character of the autograph. This may 
 easily be done by trying, successively, specimens in 
 which there is a marked difference. 
 
 The letter, expressing grief, I have usually followed 
 by one of a cheerful character as a love-letter, or 
 one of lively spirit. Frequently the contrast between 
 the two would be so striking, as to produce a burst of 
 laughter, and to convince the subject, by the great 
 transition of his feelings, that it was produced by 
 something more than an accidental train of thought. 
 Yet, sometimes it has been necessary for them to try 
 the letters, alternately, more than once, to be fully 
 convinced that their feelings were controlled and 
 changed by the contact with the writing. 
 
 Of course any knowledge or anticipation of the
 
 Original Sketch. 41 
 
 character of the documents used, might in some cases 
 have an influence upon the mind of the subject, and 
 should therefore be carefully kept from him. As the 
 experiment ha^ usually been tried, by placing the 
 letters upon the forehead, he has not even seen the 
 letter upon which the opinion is pronounced. Some- 
 times it has been placed between his hands and a 
 handkerchief laid over them, to prevent his seeing 
 anything. But, in truth, these precautions are neces- 
 sary, chiefly in reference to the spectators. The 
 subject himself, if he really receives an impression 
 from, the letter, will find that impression sufficiently 
 forcible and decisive to lead his mind, independent of 
 any other suggestion. 
 
 A judicious method of questioning, which imparts 
 no information by leading questions, but which con- 
 trols and directs the attention in a systematic manner, 
 will be important in the initiation of those whose 
 minds are not already well disciplined, or whose 
 prejudices prevent their co-operating heartily. 
 
 Among the most interesting of my experiments, 
 have been tho.se upon the autographs of our distin- 
 guished public men. A letter from Gen. Jackson, 
 written to my father-in-law. Judge Rowan (during 
 the political campaign before his election ) in a 
 spirited style, was the subject of many satisfactory 
 experiments. Among my first subjects of experi- 
 ment, at Boston, was the Rev. Mr. Kent, a gentle- 
 man of pure and pious character of an active- 
 mind, with a feeble physical constitution. Spending 
 an evening, at his residence, in Roxbury, 1 made a 
 number of experiments, which proved him to possess
 
 42 Original Sketch, 
 
 high impressibility, and then told him, I would 
 demonstrate, that he possessed powers in his own 
 constitution more incredible than anything he had 
 vet witnessed, bv making him reveal the character 
 of persons, whom he had never seen, by means of 
 contact with letters, which he had never read ! 
 
 He expressed his incredulity and his willingness 
 to try whatever was proposed. I placed some letters 
 upon the table and requested him to place his hand 
 npon them, successively, watch his mental impres- 
 sions while in contact, and report the result. 
 
 His hand was placed, first, upon the letter of grief 
 and he experienced the usual saddening influence. 
 It was then placed upon the letter of Gen. Jackson, 
 and he soon caught its fiery and resolute spirit ; he 
 rose from his seat, announced his impressions in a 
 bold, and correct manner, and manifested so much 
 excitement, that I deemed it necessary to interrupt 
 the experiment, by removing his hand, in order that 
 he might become sufficiently calm to estimate the 
 character and express himself correctly. 
 
 Mr. K. subsequently gave me his manuscript 
 journal, in which he recorded, at the time, his own 
 impressions of these occurrences, from which I now 
 take the liberty of making an extract : 
 
 " He then placed a folded letter with the sealed 
 side only seen, on the table, and requested me to 
 place my right hand upon it. The experiment 
 seemed to me preposterous; but I remarked, that 
 whatever, if any, sensation followed, I should truly 
 communicate it. I felt nothing in my frame at the 
 moment, but very soon an increasing, unusual heat
 
 Original Sketch. 43 
 
 in the palm of my hand ; this was followed by a 
 prickling sensation, commencing in my fingers' ends 
 and passing gradually over the top of my hand, and 
 up the outside of my arm. I felt for nearly a minute 
 no change in my mental condition, and stated this. 
 I)r Buchanan had given no hint of the nature or 
 author of any letter he had with him and I had no 
 bias or subject on my mind from the day's experience 
 to influence me. A rush of sadness, solemnity and 
 distress, suddenly came over me ; my thoughts were 
 confused and yet rapid and I mentioned, there is 
 trouble and sorro\v here. There is, too, perplexity 
 in my feelings. My whole description, taken down 
 at the time, is in other hands. I could not have 
 remembered anything more than a general impression 
 of it after the letter was removed. 
 
 "Another letter was laid upon the table, under my 
 hand. My first sensations were sharper and stronger 
 than before, passing up in the same manner from my 
 ringers' ends. In less than a minute my whole arm 
 became violently agitated, and I yielded to an irresist- 
 ible impulse, to give utterance to my thoughts and 
 feelings. A determined, self-confident, daring and 
 triumphant feeling, suggested the language I used, 
 and it seemed to me, that I could have gone on 
 triumphantly to the accomplishment of any purpose, 
 however subtile or strong might be the opposition to 
 be overcome. My whole frame was shaken, my 
 strength wrought up to the highest tension, mv face 
 and arm burned, and, near the close of my descrip- 
 tion (which also was taken down and is in ot^er 
 hands), when I retouched the letter, after repeated
 
 44 Original Sketch. 
 
 removals of my hand by Dr. B., in consequence of 
 my great excitement, it was like touching lire, which 
 ran to my very toes. Dr. B. afterward read the 
 letter and signature of Gen. Jackson." 
 
 The language of this letter is as forcible and con- 
 centrated as any that ever emanated from the pen of 
 the old Hero. He declined visiting Kentucky, lest 
 it should afford an opportunity to his political oppo- 
 nents to assail his motives and thus weaken the 
 confidence of the people, so " that the people, 
 shaken in their confidence and divided in their 
 action, shall lose both their advocates and their 
 cause. Thus the panders of power mocked the 
 efforts of the people in former times, because they 
 were blinded by their arts, or saw them too late to 
 counteract them. Their prominent friends and 
 advocates, too, contributing to the calamities by 
 attempting to fight them with their own weapons, 
 when it would take more than the strength of a 
 Hercules to grasp all the plans which these Pro- 
 tean monsters could devise." 
 
 When we imagine these and similar expressions in 
 the letter, backed by the flashing' and indignant eye 
 of the old Hero of the Hermitage, we can well 
 understand the spirit which was transfused into Mr. 
 K., and which seemed for the moment an excitement 
 too powerful for his delicate frame. Never did he 
 succeed more fully in infusing his spirit into his 
 subordinates, on the field of battle, than it was 
 infused, on this occasion, into the meek and spiritual 
 clergyman, at the distance of more than a thousand 
 miles, by the agency of that thrilling letter.
 
 Original Sketch. 45 
 
 " Can r-iK-h tiling be 
 Ami overcome us like u summer's cloud, 
 Without our .-ju-i-ial wonder?" 
 
 Aye ! such Tacts may be taking place daily, all 
 over the \vorlcl and may become familiar as the 
 changes of the seasons, to the intelligent and liberal 
 portions of society, before the official dignitaries 
 and wise men of our learned societies can become 
 aware of their existence. And why not? Who 
 would expect a society of learned men, the special 
 cultivators and guardians of science, as they claim to 
 be, to know as much of these wonderful sciences now 
 developing, as the common kind of people, who 
 have no artificial reputation to risk in expressing an 
 opinion no false and inflated conceptions of dignity 
 and stability to hold them back, and who can march 
 right on, from truth to truth, as fast and far as experi- 
 mental demonstration can lead them ! If any of the 
 young men of the scientific world, unencumbered 
 with a heavy reputation, should display a similar 
 alacrity in the pursuit of truth, the phenomenon 
 might be intelligible ; but, when gentlemen of forty 
 or fifty years of age are appealed to, we cannot but 
 anticipate that they will be as backward now as they 
 were in the days of Harvey. 
 
 Fortunately, we are not dependent upon their slow 
 movements. The stream of human life is freshened 
 everv ten years, by substituting, for the older classes 
 
 * V 
 
 of society, a generation of youth, who have just 
 entered upon the active duties of manhood, and who 
 possess the true spirit of the time. YOT.M; MKN ! it 
 is to you that I appeal. Each generation advances
 
 46 Original Sketch, 
 
 beyond its predecessors, as each wave of the rising 
 tide flows further in upon the shore. 
 
 I appeal to all, who are unencumbered by prejudice 
 or by the inertia of old habits, to realize by experi- 
 ment, to verify and to know, the things which I have 
 here asserted. 
 
 In my experiment with Mr. K., I noted down at 
 the time, much of the language of his description, 
 when inspired by the influence of Gen. Jackson ; and, 
 however imperfect the report may be, I prefer to give 
 it as a fair illustration of such experiments. As soon 
 as the exciting influence had begun to counteract the 
 previous impression of sadness, he remarked, " I feel 
 anxious still, but I have strength enough to go through 
 with it. 
 
 ' ' Let it come ! Let it come ! LET IT COME ! 
 [His hand \vas removed from the letter]. It seemed 
 to me when my hand was on it, I could go through 
 everything I had the feeling / AM sufficient for 
 it. 
 
 " Every time I touch it, I feel more and more of 
 that resolution come high or come low I feel as 
 John Adams, when he exclaimed, ' Live or die sur- 
 vive or perish, etc.' ' 
 
 He was asked what was the impression it made 
 upon his mind he replied : 
 
 " It teaches me that I must watch, watch, watch 
 look at danger lurking evervwhere." 
 
 What kind of danger, he was asked 
 
 " From those who attempt to cramp and do me 
 injustice to put me down. But I am sure that if I 
 do watch, there is energy enough to earn- me for-
 
 Original Skc ch. 47 
 
 ward. I am sure I shall carry my point. I should 
 know what I was about.'' 
 
 He was asked, what such a man would be tit for 
 he replied : 
 
 He is tit to stand where very few men will stand 
 
 tj 
 
 - where it is necessary to have determination and 
 quick decision where a man must say, that what- 
 ever obstacles there are, must be overcome. When 
 I have any difficulties to overcome, I should like to 
 have this influence." 
 
 Question What kind of pursuits is he adapted 
 to? 
 
 Not private. He is a man, among men in the 
 world. He would forget the domestic relations go 
 into the world and leave domestic affairs to a wife." 
 
 Question What would be his leading motives? 
 
 Not personal ambition but I feel that I can do 
 what other men cannot do yet there is a good deal 
 of vain glory at the bottom. I do not think he can 
 have the sentiment of religion very strong. I should 
 feel like a kind father indulgent." 
 
 Question What sphere of life would he occupy? 
 
 The highest he could reach." 
 
 Question I low high ? 
 
 Very high the very top round of the ladder. 
 He has not solid learning, lie has more of impulse 
 and self-will than of calm religious wisdom." 
 
 He was asked, how such a character would sym- 
 pathize with Milton, Shakspeare, Bonaparte, John 
 Quincy Adams and Washington. 
 
 With Milton, he thought he would not sympathize, 
 but he would with Shakspeare, especially in his bat-
 
 48 Original Sketch. 
 
 tie scenes ; he would be totally different from John 
 Quincy Adams as different from Washington as 
 passion from wisdom, but " hale fellow well met,'" 
 with Bonaparte. 
 
 Question - To what class of men does he belong? 
 
 " To the race of Alexander ! What is it that com- 
 pels me to say these things ? " 
 
 He compared him in reply to several questions to 
 O'Connell and R. W. Emerson, from whom he dif- 
 fered widely to Burr, who more nearly resembled 
 him to Webster, who was merely a giant of intel- 
 lect, while this man was a giant with intellect enough 
 to guide him and help him to make himself " the ob- 
 served of all observers." " He is an ambitious, pub- 
 lic, popular man." 
 
 Finally, without any question to lead him to it, he 
 named the very author of the letter remarking, " it 
 seems from some foreign, furious spirit, or from such a 
 man as Gen. 'Jackson.'" 
 
 He described him as a man of a strong, nervous, 
 excitable, passionate temperament, as "just the man 
 to be a Captain Miles Standish : he would take the 
 lead he would fight honestly he is proud and 
 happy in fighting for his country he would die in 
 the last ditch before sacrificing his country's rights." 
 
 There was no little surprise when the letter was 
 read and proved to be from the pen of Gen. Jackson. 
 Still more was Bishop Otey astonished, when, upon 
 my first interview with him, after a lapse of ten years 
 (during which these discoveries had been made), I 
 placed upon his forehead this same letter of Gen. 
 Jackson, to test his impressibility, and, notwithstand-
 
 Original Sketch. 49 
 
 ing his skepticism, gave him thus a vivid impression of 
 a heroic, violent character, whom he at first compared 
 'to Napoleon, and finally pronounced to "bejust snr/i a 
 man as Gen. Jackson: when he had reached this cli- 
 max of his discription, I showed him the letter in the 
 handwriting of Gen. Jackson himself! ! whom he was 
 thus so forcibly describing. 
 
 After my experiment with Mr. K., a gentleman 
 present produced a letter which he wished to make 
 the subject of a similar experiment. Fearing that it 
 might be from some one in a state of disease, or whose 
 mental influence would be pernicious, I required an 
 assurance, before trying the experiment, that it was 
 not calculated to produce any injury. The following 
 extract from Mr. K.'s journal describes the experi- 
 ment : 
 
 44 Mr. A. Putnam now mentioned that he had re- 
 centlv received a letter, which he should be gratified 
 
 / o 
 
 to submit to mv experiment, and after an assurance to 
 Dr. B., that it was from the hand of no one who 
 might impart an injurious physical or mental influence 
 to me, it was placed in mv hands. The same physi- 
 cal sensations were felt as before, though in a much 
 smaller degree. My mind soon took a decided tone 
 of sympathy. I felt irresistably drawn toward Mr. 
 P., and I leave others to speak of the result of the ex- 
 periment, which certainly was beyond my voluntary 
 control, charging myself to remember only the amaze- 
 ment I felt, at the truth of my description, when the 
 letter was read." 
 
 In the numerous experiments which I have made 
 upon this letter of Gen. Jackson, I have never seen a
 
 50 Original Sketch. 
 
 more intense impression than this upon Mr. K., but 
 the varied results have been extremely instructive, in 
 showing how the fame impression is differently recog- 
 nized b\ different minds. 
 
 The minds of men are not perfectly transparent 
 crystals, through which the light may pass unchanged, 
 producing the same image in all. Each has its own 
 peculiar stratification, which in some way distorts the 
 fair image of truth, and each has its own peculiar 
 tinge to color the picture of the external world. In 
 our mental daguerreotypy, a perfectly transparent, 
 achromatic intellect, is one of the rarest endowments 
 among men especially among those whose ambition 
 and selfish energies have given them a prominent 
 rank. 
 
 The autograph of Gen. Jackson, which always im- 
 parted a conception of energy and force of character, 
 produced a very different conception of his moral 
 worth, as the individual deciding was more or less in- 
 clined to admire his military career. Those who pos- 
 sessed a similar spirit would use the language of eulo- 
 gium, while those whose sympathies and opinions led 
 them to act with the Whig party, in opposition to the 
 General, were disposed to condemn some traits of his 
 character, even when thuy deciding by mental impres- 
 sions, unconscious of their source. 
 
 The opinions pronounced were not always in ac- 
 cordance with the previous opinions entertained by 
 the individual (especially when such opinions were 
 based upon any erroneous information), but were 
 formed in accordance with his general habits of 
 thought, and the standard of character, which he re-
 
 Original Sketch. ^i 
 
 cognized as just. Hence, a public man, overrated by 
 common fame, would sometimes be brought to his 
 true level in these Psychometric decisions, and others 
 less known to fame would receive liberal justice. 
 
 The opinion given, appeared to be generally a fail- 
 application of the principles and standard of character 
 in the mind of the subject, to the essential character 
 and spirit of the writer, uncloaked by any disguise, 
 and uninfluenced by public opinion, or even the pre- 
 vious opinions of the subject, concerning the same per- 
 son. Thus, when the Rev. Mr. K. was tested upon 
 the autograph of Mr. Jefferson, of whom he gave a 
 favorable description, he expressed much gratification 
 afterward, at having been thus enabled to obtain so 
 much higher a conception of the character of Mr. 
 Jefferson, than he had previously entertained, having 
 imbibed in early life some prejudice against that states- 
 man. 
 
 A lawyer of the democratic party, in Mississippi, 
 politically opposed to Mr. Clay, and, consequently, 
 viewing his character through the medium of party 
 spirit, was ascertained to be highly impressible. A 
 number of experiments convinced him of the veritv 
 of his psychometric power. A letter was subjected 
 to his investigation, to which he gave such a charac- 
 ter as has been given Mr. Clay by his ardent admir- 
 ers and as he felt the impression vividly, he expressed 
 himself strongly. When he learned who was tin- 
 author of the letter, he at once frankly acknowledged 
 that he was convinced of the admirable qualities of 
 Mr. Clay's character, and would, henceforth, renounce 
 his prejudices against him ! Thus the letter was the
 
 52 Original Sketch, 
 
 means of establishing a true mental contact between 
 Mr. Clav and Mr. W., by which the latter learned 
 his true character ; and I feel well' assured, from 
 their relative chara6ters, that if they had met in 
 unreserved social intercourse, Mr. W. would have 
 derived the same impression from personal associa- 
 tion. 
 
 In mv first experiments with Judge T. (of the 
 Supreme Court of Mississippi), a different result 
 occurred. The Judge, though a democrat in politics, 
 was a man of calm reflective character, and New 
 England education one of the men in whom we 
 should not look for any mental affinity with the Hero 
 of New Orleans. In accordance with his usual 
 habits, he was slow to recognize the truth of Neurol- 
 ogy ; but, having seen a number of illustrative facts, 
 and observed its truth as applied to himself, he began 
 to pay some attention to the subject. I fancied that 
 he was impressible, and made the first trial with him 
 among the members of my class, by placing upon his 
 forehead the autograph of GEN. WASHINGTON. His 
 impressions were vivid and clear he gave an opin- 
 ion in forcible and eloquent language, which intensely 
 interested all around, and was indeed one of the best 
 descriptions of Washington's character which I have 
 ever heard. Before gratifying his curiosity to know 
 of whom he had thus spoken, I requested him to pro- 
 nounce his impressions of another autograph, which 
 I next offered. 
 
 I placed upon his forehead the autograph of Gen. 
 Jackson. As soon as the spell of the influence of 
 Washington had subsided, he perceived a very differ-
 
 Original Sketch. 53 
 
 ent character, and recoiled from it with an expression 
 of aversion, seemingly reluctant to express his opin- 
 ion. But upon reflection he renewed the experiment, 
 expressing the apprehension that he might do some 
 injustice by so hasty a conclusion. He then deliber- 
 ately proceeded to portray the character, not as it 
 would have been viewed by a political friend of the 
 General, but just as we might suppose it would have 
 been estimated by one of the previous education and 
 habits of Judge T. in fact, it was just such a descrip- 
 tion as might have been heard from the political oppo- 
 nents of Gen. Jackson, when he was in the arena of 
 party politics. Thus, the opinions, in these cases, 
 proved to be just such decisions as might have been 
 expected from the true mental contact of the men 
 aside from all extrinsic influence. 
 
 The psychometric experiment, therefore, does not 
 infallibly develop a true estimate of men, but tries, or 
 estimates their true character, by the standard of jus- 
 tice and propriety in the mind of the subject. Its 
 advantage consists in the fact, that it is a fair trial of 
 the true man the essential spirit of his character is 
 appreciated, stripped alike of the halo of reputation, 
 the mists of obscurity, and the mirage of prejudice. 
 The man is truthfully made known to those who 
 decide upon his merits : the spirit of the man is con- 
 veyed by his writings, and though silent, he is fully 
 heard and understood. 
 
 Yet it may happen that the writer is so very dissim- 
 ilar to the subject, that no proper sympathy can In- 
 established, nor any proper opinion obtained. Some- 
 times the subject will be able to decide with facility
 
 54 Original Sketch. 
 
 and corre6tness upon one class of autographs, but will 
 be utterly disqualified for appreciating another class, 
 especially when he has strong prejudices, or carries 
 any of his opinions to a fanatical extravagance. I 
 was much amused with the influence of the autograph 
 of General Jackson, upon a lady, of strong prejudices, 
 quite zealous in behalf of anti-slavery, non-resistance, 
 and other moral doctrines and reforms there was too 
 great a repugnance of sentiment, for her to appreci- 
 ate justly his character, but she was so thoroughly 
 under the influence of the letter (knowing nothing of 
 the name of the writer), as to get an idea of his per- 
 sonal appearance, to feel an intense excitement of the 
 region of Firmness in her own head (the usual effect 
 of the letter), and even to feel as if her face, which 
 was round and full, was distorted in resemblance to 
 the writer's. She complained of feeling, as though 
 her face was hard and elongated, her cheeks hollow, 
 and her whole temperament changed to the energetic 
 iron tone of General Jackson's. This physical change 
 attracted her attention even more than the traits of 
 the character, and so vivid were her sensations, that 
 it was only by feeling her own face with her hands, 
 and asking those present how it looked, that she could 
 escape the conviction, that her face had actually 
 changed its appearance. The idea of a change in 
 her face, was a spontaneous suggestion of her own, 
 and surprised me by the extent to which she carried 
 it. This physical sympathy regularly occurs in such 
 experiments, whether observed or not. Hence, the 
 precautions against using the manuscript of those in 
 bad health are often important.
 
 Original Sketch. 55 
 
 A young lady, of Boston, of highly cultivated 
 mind, with a very delicate constitution, was tried, by 
 one of her friends, in an experiment upon the auto- 
 graph of an eminent divine. The experiment was 
 very satisfactory in the portraiture of his character 
 and emotions ; but, at its close, the young lady found 
 a great difficulty of locomotion, which was quite 
 inexplicable to them, until they recollected the lame- 
 ness of the writer, Rev. Mr. Gannett, to whose 
 influence she had been subjected. In subsequent 
 experiments, the same young lady found herself so 
 frequently injured by the morbid influence of auto- 
 graphs, injudiciously urged upon her for investigation 
 by friends, as to compel her to decline the experi- 
 ments, for self-preservation. 
 
 The extent to which this physical sympathy may 
 be carried, renders it practicable to describe the 
 physiological condition of the writer, as correctly 
 as the mental. Indeed, I have sometimes resorted 
 to this method, for the purpose of ascertaining the 
 condition of patients at a distance. The great value 
 of this method of diagnosis, however, is limited by 
 the fact, that such investigations may be quite 
 unpleasant and injurious to those who are employed 
 in sympathetically describing disease. A long con- 
 tinuance, or frequent repetition of such experiments, 
 would prove decidedly injurious to their health, but 
 a brief occasional examination, followed by manipu- 
 lations to disperse the morbid influence and restore a 
 healthy action, might be undertaken with impunitv. 
 
 The physiological and pathological influence, which 
 attaches to a letter, is not limited to that method of
 
 56 Original Sketch. 
 
 transmission. It is true the mental influence is more 
 thoroughly imparted in the act of writing, in \vhich 
 the mind is vigorously engaged ; but, even in ordi- 
 nary contact, the influence of the whole constitution 
 may be imparted, sufficiently for diagnosis, by the 
 highly susceptible. Thus, a lock of hair, or an 
 article of clothing, may be made the means of form- 
 ing a correct diagnosis. In this fact, the philosophic 
 mind sees but an extension of the law of contagion. 
 The clothing of the sick, or anything with which 
 they have been in contact, will, it is well known, 
 transmit to healthy constitutions their peculiar form 
 of disease. It is commonly supposed, that this law 
 of contagion is limited in its operation to certain 
 specific diseases ; but, in truth, there is no such 
 definite boundary between contagion and non-conta- 
 gion. All diseases partake in some degree of the 
 contagious character, and whenever the disease is 
 sufficiently intense, the number of sick sufficiently 
 accumulated, the constitutions of the attendants suf- 
 ficiently predisposed, or the contact with the sick 
 sufficiently frequent and intimate, diseases are trans- 
 mitted not only cholera, yellow fever and typhoid 
 fever, but even diseases of a milder type, may be 
 thus imparted. And as there is an infinite gradation 
 and variety of sensibility in different constitutions, 
 even reasoning a priori should teach us, that there 
 may be individuals upon whom all diseases exert a 
 contagious influence, and that this contagion might 
 be transmitted according to the usual laws of conta- 
 gion or infection, by any substance which has been 
 in contact with the patient.
 
 Original Sketch, 57 
 
 How absurd, then, is the conduct of those medical 
 men, who sneer at the pretensions of mesmerism, and 
 who refuse to believe in the sympathetic diagnosis of 
 disease, when it is strictly in accordance with the 
 history of epidemic diseases. If, kind reader, you 
 have ever indulged a hasty prejudice against mes- 
 meric subjects, who profess to diagnosticate disease 
 by contact with a lock of hair, or any article of cloth- 
 ing, will you not lay aside such feelings, and observe 
 how strictly such performances are in harmony with the 
 laws of the nervous system, and with our own experi- 
 ments upon medicines and upon letters. If you have 
 not yet learned that such things are possible, let me 
 request you, in your next experiment upon a letter, to 
 select one from an individual laboring under some 
 disease or pain, at the time of writing, and observe 
 whether the subject of your experiment does not 
 sympathize with the physical suffering of the writer. 
 Alter you have made a few such experiments, you 
 will agree with me, as to the value of this method of 
 diagnosis, and you will not doubt that physicians may 
 hereafter rely upon this method in the treatment of 
 patients at a distance. 
 
 To develop properly the subject of Psychometry, 
 in all its bearings, would require a large volume. In 
 this brief sketch I can but glance at its principal 
 relations : 
 
 1 . As a practical means of judging of the charac- 
 ters of men more accurately, than bv the aids of 
 phrenology and physiognomy. 
 
 2. As an assistance to the study of history and 
 biography.
 
 58 Original Sketch. 
 
 3. As an assistance to the administration of jus- 
 tice, in determining questions of guilt or innocence, 
 sanity or insanity. 
 
 4. As assistant to self-cultivation, by the study of 
 our own character, and to the education of the voun<j, 
 
 * O 
 
 by showing their true mental and physical condition. 
 
 5. As an assistance to the practice of medicine, 
 by furnishing a convenient method of pathological 
 diagnosis. 
 
 6. As the means of investigating spiritual phil- 
 osophy the existence and relations of the soul, and 
 the various relations of the living man to the spiritual 
 world. 
 
 As a method of determining the characters of the 
 living, Psychometry has an accuracy and delicacy 
 which phrenology and physiognomy cannot possibly 
 obtain. Phrenology, at best, but estimates the proba- 
 ble tendencies of the character, from the cranial 
 development. It determines nothing positively, for 
 it leaves to education and circumstances a controlling 
 influence. Psychometry determines the actual charac- 
 ter, as it was at the time of writing tracing not 
 only the essential personal character, but the rela- 
 tions of the individual to those around him and his 
 entire social position. It enters into the analysis and 
 portraiture of his feelings, like an intimate friend 
 speaking from personal knowledge. 
 
 I have often tested its powers in relation to myself 
 and friends, as well as to many celebrated characters, 
 and thus have ascertained its adaptation to minute por- 
 traiture. Indeed the subject will frequently not only 
 describe the character of the writer, but speak of the
 
 Original Sketch. 59 
 
 character of the letter, the principal ideas which it 
 conveys, and the motives of the writer in expressing 
 those ideas. Nay more, the conceptions which the 
 writer may entertain of the person, to whom or of 
 whom he is writing, will frequently be distinctly 
 described ; and, in some instances, where the person 
 addressed is one of greater weight of character than 
 the writer, the idea of him may even take precedence 
 of the conception of the writer himself. 
 
 The sketches of individual character, have often 
 been so striking, that the auditors could recognize the 
 individual by the description, while the subject, en- 
 grossed in the study of his mental impressions, would 
 be utterly unconscious of the accurate application of 
 his sketch to some well-known character. In other 
 cases, the subject would perceive its application to 
 some known individual and declare that he knew who 
 was the writer. 
 
 One of the best portrayers of character, whom I 
 have found, was a gentleman * of the legal profession 
 of Jackson, Mississippi, who approached the subject 
 with great skepticism and was very reluctant to be- 
 lieve in the verity of his impressions ; but, after becom- 
 ing convinced, would frequently try the experiment to 
 gratify his friends, who had heard of his remarkable 
 powers in these psychometric experiments. A few 
 weeks after I had introduced him to this class of ex- 
 periments, I learned that he had kept an account oi 
 his progress in that way, and that he had pronounced 
 upon one hundred and fifty autographs, without mak- 
 ing any very material errors in the whole of his opin- 
 
 * Charles Scott, subsequently Chancellor.
 
 60 Original Sketch. 
 
 ions. His success induced efforts to hoax him, which 
 were baffled by the great accuracy of his perceptions. 
 A blank letter was given him to investigate, presum- 
 ing that he would indulge his imagination in giving it 
 a character, and thus afford a little sport. One of 
 less acuteness might well have been hoaxed, by de- 
 scribing his own frame of mind at the time, and sup- 
 posing it to be derived from the writer of the letter ; 
 but Mr. S., after holding it sometime upon his fore- 
 head, perceived that no new mental condition was 
 produced, and concluded, that as no mental impres- 
 sion arose, the pretended letter was void of writing. 
 Thus detecting the hoax, he turned the tables upon 
 the hoaxers, by remarking, that the letter was like its 
 author who presented it, a -perfect blank in society. 
 
 It is obvious, that such an experiment would form 
 no proper test of the verity of these perceptions ; for 
 most persons, in their first experiments, are by no 
 means certain whether their mental impressions arise 
 from their own spontaneous trains of thought, or from 
 the influence of the letter hence they would not be 
 able to discriminate between a letter and a piece of 
 blank paper, until a sufficient amount of experience 
 had made them familiar with the various impressions, 
 and able to decide positively between the suggestions of 
 association and the influence of exterior impressions. 
 
 Frequently it happens, that the first impressions of 
 a letter will be vague and even incorrect the mind 
 not being in the right mood to sympathize with it 
 and the individual venturing to express an opinion, 
 before he has had time to perceive the whole charac- 
 ter, and weigh its different tendencies.
 
 Original Sketch. 61 
 
 Thus, for example, Mr. S., on one occasion. fell 
 into an error, in the commencement of his description 
 of a difficult autograph, although he would usual Iv 
 describe the person with so much minuteness in all his 
 relations, as to tell the exact political office which he 
 occupied. When trying the autograph of Judge T.. 
 above mentioned, he pronounced the writer to be a 
 lawyer, a jurist, and to be actually an occupant of the 
 Supreme Bench of the State, which was true. In 
 other cases he would say, this man has been President 
 of the United States (if trying the autograph of one 
 of the Presidents), or he aspires to that office, when 
 he examined the autographs of presidential candi- 
 dates. 
 
 It happened that while Mr. S. and several other 
 gentlemen were sitting with me, in my apartment at 
 the Hotel (in Jackson, Mississippi), I proposed a new 
 experiment, for the gratification of some who had 
 never witnessed his powers. I selected an autograph, 
 which, on previous occasions, I had avoided using, on 
 account of the peculiar difficulty of its investigation. 
 The difficulty in this case (which I will explain here- 
 after), made it necessary to employ one like Mr. S., 
 acute in perception and clear in his judgment, to de- 
 cide correctly but even he was at first a little at 
 
 tt 
 
 fault. The letter was from GENERAL L.VKAYKTTI:. 
 It was placed upon his forehead no one in that re- 
 gion even suspected that I had any such document in 
 my possession, until after the experiment. After delib- 
 erating a few moment^ he remarked : 
 
 " Seems to be dead no activity in the region of 
 the heart great quietude in the physiological condi-
 
 62 Original Sketch. 
 
 tion DEAD decidedly. The impressions are less dis- 
 tinct than usual." 
 
 In a few moments he proceeded : "A character of 
 great benevolence religion ; he is firm and decided 
 his affections are strong ; he is philanthropic, a man 
 of excellent judgment, rather philosophic ; he would 
 think deeply, profoundly ; he was a man of consider- 
 able invention ; he made his own fortune rose from 
 humble station. [Thus far, we perceive, he had 
 caught the character but not fully weighed it, the last 
 remark being a hasty inaccurate conclusion.] He is 
 well-known he lives in history. His perceptive 
 organs are good, he has great observation, a great 
 admirer of the beauties of nature there is more cool 
 deliberate thought here." 
 
 Question At what period did he live in what 
 kind of scenes did he figure? 
 
 4 ' He figured m the revolutionary war ! " 
 
 & v 
 
 Question What part did he bear? 
 
 "He bore a distinguished part was perhaps in 
 the Continental Congress.'' 
 
 Question Where do you locate him? 
 
 " Not in the United States in France ! 
 
 Question Why do you say so ? 
 
 k ' It rises up before me." 
 
 Question To what pursuits is lie adapted ? What 
 kind of a lawyer would he make ? 
 
 " I do not think that that is his field." 
 
 Question What would you think of him as a 
 statesman ? 
 
 " Very well he is almost too conscientious for a 
 real politician."
 
 Original Sketch. 6^ 
 
 Question What would you think of him as a mil- 
 itary man? 
 
 "First rate! calm, dignified, self-possessed, with 
 great promptness and decision, he would meet it 
 boldly. There is a great deal of philosophy in his 
 tone of thought and observation." 
 
 Question What do you think of his principles? 
 
 "They are liberal, republican he has confidence 
 in the doctrines of self-government by the people 
 he has no doubt about the problem." 
 
 Qjiestion What reputation does he bear? 
 
 "Very exalted there is no difference of opinion 
 posterity are grateful they hold his memory 
 dear they think him a patriotic, noble-hearted, 
 courageous man one who had the interests of tho 
 world at heart who wished to dispense light and 
 liberty to all the world : he would not be contented 
 with any small matter, nor on a small theatre." 
 
 Question What of his ambition ? 
 
 " He has so many good qualities, I hardly know; 
 he would be governed more by high moral faculties 
 than by ambition." 
 
 " He has, been in battle ! He was in the battle of 
 Germantown ! That rises up before me ! He has 
 been wounded, has shed his blood ! He was wounded 
 in that battle ! " 
 
 As 'he had now evidently full possession of the 
 character, and the former and latter portions of his 
 description were rather inconsistent, I asked him to 
 review the matter and give me his final decision. 
 He remarked, that the latter portion of his opinion 
 was more correct than the former, and that, as to
 
 64 Original Sketch. 
 
 invention, there was good inventive power, but it was 
 exercised in planning rather than invention that he 
 was deeply interested in the American war, and if 
 not in the Congress, took a deep interest in that bodv. 
 In reply to questions, he remarked, that he had been 
 imprisoned and escaped that he had enjoyed a 
 vigorous constitution had died a natural death at 
 seventy-eight or eighty years of age, and had 
 probably deceased some eight or ten years since. 
 
 In the latter part of his description, I suppose he 
 must have discovered that he was describing 
 Lafayette ; but no allusion was made to the name 
 by him or myself, as such allusions are carefully 
 avoided in this class of experiments, for obvious rea- 
 sons. Hence, the habit is acquired of excluding 
 from the mind any thought of the name of the indi- 
 vidual, so as to preserve strict impartiality in follow- 
 ing the impressions. 
 
 Persons in whom the inferior and occipital organs 
 predominate, will be inclined to look on the unfavora- 
 ble side of every character, and will thus do injustice 
 in their psychometric decisions. But this is not often 
 the case among those who enjoy this faculty in a 
 high degree. Much more frequently do we find the 
 amiable faculties so largely predominating, as to lend 
 a roseate hue to every portrait and disqualify them 
 for any searching criticism. Such was the case in 
 the opinions of the Rev. Mr. K., who indulged 
 habitually in glowing language, when he found any- 
 thing to commend. Of this I might select, as an 
 example, his description of an autograph, which was 
 placed in his hands, at a private meeting of the mem-
 
 Original Skc ch. 65 
 
 bers of a Neurological society, in Boston. Not 
 having been present myself, his language was 
 reported to me by a member of the society, as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 " I feel the influence of a great man. This man is 
 a giant, a man who looks broadly, deeply, clearly. 
 He is a man who holds, or has held, a high political 
 office is one who, when he speaks, fixes every 'eye. 
 He is the glory of any age and of any land. As an 
 intellectual being, he is eloquent, thrilling, command- 
 ing, irresistable. This letter makes me feel as though 
 1 had an audience before me now to address. He is 
 still at this moment, but he is not dead. He is not 
 inattentive to what is going on in political affairs. 
 America is his glory. There is a good deal of the 
 same feeling that Napoleon had, he said ' I ask only 
 the glory of France, but I must give all all to her.' 
 He is graceful as a speaker, and a torrent in power. 
 He is past the middle of life. He is a much better 
 man than his adversaries represent him. He has the 
 good of others at heart. He is not a vain man, but 
 he is proud. He is ambitious, in a good sense : he 
 feels that he has the power of doing great good, and 
 is therefore anxious to do it : I feel confident he is a 
 public man." 
 Question What kind, military or civil? 
 
 " Decidedly in civil life." 
 
 " He is not in favor of slavery, yet is not an aboli- 
 tionist. He would leave that for those to take care 
 of who know most about it." 
 
 Question Are you sure it is written by a man ? 
 
 ** I am very certain. He is sometimes as calm as
 
 66 Original Sketch. 
 
 a child, and again as terrible as a tiger he has the 
 sagacity of a Franklin, the penetration of a Mar- 
 shall."' 
 
 Question Whom of all our public men is he 
 most like? 
 
 " I should say in answer to that, I think the letter 
 must be from DANIEL WEBSTER." 
 
 It ivas a letter written by Daniel Webster. 
 
 As a fair specimen of impartial description, I might 
 select the account of Miss HARRIET MARTINEU 
 (the authoress), given me by a lady, in the experi- 
 ment upon her autograph. 
 
 " I think it's a very intellectual person she is not 
 wanting in courage at all. I feel that it is a lady. 
 She has a bold, daring spirit. I feel that I could 
 almost face the world. She would always express 
 her mind very freely. I think she is a public writer, 
 and a great talker too. She is of a very kind, affec- 
 tionate disposition, always interested in others' wel- 
 fare. You could not but like her, although she is so 
 self-satisfied. She is a lady of great refinement and 
 modesty, naturally not modesty that is not the 
 word, I do not know what word I want. She might 
 be very sarcastic. If she were going to write of any 
 people, she would cut them up as bad as Dickens. 
 She is very resolute. She reminds me some of 
 Madame de Stael, in her intellect and boldness." 
 [This lady had previously tried the autograph of 
 Madame de Stael.] 
 
 Question Make the comparison between her and 
 Madame de Stael ? 
 
 " Her intellect is like. She is not as dictatorial. I
 
 Original Sketch. 67 
 
 should give her a much higher moral character. She 
 is strictly a moral woman. She is determined to 
 accomplish whatever she undertakes, and therein she 
 is like Madame de Stael." 
 
 Question How do you compare her with Bulwer? 
 
 '* I do not like to compare her with Bulwer, I think 
 her moral character is superior to his. There is not 
 so much romance about her as there is about Bulwer, 
 she is not a novelist. She is too intellectual for me, 
 it is overpowering. It gives me an unpleasant feel- 
 ing through my head and ears. My head feels so 
 tight. There is a ringing in the ears." 
 
 Question How does it affect your eyesight? 
 
 " I do not notice any change." 
 
 Question How does it affect your hearing? 
 
 "I am not deaf now, but I think I might be if 
 under this influence long. She is deaf I know who 
 it is ! " 
 
 Question Who? 
 
 "I think it is Miss Martineau, I do not know of 
 anybody else, that is such a woman, and deaf too."
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ORIGINAL SKETCH OF PSYCHOMETRY (CoxTixrED). 
 
 Varieties of psychometric experiments Vast range of psychometric 
 power, historic, biographic, paleontological Old manuscripts Prac- 
 tical uses, arbitration, criminal investigations anil detection Pene- 
 trating power Liability to error Unconscious modification by feel- 
 ings General impartiality Overpowering influence Criticism of 
 self Appreciation of the young Various descriptions, John (Juincy 
 Adams, Henry Clay, Judge Rowan, Gen. Washington, W. E. Channin^, 
 Dr. Ilarney, Mad. de Stael, Mrs. L. 31. Child, Booth, Fulton Demon- 
 strative character of experiments Their dependence on the autograph 
 describing unknown autographs Bulwer Accurate description of 
 three autographs Description of Southern orators. 
 
 IT is only those ot peculiarly line, sensitive and 
 intellectual endowments, who can grasp, at once, the 
 \vhole character, and speak of its details with the 
 familiarity of thorough acquaintance. Generally, the 
 opinion is formed, in a gradual manner, from a care- 
 ful study of the impressions, and the character is 
 opened up to the mind by a consecutive survey of its 
 different relations. Frequently the writer will appeal- 
 before the mind's eye of the psychometric explorer, 
 with a characteristic expression of countenance and 
 attitude illustrating some trait of his nature, or en- 
 gaged in some characteristic act ; and, after a time, 
 he will appear in some other scene, equally character- 
 istic, which has been actually a scene in his life, or 
 which is a legitimate illustration of his disposition. 
 
 Oftentimes the scenes which are thus presented will 
 
 68
 
 Original Sketch. 69 
 
 be highly picturesque and poetical happily illus- 
 trative of the true spirit of the man. In trying several 
 autographs upon the head of the Rev. Mr. G., I was 
 struck with several of his picturesque sketches. For 
 example, in portraying the Rev. Mr. Bascom, the 
 eloquent Methodist divine, who rose by his own ener- 
 gies from an humble position, he said, that the first 
 scene that rose to his mind was an humble forest resi- 
 dence a small clearing in the woods the kettles 
 hanging over the fire from forked sticks a youth of 
 studious disposition, cultivating his mind : then vari- 
 ous transitions occurred the country advanced in 
 cultivation villages and cities sprang up the youth 
 was observed in other scenes, and soon became a 
 powerful, eloquent, and universally admired orator of 
 the pulpit. In the autograph of the Rev. Alexander 
 Campbell (the religious reformer), he recognized the 
 spirit of a great leader, partaking somewhat of the 
 traits of Washington and Lafayette, speaking with a 
 different kind of eloquence, and amid scenes of sim- 
 plicity and solemnity. I placed my own autograph 
 upon his head, and it produced the scene of a leader 
 or adventurer, marching on toward a distant height, 
 while a multitude behind were looking upon his pro- 
 gress, and as he looked back he paused to wait until 
 the foremost could overtake him. He appeared to be 
 covered, as to his head, by a species of Roman hel- 
 met, which rendered him insensible to the missiles 
 and weapons which he expected to encounter. As 
 this was a true statement of my position at that time, 
 I thought it a happy sketch ; for I had slackened my 
 scientific investigations, and was engaged in propa-
 
 70 Original Sketch. 
 
 gating my neurological discoveries, hoping that public 
 sentiment might be gradually brought a little nearer 
 to my advanced position in science. But, in this case, 
 instead of locating the scene far off (in adjoining 
 States), as in the cases of Mr. Campbell and Mr. 
 Bascom, he said that all seemed to be located in Cin- 
 cinnati ; and the leader, with the helmet, appeared as 
 if standing about the summit of the first hill, in reced- 
 ing from the river. It also seemed to him, that this 
 personage had some connection with a locality on 
 Lower Market street. This singular remark reminded 
 me of the fact, that the locality of which he spoke, 
 near the Lower Market, \vas, in reality, the place of 
 my residence in childhood. The helmet, protecting 
 the head from attacks, was a good illustration of the 
 mental hardihood, which has made me ever indifferent 
 to the applause or disapprobation of mankind. I feel 
 that it is my natural place my true vocation to 
 advocate unpopular truths, and to brave the odium 
 which awaits those who ask the world to mend its 
 ways. 
 
 When the psychometric inquirer is less imaginative, 
 the scene which arises to the mind may be rather a 
 matter of fact than a fancy sketch ; and thus, in our 
 intuitive conceptions, we find the sympathetic percep- 
 tion of character blending with the phenomena of 
 simple clairvoyance. For example, I placed upon the 
 forehead of an attorney, in Mississippi, the letter of a 
 lady, addressed to her husband. He immediately fol- 
 lowed the leading impression, and traced it to her res- 
 idence on the Ohio river, where he observed the lady 
 and her children, whom he described correctly,
 
 Original Skctcli. 71 
 
 excepting as to their sex. Sometimes the personal 
 appearance of the writer will be correctly described, 
 without reference to his situation. Frequently, the 
 most important scenes through which he has passed, 
 or which have been most vividly impressed upon his 
 mind or those in the midst of which he wrote will 
 rise distinctly in view. Thus the letter of Lafayette 
 recalled the battle of Germantown the letter of 
 Washington Allston produced a beautiful painting, 
 characteristic of his style a poem, written by Ralph 
 Waldo Emerson, produced a conception of the beau- 
 tiful scenery of summer, which the poetry described. 
 A DRAWING of a sea-shore scene produced the identi- 
 cal scene in the mind of the lady whose hand was in 
 contact with the drawing, unconscious that it was not 
 a piece of writing. She was transported mentally to 
 the scene, and fancied she could almost hear the hum- 
 ming of the insects in the air. 
 
 The material of the writing, or the method of con- 
 veying the idea, is unimportant. The poetry of 
 Emerson, and the drawing of the artist, equally con- 
 veyed the scenes which they depicted. It is neces- 
 sary only for the psychometer to come into contact 
 with something upon which the author has affixed the 
 stamp of his peculiar individuality. A drawing or 
 painting will convey, as effectually as a letter, tin- 
 conception of its author, and his mental efforts in its 
 production. In .thus exploring a portrait or a draw- 
 ing, the psychometer not only obtains an idea of the 
 artist, but also perceives the idea which the artist 
 entertained of his subject. Hence, by contact with a 
 portrait, he may describe both the artist and the sub-
 
 72 Original Sketch. 
 
 ject of the picture. The same principle is equally 
 applicable to autographs. The letter which conveys 
 an idea of its writer, may also convey his idea of the 
 one to whom he is writing, or of the one concerning 
 whom he writes. 
 
 If then, man, in every act, leaves the impression, 
 or daguerreotype of his mental being upon the scenes 
 of his life and subjects of his action, we are by this 
 law furnished with a new clue to the history of our 
 race ; and I think it highly probable, that, by the 
 application of this principle, the chasms of history 
 may be supplied, and a glimpse may be obtained of 
 unrecorded ages and nations, whose early history is 
 lost in darkness. The ancient manuscripts, paintings, 
 and other works of art, which still exist the cruci- 
 fixes, garments, armor, and other ancient relics, still 
 preserved are doubtless still instinct with the spirit 
 that produced them, and capable of revealing to psy- 
 chometric exploration, the living realities with which 
 they were once connected. At present, these relics 
 are barren of significance. Their hidden meaning 
 lies waiting the future explorer, as the hieroglyphics 
 of Egypt awaited the arrival of Champollion to inter- 
 pret their significance. And why should not the 
 world be filled with the monuments and unwritten re- 
 cords of its past history? It would seem, to the super- 
 ficial thinker, that man was entirely limited to tradition 
 and written records for his knowledge of the past ; 
 but physical science proves, that the world possesses, 
 embodied in enduring monuments, the story of its pro- 
 gressive existence. The geologist finds, in the differ- 
 ent strata of the earth, in its curiously mingled and
 
 Original Sketch. 73 
 
 irregular structure, and in the fossil remains which it 
 conceals in its bosom, the history of its various 
 changes of surface, and of the antediluvian races of 
 animals which have long been extinct. The huge 
 Saurian monsters, which he portrays from their fossil 
 relics, rise before the eye as incredible chimeras. And 
 over this fertile region, now occupied by prosperous 
 States, he revives, by the magic power of science, the 
 antediluvian seas and their strange inhabitants, un- 
 known to man. 
 
 The Past is entombed in the Present! The world is 
 its own enduring monument ; and that which is true 
 of its physical, is likewise true of its mental career. 
 The discoveries of Psychometry will enable us to ex- 
 plore the history of man, as those of geology enable 
 us to explore the history of the earth. There are 
 mental fossils for the psychologist, as well as mineral 
 fossils for the geologist ; and I believe that, hereafter, 
 the psychologist and the geologist will go hand in 
 hand the one portraying the earth, its animals and 
 its vegetation, while the other portrays the human be- 
 ings who have roamed over its surface in the shadows 
 and darkness of primeval barbarism ! Aye, the men- 
 tal telescope is now discovered, which may pierce the 
 depths of the past and bring us in full view of all the 
 grand and tragic passages of ancient history ! I know 
 that, to many of my readers, unaccustomed to these 
 investigations, and unacquainted with the first experi- 
 mental facts of this great science, these anticipations 
 must seem a visionary hope too grand, too roman- 
 tic, too transcendently beautiful, to be true. But 
 observe, that all is based upon familiar experiments.
 
 74 Original Sketch. 
 
 and these results are but legitimate deductions from 
 familiar facts. As surely as the expansive power of 
 steam gives premonition of the ocean steamship, does 
 the power of Psychometry give promise of all the 
 glorious performance to which I have alluded. The 
 world, although well acquinted with the expansive 
 power of steam, laughed atRumsey, Fitch and Ful- 
 ton, when they were constructing steamboats : and 
 when they were careering proudly over our " inland 
 seas," the idea of crossing the ocean in a steamship 
 was pronounced impracticable, by men of science, up 
 to the very time of its consummation. How timidly 
 do we shrink from following an established principle 
 to its legitimate results ! 
 
 Does not every psychometric experiment demon- 
 strate an indefinite range of the intuitive power? The 
 psychometer is not limited to a perception of the 
 thoughts of the writer at the moment, but appreciates 
 his entire being enters into his emotions his rela- 
 tions to society, and his past history. Aye, in many 
 instances, the whole career of the individual is opened 
 out before the observer, and he traces that career from 
 childhood to death. Let us apply this principle. 
 Could we obtain any authentic relics of Julius Caesar, 
 of Cicero, of Plutarch of Pericles, Plato, or Solon 
 of Alfred the Great, Confucius, or Mohammed 
 the ancient writings of the Hindoos, or the hiero- 
 glyphics of Egypt and could we from these evoke 
 the pictures of the past, as we do from an ordinary 
 manuscript, how thrilling would be the interest with 
 which we should listen to this resurrection of lost 
 history !
 
 Original Sketch. 75 
 
 Why should this be impossible? Does the mental 
 impression attached to a manuscript ever evaporate, or 
 become effaced? Does the old manuscript cease to be 
 legible to psychometric power when a certain num- 
 ber of years have elapsed? It may be, that there are 
 certain limits to these experiments, or certain difficul- 
 ties in the way of their extension, but I have not yet 
 found any manuscript so old as to be beyond the 
 reach of this method of exploration. The autographs 
 of Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, Burr, Knox, 
 Schuyler, and others of the Revolution, gave prompt 
 and distinct impressions. The oldest manuscript 
 which I have subjected to such investigations, was 
 that of a clenjvman of the Church of England, in 
 
 O O 
 
 which the characters were so antiquated in style, as 
 to render it very difficult to decipher. This letter, 
 dated in 1637, appeared to be a solemn protest or re- 
 monstrance against some arbitrary exercise of power 
 by his Bishop, which he regarded as an encroach- 
 ment upon his religious principles and rights. When 
 this manuscript was placed upon the forehead of 
 Judge T., he perceived in it a deep feeling of gloom, 
 and described it as being such a feeling as might have 
 been entertained by a patriot, in the dark hours of 
 our Revolution by a physician, during the preval- 
 ence of yellow fever in Philadelphia or bv a protes- 
 tant, in the time of the persecution of the protestants 
 by Queen Mary. He described the writer as n man 
 of deep feelings and affections of strong intellect 
 and of eloquence inclined to meditate upon a future 
 life, and to adopt the pursuits of a clergyman dis- 
 posed to resist injustice, but to curb himself by relig-
 
 76 Original Sketch. 
 
 ious principles as being a man about forty or lifty 
 years of age, and existing at some period not very 
 recent. The Judge possessed no decided capacity for 
 locating his impressions as to place or time. But 
 others, with a better development of Locality and 
 Time, have attained considerable precision. Major 
 P., who had been a great woodsman and traveler, 
 appeared to decide with but little difficulty, when ex- 
 ploring a letter, from what section of the country it 
 had been written. 
 
 Since, then, there is no limit to the accuracy or 
 extent of our preceptions, but that which arises from 
 the imperfect development of our faculties, it is 
 impossible to set any bounds to the future explora- 
 tions of gifted individuals. In these days, so rapidly 
 are our anticipations realized, and sanguine hopes 
 converted into accomplished facts, that I cannot 
 refrain from thus predicting the future range of 
 psychometric power, however extravagant the pre- 
 diction may seem to a portion of my readers. If 
 there are any who cannot at all digest these predic- 
 tions, let them lay aside, upon their shelves, Vol. I 
 of the Journal of Man, that it may improve like a 
 bottle of wine, by age ; and when they have grown 
 old, with a mind expanded by a wider experience of 
 the progress of knowledge, let them re-peruse the 
 old volume and compare its prophecy with the living 
 verification. 
 
 But, it may be asked by the practical man, cannot 
 this power be applied to the daily purposes of life, as 
 well as to the exploration of history? Why should 
 it not assist our inquiries into the guilt or innocence
 
 Original Sketch, 77 
 
 of those who are arraigned before our courts of law? 
 I know no reason why it should not. Indeed, I have 
 no doubt that, with the proper means and arrange- 
 ments for the investigation of character, a scientific 
 tribunal for the decision of all controversies between 
 man and man might be established, which would 
 come much nearer to exact justice than we can pos- 
 sibly reach, by our present cumbrous judicial system 
 and laws of evidence. To propose such a tribunal 
 would, at the present time, be premature ; but there 
 is no reason why the science should not contribute 
 its light to elucidate any obscure facts, or traits of 
 character, which may have a bearing on the case that 
 is tried. If the jury, and the public generally, were 
 aware of the power of Psychometry, the statement of 
 the results of a psychometric investigation, under 
 proper circumstances, would have a decisive influence 
 upon their opinion ; and such a statement, from com- 
 petent persons,, might be admitted upon the same 
 principle that the testimony of medical men is often 
 demanded, in cases of homicide, lunacy, etc., to 
 assist in determining the facts by means of the 
 resources of science. I have no doubt that this kind 
 of testimony will be introduced into courts, after the 
 principles of Psychometry have become generally 
 known and established. In the delicate class of 
 cases arising from the charge of lunacy, as well 
 as in those involving high crimes, there are no 
 methods of exploration which can compare with 
 Psychometry, as to the power of ascertaining the 
 truth or falsehood of the charges. I do not mean 
 that every psychometric experiment should be taken
 
 78 Original Sketch. 
 
 as oracular, but that, when a sufficient amount of 
 intellect and caution are exercised in the investijm- 
 
 O 
 
 tion, the results are accurately true. 
 
 It the individual accused of crime, or lunacy, has 
 written a number of letters during the period 
 embraced bv the accusation, his mind may be 
 traced through all the phases of excitement to 
 which it was subjected, and the truth or falsehood 
 of the charge clearly ascertained. 
 
 A letter, written by a clergyman confined in the 
 penitentiary, was submitted to my investigation. 
 The various degrees of guilt, indiscretion, melan- 
 choly, contrition and anxiety which it revealed, 
 formed an interesting subject for study. Soon 
 afterward the man was pardoned. The discre- 
 tionary exercise of this pardoning power is a task 
 of no little delicacy and difficulty liable to great 
 abuses while the arbitrary periods of confinement, 
 fixed by law, have little reference to the proper 
 aim of punishment the reformation of the crimi- 
 nal. If the term of confinement were made indefi- 
 nite, and determinable by the moral condition of 
 the prisoner, then the observation of his conduct, 
 and the psychometric scrutiny of his character, might 
 determine when, with safety to society, he could be 
 released from prison, or how much more he needed 
 of its reformatory influence. 
 
 As to the detection of crime by this means, there 
 have been some instances recently, in the United 
 States, of the detection of crime by means of clair- 
 voyance ; and about two hundred years ago, an 
 humble peasant, in France, exercised the same
 
 Original Sketch. 79 
 
 power of \vhich I speak, and in the same manner. 
 He visited the spot where the murder had been com- 
 mitted, and when he came upon the ground, or 
 touched the instrument with which the deed had 
 been performed, he was greatly agitated by the 
 impression which was imparted. By means of this 
 impression, he acquired an idea of the murderers and 
 their movements, seized upon their trail and pursued 
 them from house to house, and from village to vil- 
 lage, until he actually found them. The wonderful 
 performances of this man were attested by magis- 
 trates and physicians, in a public manner, and were 
 matters of so much public notoriety at the time, as to 
 cause him to be presented at the court of Louis XIV. 
 The establishment and use of such powers, for the 
 discoverv of innocence and guilt, will have a most 
 saltitarv influence upon society. I do not mean to 
 suggest, that any testimony of this kind should be 
 introduced upon the same authoritative footing as the 
 oath of a citizen, in reference to any matter which he 
 has witnessed, but merely, that the indications and 
 authority of science should be appealed to upon this, 
 as upon any other subject. I do not propose any new 
 statute upon the subject, or any departure from our 
 present legal usages. I merely suggest, that when 
 Psychometrv shall take its place among established 
 sciences, it will, of course, be recognized with the 
 same degree of respect as other branches ot knowl- 
 edge which appertain to the medical profession : and, 
 as the physician is at present appealed to, in a case ot 
 homicide, to determine the probable cause of death, 
 and the possibility of its having been caused by acci-
 
 80 Original Sketch. 
 
 dent, or by the violence of the prisoner so, when 
 his range of professional knowledge is increased, he 
 will testify from the evidence, not only of surgery, 
 anatomy, chemistry and toxicology, but also from 
 Psychometry. At the present time, an intelligent 
 physician would seldom testify upon the subject of 
 insanity, without bringing into play the knowledge 
 derived from phrenological science, or any other 
 source which might be accessible. When I have been 
 called upon to testify upon the charge of insanity, in 
 court, my professional knowledge was appealed to, 
 without any reference to its source ; and I, of course, 
 testified upon the principles of neurological science, 
 which affords the only satisfactory explanation of 
 insanity that has ever yet been given. 
 
 Thus w r ill Psychometry, or any other science which 
 may be capable of throwing light upon the matters 
 before the court, be brought to bear by men of 
 science, or other witnesses, whenever the soundness 
 and authenticity of such knowledge is generally 
 admitted. In the mean time, those who dread all 
 changes, need be under no apprehension, as the 
 change in question can only take place when it has 
 been sanctioned by the general sentiment of men of 
 science. 
 
 The knowledge of such an improvement, in our 
 methods of studying mankind, will have a powerful 
 influence in checking crime. The temptation to 
 crime arises from the hope of security and escape. 
 But when the criminal knows that the Argus-eyes of 
 his fellow-beings are capable of tracing him through 
 all the devious ways of his life when he knows that
 
 Original Sketch. Si 
 
 his secret acts, his criminal designs and attempts, all 
 lie bare before the spiritual eye of man he will find 
 himself compelled to abandonTiis crimes. When thus 
 society, with all-seeing but benevolent eyes, superin- 
 tends his movements, and with its millions of strong 
 arms reaches forth to lead him back into paths of 
 peace and virtue, there will be an end of the high 
 crimes that now disgrace our people. 
 
 The recognition and general cultivation of Psy- 
 chometry, when nmong the millions of psychometric 
 seers there will be men of the highest order of genius, 
 talent and wisdom, will fully realize these hopes. The 
 introduction of this science will operate like the intro- 
 duction of brilliant gas lights into the dark and crime 
 haunted streets and alleys of a populous city. The 
 crimes which previously revelled in security, will be 
 compelled to retreat from the luminous thoroughfare. 
 
 Not only will the criminal be held in check, but all 
 of us will feel the monitory and restraining influence 
 of this knowledge. When we know that, in every 
 act of our lives, we are tracing a biography which 
 may be read by a thousand eyes when we know 
 that it is utterly impossible to be selfish or vicious and 
 conceal the fact when we know that it is utterly 
 impossible to gain credit for virtue, without having it 
 in our inmost nature and that if we do cherish noble 
 sentiments, they will not be concealed from the eves 
 of those whom we respect when we know, in short, 
 that we shall appear to others, in all things, as :<,r 
 really are many will wake up from their hollow and 
 hypocritical life to the cultivation of real virtue : and 
 all will feel, in their private lives, the same restrain-
 
 82 Original Sketch. 
 
 ing, yet elevating influence which is produced by the 
 presence of a good friend, before whom we are 
 ashamed to indulge any little exhibition of a selfish or 
 a petulant spirit. 
 
 It is true, the passion ot secretiveness may at lirst 
 rebel against such anticipations : but this passion, the 
 source of hypocrisy, lying, false modesty, jealous 
 reserve, deceit, moroseness and treachery, has too 
 long ruled and corrupted mankind. The truly frank 
 and virtuous man feels that there is not an act of his 
 life which he would fear to have exhibited in the eyes 
 of the universe ; and he who from a guilty shame 
 recoils, or, from the pure love of mystery, regards 
 concealment as one of his highest privileges, must be 
 expected to cherish the old system of mystery, and to 
 protest against phrenology, physiognomy, psychom- 
 etrv, and everv other road to the knowledge of human 
 
 v ' ~ O 
 
 nature. To such objectors I would simply rerhark, 
 that men will always be eager to form opinions of 
 their fellows ; and, whether right or wrong, these 
 opinions will be current in society, and will form the 
 basis of our action. The question, therefore, is, 
 whether we shall have vague notions, prejudices, slan- 
 ders, and idle gossip, or whether we shall have the 
 just, systematic, and charitable knowledge of our fel- 
 low-man, to which we are conducted by science. 
 
 Yet I would by no means sanction the idea, that 
 psychometric investigations will always lead to 
 accurate results, or may not be abused and per- 
 verted. As law, medicine, divinity, phrenology, 
 etc., have all their quackeries or perversions, so 
 will Psvehometrv, in the hands of the ignorant, the
 
 Original Sketch. 83 
 
 unprincipled, the prejudiced, and the reckless. A 
 psvchornetric opinion may be as calm, dispassionate 
 and pure as the thoughts of an angel, or it may be 
 influenced by all the emotions of love or hate, of 
 reverence or scorn, which influence our ordinary 
 judgments. In pronouncing upon the characters of 
 our distinguished politicians, Mr. Clay, Mr. Cal- 
 houn, and Gen'l, Jackson, I have often found the 
 psychometer as decidedly biassed in favor of one, 
 or against another, as if he knew of whom he was 
 
 O 
 
 .-.peaking. Soon after the battles of Palo Alto and 
 Resaca de la Palma, I was traveling upon the Mis- 
 sissippi, and fell in company with an accomplished 
 lady, the wife of one of the officers, who had distin- 
 ruished himself in the service. We were trving 
 
 O *. c! 
 
 several psychometric experiments, when one of her 
 friends privately handed me a letter, written bv her 
 husband from the camp, immediately after those 
 memorable battles. I had already observed, that 
 her impressions were unusually dependent upon her 
 feelings, and that she would, in all cases, as she 
 liked or disliked the character, elevate or condemn 
 it in her description. I placed her husband's letter 
 upon her forehead, and immediately she manifested 
 ;i lively agitation of her feelings. Her bosom heaved 
 \\ith the intensitv of her emotions tears came int;> 
 her eves and she was herself ama/ed at the tumult 
 of feeling produced. Yet she declared the impres- 
 sions to be more delightful than any s'.ie had vet 
 experienced. She was peculiarlv charmed with the 
 character, and when, being a little moiv composed. 
 she was asked to give her opinion, she exclaimed,
 
 84 Original Sketch. 
 
 " ; O/i, he is the very soul of honor ! " She then went 
 on, in a very full description : stated that he was a 
 military man that he was very fond of hunting - 
 that he was popular in his manners a good writer 
 
 occupying a rank below that of Colonel, etc., etc., 
 
 in short, gave a description, which, making some 
 slight allowance for a wife's partiality, was certainly 
 very correct. 
 
 The fact, that such emotions should have been 
 called forth as vividly as if she had been in actual 
 mental intercourse with her husband, when she was 
 utterly unconscious of their cause, demonstrates the 
 necessity of caution in all such investigations. But 
 it demonstrates something important, in reference to 
 the laws of mental association, \vhich may be illus- 
 trated also by another experiment. I placed in the 
 hands of an impressible lady, a letter from her father, 
 who was dead, and for whom her grief had not yet 
 been removed. In a few moments, as she com- 
 menced speaking of the character, a deep sadness 
 came upon her ; unconscious of its cause, her eyes 
 rilled with tears, and I removed the letter without 
 letting her know its source, although she continued 
 for some days exceedingly curious to know what 
 could possibly have called forth her emotions so 
 strongly while holding that letter. 
 
 Thus, it appears that there are deep currents of 
 feeling, which flow beneath the surface, without 
 entering into the da\1i<>'ht of consciousness. In these 
 
 o o */ 
 
 subterranean streams of emotion (to borrow the 
 language of poets) heart speaks to heart ; and the 
 majic ties which bind us together in love, are formed
 
 Original Sketch. 85 
 
 in the darker chambers of the soul, where reason, 
 reflection and observation, have no place. 
 
 It is not true, therefore, that intellect is the sole 
 medium of association. Feelings are linked to feel- 
 ings, and one emotion arouses another, without our 
 consciousness or consent. It is not through the 
 understanding that the orator calls forth the passions 
 of his audience. Strong feeling magnetically rouses 
 and moves all within its sphere, whether there may 
 or may not be any sentence uttered, which is worthy 
 of being read. 
 
 This mental magnetism may exert its influence 
 upon psychometric investigations, but will be far less 
 delusive in them, than in the ordinary intercourse of 
 mankind. The character investigated becomes, in 
 such cases, a passive subject of scrutiny, and not an 
 active party to the process, and is thus disabled from 
 overawing or controlling the psychometer. An intel- 
 ligent and amiable lady of Boston, when scrutinizing 
 the autograph of a distinguished public man a man 
 of science (no longer living), who enjoyed an exag- 
 gerated reputation during his life described his 
 powers and his influence upon the public mind, 
 with great correctness, but perceived that there was 
 a certain lack of soundness in the character, and that 
 he would be apt to pass for a better man than he 
 really was. She remarked, that there was some- 
 thing imposing in his appearance and talents, and 
 that many would be imposed upon by his exterior, 
 so as to estimate him much higher than he deserved. 
 I asked her, how she supposed it would have been 
 with herself: whether, if she had seen him, she
 
 86 Original Sketch. 
 
 would have discovered his true character, or have 
 been carried away, like the rest, by his exterior 
 appearances. After a little reflection, she replied, 
 that she would, probably, have been carried away, 
 like the rest, and joined in their admiration. 1 then 
 gave her the name, and she found that it was even 
 so ; it was the name of one whom she had been 
 accustomed to revere, and whose faults she had never 
 before suspected, although they were known to the 
 discerning few. Thus, the same individual mani- 
 fested, in a psychometric decision, a much greater 
 acumen and power of conceiving character, than in 
 her ordinary social observation. And, although the 
 partialities of friendship may occasionally interfere 
 with the correctness of the decision, I have often 
 found the psychometer capable of pronouncing, with 
 perfect impartiality, upon the characters of intimate 
 friends. 
 
 It is necessary, of course, that he should have a 
 predominance of the intellect over the feelings, and 
 should have sufficient self-control to resist the excit- 
 ing influence of the letter. A lady of vigorous and 
 well-cultivated intellect, but of very delicate physical 
 constitution, who had fine psychometric po\vers, was, 
 nevertheless, so sympathetic and excitable, as to be 
 sometimes completely carried away by the influence 
 of the character which she described, and lose all 
 self-control. 
 
 The autograph of Mr. Clay, especially, produced 
 this influence upon her. She soon became so pos- 
 sessed of its spirit, as to feel herself a distinguished 
 public character, engaged in matters of great
 
 Original Sketch. 87 
 
 moment ; and, forgetting entirely the experiment, 
 she replied haughtily to the questions which I pro- 
 posed, as though she considered them quite imperti- 
 nent Or insulting. 
 
 When we are so fortunate as to meet with an indi- 
 vidual who is perfectly clear-sighted, impartial, self- 
 possessed, and accurate in judgment and when we 
 have tested his powers in various investigations, it 
 will be interesting to submit our own manuscript to his 
 critical examination. It is so seldom that we iind even 
 a friend disposed to analyze our character, and set 
 forth, distinctly, our virtues and our faults, that it is no 
 mean luxury to be able to hear, from a good psycho- 
 meter, a full and free analysis of ourselves, without 
 fear, favor or prejudice ; and thus be assigned our 
 true place in the great scale of human character, 
 while he who decides upon our merits is utterly un- 
 conscious who may be the subject of his decision. 
 He who delights in the luxury of plain, unvarnished 
 truth, may thus be fully satisfied. He who is aiming 
 to perfect himself in every trait of character, will Iind, 
 in the searching yet genial criticism of Psychometry, 
 the assistance which he needs the mirror in which 
 to scan his own countenance. 
 
 It is probable that no one has ever attained a high 
 perfection of character has developed, properlv. the 
 strength and beauty ot his nature without often 
 undergoing the searching scrutiny of his own con- 
 science, taste and judgment, to ascertain his delici- 
 ences, and learn what additional power was needed. 
 It is only by patient study, and unwearying attention 
 to details, that the artist is enabled to produce a
 
 88 Original Sketch. 
 
 statue whjch may be admired. Equally careful and 
 minute is the critical examination which we must 
 give ourselves, if we would attain any high moral 
 excellence. In the rude block of marble, which rep- 
 resents the character of an uncultivated human 
 being, a beautiful statue lies concealed, which the 
 gifted and untiring artist will bring into view. But 
 the beautiful form of the noble character can be 
 brought out only by this critical process, and there 
 are no means within our reach more truly efficient in 
 criticism than Psychometry. 
 
 To form and reform the character to build up the 
 strength of our moral and intellectual nature and to 
 advance continually in all that is worthy of esteem, 
 are the noblest aims of life. He who has no such as- 
 pirations, has not the true spirit, either of philosophy 
 or of religion. Goodness and greatness are ever pro- 
 gressive qualities. Each act of kindness enlarges the 
 heart, confirms our virtue, and lends additional beauty 
 to the countenance additional sweetness to the 
 voice. Each act of intellectual power adds to our 
 treasury of knowledge, and enlarges our range of 
 thought. 
 
 Moral and intellectual growth should be the great 
 aim of life; and, although the prevalent teachings of 
 the day are poorly adapted to urge and guide this 
 growth, he who has the assistance of Psychometry, 
 may find the means of discharging his first great duty 
 to himself. 
 
 From the extent of the subject, I must deal in hints, 
 rather than explanations in sentences instead of 
 essavs. I must leave to the ingenious reader, who
 
 Original Sketch. 89 
 
 engages in these experiments, to ascertain the best 
 methods of scrutinizing himself noting his own de- 
 fects, and applying the appropriate correction indi- 
 cated by Neurology. I might narrate a portion of 
 my own experience in self-scrutiny, and in application 
 of science to personal improvement ; but, notwith- 
 standing the examples of Rousseau and Lamartine, I 
 should find it rather difficult to lay aside that feeling 
 of personal reserve, which is common wherever the 
 English language is spoken, and which induces us to 
 shrink from presenting, before the public, trivial de- 
 tails which relate merely to self. But, I can assure 
 the reader, this study of self is most intensely interest- 
 ing, since it is through self-consciousness that we 
 obtain the most thorough knowledge of mental phil- 
 osophy, and all our studies of this subject become 
 practical lessons in virtue and happiness. 
 
 Self-education, guided by self-study, is the great 
 duty of human life. For the young, who are not yet 
 competent to self-study and self-amendment, this duty 
 must be performed by others. To understand, prop- 
 erly, the immature characters of youth, and the suc- 
 cessive course of their development to appreciate 
 their diversities, and estimate their latent powers 
 require not merely craniology, physiognomy, and per- 
 sonal intercourse, but the sympathetic and delicate 
 powers of Psychometry. This enables us to under- 
 stand a character differing widely from our own, and 
 to appreciate the peculiarities of each, in reference to 
 an exact scientific standard. All who have assidu- 
 ously cultivated themselves, know how greatlv their 
 own characters and mental powers would have been
 
 90 Original Sketch. 
 
 improved, if their early education had been guided by 
 persons who possessed this delicate appreciation of 
 character, and who could judiciously supply each 
 defect, until the whole was formed into symmetry. 
 
 A good psychometer possesses a sympathetic per- 
 ception, which enables him to conceive a character 
 very foreign to his own, and even to appreciate the 
 capacities and unfolding powers of a child. It is pos- 
 sible that, by the proper exercise of this power, the 
 whole career and probable vices, as well as physical 
 infirmities of the child, may be so fully anticipated as 
 to enable us effectually to prevent any serious evil 
 affecting the moral character or physical constitution. 
 
 But these diagnostic examinations will be practiced 
 principally by means of direct contact with the head, 
 learning from each organ its exact condition. This 
 method, which is similar in principle to the experi- 
 ments upon autographs, may be appropriately referred 
 to the essays upon Sympathetic Diagnosis and Ner- 
 vous Impressibility. 
 
 For the practical illustration of Psychometry, I 
 have selected, from the records of a number of 
 experiments, the following reports. The opinions 
 given were, in all cases, pronounced with impartiality 
 by an individual who had no knowledge whatever of 
 the manuscript from which he derived his impres- 
 sions. Great care was taken, in all cases, that the 
 psychometer should have no opportunity, by seeing 
 the manuscript or hearing any conversation about it, 
 of forming any idea that could bias his conclusions. 
 Equal care was taken not to propose any question 
 which, by its leading character, might modify his
 
 Original Sketch. 91 
 
 opinions. He was thrown upon his own resources 
 and perceptions for the conclusions which lie should 
 express. 
 
 The reader will make due allowances for the 
 imperfection of an opinion formed and expressed in 
 the course of a few minutes, by means of an impres- 
 sion derived from a single autograph. The various 
 phases which anv character may present on different 
 occasions the difficulty of appreciating any one so 
 fully as to describe his conduct under any emergency 
 
 and the difficulty of perfectly portraying our con- 
 ception qf the character, even when rightly conceived 
 
 should induce us to regard with great liberality 
 any attempt to describe a character by means of such 
 impressions. 
 
 It is necessary, too, that we bear in mind the dif- 
 ferent mental positions from which each surveys the 
 character, and the different degrees of facility with 
 which the same traits of character would be recog- 
 nized by different individuals. In the following 
 reports, the character of JOHN QUINCY ADAMS is 
 given bv a clergyman much disposed to admire such 
 a character, and to express himself in glowing lan- 
 guage. The opinions pronounced on Mr. Clay, by 
 three individuals, illustrate their differences of char- 
 acter. Mr. S., a well educated young gentleman 
 from the North, of mild, well balanced character, 
 gives a judicious, moderate statement; Mrs. R., a 
 lady of much ambition and force of character, with 
 a good deal of philanthropy and radicalism, gives a 
 bold, emphatic and critical sketch ; Mrs. \V.. a lady 
 of remarkable gentleness and amiability, accustomed
 
 92 Original Sketch. 
 
 to think well of all, is quite enchanted with her 
 impressions of Mr. Clay, and finds him a much 
 better man than she had previously supposed from 
 the opinions which, as an abolitionist, she had 
 formed. 
 
 There is much more fullness and life in the por- 
 traits, when the psychometer has a proper sympathy 
 with the subject of his investigation. In the sketch 
 of Dr. Channing, by Miss P. cf Dr. Ilarney, by 
 F. R., and of Miss Martineau, by Miss N., we per- 
 ceive this cordial appreciation. 
 
 The following reports are not presented as extra- 
 ordinary examples of accurate portraiture, or 
 remarkable success of experiments, but rather as 
 fair illustrations of what might be expected, under 
 ordinary circumstances, with intelligent persons. 
 They are given, not as decisions upon the char- 
 acters of the parties, but as specimens of the new 
 method of investigation a method requiring repe- 
 tition and caution to conduct to accurate results. 
 
 The reports are given as accurately as possible in 
 the language of the speakers, as written down during 
 die experiments. Many of the reports, from the 
 freedom of their comments, or for other reasons, I 
 should not consider suitable for publication, however 
 interesting in private. Without pledging myself, or 
 urging my readers to any undue reliance upon any 
 single experiment, I would still attach much value to 
 Mich opinions, when all the circumstances are duly 
 weighed. 
 
 JOHN QJJINCV ADAMS by Rev. Mr. K., 1844. 
 
 After describing the influence proceeding from the
 
 Original Sketch, 9} 
 
 contact of the letter in his hands, iVir. K. continued : 
 " I find no disposition to mirthfulness. It is a serious 
 character. I should say, he is deeply absorbed in 
 great subjects, and very rarely has a smile upon his 
 face. It is one \vhose whole mental energy and 
 tenor of his thoughts are all given to the advance- 
 ment of the happiness, welfare, freedom and pros- 
 perity of his country. I use the word COUNTRY 
 emphatically, because such a mind cannot be 
 engrossed or much affected by trifling or personal 
 objects. It is a patriot, a statesman, a Christian, a 
 benefactor of man, and one who will leave a deep, 
 a very deep, impression on the human mind and 
 history. He is in public life, decidedly. He would 
 be a man others would call forth and confide in. He 
 would be true to everv trust. He has a religious 
 
 V 
 
 conscience. Decidedly he is not a political dema- 
 gogue. He is rather of a phlegmatic character 
 has a solid intellect rather than showv. He is past 
 the middle of life : the whole influence is weaken- 
 ing." 
 
 44 His caution would produce suspicion of him. 
 He would be vigilant, decided, firm, prudent, not 
 passionate ; ready to listen to all objections, a very 
 keen observer of men, understands human nature 
 thoroughly, would not allow self-interest to influence 
 him, would be firm with opponents, sure that he was 
 right and would go straight forward. Do not think 
 he was eloquent, a man of few words and even- 
 word a bullet, to the point. He would not light a 
 duel." 
 
 44 lie has a good intellect, a well balanced char-
 
 94 Original Sketch. 
 
 acter, is excitable and deeply moved by everything 
 which might ai.n a blow at free institutions, both 
 literary and political. I do not think he is a poet, he 
 is lacking in the spirit of poetry. He has literary 
 power ; every subject would be finely treated ; but 
 he would not show the rire of genius " 
 
 " He is against everything disorganizing. He 
 would harmonize and be drawn to men anxious for 
 the security and permanence of our whole country. 
 He is decidedly a whig. He is a perfect gentleman 
 of the old school." 
 
 "He has a great deal of the character of Jonx 
 QUINCY ADAMS, more of John Adams do not 
 think hi: intellect equal to my conception of Webster. 
 Such men as he and Clay would be glad to counsel 
 together. He has the intellect of Calhoun ; he has 
 a broader reach of vision. He has such traits of 
 character as belong to John Qjiincy Adams, John 
 Adams, John Davis, Judge Marshall, Judge Parsons 
 and Judge -ahaw. 
 
 HENRY CLAY by W. B. S., 1846. 
 
 (Q^ How does it affect you?) " It is very 
 agreeable, very bracing in its effects, makes me a 
 little dizzy." 
 
 " He is a man of very clear intellect, and rather a 
 commanding one, quite warm in his feelings, and 
 very earnest in whatever he undertakes to express. 
 I suppose he is a politician, it's natural he should be 
 one not a minister not a literary man by profes- 
 sion ; but has a good mind and likes to use it, to 
 keep it actively employed. I don't think he has a 
 gloomy character. He is rather pleasant in his dis-
 
 Original Sketch. 95 
 
 position. His manners and personal appearance are 
 easy, polite and graceful, elegant in delivery, chooses 
 his language with taste, but is forcible is a man of 
 fine feelings and sentiments, although not a member 
 of the church. lie would not be guilty of anything 
 low or base, he has a high sense of honor, is affable 
 to all, is an eloquent speaker, not the most profound, 
 an eloquent one, agreeable at least. In his domestic 
 relations, happy and pleasant under ordinary circum- 
 stances. His affections are strong, he is kind and 
 benevolent." 
 
 (What sphere of life does he occupy?) " I sup- 
 pose he occupies an elevated sphere, probably in 
 politic;;! life." 
 
 (What would his reputation be?) ' k He would be 
 a popular man ; lie might have enemies, but they 
 would recognize his good qualities. lie is a man of 
 passion and feeling ; it might have led him into some 
 excesses and youthful follies ; may have been wild ; 
 nothing low or mean." 
 
 O 
 
 (What is his greatest fault?) " His character is 
 generally good, seems to have great confidence in his 
 own opinion, but is onen to advice ; business qualities 
 not very great, acquisitiveness not large. (What 
 kind of business is he interested in?) In politics. 
 (Does he live in town or country?) There is an 
 impression that this letter is written by a prominent 
 political character an image of a countrv house 
 arises." 
 
 HENRY CLAY by Mrs. R., 1844. Impressions 
 derived from a letter addressed to a committee. 
 
 *' In person, he is above the common si/.e, and in
 
 96 Original Sketch. 
 
 talents above mediocrity. He has a good moral 
 character, above mediocrity, being hopeful, conscien- 
 tious, patriotic, honorable and benevolent. I do not 
 mean that kind of benevolence which prompts per- 
 sons to give alms to the poor it is a benevolent, 
 philanthropic feeling, shown in his desire to 
 ameliorate the condition of man. He has moral 
 ambition, but he has a good degree of love of 
 power, and secretiveness. He w r ould be what I 
 would call a good wire-puller, and would make 
 others act for him. He has both kinds of ambition, 
 and wants to be very high. There is a great deal of 
 self-esteem in it. He wants to be considered not 
 only a great man, but a good man. I am under a 
 good deal of restraint, as to speaking of the plans 
 take off a little secretiveness and I will talk to you." 
 I touched her head on the appropriate organs to re- 
 lieve her, when she continued : "You have relieved 
 me from a load. His ambition is to be the great man 
 of the nation. He carries it out in law-giving and 
 advice-giving in speaking to people and telling 
 them what ousdit to be and what he would do for 
 
 O 
 
 them. lie is a great planner. j lie has a good deal 
 of perception and foresight. His private intercourse 
 is honorable ; he is agreeable in his circle. He exerts 
 a great deal of influence upon those with whom he 
 comes into contact, more in private circles than in pub- 
 lic. He is liable to misleading his friends, because 
 his judgment is not sound at all times, not being so 
 good as his off-hand perceptions." 
 
 " lie is well-fitted for a counsellor or governor of a 
 state or a large institution. lie is better fitted to direct
 
 Original Sketch. 07 
 
 than to carry out. He would make a better general 
 than officer or soldier, and would exert a powerful in- 
 fluence over his men ; they would reverence him and 
 have great confidence in him. He would exert great 
 influence in the political world, and make others do the 
 work for him." 
 
 " His capacities would be great as a statesman, but 
 equally great as an orator, or as a jurist ; but the ca- 
 pacity of the orator is most developed. He has a 
 great flow of language, is pointed, uses a variety of 
 gestures and has a great deal of artificial or acquired 
 eloquence. Sometimes there is a great burst of feel- 
 ing, which carries his audience away. He is a great 
 observer of how his audience take his oratory, and 
 takes advantage of the impressions he creates in 
 speaking. His best field is before a mixed mass, a 
 very large audience ; a small circle is not enough for 
 his ambition, he has all the talent necessary to make 
 the mass consider him a great man. His ambition 
 finds more food on such occasions." 
 
 'He is a man of ardent temperament and irritable 
 passions, but can control his temper. Naturally he is 
 verv passionate and irritable ; habitually, he can be 
 calm, placid and pleasing. In public speaking he has 
 both the passionate and the pleasing." 
 
 " lie has more fondness for high living than he 
 ought to have. I am sure he has never joined the 
 temperance society, and expect he never will. I It- 
 has religious feelings and yet he would be profane ; 
 he has a contradictory character. The worst that can 
 be said of him is that he is secretive, ambitious, pas- 
 sionate and intemperate. He takes a little too much
 
 98 Original Sketch. 
 
 drink. ( Q^. Of what kind?) Not verv particular 
 as to kind or quality/' 
 
 " He is not selfish, beyond ambition and love of 
 power ; not selfish as to pecuniary affairs ; he would 
 not stoop to do a mean act for pecuniary advantage. 
 My head is tight here, as if the brain was about to 
 burst the skull." 
 
 * lie has coarse and violent passions, but he has 
 well trained faculties to hide them. He is a coarse 
 man, with a very polished exterior like a beautiful 
 painting on a coarse canvas. Yet he would be a good 
 husband, father or relation, and would be rather gen- 
 erous to servants, so they would even like him, but 
 would sometimes be passionate with them. He would 
 make them love him and fear him." 
 
 "The leading motives of his life are mixed: thev 
 
 O 
 
 are ambition mixed with a good deal of patriotism and 
 philanthropy. The worst parts of his character would 
 be very little seen or known. Upon the whole the 
 influence ot his public life would be good : he would 
 be considered a great man. It seems to me he is alive 
 
 O 
 
 and somewhere about seventy years of age, or within 
 five years." 
 
 HENRY CLAY by Mrs. W., 1844. 
 
 " It is a person I like there is something verv 
 clear, bright. It's a person that thinks a great deal 
 that I should have perfect confidence in; he is a 
 very happy person, it gives me a happy feeling." 
 
 (We wish to know his character?) " I should give 
 him a very high character indeed. It's a person of a 
 great deal of energy, of very cultivated mind, great 
 strength of character, firmness. Is n't he very
 
 Original $k<tch. 99 
 
 straight, very upright? Jfc is upright! lie is a man 
 of a great deal of benevolence, upright in all his deal- 
 ings, fair ; he can face any one. I feel a stronger 
 impression from it than from any letter I ever took. 
 I have not language to express it. I seem to feel all 
 at once just what he is. He deserves to fill a very 
 high office, he is very clear, he resembles you in that 
 respect he can decide anything very quickly, he is 
 a noble man. He has great power of expressing his 
 ideas. Is he a speaker a public speaker? If he 
 is, he 's very eloquent. You have no idea what an 
 effect it has upon me, it gives me such a brightness. 
 I should think he would be a delightful companion, a 
 general favorite. If I am not reading him true, none 
 ol them can be true, for I feel this quicker altogether, 
 the whole character, right off. It is a good character 
 altogether, he is so noble in his nature. His princi- 
 ples are high; his standard, his aim, is high. lie 
 would be ready to answer anything, to decide any- 
 thing quickly. lie is so very clear, he would answer 
 readily. He is a person -that would do a great deal 
 of good in whatever situation. He is a person of ele- 
 gant, agreeable manners, pleasing to every one. I 
 should think he was, as I said before, a great favorite. 
 I am perfectly delighted with him. If it isn't some- 
 body that's splendid, I 'II be dreadfully disappointed." 
 
 " It vou '11 ask me some questions, I'll be readv to 
 answer them. His spirit is in me." 
 
 (What are his pursuits?) "He is a public charac- 
 ter. I should think a speaker or writer : at any rate, 
 something public. As far as I know what a preside-ill 
 ought to be, I think he's just the man. I would cer-
 
 TOO Original Sketch. 
 
 tainly make him President, if I was the only person to 
 be consulted. I receive a decided impression from 
 this letter. I never felt it so very strong. If I only 
 had language, I couldn't stop talking he must talk 
 a great deal." 
 
 (What kind of speaker is he?) kk There would be 
 perfect stillness when he is speaking. I Ve said be- 
 fore, that he is very eloquent. I think he 'd interest a 
 large public audience. I think he's a favorite speaker 
 -brilliant." 
 
 (What are his aims in life?) " His aims are high, 
 as I said before. I should think he 's a very witty 
 man very lively in disposition. He 's very unsel- 
 fish ; he aims rather to do others good than himself." 
 
 (As to temper, what do you say?) " I think he 's 
 irritable and quick, but he has an excellent disposi- 
 tion : he governs this temper very well, but he 's very 
 quick naturally ; he 's very excitable very candid." 
 
 (Can you compare him with any other characters?) 
 " I Ve compared him with you in the clearness of his 
 ideas. He has this great strength of character and 
 energy ; he is not depressed in spirit, as most people 
 are, who have such an intellect as he has. He is 
 smiling : his feelings are ardent and lasting, true and 
 earnest he do n't do any thing half-way. I have an 
 idea of his eloquence and intellect his strength be- 
 ing like Daniel Webster but Webster is not so smil- 
 ing and cheerful. I would like to feel always such 
 strength and energy as I have now." 
 
 (Is there no one else but Webster, whom you can 
 compare him to?) "There's a great deal of firm- 
 ness ; he 's a great thinker. I do n't think ; I can't
 
 Original Sketch, 101 
 
 compare him, I have too poor a memory can't call 
 up any body so as to compare him. lie's a great 
 man. 1 don't know any body that he's like, alto- 
 gether." 
 
 (I wish you to find some fault?) " What is that 
 
 [touching the region of affection] ? I feel a great 
 
 heat there. lie has great fondness for a country life 
 
 -for the beauties of nature. Who is this? The 
 
 faults do n't come to me ; he 's very quick tempered.' 
 
 (How would this person compare with Mr. Clay?) 
 " He's a better man than I thought Mr. Clay was. I 
 should n't think such a person would keep slaves. 
 This person seems more noble and elegant in his man- 
 ners than I supposed Mr. Clay to be." 
 
 JUDGE ROWAN, by G. C., Esq. Impressions de- 
 rived from a political manuscript. 
 
 " A sedate character, dignified, elevated no taste 
 for levity. There is a love of investigation a love 
 of order and arrangment in investigations, as well as 
 in other things. This person, as a lawyer or politi- 
 cian, would endeavor to convince by the most familiar 
 and plain arguments. lie would be powerful in de- 
 bate, cogent in argument, and plain in his inductions 
 and explanations. (What of his pursuits?) His 
 mind is accustomed to legal investigations, and 
 adapted to political. I think both, at times, had en- 
 gaged his serious attention. (What is his rank as a 
 lawyer?) Very high as a reasoner : he would stand 
 first as among the most talented. He is not withou* 
 very strong feelings, and has power to appeal to the 
 passions. Yet declamation was not his habit. But 
 he would arouse the feelings powerfully by the
 
 IO2 Original Sketch, 
 
 strength of his perceptions and force of elucidation ; 
 the passions would follow the judgment, and both 
 would be aroused." 
 
 (What as a politician?) tk He would exert his rea- 
 soning faculties, and attain a very high rank. His 
 mind would be better adapted to the Senate than to 
 the House of Representatives. I should think he had 
 been in both, but preferred the Senate. (What of his 
 manners?) They are bland and dignified. (Domes- 
 tic character?) Very fine, kind, affable and digni- 
 fied, not harsh. (As to females?) Most refined and 
 elevated ; he would have friends among them ; they 
 would like, respect and venerate him. (Is he living, 
 or dead?) He is dead. (To whom would you com- 
 pare him?) I have an impression that his mind is of 
 the model of Judge Rowan's. (How is he as to par- 
 ties?) He would analyze their principles, and act 
 freely with that which he thought correct ; he would 
 not be led by either party into advocacy of principles 
 he did not believe correct. He is an honest politician. 
 He would not leave his party, but would not act with 
 the party when he thought them wrong. He would 
 be the peer of any man as a statesman or a lawyer." 
 
 Judge T., in giving his impressions from the auto- 
 graph of Judge Rowan, described him as, in per- 
 sonal appearance, somewhat such a man as Webster 
 large, dignified, etc. ; a calm, deep-thinking, pure- 
 minded man, of far-reaching intellect, great pride, 
 honor and honesty a democrat in politics, but not 
 carried away by party ; a man of great depth of 
 feeling, who would be "overwhelming" in elo- 
 quence when his feelings were aroused. In giving
 
 Original Sketch. 103 
 
 this opinion, the Judge himself, a very calm, methodi- 
 cal man, recognized, readily, the legal ability and 
 moral elevation, but did not perceive the capacity as 
 a speaker, until alter some reflection. Not only the 
 character of the psychometer, but the character of 
 the autograph, is important as to the interest of 
 the opinion pronounced. The psychometer partakes 
 of the character of the writer, and modifies his style 
 accordingly. The most eloquent and beautiful 
 opinions which I have ever recorded, were pro- 
 nounced upon the autograph of Judge Rowan, by 
 a young lawyer of the South, and a lady, who made 
 their investigation in conjunction, and expressed 
 similar opinions in glowing language. 
 
 MILITARY HEROES May, 1846. A letter on 
 public business, relating to the war, written by a 
 distinguished old General, was placed upon the fore- 
 head of F. R., a young gentleman of education and 
 talent. His remarks were : <k I feel pleasant, self- 
 satisfied it excites the occiput and crown of the 
 head I could make a good fighting man now. I 
 would like to see it going on. I feel older than I 
 was just now, feel like an old man, in fact yet 
 I feel tha same disposition to see fighting going on. 
 I know -who it is, from mv feelings it is General 
 
 There is no use guessing any more 
 
 about it." 
 
 Having thus truly detected the authorship of the 
 letter, with so much certaintv, that he refused to sav 
 anything more, I next placed upon his fore-head an 
 autograph from GENERAL WASHINGTON, he imme- 
 diately proceeded, as follows :
 
 1 04 Original Sketch. 
 
 " I feel a greater sensation in the perceptive organs 
 over the eyes, a swelling of the nostrils and a feeling 
 of defiance I should judge he was a man of intel- 
 lect. Certainly, when he took a course, he would 
 pursue it to the end. Nothing can alter his deter- 
 mination, neither persuasion nor force." 
 
 (Q^. What pursuits and sphere of life is he tit 
 for?) 
 
 " For a statesman bold, independent and straight- 
 forward. He would make a good soldier, too, if he 
 had opportunity a good commanding officer, who 
 could plan well and perce ; ve advantages. (What of 
 his moral character?) He is a great man. He has 
 a great deal of what I call force. (How does he 
 compare with other men?) He has a great deal more 
 force greatly excels them in power he is still 
 planning, but on a larger scale he thinks more 
 profoundly, acts from greater motives and on a large 
 scale. He is superior to the ordinary run of great 
 men might be estimated among the first class a 
 much greater man than Jackson, because he had 
 more intellect, but he would resemble him in lorce of 
 character. I feel the excitement extending back from 
 the perceptive over the moral organs and crown of 
 the head. I consider him a great patriot a man 
 of great justice let justice be done though the 
 heavens fall." 
 
 (What is his appearance?) " Tall, commanding, 
 he would look more like my idea of GEORGE WASH- 
 INGTON, than any one else." 
 
 REV. W. E. CHANNING by Miss S. W. 
 
 " I feel perfectly calm. I have a burning heat in 
 my forehead, across the middle of it."
 
 Original Sketch. 105 
 
 " I don't think the person is in perfect health, Ik- 
 is not very strong, physically he had more strength 
 of mind than body. He understands himself very 
 well. lie would be a good abolitionist he would 
 say : Freedom for all mankind. I think he's very 
 warm, generous-hearted. I think he is entirelv 
 interested in the welfare of others he is self-sacri- 
 ficing he would deny himself comforts for the 
 benefit of others. Isn't he engaged in the anti- 
 slavery cause? it seems to me he is. He'll be a 
 true friend to the slave. It seems to me he is a 
 public lecturer, or something of that sort. It is 
 a person I should be willing to trust myself with. 
 I could rely upon his word ; he has good judgment 
 he is not excitable you would always know just 
 where to find him. There is a great deal of romance 
 about him. He is a great lover of nature he would 
 be very fond of poetry. He might write it; he has 
 great strength of sentiment. I don't think he's known 
 as a poet, but I think he can write poetry, very sweet 
 and beautiful. He has beautiful ideas, and expresses 
 them beautifully. I think he must be subject to fits of 
 melancholy. I feel sad. He was a man of tender 
 feelings, easily wounded. I would like him right 
 well." 
 
 REV. W. E. CHAXXIXC; by Miss P., Januarv. 
 1844. 
 
 " Another sadness affects me but it is not a moral 
 sadness, but a holy, tender feeling. It deepens tin- 
 other, contrasting the two men not much phvsical 
 force. I feel strength to bear the ills of life not a 
 strength to fight the battles, but a soaring above them
 
 106 Original Sketch. 
 
 so high that they cannot reach me. This person 
 would be considered a sort of abstraction by many. 
 Some of his friends feel provoked that he does not 
 make more of a stir; they are ambitious for him, but 
 he knows best what is his soul's good. They are pro- 
 yoked at the very things for which they should re- 
 vere him. He is spiritual. His choice would be 
 private life ; but, circumstances would call him some- 
 what into public. I think he might be a clergyman 
 
 he has moral courage. He would not be practical 
 enough to take an active part in the reforms of the 
 day, but he would aid them by writing. Those writ- 
 ing might not be sought after by the generality - 
 might be tedious to many. He writes deeply a 
 merely receptive mind, without much activity, would 
 not profit much by them must be in a similar state 
 to his to get at what he says. An appreciation of true 
 wit a contempt for vain attempts would have a 
 strange joy in what the unappreciating might call his 
 vagaries ' He has meat to eat which they know not 
 of.' He is fitted for another sphere of existence too 
 sublimated for this. I reverence him should feel 
 his lighest \vord it \vould dwell on my ear, and if I 
 did not then understand, the means would come when 
 I was prepared. The form of his sentences would be 
 peculiar. Appreciates the fine arts loves poetry 
 sonnets, perhaps. He loves philosophy. lie cares 
 for society differently from most. lie is an observer 
 - a thinker. His internal activity is great. lie would 
 hear beautiful music internal harmonies lives an 
 inward life. lie would not seek the society of the 
 great, but of those who live more naturally. He is a
 
 Original Sketch. 107 
 
 dark-haired person is not selfish, but so lost in his 
 thought, as not to regard the comforts of others. Ili.s 
 mind wears out his body. Better for him if his 
 thoughts were less occupied if he had to make more 
 physical exertion. lie makes me feel brighter, hap- 
 pier, stronger." 
 
 DR. J. M. HARNEY, of Kentucky, author of Chrys- 
 tallina, etc., was a man of decided poetical genius. 
 
 He was described as follows by F. R., 1846. 
 
 " I am impressed with the gorgeous beauties of na- 
 ture : lofty mountains lovely landscapes tumultu- 
 ous ocean. Nature appears in her most lovely pan- 
 oply ; my mind is on the mountain, the billowy 
 ocean the valley, the distant city. I 'm in the coun- 
 try. A feeling of the sublime impels me to contem- 
 plate Deity through his works. It is the sunshine of 
 poetic feeling nothing morbid. No disposition to 
 speculate on man. I 'm far from the city, in the 
 country. I feel as Coleridge in the vale of Cham- 
 ouni. except that I see the ocean. I have the feelings 
 of Byron in the Alps, except that I see no thunder 
 and lightning." 
 
 "I think the writer has little of the epic is not 
 like Pope ; he has the inspiration derived from the 
 beauties of nature. He has a vein of chaste and del- 
 icate sentiment. He resembles Byron : he lias more 
 of the fire of poetry than Goldsmith. He is very 
 much like Scott, but there is more softness. He has 
 less philosophy than Shellev. lie has a vein of sen- 
 timent : he is, perhaps, nearer to Bryant, than any I 
 can perceive. He has originality, but not much in- 
 vention, lie is evidently a literarv man, of taste for 
 elegant literature and history.
 
 io8 Original Sketch. 
 
 MADAME DE STAEL by Miss S. W. 
 
 (What do you think of this person?) kk I should 
 think it is a person of very high intellect, indeed. 
 (Male or female?) It does not seem to be a male; 
 but if it is a female, it is a very uncommon person. 
 If it 's a female, she is very masculine." 
 
 (Give me a positive answer. ) I think it 's a female ; 
 she 's a tremendous thinker. It is a very haughty 
 person very dictatorial ; there is very great strength 
 of mind. She is \;ery fearless, indeed. She'd make 
 a good president, or a good queen : any one would 
 fear her, yet would respect her. Everything that she 
 said would be law. I wouldn't dare disobey." 
 
 (What are her chief aims?) "She's a great 
 writer a very powerful woman." 
 
 (What of her moral character?) " I should think 
 more of her mind her intellect than of her morals. 
 She is a very hard person to understand. She 
 would n't condescend to notice common people. I 
 do n't think she's remarkably conscientious. I don't 
 think there 's any spirituality about her, at all. She 
 thinks too much of worldly things. Her mind is 
 wholly upon literary pursuits nothing else. I think 
 she's sincere. She might be rather satirical. She'd 
 tell you just what she thought, whether you liked it 
 or not. She is dignified, retiring, cold, distant. I 
 never could get acquainted with her ; I never should 
 try to. Every body would respect her every body 
 would want to know her very few woidd take any 
 step toward intimacy with her. It seems as though 
 my head would burst with thinking. She would think 
 a great deal of having a high reputation ; she desires 
 fame : she's not very easily excited."
 
 Original Sketch. 109 
 
 (What is her reputation?) " She is by no means a 
 rypher in the world's estimation. She has a high 
 reputation. She is deserving of it." 
 
 (Is she living, or dead?) i4 I can't tell. She never 
 thought of death. I can only think of her in the 
 world. I'm in doubt about it. (Why?) I don't 
 like to think of her as being dead. She would die 
 like a hero she would n't be afraid to die." 
 
 (Can you say any thing more of her moral charac- 
 ter?) " There seems to be a vein of selfishness. She 
 would do good when it came in her wav, but would 
 
 O 
 
 not put herself to any inconvenience. She would not 
 be self-sacrificing. I should not fancy her in the 
 domestic sphere. She might be harsh, jealous, iras- 
 cible." 
 
 (What sort of wife?) kk Not affectionate deter- 
 mined to rule." 
 
 (Is she American or foreign?) " I think she is a 
 foreigner ; certainly a most manly personage." 
 
 (What is the stvle of her writings?) " There would 
 
 O 
 
 be a great deal of vehemence and loftiness : noble, 
 rather pompous no, not so much in writing as in 
 common conversation. Her thoughts are perfectly 
 natural ; she writes without restraint. I can see her 
 pen fly. I never knew such a woman : there's no- 
 body on earth I can think of, that seems like her." 
 
 (Can you compare her to any one?) Xo : I can 
 compare her to some I have read of in novels, to Ma 
 chere Mere, in the Neighbors,' one of those mascu- 
 line women." 
 
 (You can't sav whether she's living or dead?) % I 
 think she's dead. (Whv?) I do n't know : I don't
 
 no Original Sketch, 
 
 like to think of her as dead. There 's nothing heav- 
 enly about her. She 's better fitted for this world, 
 than for that holier sphere. She 's not so moral as 
 she ought to be : she has some morality without any 
 religion." 
 
 (Have you heard of Madame de Stael? " Yes- 
 (How would the character suit her?) I think it is 
 her yes, I know it is." 
 
 MRS. L. M. CHILD by Bishop Otey. 
 
 "It seems to be sprightly, witty, humorous a 
 laughing girl, full of social feeling. Her sprightli- 
 ness covers up a deep religious feeling. She would 
 like to make sport for her friends, but there is nothing 
 malicious about it. She has great philanthropy. She 
 would be deeply interested in the sublime objects of 
 Nature has a great relish for such things. She 
 would be seriously interested in music and the line 
 arts. Her animal spirits are great, but she would 
 not jest upon sacred subjects in such matters she 
 is very sincere. She possesses very superior powers 
 of mind, which would enable her to fill a wide space 
 in the public eye, but does not seem to have the 
 ambition for such distinction." 
 
 BOOTH, THE ACTOR by Miss S. W., 1844. 
 
 " More excitement than Miss Martineau. It makes 
 me tremble. I don't think it's very intellectual. I 
 should think he might be rather wild one of those 
 ranters. He's very active, very bold -- rather 
 haughty. Why, what is he ! He would like to 
 make a good appearance in the world to be 
 admired. Flattery would hurt him he can't bear 
 it he has too much self-esteem."
 
 Original Sketch. in 
 
 He's a public man of some sort, but I don't know 
 what to do with him. He can't be a lecturer. I 
 don't think he has mind enough to write much. 
 I must put him on the stage. That's the best place 
 tor him. It makes me tremble so. I can't think he's 
 a very respectable character. He might be a great 
 mimic take any one off to perfection. Is he a 
 play-actor? I don't know what else to do with him. 
 I think he might be a good actor, but I don't think 
 he'd be much off the stage. I don't think he's a very 
 moral man. He's some great star. I thought, at 
 first, he was very comical, but I don't think he is 
 now. I think he'd take to tragedy. He has a good 
 memory. He's an actor has a very high reputa- 
 tion people would make a great rush to see 
 him." 
 
 (What do you say of the soundness of his mind?) 
 lie is not a man of great or expanded mind. He's 
 rather feeble-minded he seems mysterious. (How 
 is he regarded as to this matter?) I don't think he 
 is perfectly sane. I -feel in doubt about it ; I can't 
 tell. (Is he living, or dead?) I think he must be. 
 living." 
 
 O 
 
 Ror.KRT FULTON by Mrs. P. 
 
 I feel it up my arm makes it ache feeling of 
 stupor has gone off: feel very cheerful like the 
 writer very well pleasant, cheerful fellow imagi- 
 native, kind - hearted : seems a young man. not 
 attained to what he might be feels as if he had the 
 power to be anything he chose to be lull of high 
 hopes of achieving fame in some way, bv doing 
 good to liis countrv. lie is full of patriotism not
 
 ii2 Original Sketch. 
 
 old enough yet to have lost his joyousness, and 
 become disappointed at all. Me will be successful. 
 
 " He is dead ! There is a feeling of indescribable 
 sadness, as if some one had been cut down in the 
 bloom of youth, with bright prospects before him. 
 He was full of noble feeling had very line intellec- 
 tual capacity full of beautv. I feel that he was 
 too young to have achieved much : he had a con- 
 sciousness of power, but was too young, or else had 
 been carried away, and not turned his powers to 
 account. I feel as if he had died before he accom- 
 plished anything. I feel as if he had difficulties, and 
 did not realize his dreams. He was rather a disap- 
 pointed man. He died, disappointed, in the midst of 
 his undertaking disappointed in men, disappointed 
 in life. He has left some fame not what he mi^ht 
 
 O 
 
 have left if he had lived and justice had been done 
 him. He was an American a Northern man 
 dead some twenty years belongs rather to the past 
 than the present." 
 
 The letter upon which this opinion was pronounced, 
 reads as follows : 
 
 " NEW-YORK, May 18, 1812. 
 
 "Dear Law Have you forgot the Ganges? 
 What active measures are you pursuing to carrv 
 your well-conceived and highly important plans into 
 effect, as soon as possible? Time, you know, is 
 precious. It is so important an object, that I am of 
 the opinion one of your sons should immediately 
 come here, and go from hence to England : and. if 
 encouraged there, to India. What are our friends,
 
 Original Sketch. 11} 
 
 the friends to science and the arts, doing for tin- 
 patent law? Shall mind, \\hich governs matter, 
 have no protection, while a iield of potatoes, the 
 vulgar labor of mere vulgar hands, is barricaded in 
 protecting laws? Shall war stare us in the face, and 
 the laws give no inducement for genius to deal 
 destruction to our enemies? If every member of 
 Congress had the mind, the soul of a Lorenzo de 
 
 O 
 
 Medicis, would not the country, by encouragement, 
 exhibit works of genius which would give dignity to 
 our character, and make us respected? Write me 
 soon. Yours, etc. 
 
 ROM'T Fri/roN." 1 
 
 The lady by whom the foregoing opinion was pro- 
 nounced, was remarkable rather for the delicacv and 
 strength of her emotions, than for the power of 
 investigating character. I give the experiment as 
 an example of psychometric portraiture, frequently 
 occuring, in which the leading impression or lunt 
 ensemble will be painted, rather than the specific 
 details of the character and life. The power of 
 describing the general impression and sentiment, 
 which is associated with the letter or the life of tin- 
 writer, is much more common than the power of dis- 
 covering the particular facts. 
 
 To a correct reasoner, these imperfect experiments 
 constitute a complete demonstration of the psvchome- 
 tric power. Indeed, the most meagre 01 our experi- 
 ments are sufficiently convincing, when impartially 
 examined: for, in describing any individual, each 
 trait or feature of his character would admit of at
 
 114 Original Sketch, 
 
 least a hundred different descriptions, of which only 
 one would be true. The probabilities, therefore, are 
 \ hundred to one against the correctness of each 
 statement ; and the entire truth of the description, if 
 it were mere guess work, would be a coincidence 
 beyond the utmost range of probability. If an artist 
 should attempt to paint the portrait of an unknown 
 individual, without any hint by which to guide his 
 fancy, it is perfectly certain that his fancy-sketch 
 could not, by any admissible possibility, become a 
 true portrait. If the portrait should prove a faithful 
 one, it would be impossible to convince any one that 
 the artist had never seen his subject, and knew not 
 his name, country, age, sex or pursuits. So, when a 
 psychometric portrait proves correct, we are com- 
 pelled to believe that the psychometer has had some 
 means of satisfactory observation, and that a true 
 portrait has not been painted by accident. 
 
 The demonstration of a psychometric experiment 
 is so complete, that no objection can have any 
 material weight, excepting one which is based upon 
 its truth. It may be affirmed that the psychometer 
 derives his impressions, not from the letter, but from 
 the minds of those around him that he has a 
 sympathy with them, which enables him to interpret 
 their views, independent of any impression from the 
 paper. To those who have witnessed many mes- 
 meric experiments, this suggestion has much plausi- 
 bility ; and I would not deny that, in some cases, 
 the sentiments of those about him may influence a 
 very sympathetic individual, and modify his conclu- 
 sions : but these extraneous influences are not the
 
 Original Sketch. 115 
 
 source of his impressions. If he holds the letter in 
 his hands, he recognizes its impression as commenc- 
 ing at the point of contact, and traversing the arm 
 to the brain, giving him an idea of the character only 
 after the brain has been impressed. If it is held on 
 the forehead, he perceives the influence more readily, 
 which is diffused from the letter over his head, and 
 which affects distinctly the particular organs that are 
 most highly excited. He perceives that the letter is 
 the source of his impressions, and if it should be 
 enveloped in paper, each additional fold of paper 
 increases the difficulty of receiving the impression. 
 The immediate contact of the writing is the most 
 efficient means of communicating the impression, and 
 the different portions of the manuscript frequently 
 communicate different ideas, according to the tenor 
 of the writer's thoughts. 
 
 The same opinions will be given by the psychome- 
 ter in the presence of different persons, whether thev 
 have or have not any idea of the character of the 
 autograph. He can exercise the power as well 
 alone, as he can exercise any of his other senses. 
 lie can take a letter, the moment it has been received 
 from the post-office, and investigate its character 
 alone, before he has opened it to learn its source or 
 contents. The psychometric power is a power of 
 independent perception, not derived from the opinions 
 of those about us, but exerted like the sense of sight 
 or smell, bv our own independent action. 
 
 To demonstrate, more clearly, this independence of 
 the psychometer, I have frequently had opinions pro- 
 nounced upon autographs, without myself knowing
 
 n6 Original Sketch. 
 
 the names until the close of the experiment. In such 
 cases, the opinions were as bold and as accurate as 
 when I knew the subject of the experiment. In 1844, 
 I selected the autographs of Dr. Spurzheim, Sir 
 Edward Lytton Bulwer, the novelist, and Ellen Tree, 
 the actress, and placing them upon the table, re- 
 quested Miss W. to examine and give her opinions of 
 the manuscripts before her. She proceeded to inves- 
 tigate them without my knowing which of the three 
 she had selected (herself totally ignorant of the nature 
 of the autographs). When they were examined, at 
 the conclusion of the experiment, I found that her 
 opinions had been given as correctly as in other cases, 
 having readily recognized one of the characters as a 
 female, and the others as males. 
 
 EDWARD L. BULWER by Miss W. (After Spurz- 
 heim. ) 
 
 (Is it like the other?) "He's a calmer sort of be- 
 ing. I think the person would rather sit down and 
 read and write, than any thing else. I think he 's 
 very serious, very thoughtful, very imaginative. 
 He's not a very active man. I think he's a public 
 man, but I do n't think he 's a professional man or a 
 politician. I guess he isn't very sociable ; he 's a soli- 
 tary sort of being he likes to be by himself and not 
 be disturbed he 's very intellectual. I think people 
 generally like him better than . 
 
 I shouldn't altogether fancy him. (Why?) I 
 don't know what, but there's something about him 
 rather repulsive. He can be verv relinecl and pol- 
 ished, but he isn't always particular to be so; lie's 
 either a public speaker or writer. I Ye either heard
 
 Original Sketch. 117 
 
 him or read his writings. I do n't think he improves 
 any by speaking or writing. I think he hurts himself 
 in some way- I think he's a great lover of nature; 
 he has a very fine way of describing it would make 
 you realize it/' 
 
 " It 's no one that I know. I only know him from 
 something that I Ve heard or seen. He might preach 
 up good doctrines, but he would n't always practice 
 them. I think there's a great deal of romance about 
 him. I think he's a writer, but I don't think that 
 what he *d write would benefit society much ; he 's 
 more a writer of romance and fiction. It do n't seem 
 he *cl ever speak or write upon the reforms of the day. 
 I do n't think I 'd like him much ; he do n't seem to 
 take the right ground he is n't refined enough." 
 , (What 's his domestic character?) " He 's a great 
 literary character. I can 't think of any thing else. 
 He 's kind-hearted, and disposed to treat people well. 
 I think he might be agreeable, but not very talkative." 
 
 ( How toward his wife ? ) " He thinks more of his pen 
 than of his wife might preach up good doctrine, 
 but would not practice it. He'd always be kind and 
 pleasant enough, but he 's more engaged in other 
 things/' 
 
 (What are his leading aims and tendencies?) ' I 
 think he wants to please the people, whether it is true 
 or not. I do n't think he's very conscientious. (lias 
 he any philanthropy?) Yes, I think he has, not to a 
 very great degree. (Is he republican, or aristo- 
 cratic?) Rather aristocratic very stately and dig- 
 nified. ( How as to taste in writing?) One xvouhi lie 
 excited in reading his writings, but I do n't think they 
 would require a great deal of thought."
 
 n8 Original Sketch. 
 
 ACCURATE DESCRIPTION FROM THREE AUTOGRAPHS. 
 
 A description from the autographs of Dr. Spurzheim, 
 Dr. Caldwell and Dr. Buchanan, given in 1852 by 
 two gentleman whose intelligence and superior capaci- 
 ties qualified them to give accurate opinions, was 
 published in the Journal of Man at the time as an 
 example of psychometric accuracy. Dr. Caldwell 
 was at that time living and quite old. He was a 
 gentleman of commanding stature, dignified, ener- 
 getic, imposing it appearance and manners more so 
 than any member of the medical profession I have 
 ever known. He was bold and honest in the pursuit of 
 truth and a vigorous controversialist. Among learned 
 men he was the most distinguished champion of 
 Phrenology and also of Mesmerism, notwithstanding 
 the opposition of his colleagues. The force of his 
 character overcame opposition. Dr. C. had led a 
 distinguished career as a medical professor and 
 author from the time of Rush until 1850, in Phila- 
 delphia, Lexington and Louisville, and was the first 
 medical professor to do justice to my own experi- 
 ments and discoveries in 1841-42. 
 
 Dr. Spurzheim the associate of Gall, after a brilliant 
 career in Europe, was received with great honor in 
 Boston, where he died in 1833, before he had time to 
 extend his labors beyond the city. Pierpont said in 
 his ode to Spurzheim : 
 
 " Friend of man, of God the servant. 
 
 Advocate of truths divine, 
 Nature's priest, how pure and fervent 
 Was thy worship at her shrine."
 
 Original Sketch. 119 
 
 When the descriptions were published Mr. Pier- 
 point, writing of this article, said : " The last number 
 of the yournal of Man has greatly interested me, 
 especially in the Psychometric Department, as I have 
 had the pleasure of a personal acquaintance, more or 
 less intimate with all the three distinguished philoso- 
 phers whose characters are psychometrically given - 
 Spurzheim, Caldwell and Buchanan. They are all 
 done admirably yes, marvellously. I cannot con- 
 ceive how their respective characters could have been 
 more truly, more faithfully, or more discriminatingly 
 drawn." 
 
 These descriptions are condensed in the following 
 abridgments of the reports which give the salient 
 points. 
 
 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT. 
 
 SPURZHEIM. (Mr. T.) I think this individual is 
 diseased. There is oppression of the lungs and 
 chest, with difficult, laborious, painful breathing ; a 
 good deal of prostration of the nervous energy. 
 (Mr. P.) My first impression is that he is not living. 
 His forehead was wide, high and prominent. His 
 constitution was strong, his head large, full and 
 predominant in front. 
 
 CALDWELL. (Mr. 1*.) He has a large person, 
 full chested with vigorous lungs and circulation, and 
 I suppose a heavy beard. 
 
 BUCHANAN. (Mr. P.) This person has a large 
 head, about six and a half inches by eight.* The 
 brain projects anteriorly, laterally and superiorly. I lis 
 
 * The -xa't !/< \va.s six and four-truth* In ciirlit.
 
 I2O Original Sketch. 
 
 head is very broad on the top, round and lull. 
 The individual is living, actively engaged and in 
 health. (What is the relative length of the three 
 heads?) The second is longest in proportion to its 
 breadth. The third is next longest in proportion to 
 its breadth. The first was nearly round. The second 
 is smaller as to cubic contents. The first and third 
 differ but little in cubic bulk. The third is rather the 
 longest antero-posteriorly, and is broadest at ideality 
 and cautiousness. This one has not so large a body 
 but has good vital stamina. His head is out of pro- 
 portion to his body. He is not so large as the first and 
 second, though he may be tall. He has less muscu- 
 lar development. 
 
 These descriptions are remarkably accurate. The 
 dimensions of the heads are precisely correct 
 
 GENERAL CHARACTER. 
 
 SPURZHEIM. He is not developed in celestial 
 spirituality but much more in intellectuality more 
 engaged in studying the externals of Nature, the 
 forms and relations of spiritual things than the 
 internal or celestial. In life he had a good deal of 
 intellectual power the perceptive and reflective 
 were equally developed and exercised. He was a 
 hard student, a continuous thinker. There is consid- 
 erable firmness and decision with physical force and 
 energy. lie was a man of free thinking, liberal 
 mind. The mainspring of his action was a feeling 
 of trust, benevolence and philanthropy. lie had a 
 grave, reflective mind, but not a great deal of 
 vivacity. There was not much spirituality. He
 
 Original Sketch. 121 
 
 would investigate thoroughly before expressing an 
 opinion. He had a steady self-reliance but no 
 egotism. He is governed by a steady purpose to 
 accomplish the great object of his life. It was not a 
 mind of spontaneous genius but of elaborate intellect. 
 
 As a speaker he was grave and impressive, not 
 sprightly but dignified. When excited he exhibited 
 power and made a deep, lasting impression. His 
 desire was to benefit the whole community, by 
 developing science, enlightening them, and enab- 
 ling them to understand the laws of nature under 
 which they live. 
 
 CALDWELL. This individual is fully developed in 
 the intellectual region. He has considerable ideality 
 and imagination, is impulsive and excitable, reasons 
 from analog}' is ardent, energetic, bold, fearless. 
 This one has more active conspicuous ambition con- 
 nected with personal notoriety. He has more egotism, 
 the former more modest dignity. He lives more in 
 the present the former will live in the future'. The 
 former is more original this seems too impulsive for 
 a very patient investigation. He is polite, graceful, 
 vain, showy and courtly in manner. In speaking he 
 is engaged in making active gestures. In controversy 
 he is disposed to be bitter and sarcastic. When 
 aroused he seems to have an inexhaustible fountain of 
 intellectual material. lie could attract moiv attention 
 personally and have an influence wherever he went. 
 The other would have a more creative mind producing 
 those things which would last forever, while this 
 
 o 
 
 would be more brilliant fora time. Hi- aims t<> be 
 conspicuous and lofty in the eyes of the world. lie
 
 122 Original Sketch. 
 
 would be better fitted than the other tor political 
 and fashionable life. 
 
 3. BUCHANAN. A very clear, bright intellect; 
 great natural capacity free and spontaneous in its 
 action critical and philosophic. His mind is inclined to 
 scientific and philosophic investigation. He engages 
 in it with a good deal of energy. This mind to be 
 appreciated belongs to the future. He has self reli- 
 ance but no vanity. He has clearer and more accu- 
 rate perceptions than No. i and comes more directly 
 and correctly to conclusions. He belongs to a later 
 period in the progress of science and is more brilliant. 
 More philosophic and better balanced than No. 2, a 
 more active temperament than the first. 
 
 He is investigating some philosophic scientific sub- 
 ject. It is the main object of his life to develop, 
 found and establish it. It is not in reference to him- 
 self but he seems inseparably connected with it. He 
 is not pursuing it for honor or personal fame, but for 
 the love of truth. He is willing to live only in the 
 future or be denounced in the present. It is one of 
 the most pleasant living autographs I have ever had 
 on my forehead. He is governed by caution in his 
 investigations, which are scientific rather than politi- 
 cal or literary. His labors have not been duly appre- 
 ciated. His ambition is intellectual not with the 
 force and energy of the second. There is no activity 
 in acquisitiveness. He can grasp a great deal and 
 make it comprehended by others everything is clear 
 he is an architect of ideas. He will survive either 
 of the others in reputation as he has a greater capac- 
 itv for creation and draws ideas from sources the others
 
 Original Sketch. 123 
 
 cannot reach. This one belongs to all future time 
 not to the present ; the second belongs to the present. 
 The first will be enduring but being less creative will 
 not endure so long as this. 
 
 In the 'Journal of Man for July, 1851, was given a 
 description of six of the impassioned orators of the 
 South. Henry Clay and Judge Row an of Kentucky, 
 John Randolph of Virginia, S. S. Prentiss of Missis- 
 sippi, Col. Jos. H. Daviess of Kentucky and Gov. 
 McDuffie of South Carolina. The descriptions were 
 all faultlessly correct, and after all had been described 
 
 / 
 
 the following summary and comparison was made by 
 the psychometer. 
 
 CLAY is the most intuitive and best adapted to a 
 popular audience. He could make the most friends, 
 but would have less logical power than either, except 
 Randolph or perhaps Daviess. 
 
 ROWAN is the most powerful as an impressive 
 speaker with most of the stern dignity that overawes. 
 
 [Judge Rowan on account of his commanding 
 bearing was commonly called " the Old Monarch/' 
 As a criminal advocate he very rarely failed to ac- 
 quit his client.] 
 
 PKKNTISS would have the most uniform mental 
 action of a calm, well-balanced character. He would 
 have the copiousness of Randolph with more origin- 
 ality and versatility. 
 
 RANDOLPH is the most sarcastic, with the least 
 courtesy and moral refinement. He has the best 
 memorv and the greatest exactness. Randolph lius 
 the most intense excitement. Clay the most sustained 
 action of the brain. Rowan has a full, well-sus-
 
 124 Original Sketch, 
 
 tained mentality. McDuffie a more intense but less 
 uniform action. 
 
 DAVIESS would compare with Prentiss and Clay. 
 He would have more ideal pleasantness and enthu- 
 siasm, but less of oratorical power. (The early death 
 of Col. Daviess at the battle of Tippecanoe robbed 
 him of a brilliant career. His name was honored in 
 Illinois by the memento "Joe Daviess County.") 
 
 McDuffie would be distinguished by greater vehe- 
 mence and stubborn will.
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 I.ATKK DKVKI.oPM KNTS. 
 
 Poem Universal neglect of psychometric discovci io.-. Pearly experi- 
 niriits with Mr. Iiiinan Delicacy of the psychometric faculty Privacy 
 necessary to its best conditions Lecture In-fore Women's Club Kx- 
 periments in New York in 1STS Psycliometric genius of Mr-. Dr. 
 Ilaydcn and Mrs. Decker Previous life and remarkable experience!* 
 of Mrs. 1). .Sensibilities developed in myself Impressions in the 
 mind affecting particular organs Probable contagion of mental con- 
 ditions, especially in warm climates Vast extent of such influences 
 Telepathic phenomena in India Familiar experiments with Mrs. B. 
 Personal experiences in Psychometry Nominal Psvchoinetry 
 Angelo Cardela described Theory of Psychometry Impression- 
 derived from blank paper Description of Carlyle Phenomena of 
 catalysis and contact images Their relation to vital processes Tin- 
 use of pictures An index only needed Wide range of psychometric 
 power I'se of names and Investigation of questions Independence of 
 contact Examination of slates and sealed letters Of minerals I;- 
 tinancial importance Impressions from the back of written paper 
 Importance of religious questions in Psychometry In vesiiga! ion of 
 the founder- of religion Conclusions as to Christianity Competence 
 of Psychometry to restore all the past, dispensing with records and 
 monuments Psychometry based on IxrriTiox The Divine element in 
 man The basis of all human intelligence Antagonized by false skep- 
 tical and metaphysical philosophizing Science prepares for the tem- 
 ple of philosophy to be erected by psychometric |n>wcr The worlds 
 progress depends on its most spiritual powers Word-worth quoted 
 Modern antagonism to the psychic Testimony of Cabanis. Ksdaile. Mn- 
 reau de la Sarthe, and St. (in-gory Hostility to the psychic element- 
 of Greek philosophy and of Christianity Its cause nnimulisin and 
 false education -- Psychometry leads to a higher social condition 
 Power of the intuitional faculties in the past Why has investigation 
 been neglected Intuition illustrated by /chokke The recent dark 
 ages Intuition in religious history Intution in Australia. Dr. Itohner. 
 
 I wandered with an earnest heart 
 
 Among the quarried depths of Thought 
 
 125
 
 126 Later Developments. 
 
 And kindled by the poet's art, 
 I deftly wrought. 
 
 I wrought for Beauty ; and the world 
 Grew very green and smooth for me, 
 
 And blossom banners hung unfurled 
 On every tree. 
 
 Upon my heated forehead la}' 
 
 The cooling laurel, and my feet 
 Crushed buried fragrance out, the way 
 
 Had grown so sweet. 
 
 And Praise was servant of the ear 
 And Love dropt kisses on the cheek, 
 
 And smiled a passion-thought too dear 
 For tongue to speak. 
 
 But one day the ideal Good 
 
 Baptized me with immortal Youth 
 And in sublimity of mind, I WROUGHT FOR TRUTH, 
 
 Oh, then instead of laurel crown, 
 The world entwined a thorny band. 
 
 And on my forehead pressed it down 
 With heavy hand. 
 
 And looks that used to warm me, fro/.e. 
 
 I lost the cheer, the odor sweet 
 The path of velvet ; glaciers rose 
 
 Before my feet.
 
 Later Developments. 127 
 
 Yet truth the more divinely shone, 
 
 As onward still I sought to press, 
 And gloriously proved her own 
 
 Almightiness. Augusta Cooper Bristol. 
 
 o ~ -* 
 
 This beautiful poetical utterance embodies as much 
 of truth as beauty as is well known to all loyal ad- 
 herents who stand in the body guard of Truth. The 
 psychometric discoveries which- should have flashed 
 around the world at least as speedily as the discovery 
 of a comet, a shell, a plant, or a new chemical com- 
 bination, were very unanimously ignored. No college 
 gave the subject a thought, no cyclopedia mentioned 
 it, until against the protest of the learned corps of 
 contributors, the publisher of Johnson's' Cyclopedia 
 introduced my statement of the principles of Psychom- 
 etrv. The science was heard of onlv through mv 
 
 / O * 
 
 own magazine and the liberal medical college, which 
 against a bitter opposition we had successfully estab- 
 lished in Cincinnati. 
 
 I place these facts on record as a warning to the 
 coming generation against such disloyalty to truth and 
 the spirit of honest investigation. Denton's marvel- 
 ous work in three volumes, Tin-: SOUL OF THINGS," 
 was almost the only evidence that Truth had any 
 courageous and philosophic votaries in the sphere of 
 psychic science. In " Isis Unveiled." that vast, 
 learned and marvellous work of Madame Blavatsky. 
 there was a generous recognition, as its learned 
 authoress was familiar with the extraordinary realm <>t 
 science in which psychometry belongs her lan- 
 guage was as follows (vol. i, p. 182 :)
 
 128 Later Developments.. 
 
 "This faculty is called by its discoverer, Prof. J. 
 R. Buchanan Psychometry. To him the world is 
 indebted for this most important addition to psycholo- 
 gical sciences ; and to him, perhaps, when skepticism 
 is found felled to the ground by accumulation of facts, 
 posterity w r ill have to erect a statue. The existence 
 of this faculty was first experimentally demonstrated 
 in 1841. It has since been verified by a thousand 
 psychometers in different parts of the world." 
 
 The experimental demonstration in 1841, was 
 merely the recognition of impressions from the living 
 brain. It was not until 1842 that I discovered the 
 power of estimating psychic existence far away from 
 the living person by the writing, and it was this fuller 
 development of the same faculty which compelled me 
 to coin the word Psychometry. 
 
 Let me now sketch the progress of the science from 
 its publication in the ^Journal of Man and in my 
 Anthropology, to the present publication, in 1885. 
 
 The first development of the psychometric power 
 which I found in 1842, was that of Charles Inman, (a 
 younger brother of the celebrated artist), with whom 
 I discovered the power of autographic Psychometry 
 at New York. Mr. Inman enabled me to make the 
 most minute surveys of the cephalic organs, lie 
 could define the functions not only by touching with 
 his fingers, but by using a pencil case or a small 
 metallic rod to touch the various parts of the cranial 
 surface. In doing this he caught impressions of the 
 most minute gradation and variation of functions, and 
 it seemed to me from his descriptions that he recognized 
 the boundaries between the convolutions where the
 
 Later Development. 129 
 
 change was more marked than in passing along the 
 course ot" a convolution. I felt a strong desire to 
 take some bald head and map on its surface the 
 positions of each convolution by psychometric explo- 
 ration. Mr. I., however, was of too delicate and 
 anemic a temperament for a perfect exercise of 
 Psychometry. and sometimes gave negative state- 
 ments of functions which should have been described 
 in more active manifestation, so as to mislead me 
 somewhat in the nomenclature. 
 
 The sensitive delicacy what belongs to the 
 psychometric constitution is ill suited to public dis- 
 plays of the faculty. When the most delicate 
 psychic faculties are engaged in a profound and 
 difficult investigation, the presence of a large, expec- 
 tant company would be too great a disturbing power, 
 especially' when the company is in a state of intense 
 curiosity and skepticism. The psvchometer, like 
 all profound students, requires quiet and seclusion 
 lor his best efforts. I do not deny that persons 
 accustomed to public speaking, may, if psychometric, 
 exercise their powers on the platform, but I have 
 alwavs avoided such exhibitions. The nearest 
 approach I have made to it was in April, 1874, 
 when I addressed the New England Woman's Club 
 in Boston. The (rlobc report of this occasion stated 
 " There was a large assembly present to welcome 
 Dr. Buchanan, including many whose names are 
 prominent as writers and advocates of measures of 
 reform." After the lecture kk a psychometric circle 
 was formed from some of the ladies present, and slips 
 of paper containing the handwriting of a certaH
 
 130 Later Developments. 
 
 individual to them unknown were given to each and 
 they were requested to press them against their fore- 
 heads until they experienced some : ensation and 
 then announce it." From those who proved most 
 .sensitive " Four persons were then selected and 
 letters given them, and the autographs of the writers 
 pressed against their foreheads. This was most suc- 
 cessful, the ladies all experiencing some definite 
 .sensations, and one lady declared that the writer was 
 a person of great firmness of character, another that 
 he had a hi<rh ideal, and still another that he was a 
 
 O 
 
 great reformer and benefactor of mankind. Mrs. 
 Moulton, who seemed to experience this influence 
 more strongly than the rest, said that, she thought 
 that he would stand about where Theodore Parker 
 did." 
 
 In fact, Mrs. Moulton gave a good description of 
 Theodore Parker, evincing fine psychometric capac- 
 ities. Mrs. L. C. Moulton is well known to the 
 literati, especially by her poetical writings. Under 
 proper circumstances Psychometry may be displayed 
 before a select company, but the vulgar atmosphere 
 and influence attending a public exhibition have pre- 
 vented me heretofore from adopting that method of 
 propagandism. In select companies, however, we 
 have had many delightful evenings. The superior 
 delicacy of the female constitution renders the 
 psychometric faculty a much more common endow- 
 ment of females than of males. It is well known 
 that color blindness is much less common amon^ 
 
 c7 
 
 females, and some recent experiments at the Univer- 
 sity of Kansas have demonstrated that females have
 
 Later Developments. 131 
 
 a more acute taste and could detect the presence of 
 foreign matter in water more readily. A large 
 majority of females between sixteen and twenty 
 years of age evince psychometric capacities. 
 
 After my removal to New York in 1877, I formed 
 a small psychometric society of ladies which held 
 many interesting meetings for the cultivation of their 
 powers. In the society, Mrs. Decker (now Mrs. 
 Buchanan), and Mrs. Dr. I lay den displayed a more 
 delicate, yet vigorous and brilliant capacity, than I 
 had previously been accustomed to. 
 
 MARIA B. HAYDEN, M. D., chiefly in conse- 
 quence of her psychometric genius, was one of the 
 most skilful and successful physicians I have ever 
 known. About thirty-five years ajo she visited 
 
 
 
 England with her husband. Dr. W. R. Ilayden, and 
 introduced spiritualism to a distinguished circle of 
 intelligent people. Though her agency, the venera- 
 ble Robert Owen was converted from his benevolent 
 agnosticism to a still more benevolent spiritualism, 
 and Bulwer was enlightened in reference to truths for 
 which he had no other use than to weave them into 
 tissues of romance. Contaminated bv his moral 
 unsoundness, the gold of sacred truth became the 
 pinch-beck of theatrical mystery. Returning to 
 America she graduated in medicine and conducted 
 for over fifteen years a medical practice so entirely 
 successful that her name was forgotten at the Board 
 
 O 
 
 of Health from not having for several years a single 
 death to report. 
 
 The psychometric talent of Mrs. Ilayden was very 
 successfully employed by the president of the Globe .
 
 Later Developments. 
 
 Life Insurance Company in protecting the company 
 against losses in insurance on lives, until forbidden 
 by the bigoted stupidity of the board a folly 
 which contributed largely to the ultimate wreck of 
 the company. 
 
 Mrs. II. was greatly retarded from attaining her 
 proper professional rank by her sensitiveness and 
 modesty. When offered a medical professorship, for 
 which she was eminently qualified, she lirmly 
 retused it. The sphere of a medical college is 
 certainly not attractive to a woman of refined sensi- 
 bility. 
 
 MRS. CORNELIA II. DECKER was a lady of distin- 
 guished appearance with that remarkable delicacy 
 and spirituality of manner which is generally associ- 
 ated with psychometric genius. She had lived at 
 Hudson on the Hudson River during her married life 
 in circumstances of ease, exercising a kind hospital- 
 ity to persons of liberal minds, and to the conspicuous 
 representatives of spiritualism, in which she was much 
 interested. 
 
 Her graceful hospitality, her exquisite musical pow 
 ers and bright inspiration were highly appreciated. 
 She manifested the highest forms of the intuitional 
 power and coming events were sometimes depicted to 
 her vision with startling reality. A remarkable illus- 
 tration of this was her vision of the wreck of a steam- 
 boat opposite Hudson, and minute description of the 
 event nearly twenty-four hours before it occurred, in 
 1850. 
 
 She retired to rest as usual but in the night she had 
 a vision that seemed a reality, and greatly disturbed
 
 Later Developments. \ ^3 
 
 her. She seemed to be standing on a hill overlook- 
 ing the river and saw a steamboat coming down the 
 river with the speed stimulated by racing competition 
 until it struck upon a projecting rock and was 
 wrecked. There was a light snow falling as it ap- 
 peared, and soon the bells of the city were ringing an 
 alarm. The boats appeared rescuing the people who 
 were struggling in the water, and carried them to the 
 village of Athens on the shore opposite Hudson. 
 
 The scene made so deep an impression that she 
 could sleep but little more, and the next day she nar- 
 rated the whole to her family and friends. In the 
 evening she was visiting*with some friends and when 
 the gentlemen of the family came home at night they 
 described the wreck which had occurred that evening 
 jus a she had seen it in every particular. The next 
 day walking out to view the wreck, she found herself 
 standing at the exact spot which she seemed to occupy 
 in her vision when she saw the boat wrecked. 
 
 In my first experiments with Mrs. D., I perceived 
 her great delicacy and accuracy of psychometric per- 
 ception. Intercourse with good psychometers ap- 
 peared to cultivate the germ of the psychometric 
 faculty in myself. My mind has always seemed 
 clearer and more delicate in conducting psychometric 
 experiments than at any other time. 
 
 I succeeded once when Mrs. I), was a few miles 
 north of my location in New York in getting a per- 
 ception of her mental condition at the time, and wheii 
 our intercourse developed a mutual esteem and affec- 
 tion, I found it practicable to make her aware of irn 
 sentiments and purposes in her absence without Ian
 
 134 Later Developments. 
 
 guage or correspondence. I found too that when 
 attending patients with sympathetic interest their con- 
 dition would 'affect me so that I would be aware of 
 their suffering at the very moment it occurred. A re- 
 markable instance of this occurred when in 1879 I 
 was at the village of Owego, about two hundred 
 miles from New York. Between two and three 
 o' clock in the afternoon I felt an impression which 
 made me aware of the illness at that moment of Mrs. 
 Dr. Hayden of which I was so certain that I immedi- 
 ately wrote to her and ascertained that my impres- 
 sion was correct. 
 
 Since then I have become accustomed to such im- 
 pressions and feel sure that no one nearly connected 
 or associated with me could be in suffering without 
 my receiving an impression. Even a mental distur- 
 bance or alarm in Mrs. B. conveys to me an impres- 
 sion from which I can infer her condition. I have 
 once felt a similar impression from my daughter when 
 more than a thousand miles away. 
 
 The nature of such impressions is remarkable and 
 may be instructive to psychometers. My knowledge 
 of the various organs of the brain enables me to 
 
 O 
 
 watch their condition as they are affected by pleasant 
 and unpleasant excitements. I cannot say that there 
 is a feeling in the interior of the brain, but at the 
 surface the sensations are very distinct. The tension 
 and warmth over active organs, the void unconscious- 
 ness over the inactive, the weary aching over the 
 fatigued, and the sharp pricking or irritative condi- 
 tion, over those which feel adverse influences enable 
 me to understand the mental and cerebral condition 
 and their causes.
 
 Later Development*. 
 
 The complete knowledge of the condition of the 
 brain which I derive from the local sensations has 
 enabled me to compare mental and cerebral conditions 
 and thus arrive by an entirely new method at a 
 knowledge of the functions of the brain, and verify 
 in the most positive manner, the discoveries which I 
 made in 1841 and 1842 and subsequently. 
 
 The very positive manner in which I speak of 
 cerebral functions which have been a mystery in all 
 past centuries is due to the four-fold certaintv which 
 I have derived from cranial observations on men and 
 animals, from experiments in stimulating the organs, 
 from psychometric exploration of the brain, and from 
 my personal consciousness of its action. There are 
 two additional confirmations derived from the mathe- 
 matical laws of Pathognomy (a sufficient basis alone 
 for cerebral science), and from the revelations of 
 Pathology which have been but slightly investigated 
 yet yield valuable confirmations. All this is 
 expressed in my system of Anthropologv. 
 
 I find that my brain may be affected, not only by 
 events or conditions with which I am acquainted, but 
 by those which occur without my knowledge. The 
 region of Love is especially liable to such influences. 
 Suffering or injury in the object of affection is pain- 
 ful to the loving sentiment and thereby affects the 
 locality of the cerebral organ. When a certain sen- 
 sation arises in the region of Love I know that the 
 loved object is suffering and when it ceases I believe 
 that relief has occurred. From the position of the 
 sensation I know with what feeling it is associated 
 and thus am enabled to infer whether it concerns one
 
 136 Later Developments. 
 
 very intimately connected with me or associated only 
 by friendly compassion or respect. Hence I am 
 sometimes uncertain as to the persons but not as to 
 the relation they occupy toward myself. 
 
 While this work has been going though the press 
 I have vividly realized my sympathy with the con- 
 dition of my patients. I was attending a severe case 
 of dropsy affecting the heart about three miles from 
 my Boston residence which had reached a critical 
 stage before I saw it and had felt a considerable 
 degree of depression from the influence of my visits. 
 During the evening of the second day about eleven 
 hours after my visit, I was suddenly made aware that 
 he was suffering greatly by the sensation in the head 
 coming on suddenly, which gives me that informa- 
 tion. It occurred at five minutes past ten o'clock 
 and subsided within ten minutes, leaving a restless 
 feeling of depression. Again between four and five 
 in the morning I perceived a very restless, unpleasant 
 and exhausted condition, which induced me to rise 
 and take something for its relief. When I visited 
 him at ten o'clock I learned that his condition corres- 
 ponded exactly to what I felt at the time of the 
 evening and morning disturbances. 
 
 I have had other much more impressive illustra- 
 trations of my sympathetic impressibility in the last 
 thirty years. The most severe and protracted affec- 
 tion of the liver from which I have never entirely 
 recovered, was a transference to myself from a case 
 of bilious fever, which I attended in 1858, and my 
 most obstinate attack of bronchial irritation was a 
 transference from a patient who had been coughing
 
 Later Developments. 137 
 
 for twenty years. My sympathetic impressions are 
 sometimes prompt enough to give me assistance 
 in diagnosis. 
 
 The acute sensibility of my head enables me to 
 realize all influences that affect the brain, and to 
 know at any time the condition of all the organs and 
 faculties by reference to the superficial sensations. 
 I believe from close observation of my experience 
 that events or conditions with which I am not 
 acquainted sometimes affect me in other organs 
 besides those of friendship and love, and when I feel 
 the sensations I generally know the cause. 
 
 It 'is therefore entirely credible to me that in a 
 warm climate where the entire community is much 
 more impressible than myself, the whole commu- 
 nity may be moved at once by any great psychic 
 influence, and a popular sentiment or passion affecting 
 a large number at once may sway everv individual 
 carrying all along in one great wave which is irresis- 
 table. and thus illustrating the solidarity of the 
 community. It seemed to at the approach of our 
 late civil war, such a wave of sympathetic and irre- 
 sistable excitement, was sweeping through society. 
 History abounds in illustrations of popular impulses 
 moving an entire community in a way that could not 
 be accounted for independent of such sympathy and 
 psychic contagion. 
 
 These contagious influences mv experiments show 
 have little to do with contact and are not dependent on 
 proximity, when the psychic powers are active. I 
 have no hesitation in saying that they mav reach 
 around the globe and even extend from planet to
 
 138 Later Developments. 
 
 placet. It" there were many such psychometers as 
 Mrs. B. aware of these powers and trained to exer- 
 cise them together it would be quite practicable to 
 establish a mental telegraphy bringing us into com- 
 munication with all parts of the globe, conveying not 
 only the public facts which go to the telegraph at 
 present, but a great amount of subtle information as 
 to the condition of all parts of the world, derived from 
 regions to which the telegraphic wires do not extend. 
 The ?fcw York Tribune a paper remarkable for its 
 conservative and illiberal character, contained (March 
 18, 1885) a remarkable article in reference to the 
 secret transmission of knowledge in India, headed as 
 follows : 
 
 THE " SECRET MAIL/' 
 
 Anglo-Indians, and all who have lived in Asiatic 
 countries, are aware that the natives have means of 
 conveying news which at important junctures enables 
 them to forestall the Government. Thus throughout 
 the Indian mutiny the intelligence of all the important 
 events, such as battles, captures ot cities, massacres 
 and investments, was in possession of the baxaars 
 usually hours and frequently days before it reached 
 the authorities, and this notwithstanding the fact that 
 the latter had often taken special measures to insure 
 the quickest transmission possible. And it is also 
 well-known that this " secret mail" is so trustworthy 
 that the natives invariably act upon it with implicit 
 confidence, speculating, for example, to the full exter.L 
 of their fortunes. How the news is sent, however, 
 has never been discovered, or at least no explanation
 
 Later Dcveloptncnts. 139 
 
 comprehensible or credible by the average Western 
 mind has been reached. The London Spectator of a 
 recent date discusses this question at much length, 
 and suggests the employment by the Asiatics of care- 
 fully laid " dawks " or stages. This, no doubt has 
 the appearance of a common-sense explanation, but 
 the difficulty about it is that no European, during the 
 whole time Hindustan has been occupied, has ever 
 seen such a stage in operation or come across any of 
 its machinery. 
 
 Now it may be admitted that it is possible for Asi- 
 atics to arrange such stages or lines of communication 
 over hundreds or thousands of miles without bein<r 
 
 O 
 
 discovered ; but it is certainly extremely improbable 
 that they should have been able to do this on the con- 
 siderable scale it must have been done to account for 
 the facts without ever being discovered. 
 
 Attain, the circumstance that on one occasion, when 
 
 O 
 
 the Government had made special arrangements for 
 the swift despatch of news from a distant point, the 
 "secret mail" beat the Government coursers twelve 
 hours, appears to warrant the conclusion that some 
 means of communication more rapid than horses or 
 runners must be at the disposal of the natives. The 
 Spectator thinks it possible that they transmit news 
 bv signal : but while this mav be the case where com- 
 paratively short distances. are concerned, it is not appli- 
 cable to routes covering several hundreds of miles. 
 Anglo-Indians as a rule refuse to accept the native 
 explanation of the " secret mail." which involves be- 
 lief in what is just now being called telepathy. The 
 natives, when thev are willim*; to talk of the matter at
 
 140 Later Developments. 
 
 all, which is very seldom to Western men, say that 
 neither horses nor men are employed, and that no 
 " dawk " is laid for the carrying of news, but that it 
 results from a system of thought transmission which is 
 as familiar to them as the electric telegraph is to us. 
 
 The interest of this subject consists in the facts ( i ) 
 mat the " secret mail " is an indubitable reality, and 
 (2) that no European or Western observer of any 
 kind has thus far succeeded in finding even a plausi- 
 ble solution of the mystery ; for with all its ingenuity, 
 the explanation offered by the writer in the Spectator 
 is not plausible." 
 
 It is certainly highly discreditable to Western intel- 
 ligence that its leaders are puzzled by such phenom- 
 ena while there are thousands who understand the 
 subject in our midst, and its illustrations have often 
 been given. 
 
 Even if our illustrations were limited to the per- 
 sonal experience of the dogmatic and skeptical med- 
 ical profession, there would be abundant illustrations 
 of telepathic sympathy if the facts could be brought 
 out. The late Dr. John F. Gray of New York, one 
 of the most eminent and skilful in the city, resided at 
 the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Having a patient in Jersey 
 City whom he wished to see to ascertain his condition 
 he turned aside from his company, and fixed his 
 mind intently upon the man. lie obtained an impres- 
 sion of his condition, and was satisfied that he was 
 improving. But something much more remarkable 
 followed. The man was still more susceptible, and 
 believed that he was visited by Dr. Gray in person at 
 that time. When he called on Dr. Grav after his re-
 
 Later Developments, 141 
 
 coverv he affirmed that Dr. G. had visited him at the 
 hour of this psychometric observation, had looked at 
 him silently and withdrew without saying a word, 
 which he considered rather singular. Me could not 
 be convinced that he was mistaken by the positive 
 denial of the doctor. Dr. Gray, who stated these 
 facts to myself, had many similar experiences. On 
 one occasion while driving around the city profession- 
 ally, he had a sudden impression that he was needed 
 by a ladv patient. He impetuously ordered his driver 
 to turn round and drive at full speed to her residence. 
 When he arrived within a block of the house he saw 
 her husband hatless in the street, rushing after medi- 
 cal assistance. He arrived, leaped out, rushed up to 
 her room and was barely in time to save her from 
 dying of hemorrhage. 
 
 As to the subtle powers of Mrs. B. I have had daily 
 illustration for years. When I place anything in her 
 hands it is a common amusement to require her t > 
 describe it before seeing. I frequently hold a picture 
 over head, to demand her description by impression, 
 and sometimes place her hand on a book and demand 
 her opinion of its character which is sometimes more 
 just than a reviewer's estimate. I have even held her 
 own picture over her head and thus procured from 
 her a correct and judicious description of herself, 
 which she gave withoiu suspicion, as the psvchome- 
 ter is too closely engaged in observing the qualities 
 which he describes to enquire into the identity of the 
 party described. Bayard Taylor has mentioned a 
 similar incident in reference to a New York artist, 
 who possessed the psychometric power. One of his
 
 142 I^atcr Developments. 
 
 friends placed his own letter in his hands and 
 obtained from him so searching and critical a 
 description of himself that he did not venture to let 
 him know that it was his own letter. 
 
 I have had every possible evidence of the con- 
 tinual presence in Mrs. B. of her high powers, even 
 when she has none of the conditions which sensitives 
 require for their best action. I have been accustomed 
 to approach her at any time when she is using the 
 needle or engaged in domestic cares and protesting 
 against being taxed when in an unintellectual mood, 
 yet never has she failed to show that the faculty is 
 inseparable from her nature. 
 
 Under these unfavorable circumstances she would 
 give me a just opinion of a picture held above her 
 head, and speak of its resemblance or difference from 
 the original whose appearance she would describe. 
 Mollie Fancher, the famous fasting ladv of Brooklyn, 
 exercises such powers, doing delicate work without 
 the use of her eyes and describing things about the 
 house while she is confined to her bed. 
 
 Mr. B. has frequently involuntary impressions as 
 to persons before she has met them. When sitting 
 in the upper part of the house she has had very 
 decided feelings in reference to persons who have 
 entered on the lower floor. An amusing illustration 
 
 c^ 
 
 occurred once when the visitor was equallv impres- 
 Monal ; she felt uneasy at his presence and had a 
 strong desire that he should leave. He had never 
 seen her, but he fell that a lady wished to take him 
 by the arm and lead him out of the house. When 
 he stated this and described the appearance of the
 
 Later Developments. 
 
 lady, correctly describing Mrs. B., I thought it an 
 amusing and remarkable incident. 
 
 In the daily presence of psychometric phenomena, 
 and with a strong desire to exercise the power, I have 
 had but glimmerings of the faculty. 
 
 The most distinct impression that I ever obtained 
 from manuscript was nearly forty years ago, when I 
 received an impression from the autograph of Gen. 
 Washington, the effect of which was so great that 
 I could perceive a marked difference in my manner 
 of lecturing in the evening following the experiment ; 
 I was disposed to speak in a calm and very syste- 
 matic manner quite different from my usual mode. I 
 have sometimes felt a faint influence from photographs 
 when I did not know whom they represented, and 
 once to test my capacities in 1878, I took a photo- 
 graph of Wordsworth and thought I felt a shadow to 
 his peculiar intellectuality. I tried the photograph of 
 Shakespeare and as I held it before mv forehead it 
 produced a distinct feeling of activity and a tension 
 over the occiput generally, indicating an active and 
 forcible temperament, and impressive character. 
 Twice I repeated the experiment at intervals, and 
 thus obtained three times a certainty that it conveyed 
 a strong psychic impression. My strongest impres- 
 sions, however, are those which I feel when a good 
 psychometer is giving a psychometric description of 
 a marked character. Mv sympathy is often so keen 
 that I acquire a positive conception of the leading 
 traits of character independent of any remarks by 
 the psychometer. 
 
 During the summer when I felt the inlluence of
 
 144 Later Developments'. 
 
 Gen. Washington so distinctly I felt an equally posi- 
 tive influence from a letter of John C. Calhoun, the 
 statesman of South Carolina, which gave me a new 
 conception of his character. The influence seemed 
 not like that of a politician or a man for the multi- 
 tude, but rather that of a purely intellectual man, a 
 lucid thinker. 
 
 In 1878 Madame Blavatsky gave me some manu- 
 script from India to ascertain my impressions from 
 contact. The influence on my brain from the fore- 
 head was sufficient to induce me to describe the 
 writer as a bold philosophic and religious leader who 
 might in some repects compare with Luther. She 
 was pleased with my remarks and thought them 
 worth recording to send abroad. 
 
 Since then I have frequently used the photographs 
 and pictures of the departed, and felt that I obtained 
 an impression of their characters, and felt their influ- 
 ence so much as to give me a conception of the char- 
 acter of the individual sufficiently clear and positive to 
 guide my opinion. These psychometric impressions, 
 however, were clouded by the doubt whether the re- 
 sult was not partly or in some cases entirely due to 
 my knowledge of the name of the individual, and 
 although my impressions of Washington, Jackson, 
 Clay, Qjieen Elizabeth, Josephine, Joan of Arc, 
 Madame Roland, St. Peter, St. John, Patrick Henry, 
 and many others were distinct mental realities, I was 
 not sure that I could have attained such impressions 
 without knowing the name, until I made experiments 
 in the manner which satisfied me. 
 
 A photograph was given me (Oct. 10, iSSi ) which
 
 Later Developments, 145 
 
 without seeing it gave me the impression of a young 
 man of good mind but of predominant activity in the 
 energetic and ambitious faculties, and engrossed in 
 business. The description was recognized as correct 
 bv one intimately acquainted with him. An hour later 
 Gen. B. handed a manuscript which I placed on mv 
 forehead which gave me a distinct conception of a 
 man about sixty years of age with a large brain and 
 body, of a solid, stable character and ample under- 
 standing and business capacity, not at all impulsive, 
 but cool, judicious and capable of understanding and 
 managing large affairs. This perception was quite 
 distinct, and Gen. B. said very correct. 
 
 I have often attempted to realize a character bv 
 concentrated attention without any physical connect- 
 ing link and sometimes have appeared to be quite suc- 
 cessful and even to have discovered the mood of the 
 individual at the time. I have had similar impressions 
 in reference to the departed, and sometimes had them 
 confirmed by good psychometers. 
 
 I have related this personal experience because it 
 mav be encouraging to the millions whose endow- 
 
 % DO 
 
 ments in this line are about equal to mv own. and who 
 would not suppose themselves to have any capability 
 without encouragement. 
 
 The power of understanding and describing any- 
 thing of which the name is placed in the hand is so 
 marvelous that I have been continually tempted to test 
 it in various wavs. 
 
 Seeing in a magazine a short description of an Ital- 
 ian in this country, Angelo Cardela of Nevada, speak- 
 ing of his physical exploits, and expressing the opin-
 
 146 Later Developments. 
 
 ion that he was the strongest man in the world, I took 
 the first opportunity to place the name in her hand 
 and ask her to describe the person. 
 
 Her first remark was that it took her into antiquitv 
 (into the time of Claudius, the gladiator) and then 
 back to modern times. " There 's not much repose of 
 character there's excitability and unrest confu- 
 sion and unsettled condition I feel entirely safe 
 there is no feeling of fear but a sort of discontent." 
 
 Not knowing anything of his life I asked her to dis- 
 cribe his person. She said : " this is a large person 
 in physical development a large person, of capa- 
 cious brain a matured person, perhaps of sixty 
 years. He 'has a remarkably strong constitution a 
 good deal of muscular strength, no nervous weakness 
 
 is very solid and linn can stand a good deal of 
 labor, mental and physical. He has broad shoulders, 
 ^reat strength in arms and lower limbs, large thighs 
 
 -great endurance. He is remarkably cool, does 
 nothing rash does many things others cannot 
 feats of muscular strength. He could perform feats 
 of lifting. (How does he compare with other men?) 
 There is no comparison where others could lift t\vo 
 hundred, he could lift eight hundred. He is very 
 muscular, his loins are strong he could lift with his 
 teeth. lie has pride in his strength and lias great 
 will power too. I see great beams and timbers it 
 carries me back to Sampson I think he is as great 
 a miracle in modern, as Sampson in ancient times. 
 His movements too are graceful he lilts without 
 appearing to make an effort. He could lift six men 
 or more if he could get hold of them. His strength
 
 Later Developments. 147 
 
 is in his shoulders and hips. His bones arc- verv 
 large. lie is very good natured." 
 
 The account which I read, given by R. A. Proctor, 
 described him as a good natured Italian laborer with 
 ' a noble development of chest and shoulders," and 
 spoke of his lifting a man of 200 pounds to the top of 
 a table bv putting the third finger under his foot 
 *' with scarcelv a perceptible effort." It also stated 
 that he was attacked by two powerful Irishmen, but 
 he seized one in each hand and beat them together, 
 till life was nearly hammered out of them." lie is. 
 however, of a quiet and peaceable disposition. Her 
 conjecture as to his age was about fifteen years too 
 much, but that was only an inference from his matu- 
 rity. She saw his broad, good-natured countenance 
 and staid manner, and conjectured his age from the 
 appearance and feeling. She is seldom accurate as 
 to age. 
 
 In the early years of Psychometrv, the dominant 
 idea was that of a direct emanative connection or rap- 
 port which enabled the psychometer to give descrip- 
 tions, as when holding a medicine in the hand or 
 describing a character from the impression given by 
 an autograph. 
 
 In these experiments, however, there wen- manifest 
 indications of a wider range of power than could In- 
 traced to any aura. Medicines yielded a full impres- 
 sion of their character when securely corked in vials, 
 showing that the impression imparted was due to no 
 appreciable material emanation. A blank sheet of 
 paper which had been lying in contact with an auto- 
 graph would sometimes give a distinct impression of 
 of the writer.
 
 148 Later Developments. 
 
 The possibility of writing imparting a sufficient 
 psychic influence to blank paper lying in contact 
 with it to give an impression of the writer, required 
 decisive experiments for its demonstration ; of course 
 we should not expect as prompt, forcible and clear 
 an influence from that blank paper as from the auto- 
 graph. 
 
 About thirty years ago I obtained an autograph of 
 Carlyle a letter written to an anti-corn law meet- 
 ing, or society, in which he expressed himself 
 vigorously against obstructive legislation. A small 
 portion of this autograph had been kept manv years, 
 wrapped in a piece of blank paper. I tore off a 
 piece of the blank paper which had been in contact 
 with the writing and placed it in her hands, recently, 
 for an opinion. The impressions were not quite as 
 distinct and accurate as those from his photograph 
 especially in reference to time, but they were sub- 
 stantially the same in character, and correct as an 
 estimate of the man. They were as follows : 
 
 " This takes me back twenty-five or thirty years. 
 I should think the writing was by a male. It brings 
 me into rapport with a bright mind, a clear intellect 
 of a great deal of force. 
 
 " It seems to me like a business production, princi- 
 pally, but possibly some social question was con- 
 cerned. I think it has to do with political economy 
 not a common friendly letter. 
 
 "It is a mind that would grasp themes of impor- 
 tance to the country and take a radical view in favor 
 of reform. It is a very vigorous mind, uncommonly 
 so. He would rouse the faculties of all who listen to 
 him.
 
 Later Developments. 149 
 
 I think he is not living no\v he passed away 
 many years ago I think this was written forty odd 
 vears ago I think he passed away twenty-live or 
 thirty years ago, perhaps. 
 
 I think he wrote a great deal on governmental 
 questions he was a partisan. I think he might 
 have been a lawyer, or at least acquainted with 
 jurisprudence. He was certainly not a minister. 
 There was not much theology about him, though he 
 had some religion, yet he was not really settled in 
 his own mind. He wrote and addressed the public 
 - he wrote no trashy things ; he had a variety of 
 themes. 
 
 (What was his domestic life?) I think he had 
 a good wife. I do not think h-j was verv agreeable 
 
 O O 
 
 in society rather morose and terse. He was not a 
 genial and good-natured man in his family. He lived 
 more in the intellectual than the social. He was not 
 a jovial man never laughed much not given to 
 joking but had a vein of sarcasm that he used as a 
 weapon. 
 
 (What capacities had he as a literary man?) I 
 can't see that he was a poet. He wrote generally on 
 solid matters, but not on medicine. He had an easy 
 flowing style, which made his articles attractive. 
 He was an educator of the people. 
 
 (What reputation did he attain?) Ik- had an 
 enviable name. He was an authority on many sub- 
 jects, lie overtaxed himself a great deal. 
 
 (How long did he live?) He was not sick long in 
 his last illness. I think he was about sixty, or at 
 least he did not do much work alter that ai^e, but he 
 
 O 
 
 lived longer than that in a more quiet wax.
 
 150 Later Developments. 
 
 (Yv r lKit country did he belong to?) He was either 
 French or English. He was familiar with both 
 languages. I think the English was his mother 
 tongue. 
 
 (Can you guess his name?) Not now. 
 
 In the foregoing opinion I think the date of the 
 letter was correctly given. The portion containing 
 the date has been mislaid, but it was written in the 
 midst of the anti-corn law agitation, which extended 
 from 1837 to 1846. The death of Carlyle was 
 located too far back, probably from the influence 
 of the old letter carrying the mind back. We 
 should not expect mathematical accuracy when there 
 was nothing to guide the impression but the influence 
 imparted by contact to blank paper. Such influences 
 are not imaginary, though they elude all other senses 
 but the psychometric. 
 
 All material substances are a fleeted by contact. 
 The presence of a third substance causes chemical 
 changes which will not take place without it. This. 
 which is called calalysis^ is one of the wonders of 
 chemistry. It shows that the chemical condition and 
 action of compound bodies is affected by whatever is 
 adjacent. Hence if there is anything in an autograph 
 which can affect the psychometer it must have an 
 influence on adjacent substances. We can make a 
 still more strong illustration of this law of contact 
 between dry substances in which no chemical change 
 that we can detect has occurred. If we lay a wafer 
 on a sheet of cold polished metal and breathe upon 
 it so that the moisture of the breathe shall be con- 
 densed on the metal, the metal retains the impressions
 
 Later Developments. 151 
 
 thus made ; for, after removing the wafer, if we 
 breathe on the metal again, the moisture will appear 
 only on the part that was not covered by the wafer. 
 The drv space testifies to the lingering influences of 
 the wafer. Mr. G. II. Lewes says that he has even 
 "brushed the surface of the polished plate with a 
 camel's hair brush, and yet on breathing upon it, the 
 image of a coin previously laid upon it was distinctly 
 visible." 
 
 This seems to be a general law of nature ; metallic 
 plates or metallic bodies when in contact exert an 
 influence on each other which may be demonstrated, 
 and we are authorized by facts to make this general 
 statement all bodies in proximity are subject to the 
 transmitted influence of their neighbors, probably 
 caused or increased by insensible electric currents, 
 from which no locality is exempt. We are induced 
 to ascribe much of the effect to electricity by the fact 
 so often demonstrated that a flash of lightning strik- 
 ing a tree and thence diverging to strike with fatal 
 effect some person near it, frequently impresses the 
 image of the tree on the skin, and it is found on the 
 corpse. The instantaneous result follows from the 
 powerful flash, but insensible currents operating a 
 longer time may produce a complete transference of 
 images. An amalgamated copper plajle has been 
 placed upon an iodized silver plate, between which 
 an engraving was placed with its lace downward 
 toward the silver plate. Fifteen hours afterwards the 
 impression of the engraving was found transferred 
 through the paper upwards to the upper plate. Xor 
 are the impressions thus produced entirely superficial.
 
 152 Later Developments* 
 
 They penetrate the substance and photographers 
 know that it is difficult to remove from a plate the 
 impression once made by a picture. 
 
 It is upon these laws of catalysis and emanation 
 operating in contact or proximity, that all the phe- 
 nomena of animal life depend. It is thus that 
 foreign substance is continually imported into the 
 body and invested with vital powers by contact and 
 proximity with vitalized structures in which the soul 
 power is present. The transfer of influence from an 
 autograph to blank paper is no more remarkable than 
 its first transference from the writer to the autograph. 
 
 Influences are continually radiant from any part of 
 our surface. Cerebral organs approximated by a 
 small metallic rod touching the surface of the scalp, 
 give an accurate impression of the minute locality 
 touched. 
 
 The psychometer, in describing an autograph, 
 sometimes portrays not only the writer but the per- 
 son in his mind to whom he was writing, and even 
 a third party of whom he w r as writing. A portrait 
 would convey an idea both of the person portrayed 
 and the artist, and a landscape would bring the 
 scene itself before the imagination. 
 
 Hence I began to experiment with photographs 
 and engravings, and discovered that every picture 
 gave a good impression of the original to the fingers 
 of the psychometer, or if held on the forehead, or 
 even near the head. The convenience of this method 
 made it a favorite, as it kept the psychometer entirely 
 unacquainted with what lie was describing, not know- 
 ing what the object was, that was held over his head.
 
 Later Developments. 153 
 
 In many cases I have used this method very hap- 
 pily for therapeutic purposes, when the character was 
 one capable of benefiting the patient by its invigora- 
 ting or soothing power. 
 
 There was not in such cases any emanation from 
 the person described, and the picture was merely the 
 presentation of an idea to be grasped by the intuitive 
 perception, which is independent of vision. The 
 picture was not perceived by anything like a visual 
 power, but embodied a conception (in such a way as 
 to be grasped by the intuitive faculty) of the person 
 represented. 
 
 Hence it became apparent that the object for 
 Psychometry was in such cases simply an index- 
 leading the mind to the object represented, and need 
 not be a picture, a relic or anything associated in any 
 way with the person or thing to be explored. Acting 
 upon this view I wrote the name of a friend and 
 placed it in the hands of a good psychometer, who 
 had no difficulty, notwithstanding her doubts of so 
 novel a proceeding, in giving as good a description 
 of the character of Dr. N. as if she had made the 
 description from an autograph. 
 
 After that experiment, my operations were greatly 
 facilitated and extended. No picture, autograph 01 
 relic being needed. I was accustomed to extend my 
 inquiries to ancient and modern historical characters, 
 public men and every person in whose character I 
 was interested, as well as localities which I wished 
 to have described. 
 
 As the subject for psychometric experiments need 
 not be the person nor anything that has emanated
 
 154 Later Developments. 
 
 from him, but simply the expression of his existence 
 bv a word or an index to direct the mind, it does not 
 appear that psychometric exploration is hindered by 
 distance and disconnection, and I could not affirm 
 that even the contact of the fingers with the index or 
 .starting point of the exploration is necessary to those 
 who are highlv endowed. 
 
 This enables us to present experiments in a very 
 convincing way. For example, having in my posses- 
 sion a number of very remarkable pictures, on slates, 
 made by spiritual power on the inside of a pair of 
 slates under my own supervision, I have had no 
 difficulty in having them described by placing the 
 slate on a table, face downward, and having the 
 psychometer place a hand on the vacant upper side 
 of the slate. The descriptions given in this manner 
 have been as remarkable as any I have ever had, 
 not differing in freedom and correctness from those 
 made by touching photographs. 
 
 September 10, 1884, to illustrate the power of 
 obtaining impressions from the back of the paper on 
 which a name is written, I wrote the names of the 
 presidential candidates, Cleveland, Blaine and But- 
 ler, on three small pieces of brown paper, and laid 
 them on the back of a book, with the blank side 
 uppermost, requesting her to touch each of them and 
 give her opinion of the parties as presidential candi- 
 dates. She did so, and gave her impressions readilv. 
 
 The first she promptly decided had very little 
 chance of election, and thought that if he was 
 elected he would be very democratic in his ways 
 and would not give general satisfaction, though fie
 
 Later Developments. 155 
 
 would endeavor to do his duty; this was Gen. But- 
 ler. The second made an agreeable impression ; 
 seemed bright and able, and a great partisan ; this 
 was Blaine. The third, she thought, had the best 
 prospect of election, and would, if elected, perform 
 his duties faithfully, though not as attractive or able 
 as the second. 
 
 Still there is an impairment of the facility by every 
 step of separation. A photograph is not as facile as 
 a writing, a word is not as satisfactory as an auto- 
 graph. But superior powers overcome all difficulties 
 and photographs or writings may be described with- 
 out touching them as they lie on the table before us. 
 Yet it is not judicious to tax the psychometric faculty 
 for such feats unnecessarily. Mrs. B. desires alwavs 
 
 / / 
 
 to assist her perceptions by the touch of the object and 
 objects to sealed letters though she has often described 
 letters in envelopes. A letter sent to her carefully 
 sealed conveys at once the unpleasant impression of 
 the critical and suspicious feeling of the sender, and is 
 therefore a disturbing, irritating injluence. Hence 
 she declines receiving such communications which her 
 lingers cannot touch. 
 
 Some years ago she received a letter closed by live 
 seals for psychometric description and declined to try 
 it : but subsequently, probably feeling the candid and 
 courteous spirit of the sender, she concluded to try, 
 notwithstanding her diffidence, and sent her opinion 
 with the sealed letter to the correspondent. In return 
 she received a letter of ten foolscap pages elaborately 
 illustrating the minute correctness of the description, 
 which was made still more remarkable bv the fact
 
 156 Later Developments . 
 
 that instead of being one writing as she supposed, an- 
 other writing had been inserted written by a friend 
 and reputed medium, which led her to say : " I am 
 constantly taken to the sphere of another person, who 
 is interested in the writer ; there is such a blending I 
 am unable to feel clearly each distinct individuality." 
 This character she did not attempt to describe, not 
 knowing that the impression came from the enclosed 
 manuscript. Her correspondent thought this emi- 
 nently satisfactory. He made the experiment in that 
 way, expecting that it would produce confusion of 
 mind and give a more perfect test. 
 
 What wonderful exhibitions of psychic penetration 
 may occur hereafter cannot be predicted. Psychometry 
 is the earthly IRRADIATION OF OMNISCIENCE and it will 
 be known hereafter that it can penetrate all things. To 
 take in hand a mineral and describe the localitv 
 'from which it came, the surrounding country, climate, 
 people and animals, the subterranean strata and even 
 the past geological history of the locality is a perform- 
 ance in which Mrs. B. sometimes shows her powers, 
 though not fond of the more laborious effort which it 
 requires. The family of Prot. Denton have been es- 
 pecially distinguished by their remarkable success in 
 such explorations, and there is no lack of such power 
 among sensitives. I have the minutes of a mineral ex- 
 amination by Mrs. R. in which she was carried back 
 to the period in which a mastodon was mired to death 
 and went through the whole scene. 
 
 Does not such experience as this assure us that in 
 Psychometry we have the key to unlock the hidden 
 wealth of mineral strata? How great then must be
 
 Later Developments. 157 
 
 its FINANCIAL IMPORTANCE The world's gold has 
 probably cost all that it is worth, in the labor of explo- 
 ration and mining, more than half the labor having 
 been abortive for war.t < f intuitive guidance. 
 
 Some enterprising genius will hereafter give practi- 
 cal demonstration to this. My own life is absorbed in 
 the financially unprofitable labors of the reformer. 
 
 As it became apparent that geographical and his- 
 torical questions were robbed of their difficulty and 
 mystery, I directed my attention to those in which I 
 felt an interest. 
 
 There is one theme cf transcendent interest to all 
 rational beings who feel at the same time a controlling 
 sense of duty, a reverence for the vast unknown 
 from which our own existence springs, a sense of our 
 own possibilitv of nobler things than life affords at 
 present, and a year might pass beyond the barriers 
 that limit human knowledge within the petty bounds 
 of recorded science and history. 
 
 Systems of religion come with lofty claims to our 
 faith, enforced too often by arbitrary power and 
 social proscription. But the systems of religion, 
 although they undertake to solve the mystery of the 
 Universe, and although they present ethical doctrines 
 which command our reverence, illustrated by many 
 roble lives, have never yet offered a system of doc- 
 trine or philosophy that would endure an hour's criti- 
 cal questioning by one who thinks with untrammelled 
 freedom. The independent thinker can neither reject 
 the virtuous elements of all religions, nor accept their 
 doctrinal perversions of truth. 
 
 Psychometry offered the faith method of determin-
 
 I5& J ^atcr Developments. 
 
 ing whether the world's religions were ibunded in 
 truth and worthy of reverence, or founded in delusion 
 and fraud, and destined to oblivion as a relic of bar- 
 barism. The names of the founders and teachers of 
 all religions being accessible it was necessary only to 
 subject them to psychometric investigation to learn 
 their moral and intellectual worth, the true story of 
 their lives and the real foundation of their claims. 
 
 Upon this view I acted by obtaining a critical view 
 of Confucius, Buddha, Krishna, Laorze, Zoroaster, 
 Moses, Jesus, the twelve apostles and other represen- 
 tatives of the Christian movement, including more 
 modern lives, such as those of Joan of Arc. George 
 Fox and Swedenbor<>;. 
 
 O 
 
 This investigation carries us into the marvelous 
 and miraculous realm of inter-communication between 
 the visible and invisible worlds into the question of" 
 the reality of the astounding events recorded in 
 religious history, and the comparative value or 
 truthfulness of religious systems. It opens up a 
 subject too large for presentation in this volume, 
 devoted to a statement of psychometric science ; but 
 I have no hesitation in saving that it has increased 
 my respect and love for the founders of the Chris- 
 tian system, and my respect for the historic value of 
 the Bible. The primitive Christian movement 
 appears to me the noblest impulse that lias ever 
 been given to humanitv. It's influence is felt to- 
 day, and Psychometry brings it very near. If all 
 scholarship were lost, and all historical records and 
 monuments destroyed, Psychometry alone could 
 revive and preserve all the important truth of
 
 Later Developments. 159 
 
 sacred history. In a second volume this subject 
 will he fully presented, and I think it will IK- made 
 clear that Psychometry leads us out of all douht 
 and darkness into the final religion of enlightened 
 humanity. 
 
 After such investigations we are prepared to take 
 a more profound view of the philosophy of Psychome- 
 try than was indicated by our first experiments in 
 which emanations and influences were recognized. 
 
 In the higher class of phenomena there is no fuel- 
 ing or perception of a delicate emanation. The 
 picture or the word simply tells of the thing to lie 
 explored, and gives this information to an interior 
 faculty independent of vision. That interior faculty 
 grasps the idea in its essence, which we have offered, 
 and then grasps the object in its wide-reaching con- 
 sciousness. Whether it be a city in China or Africa, 
 a saint or leader whose name has almost disappeared 
 in the twilight of history, a pre-historic race on earth, 
 or a body in our planetary system, it is conceived, 
 understood and reported. The divine realm of uni- 
 versal consciousness or intellectual omniscience seems 
 to become occupied by man and either he comes into 
 rapport with that limitless sphere of intelligence, or 
 that intelligence is dormant within himself, and is 
 roused by an effort to assert its powers. 
 
 If that be the case then the exercise of Psychometry 
 is nothing less than a display of ivrrrnoN tin- 
 manifestation of an interior power which is master of' 
 all truth. 
 
 This power is the divine element in num. 
 Unlimited knowledge not dependent upon any
 
 160 Later Developments. 
 
 effort for its acquisition is our conception ot" a 
 divine attribute, and man enjoys this divine intel- 
 ligence just in proportion as he is capable of 
 manifesting this familiarity with all truth, as clear 
 and bright in those things which are beyond sense, 
 memory and education, as in those few things 
 which he has learned. 
 
 How ennobling, how God -like a conception of 
 humanity this gives how grand the prospect of 
 future enlightenment, and how remarkable, how sad 
 indeed to think that for so man}' centuries this 
 faculty has lain almost dormant and unutilized, 
 nay, even scorned and trampled on, while it was 
 in reality the latent basis of all human intelligence, 
 which converts impressions on the senses into dis- 
 tinct knowledge of objects and events. It is the 
 latent basis of all human knowledge as latent 
 caloric and electricity are at the bases of all 
 material forms. Like the sun behind the clouds 
 it is the source of all light, though itself unseen. 
 
 It informs us of reality of truth. It leads us up 
 to the highest, grandest realms of truth, though 
 ever resisted by the stupid animality and skepticism, 
 which would hold us within the limits of sensation, 
 and in their most perfect embodiment in skeptical 
 metaphysics would make us unconscious of all 
 reality, denying causation, and denying all things 
 as having an reality beyond our own thought. Of 
 all forms of human opinion, transcendental meta- 
 physics or universal nescience is the minimum and 
 pcssimum ; and the modern materalistic doctrines 
 are a positive decadence of philosophy from the
 
 Later Developments. 161 
 
 time when it recognized the higher powers of the 
 soul. These two forms of error are congenial 
 enough to run together. 
 
 Material science, however, is laying a very broad 
 and solid basis of physical knowledge for the Temple 
 of Philosophy which Psychometry is to build. When 
 its world-grasping power shall reveal all there is in 
 man, all in the strata and on the surface of the earth, 
 all in paleontology and geology, all in astronomy 
 that the telescope fails to give, and all that we can 
 grasp of the limitless world of psychic life then, 
 indeed, shall we have philosophy. 
 
 It may not be by a sudden tiat or a sudden illumi- 
 nation, following the command : " Let there be light : " 
 but the time really necessary to illuminate the most 
 enlightened and progressive minds of modern society 
 is so brief in comparison with historical epochs that 
 it may well be compared to the illumination of dawn 
 and sunrise. 
 
 The world's progress from the dull externality of 
 the senses, which relate to sunlight, to sound and to 
 phvsical force, into the realm of intuition and divine 
 wisdom depends upon the cultivation of the divine 
 faculties in man, which bring him into connection 
 with supernal wisdom and realize in this life the 
 wisdom of the angels. 
 
 Wisdom in thought and nobilitv in conduct are not 
 
 ~ 
 
 compatible with the vulgar mood of mind which gen- 
 erally prevails in the marts of commerce, in tin- 
 scenes of political strife, in the drudgery of labor or in 
 the places of amusement. We must withdraw from 
 such influences to something holier and purer that can
 
 1 62 Later Developments. 
 
 give the soul development. If our religion be sincere 
 and fervent, or our love deep, tender and refined, the 
 integrity and nobility of the soul can be maintained, 
 in which the vision becomes clear and the truth be- 
 comes our companion. And when the head rests 
 upon the pillow, we reach the state described by 
 Wordsworth : 
 
 " That serene and blessed state 
 In which the affections gently lead us on 
 Until the breath of this corporeal form 
 And even the motion of our human blood 
 Almost suspended, we are laid asleep 
 In body and become a living soul, 
 While with an eye made quiet bv the power 
 Of harmony, and the deep power of joy 
 We see iu/o the life of things." 
 
 Why has there been so steady an opposition in 
 modern times to the recognition and culture of our 
 spiritual faculties when thev have been recognized and 
 
 * O 
 
 honored in the past at the fountain head of civilzation 
 in Egypt, India and Greece, cherished and admired 
 until, within the last two centuries, the dawn of phys- 
 ical science and the rebellion against superstition has 
 carried society far away from the associations in which 
 spiritual knowledge was encircled. Yet even a hun- 
 dred years ago there was not such a hostility as today 
 against the belief in our psychic powers and their 
 occasional manifestation under nervous excitement. 
 Cabanis, notwithstanding his materialism, said in his 
 seventh memoir on the influence of diseases :
 
 Later Developments. 163 
 
 I think it here necessary to refer particularly to 
 those singu)<|r acute maladies, in which intellectual 
 faculties suddenly become developed, that have not 
 previously existed. It is also observed, that in some 
 spasmodic and extatic diseases, the organs of sense 
 become susceptible of receiving impressions which 
 were not perceptible in a normal state, and which may 
 even be characterized as unnatural. I have frequently 
 noticed the most singular erlects arising from this sus- 
 ceptibility of sensation in women, who would doubt- 
 less have distinguished themselves as excellent Py- 
 thonesses. 
 
 "Some of these patients see the most microscopic 
 objects with the naked eye, others sec so clearly in the 
 dark as to move in perfect security. There are others 
 again who follow persons by their scent, like a dog, 
 and can distinguish such things as thev /tare used or 
 only touched. 
 
 " I have seen some whose taste has acquired a 
 peculiar delicacy, and who would demand or choose 
 aliments, and even remedies that icottld be really ser- 
 viceable to them, with a sagacity ordinarily observable 
 only in animals. Some have the power of looking 
 -.cithin themselves, during their paroxysms and an- 
 nouncing the approach of certain crises, the occurrence 
 of which soon proves the justness of their sensations ; 
 or they notice other organic modifications attested bv 
 the state of the pulse and other still more certain 
 signs/' 
 
 As every physician of extensive experience (espe- 
 cially those who practice in mild or warm climates) 
 must have had the same experience in some degree as
 
 164 Later Developments.. 
 
 Cabanis, or even a far more striking and marvelous 
 experience, as Dr. Esdaile had in India, rivalling all 
 that was developed by the followers of Mesmer in 
 France, why has this Meld been so signally neglected, 
 especially by medical colleges. 
 
 Dr. Moreau de la Sarthe reports in the Encyclopedie 
 Methodique the case of a child twelve or thirteen 
 years old attended by himself, " who although scarcely 
 acquainted with the first rudiments of Latin, was sud- 
 denly capable, during a raging fever, of speaking it 
 in the greatest purity. The same child expressed his 
 gratitude to those who attended him, in language 
 superior to his age and the supposed power of his 
 intellect " a few days before his death. 
 
 It is not only under the influence of fever, but in the 
 most perfect normal condition that exalted psychic 
 perceptions occur. In the year 400, St. Ambrose in 
 the church at Milan during mass fell asleep and dis- 
 covered the death of St. Martin at Tours which had 
 just occurred. When he awoke he said : k ' It lias 
 been a great blessing to me to sleep, since God has 
 worked a great miracle ; know that my brother, St. 
 Martin, has just died." They noted the day and hour 
 and found that St. Martin had really died at that time. 
 St. Gregory of Tours, a historical writer, states these 
 facts. 
 
 Why is it that with so vast a magazine of instructive 
 materials under their observation, so little has been 
 reported, and so strenuous an effort been made to 
 maintain ignorance and skepticism in reference to the 
 extraordinary powers of the soul, not only in the med- 
 ical colleges of materialism, but even in the literary
 
 Later Developments, 165 
 
 departments which have no sympathy with physical 
 science. In these departments the professors, with a 
 singular and absurd inconsistency, kneel at the shrine 
 of Greek philosophy, adore Plato and Aristotle and 
 yet ignore all the grand psychic powers and phenom- 
 ena which the Greeks recognized and honored with a 
 place in the temples of the Gods. Can they suppose 
 the old philosophers whom they honor, incapable of 
 testifying correctly as to facts? 
 
 With the same psychic incapacity, the professors 
 recognize in a perfunctory manner the miracles and 
 prophecies of the Bible ( with an evident desire 
 to set them aside as superfluous or unreliable) yet 
 carefully avoid any study of their philosophy, and any 
 recognition of the continuance of such phenomena 
 today as was predicted by Jesus. Evidently there is a 
 leaden weight of skepticism dragging down such 
 minds, paralyzing their power of reasoning upon 
 facts which would reveal the grandeur of the divine 
 laws of the Universe. 
 
 What is the nature of that all-pervading and stifling 
 power which during the last two centuries has been 
 at work to suppress the truth, to conceal interesting 
 and wonderful facts, and to crush the honest inquirers 
 who were not willing to be enslaved and silenced b\ 
 the multitude. 
 
 It is not sufficient to refer to the power of dogmatism 
 in the colleges for that is but the proximate cause. 
 Whence came that dogmatism, and why did not the 
 haughty professors exercise their dogmatism /'or 
 rather than against the psychic elements of humanity. 
 
 The cause the universal and dominating cause
 
 1 66 Later Developments, 
 
 is obvious. The psychic elements are the antagonists 
 of the animal nature and the animal nature rules 
 the world. Force and fraud, military autocracy, 
 priestcraft, money power and sensual selfishness, 
 have ruled all nations, and, in various degrees, all 
 churches and colleges. These elements of character 
 are antagonistic to the psychic, resist them, dislike 
 them, and cannot comprehend them. It is the same 
 antagonism which existed between Jesus and the mob 
 of Jerusalem the antagonism between that which 
 leads to heaven and that which leads to the purgatory 
 of a selfish existence. The one is cultivated in the 
 noise, the whirl and the selfish struggles of competi- 
 tive life, the other in the solemnities of religion, in 
 the inspiration of song, in the soul growth of domes- 
 tic love, in meditation with the head on the pillow, in 
 the deep thought of .the student, in the admiration 
 of nature, and in the sacred meditations of solitude. 
 
 " Thus deeply drinking 1 in the soul of things.'* 
 
 The culture of Psychometry may, therefore, be 
 regarded as the intellectual precursor of a higher 
 social condition, and the reception of Psychometry 
 will be a test of the ethical elevation of society. 
 
 Bu. why should this science which opens our eyes 
 to the grandeur of the universe and gi\es us the KEY 
 
 TO UNIVERSAL KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM be for the 
 
 first time presented by myself before a phalanx of 
 universal opposition. Is it a reversal of any supposed 
 law of nature? Is it a revelation of something totally 
 unknown to all nations? 
 
 On the contrary it is the scientific development,
 
 Later Developments. 167 
 
 demonstration and illustration of that which has 
 always been in the world, and in some of its aspects 
 has always been known and in its warning voice often 
 been heard, heeded and honored ; while in its 
 ethical dignity it has been the monitor of nations 
 and the prompter of religious movements which 
 have changed the destiny of races and the face of 
 the globe. It was the intuitional power which heard 
 the whisperings from a higher \vorld but did not 
 always understand them, and which led nations to 
 bow to unknown and invisible powers called divine, 
 as the animal kingdom turns to the Eastern sky 
 where the light of an unrisen sun is dispelling the 
 darkness. 
 
 Considering the vast numbers of those who in 
 every age have enjoyed and exercised the intuitional 
 faculties why has no one endeavored to ascertain 
 their nature, seat and laws, their range of power, 
 their relation to philosophy and religion and their 
 importance to mankind? The Jews, the Egyptians, 
 and the Greeks largely exercised and recognized 
 these faculties, but had not the docile modesty and 
 the inductive scientific spirit which make systematic 
 investigation ; and the moderns who have made 
 immense progress by inductive science have lost 
 the spirituality and elevation of sentiment which 
 belonged to the ancients and thus lost the taste for 
 really philosophic studies above the realm of matter 
 without losing any of the ancient egotism which 
 deems itself a master of truth without investigation. 
 
 ~ 
 
 That the very same intuitional powers which are 
 illustrated in this volume, have always existed and
 
 168 J^atcr Developments. 
 
 been in operation, may be illustrated sufficiently by 
 referring to a single example the psychometric 
 genius of Zchokke, the famous author, as stated bv 
 himself, who, although he enjoyed so marvelous a 
 power, never realized its importance. Zchokke says 
 in his autobiography : 
 
 'It is well known that the judgment we not sel- 
 dom form, at the first glance, of persons hitherto 
 unknown, is more correct than that which is the 
 result of longer acquaintance. The first impression, 
 that through some instinct of the soul attracts or 
 repels us with strangers, is afterwards weakened or 
 destroyed by custom, or by different appearances. 
 We speak in such cases of sympathy or antipathy, 
 and perceive these effects frequently amongst chil- 
 dren, to whom experience in human character is 
 wholly wanting. But now to my case. 
 
 " It has happened to me sometimes, on my first 
 meeting with strangers, as I listened silently to their 
 discourse, that their former life, with many trilling 
 circumstances therewith connected, or frequently 
 some particular scene in that life, has passed quite 
 involuntarily, and, as it were, dream-like, yet per- 
 fectly distinct before me. During this time I usually 
 feel so entirely absorbed in the contemplation of 
 the stranger's life, that at last I no longer see clearly 
 the face of the unknown wherein I undesignedly 
 look, nor distinctly hear the voices of the speakers, 
 which before served in some measure as a com- 
 mentary to the text of their features. For a long 
 time I held such visions as delusions of the fancy, 
 and the more so as they showed me even the dresj
 
 Later Developments. 169 
 
 and motions of the actors, rooms, furniture and 
 other accessaries. By way of test, I once in a 
 familiar family circle at Kirchberg, related the 
 secret history of a seamstress who had just left 
 the room and the house. I had never seen her 
 before in my life. People were astonished, and 
 laughed, but were not to be persuaded that I did 
 not previously know the relations of which I spoke, 
 for what I had uttered was the literal truth. On 
 my part, I was no less astonished that my dream- 
 pictures were confirmed by the reality. I became 
 more attentive to the subject, and when propriety 
 admitted it, I would relate to those whose life thus 
 passed before me the subject of my vision, that I 
 might thereby obtain confirmation or refutation of it. 
 It was invariably ratified, not without consternation 
 on their part. 'What demon inspires you? Must 
 I again believe in possession' ' exclaimed the spiri- 
 tual Johann von Riga, when in the first hour of our 
 acquaintance 1 related his past life to him. We 
 speculated long on the enigma, but even his pene- 
 tration could not solve it. 
 
 I mvself had less confidence than any one in 
 this mental jugglery. As often as I revealed my 
 visionary gifts to anv new person, I regularlv 
 expected to hear the answer * It was not so.' I 
 felt a secret shudder when my auditors' replied that 
 it was true, or when their astonishment betraved mv 
 accuracy before I spoke. Instead of many, I will 
 mention one example, which pre-eminently astounded 
 me. One fair day. in the city of Waldshut, I 
 entered the Vine Inn in companv with two voung
 
 170 Later Developments. 
 
 student foresters. We were tired with rambling 
 through the woods. We supped with a numerous 
 company at the ' table d 1 hotcj where the guests 
 were making very merry with the peculiarities and 
 eccentricities of the Swiss, with Mesmer's magne- 
 tism, Lavater's physiognomy, etc. One of my 
 companions, whose national pride was wounded 
 by their mockery, begged me to make some reply, 
 particularly, to a handsome young man who sate 
 opposite to me, and who allowed himself extraordi- 
 nary licence. This man's former life was at that 
 moment presented to my mind. I turned to him and 
 asked whether he would answer me candidly, if I 
 related to him some of the most secret passages of 
 his life, I knowing as little of him personally as he 
 did of me. That would be going a little further, I 
 thought, than Lavater did with his physiognomy. 
 He promised, if I were correct in my information, to 
 admit it frankly. I then related what my vision had 
 shown me, and the whole company were made 
 acquainted with the private history of the young 
 merchant his school-years, his youthful errors, 
 and lastly, with a fault committed in reference to the 
 strong-box of his principal. I described to him the 
 uninhabited room, with whitened walls, where, to 
 the right of the brown door, on a table, stood a black 
 money-box, etc. A dead silence prevailed during 
 the whole narrative, which I alone occasionally inter- 
 rupted by inquiring whether I spoke the truth ? The 
 startled young man confirmed every particular, and 
 even what I had scarcely expected, the last men- 
 tioned. Touched by his candor, I shook hands with
 
 Later Developments. 171 
 
 him over the table, and said no more. lie asked me 
 my name, which I gave him, and we remained 
 together talking till past midnight, lie is probably 
 still living ! " 
 
 Thousands have had experience like Zchokke's, and 
 even more marvelous. In the coming civilization 
 men will marvel that such things could ever have been 
 forgotten, ignored or denied. The last three centur- 
 ies will seem a very dark age, noth withstanding all 
 their vast but grovelling knowledge confined to the 
 earth and " earthy." The pall of materalism has cov- 
 ered these recent centuries so darkly as to shut out 
 the dawning light that once shone in Judea. Did not 
 Jesus look into men's souls and tell them of their 
 comihg deeds, did he not tell the woman of Samaria 
 of her five husbands? Did she not say : " Come and 
 see a man who told me all things that ever I did " 
 and did not Jesus promise that these very things and 
 greater things, too, should be done by his successors, 
 and were they - iot done by Zchokke and Cazotte as 
 an exercise of their familiar faculties and by Joan 
 of Arc and George Fox and Swenbenborg, under the 
 inspiration whirh accompanies the true followers of 
 Jesus. 
 
 If I had time to ransack history and biography, 
 abundant illustrations might be found of the existence 
 and exercise of the powers which were exercised bjr 
 Zchokke and by Ca/:otte. 
 
 Even now while I have been writing, a capital illus- 
 tration comes from the antipodes, in the experience of 
 a gifted gentleman whose fine intuition has led him to 
 express the very views which are inculcated in this 
 volume.
 
 172 Later Developments. 
 
 Placing his name unseen in the hands of Mrs. B. 
 
 O 
 
 for psychometric description, she revealed his capaci- 
 ties as follows : 
 
 "This is altogether a new character to me. He is 
 living, too. He is powerful in mentality and edu- 
 cation. It takes me into a grand intellectual atmos- 
 phere. He is humanitarian his work is mainly in 
 that direction like one who has founded some 
 benevolent enterprise. 
 
 " He has an extraordinarily clear mind, thoroughly 
 original and independent. He has clairvoyant power 
 to a remarkable extent, and exercises it, too. He is 
 practical and brings what he knows into a practical 
 shape. His powers are so far reaching as almost to 
 annihilate space. He has an illuminated mind -- this 
 is the most active power in his brain. 
 
 (Where is he?) "Not in this country it takes 
 me off to a very distant land a southern direction. 
 He is bold. He seems advanced in life. (Does he 
 understand public affairs?) Yes, he can sit in his 
 home aud compass almost the entire world. There 
 seems no limit to his soul power in that way. He is 
 not in a war-like spirit. 
 
 (What is his profession?) " He may be a physi- 
 cian. I think he is. He w r ould not be a lawyer." 
 
 The gentleman thus described is C. W. Rohner, M. 
 D., of Tungamah, Australia, who presented in an 
 essay, dated February 12, 1885, published at Mel- 
 bourne, the following admirable suggestions and 
 statements : 
 
 " In defiance of all the high-wrought and elaborate 
 definitions of old-time Psychology, I venture to define
 
 Later Developments. 173 
 
 intuition simply as direct spiritual insight, immediate 
 perception of both facts and truths without any prelim- 
 inary instruction or preparation for the reception of 
 the new truths and the new facts. Intuition, in my 
 opinion, is one of the grandest faculties of the human 
 mind, and although not so positive in its data as clair- 
 voyance, to which it is certainly and closely allied, 
 intuition is in manv respects far more valuable than 
 clairvoyance, because it is more comprehensive in its 
 scope, and more profound in the results of its opera- 
 tion. 
 
 " Without the natural <rift of intuition a man cannot 
 
 O 
 
 rise to any high altitude of mentality in this world, for 
 intuition is one of the most constant and reliable 
 teachers and tutors a true mentor of mankind. 
 lie who is gitted with this rare faculty has the key of 
 all knowledge in his possession. 
 
 Without a certain amount of intuition I hold it 
 absolutely impossible to become a Spiritualist, for in- 
 tuition is the first and handiest instrument to bring 
 man in contact with things invisible from a physical 
 point of view. Hence it is that men of magnificent 
 intellects and grand attainments leading men of 
 science, leading theologians, leading politicians, etc., 
 are utterlv unable to attain to spiritual sight, or to 
 the understanding of things truly spiritual. They 
 really have eyes and see not. as a grandly intuitive 
 man said over 1800 years ago. 
 
 Somehow or other some people, and they are not 
 so inconsiderable in number, cannot understand any- 
 thing that is new : their minds run in such rigidly 
 
 r> ?t 
 
 conservative grooves that thev cannot deviate from a
 
 174 Later Developments. 
 
 certain path ; and such men it would take perhaps 
 half a life-time to realize so stupendous a fact as the 
 discovery of another hemisphere. 
 
 " Intuition is one of the most valuable gifts that 
 can be bestowed upon mortal, for by the aid of intuition 
 man may become master, not only of all knowledge, 
 but even of all secrets, down to the best kept State 
 secrets of the craftiest statesman of a very Bis- 
 marck. To illustrate this fact, I have only to allude to 
 my own intuitional experience. Some ten months ago 
 when nobody in Australia knew anything of the de- 
 signs of Bismarck on New Guinea, and moreover, of 
 his secret designs against England generally * 
 I wrote several plain leading articles on the subject, 
 asserting in unmistakable terms that Bismarck would 
 
 O 
 
 have New Guinea, and that the French would have 
 their New Hebrides. I was laughed at for my trouble 
 by almost everybody who knew my views. How 
 could that be? some asked. I could not tell them ; I 
 only knew that things had this tendency ; and often in 
 the morning I would awake as if I had come from the 
 secret council-chambers of European diplomatists, 
 where I had heard their plans discussed in order to 
 enable me to warn those against whom these designs 
 were forming. 
 
 " Now all these things have come to pass, people 
 cannot help believing them, however unable they may 
 still be to realize them. I could tell hosts of similar 
 and still more important State secrets which are going 
 to be carried out shortly, also against England : but 
 my past experience is not encouraging for me to do so 
 at present. If this article had not already spread itself
 
 Later Developments. 175 
 
 out to an undue length, I could have furnished further 
 proofs of this my peculiar intuitional gift in connec- 
 tion with the perpetration of what was years ago 
 styled the " Bulgarian atrocities," which I saw per- 
 formed on victims as if I were standing alongside the 
 shambles on which they were cut up like so much 
 hu tcher's meat. These scenes I saw enacted regularly 
 two or three days before an account of them would 
 appear in the daily papers, and I was myself so as- 
 tonished at the coincidence of what I saw intuitively 
 (perhaps also clairvoyantly), that I took regular notes 
 of the proceedings as they happened."
 
 CHAPTER IT. 
 
 THE PSYCHIC FACULTIES THEIR LOCATION AND ACCI- 
 DENTAL MANIFESTATION. 
 
 Nature and location of the psychometric faculty of intuition Its associa- 
 tion with sensibility The recognition of this by writers on animal 
 magnetism Necessary precaution in psychometric investigations 
 The superior intellectual or spiritual method Its connection with 
 feeling Magnetic experience of Ilufeland, Gmelin and others -The 
 loss of consciousness as to the body Connection of the phenomena 
 with broad foreheads Evils from sensitiveness How avoided by 
 health and by pure psychic action Somifnmbulism and trance con- 
 nected with the temples Loss of bodily consciousness Mcdiumship 
 
 Manipulation to develope trance and Psychometry Neglect of 
 physicians Effect of the local excitement and heat in the temples 
 Its illustration in Jane Rider Perfect vision and remarkable intelli- 
 gence and energy with the eyes closed and bandaged Pain in the 
 temples Hints to physicians - - Blindfold experiments "Wonderful 
 developments of clairvoyant intelligence Their neglect by colleges 
 The physical leads into darkness the spiritual into light Spirituality 
 of the dying and of somnambulists views of Andral and Virgil 
 Vulgar errors, comparing Psychometry with mesmerism, diabolism, 
 spiritualism and thought reading Explanation of Psychometry, an 
 independent mastery of knowledge Corporeal location of the psychic 
 powers The soul residing in the brain as its home The body as the 
 garden of the mansion Relation explained by the sensitive nerves 
 Epigastric locality corresponding to the temples Transference of 
 psychic action in sleep and dreams Superabundant illustration in 
 natural somnambulism Reports of Colquhoun Explanation by 
 Anthropology "Why the phenomena are forgotten Phenomena of 
 artificial somnambulism well and widely known but ignored by col- 
 leges Exaltation of the faculties in natural somnambulism Vision 
 of the French ecclesiastic through paper Perfect vision with closed 
 eyes Reading with closed eyes and seeing through a plank reported 
 to a philosophical society Suspension of sensation Case reported 
 to medical society of IJreslau Somnambulism in a young rope-maker 
 
 Perfect vision with closed eyes, and complete bodily insensibility 
 Perfect \ ision in a girl of thirteen with bandaged eyes Similar case 
 in Edinburgh Philosophical Transactions -- Utilization of the psychic 
 
 176
 
 Psychic Faculties. 177 
 
 powers in I'sychometry, which have been neglected by an intellectual 
 barbarism Marvelous ease related by Dr. Abererombie Wonderlul 
 imitation and intelligence in a girl of feeble mind The true nature ot 
 the psychic faculties and their relation to the spirit world Their 
 liability to delusion Confusion of objective and subjective Their 
 future emancipation of the world from superstition Grandeur of 
 the twentieth century The intuitional faculty associated with uncon- 
 sciousness and sleep Sir Thomas Browne Skill of somnambulists 
 Danger of sudden awakening Identity of the somnolent faculties 
 and our daily intuitions which bring success in life development of 
 intuition thoroughout all ages and at present Inspiration of Shakes- 
 peare and George Elliot. 
 
 The cavern's streams from darkness come to darkness go- 
 
 Their source; unknown. 
 Wild storms come from transparent depths of upper air, 
 
 We know not why. 
 Comets from stellar depths, unknown, rush by, 
 
 A dazzling mystery. 
 Yet science shall reveal the whole, and trace the paths 
 
 By which they come. 
 Then shall its starry eye pierce farther, dimmer depths 
 
 Of human mystery 
 The magic of the ancient sage - the Prophet's ken. 
 
 The priestly power 
 That awed the savage tribes and built the temples grand : 
 
 The wondrous tales 
 Of Angels dimly seen, and of Demoniac power: 
 
 The wild insanities 
 That come like storms to multitudes, and deeper mysteries 
 
 Of mad-house life: 
 Extatics, dreamers, floating forms, astounding miracles 
 
 At saintly tombs. 
 And the unconscious utterance of a wisdom rare 
 
 From feeble lips: 
 These shall be traced along the mystic lines of power 
 
 That reach afar 
 Toward that unseen and awful power that holds 
 
 The farthest stars, 
 And yet with swe.-t benevolence lifts up 
 
 I'oor, crrinir man. 
 When he aspires, into the realm of Heavenly lore. 
 
 What is the essential nature of the psychometric 
 facultv? In the ultimate analysis I have called it
 
 178 Psychic Faculties, 
 
 INTUITION. But the intuitional faculty is connected 
 with the interior portion of the front lobe and that 
 portion is connected by the law of coincidence or 
 parallelism with the lateral portion of the front lobe, 
 which is behind the eyebrow, and runs into connex- 
 ion with the interior part of the middle lobe, in 
 which is located the organ of feeling or sensibility - 
 the aggregate of the sensitive faculties. Hence it is 
 that the somnambulic and psychometric conditions 
 may be brought on by gentle impressions on the 
 sense of feeling, especially by such impressions a;> 
 are made by the nervaura. 
 
 The acute perceptions of the region of intuition 
 and its coincident in somnolence, are thus associated 
 closely by the proximity of the organs with the 
 highest sensibilities that we possess and the exercise 
 of the intuitional faculty is accompanied by the 
 highest degree of sensibility, which needs to be 
 protected irom all harsh influences and even from 
 ordinary light. Hence in clairvoyant experiments 
 it is necessary to extinguish or lower the light or to 
 protect the eyes. The bandage placed over the eyes 
 is a real advantage t j the clairvoyant. 
 
 It follows then from the construction of the brain 
 that in all intuitional phenomena there will be great 
 exaltation and delicacy of the senses manifested 
 that feeling, hearing, seeing and sympathetic im- 
 pression will act in unison to give the delicate and 
 profound knowledge which belongs to the intuitional 
 region. 
 
 In the language of Psychometry we find this blend- 
 ing. The psychometer recognizes all cognizable
 
 Psychic Faculties. 17.9 
 
 properties, conditions and phenomena in the object of 
 his examination. The odors in the air, the tempera- 
 ture of the climate, its healthy or unhealthy influ- 
 ences, the qualities of food and medicine, the sensations 
 of the sick, the forms and colors of landscapes, flow- 
 ers, paintings, persons and imagery, the spiritual 
 character of society and the purposes that pervade 
 the people in short, all that can be comprehended 
 by human intelligence is recognized, as if all senses 
 and sympathies were in the highest activity. 
 
 This combination <;f the faculties has lon<f been 
 
 n 
 
 recognized. " In the state of clairvoyance (says 
 Colquhoun) the magnetic patients may be said to fed 
 rather than to sec. Fisher's somnambulist assured 
 him that he saw his internal parts, but not as with the 
 eyes : he could not describe the manner in which he- 
 perceived them. Frederic Hufeland's patient said, 
 only in the highest degree of lucidity, I sec:" at 
 other times she generally used the expression, " I 
 feel " this or that part, this or that change, etc. 
 Gmelin's patient, too, said she did not sec but J'ecJ^ 
 and with great delicacy, both internally and extern- 
 ally ; and Scherb's patient declared, that in the mag- 
 netic sleep, the sensations were rather those of feeling 
 than of sight^ and that the feeling during that state 
 was much more acute and delicate than when awake. 
 A corroboration of these views may also be derived 
 from the follow in <; curious declaration of Dr. Des- 
 
 O 
 
 pine's cataleptic patient. " You think," said she to 
 those who had placed themselves en rapport with her : 
 "that I don't .know what passes around me everv 
 evening : but vou are mistaken. I see nothing, but
 
 i So Psychic Faculties. 
 
 I feel something which makes an impression upon 
 me, but which I cannot explain." 
 
 This sensitive, intuitional and sympathetic con- 
 sciousness is especially conspicuous in the somnambu- 
 lic state and in psychometers who have great breadth 
 of the anterior part of the head, and yield to their 
 sensations. The large development in the region of 
 somnolence and sensibility which gives this breadth, 
 causes them to fed all the conditions they describe, 
 and therefore, often makes them too sensitive or im- 
 pressible for the prolonged investigation of anything 
 unpleasant or morbid. 
 
 These evils avoided it the region of Heroism and 
 
 o 
 
 Health is well developed, or if the intuitional perception 
 is effected chiefly by the intuitional faculty connected 
 with the internal aspect of the front lobe, marked ex- 
 ternally above the root of the nose. This is the pure 
 spiritual intuition, in the exercise of which there is 
 less reaction upon the body the conceptions being 
 more purely intellectual with less of sensitive sympa- 
 thy in fact more like the clear conceptions of earth- 
 life being formed by spiritual beings. 
 
 It is this clear and purely intellectual exercise of 
 an interior powers which I recommend to psychome- 
 ters, as it imposes the least burden on the constitution. 
 When we go farther than this and concentrate the 
 soul power more completely in the form of pure intelli- 
 gence, we lose consciousness of the bod}', and in 
 various degrees the senses are closed ; the eye, the ear 
 and the skin become insensible and surgical opera- 
 tions may be performed in absolute unconsciousness as 
 though the soul had lor the time bein<j entirely with-
 
 Psychic Faculties. 181 
 
 drawn from the body. In a similar condition of spir- 
 itual withdrawal by persons who are called mediums, 
 the body from which the controlling spirit has with- 
 drawn is taken possession of by a disembodied spirit, 
 whose acts and words during this temporary obses- 
 sion are unknown to the person when his own spirit 
 resumes its conscious sway. 
 
 The proper manipulation toward the temp'e or ap- 
 plication of the ringers may produce the conditions 
 favorable to psychometry and may be carried farther 
 to establish mesmeric somnambulism or the spiritual 
 trance which developes a brilliant intellectuality and 
 improvisation, or which may surrender the control of 
 the brain to an invading spirit. 
 
 As the excitement in the temples and forehead de- 
 velops the higher sensitive and psychic faculties it 
 follows that without any reference to the mesmeric 
 methods, the occurrence of feverish heat or excite- 
 ment in the temples or in the brow between the eyes 
 may develop these psychic phenomena. 
 
 Phvsicians have been very negligent in reporting 
 such facts, but there are probably none who have 
 had extensive practice in fevers and in nervous or hys- 
 terical affections who have not observed that this heat 
 in the temples just behind the eyes is frequently ac- 
 companied by the most exalted sensibilitv, bv spectral 
 or ocular illusions, by intolerance of light and sound. 
 and by wonderful acuteness of perception, running into 
 clairvoyance or something analogous. 
 
 A very famous case of this kind is that of Jane 
 Rider of Springfield, reported by Dr. Ilelden, in 
 1834, ant l vt -'ry extensively published, in which the
 
 182 Pzychic Facilities, 
 
 development of psychic powers was brought on by 
 an attack with a flushed face, pain in the left side of 
 the head which was hot, and an excited pulse. She 
 was relieved by the physician and next morning re- 
 called nothing of the attack. Another attack came 
 on in about a month and produced a fine specimen of 
 somnambulism. She rose and dressed herself with 
 her eyes closed, and went through the whole business 
 of preparing the table for breakfast, but next morning 
 thought it had been done by some one else. In her 
 numerous subsequent paroxysms with her eyes closed, 
 she manifested the most perfect vision, even in rooms 
 entirely dark, sewing and performing household duties 
 with entire ease and correctness and sometimes refused 
 to allow a lamp to be burned because she thought it 
 was daylight. These attacks were generally if not 
 always accompanied by pain in the temples on the 
 left side of the head, which produced severe suffering 
 and led her to say repeatedly, pointing to that spot, 
 " it ought to be cut open it ought to be cut open.'' 
 If the treatment had been directed to this spot as her 
 intuition dictated her attacks might have been con- 
 trolled and perhaps her high endowments perserved 
 in her normal condition. 
 
 In these attacks, her mental exaltation was often 
 shown by the impetuous rapidity of her action. 
 *' She moved with astonishing rapidity, and accom- 
 plished whatever she attempted with a celerity of 
 which she was utterly incapable in her natural state." 
 
 Sometimes she had her paroxysm in bed, " where 
 she sung, talked and repeated passages of poetry. 
 Once she imagined herself at Brattleborough, spoke
 
 Psychic Faculties. 183 
 
 of scenes and persons with which she was acquainted 
 there, and described the characters of certain indi- 
 viduals with great accuracy and shrewdness, and 
 imitated their actions so exactly as to produce a most 
 comical effect." Although she sang with propriety 
 and correctness, she had never learned to sing, nor 
 been known to sing, when awake. 
 
 Hereafter, liberal physicians enlightened by An- 
 thropology will know that whenever an unusual 
 heat or excitement appears in the temples an inch 
 behind the brow, the sensibilities are exalted, deli- 
 cate medication is necessarv, infinitesimal doses will 
 be responded to, and delicate manipulations will be 
 so effective (guided by Sarcognomy) as often to 
 make medicine entirely unnecessary. Moreover in 
 such patients they will be prepared to expect unusual 
 psychic manifestations, and occasionally the develop- 
 ment of an intelligence which may comprehend their 
 own condition and make the most important sugges- 
 tion for their treatment (as was recognized by 
 Cabanis), or even obtain suggestions from their 
 attendant spiritual companionship. 
 
 In the case of Jane Rider the vision was during 
 her paroxysms entirely a spiritual phenomenon. It 
 made no difference whether her eyes were entirely 
 open or entirely closed or covered with bandages. 
 
 On the twentieth of November, the reporter 
 (Dr. Beldon ) took a large black silk handkerchief, 
 placed between the folds two pieces of cotton batting, 
 and applied it in such a way that the cotton came 
 directly over the eyes, and completely filled the 
 cavitv on each side of the nose, the silk was dis-
 
 184 Psychic Faculties. 
 
 tinctly seen to be in close contact with the skin. 
 Various names* were then written on cards, both of 
 persons with whom she was acquainted, and of those 
 who were unknown to her, which she read as soon 
 as they were presented to her." To make the experi- 
 ment still more perfect he " took two large wads of 
 cotton and placed them directly on the closed eye- 
 lids and then bound them on with the handkerchief 
 before used. The cotton filled the cavity under the 
 eyebrow, came down to the middle of the cheek and 
 was in close contact with the nose. The former expe- 
 riments were then repeated without any difference in 
 the result." She also wrote with facility, and read 
 with facility, writing too fine to be distinguished at 
 the usual distance from the eye. 
 
 " She occasionally exhibited an extraordinary 
 power of imitation. This extended not only to the 
 manner, but to the language and sentiments of the 
 person whom she personified, and her performances 
 in this way were so striking, and her conceptions of 
 character so just, that nothing could be more comi- 
 cal. This, like her other extraordinary powers, was 
 confined to her somnambulist state at other times, 
 she did not exhibit the slightest trace of it." 
 
 Another illustration of her abnormal intellectuality 
 was shown in learning to play backgammon. After 
 receiving two lessons she beat an experienced player, 
 but when awake she knew nothing about it. 
 
 I have dwelt upon the mental exaltation and the 
 spiritual vision in the case of Jane Rider because 
 the case is so authentic and so well known, and 
 because it illustrates so clearly the transcendent
 
 Ps v chic faculties. 185 
 
 power of an interior region of the brain even in 
 morbid conditions, which, without the use of the 
 internal senses and external reason, the sole intel- 
 lectual guides recognized by the world's dominant 
 psychology and even by the Gallian Phrenology 
 attains all the results that are attained by the pro- 
 longed labors of observation and reasoning attains 
 them without an effort, leaping at once into posses- 
 sion of the harvest of knowledge and wisdom as if 
 all had been garnered by some celestial power and 
 poured into the receptive soul. 
 
 The full extent of the power it is true is not shown 
 in the case of Jane Rider, but it is amply illustrated 
 in mesmeric somnambulists, in religious trances, in 
 the eloquent outpourings of entranced speakers in 
 their poetic improvisations, and their grand discus- 
 sions of themes with which they have had no 
 acquaintance previous to their inspired utterance, 
 in none more remarkably than in W. J. Colville, 
 who, when a half-educated youth, gave learned 
 disquisitions on philosophy. If there be such powers 
 in humanity latent in many but bursting spon- 
 taneously into expression from thousands without an 
 effort, and in spite of repression, why is Heaven's 
 richest intellectual gift to man ignored and defied by 
 colleges? Why, unless that the colleges are in 
 philosophy* the reservoir of accumulated ignorance, 
 and, therefore, the antagonist of inspiration, as dark- 
 ness is the antagonist of light, having followed the 
 drifting of the animal nature into the lower or 
 physical and verbal departments of knowledge, into 
 which they have so deeply burrowed as to have
 
 1 86 Psychic Faculties. 
 
 lost sight of the world of life and light, so far above 
 their plane of thought, and so grossly miseducated 
 their pupils that apparently educated physicians will 
 deny clairvoyance, and insult or slander those in 
 whom it appears. 
 
 The farther we go in that direction the deeper the 
 spiritual darkness that enshrouds the world, for the 
 spiritual and physical are our opposite polarities. In 
 the former we find all light and freedom, all harmony 
 and love in the latter, all darkness, tyranny and 
 crime. When the spirit has abandoned the body 
 forever, then only does it enjoy the perfection of its 
 capacities for wisdom and happiness capacities 
 which it realizes in life most perfectly when the 
 body is in the most perfect repose, but which are 
 often lost in the tumult of passionate life least 
 realized surely when we are dealing with physical 
 obstacles when the soul energy is lost in the body, 
 as in excessive toil, and least realized in our intel- 
 lectual life when intelligence is exclusively occupied 
 with the physical forms and forces that resist our 
 muscular energy. Humanity is debased in propor- 
 tion as education is limited to the acquisition of 
 physical knowledge, and active life to the pursuit 
 of wealth and power. 
 
 How often does the soul of the dying invalid report 
 itself refreshed by a rich experience during the hours 
 of prostration and apparent death, or during similar 
 moments in somnambulism. 
 
 Prof. Andral, one of the most philosophic of his 
 French contemporaries, refers t a case in which M. 
 Filazzi, an interne of the Hotel Dieu, totally skepti-
 
 Psychic Faculties. 187 
 
 cal, attempted to amuse himself by magnetizing a 
 fellow-student. After twenty minutes he adds " what 
 was my horror when I saw his fingers turn blue, his 
 head fall powerless forward, when I heard his res- 
 piration rattling like a dying man's and felt his skin 
 as cold as death itself. I cannot find words to 
 describe my sufferings. I knew net what to do. 
 Meanwhile all these horrid phenomena increased in 
 intensity. I trembled at the recollection of what I 
 saw : there lay my friend, my victim, devoid of 
 the aspect of life, in a state of complete and terrible 
 collapse." "In a quarter of an hour he 
 
 recovered, and exclaiming that in the extacy he had 
 experienced sensations of extreme delight, begged 
 me to recommence the passes. I did so with less 
 apprehension, and again the somnolency proceeded. 
 The collapse, however, was less profound and ter- 
 rific, and in some minutes he suddenly awoke with 
 the exclamation : " What happiness is this." 
 
 It is a very old and familiar thought, vet one not 
 
 " O 7 W 
 
 acted on by modern colleges, that the soul lias a 
 freedom and purity in itself which are hindered by 
 its residence in matter, and which it does not realize 
 until emancipated from its physical surroundings, or 
 relieved by an extatic condition from their immediate 
 pressure. Plato, and other spiritual philosophers of 
 antiquity, taught this distinctly, and Virgil expressed 
 it in the sixth book of the ^"Eneid, in the following 
 among other passages : 
 
 " Nor ran the jrovHlin mind 
 In tlio dark dungeon of tin- limbs routined, 
 Assert tin- native skies, or own its heavenly kind ; 
 Nor death itself ean wholly wash the stains. 
 Hut long eontraeted tilth e'en in the .soul remain-."
 
 1 88 Psychic Faculties. 
 
 The collegiate policy is to recognize only the action 
 of the soul as immersed in matter it studies its physi- 
 cal surroundings, while debased by selfish influences, 
 and to ignore as visionary and delusive all its trans- 
 cendent powers, and all who possess them or who 
 believe in their existence, unless they wrote tii'O 
 thousand years ago. 
 
 The reader is now prepared by the exposition of 
 psychometric phenomena and their connection with 
 the brain to correct certain vulgar errors on this sub- 
 ject among those who are unfamiliar with psychomet- 
 ric science. 
 
 As a matter of course those to whom new knowl- 
 edge is presented generally endeavor to avoid any 
 change in their old ideas, and either resist its recep- 
 tion or endeavor to diminish its novelty and identify it 
 with what they already know, or suppose they know. 
 
 Thus a clergyman familiar with certain notions of 
 the power of the Devil and his imps, and unfamiliar 
 with primitive Christianity, when he hears of strange 
 mental phenomena of mesmerism and spiritualism, 
 assumes that they are but another form of the diabol- 
 ism in which he believes. 
 
 The devotee of mesmerism, \vhen he hears of Psy- 
 chometry and spiritualism, assumes that they are the 
 same thing with which he is familiar as mesmerism. 
 
 The devotee of spiritualism hearing of Psychome- 
 try often assumes that it is merely an exhibition of 
 spiritualism or power of the spirits, and supposes that 
 supermundane beings are its source. 
 
 The amateur in thought-reading also is very confi- 
 dent that all extraordinary mental phenomena are but
 
 Psychic Faculties. 189 
 
 various forms of thought-reading to which his experi- 
 ence is limited. 
 
 The powers displayed in psychometric experiments 
 are entirely distinct from the spiritual phenomena. 
 We are no more dependent on spiritual help to feel 
 the medical impression of a iluid extract in a vial, 
 than we are in smelling a rose or tasting a beefsteak. 
 We are equally independent in feeling the impression 
 of an autograph and tracing the character of the 
 writer, as we trace the character and tendency of a 
 remedy, just as much as we should be in feeling the 
 influence of smallpox in a piece of infected paper, 
 and there by contracting the disease. While in the 
 form, we have all the faculties that we shall have 
 when emancipated from the body ; and whatever 
 spirits can do in the way of intuitional perception, 
 we can do likewise with a freedom and success pro- 
 portional to our interior development. We depend 
 neither on the living friends around us nor on the 
 spirit friends who may be present. 
 
 But in proportion as our spiritual or intuitional fac- 
 ulties are developed, they have a wider range of more 
 delicate perceptions, and we may recognize or feel the 
 sentiments or thoughts of friends around us either in 
 the form or out, especially if they endeavor to com- 
 municate them. Hence the psychometer may perceive 
 that there are other opinions than his own about him. 
 and may pay them as much deference as he thinks 
 proper may reject them if he does not approve, or 
 may avail himself of the clear ideas which are pre- 
 sented, if they are acceptable to his judgment. In 
 this he is as independent as in his associations in 
 society.
 
 190 Psychic Faculties. 
 
 The state of mediumship is a very different affair 
 from psychometric investigation. The medium sur- 
 renders his brain to the control of some spirit, and has 
 no responsibility for what is uttered, nor, in general, 
 any knowledge of it. The spirit may be of high or 
 low grade ; and we are far from getting pure spiritual 
 intelligence in such cases. The spirit is using a brain 
 not his own, and never capable of using it as freely 
 and naturally as the owner. The spirit expression, 
 therefore, is very imperfect at best. But in a large 
 number of cases of mediumistic utterance there is very 
 little spiritual influence present. The utterance is 
 not by a real spiritual obsession, but more like the 
 entranced utterances of the mesmeric somnambules 
 modified slightly or not at all by a spiritual influence. 
 
 In normal Psychometry the individval has the per- 
 fect use of all his faculties in his highest intellectual 
 condition and also generally in his best moral condi- 
 tion, and is capable of enlarging the sphere of his cog- 
 nition by sympathy with either surrounding or super- 
 nal mind with which his powers may be reinforced. 
 
 Psychometry is a dignified, independent and normal 
 process, which tends if rightly practiced to the 
 strengthening and ennoblement of character and 
 mind. 
 
 The suggestion that psychometric revelations de- 
 pend upon thought-reading or borrowing thoughts 
 from some one present is as groundless as the spirit- 
 ual notion. It is much easier to take an impression 
 from an autograph or medicine held in the hands than 
 to extract the information from some adjacent brain, 
 even if the information existed there in an accessible
 
 Psychic Faculties. 191 
 
 shape. The total ignorance of the surrounding circle 
 is not the slightest hindrance to the psychometer in 
 getting an autographic impression, and their entire 
 absence is equally a matter of indifference or rather 
 it is a positive advantage, for the less there is to attract 
 or disturb attention the better for the psychometer. 
 When Mrs. B. wishes to look into a difficult case for 
 diagnosis or morbid conditions, she sits alone with the 
 autograph, with her pen to record impressions as they 
 rise. If the thought-reading hypothesis is strained to 
 suppose that her mind must then reach out to the dis- 
 tant patient who may be at the antipodes, we cannot 
 but wonder at the credulity which supposes it easier 
 to perform such a difficult task than to feel the impres- 
 sion from something in the hands which is as clearly 
 recognizable, beginning at the hand, as a medical 
 influence from a drug held in the same manner, or the 
 caloric from a warm bod}'. 
 
 Indeed, such marvelous excursions in pursuit ot 
 knowledge (the elements of which are in the hand) 
 would, if they were practised often, be unsuccessful, 
 from the fact that the patient does not understand his 
 own case, and is writing for its explanation by the 
 psychometer, who sometimes contradicts his impres- 
 sions, or reveals what he did not suspect or tells 
 him what he cannot at first believe. When Mrs. B. 
 wrote to a correspondent at Calcutta, India, that he 
 was coming to the United States within two years, he 
 replied that he did not see any possibility of it. But 
 her psychometric intuition was verified within the time 
 contrary to his anticipations. She frequently speaks 
 of erroneous opinions entertained by patients and by
 
 192 Psychic Faculties. 
 
 their physicians. Indeed, the psychometric judgment 
 is as entirely self-reliant and independent as any other 
 method of arriving at conclusions, and Psychometry 
 gives us a new method of exploring all sciences, by 
 our own mental energy. If there were no other 
 minds on earth or in Heaven, the true psychometer 
 well endowed, could build up all knowledge and phil- 
 osophy in grandest amplitude far beyond his power to 
 carry it in his mind or record it by any graphic art. 
 
 The treasures of knowledge which in past ages 
 have been thus gathered have perished unrecorded 
 the refined and sensitive minds of tropical regions 
 thinking no more of accumulating and recording 
 their too easily accessible knowledge, than of storing 
 up nature's wealth of aromas, fruits and flowers which 
 were ever within reach inviting enjoyment. 
 
 In my experiments with Mrs. B. and others, I 
 sometimes find them incapable of answering a ques- 
 tion, while the answer that should come, is in my 
 mind very distinct. Instead of giving my knowledge 
 and opinions, they frequently state that with which I 
 am not acquainted, and sometimes express opinions 
 different from mine. 
 
 THI-: LOCALITY OF TIIJ-: PSYCHIC rowicns. 
 
 While the great intuitional or psychometric centre 
 is unquestionably at the interior of the front lobes, 
 with an adjunct location in the temples, it must be 
 borne in mind that the science of Sarcognomy dis- 
 covers an outpost in the body for all the psychic 
 faculties. The entire brain corresponds with the
 
 Psychic Faculties. 193 
 
 entire body, and whatever occurs in one has it.s echo 
 in the other. 
 
 As love is expressed or echoed in the bosom, tirna- 
 ness in the shoulder, and the violent passions in the 
 lower limbs, so have all the subtle spiritual faculties 
 their corporeal homes. The soul occupying the 
 brain as the master occupies the mansion, looks forth 
 upon the body, as the eye of the master rests upon 
 his garden, and as when invited by a congenial season 
 of pleasure, the master leaves the mansion for the 
 garden, he typifies the action of the soul in occupy- 
 ing, for a time, the body, to the apparent neglect of 
 the brain. 
 
 Even without this descent into the body, the tele- 
 graphic connexion of the brain with all parts, by 
 sensitive nerves establishes so intimate a sympathy, 
 that impressions on the body become almost the same 
 as impressions on the brain. Hence the medical 
 impression from medicines held in the hand is in the 
 very sensitive instantaneously recognized, though in 
 others it requires sometime to reach the brain and 
 become understood. Hence too, the psychometric 
 impression from an autograph held in the hand is in 
 the very sensitive, so promptlv recognized, that they 
 prefer to receive their impressions in that manner, 
 and, indeed, psychometric impressions of character, 
 like medical impressions mav be received in the 
 sensitive from any part of the surface of the bodv. 
 
 Manifestly, however, the most perfect reception 
 of psychic impressions may be expected at that part 
 of the body which most nearly corresponds with the 
 sensitive and somnolent region of the temples. Sarc-
 
 1 94 Psvchic Faculties, 
 
 ognomy shows that there is such a locality adjacent 
 to the median line of the body, upon and below the 
 sternum, its chief location occupying a few inches 
 below the ensiform cartilage of the breast-bone. (The 
 accurate location of the psycho-physiological func- 
 tions in the body which constitutes the science of 
 Sarcognomy is one of the valuable applications of 
 Psychometry.) 
 
 At this location, somnolizing effects are produced 
 by the application of the hand or by passes toward 
 this spot, and thus all the phenomena of somnambu- 
 lism and somniloquence may be de\ eloped as effect- 
 ively as though the organ of somnolence, in the 
 temples, by which my pupils are accustomed to 
 produce the somnolent conditions. 
 
 Having thus cerebral and corporeal organs of the 
 highest sensibilities and intuitions in close correspon- 
 dence with each other, it follows that the most 
 intimate union and co-operation of the soul, the 
 brain and the body, must be possible, if any where 
 through this apparatus of intuition and sympathetic 
 sensibility, the two locations of which are always 
 in close rapport, each capable of responding to the 
 other. 
 
 The cerebrum has the controlling centre nearest 
 
 ~ 
 
 the soul, but when the cerebrum is in a quiescent 
 state as in sleep, some local excitement may well 
 attract the psychic action to this psychic region of 
 the body, and of this, nature and art have given us 
 ample illustration in spontaneous and induced som- 
 nambulism, in which the exercise of perceptive or 
 intuitive power from the sternal and epigastric region
 
 Psychic Faculties. 195 
 
 has long been observed without comprehending its 
 philosophy, which has been given by Sarcognomy. 
 
 Colquhoun says: "I brought forward abundant 
 evidence with the view of demonstrating the extra- 
 ordinary fact of the occasional transference of the 
 faculties in certain states of the organism. While 
 engaged in collecting that evidence, I found no want, 
 but rather a redundance of materials ; I found myself 
 to be very much in the same situation with the inge- 
 nious Frenchman who complained of the cnibarras de 
 richcsscs; for this reason I conceived it sufficient to 
 adduce only the most striking and best authenticated 
 instances. * * Several years before, I had for a 
 totally different purpose, made a pretty ample col- 
 lection of the most interesting and best authenticated 
 instances of the natural somnambulism ; and it seemed 
 to me that it might be of use to search for, and 
 examine, this collection with a view to discover 
 whether it contained anything that could confer 
 additional strength upon the cogent evidence 
 already adduced. * I was a good deal sur- 
 
 prised, though pleased, to find that in almost every 
 one of these cases, the facts of the insensibility of 
 the corporeal organs, and of the transference of the 
 faculties, had been more or less distinctly observed. 
 I have since been enabled to add several very inter- 
 esting recent cases of a perfectly uniform character, 
 almost all of which have been reported with great 
 accuracy by professional men. The discoverv of the 
 manifestation of the remarkable phenomena in ques- 
 tion appears to have been almost always made In- 
 mere accident they are seldom brought
 
 196 Psychic Faculties. 
 
 prominently forward, and scarcely any attempt is 
 made to account for them, excepting upon the 
 strange and inadmissible hypothesis that the organ 
 of one sense supplies the place and' performs the 
 functions of others." 
 
 This mystery to Colquhoun disappears when we 
 recognize the existence of a higher and all compre- 
 hensive intuitional power, in which all intelligence is 
 concentrated, and which having a definite location in 
 the cerebrum, has also a corresponding location in the 
 body. In consequence of this structure, psvchomet- 
 ric or intuitional powers may be exercised either from 
 the central or the epigastric location, and the epi- 
 gastric location may become the chief seat of the 
 power or rather the manifestation, when consciousness 
 being suspended by sleep, the entire brain has lost its 
 excitability. 
 
 The entire philosophy of this subject can be apprec- 
 iated only after the study of organology and pa- 
 thognomy as presented in the volumes of Cerebral 
 Psychology and Pathognomy,* which explain the 
 relations of the interior and exterior surfaces of the 
 front lobe, and the action of the lateral occipital region, 
 in suspending consciousness (while reinforcing animal 
 life) and opening the brain to the influx of exterior 
 intelligence which controls all action without employ- 
 ing the consciousness of the subject bv which the 
 mental processes could be recognized and remem- 
 oered. 
 
 Hence the performances of somnambulists are like 
 
 * Those subjects 'will be concisely presented in a new edition of my 
 System of Athropology, which I hope to prepare in 1880.
 
 Psychic Faculties. 197 
 
 those of spiritual mediums, unrecorded by memory 
 and unknown to the subject when he returns to his 
 normal state. 
 
 That artificial somnambulism is accompanied by the 
 power of seeing with the eyes bandaged and of trav- 
 elling in any direction, describing the regions visited 
 as if the clairvoyant were actually looking at them 
 has been so often verified in all civilized countries, in 
 private circles, before scientific committees, and before 
 public audiences that it is needless to relate instances.* 
 
 That natural somnambulism, too, is accompanied 
 by a wonderful exaltation of the perceptive powers 
 and by the perfect exercise of the senses when the 
 eyes are insensible, or when light is absent, has been 
 very often observed, but so limited has been the circu- 
 lation of th ' literature in which such facts are embod- 
 ied and illustrated that it is worth while to refer to a 
 few authentic examples of the exaltation of the senses 
 and their exercise in an unusual manner. 
 
 One of the most famous of these is the case in the 
 thirty-eighth volume of the French Encyclopedia, nar- 
 rated by the Archbishop of Bordeaux, in which a 
 young ecclesiastic was accustomed to get up at night 
 in a state of somnanbulism, compose and write ser- 
 
 * Thi> absolute stolidity of the colleges and a lanre portion of the edu- 
 cated classes on this subject shows that the world is not yet half civilized. 
 No matter how often the phenomena are demonstrated, nor how many 
 thousands are convinced, the colleges and their text books remain tin- 
 same, and the perennial crop of ignorance on thi* subject Nourishes with 
 unabated abundance. If the demonstrations were not continually renewed, 
 the colleges would entirely suppress the knowledge of such facts and sus- 
 pend the circulation of the literature in which they are made known. ( ur 
 entire University and Collegiate system needs to be superseded by a 
 rational education.
 
 198 Psychic Faculties. 
 
 mons. Alter writing a page he would read it aloud 
 and correct it with his pen. The Archbishop held a 
 piece of pasteboard under his chin to prevent his see- 
 ing the paper, but he wrote on as usual, not regarding 
 [he interruption. Yet when the paper he was writing 
 on was removed and another piece substituted, he 
 immediately perceived the change. Thus he showed 
 that he was able to perceive what he wished to see, 
 but that he did not depend upon the transmission of 
 light and was not hindered by an opaque substance. 
 
 In this somnambulic condition he wrote pieces of 
 music with his eyes closed, adjusting the notes and 
 words, and correcting errors as one would do with the 
 full use of the senses. 
 
 A case of natural somnambulism occurring in Switz- 
 erland was reported by a committee of the Philosoph- 
 ical Society of Lausanne, and an account of it appears 
 in the Encyclopedia Britannica. In this individual, a 
 boy named Devaud, thirteen years and six months of 
 age, vision was exercised in rooms perfectly dark, and 
 with his eyes fast closed ; he recognized objects as 
 well as if he had their use. Like the French ecclesi- 
 astic his vision was not hindered by opaque bodies. 
 The committee state that when he was writing down 
 what his master dictated " though we put a thick 
 piece of paper before his eyes, he continued to form 
 each character with the same distinctness as before. 
 The committee saw him with his eyes closed write and 
 correct his school exercises and " cipher and calcu- 
 late with great exactness." He read the titles of works 
 in rooms absolutely dark, and " even told the title of 
 a book, when there \vas a thick plank placed between 
 it and his eyes."
 
 Psychic Faculties. 199 
 
 What is most extraordinary in the reports of natural 
 somnambulism is not only the possession of intuitional 
 power, but the suspension of ordinary sensation. One 
 of the best illustrations of this is a German case 
 reported in the Transactions of the Medical Society of 
 Breslau." 
 
 " A ropemaker, twenty-three years of age, was fre- 
 quently overtaken by sleep, even by daylight, and in 
 the midst of his usual occupation, whether sitting, 
 standing or walking. His eves ivere firmly closed, and 
 lie lost the use of all his external senses. While in this 
 state he sometimes recommenced doing all that he had 
 been engaged in during the previous part of the day, 
 from his morning devotions up to the commencement of 
 the paroxysms. At other times he would continue the 
 work in which he happened to be engaged at the 
 time, and finished his business with as great ease and 
 success as when awake. When the fit overtook him 
 in travelling, he did not stand still, but proceeded on 
 his journey, with the same facility and almost faster 
 than when awake, without missing the road or stum- 
 bling over anything. In this manner he repeatedly 
 went from Naumburgh to Weimar. Upon one of these 
 occasions, he came into a narrow lane, across which 
 there lay some timber. He passed over it regularly as 
 if awake without injury. With equal care and dex- 
 terity he avoided the horses and carriages which came 
 in his way. At another time he was overtaken by 
 yleep a short while before setting out for Weimar on 
 horseback. He rode through the river lime, allowed 
 his horse to drink, and drew up his legs to prevent 
 them from getting wet, then passed through several
 
 2OO Psychic Faculties 
 
 streets, crossed the market-place which was then lull 
 of people, booths and carts, and arrived in safety at 
 the house where his business lay." 
 
 " During the continuance of the paroxysm he was 
 quite insensible, though pricked, pinched or struck, 
 he felt nothing. He could not see when his eyes 
 were thrust open. He could not smell even the 
 most volatile spirit, nor could he hear the report of 
 a pistol when rired close beside him." 
 
 Dr. Shultz, of Hamburgh, reported the case of a 
 girl of thirteen, of respectable family, who in a state 
 of somnambulism, while her eyes were shut, distin- 
 guished, without difficulty, all colors that were pre- 
 sented to her, and recognized the number of cards 
 and the stripes upon the painted cards. She described 
 the color of the binding of books. She wrote as well 
 as usual, and cut out figures in paper, as she was 
 accustomed to do for amusement in her waking state. 
 During all this time her eyes were closed, but in 
 order to be certain that upon these occasions she 
 made no use of her eyes, they were bandaged upon 
 the approach of the convulsions which preceded the 
 somnambulism . " 
 
 In a case of somnambulism described by Dr. Dvce, 
 of Aberdeen, in the Edinburgh Philosophical Transac- 
 tions, the patient was a servant girl, and it is stated 
 that " she became capable of following her usual 
 employments during the paroxysm ; at one time she 
 laid out the table correctly for breakfast, and repeat- 
 edly dressed herself and the children of the family, 
 her eyes remaining shut the ivhole time. 
 
 It is needless to give any further illustrations of the
 
 Psvc/u'c Faculties. 201 
 
 independence of the soul power and its marvellous 
 perception and intuition which grasps the truth with- 
 out the agency of sense or reason. The power exists 
 - it comes out spontaneously and spasmodically in 
 spite of neglect and repression. But never has this 
 power been studied in a scientific spirit so as to com- 
 prehend its philosophy and to realize its illuminating 
 power, when rightly directed, for all science and 
 philosophy. Psychometry gives us a philosophic 
 and practical knowledge of the soul po\\er as the 
 illuminating endowment of all humanity, which pro- 
 tects us from falsehood, leads us to truth, and is 
 competent to give us a mastery of limitless realms in 
 the unknown. 
 
 There is no limit to what mav be achieved bv the 
 emancipation and cultivation of the soul powci in the 
 exploration of all realms of knowledge. Psychometry 
 appears like an entrance into celestial realms, where- 
 to will is to have, and where all knowledge is free to 
 its seeker. If this be true, and be sufficiently shown 
 in this volume, how can we who know these things 
 regard the world's intellectual history down to tin- 
 present time as anything but a grandly barbarian 
 record a record of phvsical knowledge and physi- 
 cal triumphs, accompanied by calamitous ignorance 
 in reference to a 1 ! except the mechanic arts that 
 would ameliorate human destiny. I have dwelt upon 
 the spontaneous, or accidental illustrations of the 
 occult powers of the soul which have appeared in 
 somnambulism. I could add an other illustration of 
 the same class of accidental developments which 
 shows what marvelous endowments mav conn- in
 
 2O2 Psychic Faculties. 
 
 this spontaneous way, and how limitless are the 
 achievements to be expected when our occult powers 
 are fully utilized, instead of being ignored and 
 repressed. The case is one related by Dr. Aber- 
 crombie, as follows : 
 
 " A girl aged seven years, an orphan of the lowest 
 rank, residing in the house of a farmer by whom she 
 was employed in tending cattle, was accustomed to 
 sleep in an apartment separated by a very thin parti- 
 tion from one which was frequently occupied by an 
 itinerant fiddler. This person was a musician of 
 considerable skill, and often spent a part of the night 
 in performing pieces of a refined description, but his 
 performance was not taken notice of by the child 
 except as a disagreeable noise. After a residence of 
 six months in this family, she fell into bad health, 
 and was removed to the house of a benevolent lady, 
 where, on her recovery, after a protracted illness, she 
 was employed as a servant. Some years after she 
 came to reside with this lady, the most beautiful 
 music was often heard in the house during the night, 
 which excited no small interest and wonder in the 
 family, and many a waking hour was spent in 
 endeavors to discover the invisible minstrel. At 
 length the sound was traced to the sleeping room of 
 the girl, who was found fast asleep, but uttering from 
 her lips a sound exactly resembling the sweetest 
 sounds of a small violin. On further observation it 
 was found that after being about two hours in bed, 
 she became restless and began to mutter to herself; 
 she then uttered sounds precisely resembling the 
 tuning of a violin, and at length, after some prelude,
 
 Psvc/u'c /^licit/lies. 203 
 
 clashed otT into elaborate pieces of music, which she 
 performed in a clear and accurate manner, and with 
 a sound exactly resembling the most delicate modula- 
 tions of that instrument. During the performance 
 she sometimes stopped, made the sound of retiming 
 her instrument, and then began exactly where she 
 had stopped in the most correct manner. 
 
 " After a year or two her music was not confined 
 to the imitation of the violin, but was often exchanged 
 for that of a piano of a verv old description, which 
 she was accustomed to hear in the house where she 
 now lives, and she then also began to sing, imitating 
 exactly the voices of several ladies of the family. 
 In another year from this time, she began to talk a 
 great deal in her sleep, in which she seemed to fancy 
 herself instructing a younger companion. She often 
 descanted with the utmost fluency and correctness on 
 a variety of topics, both political and religious, the 
 news of the dav, the historical parts of scripture, 
 public characters, and particularly the characters of 
 members of the family and their visitors. In these 
 discussions she showed the most wonderful discrimi- 
 nation, often combined with sarcasm, and astonishing 
 powers of mimicry. Her language through the whole 
 was fluent and correct, and her illustrations often for- 
 cible and even eloquent. She was fond of illustrat- 
 ing her subjects by what she called a fable, and in 
 these her imagery was both appropriate and elegant. 
 She was by no means, says mv informant, limit. v d in 
 her range. Bonaparte, Wellington, Blucher, and all 
 the kings of the earth, figured among the phantas- 
 magoria of her brain, and all were animadverted
 
 204 Psychic Facilities. 
 
 upon with such freedom from restraint, as often made 
 me think poor Nancy had been transported into 
 Madame Genlis' Palace of Truth. The justness and 
 truth of her remarks on all subjects, excited the 
 utmost astonishment in those who were acquainted 
 with her limited means of acquiring information. 
 She has been known to conjugate correctly Latin 
 verbs which she had probably heard in the school 
 room of the family, and she was once heard to speak 
 several sentences very correctly in French at the 
 same time stating that she heard them from a foreign 
 gentleman whom she had accidentally met in a shop. 
 Being questioned on this subject when awake, she 
 remembered having seen the gentleman, but could 
 not repeat a word of what he said. During her 
 paroxysms it was almost impossible to awake her, 
 and ^l'/^cu her eyelids ivcre raised, and a candle 
 brought near the eye, the -pupil scc:ncd insensible to 
 the light, 
 
 " For several years she was, during the paroxysms, 
 entirely unconscious of the presence of other persons, 
 but about the age of sixteen she began to observe 
 those who were in the apartment, and she could tell 
 correctly their numbers, though the utmost care was 
 taken to have the room darkened. She now also 
 became capable of answering the questions that were 
 put to her, and of noticing remarks made in her 
 presence, and with regard to both she showed aston- 
 ishing acuteness. Her observations, indeed, were 
 often of such a nature, and corresponded so accu- 
 rately with characters and events, that by the 
 country people she was believed to be endowed 
 with supernatural powers."
 
 Psychic Faculties. 205 
 
 " During the whole period of this remarkable affec- 
 tion, which seems to have gone on for ten or eleven 
 years, she was when awake, a dull, awkward girl, 
 very slow in receiving any kind of instruction, though 
 much care was bestowed upon her, and in point of 
 intellect she was much inferior to the other servants 
 of the family. In particular she showed no kind of 
 turn for music. S:ie did not appear to nave any 
 recollection of what had passed during her sleep ; but 
 during her nocturnal ramblings she was more than 
 once heard to lament her infirmity of speaking in her 
 sleep, adding how fortunate it was that she did not 
 sleep among the other servants as they teased her 
 enough about it as it was." 
 
 In such cases as these, how do we account lor the 
 preternatural intelligence acquired by a dull, feeble- 
 minded girl when her ordinary life was suspended to 
 give place to this soul-life. As the laws of nature are 
 invariable and the elements of human nature are the 
 same for all human beings, it is manifest that there is 
 a psychic power in all human constitutions which is 
 the polar opposite of our phvsical life, and which in 
 its extreme operations withdraws all consciousness 
 trom the body and enjoys a realm of clearer percep- 
 tion, deeper wisdom and nobler impulses. That realm 
 is the realm of disembodied life which is called the 
 spirit world, and they who enjov this psychic exalta- 
 tion either spontaneously as bv disease or bv artificial 
 
 * 
 
 preparation, are m a spiritual condition approaching 
 closely to that of our future life, when the bodv has 
 been entirely cast otV. These powers are not confined 
 to the limited role in which they have been tested by
 
 206 Psychic Faculties. 
 
 the puzzled observers of accidental somnambulism, 
 but extend to the exploration of psychic as well as 
 physical worlds ; and volumes might be compiled of 
 the reports which they have brought of the conditions 
 of the spirit world and the personal appearance and 
 post mortem life of those whose friends have enquired 
 about them, or of distinguished historical and relig- 
 ious characters. 
 
 In this, however, as in all matters of observation 
 reported by travellers, we are liable to receive no lit- 
 tle error and exaggeration, as the observer (often very 
 ignorant) may be controlled by dominant ideas and 
 prejudices. Such revelations coming through theo- 
 logical or sectarian minds are far from being reliable 
 for accuracv, because the conditions of the observation 
 
 */ 
 
 are so very different irom those of this life. 
 
 Here on the earth the objective and subjective art- 
 distinct and contrasted yet even here we may have 
 delusions from subjective conditions, and on the dim 
 horizon we may see what we anticipated instead of 
 what exists. Such errors in microscopic observations 
 are not uncommon. But in spirit-life the distinction 
 of objective and subjective fades into such dimness, 
 that the distinction is often entirely lost, and our imag- 
 inations and emotions may make surroundings which 
 we fail to distinguish from the immaterial realities 
 which have not the impenetrability of matter. 
 
 If even so great and wise a seer as SVvedenborg was 
 not exempt from such delusions, we may expect to 
 find them abundant in the spiritual literature of all 
 ages. 
 
 Nevertheless it is by the wise culture and reinila-
 
 Psychic Faculties. 207 
 
 tion of the psychic faculties that the world hereafter 
 is to achieve its highest civilization and the develop- 
 ment of limitless religious truth in place of the blun- 
 dering and superstitious theologies which have ruled 
 the barbarian age of the past and still hold in sub- 
 jection all but a few vigorous thinkers. 
 
 The coming century will be THE AGE OK PSY- 
 e'HOMETRY in which mankind no longer prone and 
 dreaming, passive before the masters of delusion, 
 will stand erect in the conscious maturity of manhood, 
 rejoicing in the comprehensive knowledge of WHAT 
 
 IS, WHAT HAS BEEN, and WHAT WILL BE. 
 
 Among the rive hundred millions which our Great 
 Republic may attain in that century, I shall not be an 
 enrolled citizen, but maybe remembered as the herald 
 who announced the coming illumination and shall 
 not be invisible to the intelligence of that centurv. 
 
 That a grancllv intuitional power resides in the 
 human constitution, that it occupies an interior latent 
 position, and comes into play best when the faculties 
 on which we commonly rely, are quiescent, ought to 
 have been realized by all intelligent thinkers. It is 
 shown in the familiar phenomena of somnambulism 
 which, when it arises spontaneously, usuallv begins 
 when the subject is in profound slumber, and thus 
 entirely unconscious of his surroundings. It often 
 arises, too, when disease has so lowered the energy 
 
 ~ . 
 
 of the body as to diminish its influence upon the 
 mind, or when the bodily energv is still farther 
 lowered by the near approach of death. 
 
 Sir Thomas Browne remarks in his Kcligio Mcd'd : 
 " Thus it is observed that men sometimes upon the
 
 208 Psychic Faculties. 
 
 hour of their departure, do speak and reason above 
 themselves. For then, the soul being near freed 
 from the ligaments of the body, begins to reason like 
 herself, and to discourse in a strain above mortality." 
 
 In like manner the best development of the intui- 
 tional faculty for Psychometry requires that the mind 
 should be withdrawn from surrounding objects and 
 events concentred in the interior consciousness, and 
 freed from the disturbances of light and sound. In 
 fact the mind is in so peculiar a state of interior con- 
 centration in Psychometry that the psychometer is 
 apt to lose the memory of his statements as fast as 
 they are given. 
 
 " Somnambulists (says Colquhoun in his Rcvclata ) 
 apparently in a state of profound sleep, rise from their 
 beds at night, traverse the most inaccessible places 
 without awaking, and successfully perform the most 
 delicate and difficult operations, whether intellectual 
 or mechanical, and all this in the dark, and frequently 
 with their eyes closed, as in the ordinary state of 
 sleep. It has been observed, also, that individuals 
 while in this state, occasionally manifest a superior 
 knowledge of subjects and of languages which they 
 had not previously studied, so as to remember them, 
 or with which they had been but imperfectly 
 acquainted. It is likewise a striking peculiarity of 
 this state of existence, that upon waking the indi- 
 vidual who had thus insensibily performed all these 
 operations, retains no recollection of anvthing that 
 passed while he was under the influence of somnam- 
 bulism. 
 
 " It is worth v of notice, too, that the acts of the
 
 Psychic Faculties. 209 
 
 somnambulist are almost always performed with a 
 degree of freedom, boldness and precision, superior 
 to what he manifests when awake, and that he gen- 
 erally succeeds in accomplishing everything he 
 attempts. So far as I am aware there is no instance 
 of a somnambulist awaking spontaneously in the 
 midst of any operation he has once undertaken, nor 
 of his perishing amidst the dangers which he fre- 
 quently encounters. There are, it is true, many 
 instances of somnambulists who have perished in 
 consequence of having been suddenly awakened by 
 the imprudent alarm of the witnesses of those perils 
 to which they were apparently exposed, but the 
 general experience of all times seems to lead us to 
 the conclusion that the somnambulist is guided by 
 other senses or instincts that he is protected from 
 injury by other means and guarantees of security 
 than those by which his conduct is regulated in his 
 ordinary waking state. So long as he is left undis- 
 turbed in his proceedings, he acts fearlessly, and is 
 safe a sudden awakening alone, by restoring him 
 to his natural state, and depriving him of the protec- 
 tion of that instinct which governed his actions, 
 
 ~ 
 
 causes him to perish." 
 
 The wonderful intuitions of somnambulism having 
 been observed chiefly in this abnormal state, such 
 lacts have become isolated from normal experience 
 and psychic philosophy, and it is the duty of a true 
 Anthropology to show that there is no dividing line 
 between the wonderful intuitions of clairvoyance, 
 etc. .shown in the somnambulic state, and similar intu- 
 itions which make a portion of o::r ch'.ilv !:!r. a:u!
 
 2io Psvchic faculties. 
 
 guide us to results which are supposed to be attained, 
 by luck. 
 
 The successful physician acts upon an intuitional 
 impression and makes a perfect diagnosis, or prognosis 
 to the salvation of his patients, while a more learned 
 competitor with no intuitional power becomes singu- 
 larly unsuccessful. The intuitional lawyer realizes 
 the mental status and attitude of a jury, and thus is 
 enabled to win them. The intuitional business man 
 knows how to speculate, and with whom to associate, 
 in business. The intuitional general is guided in 
 campaigns and battles by what passes for superior 
 skill and knowledge, but is really superior intuition. 
 Intuitional lovers often know each other's merits and 
 sentiments or designs, independently of language, 
 and intuitional musicians, such as Ole Bull, produce, 
 under inspiration, almost supernal music. Thus, in 
 every sphere of life, men are guided to success, if 
 thev have energy to perform their tasks by an interior 
 liirht which vivifies and perfects their intelligence, and 
 
 o I o 
 
 the possession of this interior light is revealed, or 
 tested, in every psychometric experiment. 
 
 The intuitional faculty not only mingles with and 
 illuminates our intellectual processes, in which intui- 
 tion is that interior light without which all would be 
 darkness, but is often so fully developed that psycho- 
 metric and clairvoyant faculties come forth to the as- 
 tonishment of their possessor, and the equal astonish- 
 ment of the cultured but miscducatcd classes, who have 
 been most carefully kept in ignorance of that which 
 was well-known to the ancients, which has been in 
 progress publicly and privatelv from a period anterior
 
 Psychic Faculties. 211 
 
 to the records of history, but which when forced upon 
 their attention to-day is received with a profound arti- 
 ficial stupidity, which never investigates or reasons. 
 According to a late number of the London Illustrated 
 JWws, the marvel of the hour in Paris is a handsome 
 young lady in good society, of whom it says : ''All 
 secrets are apparently open to her ; she reads the past 
 like a book, and foretels the future with marvellous 
 exactitude ; and yet her only guides are the pins which 
 she scatters on the floor. She is, perhaps, most for- 
 tunate with perfect strangers. She professes complete 
 ignorance as to the origin of her strange powers, or 
 the mental process involved in their development." 
 There never was a time when such phenomena were 
 not in progress in many places ; but what avails the 
 sunshine when men shut their eyes? So long as col- 
 leges by false teaching perpetuate a stolid ignorance, 
 philosophy must be stagnant. But the colleges are 
 losing their power of repressing intelligence. 
 
 The highest success in all pursuits is attained when 
 we approach the most spiritual condition that con- 
 dition in which our own spiritual energies seem eman- 
 cipated from the obstructions of matter, and carry us 
 onward in a way which is foreign to our daily life and 
 all commonplace experience. It mav be our own 
 emancipated self, or it mav be as we rise to the celes- 
 tial plane of consciousness, a higher nature in sym- 
 pathy with our own in that sphere where sympathy is 
 universal and help not hindrance is the law, unites 
 with our soaring spirit to carrv it beyond the power 
 of its own flight. In poetry, in romance, in music in 
 eloquence, in heroism, in religion, in love and even in
 
 212 Psvchic Faculties, 
 
 painting, the entranced thought often leans on the 
 the supernal assistant. 
 
 Shakespeare is believed to have written with the 
 aid of inspiration, producing his plays with marvelous 
 rapidity, and George Eliot confessed her assistance. 
 Mr. Cross says : " she told me that in all she consid- 
 ered her best writing there was a * not herself which 
 took possession of her, and that she felt her own per- 
 sonality to be merely the instrument through which 
 this spirit, as it were, was acting. Particularly she 
 dwelt on this in regard to the scene in k Middlemarch,' 
 between Dorothea and Rosamond, saying that al- 
 though she always knew they had, sooner or later, to 
 come together, she kept the idea resolutely out of 
 her mind until Dorothea was in Rosamond's drawing- 
 room. Then, abandoning herself to the inspiration 
 of the moment, she wrote the whole scene exactly as 
 it stands, without alteration or erasure, in an intense 
 state of excitement and agitation, feeling herself en- 
 tirely possessed by the feelings of the two women." 
 He says, too, that she had " a limitless persistence of 
 application/' 
 
 " Continuous thought did not fatigue her. . She 
 could keep her mind on the stretch hour after hour : 
 the body might give way, but the brain remained 
 unwearied.*' 
 
 This sustained, unflagging power is characteristic of 
 spiritual assistance, as those to whom it is given, per- 
 form without fatigue what would otherwise be exhaust- 
 ing. 
 
 ~ 
 
 The psychometric power is that which reaches out 
 for inspiration and kindles in the glory of supernal 
 realms the- li^ht that illumes this lower life.
 
 PART II. 
 
 USES AND APPLICATIONS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PRACTICAL UTILITIES PSYCHOMETRY IX SELK-lTL- 
 TURE COXJUGAL RELATIONS AND BUSIXESS. 
 
 SKLF-Cui.TURK. Importance of Psychometry in self-study and culture 
 Why advice is not well received Critical advice suppressed 
 General insincerity Admonition needed Prayer unsound The 
 Christian ministry inefficient A confessional needed Counsel 
 required by all Follies and errors of the great Guardianship 
 enjoyed by some What success depends on, virtue and psychome- 
 tric power Psychometry as a national guide The divine in 
 Jesus In Psychometry Will men seek its assistance Society 
 offers no revelation of self Imperfections of Gallian Phrenology 
 Correction by observation and experiment on the brain Cranial 
 descriptions Imperfections of Cranioscopy Development does 
 not indicate conditions, culture, or soul power Value of a true 
 psychological system Criticism on the word phrenology Value 
 of a true cranioscopy Value of the cranium Its modification In 
 the brain Value of old crania for revelation Objection to cre- 
 mation Psychometry a mirror sometimes flattering and ideal 
 Great artists psychometric Different modes of viewing character. 
 
 CoNjrr.Al. RELATIONS. Importance of the conjugal question Tor 
 rible evils of mistakes and mistaken legislation Kvils of excessive 
 propagation Vast amount of deception and misfortune in mar- 
 riage Evil marriage perpetuates national degradation Inadequate 
 opportunities for true marriage Disadvantage of women Intuition 
 their reliance Psychometric view of married parties t'nt.irtu" 
 nate marriage of W. and M. And of G. and C. Happy marriage 
 
 i
 
 2 Self -Culture. 
 
 of S. and A. Continual mistakes in spite of intelligence Conju- 
 gal unions as easily described before as after the event Unfortu- 
 nate marriage of a worthy woman to a great author Unfortunate 
 marriage to a brilliant author but bad husband Marvellous power 
 of Psychometry Stolidity of the aversion to truth Another bril- 
 liant author unhappy in marriage. 
 
 LAW AND BUSINESS. Inadequacy of law to execute justice Supe- 
 rior power of Psychometry Psychometric commissions and arbi- 
 tration Restraining influence over crime Legal aspect of the 
 Question Decision on the guilt of the accused Forgeries 
 Expert testimony Examination of counterfeits. 
 
 Counsellor, friend, and guide! 
 
 I place my hand in thine, 
 
 To lead me through E..rth's thorny paths, 
 
 In hours of darkness, danger, and despair, 
 
 When stars alone give light, and when 
 
 To souls illumined from within 
 
 All darkness disappears. 
 
 PSYCHOMETRY OUR MENTOR. 
 
 I KXOXV of nothing in our religious and intellectual 
 life more valuable and more needed at the present time 
 than the instruction that psychometry gives as to the 
 merit or demerit of our characters, whether innate or 
 acquired, and as to the culture and development that we 
 need. 
 
 The great majority of mankind go through life with- 
 out any serious or persistent effort for improvement. 
 Their habits are formed by education, association, and 
 the struggles or conflicts of life, and they yield to this 
 accidental destiny without a thought of controlling it 
 by any wise plan or principle. 
 
 When their habits, prejudices, and passions are thus 
 established they neither seek nor receive instruction as 
 to personal improvement. Advice on such subjects is 
 received with reluctance. Those who need it most
 
 Self-Culture. 3 
 
 do not seek it, while those who desire and seek it for 
 moral improvement are generally the persons who need 
 it least. Advice seldom comes from those who are 
 competent to advise wisely, and the recipient of advice 
 is seldom qualified to profit by it, because the very trait 
 of character which needs to be subdued resents all in- 
 terference, and perverts the judgment. 
 
 The ill-tempered man believes that his ill-temper is 
 natural and proper, and becomes angry if admonished 
 on the subject. The vain man believes that he has a 
 just foundation for his vanity, and cannot realize that it 
 is either offensive or amusing. The selfish man feels 
 that his selfishness is right, and does not believe in hu- 
 man disinterestedness. The man of coarse and vulgar 
 manners is unconscious of the disgust which he inspires 
 in the refined. The man of feeble understanding and 
 little ability to reason, does not perceive the shallow- 
 ness or silliness of his own remarks. 
 
 Thus every defect of character conceals itself from 
 the one whom it degrades, by perverting his judgment 
 and his taste, and renders him not only unwilling to 
 improve, but unwilling to receive kindly or with ap- 
 preciation the efforts of his friends to enlighten him. 
 Having occasion once to give a gentleman the scientific 
 admonition that he was not disposed to pay due respect 
 to his superiors, he was surprised by such a suggestion, 
 and asked at once ivhowcrc his superiors, as if he had 
 never supposed that a superior existed. 
 
 Thus men go through life unconscious of their faults; 
 and their associates, who speak freely when they are 
 absent, condemning them severely, suppress all such 
 criticism in their presence. Even the parent, or the
 
 4 Self -Culture. 
 
 conjugal companion, is restrained by the same polite- 
 ness and fear of giving offence. And generally, the 
 stronger or more passionate and energetic the charac- 
 ter, the more does it impose this restraint on the expres- 
 sions of friends, and the more intolerant the person be- 
 comes of all comment which is not complimentary. The 
 criticism that does express itself is generally prompted 
 by impatience and disgust, and hence only irritates. 
 
 It is not kings alone who are deceived by courtiers. 
 Insincerity is the fashion. Flattery is current coin 
 everywhere ; and as Bonaparte regarded lying as an 
 essential part of the art of war, deceit and flattery are 
 regarded by men of the world as the essential social arts 
 of peace, and the advice of Chesterfield on this subject is 
 generally accepted. 
 
 The monitor is universally needed. The kind admo- 
 nitions of the mother cease long before they become 
 unnecessary. 
 
 When earthly parents cease to warn and guide, it is 
 time to look to our heavenly father and the sacred 
 offices of religion. But prayer is not a searching pro- 
 cess, neither is it guided by a knowledge of what is 
 needed, for often it assumes the form of begging, of 
 self-righteousness, and of pragmatic disquisition the 
 long prayers that Jesus condemned, but the clergy prac- 
 tice. 
 
 The Christian ministry should here come in with 
 searching and monitory power, but it does not. The 
 minister is restrained by the fear of offence, and by the 
 feeling that he has not a recognized authority as teacher 
 or counsellor. Even if this were not in the way, the 
 ethical education of ministers is too imperfect to make
 
 Self -Culture. 5 
 
 them competent monitors and critics. Christianity has 
 never been so completely and vigorously interpreted as 
 to become a corrector of the most frequent social evils. 
 It may check the grosser crimes and vices, but the 
 offences which are not crimes flourish under the shadow 
 of the church, and in the midst of its membership. 
 
 Avarice, vanity, selfishness, ill-temper, moroseness, 
 peevishness, exaction, tyranny, stubbornness, sternness, 
 and hard-hearted coldness, are entirely permissible in 
 the church, and the man whose influence blights every- 
 thing around him, and carries him to the higher world 
 a pauperized soul, is neither controlled nor taught by 
 the influences of his church to rise out of his moral deg- 
 radation. A society composed of hungry, half-pauperized 
 toilers, and millionnaires with pauperized souls, who live 
 mainly for the indulgence of avarice and ostentation, is 
 not rebuked or elevated by the priesthood. 
 
 The confessional of the Catholic Church, if it could 
 be administered by a wise and enlightened priesthood, 
 on a philosophic plan would be just what Protestantism 
 deplorably needs being one of the most powerful agen- 
 cies of moral progress. Sometime hereafter a confes- 
 sional in some form will be restored. We all need to lay 
 before friendly eyes, our thoughts, our purposes, and 
 our principles, that we may receive impartial suggestions 
 from those who have not the bias produced by our per- 
 sonal interests, our passions, and our prejudices, and 
 who can tell us how our purposes and actions look when 
 viewed by a standpoint different from our own. 
 
 We need especially the kind admonition of those who 
 can place themselves in harmony with the higher spheres 
 of being, and, while giving us the kindest and best ap-
 
 6 Self-Culture. 
 
 preciation of what we are and what we do, point out 
 the improvements that are within our power. 
 
 It sometimes happens that this aid is given to men 
 by the sympathetic, devoted love of a gifted wife, whose 
 admonitions are never unpleasant. 
 
 Had Caesar obeyed the premonitions of his wife, he 
 might have lived through a career grand for himself and 
 his country. While the wife of Caesar divined his dan- 
 ger, the wife of Brutus felt her husband's deadly pur- 
 pose, and, by her fierce courage, induced him to confess 
 it, but being of the same stern nature herself, she let 
 him advance to his fate, and shared it by suicide. But 
 that is a rare incident : biography is filled with examples 
 of women who have warned, inspired, and sustained their 
 husbands. 
 
 None are so entirely wise, so prudent, and so far-see- 
 ing, as not to need on many occasions, an intelligence 
 distinct fiom their own, coming from some calm atmos- 
 phere beyond the reach of passion and self-interest. 
 Fortunate would it be if all could have with them con- 
 tinually the guardian spirit which attended Socrates, to 
 check when erring and encourage when right. 
 
 " For no eyes have there been ever without a weary tear, 
 
 And those lips cannot be human which never heaved a sigh ; 
 For without the dreary winter, there has never been a year, 
 
 And the tempests hide their terrors in the calmest summer sky. 
 So this dreary life is passing and we move amidst its maze, 
 
 And we grope along together, half in darkness, half in light, 
 And our hearts are often hardened by the mysteries of our ways, 
 
 Which are never all in shadow, and never wholly bright, 
 And our dim eyes ask a beacon, and our weaty feet a guide. 
 
 And our hearts of all life's mysteries seek the meaning and the key." 
 
 FATHKR RYAN.
 
 Self-Culture. 7 
 
 How fortunate would it have been for the world if 
 Bonaparte could thus, like Socrates, have been admon- 
 ished and checked in his career of insatiable ambition. 
 How fortunate would it have been for Carlyle could he 
 have been made to understand himself and struggle 
 against that harshness and pessimism which vitiated 
 his judgment and embittered his life, How fortunate 
 both for him and Mrs. Carlyle, could he have been made 
 to understand what is now patent in their biography 
 the wide departure of his own character from a normal 
 and amiable manhood. 
 
 All history and all biography teems with illustrations 
 of the folly, the error, and wrong doing of the great 
 recognized since by the world, but apparently not real- 
 ized by themselves. Society did not teach them, 
 and no tender voice from the upper world reached their 
 interior consciousness, as it reached the soul of Soc- 
 rates. 
 
 Yet there are many gifted mortals now-a-days who 
 have more than Socrates enjoyed. Who have the daily 
 presence of a ministering guardianship that warns of 
 all clangers and cheers and invigorates along the path 
 of duty. 
 
 Nor is this beyond the limits of legitimate aspiration 
 for all, for the more entirely we conquer the lower 
 selfish nature, the more loyally we tread with zeal and 
 courage in the path of duty, the nearer we come to the 
 angel sphere of truth and clear-seeing intuition, which 
 enables us to act wisely and well. The path of duty is, 
 in the Jiiglicst sense, the path of safety, honor, and 
 reward. It may lead through conflict and apparent 
 calamity, but it leads to final success.
 
 8 Self-Culture. 
 
 The attainment of success depends on our own 
 interior development, which gives energy and wisdom, 
 and on the far-seeing capacity, which commands alike 
 the future and the environing present, which feels in 
 every direction the current of destiny, and the latent 
 forces that impel it. 
 
 This few are permitted to enjoy, and this is what 
 psychometry brings us a sensitive faculty which, with 
 semi-omniscient power as far as it extends, changes the 
 dim obscurity of opinion and conjecture to the daylight 
 of knowledge. 
 
 How fortunate would it be for any one to be thus 
 guarded and guided through life. How fortunate for 
 nations if their rulers would listen to the calm monitions 
 and revelations of psychometry portraying the true 
 character and interior motives of all in high places, 
 revealing the drift of the future, and giving all the data 
 necessary for a wise and prosperous administration. I 
 hope it may not be long before nations shall thus be 
 led into the path of wisdom. May it not be reasonably 
 expected in the next century ? 
 
 If divine elements were incarnated in Jesus to show 
 the way to a higher life, which, nevertheless, has ever 
 been too far above the selfish plane of life to draw any 
 great number up to the life of real wisdom, is it not a 
 pleasing thought that the divine incarnation in another 
 form may lead us gently upward, by coming to us as 
 we are, and showing the successive steps that we must 
 take. For the psychometric guidance of humanity is 
 really the working of the divine element, not gathered 
 in the glowing lustre of one inspired soul, but diffused 
 abroad in the atmosphere of thought, in the light of
 
 Self-Culture. 9 
 
 intelligence, revealing the truth, and showing the 
 attractiveness of wisdom, so as to lead men gently and 
 gradually into wiser action, and better methods of 
 living. The psychometric soul has the rare privilege 
 of approaching near the fountains of wisdom and holi- 
 ness, and bringing thence the lessons of life-conduct, so 
 clear, so beautiful, and so satisfactory, as to win us, in a 
 most pleasing manner, to a better life. 
 
 Whether the unbalanced and improper people, of 
 whom the world is full, could be induced to avail them- 
 selves of psychometry for personal improvement is a 
 matter of much doubt. Yet however unbalanced men 
 may be, the doubt must sometimes arise whether they 
 are what they should be ; whether there is not some 
 fault that hinders success or mars their happiness. The 
 unhappy and unsuccessful at least would be tempted to 
 seek psychometric assistance. 
 
 It is not merely exterior knowledge that we need, 
 but that knowledge of self, which, before the advent of 
 psychometry was unattainable. The advice of friends 
 has all the imperfection of their own idiosyncrasies, 
 aggravated by their inability to understand our nature 
 in proportion as it differs from their own, and the 
 advice of the priest has the same limitation, in addition 
 to the limitations of a professional training, which has 
 carried his mind away from the complex relations ami 
 ethical peculiarities of men and women in society. 
 
 In whatever direction we turn, we find the prayer of 
 Burns unanswered, and "kind heaven " has not enabled 
 us "to see ourselves as others see us." 
 
 The Gallian system of phrenology made an approxi- 
 mation to this, and has been beneficial to manv but
 
 io Self -Culture. 
 
 in the first twelve months of my attention to it, I found 
 errors enough in the locations, the functions, and the 
 modes of estimating the brain and the character to im- 
 pair very seriously its value, incomplete as its analysis 
 was at best. 
 
 I found great humor where the supposed organ of 
 Mirthfulness was deficient, great violence where the 
 supposed location of Destructiveness was small (as in- 
 deed it was in the Thugs of India) and great avarice 
 where the supposed organ of Acquisitiveness was defec- 
 tive, as well as great disregard <of money where the 
 organ was large arrogant vanity where the organ of 
 Approbativeness was moderate, and other errors unnec- 
 essary to mention which it required several years for me 
 to correct by close observation of nature. But the cor- 
 rections were made as far as possible by observation, 
 and in 1841 my discovery of the impressibility of the 
 brain and demonstration of its functions by experiment 
 (being able to excite anger, joy, religion, pride, love, 
 hate, avarice, hunger, despair, fear, or whatever I 
 desired by stimulating the proper organ) enabled me to 
 realize that I had a positive, accurate, and complete 
 science of human nature. 
 
 Since that discovery I have never described a charac- 
 ter craniologically without satisfying the individual that 
 I understood his nature well. In fact the parties were 
 generally more surprised, pleased, and satisfied than 
 myself. For though very positive as to the truth of all 
 I told them and scarcely ever contradicted, there was 
 much beyond, that they did not realize. I perceived 
 the limitation of cranioscopy, which though it might 
 satisfy the parties described did not satisfy myself.
 
 Self-Culture. I i 
 
 There were intricacies of character which it could not 
 reach, and there were the ever present influences of ed- 
 ucation, association, health, heredity, etc., of which cra- 
 nioscopy gave no information. 
 
 With a perfectly normal and well cultured brain, its 
 decisions might be entirely correct, because the actual 
 character corresponded to the original nature shown in 
 the development, but morbid or educational deviations 
 could not be indicated by development. The arts and 
 skill, the tastes and habits that had been acquired were 
 not indicated. Nor ^ould the mere development indi- 
 cate the power, the quality, the improvement, o'r the 
 interior spiritual energy of the mind, no matter how ac- 
 quired. That spiritual power which gives brilliance to 
 a small brain, or by its absence leaves the large brain a 
 mass of dulness, was not a thing to be measured by cal- 
 lipers. Nor do practical phrenologists ever ascertain 
 this, except by observation of the appearance, voice, and 
 bearing, or by the exercise of their psychometric power 
 which many of them use freely, professing to have de- 
 rived their conclusions from cranioscopy. 
 
 However, with a true psychological system there is a 
 great deal of interest, pleasure, and benefit in the study 
 of character. I say a psychological rather than a. phren- 
 ological system because I prefer the term psychology 
 notwithstanding its misconception by metaphysicians to 
 the term phrenology introduced by Gall, because the 
 word phrcn or mind has a more limited sense than 
 Psyche. 
 
 The materialists who think nothing real but matter 
 use the word mind to signify mental phenomena merely, 
 in which sense it represents little but the intellectual
 
 12 Self -Culture. 
 
 power of the soul, with perhaps a hint of volition. The 
 words mind and character represent distinct aspects of 
 the soul, but neither represents the soul in its entirety. 
 
 Phrenology therefore is an inadequate term. It was 
 used by Gall because he was a student of the phenom- 
 ena of living beings proceeding from the brain, and not 
 a student of the soul or cognizant of its relations to the 
 brain and its independent life, nor of the transcen- 
 dently psychic functions located in the brain. But mani- 
 festly in a true science of man we should recognize the 
 brain as the associate and instrument of the soul, but 
 the soul itself as the chief object of study, though 
 reached through its cephalic and corporeal environment. 
 
 Yet cranioscopy, as derived from the true crganology 
 of the brain, is a very interesting and important study, 
 the value of which I have no disposition to underrate. 
 It gives at a glance the anatomical basis of the charac- 
 ter, the congenital tendencies, and in connection with the 
 facial development of the region of expression (not known 
 in the Gallian system) it makes an approximation to the 
 actual acquired character, for the facial development in- 
 dicates the faculties most actively used or cultivated. 
 
 Cranioscopy enables us to comprehend and classify 
 people as we pass them, furnishing a basis for our psy- 
 chometric intuitions by which we complete our knowl- 
 edge. It makes a still more accurate revelation of 
 character when we have the skull in our possession, and 
 we can ascertain by its interior condition the growth of 
 the brain in one part and its inactivity in another part 
 plainly indicated by the condition of the internal lamina 
 of bone, and thus approximate a knowledge of the influ- 
 ences of education and habit. The deeply indented
 
 Self-Culture. \ 3 
 
 digital impressions of the convolutions on the internal 
 plate of bone indicate the growth and acquired power 
 of the convolutions as positively as the flattened sur- 
 faces from osseous growth, the thickness and opacity of 
 the bones indicate the torpor and atrophy of the subja- 
 cent convolutions, which we commonly find at the upper 
 surface of the brain in criminal heads. 
 
 Crania, moreover, have an especial interest in the study 
 of historical characters, whose remains are preserved, 
 and of the ancient crania which tell the character of 
 prehistoric races. Touched by the psychometric hand, 
 these crania will recall not merely the character of each 
 individual, but his whole life history, his muscular de- 
 velopment, his life in the cave or the forest, his battles 
 with wild animals or with his fellows, his development 
 in language, art, and manners, in tribal government, in 
 domestic life, and his environment of climate, forest, 
 mountain, morass, and natural convulsions. Even the 
 extinct animals and plants of the remotest periods will 
 rise up before the psychometric vision. 
 
 I trust that the fashion of cremation will not be al- 
 lowed to make indiscriminate destruction of these pre- 
 cious relics " the dome of thought, the palace of the 
 soul " but that all whose memory is worth preserva- 
 tion shall have an unimpaired memento in the cranial 
 form, which is the fitting monument, the historical rec- 
 ord of the earth-life. 
 
 It was deeply interesting to me to hold in my hands 
 the cranium of Dr. Spurzheim, which was preserved in 
 Boston, and mark the indentations of his active percep- 
 tive organs in the supraorbital plate of the frontal bone. 
 
 The study of our character by psychometry is like the
 
 1 4 Self- Culture. 
 
 study of our features by a mirror or by a photograph. 
 It shows just how we appear in the image we project on 
 our surroundings ; and as Narcissus fell in love with his 
 own image in the water, sometimes the truly lovely and 
 modest are charmed in finding their virtues conspicuous 
 in the psychometric portrait. 
 
 There is, indeed, a tendency in psychometric portrait- 
 ure to a delicate flattery. As great artists are idealists 
 they give their own ideality to their pictures, investing 
 them with a delicacy and refinement from their own 
 minds, different from the hard realism of life. Even 
 the photograph has often a greater delicacy and refine- 
 ment than the original. The psychometer, too, is an 
 ideal artist, more ideal than a Reynolds or a Lawrence, 
 for the ideal faculties are the source of his power, and 
 these faculties are refined and delicate beyond all the 
 faculties employed in business or even in art. Raphael 
 and da Vinci had psychometric souls. I doubt not they 
 were actual psychometers, although their art was mate- 
 rial in form. The true psychometer is still more ideal, 
 and lives professionally in a delicate world of lights and 
 shadows, auras and influences, which are not material. 
 The psychometric power in the brain is closely associ- 
 ated with the most refined, sympathetic, and loving 
 emotions, and hence presents the most kind and sympa- 
 thetic view of character. 
 
 Yet, like other intellectual faculties, its operation is 
 guided by the elements of character, and it may be used 
 to look into the recesses of depravity. A hard and sel- 
 fish business man, if possessed of psychometric power, 
 would take more stern and critical views of character, 
 and one accustomed in legal pursuits to study the work-
 
 Sclf-Cnlturc. 1 5 
 
 ing of the selfish nature would be more competent to its 
 psychometric description. 
 
 We shall probably have a great variety of psychome- 
 tric talent brought into use as skill is developed for dif- 
 ferent purposes. We shall need 
 
 1. One for the profound and kindly analysis guided 
 by religious principle for our self-culture and improve- 
 ment. This is the highest and most pleasing form of 
 psychometry, and would also be applicable to the study 
 of conjugal adaptation and the development of children. 
 
 2. One for the study of men in business relations and 
 the psychometric judgment of business affairs. 
 
 3. One for investigation of diseases and remedies. 
 
 4. A group of different capacities for the investiga- 
 tion of the different sciences 
 
 1. Geology, geography, and astronomy. 
 
 2. Anatomy, physiology, and zoology. 
 
 3. Anthropology, pneumatology, and religion. 
 
 4. Chemical and imponderable energies. 
 
 5. History, paleontology and evolution. 
 
 PSYCHOMETRY IN CONJUGAL RELATIONS. 
 
 Next to to the investigation of our own character, 
 with reference to its improvement, which is one of the 
 first necessities of practical ethics, and for which all the 
 progress of civilization and religion down to the present 
 time has failed to furnish an available method (which 
 we find in psychometry), comes the associate question, 
 on which the weal or woe of many a life has depended, 
 Where shall we find our other self, the intimate com- 
 panion for life, whose character, continually acting on 
 our own, shall elevate or degrade us, shall kindle or
 
 1 6 Psychoinetry in 
 
 extinguish the intellectual flame, shall make a happy 
 home, in which health and virtue are sustained, or dis- 
 mal discord, which makes lite not worth living, and 
 which an insane moralism would perpetuate to the 
 destruction of happiness, and the reproduction of a 
 demoralized and morally deformed posterity. The the- 
 ory of eternal conjugality is beautiful and true, when 
 matches are made in heaven ; but to perpetuate the 
 folly, the fraud, the madness, or the lust which causes 
 many a wretched union is to assist and perpetuate the 
 devil's most skilful work for the development of a pan- 
 demonium on earth. The record must be false or inter- 
 polated which ascribes such a doctrine to any wise and 
 holy source. 
 
 No one can observe widely the amount of domestic 
 unhappiness, and its blighting effect on posterity (of 
 which the large number of divorces is a poor exponent, 
 since the number who dare to seek divorce is but a 
 small portion of those who really need it), without feel- 
 ing that discordant marriage is the foundation from 
 which is ever flowing a debased humanity a fountain 
 of bitter waters, which a delusive theology is determined 
 to perpetuate. Nor can we avoid the suspicion that a 
 large portion of the human race are quite unworthy ot 
 matrimonial union and perpetuation of their own moral 
 and physical deformities. 
 
 The urgent encouragement of marriage and child- 
 bearing, devoting to this noble office the most degraded 
 as well as the best portion of humanity, is about as wise 
 as the conduct of the gardener who is content that his 
 ground shall be covered with vegetation, without caring 
 whether it shall be flowers and fruits, or noxious weeds.
 
 Conjugal Relations. \ 7 
 
 That some psychometric guidance is necessary in 
 this most important of all engagements is obvious, 
 when we reflect on the millions of failures to realize 
 domestic happiness, and the numerous obstacles in the 
 way of happy union, even in our own country, where 
 there is comparative freedom in the intercourse of the 
 sexes. The sexual passion in many is so strong and 
 delusive as to make them utterly blind to the incompat- 
 ibilities of character. When the fire of passion and the 
 glamour of imagination are at work, an imagination 
 greatly intensified by social restraint and artificial ignor- 
 ance promoted by the separation of the sexes, the judg- 
 ment has but little influence, and the parties do not 
 realize that they are deceiving each other, in their anx- 
 iety to please and win affection. The assumed amiabil- 
 ity vanishes, even during the honeymoon, and the sensi- 
 tive shed tears when they realize the prospect of a dis- 
 cordant life. How true was the language of Byron : 
 
 " Ah, few or none 
 
 Find what they love or could have loved, 
 But accident, blind contact and the strong necessity of loving 
 May have suppressed antipathies 
 IJut to recur again more strong 
 Knvenomed by the mutual sense of wrong." 
 
 From such discordant unions come all the demoniac ele- 
 ments of human life. The love perishes, and the evil 
 passions only arc perpetuated. We see so much of this 
 in our own country in comparative freedom, we can 
 realize how much more debasing is the tendency in 
 other nations, where woman is practically a slave, an 1 
 has little or nothing to do in selecting for herself the 
 master of her domestic bondage. It is chieflv to this
 
 1 8 Psychomctry in 
 
 cause that the relatively degraded condition of Asiatic 
 nations is due, and it contributes powerfully to perpetu- 
 ate the morally uncivilized condition of European 
 nations, which are but little less blood-thirsty now than 
 they were two thousand years ago. 
 
 Our social opportunities (especially for women) are 
 too limited to permit the general formation of happy 
 unions. Millions who were adapted to each other never 
 met. Marriage is a lottery of chance, directed by acci- 
 dental proximity, and the woman or man of really 
 marked and superior nature, for whom the true compan- 
 ion is as one in ten thousand, is almost sure to miss the 
 true counterpart that would have made a happy life. 
 
 Even with the most assiduous cultivation of society 
 by the young, the opportunities of knowing and under- 
 standing thoroughly those whom we meet are quite 
 inadequate, and a psychometric warning might prevent 
 many a disastrous union. Two cases occur to my mem- 
 ory now, in which misfortune was averted by psychom- 
 etric warning. A young lady of great merit was 
 warned against one who proved to be an unprincipled 
 impostor, and in the other case a gentleman was warned 
 against an unworthy union, which he was on the verge 
 of consummating. 
 
 In the following instances I have brought psychome- 
 try to the post-marital interpretation of the relations of 
 the parties. How fortunate would it have been for the 
 victims of the discordant unions if they could have had 
 an impartial and competent psychometric opinion before 
 making their fatal mistakes. 
 
 Lovers cannot always rely on their own psychometric 
 intuition, even when they arc well endowed in that way,
 
 Conjugal Relations. 19 
 
 for lovers arc mutually deceptive, and love itself is 
 ' deceptive in its optimism. Two of the unfortunates in 
 the following descriptions were highly psychometric, 
 but did not think to avail themselves of their protective 
 intuitions. 
 
 If these pages should adequately impress the young 
 with the importance of cultivating and heeding their 
 own psychometric intuition, or else seeking the psy- 
 chometric power of those who are competent to advise, 
 I shall feel that I have rendered an important service. 
 It does not indicate a weak or fanciful mind to pay 
 respect to its own intuitions, which are very different 
 from whims or fancies, and have guided the greatest 
 minds. Goethe says : 
 
 " One soul may have a decided influence upon 
 another, merely by means of its silent presence, of 
 which I could relate many instances. It has often hap- 
 pened to me that when I have been walking with an 
 acquaintance, and have had a living image of something 
 in my mind, he has at once begun to speak of that very 
 thing. I have also known a man who, without saying a 
 word, could suddenly silence a party engaged in cheer- 
 ful conversation by the mere power of his mind. Nay, 
 he could also introduce a tone which would make every, 
 body feel uncomfortable. We have all something of 
 electric and magnetic force within us. ... It is possi- 
 ble, nay, even probable, that if a young girl were, with- 
 out knowing it, to find herself in a dark chamber with a 
 man who designed to murder her, she would have an 
 uneasy sense of his unknown presence, and that an 
 anguish would come over her which would drive her to 
 the family parlor."
 
 2O Psychoinctry in 
 
 Men have generally an advantage in their greater 
 energy and force of character, which enables them to 
 impress and even delude their junior females, who amia- 
 bly yield to their fascination. Women with but limited 
 opportunities of studying the masculine character have 
 yet a valuable resource in their psychometric intuition, 
 if they will but firmly use it, and recoil from all 
 approaches in which they do not recognize moral worth 
 and sincere love. But unless they are firm and cool 
 they may still realize the fate of the bird, when the fas- 
 cinating eyes of the serpent deprive it of the power to 
 escape. What unhappy examples of this have I not 
 witnessed. I feel it my duty to urge upon all the culti- 
 vation of the inner light of the soul, and obedience to 
 its dictation in the conduct of life. 
 
 Alas ! that we so slowly learn to heed 
 The secret signs and omens of the breast ! 
 An oracle speaks low within our hearts, 
 
 Low, still, yet clear, its prophet voice forewarns 
 
 What to pursue, what shun. Hemans. 
 
 PSYCHOMETRIC VIEW OF MARRIED PARTIES. 
 
 No. I. W. and M. I placed in the hands of Mrs. B. 
 the names of W. and M. asking her to decide on the 
 conjugal adaptation of the parties ; she said : 
 
 " I think these parties arc married, but I don't think 
 they are adapted to each other. They 'had too much 
 individuality. There was more affection on the part of 
 the woman than the man. The woman has passed 
 over to the other world. She had pride of character 
 and was ambitious paid great regard to public opin- 
 ion. She was a true woman and devoted mother. Her
 
 Conjugal Relations. 2 1 
 
 relations to her husband were not entirely distasteful to 
 her, but there were points in their characters which 
 did not harmonize. It seems to me they lived apart. 
 There was not love enough to keep them together, and 
 to tolerate each others faults. A cold indifference 
 came on. He would rather be out of her society than 
 in it. 
 
 " He is not very constant, has not much affection - 
 would not treat any woman well. He was selfish and 
 crafty and had very limited ideas of any woman's needs. 
 He is a strong -intellectual man, ambitious in some 
 directions and very peculiar. He did not care so much 
 for public opinion, and might do things she could not 
 approve of. He was not liberal to his wife, would not 
 give more than the law required. I do not see any 
 open rupture with his wife though they lived apart. 
 He would be apt to go off. 
 
 (What offspring would they be likely to have ? ) 
 " They would not be very exemplary or scrupulous." 
 This description I know to be entirely true. The 
 husband deserted his wife (a very superior woman) and 
 left her to struggle for the support of the family. I 
 know also that one of her children gave her a great 
 deal of trouble. Notwithstanding her ill treatment she 
 would not seek a divorce. 
 
 No. 2. G. and C. I gave her the names of G. and C. 
 to describe as being persons whose conjugal adaptation 
 I wished to ascertain. Of C. she said, "This is a 
 woman of good disposition and clear mind, possessing 
 a good deal of merit and energy an intelligent woman. 
 She is somewhat domestic, but likes public life better 
 than the domestic circle. She is not very affectionate
 
 22 Psychomctry in 
 
 and is rather selfish, but is a pleasing, attractive 
 woman, fond of the fine arts, especially music. She 
 is proud and does not sacrifice anything for others." 
 
 Of G. she said. " This is a very good man, a splendid 
 man a little odd has some eccentricities. He is a 
 good friend. He has fine intellectual powers. 
 
 (Would these parties be likely to marry ? ) I think 
 they are married. They agree in some things but alto- 
 gether their dispositions are not alike." 
 
 (What sort of domestic life would they have ? ) Not 
 smooth it was not a happy union, but I see no impor- 
 tant causes of discord unless there was some outside 
 influence. There is no great discord between them. 
 They have love enough to do, but no ardent affection. 
 They do not seem to be together though they may be in 
 communication. I do not see any divorce. (This is all 
 true.) 
 
 (What offspring would they probably have ? ) " They 
 would be bright children but show marked differences. 
 The parental characters would not be blended in them." 
 
 No. 3. 5. and A. I asked her to give the character 
 and conjugal adaptation of S. and A. Of A. she said, 
 "there is something in this woman to admire. She 
 has intelligence and gentleness a good deal of love 
 and good womanly qualities. She would stick close to 
 her husband, bear a great deal for him, be very attentive 
 in sickness, suffering, and poverty, and devoted to her 
 children if she has any (Is she married ? ) I think she is. 
 
 Of S. I asked, "Is she married to this man ?" She 
 replied, " there is an adaptation, I should think this was 
 her husband. They lead a happy life, because they are 
 adapted to each other mentally and physically. < He is a
 
 Conjugal Relations. 23 
 
 substantial man, of good executive ability. lie is per- 
 fectly satisfied with his wife and exerts himself to make 
 her happy. They are well adapted to each other not 
 exacting over each other, but willing to accord mutual 
 rights. They will be apt to have good children that 
 will turn out well. They would make home attractive 
 to their children." 
 
 All of this description I know to be strictly true. 
 Their children bid fair to do them honor. A noble off- 
 spring might have been expected from the first parties, 
 W. and M. for both parents had superior abilities, but 
 there was neither adaptation nor love, and the children 
 were far below the parental standard, and the marriage 
 was altogether an unhappy one. Possibly the six 
 parties may be recognized, as I have given their true 
 initials. 
 
 The two unfortunate marriages were by persons of 
 high intelligence and intuitive quickness of perception. 
 A superior psychometric power could have told them 
 as well beforehand of the results and saved them from so 
 serious a mistake. 
 
 But the same sad domestic tragedy is going on daily 
 all over the world and will continue until psychometric 
 wisdom shall be invoked for guidance. 
 
 I have selected for illustration these accomplished 
 results, because no demonstration would be afforded at 
 present by a prediction which requires years for fulfil- 
 ment. The psychometer can describe with as much 
 ease a character not yet unfolded or tested, and a union 
 that is only proposed, as he can describe the men and 
 women whose careers are known. It is as easy to de- 
 scribe any celebrity at the beginning of his career when
 
 24 Psychometry in 
 
 his abilities and true character are unknown, as after he 
 has made his fame. In either case the psychometer 
 has but the intuitions to guide him which arise from 
 touching a name, a picture or an autograph. 
 
 There are. characters well known to the public, whose 
 domestic life has become a familiar story. I submitted 
 the question of their lives to Mrs. B. by placing in her 
 hands a photograph, and after its description a name 
 written on a small slip. Without seeing either, (the 
 photograph and the writing being turned down), she 
 gave the following descriptions first from the photo- 
 graph which gave her a great intellectual stimulus. I 
 too felt its intellectual brightness. My perceptions in 
 such cases begin as soon as she takes the subject and 
 sometimes before she has spoken The following is her 
 exact language : 
 
 No. 4. "This is a brightening stimulating influence 
 a very magnetic person. There's a great deal of 
 coolness and judgment here. I do not perceive readily 
 whether he is living but I think it is a deceased 
 person. 
 
 " I am taken into very studious intellectual surround- 
 ings. It seems a man of a good deal of literary power. 
 Was he an editor, or lawyer, or professional character ? 
 His life seems devoted to intellectual pursuits. He was 
 stirring, having great executive powers, yet a good deal 
 of repose. He was dignified and methodical. 
 
 " He had great opportunities to display his abilities. 
 He was of humanitarian sentiments, and did much to 
 promote humanitarian principles. If he had wealth he 
 would do generous acts. I cannot see anything military 
 about him.
 
 Conjugal Relations. 25 
 
 (What was he as a writer ?) " I don't know whom to 
 compare him to. He does not seem a poet, though he 
 could write blank verse Miltonic. His prose writings, 
 though eccentric in style, would give him a high rank. 
 I should like to read his productions. I should think 
 he was more like Carlyle than any one else I can 
 think of. 
 
 (What was his domestic character?) " I don't admire 
 his domestic character. There is something about it 
 not attractive. To judge from his writings you would 
 not understand his disposition. He was not amiable or 
 tolerant. He had too much of the fault-finding bull- 
 dog disposition. He seems an Englishman, certainly 
 not an American. He is moody. His life was not one 
 of pleasure, but devoted to one routine. He loved his 
 vocation if he loved anything. He did not spend much 
 of his time in a social way. He was not at home with 
 many people. 
 
 (Did he have a wife ?) " Yes he had a wife. He 
 would think a wife a necessity, had a sort of owner- 
 ship of a wife. I don't admire his conjugal qualities 
 He impresses me as being overworked all the time. 
 
 "This man was a contradiction in himself. While he 
 wrote on great subjects and interested his readers, he 
 was personally the reverse. One would be struck with 
 the dissimilarity. You could not know him from his 
 writings. He had some good objects: was not alto- 
 gether morose ; had some moments when his bettor 
 feelings predominated, making him quite agreeable ; but 
 that was not his usual condition. I see things in him 
 that manv would not observe."
 
 26 PsycJiomctry in 
 
 IMPRESSIONS FROM THE PENCILLED NAME. 
 
 "There is not as conspicuous intellectual brightness 
 as in the last. This person did not give out as much, 
 but there is a good deal of thought it was an eloquent 
 person very matured. It seems a strong woman 
 takes me into the sphere of woman with a good deal of 
 individuality. I think she has passed over she is not 
 living. She was a woman of great forbearance, not 
 endowed with a retaliating spirit. She would rather 
 bear and suffer abuse than retaliate. She had most 
 excellent control over herself. 
 
 " I think she had authorship. She had the ability 
 certainly, and I think she exercised it not to any 
 considerable extent, did not make it her aim She was 
 intellectual and proud of mingling with intellectual and 
 cultured people. She seems a prominent person of 
 some distinction." 
 
 (Was she married ?) " I think she was married, but 
 not happily. She did not have a happy domestic life. 
 Her husband was not satisfied. He was a restless> 
 ambitious man, not satisfied with her. He was not 
 calculated to make any woman happy would rather 
 consider woman an appendage than a companion. I 
 think she had a great many melancholy seasons in her 
 life brought about by this unfortunate 'domestic state. 
 It reminds me of Josephine." 
 
 (Is there any connection between the two characters 
 you have just described?) After hesitation and careful 
 consideration she said, " I think they were connected 
 by marriage."
 
 Conjugal Relations. 27 
 
 It only remains for me to add that the two parties 
 were THOMAS CARLYLE, the author, and his wife. 
 
 I then gave her another pencilled name and received 
 the following impression in answer to the question, 
 what do you say to this female ? 
 
 " There is a serenity of character but not a vigorous 
 mind, with amiable qualities and a desire of performing 
 benevolent acts, domestic and cheerful, a person that 
 would not be much disturbed or chafed by reverses, 
 has equanimity and courage. 
 
 (Was she married ?) Yes. She would show obedience 
 to her husband, have great respect for him. He was 
 not morose or sullen, more convivial. She was some- 
 what comfortable but not happy in her marriage rela- 
 tion. There was a constrained feeling. Her husband 
 was likely to neglect the civilities that belonged to a wife. 
 He was absorbed in his own pursuits and might not 
 have intended to neglect her, but she seems very much 
 alone, isolated in her affections. 
 
 " She was well aware that she was not treated rightly, 
 but made great allowance for him. It seems to me she 
 was separated. He may have neglected her for others. 
 They had many wordy contests. He was an excitable 
 man and might have indulged in stimulus. She bore a 
 great deal uncomplaining before she made her troubles 
 known. She may have been induced finally to retaliate 
 by advice of her friends to vindicate herself." 
 
 (What of her husband, placing his name in her hand ?) 
 " This is a high spirited, arrogant, self-willed man, but a 
 brilliant man nevertheless. He had something to be 
 proud of. He could wield his pen on any subject in any 
 direction he chose, had an exceedingly prolific mind.
 
 28 Psychometry in 
 
 But his affectional nature was stinted. He had a vivid 
 imagination and might dwell on romantic themes, but 
 had not a deep soul. 
 
 " He had a literary career. He was a favorite with 
 the public. His writings were sound and logical with a 
 vein of poetry. He had great ideality, and perhaps 
 sublimity, .had a fertile imagination and could write 
 upon a variety of subjects. He might write on govern- 
 mental subjects, might write with humor and sarcasm. 
 His forte was to write novels, romances. He had a 
 weird style, something like Bulwer's. It is more like 
 his writings so far as I know than any other." 
 
 (What was his domestic character?) He had a pecu- 
 liar interior life, sometimes that would come to the 
 surface and appear flat and insipid. It would not 
 appear to the public. 
 
 "It seems he was addicted to some sort of stimulus 
 that changed him at times, alternating between the 
 merry and the grand. Sometimes he would write little 
 unbecoming things. In his younger days he might 
 write boyish things to women. 
 
 " To his wife he would be at times over tender and 
 loving, and then in an hour's time find cause for dis- 
 turbance and be harsh if not abusive. lie had a strange 
 disposition. I think some stimulus was the cause. 
 
 "I think his conduct produced a separation he be- 
 came intolerable and her feelings were injured too much 
 to bear it." 
 
 (Is he living?) "I think he is not living, but his 
 writings are, and she is either dead or in obscurity." 
 
 "These parties were SIR EDWARD BULWKX. LVTTOX 
 and his wire. I have brought forward the examination
 
 Conjugal Relations. 29 
 
 of the Bulwcr and Carlyle families not to investigate 
 the genius of the authors, but to show the marvellous 
 power of psychometry to investigate any past or passing 
 or future life. 
 
 This intuitive power is to me a standing miracle, a 
 perpetual revelation of the divinity in man. The won- 
 derful power which only needs to touch a word as an 
 index to the subject for investigation and forthwith 
 assumes as thorough a knowledge of men's interior lives 
 as if their biographies had been studied, and takes in 
 a panoramic view of life from childhood to its present 
 status in the world above, is a miracle before which I 
 bow in reverence, and in which I see the noblest special 
 gift of God to man, which our poor half developed and 
 irreverent humanity has for ages ignored or despised- 
 VerP.y the pearls have been cast before swine ! 
 
 Not quite so marvellous but still to me a wonder, is 
 the profound stolidity and intense aversion to truth 
 which in former times assumed a ferocious aspect, and 
 assailed such divine gifts and revelations of truth with 
 halter, dungeon, sword, and fire, and now when diab- 
 olism is superseded by the stolidity of selfishness, 
 permits such things to be in progress undisturbed by 
 the executioner, but neither honors nor seeks them, 
 and/Ar/irj to turn away and walk in the treadmill steps 
 of ancient ignorance. Coming generations will realize 
 the barbarism of society to-day, the enlightened realize 
 it now. 
 
 One more example of intellectual brilliance -and con- 
 jugal unhappiness, I have thought it interesting to 
 examine. The world attaches too much value to tin- 
 intellectual power:;, and, indeed, to any form < f powc",
 
 30 Psycliomctry in 
 
 and too little to the other qualities of the soul which 
 alone can give happiness to the possessor and his asso- 
 ciates. Such a mistaken estimate is fatal to conjugal 
 happiness. When women learn to prefer soul to display 
 and wealth, their sentiments will have a powerful influ- 
 ence on society, but shallow souled women contribute 
 to the tide of social degeneracy. 
 
 No. 5. (This is a male give me his character.) 
 
 "There is something peculiar in this mind. I don't 
 get hold of him readily, but he impresses me with a 
 great deal of brightness and nervous energy and suscep- 
 tibility. He seems bright and vivid like a living person, 
 but I am not sure I must wait. 
 
 "There is so much ambition and push to the character, 
 I cannot command the language for it. His faculties 
 are so concentrated in what he does he does not plod 
 over his plans, but dashes right ahead without fear or 
 favor a strong individuality unlike any one I have 
 ever described. It is vivid as a living person. 
 
 " He was over-reaching sometimes. It would be 
 better for him if he had had more coolness in his nature. 
 Was he not military ? I think he was. It carries me 
 into military operations. I scarcely know where to 
 place him his mind was so kaleidoscopic. 
 
 (Can you perceive his favorite pursuits or talents ?) 
 
 " He was politic in his relations to the public. He 
 was devoted to literature but did not write very exten- 
 sively. He had great descriptive powers and excelled 
 in description both in prose and poetry. He wrote 
 plays. He was restless, a traveller in mind and 
 body. 
 
 (What was his reputation derived from ?)
 
 Conjugal Relations. 3 1 
 
 " From his writings. The fertility of his mind was 
 so great that people who heard of him would want to see 
 him. In the variety of his mind and moods he was more 
 like Byron than any one else I can recall. His poetry 
 would compare closely with Byron's. It brings up my 
 old song " My soul is dark." 
 
 (What was his domestic and social life ?) 
 
 " His social position was high. He was a favorite 
 with the nobility, He had some title. His social life 
 was largely convivial. But he had moods, and at times 
 he was very depressed very frequently and at such 
 times he would write very grandly. He was not what 
 might be called a happy man. His disposition was not 
 adapted to happiness. Whether it was hereditary or 
 some other misfortune connected with his birth, I think 
 he was not a happy man and he had not good self- 
 control. 
 
 (Was he married?) 
 
 "He was married, but his conjugal life was not happy. 
 He was unfortunate in not selecting his proper adapta- 
 tion. He was not the man to make any woman happy. 
 He had love, but not the qualities that make conjugal 
 life happy. He expended his love on the creatures of 
 his imagination. There are many contradictions in his 
 character. He would not be constant to one woman in 
 attentions, and I think there was some jealousy in his 
 nature. He wanted more in a wife than it would be 
 possible for a woman to yield. It makes me restless to 
 talk about him. 
 
 " There was a separation from his wife and a great 
 deal of scandal, and even censure on both each had 
 their friends. I will not say which was most to blame.
 
 32 PsycJiomctry in 
 
 They never understood each other, and it would be im- 
 possible for any woman to be happy with him as a wife 
 from his temperament. He had a cross to bear all his 
 life a skeleton that destroyed his happiness. 
 
 (Was his domestic unhappiness from selfishness ?) 
 
 No, he was not selfish or avaricious, but prodigal. 
 He was of a vacillating disposition towards women, and 
 they would not place much confidence in him. 
 
 (You spoke at first of a military life what do you say 
 of that ?) 
 
 " I don't know exactly. There was something in his 
 life that partook of the military spirit. 
 
 "He is not living, but his writings are, and are 
 exceedingly prized. He had not a strong constitution. 
 He lived fast with gay companions and late hours, and 
 passed away too soon. He did not live long enough to 
 develope the possibilities that were in his nature. The 
 more I feel this character, the more it seems like 
 Byron." 
 
 It was a picture of Lord Byron, and the foregoing is 
 the concise statement of her impressions which she 
 usually gives. Fully impressed with the character, she 
 might have dictated pages, but she aims to be concise 
 and judicial, and I do not wish to impose on her the 
 fatigue of a longer description. 
 
 At the beginning of her description I caught a suffi- 
 ciently vivid impression to have given some of the salient 
 points of the character, in which I felt the strength of 
 the upper occipital region which gives intensity to the 
 mental action. The brain of Byron was not large. It 
 was lacking in superior breadth posteriorly, and this 
 was the deficiency that deprived him of proper self-con- 
 trol and harmony of nature.
 
 Law and Business. 33 
 
 PSYCHOMETRY IN LAW AND BUSINESS. 
 
 Law has two purposes the punishment of guilt and 
 the adjustment of contention, in both of which its ma- 
 chinery is inadequate, and in both of which psychome- 
 try is entirely competent. 
 
 Law is incompetent because of its inability, in many 
 cases, to reach the truth, to discover guilt by circum- 
 stantial evidence, or to ascertain what is just from con- 
 flicting or defective testimony. It is lame and inadequate, 
 also, from the prejudices of judges and the wrong- 
 headed ignorance of jurors. Every experienced lawyer 
 can narrate by the hour illustrations of these lamentable 
 conditions. 
 
 Psychometry has none of these wretched deficiencies. 
 The competent psychometer has no difficulty in deter- 
 mining guilt or innocence without a word of testimony, 
 and no difficulty in reaching the decision of equity and 
 justice in cases in which law, with ample testimony, is 
 still fallible in the administration of the best officers. 
 The decisions of perfect psychometry are an expression 
 of the Divine mind, through man, and approximate the 
 justice of heaven. 
 
 This being the case, human intelligence must advance 
 to its recognition, and there must be, in the progress of 
 enlightenment, psychometric commissions in each court 
 of justice for the ascertainment of truth, to which the 
 decisions of petit juries have not been competent. As 
 we employ coroners' inquests in cases of death, and as in 
 some States medical commissions are employed, and as 
 cases are handed over to referees, the same principle of 
 employing competent investigation will lead us to em-
 
 34 Psychomctry in 
 
 ploy those for the ascertainment of truth who are most 
 competent, as we now employ experienced accountants 
 to determine on a man's conduct of his business. 
 
 A psychometric committee of two or three competent 
 psychometers should be employed to report upon the 
 facts in all cases of accusation of crime, and in all cases 
 of contention as to rights which are not mere matters 
 of law or calculation, and especially in all cases of do- 
 mestic infelicity and application for divorce. 
 
 We need not, however, wait for the tardy action of 
 courts and legislatures. When the entire community 
 shall have learned that the shortest and cheapest road 
 to justice, the least fallible and most accurate, is arbi- 
 tration by competent psychometers, they who love peace 
 and justice will resort to PSYCHOMETRIC ARBITRATION 
 saving the vast expense of lawyers and courts, the loss 
 of time, the jealousy and hostility produced by a long 
 struggle, and the uncertainty of the result. Law will 
 be left as the costly resort of men of evil passions, 
 stubborn tempers, and dishonest, grasping natures, who 
 hope by litigation to get something more than simple 
 justice ; and the very fact of a resort to law would be 
 prinia facie evidence of wrong. 
 
 The friends of psychometry should in due time organ- 
 ize in every city psychometric tribunals of arbitration, 
 which, by their pre-eminent justice and promptness, 
 should satisfy and attract the business community, and 
 teach society that law is necessary only for the punish- 
 ment of criminals, and only reliable in that when aided 
 by psychometry. 
 
 The speedy access to perfect justice thus established 
 would enforce in all the channels of business, habits,
 
 Law and Business. 35 
 
 and sentiments of rectitude now unknown. Dishonest 
 transactions would become rare, rogues would be known 
 and kept in their places. Defalcations and embezzle- 
 ments would cease, for every trusted financial agent 
 would know that he was under a sleepless inspection, 
 and that not even an overt act would be necessary to 
 insure his dismissal, for the selfishness and cunning in 
 which crimes are engendered would be recognized before 
 they had shown themselves in overt acts. 
 
 Lawlessness arises from impunity, and when impunity 
 is destroyed by vigilance, the lawless impulses are re- 
 strained by caution and cease to struggle against the 
 moral nature. 
 
 That psychometry must ultimately become the arbiter 
 to settle all contests between men seems clear to the 
 eye of reason providing that the world shall ever be 
 governed by its best intellect. 
 
 The true method of settling all contests is PSYCHOME- 
 TRIC ARBITRATION ; but before that arrives there is no 
 good reason why psychometry should not come into our 
 courts of justice, point out the guilt or innocence of 
 prisoners, to assist the jury, determine the credibility of 
 witnesses, the bona fide, or selfish and malicious charac- 
 ter, of acts, the genuineness of documents, and the 
 reliability of trustees, guardians, commissioners, etc. 
 
 This is so obvious, that a talented member of the 
 New York bar, as soon as he was convinced of the 
 truth of psychometry, wrote an essay for the Albany 
 Law Journal (February 5, 1881), advocating the intro- 
 duction of psychometry in courts as competent evidence 
 in reference to guilt or innocence. The following quota- 
 tion shows his view of this matter :
 
 36 Psychometry in 
 
 " I refer to the employment of experts as witnesses 
 about the genuineness of signatures, or other writings. 
 Chirography is recognized by the courts as entitled to 
 experts. On what authority does this rule rest ? No 
 one will pretend it is legislation. Then we must get it 
 from elementary writers and judicial rulings. What is 
 the aim of all authors and jurists in establishing such 
 rules and rulings ? Certainty, of course. What aids 
 do they invoke ? Principally those of science Is one 
 science entitled to more consideration than another? 
 Certainly not. Is there, then, a science that can make 
 the conviction of a criminal guilty of perjury, and the 
 acquittal of those wrongfully suspected, always a cer- 
 tainty ? There certainly is. Its name is PSYCHOMETRV. 
 Its method, the discovery of a knowledge of his own 
 guilt or innocence in the prisoner's mind. 
 
 " Psychometry is a science from which no mortal 
 man can conceal his real thoughts. If he will dare to 
 write what he pretends are his convictions upon paper, 
 the moment he thus commits himself, the psychometric 
 expert can tell with an infallible certainty whether what 
 he said was true or false." "Psychometric experts ex- 
 press no opinions, but deal in facts, and facts about 
 which they all always agree. If then they can furnish 
 positive evidence that can defy doubt and disproof, must 
 it not be a higher order of evidence than conflicting 
 opinions unsusceptible of conviction of perjury. What, 
 then, is to be the first step taken. It is the recognition 
 by the courts of psychometry as a science. It asks only 
 a test of its integrity, and its friends are aware that it 
 will have to encounter the open and bitter enmity of 
 every hypocrite in the world."
 
 Law and Business. 37 
 
 As the claim has thus been presented of psychometric 
 infallibility in questions of guilt or innocence (which I 
 could not affirm except of the best psychometric talent 
 cautiously employed), it is proper that I should explain 
 to the legal profession that although Psychometry has 
 not yet been introduced as legal evidence, it may be of 
 great value to the prosecuting attorney to determine in 
 his own mind the question of guilt or innocence. A 
 little experience with a good psychometer will enable 
 him to determine how much reliance should be placed 
 on his psychometric opinions. I have been accustomed 
 for some years when accused criminals were before the 
 public with different opinions upon their guilt to deter- 
 mine the matter for my own satisfaction by Mrs. Buchan- 
 an's psychometric power. Yet I have never indulged in 
 the sensationalism of publishing such opinions. When 
 a prisoner was arrested in London as a dynamite con- 
 spirator (Cunningham) I obtained from her a correct 
 description of the person, and an affirmation of his guilt, 
 which has since been sustained by his conviction and 
 sentence to imprisonment for life. 
 
 A conscientious lawyer must often be deeply inter- 
 ested in the question of guilt or innocence as to clients 
 and witnesses which psychometry could decide. And 
 not only lawyers, but many business men have fre- 
 quently great need to know the true character of men 
 with whom they are doing business, whom they have 
 had little opportunity of knowing. Aided by psychom- 
 etry one may carry on business all over the country with 
 as great security as in his own city. Mrs. K has been 
 accustomed to pronounce on the capacity, character, and 
 reliability of men placed in responsible situations.
 
 38 Psychometry in 
 
 In questions of authenticity and forgery, a psychome- 
 tric expert who has proved his ability to detect a forgery 
 would, I presume, be as competent a witness in court as 
 one whose power was derived only from the study 6f the 
 visible appearance of the writing. 
 
 A psychometric expert who could take up an honest 
 production and describe its writer satisfactorily, and then 
 take up a forgery and describe the rogue with equal cor- 
 rectness, would thereby establish evidence which coun- 
 sel might introduce with great effect into an argument 
 as he would argue upon any scientific or expert testi- 
 mony. 
 
 In a murder trial at Cincinnati I was called in as an 
 expert witness by our late President, R. B. Hayes, in 
 reference to the responsibility of the culprit. In all 
 such cases the expert who is enlightened may be guided 
 in his opinions by psychometric investigation. The law 
 recognizes his testimony because he is considered an 
 expert, and a knowledge of psychometry is a part of his 
 expert qualification. 
 
 In all executive or administrative offices where appoint- 
 ments are made, psychometry should lend its aid to con- 
 trol, to correct, and to accelerate the performance of 
 such duties. From the village magistrate to the Presi- 
 dent, and to the chambers of royalty, psychometry 
 should be the ever-present monitor. 
 
 A very useful application of psychometry may be made 
 in the detection of any species of counterfeits. Not 
 only counterfeit checks and forged wills, but all current 
 moneys are subject to psychometric detection, and they 
 are the successful detectors who have the psychometric 
 faculty. Some few years ago a counterfeit coin was
 
 Law and Business. 39 
 
 put in circulation which almost defied detection. It 
 seemed perfect in color, weight, and size, and under the 
 tests of acid and the file. But when it was cut open 
 the interior proved to be of base metal. 
 
 The only method by which such a counterfeit could 
 be detected was an electric test, by passing electric cur- 
 rents through the genuine and the suspected coin to see 
 if their conductivities were exactly equal. 
 
 This is one of the cases in which the psychometric 
 perception would penetrate all deception with a greater 
 delicacy than any other agency. 
 
 In the detection of counterfeit notes the psychome- 
 tric power will succeed when all other perception fails. 
 This is already verified at Washington. A dispatch 
 from Washington, dated February 28, says of the women 
 in the Treasury Department : "So superior is their skill 
 in handling paper money that they accomplish results 
 that would be utterly unattainable without them. It 
 has been found by long experience that a counterfeit 
 may go through half the banks in the country without 
 being detected, until it comes back, often torn and mu- 
 tilated, into the hands of the Treasury women. Then 
 it is certain of detection. They shut their eyes and feel 
 of a note if they suspect it. If it feels wrong, in half a 
 minute they point out the incongruities of the counter- 
 feit."
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PSYCHOMETRY IN MEDICAL SCIENCE. 
 
 The medical profession ever incompetent to judge of important discov- 
 eries Psychic discoveries have no tribunal The medical profession 
 hostile Offer to the Kentucky State Medical Society and its failure 
 
 Correspondence with Prof. Gross The discussion on homoeopa- 
 thy Proof that medicines act without absorption and without con- 
 sumption of matter Experiments on medicine in paper and in vials 
 
 Objection to infinitesimals refuted Effects from minute agencies 
 
 Influence of handwriting, and of contact of writing Emanation 
 of influence Explanation of triturations Sensibility of morbid 
 parts Influence of contact in mineral waters Influence of locali- 
 ties by emanation Influence increased by electric currents Doc- 
 trine of Sir James Murray Medical influences carried by electric 
 currents Interesting experiments reported by Mr. Howard showing 
 electric transference of disease My own experiments on a narcotic 
 
 Contact influence through the atmosphere Sensitives affected by 
 proximity Influence on national character Vast range of influ- 
 ences around us Psychic influences and the localities that favor 
 them Influence of soils, saline evaporation from ocean Contagion 
 
 Psychometry explains it as dependent on the nervous system, vary- 
 ing with its development Not entirely dependent on physical causes 
 
 The Black Death Contagion from touch From the glance of 
 the eye Its recognition by the ancients Hygienic precautions 
 Psychometry the absolute guide of diagnosis and therapeutics, and 
 therefore the consummation of medical science All accurate diag- 
 nosis in obscure conditions is psychometric Psychometry indicates 
 the relation of a remedy better than Homoeopathy Failure of physi- 
 cians who lack in psychometric capacity Psychometric success or 
 Dr. Swan My own experience satisfactory. 
 
 Upon any .subject rcl tin to biological science the 
 superficial or ill-informed are disposed to refer to tin: 
 authority of the medical profession, because they do
 
 Psychomctry in Medical Science. 41 
 
 not know that physicians have but little independence 
 of thought, and that the control of the profession by its 
 colleges and societies has insured the maximum degree 
 of conservative stolidity, as was virtually confessed by 
 Prof. Gross when he advised that my demonstrable dis- 
 coveries be submitted to some society not belonging to 
 the medical profession, rather than to the National Med- 
 ical Association. 
 
 When we look at the landmarks of this stolidity, we 
 see that the most rational and obvious suggestions of 
 progressive science have been received with scorn and 
 derision. The use of antimony was prohibited about 
 three centuries ago. Peruvian Bark was opposed with 
 fury because it was not introduced through colleges ; 
 all chemical remedies were once prohibited by the fac- 
 ulty of Paris. Jenner was once ridiculed and excluded 
 from the college of Physicians, and to-day the same 
 authority enforces Jenner's vaccination on a reluctant 
 people by fine and imprisonment. The discovery of 
 valves in the veins was denied and ridiculed as shame- 
 fully as Harvey's discovery of the circulation. Even so 
 simple a matter as the use of the stethoscope, intro- 
 duced by Laennec, which can hardly claim the dignity 
 of an invention or discovery, was received with the 
 same supercilious stupidity. 
 
 It is not because physicians differ from the rest of 
 mankind, for we can find the same record of stolidity in 
 every department of human knowledge and business 
 where individuals are hindered by colleges, corporations 
 or societies, and often where they are not, for there is //<> 
 system of education established anywhere that will make 
 its pupils faithful and efficient seekers of truth, an .1
 
 42 PsycJiomctry in 
 
 until we have such a system the world must crawl along 
 slowly. 
 
 The publication in the Journal of Man in 1849 of my 
 sketches of the development of psychometry, did not 
 attract much attention from literati and scientists. 
 They reached only the few advanced minds that feel a 
 sympathy with discovery and progress the only com- 
 petent class. 
 
 There was no public tribunal of competent investiga- 
 ting scientists, to whom an appeal could be made. The 
 common law right of trial by a jury of our peers is a 
 right of which the psychological scientist is deprived. 
 He has no peers, no companions, no fitting audience 
 among the leaders of society. There has been no ex- 
 tensive, proper, and systematic cultivation of psychic 
 sciences by the experimental methods which trace 
 effects to causes. 
 
 All tolerated and patronized science today is physical 
 and the great body of the medical profession which is 
 the most influential scientific body, is not only physical 
 or materialistic in its science and philosophy, but is so 
 intensely dogmatic and so fiercely intolerant in its ma- 
 terialism that the facts set forth in my experiments 
 instead of receiving respectful consideration in medical 
 colleges and medical journals if offered for their notice 
 would seldom receive any other response, if noticed at 
 all than the cynical sneer which reveals the low moral 
 status of the scoffer. 
 
 The facts in reference to experiments on medicines, 
 are so simple and so easily demonstrated even to the 
 most obtuse intellect that I departed from my usual 
 policy in 1877, and requested the appointment of an in-
 
 Medical Science. 43 
 
 vestigating committee by the Kentucky State Medical 
 Society for the purpose of examining my discoveries in 
 relation to the action of medicines. As this was in my 
 native state, in which I had some reputation in politics 
 as well as in authorship, having received a nomination 
 by my friends for the gubernatorial office (which I 
 declined) and as I was well known by the leading mem- 
 bers of the society, my request was more courteously 
 received than it would have been' elsewhere, and a com- 
 mittee was appointed of eminent medical professors, 
 who might easily on the first day of their appointment 
 have performed their duty and ascertained beyond a 
 doubt the truth of a discovery which revolutionizes 
 medical theories. One of these gentlemen I think it 
 proper to mention, was my quondam friend DR. THEO- 
 DORE BELL, the learned and dogmatic professor of med- 
 ical practice in the flourishing Louisville school. 
 
 Near the end of the year 1877 the committee had 
 done nothing whatever in performance of their duty, 
 and I left the state for New York more fully satisfied 
 than ever that it was utterly useless to lay any psychic 
 facts before the dogmatic profession, or to invite them 
 to investigate anything beyond their narrow routine of 
 thought and action.* 
 
 Knowing the orthodox medical journals to be absolutely controlled 
 by the bigoted policy of the National Medical Association, I did not dis- 
 play the verdant ignorance of attempting to reach the profession through 
 their pages. Hut when the National Scientific Association met in Cincin- 
 nati in 1850 I supposed it possible to obtain a hearing in that body, and 
 accordingly offered a paper on CKRKHRAI. F.MHRYOI.OC.V. Hut the same 
 Jesuitical influence from rival medical colleges was present and positive- 
 ly procured the suppression of my paper. The two actors in thi^ 
 manoeuvre arc now in a world in which they arc made conscious of their 
 errors.
 
 44 Psychoinctry in 
 
 Nevertheless I felt that intelligent and liberal minds 
 unacquainted with the dogmatism of medical colleges 
 would find it difficult to believe that scientific discov- 
 eries of such importance were absolutely barred out of 
 the fashionable medical colleges by the imperious 
 dogmatism of the Faculty, and would therefore suspect 
 that as my discoveries were not recognized and honored 
 like those of Claude Bernard and Brown Sequard they 
 might be lacking in scientific value. 
 
 Hence, I thought it desirable to have on record an 
 explicit refusal, which would show it was not due either 
 to sciolism in my experiments or to any avoidance of 
 scientific investigation, that I had not enjoyed the 
 recognition which is so freely given to those who like 
 Bernard and Majendie do not transcend the bounds of 
 the coarsest physical science. 
 
 Hence, when the National Medical Association met 
 in New York, knowing that it would be useless to 
 make any application to that body, I addressed its 
 leading representative with whom I had an old acquain- 
 tanceship, Prof. Samuel D. Gross, the most eminent sur- 
 geon and presiding officer of the national societies, and 
 received from him in very courteous terms the explicit 
 information that my discoveries could not possibly be 
 brought under the notice of the National Medical 
 Association or subjected to their investigation because 
 I was not a member of the dominant medical party 
 which is governed by a prescriptive code. 
 
 The reader will, therefore, see that I have ever sought 
 scientific investigation and criticism and that I stand 
 unimpeachcd and uncontradicted as the discoverer and 
 teacher of principles which I have been teaching and
 
 Medical Science. 45 
 
 demonstrating so. many years to medical pupils, and 
 which are now acted upon by many physicians with 
 signal benefit and vast superiority in DIAGNOSIS which 
 is the basis of successful practice. 
 
 Marvellous facts which differ from the ordinary course 
 of events are like the upheaved rocks which reveal 
 deeply hidden strata. Stolid conservatism dislikes and 
 avoids such facts because they reveal new principles 
 and disturb old theories. In medical literature such 
 facts are generally suppressed ; in medical societies they 
 are met in a spirit of hostility and defiance. The facts 
 which reveal the higher capacities of the nervous system 
 have been carefully concealed from the present genera- 
 tion of physicians. 
 
 But notwithstanding this skeptical vigilance, one of 
 the class of facts to which I endeavored in vain to call 
 the attention of the old medical professors has somehow 
 found its way into the United States Dispensatory 
 (page 399, 1 4th edition), as follows : 
 
 " It is said that in Germany persons sleeping upon 
 grain containing much ergot have been attacked with 
 disease in consequence ; and the case is related of a 
 gentleman who, having gathered some fine specimens of 
 ergot fresh from the plant arid put them in his trowser's 
 pocket, found himself about half a day afterward incom- 
 moded by a terrible spasmodic pain on the skin on the 
 inside of the thigh, again?t which the pocket lay. 
 Ascribing this to a long walk, he did not think of the 
 real cause, until, the pain having returned on the follow- 
 ing day, and for several days afterwards, he at length 
 called to mind the forgotten ergot, and supposing that 
 this might be the cause of the inconvenience removed
 
 46 Psychometry in 
 
 it. After a time he found much, though not entire 
 relief, and did not succeed in wholly removing his trouble 
 until he had caused the offending pocket to be washed, 
 after which the affection ceased. He afterward tried 
 the experiment with other specimens of ergot with the 
 same results. Perhaps it is only the fresh ergot, yet 
 moist, that is capable of producing this effect. The 
 skin was not reddened but covered with minute wrinkles 
 as in cholera patients." 
 
 The scientific presentation and explanation of such 
 facts would not be tolerated by the National Medical 
 Association (according to Prof. Gross) if presented by 
 any one not in sympathy with their prescriptive cod, 
 yet such facts cannot always be concealed, and we may 
 expect them to be presented to the Association by some 
 of its members hereafter as an important discovery, 
 carefully concealing its origin. 
 
 Returning to the simple medical experiments in which 
 medicines held in the hands produce all their constitu- 
 tional effects what is its bearing upon medical philos- 
 ophy and the controversies now in progress ? 
 
 The leading controversy the most important which 
 ever agitated the colleges is that between the followers 
 of Hahnemann and those who dogmatically reject not 
 only his principles but all the vast accumulated experi- 
 ence of many thousand well-educated and reputable 
 physicians. Their rejection is justified only by the 
 dogmatic materialism which my experiments have over- 
 thrown. 
 
 Learned professors satisfy themselves and amuse the 
 ignorance of their pupils by proving that the extreme 
 attenuations or high potencies of infinitesimal medicines
 
 Medical Science. 47 
 
 cannot possibly have an appreciable quantity of the 
 medicinal substance in the largest dose. 
 
 That the effect produced must be in proportion to 
 the quantity of medicine employed, and that the effects 
 must arise from internal contact from touching senti- 
 ent surfaces in the alimentary canal, or circulating in 
 the blood, has been assumed as a self-evident axiomatic 
 truth upon which the whole fabric of their medical 
 practice rests : and thus it rests upon a falsehood, for I 
 have proved that medicine may operate from the exterior 
 without absorption, without entering the circulation 
 and without the slightest contact with the person. 
 
 Moreover, the notion that a certain amount of medi- 
 cine must be consumed to produce an effect, is simply 
 a piece of vulgar ignorance, embalmed in collegiate dog- 
 matism. No consumption of medicine is absolutely 
 necessary to produce medical effects. On the contrary 
 the medicines wrapped in papers remain after the 
 experiment, as if they had not been used. But (the 
 ultra materialist might say) those medicines in papers 
 have emanations, and their odors may have produced 
 the effects by passing through the paper. This is con- 
 ceding that imperceptible emanations have power, but 
 such a subterfuge is not available, as soli;! saline, me- 
 tallic, and crystalline substances, which have no odor 
 or perceptible emanation are effective when held in 
 papers. 
 
 To remove all possible doubt that medical potency is 
 an imponderable quality, and operates at a distance 
 from the substance, I have adopted the custom of pla- 
 cing the medicines in glass vials well corked the vials
 
 48 Psychometry in 
 
 being held in the hands for the experiments, and their 
 contents unknown to the subject. 
 
 In this method the experiments are as successful as 
 with the paper envelope, and my experience leads to 
 the conclusion that more than one-half of a miscellane- 
 ous company will feel the effects, and often three- 
 fourths. In a medical class of twenty at Boston there 
 were but two who were not impressible by this experi- 
 ment, and from my observation in the South I should 
 say that eighty or ninety per cent of the population in 
 the Gulf States would feel these medical influences 
 through glass with facility. 
 
 What then becomes of the materialistic theories ? 
 The same vial of medicine may be used successfully for 
 the medication of a thousand or of ten thousand 
 patients, and if well sealed it will have lost no portion 
 of the medical substance, so far as we can discover. 
 The materialistic thinker claims that the homoeopathic 
 attenuation can have no effect, because the amount of 
 substance present is so extremely small, but in my 
 experiment the patient receives no substance at all. 
 The effects are due to what the materialist considers a 
 nonenity. The dogmatic objection to homoeopathic 
 doses disappears entirely when we know that the 
 potency of medicines may be realized without swallow- 
 ing, inhaling, or touching a single particle. 
 
 The objection, however, still remains that the quantity 
 cf medicine in the vial that was touched was sufficient 
 to produce important effects, although its potency was 
 transferred through glass, but that homoeopathic dilu- 
 tions, attenuations, or globules, are too insignificant in 
 quantity to produce any considerable effect, for effects
 
 Medical Science. 49 
 
 must be proportioned to causes, and it is reasonable to 
 believe that if a grain will produce a given effect, a 
 thousandth part of the grain will produce only the thou- 
 sandth part of the effect. How then can diseases be 
 successfully treated by millionths and decillionths of a 
 grain ? 
 
 There are several answers to this plausible statement. 
 If the agent employed merely starts a new process, a 
 portion of a grain may be as effective as the whole of it. 
 A smallpox scab, for example, may develop smallpox in 
 one who handles or tastes it, but smallpox may also be 
 developed by handling a bank note or letter received 
 from the patient. The visible substance produces no 
 more effect than the invisible contamination on the 
 paper. 
 
 There is no limit to the minuteness of the dose which 
 may affect the sensitive. As contact with a letter or a 
 lock of hair reproduces in the sensitive, not only the 
 traits of character, but the pathological symptoms of 
 vhe writer, it is apparent that physiological and patho- 
 logical effects may ccme from a cause in which we can 
 discover no vital or medical potentiality whatever. The 
 smallest homoeopathic dose must have more medical 
 potentiality than the sheet of paper which has been 
 merely discolored by pen or pencil. 
 
 The sensitive recognizes and describes the potential- 
 ity of infinitesimal dilutions, globules, or powders. 
 Soon after the announcement of my discovery in New 
 York one of my pupils, Dr. Harris, an experienced 
 homoeopathic physician, placed a number of globules 
 successively in the hands of my sensitive Mr. Inman, 
 who described their medical potency to his satisfaction.
 
 53 Psychometry in 
 
 We cannot devise any subtlety of influence which 
 may not be f6llovved and detected by the exalted powers 
 of sensitives. The potentiality of handwriting as an 
 embodiment of psychic influence is difficult to conceive ; 
 but that potentiality may be imparted to a blank page 
 lying in contact with the writing and two letters or 
 pieces of manuscript kept in contact with each other 
 impart to each other their influences. An experimental 
 society in Boston in 1843, was quite puzzled by this 
 transference of character to a blank page. They were 
 experimenting on two letters and got a satisfactory 
 description of the two characters. One was the author 
 Charles Dickens, the other I have forgotten. But they 
 were startled on finding that the characters had been 
 exchanged, and that the character of Dickens was given 
 to the wrong letter. The letters had been in contact, 
 so that the writing of each had pressed the blank page 
 of the other which was touched by the psychometer. 
 
 The transmission of psychic influence by contact of 
 manuscript frequently receives accidental illustrations. 
 A piece of manuscript from lying in contact with another 
 absorbs an influence which mingles with or overpowers 
 its own character. Thus Mrs. B. was called upon in 
 New York by Dr. F., who gave her for a report a piece 
 of manuscript from which he expected something very 
 pleasing, as he considered it a fine specimen of spirit 
 writing. Instead of this she described it as very dis- 
 agreeable and irritating ; exciting an impulse to be 
 angry, quarrelsome, and very abusive. This astonished 
 him and led her to ask what the writing had been in 
 contact with. It then appeared that he had placed it in 
 his pocket pook in contact with a letter from one of his
 
 Medical Science. 5 1 
 
 tenants, with whom he had a difference, which was of a 
 very angry, insolent, abusive character, the influence 
 of which entirely overpowered the writing of the 
 medium. 
 
 A good psychometer will frequently discover hetero- 
 geneous influences in a manuscript from persons who 
 have handled or carried it, and would therefore desire 
 that anything for examination should be kept free from 
 adventitious influences. 
 
 To test the facility of such transfer, I placed a piece 
 of blank letter paper for two or three hours within the 
 folds of a manuscript over forty years old, and then 
 asked what impressions she received from it. She 
 quickly decided that it was an impression from old writ- 
 ing, and even gave the name of the writer. As there 
 was a possibility of chance in guessing the name, I tried 
 another experiment by cutting out a piece of blank 
 paper from a letter written by the eloquent divine, Rev. 
 J. N. Maffitt, which had lain almost fifty years in con- 
 tact with the writing. It was a letter introducing myself 
 to President Dubisson, dated Natchez. Dec. 25, 1835. 
 Her impressions were given as follows : "This is not a 
 spiritual writing. It takes me in a westerly direction 
 (north or south ?) towards the south. It is a positive 
 character, a man. It was not written to you but relates 
 to you. The writer was older than you when it was 
 written. You were then quite a young man. It seems 
 like an introduction to some person of influence rather 
 than a business letter to some person holding a prom- 
 inent intellectual position. The writer was a strong 
 intellectual man, one who could win the esteem of the 
 majority a professional man but not a physician. He
 
 52 Psychometry in 
 
 was a public character, stood very high before the public. 
 I see him speaking. He was an eloquent man. He 
 seemed at first like a statesman, now he seems a divine. 
 He interested the people : he was popular : he was very 
 eloquent: he was not profoundly orthodox." -The ex- 
 periment had been interrupted once, and at this point 
 was interrupted a second time by a visitor, and was not 
 resumed ; so the portrait is incomplete. 
 
 When the letter was written, I was just twenty-one 
 years of age and was engaged in the study and diffusion 
 of phrenological science, in which I had interested Mr. 
 Maffitt, who was in the zenith of his career as the most 
 brilliant man of the Methodist pulpit. As to the con- 
 cluding remark that he was not strictly orthodox, I 
 would say that Maffitt, like Whitfield, was more gifted 
 in the line of oratory and imagination than in the religi- 
 ous sentiments. Their heads were flat in the religious 
 region, and their lives were not according to the rever- 
 ential pattern of Orthodoxy.* 
 
 There is a perpetual emanation of influences by which 
 each substance affects its environment. The emanations 
 of influence from medicines pass through glass, or they 
 pass into the paper which contains them, and which 
 becomes a medical potency to a sensitive. 
 
 A medicine triturated with sugar, or simply brought 
 into contact with it, imparts to the sugar all its emanat- 
 ing influence, and thus we obtain in the sugar a refined 
 emanation combined with the saccharine qualities which 
 are pleasant and genial. A medicated sugar or highly 
 
 * Mr. Maffitt's cordial reception of my scientific suggestions at that 
 time assures me that if he were living to-day he would be a powerful 
 champion of scientific truth.
 
 Medical Science. 5 3 
 
 saccharated medicine is a great improvement upon crude 
 medication, not only on account of the mollifying influ- 
 ence of the sugar, but on account of the superiority of 
 the emanation which combines with the sugar, to the 
 gross substance of the drug. And as this emanation 
 power seems to be practically unlimited (since the 
 same vial of medicine may act in perpetuity) there is 
 no reason why we might not, from a limited quantity of 
 medicine by proper management, obtain an unlimited 
 amount of saccharated potentiality more genial and ap- 
 propriate in therapeutics than the original body. 
 
 The objection however may be made that these ema- 
 nation saccharates (or we might call them spiritual sac- 
 charates as they do not appear to be strictly material 
 emanations) would 'not affect all patients since all man- 
 kind are not sensitives ; hence this infinitesimal or 
 spiritual method must frequently fail. 
 
 The objection is very plausible, but disease in general 
 is a state of heightened or morbid sensibility. It origi- 
 nates most readily in a morbid susceptibility a pre- 
 dominance of sensibility over the vital force.* Hence 
 disease gives, at least to the morbid organ, a very acute 
 and delicate sensibility, which would not tolerate harsh 
 remedies, or even a slight touch. If then the remedy 
 has a specific action on the morbid part it ought cer- 
 tainly to be delicate in its action, since the exalted 
 sensibility makes the organ unusually impressible and 
 the remedy which would scarcely affect it at all in 
 health, is very potent in its morbid condition. 
 
 * Sensibility is the foundation of disease, and it is because the sensibil- 
 ity and nervous development of fishes are of so low a grade that they arc 
 not liable to inflammation.
 
 54 Psyckomctry in 
 
 The law of emanation which thus explains the value 
 of infinitesimal doses has many other important applica- 
 tions. 
 
 It is well known that mineral waters coming through 
 strata of the earth have important healing powers which 
 are not accounted for by chemistry, and which are not 
 satisfactorily realized in artificial combinations however 
 skilfully made. Such is the general opinion of physi- 
 cians. It is probable that the waters are affected by 
 the subterranean strata through which they pass, the 
 influence of which is distinct as they are taken from 
 the spring. But they also have the virtue of saccharated 
 remedies, as every particle of the water is impressed by 
 the influence of all the mineral ingredients (which have 
 been many years in solution) like the sugar in tritura- 
 tions, and I believe that if the mineral elements could 
 be instantly removed from the water its virtue would 
 not be entirely lost. The agitation and motion of the 
 water in the subterranean channels has the same effect 
 as the percussions by which tinctures are potentized in 
 homoeopathic pharmacy. A practical inference would be 
 that in preparing aqueous or alcoholic solutions of med- 
 icines we should not only use agitation but allow them 
 to stand as long as possible to permeate the inert ele- 
 ments with the medicines, thus rendering their effects 
 milder and enabling us to succeed with a smaller quan- 
 tity. 
 
 All things have their sphere of emanation and every 
 locality on the face of the globe whether it offers gran- 
 ite, limestone, clay, sand, or humus, or is covered by 
 fresh or salt water, pure or impure, or any species of 
 vegetation, affects the constitution of the residents or
 
 Medical Science. 5 5 
 
 travellers differently from other localities. Hence med- 
 ical men blindly recommend a "change of air" knowing 
 that there are important effects produced by change of 
 locality which they do not comprehend. The asthmatic 
 and the victims of hay fever find by experience the 
 locality that suits them best as every locality has its 
 own pathological tendency and its own peculiar influ- 
 ence over body and mind. Arenacious formations are 
 exempt from cholera, and when the principles which I 
 have enunciated are made the basis of scientific investi- 
 gations the exact influence of all mineral elements on 
 the constitution of man will be determined, and locali- 
 ties will be selected and prescribed for patients with as 
 much precision as medicines, and the physicians of each 
 locality will understand the pathological tendencies of 
 their residence and the modification of treatment re- 
 quired. 
 
 The power of each locality is greatly intensified by 
 electric currents, which, passing upward, bring the con- 
 stitution under the influence of the subjacent strata. 
 Sir James Murray of England, about half a century ago, 
 asserted very forcibly the importance of this electric 
 influence as a source of disease, and claimed to have 
 rendered unhealthy localities safer for residence by insu- 
 lating thoroughly the houses inhabited. The noncon 
 ducting or insulating materials used in their foundations 
 he considered a very important protection against dis 
 ease ; and I believe there is more in this than the mere 
 protection against dampness. 
 
 Sensitive persons, in walking, will find very decided 
 influences in different localities. In approaching certain 
 spots permanently damp, they will feel the rheumatic
 
 50 PsycJiomctry in 
 
 or neuralgic influence of negative conditions, and will 
 find in drier localities, where there is less conductivity, 
 less evaporation, and a less negative state, a more com- 
 fortable condition. 
 
 The doctrine that we are affected by electric currents 
 and thereby made to feel the influence of our environ- 
 ment, and especially of the portion of the earth on which 
 we stand, is susceptible of demonstration. Practition- 
 ers of electricity have often maintained that patients 
 could feel the influetice of medicines through which 
 they received electric currents, but the medical pro- 
 fessjon has been disposed to ignore such facts because 
 not readily demonstrable with persons of moderate sen- 
 sibility; and the experimental facts which illustrate 
 transmission by electricity have seldom been reported, 
 partly because of the prejudice of observers, and partly 
 because the great majority are not accustomed to report 
 their experience for publication. 
 
 An interesting case, however, was reported by Mr. L. 
 Howard, F. R. S., as occurring in the experience of 
 Philip Smith, of Fordham, in curing agues by electricity, 
 who found that the disease was carried from the patient 
 to himself by the electric current. In order to test the 
 matter more decisively, he made an experiment to see 
 if the inflammation produced by vaccination could be 
 transferred as well as intermittent fever. He placed one 
 of his men on the insulating sheet who had been vacci- 
 nated seven days previously. A wire duly insulated 
 and four inches long, was made to connect the inocu- 
 lated spot, or pustule, on the man's arm, with a slight 
 incision made in the arm of a lad with a new lancet, 
 and the current of electricity applied for eight minutes.
 
 Medical Science. 5 7 
 
 The boy was duly observed afterwards, and proved to 
 be as completely vaccinated by electricity as if it had 
 been done in the usual way. The boy's vaccination 
 was also transferred by electricity through wires to the 
 arms of two girls, and vaccine appearances produced, 
 but not so perfectly as on the boy. The effect, how- 
 ever, was such that when subsequently one of the girls 
 was vaccinated in four places, but slight effect was 
 produced. 
 
 It is very well known among electric practitioners 
 that it is very injurious to receive the electric current 
 in their own persons through the body of a patient. 
 
 The galvanic current accelerates the passage of fluids 
 in tubes or in blood vessels and may be used to trans- 
 fer medicinal substance into the body or to carry me- 
 tallic substance out of it. It is reasonable to suppose 
 that the imponderable elements may be carried by the 
 electric current as well as ponderable molecules. It 
 would seem a priori as probable that the electric current 
 would carry nervauric or medicinal emanations or accel- 
 erate their passage, as that a breeze should bring us 
 the odors of a tree in bloom, and the following experi- 
 ment illustrates the electric transference of medicinal 
 influences. 
 
 A metallic tube about eight inches long and an inch 
 in diameter was filled with paregoric and connected 
 with the positive pole of a galvanic circuit of twelve 
 zinc carbon plates by a wire which passed through the 
 centre of the tube inserted corks at each end, so that 
 the current could pass only through the paregoric to 
 the metal tube. This was placed in the right hand of 
 a very susceptible lady of fine physical development,
 
 58 Psychomctry in 
 
 the left holding the negative electrode. She found the 
 
 o o 
 
 influence quite pleasant, nervine, soothing, stimulating 
 to the brain and developing a little perspiration, making 
 her realize that the medical influence was of the ner- 
 vine anodyne class. I then reversed the connections, 
 bringing the tube in contact with the negative pole and 
 her left hand into connection with the positive pole, 
 expecting thereby to prove the removal of the anodyne 
 impression. But the effect was more decisive than I 
 anticipated. She quickly pronounced the current too 
 exciting and unbearable, and even when I reduced it to 
 one-third the number of cells she insisted that it was 
 very objectionable, refused to go on and was astonished 
 at the strength of the battery. The anodyne influence, 
 which she felt so agreeable when the current was enter- 
 ing her hand through the paregoric, was almost instantly 
 destroyed when the current flowed in the opposite di- 
 rection. 
 
 The same experiment was tried in the psychometric 
 class on five ladies and two gentlemen, Dr. R., Mr. P., 
 Mrs. D., Mrs. R., Mrs. H., Miss R., and Miss G., all of 
 whom agreed in pronouncing the current felt through 
 the tube (of the nature of which no hint had been given) 
 very soothing, nervine, and pleasant, but when the con- 
 nection was changed, the tube being connected with the 
 negative pole they found it not at all soothing, but stim- 
 ulating and exciting to a degree which soon became 
 unpleasant and injurious. Mr. P. being a stout gentle- 
 man, bore the non-medical current very well but decid- 
 edly preferred the other. Mrs. D. and Miss R., who 
 enjoyed the medical current found the other quite unen-
 
 Medical Science. 59 
 
 durable. It was probably made more so by tlu contrast 
 with the pleasant influence of the medical current. 
 
 To test the transmission of medical influence by 
 contact alone, I placed a few spoonfuls of white granu- 
 lated sugar between pieces of paper which had several 
 weeks previously been moistened with tincture of cap- 
 sicum and thoroughly dried. It was left in this position 
 about an hour, then removed into a paper box for 
 experiment. Another portion of sugar was placed for 
 the same time between dry paper which had once been 
 wet with a fluid extract of belladonna and in like 
 manner removed into a paper box. A pinch of the 
 sugar, about a teaspoonf ul was placed in the palm of the 
 hand of each lady in a company of nine and in five 
 minutes was recognized by seven of the nine as a 
 warming stimulating influence. Of the other two one 
 felt t^e effect on the head and the other felt a chilly 
 influence. 
 
 The belladonna sugar was promptly recognized by all 
 in its soothing soporific influence and decided influence 
 upon the head, especially the frontal region the effect 
 being much greater than I expected. In these cases 
 the effect was due solely to the contact of the crystals 
 of sugar with the medicated paper. 
 
 As influences thus pass by contact independently of 
 electric currents, there is no reason why the influences 
 which pass from vials of medicine to the hands of the 
 sensitive should not pass into sugar or any other recep- 
 tive substance in contact with the vial to a sufficient 
 extent to be recognized. To test this I placed a 
 quantity of white granulated sugar in contact with a 
 vial of belladonna. When about two ounces of sugar
 
 60 Psychometry in 
 
 was employed, Mrs. B. could not positively recognize 
 any influence distinct from the sugar, but thought there 
 might be a little that would be soothing to the nervous 
 system. When, however, I gave her the amount of 
 a grain of sugar which had been in immediate contact 
 with the vial, she distinctly recognized an influence on 
 the nervous system similar to that of belladonna, which 
 she thought might proceed from a very minute amount 
 of belladonna. 
 
 It is not merely contact with the soil that affects us, 
 but contact with the atmosphere affects a very sensitive 
 interior region in the chest. The air is in contact with 
 everything on the face of the earth, and not only does 
 it absorb the moisture of bodies of water, the hot 
 electric conditions of dry localities in the sunshine, and 
 the odorous emanations of vegetation and decomposi- 
 tion, but carries with it the potentialities of contact 
 which we experience in touching a medicine. It touches 
 ten thousand medicinal potencies in trees and plants as 
 well as minerals, and conveys their subtile emanations to 
 us. The sensitive feels in the forests, the meadows, and 
 the gardens a great variety of subtile influences which 
 are generally beneficial far more so than the dirty 
 streets of cities in which stupid avarice neglects to place 
 the health-giving trees and allows foulness to accumu- 
 late in the soil. 
 
 In the great convulsions of nature and in epidemics, 
 the influence of electric currents and of atmospheric 
 changes is greatly intensified. In the great earthquake 
 of January, 1348, which shook nearly all the south of 
 Europe and continued for several days, when whole 
 villages were swallowed up and many entirely destroyed,
 
 Medical Science. 6 1 
 
 many persons experienced a feeling of stupor and head- 
 ache and many fainted away. During a period of 
 twenty-six years, ending in 1360, earthquakes and 
 epidemics devastated Europe including Great Britian, 
 and it is estimated that twenty-five millions of lives 
 were lost by this terrible pestilence which has been 
 called the Black Death. 
 
 In modern epidemics there are changes in the atmos- 
 phere and great changes of electric conditions, which 
 affect magnets and telegraphic operations and even 
 modify chemical processes (as in making it difficult to 
 manufacture sulphuric acid) but scientists have done 
 very little to determine the nature of these epidemic 
 influences. 
 
 Not even an atmospheric carrier is needed by the 
 sensitive to impress them with local influences; approxi- 
 mation alone is sufficient to bring them in the sphere 
 of influence, and when the soul expands in rapt con- 
 templation of Nature all her influences are taken in as 
 if all surrounding objects were a constellation shining 
 into the soul. " High mountains are to me a feeling," 
 was the expression of Byron. That chameleon power 
 by which the soul assimilates with its surroundings is 
 derived not merely from intellectual perception, but 
 from the power of emanation and of psychometric sym- 
 pathy out of which come not merely physiological 
 and pathological results, but all the psychological con- 
 ditions of human development. All the elements of a 
 nation's home, in topography and climate are influential 
 upon national character, and every invalid will find that 
 all of his surroundings are important. 
 
 The influences of localities depend on the permanent
 
 62 Psychometry in 
 
 elements of the land, and the transient or changeable 
 elements of the surface which are under our control, in 
 conjunction with atmospheric conditions, temperature, 
 electricity, moisture and winds. 
 
 The basis of the continent (granite and gneiss) is a 
 wholesome foundation. The three great elements, silex, 
 alumina and lime, from which, with a few additions, 
 the continents are built, are happily adapted to human 
 welfare. The more tonic and stimulating influence of 
 the silex in quartz, granite, sandstone, jasper, and the 
 sands of our soils is often reinforced with the still more 
 tonic influence of ferruginous elements in the soils and 
 rocks. Alumina in clay and aluminous rocks adds a 
 cool antiseptic influence which counteracts malarious 
 and feverish conditions, and when slightly impregnated 
 with tonic and antiseptic iron makes the best foundation 
 for health. Lime also imparts an antiseptic and whole- 
 some influence. The disintegration of these three ele- 
 ments from granite, limestone, shale and sandstone, 
 forms the mineral basis of soils congenial to health and 
 activity, upon which vegetation, forming carbonaceous 
 and nitrogenous compounds, easily decomposed, fur- 
 nishes the elements of malaria, which, if not destroyed 
 or buried in the soil, accumulate in lower localities, and 
 generate disease by decomposition. 
 
 When the septic elements of vegetable matter exposed 
 to warmth and moisture are not adequately controlled 
 by the aluminous and ferruginous elements of the soil, 
 disease must result, greatly increased by extreme heat 
 and cold and sudden changes, in temperature and elec- 
 tricity, which sometimes render the atmosphere ex- 
 tremely depressing to human life. Sensitive persons
 
 Medical Science. 63 
 
 feel these changes keenly, and recognize the approach 
 of snow several hours in advance. Whatever is around 
 us in earth, sea or air has a diffusive influence, and 
 hence every locality has a different influence. Chemis- 
 try cannot detect the influence, but every sensitive 
 is powerfully affected by it. Salt is not recognized as 
 an evaporating substance, and yet it affects the atmos- 
 phere greatly. Cattle that require salt in the interior 
 of the country do not require it in seacoast locations, 
 and it is said not to be necessary in an island sur- 
 rounded like England by oceanic evaporation. That 
 there is an actual evaporation of the saline elements, 
 possibly decomposed, is shown by the fact that in such 
 locations tin cannot be used for roofing, on account of 
 its speedy oxydation, while in our country remote from 
 the ocean, tin roofs last well without painting, if not 
 exposed to coal smoke. 
 
 Our sensibilities reach out far beyond the sphere of 
 contact. Light and sound bring us in relation with 
 remote objects, and make them impressive. Odors, 
 auras, sounds and light come to us, but fall often on a 
 dulled sense. Thousands of odors and auras are unrec- 
 ognized by the average citizen. Sounds above and 
 below a certain range of pitch arc unheard. Few of 
 the colors and tints in nature are recognized by the 
 average masculine eye, and the actinic ray is not con- 
 sidered visual, nor are the emanations of magnets which 
 are visible to the sensitive. Beyond all these the psy- 
 chic light, by which spiritual objects are seen, is un- 
 known to the great majority, and even denied an exist- 
 ence by the physical scientist, who is unacquainted with 
 the human constitution.
 
 64 Psycliomctry in 
 
 There is something more than the passive perception 
 ot these emanations and influences. The soul has an 
 active percipiency, and goes forth in the pursuit of 
 knowledge, in which it attains the sublimest achieve- 
 ments of psychometry. 
 
 This psychometric power is most highly developed 
 under favorable conditions. These conditions are found 
 in elevated positions with sunshine and pure air. The 
 light atmosphere of lofty localities developes the brain 
 and lungs, and therefore produces a nobler and more 
 spiritual type of humanity, with stronger religious aspi- 
 rations, more perfect health, and more delicate intuitions. 
 The world's history proves the mountaineers to be the 
 nobler portion of the race. The great cities in \vbich 
 populations become sodden in selfishness, corrupt in 
 morals, and victims of pestilence, are near the sea level. 
 The highest portion of the old world east of the Cas- 
 pian Sea was the seat of the noblest, the Caucassian 
 race, the dominant power over the whole earth the 
 authors' of civilization and science. In the mountain 
 lands, the high plateaus and sunny climates of tropical 
 and southern, temperate regions, intuitive wisdom will 
 establish its empire. 
 
 CONTAGION. 
 
 The revelations of psychometry decisively settle the 
 questions between contagionists and non-contagionists 
 which have for ages been so blindly discussed by the 
 opponents of contagion, who look upon it merely as a 
 physical cause, of a certain exact amount of potentiality, 
 which should always manifest itself with the certainty 
 of gravitation, when, in fact, contagion is essentially
 
 Medical Science. 65 
 
 dependent on a power of the nervous system, and there- 
 fore has no uniform rule of operation, but varies in its 
 manifestation with every individual, every locality, cli- 
 mate and season. To one person of high susceptibili- 
 ties, and moderate or reduced vital power, all diseases 
 without exception are contagious. He will contract 
 pain, discomfort, mental disturbance, confusion of mind, 
 headache, insanity, moral depravity, suicidal melancholy, 
 neuralgia, rheumatism, fever, and, in short, all unfortu- 
 nate conditions of body or mind, with certainty in pro- 
 portion to his exposure. Such persons are disqualified 
 from practising medicine, and cannot retain health, ex- 
 cept by the utmost possible precaution in the most 
 favorable locality and environment. 
 
 Others with great vital power and very limited sensi- 
 bility resist all contagions and exert great restorative 
 powers over the sick. They can encounter small pox 
 and contagious fevers with impunity. 
 
 As there are all possible intermediate grades of sensi- 
 bility to contagion, those who ignore the susceptibility 
 and variety of human constitutions and suppose conta- 
 gion to depend entirely on the quality of the disease, 
 must necessarily adopt a chaos of contradictory opinions, 
 as diseases continually vary (in their diffusiveness) ac- 
 cording to national or personal idiosyncrasy and climatic 
 conditions. 
 
 Psychometric science directs our attention away 
 from the contradictory records of the medical profession 
 which pronounce a disease contagious and with equal 
 positiveness pronounce it absolutely and universally 
 non-contagious, to the study of individual susceptibility,
 
 66 Psychometry in 
 
 as it may be increased by debility and hot weather, or 
 diminished by vital energy and cooler temperatures. 
 
 Moreover the knowledge of the true causes of trans- 
 mission of diseases relieves us at once from the illusive 
 theories which require us to search in all cases for 
 a physical agency, for germs, vapors, or contaminated 
 substances, and which leads us to believe that we are 
 safe by certain physical precautions when we are really 
 in imminent danger. There are many who cannot ap- 
 proach for one minute a case of acute disease without 
 absorbing its influence by nervous and psychic sympa- 
 thy. 
 
 The true understanding of contagion enlarges greatly 
 our conception of the precautions necessary in a warm 
 climate and among sensitive people, and justifies the 
 precaution which in Italy destroys by fire all the furni- 
 ture of the apartment that has been occupied by a con- 
 sumptive patient. It explains also the deadly influence 
 of hospitals which have been occupied by severe forms 
 of disease for a long time, and which are become so pro- 
 foundly infected by influences which are invisible, and 
 incapable of chemical detection as to produce extreme 
 mortality in cases that recover well in open tents. 
 Chemical disinfection may destroy the offensive matters 
 which are most injurious to health, but I do not believe 
 it can entirely remove the morbid influences which are 
 left by diseased constitutions impregnating the solid 
 substance of an apartment. 
 
 In the black death of the I4th century Prof. Hecker 
 says, " Every spot which the sick had touched, their 
 breath, their clothes, spread the contagion ; and as in 
 all other places, the attendants and friends who were
 
 Medical Science. 67 
 
 either blind to their danger or heroically despised it, 
 fell a sacrifice to their sympathy. Even the eyes of tlie 
 patient were considered as sources of contagion, which 
 had the power of acting at a distance." So in ancient 
 times, he says, " the sight was considered as the bearer 
 of a demoniacal enchantment." * 
 
 These were correct observations. An exchange of 
 glances for one minute with a fever patient by a perfect 
 sensitive is sufficient to transfer a disease which may 
 go on to the destruction of life in a feeble and predis- 
 posed constitution, or may be thrown off by one of 
 healthy vigor. Hence for many persons the only reli- 
 able protection is the absolute isolation of the sick from 
 the well, a principle long known, since physicians of the 
 second century recommended this as the proper pre- 
 caution against leprosy. 
 
 Our knowledge of the laws of contagion, however will 
 not lead to the selfish abandonment of the sick, but will 
 teach us to protect the delicate and sensitive from all 
 morbid exposure, and to entrust nursing cares to those 
 who can bear them. It will also teach us that great 
 
 *" Correct notions of contagion have descended from remote antiquity, 
 and were maintained unchanged in the I4th century. So far back as the 
 age of I'lato, a knowledge of the contagious power of malignant inflam- 
 mations of the eye, of which also no phvsician of the middle ages enter- 
 tained a doubt, was general among the people ; yet in modern times 
 surgeons have filled volumes with partial controversies on this subject. 
 The whole language of antiquity has adapted itself to the notions of the 
 people, respecting the contagion of pestilential diseases ; and their terms 
 were, beyond comparison, more expressive than those in use among the 
 moderns." HECKKR on the lilafk /><<////. 
 
 The advantage of the ancients was due to the fact that they had not 
 fallen into the slough of materialism and did not ignore invisible influ- 
 ences.
 
 6cJ Psycliomctry in 
 
 evils may be inflicted on the young by contagion when 
 there are no acute diseases in the case. The debility 
 of age, melancholy, feebleness, moroseness, and even 
 phlegmatic dulness may be inflicted by association on 
 the young to the permanent injury of their future life. 
 All association has a contagious power, and therefore 
 children often receive much more education or modifi- 
 cation of character from their school companions than 
 from their teacher. 
 
 Adults obey the same law of psychic contagion, and 
 he who would train himself for a higher life than belongs 
 to the social level around him must, to a great extent, 
 isolate himself from society, unless he possesses the 
 heroic constitution which overpowers everything around 
 it. 
 
 Contagion is continually in progress. Every apart- 
 ment that is occupied, and every chair that is sat upon 
 receives the physical and psychic impress of the occu- 
 pant, and acquires a beneficial or injurious influence for 
 his successor. Everything touched by the victims of 
 the Black Death became a source of contagion, and the 
 infection was so permanent that Hecker says that 
 "frightful ill-consequences followed for many years after 
 the first fury of the pestilence was past." 
 
 All objects therefore may become centres of moral 
 and physical contagion for a great length of time, and 
 he who has a sensitive under his care should be careful 
 into what society or apartments the sensitive is intro- 
 duced. While making psychometric experiments with 
 a lady recently, we were disturbed by the restlessness, 
 pain, and discomfort in the lower limbs which came 
 upon her, which we did not understand until we recol-
 
 Medical Science. 69 
 
 lected that the easy chair she was sitting in had long 
 been occupied by an invalid of restless temperament 
 troubled with sciatica. The discomfort soon passed off 
 after taking another chair. 
 
 It is but a small part of the medical value of Psychom- 
 etry that it illustrates the philosophy and hygiene of 
 contagion, now resting on a false physical basis in the 
 mind of the profession, and settles the question between 
 gross and infinitesimal medication, by proving the value 
 and rationality of the latter and the fallacy of the 
 materialistic idea which lies at the basis of the old prac- 
 tice. 
 
 Its highest claims are as the ABSOLUTE GUIDE of DI- 
 AGNOSIS and THERAPEUTICS in which the general intro- 
 duction of psychometry and utilization of its benefits 
 will constitute the greatest and most beneficent addition 
 to the resources of the profession that has ever been 
 made, not excepting the therapeutic discoveries of 
 Hahnemann, for which I entertain the most profound 
 respect. 
 
 There is no extravagance in this claim if psychom- 
 etry gives the power of diagnosis and the power of 
 therapeutic selection. For the whole art of medical 
 practice consists in correct diagnosis and prognosis fol- 
 lowed by correct adaptation of remedies. 
 
 Success in the practice of medicine (not in acquiring 
 profit or fame, but in curative treatment) depends upon 
 two things, the perception of the disease and the percep- 
 tion of the remedy. 
 
 Both of these perceptions belong to the sphere of 
 intuition. No physician ever acquired an accurate 
 knowledge of the condition of a patient without the ex-
 
 7O PsycJiomctry in 
 
 ercise of psychometric perception, though he might 
 otherwise learn the prominent symptoms. Nor can 
 there be a clear and comprehensive knowledge of the 
 relation of a remedy to the condition of a patient, with- 
 out the exercise of the same intuitive power. Homoe- 
 opathy has made a long stride toward the ascertainment 
 of this adaptation, but neither the totality of the symp- 
 toms nor the totality of the therapeutic power in any 
 remedy can be reached by the methods of science, 
 because the totality is too complex, too extensive, and 
 too delicate for any or all scientific methods. 
 
 Hence medical practice has ever been a succession of 
 blunders, intermingled with occasional approximations 
 to correct prescription by a careful study of drugs and 
 symptoms, and with true marvellous cures guided by un- 
 conscious psychometry. 
 
 Knowing nothing of psychometry and its possibilities, 
 medical colleges are continually turning out as accom- 
 plished physicians a heterogeneous multitude, of whom 
 some have the genius which masters diseases and 
 remedies, which leads them to success, however poor 
 their instruction, while others, constitutionally blind to 
 pathological and therapeutic indications, actually in- 
 crease the mortality of disease, while a still larger num- 
 ber have just enough psychometric perception, after 
 acquiring experience, to avoid gross errors. 
 
 The greatest possible step to elevate the medical 
 profession rapidly, would be a preliminary examination 
 which would reject from the profession every young man 
 not sufficiently endowed with psychometric power to 
 insure accuracy of diagnosis. But how is this possible
 
 Medical Science. 7 1 
 
 when teaching is a business matter, dependent on the 
 revenue from students' fees. 
 
 In my professional instruction, thirty years ago, I en- 
 deavored to elicit the psychometric capacity of our 
 students, and in one of these, Dr. Grosvenor Swan, I 
 recognized excellent psychometric capacities which jus- 
 tified the expectation that he would excel as a practi- 
 tioner, and would be more accurate than physicians 
 generally in diagnosis. I might relate many instances 
 of his skill in this respect, but two or three will be suf- 
 ficient. 
 
 In 1869 an accident occurred in Jackson County, 
 Iowa, town of Andrew. A man had been thrown from 
 a sled on the hard ground with such force as to injure 
 his hip and disable the limb. The first doctor called 
 in pronounced it a fracture at the upper third of the 
 femur, and accordingly set it and placed the limb in a 
 box. The patient suffered so much that he feared some- 
 thing was wrong, and sent for another doctor, who was 
 considered the most eminent surgeon in that part of the 
 State. He claimed that the former physician was mis- 
 taken, and that the fracture was at the neck of the 
 femur, and on this theory put on on new dressing, 
 securing the limb very firmly in a box. 
 
 A great excitement was created in the neighborhood, 
 each doctor being confident that he was right, and an 
 opportunity was made for a meeting of doctors to settle 
 the matter. Dr. Swan (who resided ten miles away) 
 and six other physicians attended, and they were about 
 equally divided in opinion as to the location or the frac- 
 ture, which they all supposed to exist. 
 
 Dr. Swan, in sitting by the patient, got a sudden
 
 72 PsycJionictry in 
 
 psychometric impression that there was no fracture at 
 all, and requested the box and the dressings to be re- 
 moved from the limb. Being asked for his opinion, he 
 advised that the splints and dressings should be removed 
 and replaced by hot fomentations of bitter herbs. They 
 asked, with surprise, if he would take the responsibility 
 of treating the case in that way, and the patient re- 
 plied that he would take the responsibility and follow 
 Dr. Swan's treatment, under which the man recovered 
 the use of the limb in a week, proving that the physi- 
 cians were all mistaken in reference to so simple and 
 palpable a condition as a fracture. 
 
 Dr. Swan's perception in this case was psychometric, 
 not being based on any physical examination and he 
 had had experience enough to rely upon it as many 
 other physicians might who possess this power, but not 
 being trained to exercise and rely upon it they fail to 
 do justice to themselves. 
 
 In another instance, in 1869, when Dr. Swan resided 
 at Watertown, N. Y., the case of a young lady in 
 Rodman embarrassed the physicians and surgeons of 
 that part of the State, and elicited a great deal of 
 discussion. The patient was said to be suffering from 
 a tumor in the right side, nearly opposite the umbilicus, 
 and several consultations had been held over the case 
 by the most eminent surgeons of that region. All 
 agreed that it was a tumor, but did not agree as to the 
 character of the formation and its attachments, and 
 hence there was a hesitation as to submitting the case 
 to an operation. 
 
 Dr. Swan being called in found an enlargement about 
 three inches in diameter, which had been blistered
 
 Medical Science. 73 
 
 until the whole surface was raw, and did not admit of a 
 manual examination. However, his instantaneous psy- 
 chometric impression indicated that it was an abscess, 
 and he at once told them that it was an abscess con- 
 taining a pint of matter, which required to be opened. 
 Not having an instrument with him he returned to 
 Watertown and sent Dr. Trowbridge with a trocar to 
 perform the operation (who had believed it to be a 
 tumor). Dr. Trowbridge reported that the contents of 
 the abscess amounted fully to a pint as Dr. Swan had 
 stated. 
 
 Many might suppose that these were only illustrations 
 of the superior sagacity of an experienced physician. 
 But when a sudden impression leads one to an opinion 
 contradictory to the opinions of all who are guided by 
 external indications, such impressions are psychometric. 
 Moreover, Dr. Swan has often pronounced with equal 
 correctness upon patients at a distance. 
 
 In my own limited practice, which I have never 
 made a principal occupation, I have no hesitation in 
 relying upon a psychometric diagnosis by Mrs B., 
 and directing the treatment of patients whom I had 
 never seen, but whose assurances of correct description 
 and satisfactory cures have been all that I could expect. 
 A surgeon of reputation in Colorado, wrote for a diag- 
 nosis of his own case which proved satisfactory to his 
 critical mind. A lady in New Hampshire wrote for a 
 diagnosis, and the description developed so large an 
 amount of chronic disease that I was almost afraid to 
 undertake the case, but relying implicitly on the diag- 
 nosis a cure was effected bv sending remedies. In no
 
 74 Choice of Physicians. 
 
 case have patients failed to recognize the truth of the 
 diagnosis. 
 
 I could relate the history of physicians who by their 
 psychometric power, which I explained to them, sur- 
 passed all competitors in their therapeutic success, and 
 one especially, who without any previous preparation 
 entered the profession, conducting his studies in the 
 midst of an active business, and in four years rose to 
 the front rank of practitioners and accumulated a hand- 
 some estate. 
 
 A volume might be filled with the records of the 
 marvellous diagnosis and prognosis of intuition not only 
 by physicians, but by persons wholly uninstructed in 
 medicine who have corrected the errors of experienced 
 physicians, but this subject properly belongs to a work 
 for the medical profession before whom the subject 
 must be brought. 
 
 CHOICE OF PHYSICIANS. 
 
 In no profession is society so frequently and so 
 profoundly deceived as in the medical. Professional 
 success is achieved by force of character, by selfish 
 energy, by impressive manners, by social intrigue, by 
 elegant display and use of money, by literary culture, by 
 pedantic display of science in something irrelevant to 
 healing, by professional education which has far more 
 learning than utility, by fashionable associations and 
 family influence in short, everything else but ability 
 to heal the sick. Without these adjuncts, the most 
 skilful in the healing art may creep through life in 
 comparative obscurity and witness the success of those 
 who accumulate wealth and acquire influence, while
 
 Choice of Physicians. 75 
 
 their patients have tivicc the mortality that science 
 would recognize as legitimate. The majority of fash- 
 ionable and wealthy physicians are not successful practi 
 tioners. The qualities that make a true physician are 
 not the qualities that impress society. The modest 
 sensitiveness that sympathizes with the patient and 
 forms the basis of skilful intuition, the pure unselfish- 
 ness that delights in helping a sufferer and is loth to 
 deprive him of his toil-worn earnings, the patient 
 study that gives him a mastery of disease while his 
 rivals are seeking the mastery of society, all these are 
 unfriendly to his success. There is many a modest 
 country doctor who barely obtains a modest subsistance 
 and gives his service for modest fees, when ostentatious 
 pretenders in the city gain wealth while consigning 
 hundreds to the undertakers whom many a modest 
 country doctor would have saved. The illiterate clair- 
 voyant and magnetic healers who have no social rank 
 nor intellectual accomplishments nor imposing manners, 
 may go on healing year after year the cases abandoned 
 as incurable by physicians well equipped with social 
 influence, but poorly equipped with therapeutic re- 
 sources, but society blindly follows fashion and ignores 
 humble merit. Many a physician lives and dies in 
 obscurity .while performing cures which in those of 
 more fortunite position would have been appreciated as 
 wonderful. 
 
 The most distinguished physician of his day, enjoying 
 the largest professional income, amounting at its 
 height to a hundred thousand dollars per annum, was, 
 although highly skilful in operative surgery, a medical 
 barbarian in practice. That physician, Sir ASTLEV
 
 76 Choice of Physicians. 
 
 COOPER, was, according to authentic accounts utterly 
 unfit to practice medicine. For we are informed in his 
 biography by his nephew how wretchedly limited were 
 his resources. The statement is as follows : " So simple 
 were Mr Cooper's prescriptions, that he had five or six 
 formulae, which under ordinary circumstances consti- 
 tuted his complete pharmacopoeia, and such medicines 
 he kept constantly made up. . . . His remedies were 
 limited in number and but little varied in use, for he 
 never had any confidence in an extensive variety of 
 medicines. I have heard him say, ' give me quinine, 
 tartarized antimony, sulphate of magnesia, calomel and 
 bark, and I could ask for little else.' ' 
 
 The wretched ignorance expressed in this confession 
 can be appreciated only by the well educated physician 
 who knows how deplorable must be the results of a 
 practice depending on such resources alone. Our 
 present materia medica contains over one thousand 
 remedies, and still is painfully inadequate, compelling a 
 search for better resources. Yet the colleges have so 
 much the spirit of Cooper that their instruction in 
 materia medica is wretchedly inadequate. As the con- 
 ditions of disease are infinitely diversified beyond the 
 power of the human mind to conceive and recollect 
 them or even to ascertain them without the aid of 
 intuition, and as every different condition demands a 
 different remedy, the attempt to practice the healing art 
 with five remedies would be regarded by all enlightened 
 physicians to-day as a very flagrant example of quackery. 
 
 Psychometry pierces at once through all the surround- 
 ing ostentation to the real basis of professional charac- 
 ter. To illustrate its power I submitted to Mrs. B. the
 
 Choice of Physicians. 77 
 
 professional character of five whom I had well known 
 as distinguished physicians of very different capacities, 
 asking her to give their professional character as phy- 
 sicians. 
 
 No. i. The professor of practice to whose instructions 
 I listened as a student fifty years ago was described as 
 follows from an old letter. 
 
 " He is not living." (What sort of a physician was 
 he ?) " In his particular line of practice he was well 
 versed and might have been considered skilful. He 
 had a good deal of magnetism, was very earnest and 
 had great confidence in his doctrines, but I would not 
 employ him. (Why?) He may have understood 
 anatomy well, but he was not progressive he never 
 cared to change or to follow others ; he felt that he was 
 always the best judge. He understood 'now to manage 
 difficult cases, was a man of decision and a medical 
 writer, but I would not like his drug practice he gave 
 too large doses. He was considered an authority in the 
 profession but he did not apply progressive principles. 
 He was a sincere and conscientious man, and had pro- 
 fessional success and reputation, but was not generally 
 successful with his patients. He got no new ideas and 
 must have declined in his reputation. He was orthodox 
 in religion and very tenacious in all his principles." 
 
 This was Prof. John Ksten Cooke,of Transylvania Uni- 
 versity, an honest and earnest man, author of a system 
 of practice and of a v< lume on the " Invalidity of Pres- 
 byterian Ordination;" and one of the most perfect 
 representatives of the horrible system of practice that 
 prevailed in the Southwest half a century ago, when 
 the majority of the sick were salivated by mercurials.
 
 78 CJioicc of PJiysicians. 
 
 He taught the heroic use of calomel as the leading 
 agent in practice, beginning with twenty grains and 
 doubling the dose on successive visits if necessary 
 giving it in cholera in teaspoonful closes. To one of 
 the theological students, a brilliant young man, Mr. 
 Douglass, he gave altogether a pound and a half before 
 he died, as I was informed by his friend, Rev. Mr. 
 Brittan, who confessed to having taken three-fourths of 
 a pound himself from Dr. Cooke. 
 
 The drift of Dr. Cooke's instruction was no better 
 than the practice of Sir Astley Cooper. It conveyed 
 the impression that nearly all diseases needed nothing 
 but purgation by a pill compound of one grain each of 
 calomel aloes and rhubarb. He did as the opinion says, 
 "decline in reputation," for there was sufficient intelli- 
 gence in the profession to realize after a time that his 
 teaching was a medical barbarism, and his colleagues, 
 unable to get rid of him in any other way, paid him a 
 handsome bonus to procure his resignation. 
 
 He was inaccessible to a new idea, and when at the 
 residence of one of his friends, a trustee of the college, 
 I made some demonstrations of the impressibility of the 
 brain, the friend waited to hear his opinion of it after 
 the company left, as a matter of science, but received 
 only the remark, " i don't see how he can make any 
 money out of it" ! Nor would he engage in the inves- 
 tigation of the subject after being appointed on a 
 committee for that purpose by the Board of Trustees, 
 although the novel propositions which I presented were 
 the most important which have ever been presented in 
 the science of physiology, involving a complete demon- 
 stration of the functions of the brain.
 
 Choice of Physicians. 79 
 
 No. 2 was described from an old letter as follows : 
 
 "This is a man of intellect and appreciation, capable 
 of receiving new ideas and ready to acknowledge. He 
 was a hard student loved to investigate and to prac- 
 tise what he knew was never entirely satisfied with 
 his knowledge. He would fall in with your ideas. He 
 understood the use of medicines but did not give such 
 heroic doses. He was a good surgeon and would prefer 
 surgery to general practice, was skilful in that depart- 
 ment, could set bones with great facility, always suc- 
 cessful, made no mistakes. He had psychometric power. 
 He has passed away a good many years. He was good 
 in diagnosis, could feel the trouble in his patients, and 
 was sympathetic. I would not fear to trust my life 
 with him. He would be called in as counsel in difficult 
 cases." 
 
 (What system did he favor ?) " He was Eclectic or 
 progressive. He was very good in obstetrical cases but 
 was inclined to surgery." 
 
 (What was his constitution ?) " He was not robust 
 but slender, would be likely to contract pulmonic dis- 
 ease. He did not attain age, I don't think he was over 
 fifty when he passed away." 
 
 The entire description is very correct. The writer 
 was my colleague, Dr. BENJAMIN L. HILL, professor of 
 surgery in the Eclectic Medical Institute, a very 
 skilful physician and surgeon with psychometric powers, 
 great liberality and mental activity. He contributed 
 much to the progress of the liberal movement in 
 medicine, accepted any demonstrations of Anthropology, 
 and was the author of a system of surgery, one of the 
 most valuable contributions to professional literature
 
 8o Choice of Physicians. 
 
 He accepted Homoeopathy after giving it a practical 
 trial. His constitution was delicate and he died of 
 pulmonary disease as she indicated, though I have not 
 the exact date. 
 
 No. 3 was described as follows, from the name : 
 " I don't exactly fancy this man. He is rather selfish. 
 He could talk well and lecture well. I think he was a 
 professor and knew a great deal of anatomy, but did not 
 know as much about the brain as he might. He made 
 large pretensions to knowledge and speculated. He 
 would not accept your reformatory ideas ; he was a 
 narrow man. (What department of the profession was 
 he devoted to ?) He was good in obstetrics. He could 
 lecture on surgery and would pay special attention to 
 that, though he might have more attraction to other 
 parts of the profession. He was probably a better 
 operative surgeon than the last, was more dashing and 
 fearless, having great confidence in himself, but was not 
 as good a practitioner. He wrote well and had a very 
 good reputation. Having a good deal of push he would 
 rank among the first." 
 
 This was the late Prof. S. D. Gross, of Philadelphia, 
 eminent as a surgical professor and author. lie could 
 never be induced to pay any attention to my discov- 
 eries in the brain, and courteously informed me by letter 
 that it was impossible for my discoveries in reference to 
 the materia medica to be brought before the National 
 Medical Association because they were governed by the 
 code and I was not. Hence it would be impossible even 
 to have a committee of investigation appointed, and he 
 advised me to bring my medical discoveries before some 
 society not belonging to the medical profession, not
 
 Clwicc of Physicians. 8 1 
 
 perceiving that in giving such a recommendation he 
 was uttering a satire upon himself and the Association 
 by confessing their aversion to scientific progress which 
 they could not control. A letter of Dr. Gross was one 
 of the first four described by Mr. Inman, and his 
 description was similar to the foregoing. 
 
 No. 4 was described as follows : 
 
 "This man was loyal to his profession, and would 
 accept anything presented with good authority and 
 utilize it. He was fond of experimenting had a good 
 deal of brain power. He had a noble purpose. He 
 guarded against imposition and fanciful ideas, and 
 sought to have good authority for what he adopted. 
 He was a well balanced man. It seems to me he 
 published. He liked to get his ideas before the people. 
 He was a very industrious man, not content to write 
 prescriptions but looked into cases thoroughly to under- 
 stand them. He accomplished much and attained some 
 fame. He exerted a good influence in bringing forward 
 new processes and diminishing drugging, but his views 
 were not generally received. The profession was not 
 prepared for such progress. His labors produced a 
 good effect, increasing toleration and introducing a new 
 system. He was profoundly eclectic. He discarded 
 bleeding and harsh measures. He was a successful 
 practitioner, very much like the second. I do not think 
 he is living." 
 
 This was a just and very accurate description of Dr. 
 WOOSTKK BKACH, the pioneer of the Eclectic reform in 
 medical practice, whose three volumes of practice and 
 surgery published more than sixty years ago, were at 
 that time verv far in advance of anvthin in medical
 
 82 Choice of Physicians. 
 
 literature. He will rank high in history as a reformer 
 and benefactor to humanity. 
 
 No. 5 was described as follows : 
 
 " He was an American and above the usual size of 
 Americans, had a large brain, a great deal of will power 
 and self-esteem. He was an independent thinker not 
 intimidated by opposition, somewhat pugnacious as 
 to doctrines and not sufficiently amiable to be generally 
 popular. He was quite verbose and would make a stir 
 in society. He had talent, was well read, and a good 
 lecturer, clear headed, and popular with students, 
 capable of lecturing on almost any medical subject, 
 and felt that he had few superiors. He was progressive 
 and somewhat original, would be apt to take hold of 
 new ideas, especially phrenology, and was favorable to 
 your ideas. He was in love with his profession, had 
 great penetration and looked forward to results. He 
 was fond of debating and wished to be regarded as 
 understanding every great theme before the public. 
 He was a very good lecturer, had a strong way of 
 speaking. He travelled a good deal and lectured much 
 more than he practiced. He could practice if required 
 by necessity, but he preferred literature and lecturing. 
 The leaders of the profession did not give him as much 
 credit as he deserved, but considered him visionary as 
 he was more progressive and independent." 
 
 This is a very remarkable description of Prof. CHARLES 
 CALDWELL, more vivid from impressions derived from 
 an old letter written under excitement from the machina- 
 tions of his colleagues. He was a man of commanding 
 appearance and energy, of great learning, fluency and 
 impressiveness. In his younger days he was a contem-
 
 Choice of Physicians. 83 
 
 porary and competitor of Rush. In his latter days he 
 was a medical professor of Transylvania University, 
 where I had the pleasure of attending his lectures in 
 1834. He was famous for his ability, his copious 
 writings, his power as a lecturer, his self-esteem, and 
 his progressive liberal independent views. His moral 
 courage in sustaining Phrenology and Animal Magnet- 
 ism against the hostility of the profession deserves 
 great honor. Although the phrenology of Gall was an 
 imperfect science, it had a large amount of demonstrated 
 truth of which Prof. Caldwell became the American 
 champion. His independence was shown in his 
 cordiality toward my own discoveries, which he was 
 about to present to the National Medical Association 
 when his career was interrupted by death thirty-one 
 years ago. The fact brought out in the description that 
 he was a lecturer but not a practitioner was remarkable. 
 During my acquaintance of twenty years he was 
 not engaged in practice. 
 
 This minute portraiture and exact estimate of charac- 
 ter by psychometry is a transcendent marvel. In this 
 case the description not only portrays the man perfectly 
 but states exactly how he was regarded by the leaders 
 of the profession. A man of less force of character 
 would have been unable to sustain himself. I would 
 be tempted to suspect that it was assisted by thought 
 reading and owed its accuracy to my own knowledge of 
 the subject, did I not know that the opinions are equally 
 true when I have no knowledge of the subject ; and 
 when letters come from unknown persons at great 
 distances or specimens of writing arc sent, her answers 
 are as satisfactory to the correspondents as the above
 
 84 CJioicc of Physicians. 
 
 descriptions are to myself. She is never confined to 
 my knowledge of the subject or to the particular aspect 
 it assumes in my mind. The next description I think 
 equally remarkable. 
 
 No. 6 was described as follows : 
 
 " This is a physician of scientific mind, who has made 
 a great name, a very earnest student. It is not 
 Harvey, but he has made some reformatory discoveries, 
 He was not a brilliant man, but would attract attention 
 and respect. He had to wade through a great deal of 
 opposition before attaining his highest success. He 
 was educated in the old Allopathic system, and became 
 disgusted with it and made innovations. Before he 
 passed away he became a celebrity, and still he seems a 
 modest man. He had a very stormy career there 
 was so much opposition and satire all sorts of opposi- 
 tion. He put his practice into print and wrote books 
 3n his system. He introduced a system entirely and 
 "adically new, which brought down all possible violence 
 f rom the old practitioners, but he lived to see the 
 benefit of his system. 
 
 (What was he as a practitioner ?) " In the beginning 
 he felt unsatisfied with what he had been taught. He 
 would be successful in practice by his own system. 
 He was skilful in diagnosis and prescriptions. He 
 cared more for curing people than for the emoluments. 
 He was a true physician. I think he was the discoverer 
 of the infinitesimal doses." 
 
 This was Samuel Hahnemann, and in this description 
 we perceive an instantaneous grasp of the whole 
 character and status of the man. Sometimes, as in this 
 case, she seems to grasp the character instantaneously,
 
 Choice of Physicians. 85 
 
 especially when it is congenial, but in others less con- 
 genial or easy to describe, she developes the character 
 piecemeal and acquires the summary estimate only 
 after studying its elements, so that the preliminary 
 portion of the description should be rejected as imper- 
 fect. The description of Hahnemann is so perfect and 
 concise that it is difficult for any one to realize that she 
 did not know of whom she was speaking. My first 
 experiments with Mr. Inman manifested as prompt 
 and sometimes as delicate perceptions, but I have found 
 no one with so complete and correct appreciation of 
 every character investigated, however peculiar. Hence, 
 I feel no doubt in relying upon her judgment of persons 
 whose character is somewhat equivocal, and of literary 
 or historical characters of whom I wish to speak ; 
 and I feel safe in accepting her judgment of the 
 founders of religions and the leaders in philosophy. 
 
 HIPPOCRATES (following HOMER.) 
 
 "This is not living. He is not as ancient as Homer 
 but is an ancient scholar and writer. I think he wrote 
 on medical subjects. He was very well versed in medical 
 science. lie was a man of extraodinary intellect 
 mental force. He was a great student of Nature. I 
 think he knew something of hygiene, but not so much 
 as we know to-day. He was a great botanist and 
 understood the virtues of plants and trees. He wrote 
 upon such subjects. He spent his time in making 
 discoveries in the vegetable and mineral kingdoms. 
 
 " I think he founded a school. He understood the 
 human constitution understood anatomy as well as it 
 was known then. He knew more than his cotempor-
 
 86 CJioice of Physicians. 
 
 aries on such subjects. He had a strong muscular 
 constitution and great will-power. 
 
 (What do you think of him as a physician ?) 
 
 " I don't think he understood surgery. In many of 
 his remedies there was a want of adaptation to the 
 disease ; but he opened the way for others to follow. 
 He left it in a crude state. He was a practical man 
 guided by experience, mainly, but he had his theories. 
 
 (What of his moral nature ?) 
 
 "He was a man of good character not a reckless 
 man he had a religious nature. He left a good 
 reputation. He is referred to to-day. 
 
 (If he were here to-day what would be his medical 
 policy ?) 
 
 " He would adopt the eclectic practice."
 
 , CHAPTER VII. 
 
 PSYCHOMETRY IN POLITICS. 
 
 Its importance in filling high offices President Cleveland an example 
 Prophetic view of the election as to the four candidates 
 Description of Gov. St. John Of Gen. Butler Of Mr. Elaine, 
 coincident with the opinions of his opponents Authority of Psy- 
 chometry as a tribunal Description of Gov. Cleveland, of Gen. 
 Grant, of Samuel J. Tilden Method of obtaining the descriptions 
 Description of Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine Of Bismarck 
 Of \V. E. Gladstone of D'Israeli Of Gen. Grant in 1885. 
 
 If the claims of Psychometry as the interpreter of 
 character are well grounded, it is a far more reliable 
 guide than popular elections or the choice of electoral 
 colleges for filling high offices, and when the people of 
 the United States become sufficiently enlightened to be 
 guided by it, we shall have a political millennium the 
 country being ruled by the wisest and best. Pope 
 says 
 
 " For forms of government let fools contest 
 That which is best administered is best." 
 
 But the United States having an admirable/*?/-;// of 
 government already, the able and wise administration 
 which Psychometry might select would be such an 
 improvement as to be properly called a political millen- 
 nium. We are at the present time enjoying a slight 
 intimation of what Psychometry might give us in Presi- 
 dent Cleveland, who was psychometrically indicated as 
 the proper man for the Presidency.
 
 88 PsycliCMCtry in 
 
 During the late Presidential contest I sought the 
 counsel of psychometry several times to determine for 
 myself what was the comparative merit of the candidates 
 and what were their prospects of success. A full report 
 was made upon each of the candidates and 1 this report I 
 read to a public audience in Boston at Berkeley Hall, 
 who received it with much apparent approbation. The 
 question as to the result of the election was happily 
 answered. 
 
 BLAIXE. When Mr. Blaine was described my ques- 
 tion was, "What of his future?" The reply came, 
 " I think he will go on as he has. He has the greatest 
 struggle now that he has ever had. He has no doubt 
 of success. He thinks himself irresistible but I 
 think he will fail, something will disappoint, but I can't 
 see what, I can't explain. I believe this must be 
 Blaine," which ended the description. 
 
 Gov. ST. JOHN'S concluded as follows : " I believe he 
 will establish a permanent and powerful party, and his 
 career for the rest of his life will be very successful, but 
 he will never be president." 
 
 GEN. BUTLER was described as " r.iming' for office 
 with a nomination for it, but I don't think he will 
 succeed. . . . He will live many years yet, and has a 
 good chance to hold some prominent office again, but 
 he will never be higher than governor." 
 
 Of Gov. CLEVELAND after an accurate description 
 had been given, I asked " Is he a candidate ? " Reply, 
 " I think he is from the excitement connected with 
 him." 
 
 (If he is a candidate, what seems to be the probable 
 result does he anticipate success?) "I think he
 
 Politics. 89 
 
 does he does not care a great deal about it, but for 
 the principles of his party. Unless some great wrong 
 is done, I think he may be elected really and honestly, 
 but how much fraud may come in I cannot see. There 
 will be a terrible time in this election. There is a 
 secret organization the people do not dream of for the 
 purpose of defeating this man. It will be the most 
 corrupt canvass ever known in this country. Still his 
 chances are good, but I cannot be certain. Is it Cleve- 
 land ?" (" It is.") " If the election is fair he will have 
 the majority, but there is an underground force against 
 him." 
 
 Thus the description was emphatically against the 
 success of each of the other three candidates when they 
 were investigated separately and emphatically in favor 
 of Cleveland's election if not interfered with by a 
 fraudulent conspiracy of which she psychometrically 
 recognized the existence, and of which the public saw 
 some indication in the animus of the contending par- 
 ties. She did not say that the conspiracy would be 
 successful, but expressed an apprehension what was cer- 
 tainly well founded. These impressions were confirmed 
 by other psychometers of less reputation. 
 
 As to the character and fitness of each of the candi- 
 dates I obtained an accurate report. The following is 
 the description of 
 
 GOV. ST. JOHN. 
 
 "This an entirely different characte- nothing like 
 Blaine. It is a man of quiet unobtrusive nature com- 
 pared to Blaine not pretentious or overbearing. He 
 is a man of good impulses and good principles, also
 
 90 Psychometry in 
 
 good judgment. He is an intellectual man a man of 
 sterling qualities. 
 
 " I would not call him a trimmer, but he has a good deal 
 of policy and approbativeness would do some things 
 for effect. He is an aspirant for office. He has bright 
 dreams for the future. He seems to have a good deal 
 of repose of character. He is not a very magnetic man. 
 He could win friends more by his seeming generosity, 
 but he is not fond of display. 
 
 " He would like an office for its emoluments and 
 eclat, and he is a party man. He would work for his 
 party, but there is a principle in it. He thinks his 
 party is right and he would not work for a party that 
 was not right. 
 
 " There is a retirement in his nature. He does not 
 really desire to be forced into politics, but he is. Possi- 
 bly he is one of the candidates, I think he is. (For 
 what is he a candidate ?) It is not for governor, he is 
 one of the candidates for president. He has held some 
 office possibly he has been governor. 
 
 " This man is not understood. He has better quali- 
 ties than he is reported to have by his opponents, but 
 he is not very sensitive to public opinion and can 
 defend himself when necessary. He would be a good 
 lawyer. He stirs up the thinking people, the judicious 
 people not the rabble. 
 
 (Q. What are his principles ?) 
 
 " He is humanitarian. If fortunate enough to become 
 President, he would make a good one. He would 
 astonish the nation and do away with a good deal of the 
 folly at Washington. He is not a showy man, does not 
 care for show. I mi<rht call him a democrat.
 
 Politics. 9 1 
 
 (Q. What are the most important principles he is 
 concerned in ?) 
 
 " He is an equal rights man and would give suffrage 
 to women. He is very much interested in the latter 
 question and in prohibition. I don't see what he thinks 
 of the tariff question. 
 
 " I believe he will establish a permanent party, and 
 his career for the rest of his life will be very success- 
 ful though he will never be president." 
 
 GEN. BUTLER was described as follows : 
 
 " He is a person of research, who would have the 
 capacity of making great researches. He would have 
 succeeded well as an antiquarian. 
 
 " He seems a stout man, pretty well advanced in life, 
 older than he looks to be. He has a very brilliant 
 intellect and large brain. He has cultured his intellect 
 and exercised his mental powers greatly though he does 
 not seem a literary man. He has turned his mind 
 greatly to the accumulation of wealth. 
 
 " He would have succeeded in the clerical or medical 
 profession, and it would have suited his nature better, 
 but his inclination has been diverted and he has engaged 
 in politics and legal practice. He is successful as a 
 lawyer and has good practical ability. He possesses a 
 great deal of zeal and throws his whole soul into what- 
 ever he undertakes to do, and is a pugnacious man. 
 
 " He aims high, desires a high position and works 
 for it. He has very good oratorical powers, and is very 
 clear in statement and throws a good deal of magnetism 
 over his hearers. He has wit and sarcasm. 
 
 " This man is not really understood. It is hard to 
 make people understand him. His course excites preju-
 
 92 Psychomctry in 
 
 dice and envy. He has many good impluses but is not 
 uniform in his purposes does not always carry them 
 out systematically and in order. In the past there have 
 been breaks in his life work, some sort of change or 
 interruptions. He has lent himself to the influence of 
 party and mistakes in this way which have obscured 
 him for a time. 
 
 " He seems to have an independent set of principles 
 which belong to himself and seem original. He wants 
 to hold to his principles and yet hold onto the influence 
 of party and is something of a trimmer, but does not 
 lose sight of his principles. 
 
 " He seems destined to wield considerable power in 
 
 this country. He has already made himself a name in 
 
 some way. I think he has a war record. He would 
 
 * favor the people or the working classes. He seems 
 
 identified with them. 
 
 " He is deeply interested in the present canvass 
 aiming for office with a nomination for it, but I don't 
 think he will succeed. He will not be a success in 
 what he is aiming at. Those whom he considers his 
 friends will not support him as he expects. For some 
 reason he will not be able to hold them. But he will 
 have a career. He will keep the people stirred up. He 
 will live many years yet, and has a good chance to hold 
 some prominent office but he will never be higher than 
 governor." 
 
 Of MR. BLAINE the description was powerful ami 
 graphic. It was admired as a descriptive sketch for its 
 close and unmistakable fidelity, but I have decided not 
 to insert it in this volume. I offered it to a Boston 
 editor after the election and he expressed unwillingness
 
 Politics. 93 
 
 to publish anything which would revive the unpleasant 
 memories of the recent contest in which his friends 
 had been much divided. For a similar reason I shall 
 omit it, though I esteem it a splendid illustration of 
 psychometry. It embodied the same views of Mr. 
 Blaine which were expressed and illustrated by his 
 political opponents and the persons who had been 
 intimately acquainted with him but independent enough 
 to resist his influence. It was a thorough vindication 'of 
 the independent Republican movement prompted by his 
 moral obliquities which saved our country from a politi- 
 cal calamity. It was remarked by Senator Wadleigh 
 soon after the beginning of Cleveland's administration, 
 that he had found no one who regretted having voted 
 for Cleveland but many who regretted their vote for 
 Blaine. Psychometry expressed in this as in other 
 cases the verdict of the enlightened the verdict of 
 public opinion after the excitement of the hour has 
 subsided describing his remarkable abilities, his 
 magnetic control of men, his remarkable career, and his 
 final failure, with the opinion that "he would be a 
 dangerous man in power." 
 
 There is no better method than the psychometric of 
 settling the debated questions that disturb society, and 
 listening in advance to the voice of posterity. In the 
 realm of divine intuition time is no barrier past and 
 future are comprehended in the eternal Now. 
 
 1 have not failed to appeal to this power in reference 
 to my own labors. Vanity and enthusiasm may 
 deceive us, but psychometry may be the telephone of 
 future ages, and fortified by their voice we can ignore
 
 94 PsycJioinctry in 
 
 with equal ease the vulgar sentiment of the rabble and 
 the pedantic assumptions of collegiate ignorance. 
 
 I have weighed in the balance of Psychometry the 
 claims not only of our own public men, but of men of 
 other countries and times, whom I was interested to 
 understand, and believe that I see them clearly, unhin- 
 dered by the thick mists of history. In reference to 
 Mr. Blaine, I have submitted his character to some of. 
 my psychometric pupils hoping that its dark shades 
 might be softened by some one, but on the contrary 
 the darker aspects of his character were stated in still 
 more emphatic language. 
 
 GOV. CLEVELAND. 
 
 Of Gov. Cleveland the following description was given 
 and was confirmed by other psychometers. 
 
 "It seems a person in prominent position at the 
 present time. There is not much bluster about him, 
 not much self-conceit. I think he is modest. 
 
 " He has dignity of character, and seems to have an 
 inborn sensitiveness. I feel like going into his soul 
 nature. He is a thinking man. "He has a great deal 
 of nobility of character is not at all selfish but is 
 sometimes imprudent in small things. (I do not mean 
 in business life.) In business he is a good man, wholly 
 reliible and trustworthy, and of exceedingly just princi- 
 ples. He seems to have a high sense of his moral 
 obligations. He is not ostentatious. He has a keen 
 sense of his own abilities, and would not undertake 
 anything unless he knew he could fill the requirements. 
 What he does he does well, no matter what it is. He 
 is not lax in doing things. He looks high but has not
 
 Politics. 95 
 
 any particular aim as to his own aggrandizement he is 
 not a vain man. 
 
 " He holds a high position now, possibly in the politi- 
 cal world." 
 
 (Q. What of his past and future ?) 
 
 " I am looking at the man and am attracted to his 
 domestic nature. He has great filial love. There does 
 not seem to be much domesticity about him. He don't 
 seem to have had time to cultivate domestic life. His 
 life has been filled with work or duties that precluded 
 domestic life. 
 
 " He is a comfortable looking man, as if the affairs of 
 'the world did not trouble him much. He is conscien- 
 tious, very scrupulous and nice in his transactions. 
 
 " I do not see any generalship. He never had a 
 military career, he seems like a citizen. He has an 
 army of friends. He is a hard and close worker." 
 
 (Q. What are his domestic relations ?) 
 
 " I don't see any domestic life around him. He has 
 appreciation of women, but I see no family around him. 
 His life in that respect is like the average of men. I 
 don't think his associations would lead him to 
 abandoned women. He is not a young man, and he 
 might have had some unpleasant relations with women 
 in early life like other men, but he is not a bad man in 
 any way. 
 
 " A great many people envy him, they don't wish to 
 do him any bodily injury ; but would like to defame him 
 if they could 
 
 " He would be a splendid manager. He has great 
 ability for managing large things has great foresight,
 
 96 Psychometry in 
 
 shrewdness and keen judgment. He seerns now like a 
 statesman but not a diplomatic man." 
 
 (Q. How would you like to place him ?) 
 
 " He could conduct the affairs of a nation with a 
 good deal of system and do honor to the position. If 
 the people should nominate him and place him in the 
 White House, it would be the best thing for the country. 
 He seems much like President Buchanan as a dignified 
 gentleman. He would give dignity to the position 
 better than any one who has been there for years. I 
 begin to think this is Gov. Cleveland. He seems to 
 have some relation to the White House." 
 
 (Q. Is he a candidate ?) 
 
 " I think he is from the excitement connected with 
 him." 
 
 (Q. If he is a candidate what seems to be the 
 probable result does he anticipate success ?) 
 
 "I think he does he does not care a great deal 
 about it but for the principles of his party. Unless 
 some great wrong is done I think he will be elected 
 really and honestly, but how much fraud may come in I 
 cannot see. There will be a terrible time this election. 
 There is a secret organization, the people do not dream 
 of for the purpose of defeating this man. It will be the 
 most corrupt canvass ever known in this country. Still 
 his chances are good, but I cannot be certain. Is it 
 Cleveland ? " 
 
 (A. It is.) 
 
 " If the election is fair he will have the majority, but 
 there is an underground force against him. I have not 
 said half I might say of his interior character."
 
 Politics. 97 
 
 GEN. GRANT. 
 
 (After the description of Alexander of Russia, Dec. 
 26, 1879.) 
 
 " This character is more humane not so tyrannical. 
 He trusts to his own judgment. He has greater ability 
 for conducting military campaigns, and would have more 
 humane feelings. He would surrender a claim sooner 
 than shed much blood. He does not love war, would 
 seek peace, but would not be considered a coward. 
 
 "He is a pillar of strength. He holds power individ- 
 ually it is innate." 
 
 (What has been his career ?) 
 
 " He has advanced by degrees as stepping stones. 
 He is far-seeing, far-reaching, He has a great ambition, 
 likes to rule. His ambition has been gratified. He 
 has held a high position as a ruler, but is dethroned 
 is not in power now. He would not be averse to 
 making his mark again in war. His ambition is not 
 dead. He aims at political power, seeks it by his 
 emissaries or friends who adhere to him. He could 
 command all the money he would need. He is not 
 making it manifest, but waiting developments, expecting 
 and prepared." 
 
 (Will his anticipations be fulfilled ?) 
 
 " I fear not to his entire satisfaction, that he will not 
 attain as much as he wishes. He feels sad. He would 
 like to be on the same pedestal as before, and promises 
 to himself to rule in a different way more humanita- 
 rian, but he fears disappointment. I feel that it is 
 doubtful. If war takes place he would be brought 
 forward, but I think he will be disappointed in attaining
 
 98 PsycJiomctry in 
 
 the position he had before. There will be rivalry. 
 Rivals will leave nothing undone to defeat him'." 
 (Look to the future for a few years ?) 
 " I see in the future pleasant surroundings, a charm- 
 ing landscape, happiness and content are there." 
 (What is the cause or the source of his power ?) 
 " I think he has inspiration. He has through his 
 lineage spirits that come and take possession of him 
 old spirits Jewish some of them." 
 
 (From which parent did he derive this ?) 
 " From his mother. He is clairvoyant but does not 
 know it. Ideas come to him that surprise him, he has 
 prophetic ideas. He does not show out as many do but 
 has an interior nature. He has great determination 
 and courage, does not krfow fear, has great hopes." 
 
 SAMUEL J. TILDEN (Sept. 4, 1 8/9). 
 
 " This is a male person, and one who figures or has 
 figured extensively and is well known. He might 
 possibly over-reach himself but he is cautious and 
 methodical. He adjusts things very nicely, he is quite 
 adroit. 
 
 " He does not seem to be one who has figured in the 
 literary world or as an author, but is intellectually great 
 and looked up to. He writes a great deal and has an 
 extensive correspondence. 
 
 " He occupies or has occupied a very high position in 
 life, and would make a great many firm friends and has 
 many enemies. His attributes of character do not 
 make men hate him, but he is bold and would make 
 enemies. 
 
 " He wields or has wielded power though not at all
 
 Politics. 99 
 
 military, but is a man of the people a politician and a 
 strong one. He does not mean to be a trickster, but 
 persons would sometimes construe him as one. He 
 acts from his best impulses and what seems to him 
 right. He's not absolutely selfish, but not a humanita- 
 rian, he never took part in any humanitarian movement, 
 but in case of suffering would give willingly. He 
 does not embrace advanced ideas, but is genial with his 
 friends. 
 
 " He would acquire wealth and has acquired it, but is 
 not a Vanderbilt or Stewart. I feel that he has held 
 high position in a political career. He aims at the 
 highest office that could be offered him, and likes popu- 
 larity for the sake of carrying his points. To some he 
 is agreeable, but to others he is cold and reserved, but 
 is popular with many friends. Yet there are many 
 who are adverse to him and do not wish to see him 
 elevated. They regard him with jealousy and fear. 
 They misconceive him and blame his acts which he 
 considers right. 
 
 " In political matters he would not be a philanthropist 
 but a politician, yet he would be strict and discreet and 
 disappoint his enemies at the same time sticking to his 
 principles. He would show more greatness if he had 
 the opportunity of the high office he desires, and would 
 disappoint his enemies. 
 
 " He is naturally selfish in business and would con- 
 sider self chiefly. He has great will-power and thinks 
 a great deal of himself but I don't think he is dishonest. 
 He could be trusted. He would not go to work to 
 carry on a fraud but would look sharply to advance his 
 own interests. He would oppose fraud and try to bring
 
 TOO Psyclioinctry in 
 
 it to light for the public good, even if his friends were 
 in the fraud. He would dare to expose them, for he is 
 fearless and aims high, having great ambition. He is 
 cunning and adjusts his decisions and speeches to the 
 question of popularity. 
 
 " He has large hopes and is not to be disheartened, 
 and will work to carry his aim, having much power over 
 others, but there are too many obstacles for his political 
 success." 
 
 These portraitures of public men may be read by 
 many to whom Psychometry is unfamiliar, and who 
 would have great difficulty in realizing that any one can 
 give so accurate a description of a person of whom they 
 knew nothing before, and whom they describe merely 
 by listening to the inner voice of intuition, guided by 
 the impressions coming through the fingers without the 
 slightest intimation whom the person may be whether 
 male or female, young or old, living or dead, honorable 
 or criminal, gifted or idiotic. Such persons must by 
 force of habit suspect that in some way the psychome- 
 ter received some hint or was guided by leading ques- 
 tions, or saw something to guide the mind in a picture 
 or autograph. I can only assure them that no such 
 hints or assistance have been tolerated, that the thing 
 described is always kept invisible, that leading questions 
 are carefully avoided, and that sometimes descriptions 
 are given without a single question being asked. 
 Knowing the reliability of psychometry I am very 
 careful to avoid anything which could influence the 
 imagination or make any impression on the mind, as 
 such impression might tend to impair the photographic 
 accuracy of psychometry. An opinion may be given of
 
 Politics. i o i 
 
 one whom she knows, but the probability is that it 
 would not be as searching, accurate, and impartial as 
 if all knowledge had been excluded. 
 
 To very skeptical minds all evidence loses its value 
 when it concerns matters beyond the range of their 
 experience and contrary to their fixed opinions Such 
 persons can learn only by their personal experience, 
 and therefore when I assure them that we have in the 
 United States a hundred thousand persons in whom 
 psychometrical power can be developed, they may 
 realize that perhaps I am not indulging in delusions but 
 simply dispelling a vast amount of ignorance which 
 prevacles our literature, science, and collegiate instruc- 
 tion. 
 
 NAPOLEON nOXAPARTF. (Dec. 14, 
 
 " This is a spirit. There's more warmth in this 
 brain than in Swedenborg's. It gives me great fulness 
 of the whole forehead. He was full of intellect his 
 brain was a great workshop. 
 
 " He was a self-made man had no great advantages 
 in youth. It was not till he arrived at manhood that he 
 got into the sphere nature intended. He studied 
 very hard and came out a self-reliant man of genius. 
 Growing out of books he threw away authors and dis- 
 approved of others opinions generally. 
 
 "He seems to stand alone. He did not identify him- 
 self with any religious or political sect, but stood 
 isolated. lie felt like breaking up the old systems and 
 traditions. Nothing would suit him better than to rush 
 on and demolish the past. He did not believe in tradi- 
 tions or the Bible ; he was skeptical.
 
 IO2 Psyclioinctry in 
 
 " He seems somewhat philanthropic for the public 
 good and philosophized in that direction. He was 
 industrious and energetic, singular in deportment, 
 careless in his habits. Society rather feared him. He 
 was not popular except with a few friends. He was 
 regardless as to people's opinions. He did not covet 
 riches, but loved fame, power and popularity. He 
 attained distinction. He could rouse great interest in 
 himself and obtain great applause. He could talk well. 
 
 " He never was quiet. He delighted to break up the 
 old order, though I would not call him a disorganizes 
 He was ambitious to be known as a leader in politics. 
 If he could get the supreme authority he would not 
 hesitate to do dark deeds. I don't know that he would 
 murder, but he would commit crimes." 
 
 (How does he compare with Caesar ?) 
 
 " I do not like him as well as Coesar. He has not the 
 same grandeur of character. His love of power would 
 lead him to do things Coesar would not have done. lie 
 would undermine friendships. He had great secretive- 
 ness and employed spies and did many things that were 
 not just. He would betray a trust. His love of fame 
 and power overpowered his better qualities. 
 
 " He had considerable love, but more of lust. He 
 loved women and they liked him. He had a command- 
 ing power over women irresistable. 
 
 " In private life he might be truthful and honorable, 
 but in everything that concerned ambition he was 
 unscrupulous and not to be trusted. He was a skilful 
 liar. 
 
 " Aftg: all he had a love of flattery and did not try to 
 see through it. He was really great and grew in power
 
 Politics. 103 
 
 naturally. He had military skill on sea and land. He 
 was not a mere general but a commander-in-chief of 
 armies. He cared not how anything was done if it was 
 done. He was very successful and a great conqueror, 
 but after all was not satisfied. His latter years was 
 passed in seclusion. He looked at his past as being all 
 vanity. 
 
 " He loved more than one. He had control of women 
 mistresses. He loved his first wife and always 
 respected her more. There was one woman who was 
 equal to any emergency. She seemed to control him 
 or keep him in his place a mistress perhaps. She 
 had a high temper. 
 
 " He was a benefit to the world, for he was a grand 
 mover, stimulated people, brought out their energies. 
 
 " His character is not to be admired. He has a 
 similar character in the spirit world, but he would be a 
 different man now, a powerful spirit. His grand work 
 now would be to apply his great ideas to philanthropy. 
 His first wife instructs him now. 
 
 JOSEPHINE (Oct. 19. 1880;. 
 
 "This is a woman a character noted for gentleness 
 and humane qualities. Her deeds shone out in great 
 brightness, she was a humanitarian. 
 
 " She is not living now. Was she not the wife of a 
 king ? " (Yes.) " I ler subjects adored her for her many 
 grand qualities. She had a troubled life, not caused by 
 herself or her own acts. Had she not some trouble 
 with her husband ?" (Yes.) " I feel that he was tyran- 
 nical and cruel. He was not careful of her nature or 
 about wounding her feelings. He could not appreciate
 
 IO4 Psycliomctry in 
 
 her love and tenderness. There is a warring element 
 here. She had some deep sorrow in her life. There 
 was a spirit of turbulence and jealousy about her it 
 seemed like a conspiracy in which women were con- 
 cerned and her husband's tyranny and jealousy. 
 
 " Her best talents from nature were never fully 
 developed in consequence of her marriage. It was not 
 a love marriage. 
 
 " She was religious and devotional. She had the 
 capacity in society to attract always distinguished 
 personages. She did not always seek them, but loved 
 the people and helped the unfortunate. She was noted 
 for her benevolent sympathetic nature. 
 
 " In her love she would compare with Cleopatra 
 trio ugh less voluptuous. She had great power of attrac- 
 tion for men of the highest rank and literary men. She 
 was fond of art. She would not rule with as much 
 force as Cleopatra ; her disposition was more amiable, 
 not so wilful." 
 
 (Was she an authoress ?) 
 
 " She could have been, she had the ability, but I don't 
 think she was. 
 
 "Her taking off was rather unnatural. Was not 
 ther-2 a separation from her husband ? She suffered 
 terribly from jealousy. 
 
 "Now she is all right brilliant her whole nature 
 free, and would seem changed but not so, only devel- 
 oped fully. She takes a great interest in social ques- 
 tions. She is not in the same work as her husband. 
 He is not her spirit mate unless he has changed greatly. 
 They come together because she is developing him but 
 they arc not spiritually mated. She is very fresh and
 
 Politics. 105 
 
 youthful very impulsive much like Serafina. She 
 has great dignity but simplicity. All her acts are cnar- 
 actcrized by gentleness and simplicity. She never 
 repelled any one. She seems like a Spanish or Greek or 
 Roman character." 
 
 
 
 BISMARCK (Jan. 3, 1880). 
 
 "This is a male. He desires to wield power would 
 like to attain eminence without chicanery (this remark 
 was in contrast to a politician previously described) by 
 his ability. He don't want any bombast or false state- 
 ments. 
 
 " lie holds an office of some kind and of great power 
 immense power, in state affairs. Her word is re- 
 spected. He is naturally authoritative and dogmatic 
 but modifies this appearance by his policy and by some 
 wit or humor." 
 
 (Q. What are his leading motives ? ) 
 
 "His motives are selfish self first the public 
 next. He is not philanthropic but patriotic. 
 
 "He has a great brain a remarkable insight into 
 governmental affairs, their rights and wrongs. lie is a 
 great statesman in high position. lie is jealous ot 
 Russian power and despotism. People from his country 
 are under Russian rule." 
 
 I'KINCF. BISMARCK OF CIF.KMANV. 
 
 The foregoing words unseen in the hands of the Mrs. 
 H, (April 29, 1885) elicited the following : 
 
 "This is a very bright active mind seems to be 
 ever on the alert. There is a peculiar keenness about 
 this character. It is an exceedingly adroit mind pen-
 
 io6 Psychomctry in 
 
 etrating and far-seeing. It seems like something I 
 have read before (She had described Bismarck some 
 years previously). 
 
 " I think it is a man. There are many strides in his 
 life, or epochs. He has lulls and then goes on and 
 makes his mark. I cannot express all that I perceive. 
 This character does not require pushing. He has so 
 much spontaneity, he is ready and alert when called on. 
 I should not be surprised if he is a military man he 
 understands military operations. 
 
 " He is a diplomatic man. I dont think he would 
 favor war, or willingly engage in it. He would not en- 
 gage in war on account of prestige, but would use a 
 different policy, and endeavor to settle difficulties, so 
 that the governments could feel that they had not 
 yielded or conceded. His policy has great ingenuity 
 and skill. Is he a general or something higher he 
 seems something higher in command than a general. 
 He has a great deal of friendliness in his nature toward 
 his friends and honorable opponents." 
 
 (How does he exercise his power ? ") 
 
 " He is commanding much depends upon his word. 
 He has a power like an emperor or president, but has 
 not as strong a control of the government as he would 
 like. His principles altogether are not just what you 
 would consider correct, but he is disposed to be benevo- 
 lent and not in any way revengeful or cruel. He has 
 good sympathies is a sympathetic man when called 
 out and has some sentiments of devotion. He might be 
 called a religious man. He exercises his authority by 
 speech as much as any other way he addresses his 
 people. His delivery is clear, deep and fervid not
 
 Politics. 1 07 
 
 boisterous or loud. If he engaged in war, it would be 
 more defensive than aggressive." 
 
 (What is his nationality?) 
 
 " He seems like a German. He is a great statesman. 
 He has great diplomacy. I am sure I know who it is." 
 
 (What are his views as to war between England and 
 Russia ?) 
 
 " He will make an effort to avert it though he looks 
 upon it as a foregone conclusion. He has been watch- 
 ing this thing a long time. In his real sentiments he 
 sympathizes with England, but it would not do to show 
 his feelings, as he wishes to avert it. It would give him 
 great pain to see these nations go into war. I must 
 tell you this is Bismarck. He is not indifferent as to 
 the war. Both nations have respect for him. He can- 
 not remain indifferent. I think even now he is maturing 
 some plans to secure peace. He feels that it is not al- 
 together under his control. I feel that he is not at rest 
 he is using his pen at this time. [At that moment it 
 was about one o'clock p. m. at Berlin]. 
 
 " He has had much controversy on this subject, as to 
 the plans of negotiation and the management of the 
 army not with the emperor who favors peace, but 
 others. There is a class in Germany who would like to 
 see war not a large element nor of the best classes." 
 
 (How does he compare with Gladstone ? ) 
 
 " Gladstone is more cool and deliberate and more phil- 
 anthropic I like him best. Bismarck is more diplo- 
 matic and authoritative." 
 
 W. E. GLADSTONE. 
 
 The first psychometric investigation of Mr. Gladstone
 
 loS Psychometry in 
 
 by Mrs. B., at New York, Sept. 25, 1882, was published 
 as follows in a London journal, with the editorial re- 
 mark, ' Mrs. Buchanan's psychometry seems to be of 
 a wonderful character. There is an incisive grasp 
 about the delineation of Mr. Gladstone, which carries 
 conviction of truth with it." 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 " I feel so much power and activity of brain ! So very 
 clear and cautious ! It seems to me this is a man that 
 holds a great deal of power at this present time ; one 
 who is swaying the public mind. 
 
 "This man is remarkably far-sighted, shrewd, and ex- 
 ecutive a tactician, or one who has great tact. 
 
 " I feel so much heat in the blood ! This man's brain 
 is so intense ; a man could not live with such intensity 
 rJl the time but he is living, and will live. 
 
 "I feel that he is ruling a great ruling power, like 
 generalship not as a king, or emperor, but guiding 
 and directing. He is full of courage, but docs not aim 
 at the aggrandizement of personal ambition. He seems 
 like a man whose ambition would lead him to benevo- 
 lent designs not benevolent exactly, but humane and 
 statesmanlike, for the general good. He seems to have 
 strategy, being far seeing ; strategy to counteract op- 
 posing forces or designs. I feel all filled with fire and 
 energy to accomplish a certain purpose. He does not 
 fail in any great purpose, or cause, he might be called to 
 defend. He is a valorous man a man fearless in times 
 of great trouble, and very cool. He seems born for 
 what he is. Nature has endowed him with fine capa-
 
 Politics. 109 
 
 bilities ; but he is highly cultured, has studied hard 
 looked into causes. 
 
 " I think this is not an American ; though I think he 
 speaks the English language. He seems more like an 
 Englishman. Am I correct in that ? " 
 
 (Reporter : " Yes." 
 
 " He seems to me now like a person who would have 
 to rest. He needs rest at this present time rest for 
 his brain he's been so long in action. Oh, this is 
 terrible ! It gives me pain in the temples. [Pressing 
 her hands on her temples.] Oh, what a mental strain 
 he has had ! Such sleepless nights ! He 's been en- 
 gaged among some wonderful scenes, where responsi- 
 bility rested upon him, and he has not thought of 
 self. Oh, such terrible things he has passed through ; 
 he has been wonderfully tortured in mind. He is a 
 soldier a wonderfully astute and clear-headed general 
 he keeps his own counsel. He would not be afraid 
 to go into action into active duty on the field of bat- 
 tle. I must hold my head and rest a little." [She 
 presses her hands upon her head.] 
 
 (Reporter: " What has he been attending to, or con- 
 ducting lately ? ") 
 
 " I feel that he has had to do with a turbulent condi- 
 tion it seems like war. Yes, cannonading, all kinds 
 of missiles of warfare He has been directing it, as 
 some great director at the helm." 
 
 (Rej)orter : "Is there anything else that engages his 
 attention ? ") 
 
 " It is hard to get away from that I have been talking 
 about. I am waiting to see if he is a literary man. He 
 is very intellectual, and has talcni; for literature.
 
 1 10 Psychometry in 
 
 " He has always occupied high places. I don't think 
 he can be ranked as a literary man, but he is fond of 
 literature. His mind would run more to State and 
 government than to literature. 
 
 "He's a man of great decision would not change 
 his mind from sympathy with surroundings. He is not 
 easily turned, for he decides with great deliberation and 
 coolness. He is a man in whom the people have great 
 confidence. He shows the people that he is humane. 
 If he were a ruler, he would be compassionate and just 
 to his subjects he seems almost in such a capacity. 
 He sways great power, and has to do with European 
 Powers seems to be constantly dictating. He's a 
 strict adherent to the honor of his country a true 
 Englishman in that respect. 
 
 " Oh, now, I begin to think this is the Queen's 
 Premier, Gladstone. He 's so grand so thoroughly 
 English." 
 
 (Reporter : " You are right. Tell us his policy as to 
 Ireland and Egypt.") 
 
 " He is Ireland's best friend, and he will make them 
 see it yet. He will exercise a humane policy towards 
 Ireland, and they will give him praise for his acts to- 
 wards them. 
 
 " He don't concede very much don't yield, but he 
 seems ever prompted by a spirit of justice. He is not 
 an intriguer. As to Egypt, his action will be concilia- 
 tory he will be a great assistant. He will assist the 
 Khedive, and be an adviser and co-operate in the best 
 means to bring that country up to its proper standing 
 among other nations. He will encourage self-depen- 
 dence. He would desire to establish harmony of
 
 Politics. 1 1 1 
 
 feeling with that country as an ally of Kngland, and 
 that will be the case. The better spirit of both coun- 
 tries will be brought out. He will avoid collision with 
 other countries if possible : when war can be averted 
 he will avert it, but when it is inevitable he will be 
 equal to the task." 
 
 Another investigation of Mr. Gladstone was made on 
 the 23d of April, 1885, when the war with Russia was 
 by many considered inevitable, and I felt curious to 
 know how the subject appeared in her mind. The im- 
 pression of Gladstone from his photograph followed 
 immediately that of Shakespeare before its influence 
 had subsided. The following was her expression : 
 
 " This too seems a literary man a man of genius. 
 
 <t O 
 
 But I feel very restless something comes in as a shad- 
 ow over me. I feel a great deal of life in him he is 
 living. He holds a high position, with a high standard 
 of intellect people admire him toady to him. 
 
 " It is an agreeable influence but restless. He has 
 something to do with government affairs affairs of 
 the country. He is not hopeful and bright at this time. 
 Things he has most at heart are not successful or pro- 
 mising as he wishes. I think he feels as if a crisis is 
 coming on in his life that may turn out badly for his 
 plans badly for the country to its disadvantage. 
 Is it not Mr. Gladstone ? It is like him ; but I feel a 
 restlessness I did not feel from him formerly. I am 
 in too much sympathy with him to describe him well." 
 
 (It is Mr. Gladstone. What does he think on the 
 question of peace or war ?) " I think he feels hopeful 
 and still doubtful though hopeful it may be averted. 
 He thinks there is a great deal of treachery on the part
 
 1 1 2 Psychometry in 
 
 of his foreign opponents and some of his own country 
 too." 
 
 (Does he anticipate mediation ?) " Yes, he looks to 
 some power interfering and pacifying the Russian 
 government. His physical condition ij improved since 
 my last description." 
 
 As to the restlessness and the feeling of treachery at 
 home and abroad, Mr. Gladstone with his frmily and 
 guests had been interrupted at breakfast that morning 
 (April 230!) by the sound of the explosion at the 
 Admiralty office (suspected to be caused by Fenians). 
 In addition to the threatening position of Russia, France 
 was threatening Egypt on account of the suppression 
 of the Bosphore Egyptian newspaper in which England 
 was necessarily involved. 
 
 D'ISRAELI, THE STATESMAN AND AUTHOR. 
 
 "This is a mm. He does not seem living (You are 
 right). He seems to have left a record which has done 
 him justice. He is not a man to make many enemies. 
 He was a great thinker and hard student. He had a 
 philosophic mind, sound and clear. He was intellectual 
 and could write or talk on almost any theme with 
 fluency. 
 
 " He seems a literary man. He aimed at literary 
 notoriety. But he was placed in some prominent posi- 
 tion where he swayed a great deal of influence. He 
 acted in a satisfactory manner. His career was an 
 enviable one. He ranked among the higher powers. 
 If American, he would rank as high as President. He 
 was not despotic, but had a good deal of the American 
 spirit."
 
 Politics. 1 1 3 
 
 (What was his language ?) " He understood several. 
 He was a scholar, a fine linguist, understood French 
 Latin, Greek, and Hebrew." 
 
 (What would be his policy in government ?) " Some- 
 what like Mr. Gladstone's, but a little more arbitrary. 
 He has a great deai of decision of character. He does 
 not decide hastily gives a great deal of thought to a 
 subject. He has travelled and familiarized himself with 
 various affairs and seems almost to have lost his nation- 
 ality. It is difficult for me to decide on it. 
 
 " After deliberating, he would act with a great deal 
 of promptness. He would put down a rebellion with a 
 great deal of energy. He was judicious, but he would 
 never retract." 
 
 (What would be his policy as to peace or war?) 
 
 " He would take great pains to conciliate, but when 
 nations were aggressive, he would put them down with 
 a great deal of vigor." 
 
 (What do you think of him as a speaker ?) 
 
 "He was very forcible in language and manner. 
 His energy would be much like that of Jackson. There 
 was a great deal of magnetism in his voice. His points 
 in argument were very clear. He would bring down a 
 great deal of applause. He always made his speeches 
 tell. It feels to me as if he was a Member of Parlia- 
 ment. There was a great deal of the Parliamentary 
 about them. He observed Parliamentary rules and 
 etiquette." 
 
 " To compare him with our orators and statesmen, 
 he was more like Clay than any I can think of." 
 
 (What was he in society ?) 
 
 " I should think he was a srreat favorite with Oueen
 
 1 14 Psychometry in 
 
 Victoria. His policy and character were such she would 
 look upon him with great favor. In social life he was 
 at home with ladies a friend to women. In his do- 
 mestic life he was all right, had no discord, was har- 
 moniously situated." 
 
 (What was his literary life ?) 
 
 "The Hebrew language comes to my mind. It 
 seems to me he was a novelist (Like whom ?) More like 
 D'Israeli than any one I can think of." 
 
 (How does his public career compare with D'Israeli ?) 
 
 " I believe it is he. I am startled with the resem- 
 blance it is so close a resemblance he must have the 
 same blood in his veins." 
 
 (You are right. How does he appear to compare 
 with Gladstone according to your impressions of each ?) 
 
 Holding the two pictures she replied : 
 
 " He has more ingenuity and policy. His love of 
 approbation is greater. He would throw more energy 
 in his speeches, but Mr. Gladstone would be more im- 
 pressive. They would address different feelings. I 
 should prefer Mr. Gladstone's policy he is more tole- 
 rant and would take more pacific measures in foreign 
 difficulties. Their dispositions are different, but they 
 are true to their positions, and viewed difficulties in the 
 same light, but would have different modes of settling 
 them." 
 
 (How would it be as to Ireland?) 
 
 " D'Israeli would consider them a difficult people to 
 deal with, and would employ very strict measures. 
 Gladstone would be more tolerant. He would employ 
 a firm, decided method, but would endeavor to make 
 them feel that their government was not oppressive."
 
 Politics. 1 1 5 
 
 In the foregoing opinion, it is quite characteristic 
 that she should be puzzled as to the nationality of 
 D'Israeli. His Jewish extraction and peculiar character 
 would not suggest an Englishman. Of the character 
 and career of D'Israeli she knew very little, and the 
 impressions were quite new to her mind. 
 
 GEN. U. S. GRANT (May IO, 1885). 
 
 " This gives me a headache. I feel brain-weary, as if 
 overtaxed. I think it is a man who studies. He is 
 engaged in some mental work that calls for a great deal 
 of strength, and draws upon his memory of events. I 
 don 't know what it is ; he does not seem an ordinary 
 literary character not like the old poets or historians. 
 I get a fresh feeling as if it were just now. 
 
 " What an eventful career ! It seems to me like a 
 person who had originated humbly was in ordinary 
 life with nothing in his early manhood that showed 
 any capacities beyond ordinary men. 
 
 "There was some occurrence, some universal agita- 
 tion, some sudden call for energy and activity, what 
 can it be, it seems like war I am all stirred up; 
 something has called him out, brought out his capacities 
 and ingenuity, and placed him in high position. 
 
 " It seems a person of no ordinary power. I feel as 
 if being braced up by the situation, physically and men- 
 tally. He is alive. Some overshadowing condition 
 brought out his shrewdness and executive ability, all 
 going in one direction, for one purpose. I don't yet 
 see what it is. 
 
 " Now I see it. He is a military man, a soldier. He 
 is not one who would give up a cause he had espoused.
 
 1 1 6 Psychometry in 
 
 He seems almost like a tiger in his strength, he holds 
 on so to his will his wonderful will-power and sagacity 
 in military tactics. 
 
 " I feel that this man is one of the great successful 
 generals in our late war ; not a Confederate, a Union 
 man : but what has that to do with the literary work 
 that I felt at first ? 
 
 " His popularity did net cease with the close of the 
 war. It was greater then than ever. He had none 
 before the war. This war brought out and developed 
 characteristics which he did not know existed. Had it 
 not been for the war, this man would have been a com- 
 mon citizen. He had not ambition to go in pursuit of 
 fame." 
 
 (What was the nature of his powers ?) 
 
 "He had an iron will. He was a bold man had no 
 trepidation though he did not court personal danger. 
 He was wise in laying his plans, and very adroit in his 
 movements. He has a great deal of intuitive power, 
 but it does not display itself in ordinary life. In mili- 
 tary affairs he took in the whole situation by intuition ; 
 he was intuitive in selecting officers, and in giving 
 orders. 
 
 " He is a politician, a radical politician. He would 
 stand by his party and his country. He loves power, 
 and his whole military career was a successful period 
 everything tended to success. He carried the un- 
 bounded good wishes of the people with him." 
 
 (To what result ?) 
 
 "I see him holding a very prominent office ; I see him 
 travelling. The people had great confidence in him,
 
 Politics. 117 
 
 and wished to give him a position to show their grati- 
 tude. They made him President. 
 
 " Now I think this is Gen. Grant. I see him as 
 President. 
 
 (Tell us of his present condition?) 
 
 "At first I felt the pressure on the intellectual facul- 
 ties from drawing too sharply on his memory. Now 
 that I know who it is, I don 't wish to speak of his con 
 dition, but he is not going to pass away soon. His 
 will-power will keep him alive, but I do not wish to 
 speak of it." 
 
 What but a marvellous intuition transcending all 
 conceivable laws of mind, could produce such a portrait 
 of Gen. Grant from impressions received only by the 
 touch of a picture unseen It gave her instantaneously 
 a sympathy with his condition at that moment weaned 
 by the work on his memoirs, and from that perfect 
 sympathy she evolved his whole life, and could, if ques- 
 tioned have given far more in detail. The remark that 
 he would have been but a common citizen if the war 
 had not called him out, and developed his powers, and 
 that his success was due to an iron will and an intuitive 
 comprehension of the military situation, a comprehen- 
 sion not shown in ordinary business, shows a thorough 
 understanding of the man. 
 
 General ISadeau says of Grant in a recent essay : 
 " Grant's genius was always ready ; it was always 
 brightest in an emergency. All his faculties were 
 sharpened in battle ; the man who to some seemed dull 
 or even slow, was then prompt and decided. When 
 the circumstances were once presented to him. he was 
 never long in determining. He sccincd to liarc <i faculty
 
 1 1 8 Psychometry in Politics. 
 
 of penetrating at once to tJie heart of things. He saw 
 what was the point to strike, or the thing to do, and he 
 never wavered in his judgment afterward, unless of 
 course, under new contingencies. Then he had no 
 false pride of opinion, no hesitation in undoing what he 
 had ordered ; but if the circumstances remained the 
 same, he never doubted his own judgment." 
 
 The immediate sympathy of the psychometer with 
 Grant before describing his character or realizing it 
 was shown in feeling his physical condition his brain 
 wearied with the tax on his memory. The experiment 
 was at four o'clock in the afternoon, and dispatches 
 published the next clay showed that he was at this time 
 engaged on his book, and had spent several hours upon 
 it the day before. 
 
 General Sherman said of Grant, according to a cor- 
 respondent of the Montreal Gazette, when asked why he 
 recognized Grant's superiority, " Because, while I could 
 map out a dozen plans for a campaign, every one of 
 which Sheridan would swear he could fight out to vic- 
 tory, neither he nor I could tell which of the plans was 
 the best one ; but Grant, who simply sat and listened 
 and looked, while we had been talking over the maps, 
 would at the end of our talking, tell us which was the 
 best plan, and in a dozen or two words the reason of 
 his decisions, and then it would all be so clear to us 
 that he was right, that Sheridan and I would look at 
 each other and wonder why we hadn't seen the advan- 
 tage of it ourselves."
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 rsVCIIOMKTKV IN l.ITKRATUKK. 
 
 Value of Psychometry in furnishing correct and condensed views of his- 
 torical and literary characters and questions. 
 
 Psychometric descriptions of Lord Hacon, l?aron Humboldt, Dr. (iall, 
 Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Prof. Tyndall, Prof. Huxley, John 
 Stuart Mill, Shakespeare, Milton, Sir Walter Scott, Homer, Victor 
 Hugo. 
 
 Literature, history and biography furnish an immense 
 mass of material, the mastery of which would require a 
 much longer period than any human life even were it 
 not involved in the trouble and difficulties of controversy 
 and criticism. Yet every one who aspires to an honora- 
 ble rank in general intelligence desires to have a sum- 
 mary conception of whatever is most important in these 
 three fields of knowledge. 
 
 Psychometry renders such a periscope possible for 
 those who are not professional literati, and who hive no 
 time to burden themselves with useless knowledge. It 
 gives us a distinct and compact conception of all who 
 have figured in the past or are conspicuous to-day, and 
 saves us from the necessity of reviewing old discussions 
 and burdening the mind with a multitude of remote 
 incidents that have little or no bearing on present 
 affairs. It gives us correct estimates of the past with its 
 personalities and its important questions and throws a 
 light upon 'personal character which rend*rsour read- 
 ing far more satisfactory and instructive. Moreover, 1: 
 
 IK;
 
 I2O Psychomctry in 
 
 pronounces the sentence of justice upon all that is past 
 as well as upon that which is contemporary. 
 
 From my portfolio of psychometric investigations I 
 have selected the following reports as specimens of the 
 application of Psychometry in the investigation of 
 literary character. 
 
 LORD BACON. 
 
 "This is a man not a modern character he 
 belongs to the past but is not one of the ancients. He 
 was a man of great ability and prominence, of marked 
 intellectuality and a great deal of mental power. It 
 stimulates me, I feel it in the region of firmness. He 
 had pride and ambition. He had a great deal of sway- 
 ing power. I think he is known and quoted now. 
 
 "I don't consider him an evenly balanced mind. He 
 was subject to moods, and was not always to be depended 
 upon. ' 
 
 (What sort of a life did he lead ?) 
 
 " A life of excitability. He kept things stirring all 
 the while. He was in the political world. He was not 
 an amiable man. People served him more through fear 
 than love. He was an over-weening man. I don't 
 fancy his principles. He was revengeful and loved to 
 display his power. His integrity was not reliable. He 
 was traitorous, false to his friends. I should fear him 
 as an enemy. He had no conscientious scruples in 
 gaining his purposes. He would not treat women 
 properly as human beings but would only use them for 
 his purposes. 
 
 " He was eminently intellectual. He was a writer. 
 He wrote on deep subjects. I do not exactly see what 
 they were they were deep and far-reaching. He was 
 too critical to give any one much credit. I think he 
 would wj-ite on philosophical subjects, embracing sci- 
 ence, religion, church and state. 
 
 "He was a very attractive author and attained a very
 
 Literature. 121 
 
 
 
 high reputation. He has been much admired and much 
 criticised in later times. He was more distinguished in 
 literary than political life." 
 
 (With whom was he acquainted as his contempora- 
 ries ?) 
 
 [After a pause.] " It seems to me that it was under 
 the reign of Elizabeth. He held some appointment 
 under her. I think he knew Shakespeare. I feel that 
 he lived in a bloody period. His career was restless 
 and varied. He had periods of adversity and prosperity. 
 He left a high character among literati, but he lived in 
 a licentious age and he was a licentious man. His 
 character is not esteemed by those who know it." 
 
 Another very graphic description of Lord Bacon was 
 given psychometrically by Mrs. Haydcn as follows : 
 
 "This is a different characteral together (referring to 
 Dr. Harvey whom she had just described). He is more 
 jocose, would not take things to heart too seriously. 
 He is a quick thinker, quick in speech and in action, 
 elevated, enjoying wealth, power, and luxury, not ab- 
 stemious. There's a jovial, rollicking, reckless spirit. 
 His moral character is far inferior to Harvey's," 
 
 (What of his intellectual powers ?) 
 
 "They are very fine. It seems such a pity to see 
 such a noble intellect connected with such reckless 
 profligacy. Whatever came from his pen was brilliant 
 and grand. He might write his best after a debauch, 
 perhaps half drunk. He was a spendthrift regardless of 
 the future. He could get money easily, spend it, be 
 reduced to poverty and rise again. But he had a splen- 
 did intellect. What an abortion of a superior man! 
 He is indeed a remarkable character. He has been 
 dead a long time, I can't define it exactly." 
 
 (Were there any remarkable events in his life?) 
 
 " It was full of the most remarkable events, lie was 
 from the lowest stage to the highest, a life most event- 
 ful. I think he would do impudent daredevil things
 
 122 Psychomctry in / 
 
 nobody else would dare to do. He had no special 
 moral nature but was at times scrupulously refined ; 
 at other times cared neither for women nor anything 
 else. I never felt so remarkable a character. He had 
 a nobleness and independence that was really grand. 
 Money was used only for his pleasure. 
 
 " He wrote and his writings were brilliant. He was 
 brilliant as a philosopher, with large causality, large 
 perceptions and intuition. He had a fine education and 
 a great command of language. All through his writings 
 were striking sentiments and expressions. He was 
 not scientifically profound like Harvey : he was more 
 brilliant than scientific ; he was more original than 
 Harvey. He detested plagiarism and borrowed from 
 nobody." 
 
 (Could he have written Shakespeare's plays ?) 
 " Yes, he could have written them. The passages of 
 doubtful chastity would have suited him. He certainly 
 wrote plays, and the language of his plays was charac- 
 teristic. There isagoo'd deal of similarity intellectually. 
 He was equal to Shakespeare if not superior, with a more 
 refined education. . . . But he did not seek fame though 
 he had it. He would as lief be regarded as a notorious 
 rone. He was sensual and shameless. He handled 
 money loosely and made it fly not like Harvey who 
 handled his money carefully." 
 
 These two terse and emphatic descriptions make 
 quite a complete picture of Bacon. Either of the psy- 
 chometers could have told the whole story and eluci- 
 dated many other points in Bacon's character and his- 
 tory, if the examination had been more prolonged and I 
 had questioned them as witnesses to develop all they 
 could discover. But I had never adopted this method, 
 preferring a spontaneous description of the salient 
 points that impress themselves on the psychometer, and 
 not desiring to tax their mental energies by any fatigue- 
 in^ task.
 
 Literature. 123 
 
 In this, as in all my reports of psychometric descrip- 
 tions, I perceive a remarkable clearness and comprehen- 
 siveness of statement such as might be made by one 
 entirely familiar with the life work of the subject. No 
 one fully acquainted with Bacon's career could have 
 spoken more clearly and comprehensively. His profli- 
 gacy, treachery, licentiousness, malignity, versatility, 
 restlessness, sudden reverses, intellectual brilliance, 
 famous authorship and even the modern criticism to 
 which he has been subjected were all stated, and his 
 career located under Queen Elizabeth. Pope did not 
 understand him any better when a century after Bacon's 
 tleath he called him " the wisest, brightest, meanest of 
 mankind." 
 
 BARON HUM BO LOT. 
 
 " This seems like a philosopher who has passed away, 
 he is not living. He was a scientist. He is a great 
 scholar and student, always engaged in the pursuit of 
 knowledge. I think him a great man. He was warm- 
 hearted, genial and temperate. He was fond of writing 
 upon deep questions. It seems as though he did every- 
 thing. He was a broad man in every sense of the 
 word, nothing narrow or stinted about him. He was 
 not an American, I think his nationality might be Ger- 
 man. His nation would be very proud of him. He did a 
 great ical for his country but not as a military man, yet 
 his opinions would be freely given on those subjects. He 
 was not a novelist, he did not write light literature. 
 He was engaged in discoveries, being very scientific. 
 He was esteemed very highly as an author. He was 
 very liberal in his religion but had not much of what 
 the church would call religion, possibly they might call 
 him an infidel. 
 
 " It gives me the feeling of plunging into nature, her 
 physical and occult forces."
 
 124 Psychometr) 1 in 
 
 (What sciences would it be ?) 
 
 " I don't know unless it is the science of the universe. 
 He would look into the origin of races and sociological 
 subjects. He was a fine linguist. There was no science 
 out of his reach. He is quoted as an authority. He 
 had a capacious brain and physical endurance to write 
 and give out his views. He attended to medical science 
 but it was not very prominent, and was interested in 
 chemistry. He was a very critical observer and criti- 
 cised sharply the productions of others who differed 
 with him. He was rather iconoclastic and keen in his 
 replies. He was not speculative but solid. 
 
 " I like him very much. I would have liked him as a 
 man. He had a genial happy temperament. 
 
 " He occupied a very high position ; he associated with 
 the highest classes, and royalty they felt honored by 
 his presence but he was not strictly a society man. He 
 did not look down on the poor. He was widely known by 
 other nations than his own, almost universally such 
 a man could not be hid. He had a good constitution and 
 attained old age, possibly over eighty, and enjoyed life." 
 
 Mrs. HAYDEN'S psychometric description was as 
 follows : 
 
 "This is not so legible character as the one just 
 described (Compte). There is a vast difference. This 
 is a man, I am sure, but not so open and frank as 
 Compte. I can't describe him so well, can't approach 
 him so easily, but he is very clever and talented, has 
 great thoughts, large ideas. He has a great forehead, 
 has strong perceptive faculties, and intense thought. 
 There is too much of him to be analyzed easily. He 
 achieved a great name, he did a great work, and is 
 known round the globe. He was a scientist and a 
 leader : a very celebrated man. He could not be an 
 ordinary man with such a brain. lie could write well 
 on any subject. He was splendidly educated, and was 
 a splendid conversationalist. He drew around him the 
 highest classes and was much courted ; was elegant in
 
 Literal. i iv. 125 
 
 manners and conversation, and was attractive to women. 
 He catered more to the religious idea than Compte, but 
 did not believe much. He had a high standard of 
 principle, and moved in high society. He was fond of 
 advancing the condition of mankind, chiefly by scientific 
 labor. He did much and was proud of it." (Q. How 
 does he compare with Lord Bacon ?) " He was more 
 solid or talented, but had not so much genius. He 
 could write better than either Mill or Spencer. He was 
 a pleasing writer without any effort. His pen flew 
 rapidly. He is a great character, and I am not satisfied 
 that I can do him justice.'' (Q. What was his nation- 
 ality ?) " He was not American. He was fluent in both 
 English and German. I think Germ.in was his mother 
 tongue. He has no Americanism." (Q. How does he 
 compare with Huxley?) "Huxley is too coarse and 
 material in comparison. This man was refined and 
 dignified ; there is a sublimity in his career. In the 
 sciences he would be a Geologist and Mineralogist. 
 To-day he is making deep researches. He excelled in 
 Mineralogy and Geology." 
 
 The assertion that " to-day he is making deep re- 
 searches," may surprise those who do not know that the 
 most gifted psychometers always fallow a character into 
 the post-mortem as well as the ante-mortem life. Indeed, 
 some are so spiritual as to get the impression first of 
 the life in the higher spheres before the career on earth. 
 There is a vast wealth of philosophy attainable in this 
 direction. Hereafter we shall have psychometric minds 
 capable of communicating directly with Humboldt and 
 all others who in the clearer light of Heaven have been 
 looking deeply into philosophy and science. It is 
 practicable now, and it is for this t'irU I proposed to 
 establish the COLLKGI: OF T:IF. Son.. I trust there may 
 be sufficient enlightenment on the e.ivlli to-day to 
 co-operate in such a purpose.
 
 126 Psychonictry in 
 
 DR. GALL : the Founder of Phrenology. 
 
 " This gives a great influence, that of a very powerful 
 person. It goes into the muscular system, fills my 
 body, feels like a large, strong man. This is one who 
 had uncommon ability to talk, and sway the people by 
 his intellectual power. I feel an enlargement of the 
 forehead and eyes. It inflates my whole body, even 
 the lungs. I feel a great desire to reason out things. 
 He must have been a powerful reasoner, and strong in 
 the intuitive powers. He would combat a doctrine with 
 great power. He has a strong will, and is exceedingly 
 zealous. His strong reasoning powers would overwhelm 
 common minds. I feel a power in the temples. He 
 was not nervous, would hardly know that he had nerves. 
 He seems muscular. He had a large heart, would go 
 into generous acts of philanthropy, and be interested in 
 any great Work for the benefit of mankind, but he does 
 not have in himself a great love of power or display - 
 he is modest. He would love like a torrent, yet is not 
 demonstrative. He is both passionate and sentimental. 
 In his domestic relations, he had not all he could wish. 
 His wife would oppose him in many things, and he 
 could not bear opposition from his inferiors. He could 
 meet the opposition of great thinkers, but the opposi- 
 tion of the petty would annoy him. He did not live 
 with his wife happily, or did not live with her at all. 
 She was inferior in many things, but she appeared 
 better when he chose her. Her ambitions did not run 
 in the same direction as his ; it was a vanity that did 
 not please him. His investigations were as to the 
 mind. He would pay attention to the possible powers 
 of the mind and the brain. He would study individuals 
 and history the past, present, and future. He had a 
 great knowledge of the brain and body. He under- 
 stood the anatomy of the brain thoroughly, was thor- 
 oughly educated in anatomy. Destructiveness was 
 large in him. He would apply his knowledge of anat-
 
 Literature. 127 
 
 omy in every pursuit. He understood the organic 
 functions of the brain I feel his life and warmth as if 
 he were present. He would not belong to a church. 
 He does not look^to God as a ruler, or an object of fear." 
 (Q. What does he think of the discoveries and exper- 
 ments of pr. Buchanan ?) "He thinks they are grand. 
 He approves the groundwork, and the way he has 
 started. He says the structure he is building will leave 
 a monument to future generations." 
 
 AUGUSTK COMPTK. 
 (Founder of the 1'ositive Philosophy.) 
 
 " I seem to be taken into the ^ast, very far oack ; an 
 influence from the remote past attended this person. 
 There is a great deal of grandeur of thought, sublimity 
 of ideas. I first get the spiritual attendant of this per- 
 son. It is a woman. All thought this brain generates 
 seems well balanced, even, systematic. He was a phil- 
 anthropist and a discoverer. He would unfold or 
 enlarge discoveries originated in other minds, and make 
 them clear. There is a peculiar originality. He had 
 his own way of saying things. He never followed. He 
 would not say anything others had said before him, 
 unless in an entirely new dress. He theorized a great 
 deal, but did not reduce the theories lo practice. He- 
 was eccentric in religious opinions, yet believed in God 
 and a future state : no he was not settled in his mind 
 as to the ultimate condition of man. His views would 
 change. His opinions were not popular, though he had 
 followers. He spoke out freely his changes of opinion. 
 He was not very poetical. He seems very eccentric, 
 but had many grand ideas. He was a great friend to 
 woman, would sacrifice a great deal for her elevation. 
 He would like to establish rules, making woman equal 
 to man. In religion he would be favorable to commu- 
 nities, and to a religion of good conduct. He would 
 teach morality. He was not an advocate of the marriage 
 relation, as it now exists There is a great deal in this
 
 1 28 PsycJioinctry in 
 
 character that is hard to describe." (Q. Was he ever 
 liable to insanity ?) " I think he was, from the confusion 
 and fickleness of ideas that I get. Insanity might come 
 from intense thought, and some trouble in his life that 
 preyed on his mind. He seemed to be moody and mis- 
 anthropic at times, but at his death he was in his right 
 mind." (Q. What was his nationality ?) " He spoke 
 more than one language, but I think he was French.' 
 (Q. What was his domestic life ?) " His domestic life 
 was not successful ; he did not marry the one he loved 
 best. He may have appeared cold, but he had strong 
 love, though he was exacting. There was a failure in 
 the fruition of his love. He was attended by the spirit 
 of the woman he loved, as well as by an ancient spirit." 
 
 The portrait of Compte is completed by adding the 
 psychometric description given by Mrs. Hayclen as 
 follows : 
 
 "This is a man, a positive influence, a man past mid- 
 dle age with rather a high head, a long, intelligent face, 
 somewhat narrowing to the chin. He is a man of fe\v 
 words, but of great powers of discrimination and expres- 
 sion, saying exactly what he wants to say. He is bold, 
 yet timid : a child could lead him, but when roused he 
 is like a lion. He has led an eventful life. He has an 
 analytical brain. His career was one that required 
 deep thought. He is set and mature in his ideas, rather 
 opinionated. I think he is not living. He is not an 
 American: His manners and looks are rather English. 
 His style of character rather German. He is so much 
 of a linguist I cannot tell which is his own language. 
 He knows French, German, and Greek. He is a 
 scholar. There is not much poetry about him. He is 
 a substantial prose writer writes scientific books, 
 with something historical. He is more like Mill than 
 Spencer ; is fully equal to Mill. He is not egotistic. He 
 touches no subject without understanding it." (Q. 
 What do you say as to his religion and morals ?) "I do
 
 Literature. 129 
 
 not think he has much religion. He is moral and hon- 
 orable, but has no more God than Herbert Spencer. 
 He has no historic idea of Deity. He is very free and 
 liberal in many things. He has strict conscientious 
 scruples : he can be depended on." (Q. What was his 
 relation to woman ?) " He respects woman very highly, 
 but -his domestic life was not harmonious ; it was full of 
 jar and distraction ; still, he thinks love is sacred, and 
 though his own life has been checkered it has not spoilt 
 him. His real love passed away, and left him sad ; he 
 spoke as if bereft. He has been careful about express- 
 ing his ideas fully. His marriage was very unhappy. 
 He was very original in all his writings. He was a 
 pleasing, interesting, vigorous writer. Hut he did not 
 realize his ambition, and was disappointed as to appre- 
 ciation. Yet he was regarded by his followers with 
 idolatry, and is still. He left a name that will not die. 
 Those who loved him were very devoted. He was a 
 self-sacrificing man, and devoted his life to humanity." 
 
 HERBERT SPENCER. 
 (The philosopher of evolution and sociology.) 
 
 After some deliberation : 
 
 " This character is foreign to my nature and does not 
 stimulate as much as some others. His position gives 
 him influence among intellectual people. He seems to 
 be versed in literature and a writer. He does not seem 
 to be a philanthropist what he does in that way is 
 more forinfluence and reputation, than from true benev- 
 olence. I do not perceive much soul in what he does, 
 but I think he is popular with the public, because he 
 advances humane ideas which have a good influence. 
 
 " He is a man of strong impulses, and sometimes led 
 by them too much. He might be considered true to 
 his principles which he considers right ; he is not a dis- 
 sembler. He looks upon what he does as a matter of 
 duty that is the way I see him. He is a courteous 
 man.
 
 130 Psychomctry in 
 
 " I think he has a fine intellect. The resources of his 
 mind are large and he labors to make his subjects ac- 
 ceptable he works hard." 
 
 (To what subjects is he giving attention ?) 
 
 " He is doing something in political science. He is a 
 fresh writer, original, not dealing in anything stale. 
 
 ' His aim would be to improve the condition of the 
 poor and working classes He would write upon politi- 
 cal economy and kindred subjects He would improve 
 the social status. He would be interested in communi- 
 ties that have grievances. I feel that he is not an 
 American; I am sure of it but he has great friendli- 
 ness for American systems of government. 
 
 " His policy would have a democratic tendency. It 
 is very cautious he would not expend a great deal in 
 direct assistance but would give opportunities for pro- 
 gress and improvement. He seems to be English in 
 character." 
 
 (What of his moral and religious character ?) 
 
 "In religion he is heterodox and tolerant does not 
 believe any religion taught in the churches is skeptical 
 as to the Bible and would follow nature. 
 
 " His code of morals is good he believes in mar- 
 riage, temperance, industry and similar virtues ; he is 
 a moral man. He may have a school of his own on 
 such subjects. 
 
 "His mind is skeptical and somewhat dogmatic but 
 disposed to give due credit to facts. He inclines more 
 to materialism than to spiritualism, and feels satisfied 
 with his present views, somewhat like Ingersoll's. But 
 he has a great spirit of investigation." 
 
 (What of his general career and success?) 
 
 " His life has been varied. He has kept himself 
 prominent and in good repute. He has an extensive 
 reputation standing high with thinking people, and 
 the working classes consider him their friend. 
 
 " He has encountered some difficulties, but is success- 
 ful upon the whole. He is well received and carries
 
 Literature. 131 
 
 considerable weight with the intellectual classes. He 
 has overtaxed and fatigued himself and impaired his 
 health." 
 
 (How does he compare with Humboldt, Compte, Mill, 
 Lord Bacon, Carlyle and Bulwer as they have impressed 
 you ?) 
 
 " He is not so theoretical as Compte, not so great as 
 Humboldt, not as great or brilliant as Bacon, though a. 
 far better man. He is more like Mill than any one I 
 can think of. He is more sound and practical than 
 Bulwer and Carlyle. " 
 
 A very similar opinion was pronounced some years 
 ago by Mrs. Hayden in more emphatic language, which 
 differed slightly in reference to the physical constitution 
 as it was given before the decided impairment of health 
 mentioned by Mrs. B. 
 
 PROFESSOR TVNDALL. 
 
 " This is a man. It inspires me with almost a complete 
 character, well developed, and refined. The region of 
 intellect was developed very early in life. He was born 
 for his position. There was an uninterrupted develop- 
 ment and education. He was not a self-made man. 
 He is an author. His writing is in prose. lie has 
 taken a decided stand in opinions. He is familiar with 
 matters concerning the health of nations. He is practi- 
 cal, carries out his theories clearly, decidedly. He is 
 a very judicious man, seldom mistaken. He is popular 
 with many, is above the grade of public intelligence, 
 having a very superior mind. His reputation is wide. 
 He has many warm admirers, devoted to him." (Q. 
 How does he compare with Compte?) " He is equal to 
 Compte, but more advanced in his knowledge, and less 
 erratic. He does not fall into moods." (Q. What is 
 he as a lecturer?) " As a lecturer he is ready, profound 
 and thorough ; he interests his hearers ; he is an ex-
 
 132 Psycliomctry in 
 
 ceedingly pleasant speaker." (Q. What as a writer ?) 
 "As a writer, he would rank among the first." (Q. 
 What of his religious views?) "His religious ideas are 
 liberal. He is skeptical, and slow of belief. He is a 
 fearless and profound exponent of what he believes. 
 He is very scientific. His life has been devoted to 
 science and investigation." 
 
 PROFESSOR HUXLEY. 
 
 " This is a very strong character, with a stubborn will, 
 hard to convince, but when convinced immovable. He 
 has great firmness of purpose. He has more method, 
 he is more demonstrative and dogmatic, he has more 
 intolerance than No. I (Tyndall), but is fully equal in 
 ability. He would be disposed to run into the same 
 investigations, but takes a different method. Upon the 
 whole, they are about equal. This one has more poetry, 
 but less refinement ; he has more of the animal, more 
 inclination to license ; he has less appreciation of 
 woman, might be jealous of her intellectual merits. 
 He has great self-esteem, which carries him on." (Q. 
 What is he as a lecturer ?) " As. a lecturer, he draws 
 large audiences. He could make a fine political speech. 
 His writings are popular. He is rather a disturber of 
 the old order of things." (Q. What of his religion?) 
 " His religion is only Nature. He is not entirely skepti- 
 cal as to futurity, but does not tell his views freely." 
 
 JOHN STUART MILL. 
 
 "This seems different from Nos. I and 2 ; full of me- 
 thod, not so rapid, more deliberate, but, when fully pre- 
 pared, has great brilliancy and power. This is a prefera- 
 ble character to Nos. I and 2 (Tyndall and Huxley), one 
 whom women could love." (Q. What, as a writer ?> 
 " He would write upon the establishment of new systems, 
 and renovating the old : is a philosopher and reformer. 
 He has a great de.siro not t > break up, but to adjust.
 
 Literature. 133 
 
 governments and all political and religious affairs. He 
 shows great ability, and has been sharply criticised for 
 his ideas, but he does not fear it. He cares litcle for 
 public opinion. He is a well-adjusted man, of firm 
 brain, not vain nor ostentatious. He stands high 
 among thinking men. His opinions would be quoted, 
 and he would rank as a great mind." (Q. How does 
 he compare with others ?) " I feel that he has made 
 great discoveries. He is like Dr. Buchanan in many 
 things. I would estimate him upon the whole above 
 Nos. I and 2, not as enthusiastic in his opinions as 
 Compte, but a sounder mind ; not erratic. He is a 
 great philosopher and reformer, and has acquired a great 
 deal by hard study." 
 
 SIIAKESPKAKK. 
 
 April 23, 1885, I gave her an excellent photograph of 
 Shakespeare as a man to be described unseen. She 
 said : 
 
 " I like the feeling of this ; it brings a genial glow, 
 such a feeling as I have in thinking of some grand, 
 noble woman. This person has a wonderful, far-seeing 
 mind. He had psychometric power. I don't think he 
 is living. 
 
 " He does not seem a philanthropist, but fond of 
 influence and popularity. A strong willed man of 
 strong determination. He was social and convivial 
 knew he had something to give the world, and was 
 anxious to do it. 
 
 " I do not place him among the nobility, but lie was 
 not a commonplace man. He was a foreigner, a writer, 
 a literary man. It seems to me he was a writer of 
 plays. I find a poetical clement. He did not live long 
 enough to finish his career, but what he wrote was 
 accepted by the people of his own and other countries. 
 His reputation is high to-day perhaps higher than 
 ever. His reputation has been gaining.
 
 134 Psychomctry in 
 
 " He was something like Dickens in character. There 
 was a good deal of sadness in his interior life the 
 public did not sec. He had a deep nature and his writ- 
 ings were not always in the same vein. He seems like 
 one of the dramatists. He was an Englishman. He 
 would compare with Shakespeare and Bulwer. A flash 
 of impression now and then suggests Shakespeare. 
 He was keen and witty. His comparisons were adroitly 
 made. He had a wonderful individuality in his writing. 
 I think he was inspired. I think he wrote under inspi- 
 ration a great part of his time psychometric inspira- 
 tion. His expresions had a prophetic character to a 
 careful reader a prophetic wisdom. I feel now a 
 strong admiration for this character there was no 
 one like him. He was the chief among all the dra- 
 matic writers. He fills my mind with tragic ideas. 
 Richard the Third and Othello come to my mind and 
 Midsummer Night's Dream. I think it is Shakespeare 
 as it brings up those plays." 
 
 In this case she felt the influence of the picture so 
 completely by touch as to induce her to say that she 
 believed the picture was in her hands upside down, 
 which was the fact. Her fingers recognized the head 
 as the lower part of the picture. 
 
 The psychometric description of Shakespeare by Mrs. 
 Hayden developed the same sympathy and admiration 
 as follows : 
 
 "This feels good, genial, warm like meeting a 
 friend. There is a warmth that can't be mistaken a 
 great wealth of mind rich with all that is delightful 
 and lovely. I can't talk I can't express it fully - 
 can't do this individual justice. I'm delighted with it. 
 It is a beautiful face in outlines and symmetry. No sen- 
 suality here. It gives me the feeling of a reformer, a 
 frank freethinker He lo v es progress has given up
 
 Literature. 135 
 
 the spirit of the dark ages. Seems a statesman and a 
 poet a controlling influence a power that leads and 
 guides others with his councils. He is not in this 
 world, not on earth gone sometime, but left a name- 
 that will never die. He had a versatility of power - 
 could catch up his pen and write could direct and 
 instruct others had great versatility of power. You 
 had but to know him to love him. He could not have 
 done a mean act." (What as a writer?) "Cue of great 
 power very clear, of great descriptive power. He 
 brought the picture right before you nothing prosy 
 there was too much matter-of-fact for a mere poet it 
 was not fiction, but he might have been a great drama- 
 tist. His description is unusually clear. There was a 
 moral in his writings." (Does he resemble Bulwcr?) 
 " No, he is very different. When I saw Bulwer at Kenil- 
 worth he impressed me very differently from this." 
 
 MILTON. 
 
 "This produces an easy, glowing, dreamy feeling 
 takes me to a spiritual region. This feeling is exceed- 
 ingly luminous and highly intellectual. It produces a 
 different surrounding from anything I ever came in 
 contact with. 
 
 "There seems to be such an amount of power and 
 intensity of thought, taking such a wide range, I can 
 scarcely bring it to a point for anything specific. 
 
 "This person was thoroughly magnetic had great 
 magnetic power far-reaching. His mind would soar 
 above the ordinary minds it came in contact with. It 
 was a leader of exceedingly fine organization. He had 
 the love element, well-balanced, universal. 
 
 " He had great intellectual powers. Nature did 
 much, and education and surroundings added to his 
 powers to make him great. His writings would be 
 quoted and respected among all classes for their ability. 
 He loved humanity, he recognized God." 
 
 (Q. Living or dead male or female ?)
 
 136 Psycliometry in 
 
 " A male and in the spirit world. It seems fresh 
 seems near." 
 
 (What was the earthly career ?) 
 
 " One of great activity. He wrote a great deal of 
 prose I do not feel the poetical so much. He was familiar 
 with literature, science, and history, and used them. He 
 was radical more democratic than monarchic liberal 
 in his views, liking a government good for all classes. 
 He believed in divorce for causes such as incompati- 
 bility or physical discord. His own domestic life was 
 not as happy as he would wish, but not as bitter an 
 experience as Dr. Gall or Socrates. He had many 
 clouds to contend with. There seemed to be clouds as 
 if he was in darkness. 
 
 " He realized some reputation in life, but like many 
 superior men, his writings have lived beyond the tomb, 
 and he has more reputation now." 
 
 (Q. If he wrote poetry, what would be its char- 
 acter ?) 
 
 " His poetry would partake of the grand and terrific. 
 It would not be of the sentimental, like Moore. Milton 
 comes into my mind His poetry would be decidedly 
 intellectual. It takes a scholar to appreciate it. It 
 was like Dante also. When he gave his friendship it 
 was lasting. You coulJ have no better friend " 
 
 SIR WALTER SCOTT. 
 
 "This has a comfortable, natural feeling not an 
 excitable influence. There is a good deal of inspiration 
 about it. I should think this person was a writer. It 
 is a man. If I felt in a more intellectual mood I might 
 go into ecstasies over this author lie is not living 
 he is one of the poets of the p.ist 
 
 " He had a very ardent nature, full of fire and earnest 
 ness. His poems were very descriptive Whatever 
 might be his themes they were very descriptive. There 
 seems to be a martial tone to his poetry. He is Scotch
 
 Literature. 137 
 
 or Irish; but he docs not seem Irish not like Moore, 
 more like Byron he is a Scotch poet. Who is the 
 author of the " Lady of the Lake " ? 1 think he w;-.s 
 the author of it, but the name escapes me. 
 
 " He was a titled man his life was literary." 
 
 (What else beside poetry did he write ?) 
 
 "I think his prose partook of the historical character. 
 I think he was a historian ; he may have written on 
 political and ecclesiastical subjects. 
 
 " He was musical, had fine sensibilities. He could 
 write on jurisprudence, I think. His inclination was to 
 poetry. He was a man of deep feelings, and could 
 express them better in poetry He could write plays 
 and fiction. Fiction was not his forte, but he could 
 succeed in it, because he wrote so vividly. He some- 
 times indulged in the humorous or amusing. It was 
 easy for him to go from the pathetic to the humorous. 
 It was his born in him. His novels would be founded 
 on facts, somewhat like Dickens, though he was a very 
 different writer. He was faithful to nature he could 
 depict the elements with great descriptive power. 
 
 " He had ups, and downs, and perplexities in his life, 
 but always ranked high before the public. I think he 
 was contemporary with Moore. I think they were 
 friends. He lived to develop his genius, and make a 
 lasting name. 
 
 " He was highly prized in society, being genial ami 
 social in his nature, jovial with men, full of anecdote 
 a good companion. I think he had a happy home. He- 
 was domestic in feeling, but monarchic in his theories, 
 as that seemed to him the best form of government. 
 He brings up Scotch poetry to my mind." 
 
 (What as to Spiritualism ? ) 
 
 " He had some weird ideas, but could not be called a 
 Spiritualist. ' 
 
 (What ^ai you say of his head ? ) 
 
 'It was hi^h in the moral region."
 
 i 38 Psychomctry in 
 
 I then showed her the picture, but she did not rec- 
 ognize it, and could not think of the name her mem- 
 ory of names is very defective. The face of Scott is a 
 beautiful illustration of the true principles of Physiog- 
 nomy, and his head indicates a very strong and noble 
 character, being high an.l deep. 
 
 In MRS. HAYDEX'S description of Scott, she said he 
 was " very brilliant i:i conversation, witty, original, and 
 very pleasing. His company was sought. He had 
 great wealth of mind.- He was not very religious in 
 the sectarian way. He seems like a historian. If he 
 wrote fiction it would be peculiar truth as the founda- 
 tion not mere fiction, but historical. He is a man of 
 very sound judgment and deep ideas perhaps a little 
 dry from his matter-of-fact way. I 'd like to hear him 
 talk rather than hear his writings. He has a fine face. 
 I like his influence. His integrity is marked. What- 
 ever he believed he had the courage to express. He 
 passed away before much was said about Spiritualism. 
 If he had been living he would have adopted it. He 
 was an irreparable loss to tlu society in which he 
 moved. 
 
 HOMER. 
 
 The school of German skeptics having thrown doubt 
 upon the very existence of Homer, as another class oi 
 skeptics doubt the existence of Biblical characters, this 
 gave me an additional interest in verifying his existence 
 and character. The following opinion was based on an 
 old (unseen) engraving of Homer's bust. 
 
 "This is an ancient character very ancient. He 
 was very brilliant, and of a buoyant nature. He looked 
 upon the world with great satisfaction. He was a
 
 Literature. 139 
 
 writer." (I asked for a more definite statement of his 
 chronology, but as Mrs. K is somewhat defective in 
 numbers or calculation she could not give any definite 
 reply.) 
 
 (What do you say of the people and climate of the 
 country where he lived ? ) 
 
 " It was a very genial climate, and a genial good feel- 
 ing prevailed. It docs not seem a time of bloodshed. 
 It is a very congenial influence. It takes me to Greece. 
 I wonder if he was not a Greek. It brings a variety of 
 scenes, an age of unfoldment and athletic sports, sculp- 
 ture, grandeur, great processions. 
 
 " It seems as though he was a poet and wrote blank 
 verse. He wrote on solid subjects. Everything he 
 wrote has to be translated into our language. He was 
 one of the old Greek poets ; very inspirational, wise, 
 and scholarly ; not an orator, but a man of thought and 
 feeling. He is known to-day only from his writings." 
 
 (What of his personal life ? ) 
 
 "His personal life was very harmonious he enjoyed 
 life. If living to-day he would be called a medium. 
 He communed with the invisibles, felt their influence 
 and inspiration. He had a very harmonious, beautiful 
 nature, was very simple in his manner of living, did not 
 cater to his personal desires, was self-sacrificing, had 
 few desires for his personal comforts. I think he was 
 poor. I see no grandeur in his immediate surroundings. 
 He was modest, and did not care for it, but had enough 
 for his daily wants. If he did not he would not care 
 for it." 
 
 (What of his domestic life ?) 
 
 "He was married and agreeably; there was no dis- 
 cord in his conjugal life. 
 
 (Was he ever poor enough to beg ? ) 
 
 "He was very poor. He might beg if his bodily and 
 mental sufferings were great enough. His genius was 
 not appreciated as it is now. People were given more
 
 140 Psychometry in 
 
 to the physical. They would think a poet of little value. 
 But he had a few choice appreciative friends." 
 
 (What of his religion ? ) 
 
 'He was a religious man, drawing his inspiration 
 from the universe. From his interior nature he could 
 write grand things. Me was a wonderful man. He is 
 better understood to-day than in his own age. His 
 writings are quoted to-day. He had a deep religious 
 nature. He was not acquainted with Christianity. He 
 looked to the grandeur and beauty of the universe and 
 supreme power. Perhaps he may have believed in dei- 
 ties of a lower grade, and in the elements. He saw 
 God in all. I admire his sentiments, but I have never 
 read any of his writings." 
 
 (Did he believe in communication with the spirit 
 world ? ) 
 
 " He did ; ne had evidence in his own experience of 
 the power of the departed to commune with us. He 
 has exerted an influence himself as a spirit upon poets 
 of ancient and modern times. It brings up Mrs. 
 Memans; perhaps he inspired her. He inspired Milton 
 and Shakespeare. I think it is Homer. 
 
 As to his inspiring his admirers, I recollect a sugges 
 tion in Plato's writings that an eloquent reader of 
 Homer's poems was actually inspired by the spirit of 
 Homer. 
 
 VICTOR HUCJO. 
 (By Mr. B., of the New York Bar, 1878.) 
 
 " A powerful man ; intellectual; an old man. He'll 
 never be any older. He's old in years, but fresh and 
 vigorous as a boy. 
 
 ' He's a creator. If an architect, he'd copy from no 
 o.ie ; if a painter, his style is his own : if a writer, he's 
 different from any one else. He's crisp, sharp, epigram- 
 matic. If he were here, in a few sentences he'd instantly 
 impress you as a remarkable mm.
 
 Literature. 141 
 
 " He's a historian, a historical writer, or, if not, he 
 ought to be. It ought t > be his profession. He would 
 be unequalled. It might not all be true, but it would 
 be interesting. 
 
 " He isn't dead. He would be fairly disposed to inves- 
 tigate new truths. He does not believe in falsehood 
 because it is venerable. He's a sort of socialistic re- 
 former ; a man of the people ; most intense in feeling 
 and expression. He has an utter contempt for a rotten 
 government or a system of theology not well founded, 
 or anything else false. He is incapable of forgiving 
 wrong, injury, or insult. 
 
 " His style is too intense and wild, but it is attractive. 
 He is a positive thinker not satisfied with less than 
 absolute proof. He enjoys life loves good eating and 
 drinking and physical enjoyment " 
 
 As to Hugo's habits and character, there is a good 
 illustration of the foregoing description in the remarks 
 of H. H. Boycsen, since the death of Hugo, who says, 
 " In 1879 he looked wonderfully vigorous, and his gait 
 and voice, were those of a young man." " He rose at 
 five in the morning and worked till eight." "At dinner 
 he appeared to the best advantage, and his conversa- 
 tional powers were most brilliant. As Daudet once said, 
 he ate with " the magnificent insolence of a man who 
 always feels well, bathes in ice water, and works with his 
 windows open." "While the young authors and depu- 
 ties who sat at his table selected carefully the most 
 easily digestible dishes, the hearty octogenarian con- 
 sumed tarts, cucumbers, and lobster salads with superb 
 unconcern." "Victor Hugo's presence was most im- 
 pressive, his bearing courtly and erect, and his manner 
 never devoid of a certain ceremoniousness, which was a 
 fine mixture of courtliness and diirnitv."
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 PROPHETIC INTUITION. 
 
 Antagonism of the world's present condition to the higher faculties of 
 man Foresight inseparable from intelligence Prophecy belongs to 
 intuition Evils of credulity Recognition of the prophetic power 
 by St. Paul, by the ancients, by Machiavel, by many eminent men, by 
 Athenagoras, the Sybils, the Druids, Jamblicus, Maupertuis, Sir Henry 
 Halford, Areteus, Cicero, Dr. Hoffman, Ur. Sprengel, Dr. Georget, 
 the Committee of the Royal Academy of Medicine, M. Chardel, the 
 philosopher Schelling, Goethe, Swedenborg Cazotte's prophecy 
 Hoag's prophecy of our civil war Prophecy of the downfall of the 
 Pope's temporal power, and reformation of the church Modus ope- 
 rand i vi prophecy Law of periodicity Future fate of the United 
 States. 
 
 PROPHECY IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS. Prophecy as to Ireland Prophecy 
 in Egyptian affairs Description of Arabi Pasha and his fate Opin- 
 ion of Khedive Ismail Investigation of El Mahcli in 1883 The 
 progrefc of affairs in Egypt and the Soudan illustrates the opinion 
 Absurd and wicked management of the war Vindication of El 
 Mahdi Second description and its verification in 1884 Third de- 
 scription in 1885 and prophecy of universal peace Description by 
 pupils in Psychometry Comments on the descriptions Psycho- 
 metric report on El Mahdi's picture His personal history Descrip- 
 tion of Mohammed Death of Alexander, D'Israeli, and Garibaldi 
 predicted Description of the Czar Alexander Psychometric view 
 of Russia and England Foreign news in March, 1885 Psychome- 
 tric opinion on the condition The Czar and his purposes Foreign 
 news in April indicating war Prophecy repeated Repeated again 
 Censure of the church France and China in April Psychome- 
 tric description and prediction Psychometric description of the 
 Emperor of China Psychometric view of the Prince of Wales 
 Poem addressed to Cornelia. 
 
 Quench not the spirit despise not prophesyings. Thes. 5, 20. 
 " Follow after charity and spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may pro- 
 phesy. . . He that prophesieth spcaketh unto men to edification and ex- 
 
 i : ".
 
 Prophetic I u tit id or. 143 
 
 hortation and comfort." " lit 1 that prophesieth edificth the church." " I 
 would that ye all spake with tongues, hut rather that ye prophesied." 
 1 Tor. 11. 
 
 The higher any faculty rises in its character, the 
 nearer it approaches a spiritual and divine nature. 
 The more thoroughly the divine inspiration appears in 
 its manifestations, the more repugnant does it become 
 to the animal nature of man ; and there is no better evi- 
 dence of the extent to which a nation, a community, or 
 a class is sunk in selfishness and animalism than its 
 repugnance to understanding, appreciating, or even 
 tolerating the most sacred phenomena of life. How 
 can European nations be expected to make progress in 
 the sacred philosophy which comprehends the mysteries 
 of life when they are still in their national bearing as 
 morally barbarous as in the days of Crcsar, and face each 
 other, arms in hand, like kennels of wild beasts, waiting- 
 only for a convenient opportunity to devour each other 
 with the least difficulty and danger, without sufficient 
 moral sentiment anywhere to interpose between the 
 ferocious combatants, and command the peace. It is 
 due to the moral power of Gladstone alone that we are 
 not to-day looking on cannonade and slaughter. 
 
 In the midst of these ferocious powers and in full 
 sympathy with them, stands the church, a participant 
 in all their feuds, not a soothing and restraining power, 
 but an accessary to their dark deeds. The college is 
 the same it perpetuates the glory of criminal warriors 
 and sends forth no aspiration to a higher social condi- 
 tion. 
 
 Rsychometry therefore has no home in either .state, 
 church, or college, until a nobler century shall have
 
 144 Prophetic Intuition. 
 
 arrived, when a genial and religious philosophy shall 
 comprehend man's highest nature. My modest presen- 
 tation of the science in the middle of this century seems 
 to have produced but little more effect than a whisper 
 addressed to a mob, and I might not have presented the 
 subject again, but for the fact that I have survived long 
 enough to reach a more progressive period, in which 
 the laws of Destiny assure me that the century will not 
 pass without an honorable recognition of the truth. 
 
 As a part of this great truth I present the prophetic 
 power of the divine element in man, so stolidly ignored 
 to-day. Forecast or prophesy is inseparable from intel- 
 ligence. If we were deprived of this power we would 
 be reduced to helpless idiocy, unable to do anything. 
 The perfect nescience of metaphysical speculation ap- 
 proximates this form of idiocy. Pyrrhonic skepticism 
 ignores the relation of cause and effect, and would pre- 
 vent one from knowing that he would be killed by 
 walking over a precipice. In that condition, destitute 
 of forecast, men would be like the brainless hens experi- 
 mented on by Flourens, incapable of acting from the 
 inability to have an idea of doing anything. 
 
 No one can deny the power of foreseeing many 
 events of which we comprehend the causes, and thus 
 making scientific prophecies. The range of astronom- 
 ical forecast is immense, and it is equally great along 
 any line of simple causation. It is only when the 
 number of conspiring causes which affect the event 
 become too great and conflicting for exact estimate, 
 that we feel our incompetence as to prediction, and yet 
 shrewd men are continually predicting with various
 
 Prophetic Intuition. 145 
 
 degrees of success, the conduct of individuals, the 
 course of commerce, and the conduct of nations. 
 
 Whether complex affairs can be predictively compre- 
 hended and their possible result at a remote period 
 foreseen, is the question. It is obvious that this cannot 
 be done by the same mental processes by which we 
 construct a house, transact commercial business or 
 determine the construction of a road, for the compre- 
 hension of a remote event in human affairs involves 
 the appreciation of so many contributory causes, that 
 we may safely say no human intellect can grasp, even 
 if it could ascertain them, and therefore no human in- 
 tellect by any reasoning process can prophesy as to the 
 remote and complex. 
 
 Prophecy in the proper sense of the word is possible 
 only when there are intuitive faculties at work which 
 
 J 
 
 have a far wider range than the external intellect, and 
 which in a semi-omniscient correlation with the entire 
 sphere of complexity, feel its aggregate drift and re- 
 sults. The working of these divine powers has been 
 recognized by the enlightened in all ages. In present- 
 ing their claims to-day, I should very much regret their 
 credulous acceptance by persons who without carefully 
 ascertaining the existence of prophetic power, should 
 trust to the predictions of a class of psychometric and 
 medium istic persons who assume to speak of the future 
 without any real foresight. I refer to the warning ex- 
 ample of a gentleman of fine intelligence, integrity, 
 and moral worth, who has been reduced to abject pov- 
 erty, suffering and despair by trusting to prophetic inti- 
 mations of his own future in a visionary enterprise 
 commended by psychometcrs and mediums whom he
 
 146 Prophetic Intuition. 
 
 supposed reliable in prediction, because they had other 
 capacities. No prudent individual would rely upon any 
 prediction without some positive knowledge of the pre- 
 dictive capacity, as tested by experience. 
 
 The prophetic power is recognized by St. Paul as :\ 
 common endowment in the church, not a miraculous 
 and exceptional gift. It was rightly recognized by him 
 as one of the powers that should be developed in the 
 church ; for the religious and spiritual faculties are the 
 ones that nourish and sustain the prophetic power, and 
 where true religion exists, prophetic powers are as sure 
 to be developed as the spirit of love and the power of 
 healing. The general absence of all these in modern 
 
 o o 
 
 Protestant churches exhibits a declension which it 
 would not be unjust to call an apostacy. 
 
 The enlightened have ever reckoned propnccy a nor- 
 mal human faculty, but the superstitious have supposed 
 it a divine manifestation and proof that the prophet was 
 especially connected with the Deity. This superstition 
 was but a reverential exaggeration of the truth and 
 depreciation of humanity. Cicero and the Greek phil- 
 osophers did not deem prophecy above the normal 
 power of the soul. Lamprias wisely said, " It is not 
 probable that the soul gives a new power of prophecy 
 after separation from the body, and which it did not 
 before possess. We may rather conclude that it pos- 
 sessed all these powers during its union with the body, 
 although in lesser perfection." 
 
 I cannot give the reason (said Machiavel in a histori- 
 cal discourse), but it is an attested fact in all history, 
 both ancient and modern, that no great misfortune ever 
 happened to a city or province that was not predicted
 
 Proplictic Intuition. 147 
 
 by some soothsayer, or announced by revelations, prodi- 
 gies or other celestial signs. It is very desirable that 
 the matter should be discussed by men learned in mat- 
 ters natural and supernatural, an advantage that I do 
 not possess. Be that as it may, the fact is undeniable." 
 
 " Were we to give the names of all the known charac- 
 ters holding a high position in science, (says Briere de 
 Boismont) with correct judgment and extensive knowl- 
 edge, who have had their warnings and presentiments, 
 we should find ample matter for reflection." 
 
 He then narrates a story coming from the secretary 
 of Talleyrand, of his escape from death by a sudden 
 intuition. "The prince remarked, "I can never forget 
 that I was once gifted for a moment with an extraordi- 
 nary and inexplicable prescience which was the means 
 of saving my life ; without that sudden and mysterious 
 inspiration, I should not be here to recount these 
 details." 
 
 Athcnagoras, a Greek philosopher of the second cen- 
 tury who embraced Christianity, speaks of the soul as 
 capable of predicting future events and curing diseases. 
 
 The application of the soul power of somnambulists 
 and others to diagnosis and healing, has been the cause 
 of that jealousy of the medical profession which has 
 obscured and discredited the psychic powers which have 
 been so long known. 
 
 The ancient Sybils predicted like modern somnambu- 
 lists and mediums, in a psychological state. St. Justin 
 says that after the afflatus was past, they had no recol- 
 lection of what they had said. 
 
 The Druid priests were prophets and physicians, 
 according to Cicero and Pliny. Cicero speaks espe-
 
 14^ Prophetic Intuition. 
 
 dally of one of them residing in Gaul, named Divi- 
 tiacus. 
 
 Jamblicus, a leading philosopher of the fourth century, 
 in his treatise on the mysterious, recognizes prevision 
 as one of the powers of the Soul, which it exercises 
 more freely in the ecstatic state or in sleep, when it is 
 released from everything corporeal. Such were tho 
 common doctrines of Plato, Plotinus, Proclus and other 
 ancient philosophers. As far back as we can trace civili- 
 zation, prophecy was recognized as a power of the soul. 
 
 Maupertuis, a mathematician and early advocate of 
 Newtonian system at the beginning of the eighteenth 
 century, endeavored to explain philosophically the fac- 
 ulty of prevision as produced by the more exalted con- 
 dition of the soul. 
 
 Sir Henry Halford has some very judicious remarks on 
 this subject in reviewing the work of Aretacus on brain 
 fever, as follows : 
 
 " The author Aretaeus, states that the first effect of 
 the subsidence of the violent excitement is, that the 
 patient's mind becomes clear, that all his sensations are 
 exquisitely keen ; that he is the first person to discover 
 that he is about to die, and announce this to the attend- 
 ants ; that he seems to hold converse with the spirits of 
 those who have departed before him, as if they stood in 
 his presence ; and that his soul acquires a prophetic 
 power. The author with all the appearance of being 
 himself convinced that this power has really been ac- 
 quired by the patient in the last hour of his life, re- 
 marks that the bystanders fancy him to be rambling 
 and talking nonsense, but that they are afterwards as- 
 tounded at the coming to pass of the events which had
 
 Prophetic Intuition. 149 
 
 been predicted. Indeed .he attempts to account for it 
 by supposing that the soul whilst, "shuffling off this 
 mortal coil " whilst disengaging itself from the incum- 
 brance of the body, becomes purer, more essential, en- 
 tirely spiritual, as if it had already commenced its new 
 existence." 
 
 " That a prophetic power did attend man's last 
 hour generally was a notion entertained of old, and has 
 been transmitted down to us from the earliest records 
 of mankind. We read in the Pentateuch, that, "when 
 Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he 
 drew up his feet into the bed and yielded up the ghost." 
 Noxv with these solemn injunctions were mixed up 
 much prophetic matter, many predictions of their future 
 fate and fortunes ; as for instance " the sceptre shall 
 not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his 
 feet, until Shiloh come, and to him shall the gathering 
 of the people be." 
 
 Sir Henry continues, referring to the prophecies of 
 Isaiah and the Sibylline leaves "What wonder then 
 if the philosophers, both Grecian and Roman, if the 
 poets, (who may be considered as historians of popular 
 notions) concurred in transmitting down this accredited 
 opinion ? Cicero, a most accomplished philosopher ;:s 
 well as orator, himself an augur too, and therefore prob- 
 ably well acquainted with the contents of the Sibylline- 
 leaves (for they were committed to the custody of the 
 College of Augurs) in his first work on Divination, gives 
 a story of the prediction of the death of Alexander the 
 (ireat, by an Indian about to die on the funeral pile." 
 
 The language of Cicero is as follows : " When the 
 mind is separated by sleep from the society and conta-
 
 1 50 Prophetic Intuition. 
 
 gion of the body, it then remembers the past, perceives 
 the present, and foresees the future. For the body of a 
 sleeper lies like that of one dead, but the mind lives 
 and is vigorous. How much more so after death, when 
 it shall have altogether separated from the body ? For 
 this reason, upon the approach of death it becomes much 
 more capable of divination. And who has not observed 
 that sick persons, especially hysterical females, of whom 
 I have seen several, attacked with cataleptic and ecstatic 
 affections, either during or after the paroxysms, have 
 predicted future events, and have spoken in languages 
 which tJiey themselves Juid never learnt, although their 
 parents knew them." 
 
 Is it not remarkable that facts so familiar as these 
 from the earliest ages should have been expelled from 
 the colleges and from the entire republic of letters, 
 chiefly by the agency of the medical profession, the 
 works of enlightened authors who have honestly re- 
 corded such facts being kept from general circulation. 
 
 The learned Dr. Hoffman, physician to the king of 
 Prussia, was one ,of those who recognized the exalted 
 powers of the soul ; and Dr. Sprengel who had no supe- 
 rior in his day, in medical learning says in his Institutes 
 of Medicine published in 1810, speaking of the magnetic 
 somnambulists " that instinct revives, by means of 
 which the patient acquires a knowledge of his own 
 state of health, and of that of any other person who is 
 placed en rapport with him and is also enabled to pre- 
 dict the duration of the crisis and its termination, and to 
 prescribe appropriate remedies. These remedies are 
 generally vulgar and domestic, when recommended by 
 the rustic, or officinal preparations, when prescribed by
 
 Prophetic Intuition. \ 5 I 
 
 the better educated man. They are frequently such as 
 a plysician would scarcely think of prescribing such 
 as culinary salt, a pepper bath, etc., but in most 
 cases they do good, and Dr. Weinholt does not recollect 
 a single instance in which they were administered with- 
 out beneficial effects." 
 
 Dr. Sprengel further says : " The somnambulists pre- 
 dict the crisis of their complaints, and determine their 
 duration and end. I have myself seen a young man, a 
 relation of my own, who had never been treated in this 
 artificial manner, who in the very crises themselves, 
 predicted with the utmost certainty, the repetitions of 
 the accesses, prescribed the appropriate remedies, and 
 foretold the period when the disease should terminate." 
 
 The testimony of Dr. Sprengel is the more valuable 
 as he was originally an opponent of animal magnetism. 
 Dr. Brandis, physician to the King of Denmark, was 
 another of the sceptical class who honestly recognized 
 the phenomena that he witnessed. " The magnetized 
 person (said he) predicts most exactly the progress of 
 his disease, and especially the individual incidents : 
 attacks of convulsions, syncope, evacuations, etc., with 
 all their concomitant circumstances ; and with the 
 same precision points out the period of his cure. I 
 confess that the exactness with which all such predic- 
 tions of our clairvoyants, whom I myself have hitherto 
 had an opportunity of observing, were verified, greatly 
 astonished me." 
 
 Dr. Georget, one of the most gifted modern physiolo- 
 gists and physicians of France, goes so far as to say 
 " I believe that no perfect medicine can exist but 
 that of the somnambulists in evervthing which concerns
 
 152 PropJictic Intuition. 
 
 themselves, and that it is possible to derive advantage 
 from their admirable instinct in the case of other 
 patients." 
 
 The Committee of the Royal Academy of Medicine 
 at Paris (1826), which reported the truth of clairvoy- 
 ance as seen in their experiments, stated also that they 
 recognized powers of prevision, as follows: "In two 
 somnambulists we recognized the faculty of foreseeing 
 the acts of the organism, more or less remote, more or 
 less complicated. One of them announced repeatedly, 
 several months previously, the day, the hour and the 
 minute of the access and return of epileptic fits. The 
 other announced the period of his cure. Their previs- 
 ions were realized with remarkable exactness." They 
 also state that they found a somnambulist "who pointed 
 out the symptoms of the diseases of three persons with 
 whom he was placed in magnetic connection." 
 
 It would be very unnecessary for me to quote authori- 
 ties to illustrate facts which are so numerous and well 
 known if it were not for the persistent suppression and 
 concealment of truth by medical colleges and other 
 institutions of learning, sending forth tr.eir pupils in 
 profound ignorance of some of the most important 
 truths in science ; and not only ignorant but bitterly 
 prejudiced. 
 
 M. Chardel, in an essay on Physiological Psychology 
 observes very justly that he could adduce hundreds of 
 examples of such phenomena as the foregoing, as they 
 occur in almost every magnetic treatment, but that it 
 seemed superfluous to illustrate thus facts so amply 
 established. 
 
 The German philosopher Schelling gives a very inter-
 
 Prophetic Intuition. 1 5 3 
 
 esting narrative (in the JarbucJicr dcr Mcdiciii) of the 
 sudden discovery by a clairvoyant of a death in her 
 family at a distance of more than a hundred and fifty 
 leagues, stating at the same time that a letter convey- 
 ing the intelligence was then on its way, which in a few 
 days was verified. 
 
 Goethe says in his autobiography that his grand- 
 father had the power of prophecy, especially in matters 
 relating to himself, of which he gives some instances, 
 and also says that persons supposed to be destitute of 
 the power sometimes acquired it in the presence of his 
 grandfather, which reminds us of the modern method of 
 developing mediumship. 
 
 Swedenborg's clairvoyance, seeing and describing a 
 fire in Stockholm when he was in Germany, is a well- 
 known fact, and attested by Kant. 
 
 These are a few of the abundant illustrations of the 
 higher powers of the soul and their recognition by wise 
 men which modern materialism conceals and sup- 
 presses. 
 
 But opinions have little weight in comparison with 
 facts. Prophecy is to me a fact of almost daily occur- 
 rence, and there are many famous prophecies which 
 show the wondrous extent of this faculty none per- 
 haps more remarkable than that of M. CAZOTTF., uttered 
 to a distinguished company in Paris just before the 
 breaking out of the French Revolution, in which he 
 predicted the deaths of many eminent persons, and the 
 very mode in which they would occur, which the reader 
 will find in the latter part of this volume the Ap- 
 pendix. 
 
 It is well known that the civil war of secession was
 
 1 54 Proplictic Intuition. 
 
 foreseen and predicted a quarter of a century in ad- 
 vance by the Quaker, Joseph Hoag, who saw it begin- 
 ning in religious schisms and going on to war. 
 
 The Pope's loss of temporal power was predicted in 
 1858. Miss Bremer was in Rome that year, residing a 
 few weeks in the Convent of the Sacred Heart, to wit- 
 ness their mode of life. She says in her " Switzer- 
 land and Italy," " Last evening the prophetic spirit fell 
 upon Sister Genevieve, under the influence of which, 
 drawing herself up to her full height, she, with upraised 
 arms, foretold the fall of the temporal power of the 
 Pope, war, bloodshed, and great revolutions, but out of 
 which the Catholic Church shall come forth renovated, 
 victorious, poor, but holy and powerful as in the earliest 
 times." 
 
 The prediction is already fulfilled as far as time per- 
 mits, and I believe that it will probably all be fulfilled, 
 for, although the Catholic Church as an ecclesiasticism 
 has been more barbarous and bloody than any tribe of 
 savages, it has always had a core of deep and fervent 
 self-sacrificing piety and spirituality, surpassing that of 
 the followers of Luther and Calvin. In the horror that 
 I have expressed for the past and present, tyrannical, 
 avaricious, warlike, bloody, and cruel condition of the 
 so-called Christian Church, the church of universal 
 apostacy, I do not for a moment forget that vital relig- 
 ion, inspiration, spirituality, devotion, fidelity, love and 
 self-sacrifice have come clown from the earliest periods 
 in the midst of all this conniption and cruelty. Hu- 
 manity is a marvellous jumble of celestial and infernal 
 elements, without the wisdom and firmness necessary 
 to bring order into this chaos of contradictions, in
 
 Prophetic Intuition. \ 5 5 
 
 which he who looks for evil cairfincl all that is horrible, 
 and he who looks for good alone, can find a heavenly 
 radiance through all these dark ages, a continual succes- 
 sion of noble, heroic deeds, and a perpetual humanizing 
 influence for society. In these I rejoice, hoping and 
 believing they will ultimately prevail, but the candid 
 inquirer must recognize as much truth in the criticisms 
 of Voltaire and Ingersoll as in the more pleasing Gesta 
 Christi of Mr. Brace. 
 
 To return to these prophecies, their source and 
 methods. The mechanism or modus opcmndi of Omni- 
 science can never be compassed by man. Prophecy is 
 too divine to be entirely analyzed, but we can sec lines 
 of causation along which any mind may advance to the 
 future, and concerning which there is no dispute. The 
 range of astronomic foresight is incalculable. In hu- 
 man affairs prophecy runs on occult lines. One of these 
 occult lines I have discovered. It is the law of perio- 
 dicity, or at least one law ; I know not how may other 
 laws may exist. For thirty-five years I have been trac- 
 ing and testing that law which governs alike individuals, 
 nations, and all known phenomena. I have found no 
 important exception to its truth as it is verified in my 
 own life, in the progress of my discoveries, which are 
 passing from their recent Nadir to their Zenith, in the 
 lives of all whom I have investigated, and in the history 
 of nations. This law enabled me, in 1859, to predict 
 six years of calamity to the United States (in the Lou- 
 isville Journal}, and enables me now to predict an;l 
 fearlessly announce a period of calamity thirty years 
 hence, culminating to the worst in 1915. Our first 
 era of calamity was from 1812 to 1818, signalized by
 
 156 Prophecy in 
 
 war and financial distress. The second was at its Nadir 
 in 1865, '66, the utter prostration from war.' The 
 third will realize its worst in 1914 and 1915 a period 
 I cannot expect to witness. What form will it assume ? 
 That I do not predict ; but, although there will probably 
 be social disturbances, it seems more probable that it will 
 be elemental convulsion on the Pacific side of the conti- 
 nent, and I would prefer not to reside in San Francisco 
 at that time. 
 
 By psychometric intuition and by scientific prophecy 
 based on universal laws and forces, connected with peri- 
 odicity, which is as apparent in a fever as in planetary 
 movements, nations, and individuals will hereafter be 
 taught (when true civilization begins) to advance in 
 their destiny with the same reliable prescience with 
 which the farmer now anticipates the seasons and his 
 crops. 
 
 PROPHECY IX PUBLIC AFFAIRS. 
 
 The prophetic power is quite necessary in the inves- 
 tigation and comprehension of public affairs. It is the 
 one indispensable faculty for philosophic and statesman- 
 like views. Knowing its high development in Mrs. K, 
 I have been accustomed to use her wonderful power to 
 elucidate current events in public life and their probable 
 issue. 
 
 When, about three years ago, Ireland, if we should 
 judge from the newspapers, appeared to be on the verge 
 of a bloody revolution, I directed her attention to the 
 condition of that country in the usual way, by a word 
 or a question in her hand, and was informed that there 
 would be no milicary outbreak that the excitement 
 would subside and be quieted within two years, without
 
 Public Affairs. 157 
 
 bloodshed. I watched for the fulfilment of her predic- 
 tion, and at the end of the two years the condition of 
 the country was so quiet and peaceable, that the magis- 
 trates commented on the fact that there were fewer 
 crimes than usual. 
 
 The trouble in Egypt early attracted my attention, 
 and the condition has been psychometrically inspected 
 down to the present time. 
 
 On the appearance of Arabi Pasha there was a great 
 difference of opinion as to his character and his future. 
 Many were hailing him as the Bolivar of Egypt, and even 
 so intelligent a gentleman as M. de Lesseps spoke of the 
 probability of a long, bloody, and doubtful war. " The 
 English" said de Lesseps at Paris, "will not have to 
 fight against a leader of insurgents, but against the 
 sovereign of an entire people, since the whole of Egypt 
 is with Arabi." 
 
 I procured an engraving of Arabi and placed it in the 
 hands of Mrs. B., who, without seeing it, gave the fol- 
 lowing impression from the picture of 
 
 A RAH I PASHA. 
 
 " I feel that this is a restless, great mind ; it 's a man, 
 a character that never seemed to be satisfied unless he 
 was accomplishing some great purpose. He seems a 
 great worker for some special cause. He has some great 
 cause something to accomplish. 
 
 "To tell the truth, I don't like him ; he 's a partisan ; 
 he seems like some leader ; but I get a great deal of death 
 around him, a great many spirits. He don't seem sick, 
 but I 'd not be surprised if he 's a spirit himself before 
 long. Perhaps he will not live long. He brings me 
 restless, turbulent scenes. I don't feel happv. It's all 
 anxiety and conflict, as if I were going to be besieged.
 
 158 Propliccy in 
 
 " I think the man is exceedingly shrewd, but at the 
 same time not diplomatic. He wants to arrive at some 
 great position, but mostly for self-aggrandizement. 
 
 " He is not near, not like one of us ; he seems distant. 
 His organism now is only acting out his true character. 
 It has been slumbering a long period, now he is acting 
 out the full measure of his designs ; I call them iniqui- 
 tous. I don't like the man. I thought at first he 
 was philanthropic, but he is not. He would lend him- 
 self to secret manoeuvres and intrigues. lie does not 
 value human life, he is despotic and cruel. Has he got 
 any negro blood in him ? he seems like Indian or negro; 
 he is not Anglo Saxon, he has a mingling of nationali- 
 ties. He has a taint of negro and Indian character ; he 
 is stealthy. 
 
 " He has a following, but those who follow him a,e 
 being misled. He has magnetic influence and tactics 
 he buys them by promises. No intelligent, civilized 
 people would follow him. He would hold out promises 
 to his followers. 
 
 " He seems a military man His career is not for 
 a principle so much as policy and self-aggrandizement. 
 He is in a plot ; he seems the originator of some great 
 plot ; some of the important actors in it are not known. 
 It was for power to subdue for some secret purpose 
 or- some imaginary wrong that they feel. 
 
 "The great restlessness and turbulence of this man's 
 nature must come out. This affair is the outgrowth of 
 his character. He is warring and destroying. I get all 
 sorts of destruction, and missiles of every form, destroy- 
 ing life and property. I see ships. His career will end 
 in great disgrace if he does not lose his life. Those he 
 depends on most will turn against him and become his 
 enemies. I feel that decidedly. He is not a Napoleon 
 by any means. He is decidedly cruel and does not re- 
 gard human life ; yet I think he is cowardly as to his 
 own life lie wants to live. 
 
 "He brings such an ar;ny of accusers from the spirit-
 
 Public Affairs. 159 
 
 world hordes of them. His career will not last km;;. 
 If he were killed, or should die, this work, this disturb- 
 ance would soon cease. There is no one to take his 
 place. He is despotic. It makes my head ache." 
 
 (O. What is his personal appearance ?) 
 
 "It is hard to get his personal appearance. I think 
 he has broad shoulders, is not a slight man. His com- 
 plexion is dark. His eys have an unnatural expression 
 all the fire of his nature is concentrated in the ex- 
 pression of his face. He has great determination no 
 expression of repose the expression of a tiger.* 
 
 " He don't seem to have any real love. He would as 
 soon war with his own father or brother, as anybody else. 
 The result of his turbulence and mischief will not be 
 advantageous in any way to his own country or to those 
 he endeavors to wrong. He is not going to escape 
 he will be either captured or killed his career is short 
 lived the seen and unseen powers warring against him 
 forbid him to succeed. 
 
 " I wonder if these scenes are not in the Egyptian 
 war. I see the shattered walls standing, and great pil- 
 lars supporting buildings, lying in confusion and de- 
 struction." 
 
 (You are right. This is Arabi Pasha. What do you 
 say of his religious character?) 
 
 " He has nothing spiritual. He inherited this turbu- 
 lent nature, Which has long been lying dormant." 
 
 The truth of this description is apparent to all who 
 have watched the progress of events in Egypt. The 
 true character of Arabi was fully developed by the 
 former Khedive Ismail whose opinion was reported in 
 the London Times as follows : 
 
 * M. ilc Rossi wrote a Paris newspaper an account of an interview with 
 Aral)!, in which he say:;: "When he .spoke of the thousand of Marsala, 
 he grew exciter!, a:ul hio.cycs, which till then had lx'c;i soft as a woman's, 
 shot lire like those of a lio:i. lie gesticulated wildly, and once nearly 
 broke the apparatus with the weight of his list."
 
 160 Prophecy in 
 
 " I do not for a moment believe either in the genuine- 
 ness, extent, or patriotism of the so-called National 
 feeling. The agitation, such as it is, is the natural re- 
 sult of the weakness of the Egyptian Government on 
 the one hand, and the success of the Turkish intrigues 
 on the other. Pan-Islamism is as old as my time, and 
 older, but I would never hear of it. Different counsels 
 have since prevailed ; and we are now face to face with 
 the consequences. I always managed by some means 
 or other to control and direct the religious fervor of my 
 subjects in Egypt, but when the control came from 
 Constantinople and not from Cairo, religious fervor 
 became religious fanaticism, and the existence, influence 
 and temporary success of an Arabi became a possi- 
 bility. I remember Arabi well. He became a lieu- 
 tenant-colonel when very young, and, in the second or 
 third year of my administration was tried by court- 
 martial for breach of trust. He should have been 
 broken, but one of my generals persuaded me to par- 
 don him, and I did so. He was then transferred to 
 the Commissariat, and only quite recently returned to 
 active service in the army. Arabi can be painted in a 
 word he is what the French call a blageitr. He can 
 talk and do nothing else. He is the tool of Mahmoud 
 Fehmy and Toulba, about both of whom I have nothing- 
 good to say. Arabi is, and always was, an arrant cow- 
 ard. I always said he would run away, and he certainly 
 decamped very quickly at Tel-el-Kebir. The only brave 
 men in his party are Ah Fehmy and Abdelal ; they are 
 soldiers, but I would defy Arabi himself to define either 
 " patriotism" or " National feeling." He certainly has 
 neither one nor the other^ although half Europe seems 
 inclined to regard him as the would-be savior of his 
 country. The truth is that the Egyptian people must 
 lean on something and follow some one. The Egyptian 
 Government was hopelessly weak, and Arabi and his 
 friends knew it. He and his partisans achieved three 
 visible and striking successes, and the Egyptians saw
 
 Public- Affairs. i6r 
 
 this, and saw, moreover, the representatives of great 
 Powers practically in treaty with him. Arabi pointed 
 triumphantly to these facts, and told the Egyptians he 
 could and would restore Egypt to the Egyptians ; and 
 it is not surprising in ihe circumstances that the Egyp- 
 tians clung to him as the stronger vessel. The move- 
 ment he headed was from the first actively encouraged 
 at Constantinople, hut it is very improbable that either 
 the Sultan himself or any of his responsible Ministers 
 were ever in direct communication either with him or 
 his associates. Direct communication is not a feature 
 of Turkish intrigue, as the desired effect can be pro- 
 duced without it. Arabi and his accomplices must be 
 severely punished. An example should certainly be 
 made of the leaders of the revolt, and half-measures 
 will only be a premium to future disturbances. They 
 may give to Egypt a succession of Arabis. Arabi him- 
 self should be treated as a vulgar mutineer and rebel- 
 lious soldier; to look on him as an Egyptian Garibaldi 
 is a capital mistake, and one which augers ill for the 
 future/' 
 
 The British government took this view, believing that 
 Arabi did not represent any genuine aspirations of the 
 Egyptians, but merely the purpose of military chiefs 
 and corrupt functionaries to attain power, and pillage 
 the tax payers. Acting on that belief they wisely sup- 
 pressed him. 
 
 When El Mahdi came forward apparantly in defence 
 of the liberty of his country, but denounced as the 
 false prophet, I felt a lively interest and procured a 
 psychometric opinion on the 26th of November, 1883, 
 (using only his name) as follows : 
 
 KL MAHDI. (N T OV. 26, 1883.) 
 
 " I think it is a living person, It produces a singular
 
 1 62 Prophecy in 
 
 electric current in the fingers. I'll have to wait awhile 
 and collect myself. 
 
 " It conies to me as a person of great intellectual 
 vigor quite remarkable thoroughly original and 
 practical. I'm trying to think what he does. It does 
 not seem military affairs, yet he seems a ruler of some 
 kind, some kind of a potentate. 
 
 " I think he is very scientific, interested in scientific 
 discoveries, has wonderful forethought is systematic. 
 I don't see what he is doing now. He seldom does any- 
 thing of a personal character always reaching out for 
 some grand or I might say humanitarian labor. 
 
 " He seems near 70, at least not a young man. I 
 can't locate him except in a foreign country." 
 
 (Q. What kind of a climate has his country ?) 
 
 " It seems warmer than this more genial." 
 
 (Q. What kind of people are around him ?) 
 
 "He has a good many crude people with no ideas or 
 crude ideas." 
 
 (Q. What is he doing with them ?) 
 
 " Instructing and developing them. He seems to 
 travel a great deal." 
 
 (Q. How is he engaged at this time ?) 
 
 " He is in a perplexing condition ; in a tight place ; 
 environed by some difficulties. The conditions are not 
 friendly like one who is combating and endeavoring to 
 extricate from his surrounding conditions. 
 
 " He seems fond of scientific illustrations. He is not 
 a great scientist, but has an intuitive understanding. 
 He has indomitable will and perseverance, throws a 
 great deal of energy and fire into what he does. I 
 wonder if he has not colonizing schemes for developing 
 countries and colonizing inhabitants harmonizing 
 crude elements. He has a broad comprehensive mind 
 great vigilance, is fearless, would expose himself to 
 danger without consideration. He has been in close 
 proximity to danger from assault and capture. He is in 
 that condition now- -with suspicious people not familiar
 
 Public Aftaii-s. 163 
 
 with his methods. He is not really fond of military 
 operations, but is not afraid of them." 
 
 (Q. Has he been in any military operations ?) 
 
 " He has but is not in love with it. 
 
 " I feel that he is a foreigner not an American. I 
 get a foreign element, like Indians and Chinese 
 a crude people. He seems alone, single-handed in his 
 work. He has great ambition; likes popularity has a 
 great deal. 
 
 " He is very penetrative. He likes to develop the 
 resources of people and countries. He is a peace maker 
 would like to work with government officials." 
 
 (Q. Has he been engaged in war?) 
 
 "I seem to get surveying, engineering implements. I 
 perceive reconstruction, breaking up of old things, and 
 reconstructing new. His warring nature has been held 
 in abeyance, but he has been, or is, engaged with 
 antagonist forces like war, but I don't see fighting. He 
 is a good tactician, in politics, a power behind the 
 throne." 
 
 (Q. Has there been a battle ?) 
 
 "There has been a loss of life, by contending warring 
 forces, yet he does not appear as a military officer, but 
 as one who would take the weaker side and stimulate 
 thsm by his own courage rather than go into active war. 
 Vet if neccessary he would do it. The cause of contest 
 would be the claims to territory." 
 
 < Q, Will he have success or failure ?) 
 
 " He will not be a failure not as successful a., he 
 anticipates, but in spite of any reverses he will be an 
 ultimate success as a liberator of the oppressed." 
 
 (Q. What of his religion ?) 
 
 "He has a humane religion, not cramped. He is 
 not a Catholic. He may be a Mahometan more like 
 that than any thing else. He will be a -leader and exer- 
 cise a good deal of authority. He has great ambition 
 and will have honors conferred. He will make his name 
 and mark in history. He is capable of achieving exten-
 
 164 Propliccy in 
 
 sivc influence and receiving progressive ideas ; possibly 
 Americanized before lie dies accepting our methods. 
 He does not love war, and will not perpetuate it, though 
 he will protect his people and insist on justice to them. 
 But the war will not continue long. There is great 
 apprehension of continued losses, but it will not con- 
 tinue. England will be called in, but rather as an arbi- 
 ter than an ally." 
 
 (Q. Has he any anticipation of great influence 
 among Mahometans ?) 
 
 " He is skilful in curing diseases, and is a seer of great 
 power, equal to Swedenborg, though not in the same 
 direction. He is grandly prophetic, and people believe 
 in him. He is a medium, likely to be controlled and 
 influenced by Mahomet. He is a well-developed man, 
 but of a very dark complexion and a strong physique, 
 not injured by active life." 
 
 Since the examination I have several times submitted 
 the character of the Mahdi to the psychometric investi- 
 gation of my best pupils, and found a unanimous agree- 
 ment in the essential characteristics of the foregoing 
 description. 
 
 Let us observe how thoroughly it is sustained by all 
 that we have heard of El Mahdi through the press. 
 
 An Egyptian government, the most profligate and 
 infamous of all among civilized nations, becomes deeply 
 involved in debt to foreigners by its unprincipled rulers. 
 This government acknowledges itself subordinate to 
 Turkey, and also claims the control of a vast and 
 valuable territory in the Soudan, inhabited by high- 
 spirited Arabs a.nd harmless blacks, where its intolerable 
 despotism excites a revolt of which El Mahdi becomes 
 the leading figure. 
 
 In the helpless weakness of Egypt, foreign govern-
 
 Public Affairs. 165 
 
 merits interfere with no other pretext than to secure the 
 payment of the Egyptian debt. Great Britain, as the 
 custodian of Egypt, assumes to- intervene for its protec- 
 tion against rebellion. For this they are detested by 
 the Egyptians, who are ready to revolt against the British 
 authority and their own cunning Khedive, allied with 
 foreigners. A military revolt under Arabi, is crushed by 
 British cannon at Cairo. The revolt in the Soudan to 
 throw off a foreign yoke is grappled in a most incompre- 
 hensible manner by the British government though con- 
 fessing in Parliament that El Mahdi is battling for liberty, 
 and that England will not undertake his subjugation, yet 
 a military force is sent to sustain the Egyptians, under 
 pretence of evacuating the Soudan and rescuing the 
 troops of Egypt. Yet why send troops for such a pur- 
 pose ? What difficulty would there be in the withdrawal 
 of troops if they surrendered all claim and proposed a 
 peaceful evacuation ? The difficulty lay solely in the 
 effort to maintain the shadowy and worthless claim of 
 Egypt and Turkey to the sovereignty of the Soudan. To 
 maintain this fictitious title England, professing to be 
 but an arbiter engages in an actual war on a small scale 
 against the people who are struggling only for liberty, 
 and whose struggle enlists the sympathy of the Irish, 
 and the sympathy of a large portion of the English 
 people. 
 
 Possibly there was another motive, in the purpose to 
 retain the friendship of Turkey and the fear that the 
 success of the Mahdi might unite the Mohammedan 
 population of India. Another latent influence was the 
 practical control of Egypt obtained in crushing Arabi, 
 and the desire of a strong party in England for the an-
 
 i66 PropJiccy in 
 
 nexation of Egypt, which would have excited European 
 jealousy. 
 
 The impossibility of conquering and holding the Sou- 
 dan against its dangerous climate and the warlike 
 Arabs, under El Mahdi convinced both England and 
 Egypt that evacuation was the only safe course. January 
 8th 1884, the Khedive said to a correspondent that he 
 must abandon the Soudan and that if life was lost in try- 
 ing to defend Kartoum the responsibility for this loss of 
 life would rest on him. Nubar Pasha at the same time 
 spoke of the evacuation of the Soudan as inevitable. 
 Jan. 12, Col. Coetlogan commanding at Kartoum under 
 Egypt, requested orders for a retreat, the Mudir of 
 Kartoum urged the immediate withdrawal of the 
 Christian population and Nubar Pasha issued an order 
 to that effect. El Mahdi was said to be advancing with 
 a large force and the surrender of Kartoum was de- 
 manded. Gen. Baker urged the abandonment of Kar- 
 toum, the population of which sympathized with the 
 Mahdi and objected to resistance. The British govern- 
 ment thus far agreed with the Khedive in reference to 
 evacuation. The recent destruction of the army of 
 Gen. Hicks in his attempt at invasion, the de- 
 struction of a small Egyptian army near Suakim in 
 December, and the successful advance of El Mahdi's 
 army left no other course within the limits of common 
 sense but a speedy evacuation and friendly negotiation 
 with the Mahdi, or else the summoning of all the power 
 of England to defend some well defined territorial 
 boundary. Neither was done. There was no assertion 
 of a territorial boundary no attempt to negotiate with
 
 ffairs. 167 
 
 the Soudanese no determination either to 
 
 the independence of the people or to conquer them. 
 
 The policy of peaceful withdrawal was partly rejected 
 and partly adopted, or professed. Military forces were 
 sent to co-operate with Egypt against the Soudanese and 
 a contradictory confused policy carried out professing 
 peace yet practicing war rejecting the idea of con- 
 quest, yet assisting the party that aimed at conquest 
 a policy which nobody understood at home or abroad, 
 which provoked the severest denunciation in Parliament 
 and threats of resignation from the Egyptian ministry 
 in April 1884. 
 
 A cabinet council convened in March was said to be 
 unable to come to any conclusion, and it was said that 
 the foreign secretary Earl Granviile insisted upon the 
 recall of Gen. Gordon, doubting his sanity. The cam- 
 paign was regarded as a failure up to that time. Mr. 
 Stanley in the commons urged the witholding of sup- 
 plies until a full and explicit statement of the Egyptian 
 policy should be made. Sir Wilifred Lawson denounced 
 the battle of Teb as a massacre and the English policy 
 as hypocritical and wicked. Mr. Labouchere had pre- 
 viously (in February) asked the government to renounce 
 its blood-thirsty policy ; and in April 94 members of the 
 I louse of Commons lacking only ten of a majority, voted 
 that the loss of British and Arab life in the Soudan was 
 unnecessary. But the policy was pursued to still more 
 disastrous results. 
 
 The change from the avowed design of peaceful and 
 prompt withdrawal without the use of British troops 
 began apparently in January 1884, soon after the peace- 
 ful expressions of the Khedive, who said to a corres-
 
 168 Profliccy in 
 
 pondent that he must abandon the Soudan, and that if 
 life was lost in defending Kartoum the responsibility 
 would rest on himself. This seemed to be the policy 
 Col. Coetlogan commanding at Kartoum, requested 
 orders to withdraw from that city, and orders were sent 
 by Nubar Pasha for the withdrawal of the Christian 
 population as requested by the Mudir. Nubar expressed 
 his conviction of the necessity of giving up the Soudan. 
 
 The change of policy was initiated by the Egyptian 
 war minister, Abd el Kader, considered a man of mili- 
 tary ability, who, refusing to yield Kartoum, said the 
 Egyptian government had 21,000 men, sufficient to hold 
 the Soudan and that it would require seven months and 
 cost a million of pounds to evacuate. 
 
 So far as the telegraphic reports explained the situa- 
 tion, this appeared to be the beginning in conjunction 
 with the influence of Turkey of the cruel and disastrous 
 policy to which the British cabinet yielded, costing not 
 only a great loss of life but the sacrifice of more than 
 sixty millions of dollars with more than the usual 
 amount of military blundering and commissariat villa- 
 nies. The only excuse publicly given was that England 
 must not go back on her assurances tp Egypt. 
 
 As late as January 2ist it was said that Kartoum 
 would be evacuated when the 2000 soldiers expected 
 from Sennaar arrived. The plan of the Egyptian minis- 
 try when they determined to hold on was to establish a 
 new kingdom of Kordofan and Darfoor with Kartoum 
 as the capital. It would be foreign to my purpose to 
 dwell on the twelve months of folly, in which a civilized 
 nation was occupied in upholding an odious despotism 
 against the ruler whom the people longed for. I speak
 
 Public Affairs. \ *) 
 
 of these things in justice to El Mahdi whose noble 
 character and whose rights have been so shamefully 
 ignored. This cruel folly is nearing its end. The opin- 
 ion of those familiar with Egpyt is that England must 
 discontinue this course, which at present is interrupted 
 by the climate. 
 
 How much better would it have been to have carried 
 out the policy of January 1884 or to have acted on Gen- 
 eral Gordon's suggestion to recognize the independence 
 of the Soudan. Since this was written the Soudan has 
 been evacuated and a criminal folly ended, in which I 
 can but believe that Mr. Gladstone yielded against his 
 own judgment to a war party in England. 
 
 We can learn very little of El Mahdi but the first 
 reports of atrocities proved to be entirely false. The 
 army of Gen. Hicks was entirely annihilated but many 
 prisoners have been retained, and so far as reports have 
 come, prisoners have been kindly treated. The Mahdi 
 is said to have invited the Frenchman Olivier Pain to 
 remain with him and see that his policy was not bar- 
 barous. 
 
 The course of events for the five months since the 
 foregoing psychometric description has been in accord- 
 ance with it. On the 2ist of January 1884 four ladies 
 were present in our parlor and to give them an illustra- 
 tion of psychometry, I placed in the hands of Mrs. B, 
 the words " El Mahdi the Prophet " asking her to tell 
 me the present condition of the party whose name I 
 had given her. 
 
 I recorded her impressions as follows : 
 " This is a great ways off a very sensitive person. I 
 think he feels in good condition, as if successful. He is
 
 170 Prophecy in 
 
 going on successfully. He has wonderful brain power, 
 activity, assurance. He seems like one who had the 
 good of a large class of people at heart, and is guided 
 and pushed on to do a great work. He has wonderful 
 powers. He is commanding forces people." 
 
 (What will he accomplish in the next three months ?) 
 
 "He is going on to victory I don't know where, 
 but he is going to achieve a most wonderful victory 
 over his enemies. He is an extraordinarily strong man. 
 What an immense force he has against him. People 
 stand aghast, afraid of him, but they ought not to be. 
 
 "This man acts from inspiration a power behind 
 him. He has an indomitable spirit, and would die for a 
 principle. He is gathering new force all the time, cut- 
 ting off or thwarting the opposing forces, and gaining 
 power. He will spread himself to a great extent. It is 
 difficult to say how much power he will have. He is a 
 great ruler now and has a large following. This follow- 
 ing comes from some principle that is of a profound 
 nature." 
 
 (Is it political, religious or mercantile?) 
 
 "More religious than anything else. He does not 
 aim at self-aggrandizement. He is destined to a suc- 
 cessful career. His career will be one of achievement. 
 When he subsides it will be with a feeling of victory, 
 and having things much his own way. He will have a 
 bright future, with now and then clouds arising from 
 turbulence. He has to deal with sinister people, who 
 come to him with great claims of no real value. 
 
 "It seems like one I have described that Prophet. 
 He is a good example of courage, and whacever may 
 happen, he will make a great inroad on professions of 
 religion. His religion is an old one, with many truths 
 not followed as they should be. lie is in a better con- 
 dition than when I saw him last." 
 
 (Is he about to capture a city ? ) 
 
 " He is preparing for an attack, and will be repulsed ; 
 but if his people hold out as he expects, he will succeed ;
 
 Public Affairs. 171 
 
 but he looks with distrust upon the forces and their 
 commanders. I never saw such unbounded faith as he 
 has in his undertaking." 
 
 This production was verified by the repulse of his 
 forces until his capture of Kartoum, January 27, 1885, 
 a year from this examination. 
 
 I again directed her attention to El Mahdi, January 
 24, 1885, by placing in her hands the words, "El Mahdi, 
 what is his condition ? " In advancing mentally, she 
 first recognized a scene of flowers. Then : 
 
 "My mind is now led to an individual but I am a 
 little puzzled. There are elements of brightness, clear 
 and serene. This person is not surrounded with impos- 
 sibilities ; everything seems possible ; yet there's a great 
 deal of turbulence. There is something familiar about 
 it a great deal of something that I have described 
 before. The scenes that present themselves are fluctu- 
 ating ; they bring hope and anxiety, yet nothing seems 
 impossible to his mind. I feel it is a male. I like him, 
 but there is so much anxiety ! Still there is a fearless- 
 ness that will not despair. I don't like the condition 
 that comes into his life there is so much antagonism. 
 
 " He is excessively independent. I have never een 
 this man, but I seem to be in sympathy with the ele- 
 ments that belong to his life, but not with that around 
 him it is too treacherous. 
 
 "I feel myself in a very warm climate, far away; I 
 get the perfumes, the odors of the foliage ; it is a trop- 
 ical region, far away. I see gorges and deserts. I feel 
 like him, as if a centre in a certain radius, perfectly 
 collected and valiant. He is a religious man. He com- 
 mands a great deal of devotion from his subjects. lie- 
 is a sort of ruler. 
 
 " I wish you were here to see what is going on. They 
 are piling up breastworks for defence. There ! I see a 
 man just hurt badly. He fell, and a weapon stuck into
 
 172 Prophecy in 
 
 his side sonic kind of a spear. Many arc sitting 
 down, some arc lying down. I sec people that have 
 been wounded. There is going to be terrible bloodshed 
 a terrible attack in connection with this scene and 
 this person a fearful fight, and hundreds killed and 
 wounded a savage fight before March arrives. It 
 does not appear that anybody will have a victory. A 
 great many of these people will be killed. The enemy 
 will have to divide forces and go back where they came 
 from. These people will hold their position. The peo- 
 ple that attack them are English." 
 
 (What next ? ) 
 
 " That will not be the end. There may be operations 
 through some other power. The people who are attack- 
 ing these people have not their hearts in it. It is more 
 for prestige. There will be no great victories. They 
 have gone too far to relinquish, but will resort to subter- 
 fuges to give good cause for settling the difficulty. 
 There is not spirit enough to make a great struggle. 
 The spirit is on the side of these people ; the others 
 only aim at a certain point in war tactics. 
 
 " I don't likfc to stay in this country. It seems barren 
 and listless. They are a superstitious people. 
 
 " The leader has no fear of outwitting or thwarting* 
 his opponents. The war will not continue in the 
 summer, it would be fatal to foreigners. The troops 
 will probably withdraw and turn their backs on the 
 people. I cannot see the result of the war because the 
 struggle seems so imminent. 
 
 "Where is Gen. Gordon, he is not in full vigor. He 
 is sick at present, but I don't think he will die. I must 
 leave this scene and go clown the Nile. It is too excit- 
 ing and dreadful. Now the scenery is beautiful. I see 
 the beautiful fish in the waters. Everything seems 
 quiet and beautiful. 
 
 " Now I see George Washington before me with the 
 most beautiful heavenly smile I ever saw. He reaches 
 out his arms and says, ' Peace shall reign over this
 
 Public Affairs. 173 
 
 entire globe wit/tin Jive years a thing that has not 
 been for many years in the past.' 
 
 " Xow he shows me a beautiful tableau, beautiful 
 beyond expression. The colors from every nation 
 standing behind him, and on his breast is the flag of his 
 own country." 
 
 The enquirer may ask, was this but a figurative or 
 emblematic embodiment of her prevoyant ideas, or was 
 it an actual communication from the spirit of Washing- 
 ton. It is not necessary to decide ; psychometric 
 impressions often embody themselves in metaphorical 
 forms as do the thoughts of poets, and it is difficult to 
 draw the line between the subjective and the objective, 
 between the things seen as past, present or future, and 
 the visions that embody or illustrate a truth. 
 
 Three days later I submitted the name El Mahdi to a 
 group of psychometrical pupils, ladies in my parlor, in 
 my usual mode of placing a small written slip in the 
 hand. The substance of their general impressions is 
 expressed as well as practicable in the following lan- 
 guage noted down at the time. 
 
 " It is elevating, a serious feeling, a congenial magnet- 
 ism, brightening the mind and the eyes, quiet and 
 soothing, but powerfully magnetic, disposed to think, 
 well balanced, elevated above all things, intellectual, 
 musical, an attractive person, not stout, symmetrical, 
 a foreigner who does not speak the English language. 
 He is not comfortably situated. He is active in war 
 or something of that kind, in trouble, often on horse- 
 back or on some animal. He has quite a large army 
 not English they wear loose dress-capes. He has 
 great spirit power, is a powerful medium ; there is a 
 power from spirits surrounding him. He is fighting 
 for the right, the other army are invading him. He is
 
 174 Prophecy in 
 
 defending his own country. The war will be disastrous 
 to him but he feels perfect assurance of final success. 
 He is obliged to do violent things which he would not 
 do if not thus attacked. He will hold his own. We 
 sympathize with him. He is fighting for a principle." 
 
 This group of psychometers perceived the character 
 and position of the man but not the exact events of the 
 moment. 
 
 In my report of January 24, three clays before the 
 capture of Kartoum, the military condition was correctly 
 given. She spoke of terrible battles and bloodshed 
 " before March arrives," great slaughter " of the people " 
 but no victory for any body, and the retreat of the 
 English with divided forces, going " back where they 
 came from," while "these people will hold their posi- 
 tion." "The war will not continue in summer, it 
 would be fatal to foreigners." The sanguinary battles 
 of January, February and March which were so bloody 
 to the Arabs and the practical cessation of active hostili- 
 ties in March verified the prediction. The ex-Khedive 
 Ismail Pasha explained to King Humbert, of Italy on 
 the fifth of April, the utter impossibility of conquering 
 the Soudan and said that England was temporizing with 
 a view of abandoning the Soudan " as soon as it 
 could be done without undignified haste." Pie thought 
 that England and El Mahdi would come to an agreement 
 next autumn. 
 
 In April '85 I procured for the first time a picture of 
 El Mahdi, purporting to be derived from a photograph, 
 and thinking that it might perhaps give a more vivid 
 impression than the name, I placed it in her hands the
 
 Public Affairs. 175 
 
 face turned down, on which she gave the following 
 opinion. 
 
 " It seems the picture of a man, a prominent leader, 
 whether religious or political. It seems a strong man. 
 There is a great deal of ardor and excitability. 
 
 " He has one purpose at heart ; he is entirely suited 
 to it. He is a foreigner. It takes me off to the East 
 to the countries around the Mediterranean. He is sur- 
 rounded with a good deal of opposition to his work. I 
 feel a restive warlike element around him. 
 
 "There is no pretension about this man. He is sin- 
 cere and courageous, and I think him religious. It 
 would take a great amount of opposing power to make 
 him submit or change his policy. I feel as if in the 
 midst of contention and war, very much as I do when 1 
 take the character of El Mahdi. I feel almost that it 
 is he." 
 
 (In what condition is he at present?) 
 
 " He is in a hopeful condition as to the ultimate suc- 
 cess of his policy. Tell me if it is El Mahdi. I think 
 it is." 
 
 (You are right, it is El Mahdi.) 
 
 "I need not say any more." 
 
 (What is his present condition ?) 
 
 " I wish I had not discovered him so soon. I think 
 at the present time he feels that the prolonged delay is 
 somewhat disappointing. He thought that the culmi- 
 nation would be reached sooner. Hut he is gaining 
 prestige all the time, notwithstanding the circulation of 
 hostile rumors. His people arc getting weary, they 
 want to see an end to this but he is strong to-day, 
 strong in his cause. He looks to the spirit world for 
 aid with as strong faith that he will be carried through 
 by the aid of higher powers as any of the orthodox. 
 He has undoubted fidelity to his religion." 
 
 (What of the sanguinary proclamations attributed l*> 
 him ?)
 
 176 Prophecy in 
 
 " That was probably to pacify the ignorant and fanati- 
 cal people around him. fie may have said something 
 like what was reported." 
 
 (How old do you think he is ?) 
 
 "Between forty and fifty." 
 
 This shows a prompt perception of his character and 
 a more accurate judgment of his age than was formed 
 from the name alone. 
 
 On the i /th of May, she announced that he had been 
 defeated, which corresponded to the telegraphic news* 
 but at the same time that he was not discouraged and 
 had received large reinforcements. 
 
 The Mahcli or Mahadi is a Mahometan Messiah, a 
 reincarnation of the old prophet Mohammed the I2th 
 Imam and I2th in descent from Ali, who is the original 
 prophet, who is believed to reincarnate to revive the 
 glory of Moslemism. The family name of the present 
 prophet is Mohammed Ahmed. He is a man of medium 
 size, very thin, of a light copper color, with a very 
 black beard. He was born at Dongolah ; his parents 
 were poor, but by the aid of his brothers who were car- 
 penters and boat builders he was kept at school near 
 Kartoum, and had completed the study of the Koran 
 at twelve. After completing his studies, he lived on 
 the island of Aba on the White river for about fifteen 
 years, and is said to have occupied a subterranean apart- 
 ment or cave. Here he began to assume the position 
 of the Mahdi and gained so many devotees that when 
 he was sent for to appear before the governor-general 
 at Kartoum and explain his purposes, he refused to go. 
 When two hundred soldiers were sent to capture him, 
 they were slain by his followers. Two months later in
 
 Public Affairs. 177 
 
 1 88 1, five hundred soldiers sent for the same purpose, 
 were also destroyed. The rebellion developed ; the 
 garrisons of the Soudan, numbering seven thousand 
 men were concentrated at Gudir, and were attacked by 
 an immense army under the Mahdi. It is said that 
 only one hundred and twenty-four soldiers escaped 
 massacre. He led a conquering force sweeping down 
 everything before him, and laid siege to El Obeid with 
 a force reported at 192,000, but no doubt vastly exag- 
 gerated. The place was captured and severely pun- 
 ished, and his career of conquest continued, signalized 
 by the entire destruction of the army of Hicks Pasha. 
 Newspapers report the destruction of a hundred thou- 
 sand lives by his rebellion, but all intelligence from that 
 quarter has been unreliable. In his present position as 
 master of Kartoum with an unconquerable people be- 
 hind him, the prediction of his success is evidently des- 
 tined to fulfilment ; and the superficial sneers of the 
 London Times at the impostor will not be sustained by 
 history. 
 
 As El Mahdi is in spiritual affinity with Mahomet, I 
 would introduce here the impression of him given some 
 years since by Mrs. B. as follows : 
 
 MAHOMET TIIK FOUNDKR OK 1SLAMISM. 
 
 " I feel a great illumination and development coming 
 like waves of inspiration. It brings a purple color with 
 it. It takes me back a great ways, is not modern, but 
 not as ancient as Crishna. It is nearer the period of 
 Christ. 
 
 " There seems to be a period when the world was 
 looking for development to take it out of gloom, a wait- 
 ing for something.
 
 r/8 PropJiccy iu 
 
 " This was a regenerator. He took hold of people by 
 storm, almost by force. It brings great heat and fervor, 
 an imaginative mind that grasped great truths, great 
 ideas. There was great imagination and fulfilment, it 
 might be called prophesies fulfilled. There is a burst- 
 ing volcanic feeling. 
 
 " From birth he seemed born for his mission. He 
 was the founder of a doctrine approximating somewhat 
 the teaching of Christ, but not as his nor idolatrous. 
 He would not teach the worship of idols, but led the 
 people out of it. It seems he took a step in advance 
 of his predecessors, paid more respect to woman in his 
 dispensation than in former ages. 
 
 "What troublous times he had often in the deepest 
 troubles from antagonisms, there was so much jealousy 
 existing and so much animality. The people he dealt 
 with had very little spirituality. He talked with spirits 
 claimed to do it and did. He lived simply and pre- 
 pared himself for the revealments through him. 
 
 " He succeeded in establishing his doctrines and had 
 his followers has now. A great deal of force was 
 used he had to fight his way. Great powers were 
 against him and treachery, but he never yielded his 
 faith. 
 
 " His doctrines were such as to impose great moral 
 responsibility on the person not like the Old nor the 
 New Testament. He believed personal sacrifices neces- 
 sary to obtain happiness. He believed in another 
 existence. His heaven was not work, or praise and 
 song, but one of grandeur and rest. 
 
 " He hardly taught that we should have the same 
 pleasures and pursuits as here. He did not feel that 
 there was much atonement in heaven. The mind 
 would not take on the same conditions, but be trans- 
 formed. 
 
 "He did not diffuse knowledge to the masses but 
 would rather teach this doctrine of inevitable fate. 
 
 " He was abstemious as to drink. If he saw the
 
 Public Affairs. 1 79 
 
 demoralizing effect of wine, he would oppose it. He 
 had a liberal spirit in that, but would not tolerate de- 
 bauchery. 
 
 "As to women he would teach plurality of wives 
 would not abuse women, but be kind to his favorites. 
 He was loving and voluptuous would prefer to be 
 served by women, but perhaps not counsel much with 
 them, though he recognized their inspiration. 
 
 "He had inspiration from high sources had visions 
 and prophecies, and felt that he had direct communica- 
 tion with the departed or angels. He was an inspired 
 leader, and left a better example than they had been 
 following he advanced them. 
 
 " He had some opposition to Christianity, not viewing 
 Christ as we do. 
 
 "He had talents was an orator and made powerful 
 addresses in a commanding voice of magnetic force 
 he charmed his audiences. They sought him with 
 avidity. 
 
 " He had power to heal and did, somewhat after the 
 manner of Christ, even at a distance. His dress was 
 plain. He compared with Christ as a leader, and in 
 magnetic force, but was not so self-sacrificing. He had 
 more adherents from the opulent than Christ had. He 
 has dropped many of his ideas, and would harmonize 
 with your views of philanthropy." 
 
 ALEXANDER, u'lSRAELI, AND GARIBALDI DEATH PRE- 
 DICTED. 
 
 December 26, 187;. Mrs. B. gave a graphic descrip- 
 tion of Alexander, the Czar of Russia, ending with the 
 assertion "he will certainly be killed assassinated, 1 ' 
 and that " many of the great men of Europe will be lost 
 in the next two years D'!SKAELI and GARIBALDI, and 
 Spain will also send her quota of prominent men to the 
 spirit world." These successful prophecies were the
 
 I So PropJtccy in 
 
 more remarkable as they were spontaneous, and not at 
 all associated in any way with the fate of Alexander. 
 The description of Alexander in which these prophe- 
 cies occurred was as follows. She grasped the charac- 
 ter almost instantly and recognized it as living. 
 
 " I get a living influence. I feel a person endowed 
 with good share of common sense and great ability in 
 directing. He knows how to direct a body of men. 
 That is his forte. He is intellectual, and at home in 
 intellectual society. There is a flush of business about 
 him. 
 
 " He is not altogether popular. He is in a position of 
 directing by authority, and he is under direction by 
 others. He is engaged in publishing something 
 something like journalism. He is easily read by those 
 who are near him. He lives in style, but the external 
 of the building is not so stylish as its interior." 
 
 (Why is he unpopular ?) 
 
 " He is so self-willed and extreme. It is not a char- 
 acter that I would admire. He has an intense love of 
 self is very opinionated. He is gifted has learning, 
 and has looked into deep subjects. Does he not have 
 women under his control ? I see them. But he is not 
 popular with women, except so far as they desire to get 
 benefits from him. He is obeyed from fear of his 
 power." 
 
 (Is he interested in the public welfare ?) 
 
 " Yes, if he could have his own way. Pie does not 
 adopt other people's views." 
 
 (Has his unpopularity ever brought on any trouble ?) 
 
 "Yes, he has been in danger of personal violence 
 from his enemies. He is careless as to wounding 
 others not at all sympathetic." 
 
 (What does he think of democratic institutions ?) 
 
 "He is rather favorable to them. That is one of his 
 extremes. He likes to see industry going on, and is
 
 Public Affairs 181 
 
 industrious himself, but he likes to have his own system 
 in everything. He is bull-headed in many respects. 
 He cares more for the country's prosperity than for the 
 comfort of the people. He likes to take the reins over 
 everything and supervise it." 
 
 (VVhat is the climate of his country ?) 
 
 " Generally temperate, but in certain winter months, 
 very cold." 
 
 PSYCHOMETRIC VIEW OF RUSSIA AND ENGLAND. 
 
 March 26, 1885, our evening paper gave warlike news 
 which prompted me to learn from psychometry the 
 probable course of events. The foreign news was 
 headed: "War nearing. English and Russian stocks 
 falling. Great excitement in England. 25,000 militia 
 said to have been called out. Bombay troops to pre- 
 pare for service. Finishing steel vessels at Chatham. 
 Chicago canning beef for the English army. England 
 preparing, getting ready her big ships, calling in and 
 inspecting her rifles. The British reserves and militia 
 to be called into permanent service. Queen Victoria's 
 message. 15,000 troops for India. Horse artillery pro- 
 ceed at once. Burmah contributes 1,000 camels." It 
 was also stated that " 14,000 rifles will be forwarded to 
 India to-morrow," and that "Gen. Roberts' corps will 
 go to Bolan Pass," and " rumors are thick that Russia 
 has rejected the English proposals." At the same 
 time the conviction was expressed at the Department 
 of State, Washington, that war was inevitable. 
 
 Those and other warlike rumors implied a very strong 
 probability of war, and to test the prophetic power, I 
 placed in the hands of Mrs. B. the words, pencilled on 
 a very small slip of paper, " England and Russia ; will
 
 1 82 Prophecy in 
 
 there be war ? " saying that it was a question concern- 
 ing persons, places, and events on which I wished her 
 opinion. I knew she had no opinion formed on the 
 subject, as she seldom looked at the foreign news, and 
 was not aware of the pending difficulties. Her impres- 
 sions were given deliberately, as follows : 
 
 " It's all mixed up. It gets me excited. Is it El 
 Mahdi's war?" 
 
 (No ; it is something for you to determine as to the 
 future.) 
 
 " It stirs me up considerably, but I don't think it's a 
 very serious matter. There seems to be a great deal of 
 froth and swagger about it. 
 
 " I am carried away a great ways into a remote region. 
 I see Indians, or something that looks like uncivilized 
 people. 
 
 " It seems to me there are two forces in a menacing 
 attitude toward each other. This region seems a new 
 place I have never explored before. I don't know what 
 this disturbance is about whether invasion of terri- 
 tory or subjugation. I think it is chiefly that. There 
 is some religious feeling or fancy about it. 
 
 " The people where this scene is located are not white, 
 they seem copper colored or darker. There are 
 other parties concerned. It is not a home affair or up- 
 rising, but a foreign intervention. They are an unscru- 
 pulous people. They would like to exterminate the 
 natives if they could, and take their country. It is a 
 rich country with mineral wealth. 
 
 "They will not be able to do this, because these peo- 
 ple will have friendly power to assist them European 
 power." 
 
 (In what direction do the invaders come ? ) 
 
 " It is all east from here. The invaders are Europe- 
 ans ; they come from a northern direction. The natives 
 will have assistance from a southern direction. This
 
 Public Affairs. 183 
 
 intervening element does riot wish to meddle for honor, 
 but to go in for principle. They are a mixed people, 
 copper colored and dark, with some whites, but so mixed 
 up I cannot speak clearly of the nationality." 
 
 (Will there be a collision ?) 
 
 " I think there will be hostilities, and the nefarious 
 designs against a defenceless people will be checked. 
 There may be some collision, but the intervention will 
 check the invasion, which is certainly wrong." 
 
 (What do you say of the invading party and their 
 government ? ) 
 
 " They seem to rule by force and tyranny. I don't 
 like their principles and methods." 
 
 (Is it the fault of the nation or its government ?) 
 
 " It is the government. They are unfeeling, and 
 have no sympathy with any nation unless they can pro- 
 mote their own aggrandizement. It is an arbitrary 
 government." 
 
 (Will there be anything like war?) 
 
 " I don't think there is much collision yet, but there 
 is a very menacing, aggressive, tantalizing attitude. 
 There will be bloodshed, and a formidable attack, but it 
 wHl not last. The natives, though not well prepared, 
 will fight with desperation." 
 
 (How soon will it be settled ? ) 
 
 " It will not take many months to establish peace." 
 
 This opinion was soon verified by Gen. Komaroffs 
 attack on the Afghans four days later, and their cour- 
 ageous resistance. The signs of war and the military 
 preparations were increasing until my next experiment. 
 
 April n, 1885, the imminent probability of a war 
 between England and Russia as generally believed and 
 the vast military preparations in progress induced me to 
 look again into the question by investigating the charac- 
 ter of the Czar upon whom it seemed to depend. 
 
 I placed in her hands " the Czar of Russia," saying
 
 184 Prophecy in 
 
 there was a character for her to investigate. Her 
 impression was given as follows : 
 
 " It seems like a public character. He has a great 
 deal of will-power strong mentality. It is a man. I 
 don't think I have ever described him. He is an entire 
 stranger to me. 
 
 " He is one I don't take to. He seems an unfeeling 
 man. I may be wrong but he does not seem scrupu- 
 lous. He would go ahead without much sympathy for 
 others, he is sharp, cutting. He has a very active brain, 
 a good deal of engineering, has a far-reaching mind, 
 seeking self-aggrandizement and power. He has a great 
 deal of skill I don't know whether military skill or 
 in general management. I feel that he is commanding 
 forces a power. 
 
 " He is a repulsive man to me, makes me feel restless 
 and uncomfortable. His purposes are sinister. He 
 expects to make a great name. He cares nothing for 
 human suffering. His name would be offensive to 
 philanthropic minds ; but the people don't see him just 
 as I do. I cannot locate him. 
 
 " He is full of cupidity. He may be somewhat of a 
 success, but he will never be what the world will sanc- 
 tion as true greatness. He likes to go into large opera- 
 tions. 
 
 " People can't really tell where to find him, he is a 
 tactician with flank movements. I feel that he is 
 instigating trouble war. He would like to stir up 
 and instigate war bring up causes to provoke disturb- 
 ances. He is happy only in governing and command- 
 ing people serfs. He is seeking conflict with people 
 who will give him more than he wants before he gets 
 through it. He seems an invader who would trample 
 on the rights of others." 
 
 (Will the people sustain him ?) 
 
 " He holds power and the people will sustain him, 
 but there will not be a ireneral feeling in his favor."
 
 Public Affairs, 185 
 
 (Will there be a war ?) 
 
 " I think there will be a backing out. You can't tell 
 where to find him when it comes to the issue, He has 
 made some reputation he does not deserve by his 
 diplomacy." 
 
 (What 'will be his future ?) 
 
 " I think he is in the Russian trouble in an exalted 
 position." 
 
 (Russian or English ?) 
 
 " He seems a Russian. Emperor of Russia. He will 
 not have a brilliant setting to his sun. He will go down 
 in a cloud. He will not have a long reign. It will be 
 a tortuous one. I would not be surprised if he was 
 deposed. It is possible I don't say positively. I 
 don't believe he will be reformed, though he may yield 
 his principles to retain power. He is so unreliable I 
 cannot tell what he will do. Some of the people do 
 want to depose him. He is fond of power and of self, 
 and is so politic he might do a great deal to retain it. 
 He could find an excuse for making any surrender. 
 He is a very difficult man to read. He has made great 
 bluster and show of power, but " 
 
 (What as to war ?) 
 
 "He will make his demands less imperious, and 
 endeavor to conciliate or negotiate. His acquisitive- 
 ness is large." 
 
 (What is his domestic character?) 
 
 " He does not show his tyrannical nature at home, 
 though a little morose." 
 
 (Is there any probability of his being assassinated?) 
 
 " There may be attempts. There are evil eyes on 
 him with a menacing feeling. I do not think he will be 
 in a very great war. His people do not go to war 
 willingly." 
 
 April 23, 1885. Everything in the news to-day at 
 Boston indicates the strong probability of war. The 
 Vienna dispatch of April 22 says :
 
 1 86 Prophecy in 
 
 " Information which has been received here from St. 
 Petersburg political circles creates a great sensation. 
 It is to the effect that the only condition on which 
 peace can be assured is that England shall ac- 
 knowledge the complete neutrality of Afghanistan and 
 the extinction of English influence upon the Ameer's 
 country. In this case only, it is said, is a peaceful 
 understanding between England and Russia possible. 
 This demand on the part of Russia has been communi- 
 cated as an ultimatum to London. The highest military 
 circles in Russia are bringing great pressure to bear on 
 the government to declare war. They say that the 
 chances of victory for Russia were never so favorable as 
 at the present time. Russia it is further said, is only 
 waiting the moment when the Volga shall be free of 
 ice, as this river is essential for the transportation of her 
 troops. As soon as the river is open, Russia will cast 
 aside further attempts at diplomatic negotiations." 
 
 The London despatch says : 
 
 " The press association asserts that it is enabled to 
 state that further communications have been received 
 from St. Petersburg to the effect that the Russian 
 government has refused to hold a further inquiry in 
 regard to Gen. Komaroff's report of the engagement of 
 March 30. It is the opinion, therefore, in English and 
 Russian diplomatic circles that peace cannot be main- 
 tained. 
 
 "A later dispatch says: The Russian reply to the 
 communication sent to M. de Giers through Sir Edward 
 Thornton yesterday, after the receipt of Sir Peter 
 Lumsden's supplementary report of the battle of March 
 30, has just been received. M. de Giers replies that
 
 Public Affairs. \ 87 
 
 Russia declined to enter upon any further discussion of 
 the Penjdeh incident." 
 
 The London News of same date says : 
 
 " No disposition is shown by Russia to retreat from 
 the false position she has assumed. Forbearance has 
 been pushed to its limits and will bear little further 
 extension on the part of England." 
 
 Russia was also announced to be fortifying Batoum 
 and gathering a military force there in violation of its 
 treaty stipulations. 
 
 The latest despatch from London on the morning of 
 the 23d (5 A. M.), says " the Porte is to be neutral, and 
 peace, after Sir Peter Lumsden's papers is impossible. 
 The war preparations at Woolwich yesterday were im- 
 mense." 
 
 Fearing that there might be a failure after all in the 
 pacific prophecy, I again placed the name of the Czar in 
 her hand and asked her as to the mental condition and 
 designs of the man whose name I gave her. She 
 promptly said it was the Czar that he was roused and 
 earnest, and endeavoring to inspire a warlike spirit in 
 the people, but that there would be no war, however 
 great the preparation, that there would be mediation, 
 and Germany would be the mediating party. 
 
 May S. Throughout the month of April the war-cloud 
 was vast and dark, the military preparations went on. 
 The declaration that war must soon begin, coming from 
 diplomatic circles, from the press, from foreign specta- 
 tors, from correspondents in Russia, and other sources, 
 and the ardent desire of large parties in Russia and 
 England to bring on the conflict, the wide spread con- 
 viction that war was inevitable and that Mr. Gladstone
 
 1 88 Prophecy in 
 
 was but timidly postponing the crash, gave me great 
 uneasiness, and, at each fresh alarm, I again appealed 
 to her psychometric judgment, only to be assured with 
 unhesitating positiveness that there ivonld be no iuar. 
 Her opinion was psychometric, she knew but little, and 
 thought less of the newspaper reports and could not be 
 induced to admit, either consciously or unconsciously, 
 as in my experiments, that war was possible, whether 
 speaking of England and Russia or interpreting an im- 
 pression from an unknown writing. 
 
 Now that peace is assured, we may reflect on the 
 greatness of the crisis and the moral grandeur of Glad- 
 stone in warding off unspeakable calamity and crime 
 from two of the greatest nations, unaided by those who 
 should have stood by him, and against all outside influ- 
 ence from other nations. 
 
 Oh that it were possible to consummate his grand 
 career by dis-establishing that fraud upon Christianity, 
 the Church of England. 
 
 It was well said by a Wesleyan clergyman in an 
 English journal : "The country has a special right to 
 complain of the establishment. We give these gentle- 
 men five million pounds a year, and a position of unique 
 authority and honor in order that they may teach us all 
 to be Christians. But if at a crisis like this, they have 
 either nothing to say to us, or worse still like the Canon 
 of Litchfield, preach the gospel of Moloch, it will be 
 difficult to show cause why they should not be dis-estab- 
 lished at once, and dis-endowcd without a penny of com- 
 pensation.
 
 Public Affairs. 1 89 
 
 FRANCE AND CHINA. 
 
 April 5, 1885. I placed in her hands the words, 
 " France and China Peace or War ; " with the follow 
 ing result : 
 
 "It suggests disruption and confusion I see lights 
 and shadows kaleidoscopic a great deal of uncer- 
 tainty and new developments, with antagonistic forces 
 at work. 
 
 " I don't know whether everybody is in earnest or 
 not. I don't see that anybody is in earnest. I go to 
 seek the causes. I don't see any real cause. It is like 
 something started in the minds of a few individuals for 
 notoriety, power, and self-aggrandizement. 
 
 " El Mahdi occurs to my mind, but not in connection 
 with this. It has something to do with Afghanistan, but 
 very remotely. It seems like an epidemic of warlike 
 distemper. Can there be an atmospheric or planetary 
 influence at work ? 
 
 " There is going to be a great deal of bloodshed, and 
 then they will stop. They are preparing to fight, 
 though they don't seem to have any heart, and it is not 
 to revenge any grievance, a sort of warlike epidemic. 
 They are going through with it soon, probably within a 
 year." 
 
 (Is it possible it may be settled sooner ?) 
 
 " It is the desire of some of the parties to negotiate. 
 What are they fighting about? It is not a religious 
 war. I don't see the cause." 
 
 ( Do you see the assailing party ?) 
 
 "They are a bloodthirsty set. I see brilliant colors, 
 sails, national colors. They look like Chinese 
 people." 
 
 (What are the other parties ?) 
 
 " They arc a better-looking people, of more distinct 
 features, more like French than anything else." 
 
 (What is to be the result ?)
 
 190 PropJiccy in 
 
 " Many are to be killed. The assailants have no 
 more humane feeling than if they were fighting with 
 animals. It looks as if there would be some interfer- 
 ence some nation coming in as friends to the Chinese 
 advising, or assisting and promoting a settlement." 
 
 The settlement was effected through the friendly of- 
 fices of , an Englishman, very soon after this opinion, 
 
 the whole difficulty having occupied less than a year. 
 
 As the issue depended partly on the character of the 
 Emperor of China, I brought his character under the 
 psychometric investigation, with the following result, on 
 the i6th of February, 1885, using the words, "The Em- 
 peror of China." 
 
 THE EMPEROR OF CHINA. 
 
 " This is a live person, of active duties, a mind of 
 many avenues. I don't see what direction it takes. 
 
 " It gives me a restless feeling, easily disturbed not 
 apprehension or guilt but this person seems in an 
 attitude of defence. I should judge it was a man of 
 rather vacillating mind. He dqn't really understand 
 himself don't give himself credit for what he really 
 deserves in some things, and in others overrates him- 
 self. 
 
 " He is greatly swayed by public opinion and sur- 
 rounding influences sycophants fawning on him. 
 
 " It is an interesting subject, but puzzling, like a 
 will of the wisp." 
 
 (Q. What is his position ?) " A position of trust 
 something important depending on him. He holds the 
 reigns of power not here far away. It takes me 
 away off to the East with Eastern nations. 
 
 " He is mixed up with strife and ruling. There is a 
 restless, uncertain feeling prevailing. I don't see much 
 success for this man." 
 
 (Q. What will be the result ?) " No great harm to 
 him personally. An amicable feeling comes up as 
 though some of the troubles will be amicably settled.
 
 Public Affairs. 191 
 
 I cannot get into full sympathy with him. There is 
 some invasion and litigation about territory. There 
 will be bloodshed and strife it may last twelve 
 months." 
 
 (Q. Is he fit for his position ?) "He will do for a 
 figure-head. If he has good advisers he may do well, 
 but he loves flattery." 
 
 (Q. How does he regard women ?) " He likes 
 women for his pleasure and amusement does not 
 respect them very highly he believes in polygamy." 
 
 Wishing to look to the future of the English govern- 
 ment, I placed in her hands the words " The Prince of 
 Wales," which gave a pleasant impression and gradu- 
 ally developed the character. Her language was as 
 follows : 
 
 "This is not so stimulating as Gen. Gordon. There 
 is a good deal of coolness and method in his character. 
 There is a great deal of adhesiveness whatever he 
 takes a fancy to he adheres to. lie has a good deal of 
 ingenuity and astuteness. He occupies a political posi- 
 tion. He has a matured mind. I see something like 
 military display, in which he is interested in some way. 
 
 " lie is a keen observer learns as much from obser- 
 vation as in any other way. He is a strong character 
 very decided in his feelings, but has a happy way of 
 concealing his weak points. 
 
 " He is in no way corrupt or disposed to wink at any- 
 thing wrong. He has had something to do with military 
 operations. I see him in military uniform. His social 
 position is high among people of rank and distinction. 
 He aims to rank among the most distinguished of men. 
 He will go on ; he is now ascending ; he feels that he 
 is entitled to a very high rank ; he spreads out a great 
 deal. 
 
 "He will get a high rank, cither through merit or 
 accident. If he has controlling power he will use it
 
 192 PropJiccy in 
 
 with a great deal of discretion and judgment. He feels 
 responsibilities crowded upon him, and dilemmas which 
 make it difficult to tell what to do. 
 
 " I perceive now that he is on the other side of the 
 ocean. He expects to sway a great deal of power a 
 mighty power. He expects to rule by the expression of 
 his will rather than by any great exertion. 
 
 " I think he will be popular. Though a little arro- 
 gant, he will not be tyrannical over subordinates. He 
 has some reformatory principles, and will be more in- 
 clined to pacific measures than arbitrary. I rather like 
 him. He has no great passion for women." 
 (What country will he rule ? ) 
 "His native country wherever that is." 
 (What language is he acquainted with ? ) 
 " He is acquainted with more than one. He seems of 
 a mixed nationality; he seems like a Celt, or among 
 the Celts." [He was at this time in Ireland.] 
 (What is his age ? ) 
 
 " He has the maturity of fifty ; he may be younger." 
 (What does he think of the differences of England 
 and Russia ? ) 
 
 "He is decidedly opposed to the Russians thinks 
 they deserve punishment, but does not want war." 
 (What sort of an administration would he make ? ) 
 "If he lives to hold the reins of government there 
 will be a new order of things a great stride in advance 
 of the present broadening out and developing the think- 
 ing element. I think his mother is living, but not his 
 father. It seems like the Prince of Wales, as it sug- 
 gests Queen Victoria. His administration will be a 
 good one." 
 
 In the foregoing practical illustrations of the pro- 
 phetic power of the human intellect candid readers will 
 find sufficient reason to believe that the ancients were 
 right in recognizing and relying upon the prophetic 
 faculty of the human mind, and that the religious world
 
 Public Affairs. 193 
 
 has not been mistaken in recognizing extraordinary 
 prophecy as an evidence of inspiration, but an inspira- 
 tion which could not occur unless there were a prophetic 
 faculty to be inspired, The recognition of this power 
 in Mrs. B. was expressed by one of her admirers in a 
 poem published in 1 880, as follows : 
 
 TO CORNELIA THE PRIESTESS. 
 
 Above the mountain tops of snow ! 
 Above the clouds and vales below ! 
 The wild bird flieth wild and free 
 From Eastern shores to Western sea. 
 And the forest fades in the dim twilight, 
 As the stars come out in the sky of night; 
 And field and mountain, river and sen. 
 Are lost in a realm of mystery. 
 Then stars seem near in their mystic power, 
 And deep is the mystery of that hour 
 When viewless forces from stellar spheres 
 Are weaving the web of the coming years. 
 
 Like that wild bird thy spirit flics 
 Heyond the star-gemmed midnight skies 
 To realms of beauty, radiant, rare 
 To realms of bliss beyond compare. 
 To deeper realms of mystic lore 
 Than ever sages pondered o'er. 
 And high in spheres of prophet souls 
 The scroll of Fate for thcc unroll.- ; 
 And whispers of divintst thought 
 In sacred spheres, to thcc are brought. 
 Dear Priestess of the sacred shrine 
 Where angels come from spheres divine, 
 No Delphic temple yet is thine: 
 But flowers shall yet thy path surround. 
 And Honor bring its glittering crown : 
 And grateful hearts shall turn to thce, 
 
 TNI Kkl'RK.TKK OK MYSTF.RY ! 
 
 Fair herald for celestial spheres 
 Of joy and light in coming year- ! 
 
 PSYCHE.
 
 194 Postscript. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 An accident, at the last moment, gives me the 
 opportunity of referring to the continued fulfilment of 
 the prophetic anticipations concerning El Mahdi, who 
 no longer finds an English foe before him, and is said 
 to be massing his forces for more extensive conquest. 
 
 May I not ask, is the time far off, in which the ship 
 of state, sailing into the unexplored sea of futurity, full 
 of hidden dangers, shall have its pilot, its telescope, 
 and its electric light ? Does not the grandeur of the 
 responsibility, when nations of fifty or a hundred mil- 
 lions are drifting into collision in the dark, and when 
 the unknown dangers of immovable caste, upheaving 
 discontent, communism, nihilism, materialism, corrup- 
 tion, monopoly, selfishness, turbulence, ignorance and 
 pestilence are ever impending as storm-clouds, demand 
 adequate precautions. Has the Divine Benevolence, 
 left man as the helpless victim of unknown and un- 
 controllable misfortune, and ordained an endless 
 martyrdom for humanity, or has it not given to man 
 dominion over all things, in his over-mastering intelli- 
 gence, of which he is but beginning in this juvenile 
 age to be conscious. 
 
 I am firmly convinced there is a Divine intelligence 
 in the interior of humanity, which may solve all prob- 
 lems and guide all destinies. With a view to its evo- 
 lution I have proposed the COLLEGE OF THE SOUL, 
 which one-millionth part of the wealth now annually 
 worse than wasted, might establish as the guide of 
 nations in all things, and especially in the realm 
 belonging to that prophetic wisdom which I have 
 shown to be implanted in humanity.
 
 PART III-THE NEW PHILOSOPHY AND 
 RELIGION, 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 PSYCIIOMKTUY AND ANTHROPOLOGY. 
 
 As a matter of scientific progress, the crowning 
 glory of Psychometry is its participation in the devel- 
 opment of Anthropology. 
 
 The masterpiece of creation, the human brain, the 
 organic structure which comes into conjugal union 
 with the divine element, the structure through which 
 Divinity is manifested, the organ most mysterious and 
 difficult of all in its anatomy the centre alike of 
 psychological and physiological life, exercising in its 
 various organs all that belongs to the life of man and, 
 therefore, holding in itself all the secrets of human 
 existence, the source of all philosophy, all thought, 
 all action, all art, all passion, all movements of indi- 
 viduals and nations, and, therefore, the richest, grand- 
 est, sublimest and most complex of all subjects of 
 human study remained until the end of the last cen- 
 tury an inaccessible mystery, and still remains to-day 
 nothwithstanding the profound exposition of its anat- 
 omy, the greatest of all impregnable mysteries in the 
 schools of biological science.
 
 2 Psychomctry and Anthropology. 
 
 And yet the knowledge locked up in this mysteri- 
 ous organ, beina" that which is nearest to ourselves 
 
 O O 
 
 and most important to our well-being is worth all other 
 knowledge, and, therefore, worthy of the concen- 
 trated labor of all scientific minds, since the full 
 development of this knowledge would be worth more 
 than all that has been hitherto done for human 
 enlightenment. 
 
 To perform this great neglected task to open the 
 richest treasury, not only of knowledge but of wis- 
 dom, has been the aim of my life for fifty years, which 
 \vas crowned with success in 1841, by discovering the 
 impressibility of the brain and the ease with which its 
 functions may be demonstrated. 
 
 The rational and practical investigations of Gall, at 
 the close of the last century, gave the first clear 
 understanding of the anatomy of the brain, and the 
 first just conception of its functions a grand work 
 incomplete and inaccurate, but greater and more orig- 
 inal than any of the scientific achievements of past 
 ages. 
 
 To test its truth, to supply its deficiencies, correct its 
 errors and expand the phrenological doctrine into a 
 complete science of the brain, as the organ the soul 
 and the controlling region of the body, was the work 
 to which I gave seven years of gratifying, fascinating 
 and successful labor, crowned by the discovery of the 
 impressibility of the brain, which enabled me to stim- 
 ulate its various organs by the hand or by galvanism, 
 and make them reveal their functions as clearly as the 
 sensitive and molor nerves had been demonstrated by 
 Majendie.
 
 Psychometry and Anthropology. 3 
 
 At this point Psychometry came in to reinforce the 
 demonstration, and carry my investigations farther in 
 the most delicate exploration of the cerebral organs. 
 Had I discovered first the psychometric process of 
 investigation, that would have been sufficient for the 
 entire task, and Psychometry would have had the 
 honor of the entire discovery, to which indeed it was 
 entirely competent, but in which it comes in as the 
 assistant, to perfect and complete the science of man 
 a science the magnitude and value of which are 
 beyond all computation, and may not be realized by 
 man\- for half a century. 
 
 This science to which I have alluded, merely to show 
 the power and value of Psychometry, comprehends 
 alike the action of the brain as the organ of the soul, 
 which may be called Cerebral Psychology, and its 
 action as the commanding region of the bodv, in 
 Cerebral Physiologv. The Cerebral Psychology 
 includes not only normal Psychology, but all that is 
 abnormal and insane while the Cerebral Physiology 
 includes the philosophy of disease as well as of 
 healthy action, and, therefore, establishes a medical 
 philosophy. In addition to these systems of science, 
 Anthropology shows that the entire body and entire 
 brain operate in close and systematic sympathy so 
 that whatever function may be operative in one has 
 a correspondent] function in the other. Hence the 
 body has in a different sphere, the same combination 
 of psychic and physiologial powers as the brain, and 
 the scientific map of these functions constitutes the 
 Science of SARCOGNOMY, which is the accurate basis of 
 electric and magnetic practice, as well as of the phil-
 
 Psychomctry and Anthropology. 
 
 osophy of disease. In addition to these three sciences, 
 Cerebral Psychology, Cerebral Physiology and Sarc- 
 ognomy, Anthropology presents the fundamental 
 mathematical law of action for both brain and body 
 
 / 
 
 which governs every gesture, every vital process or 
 movement, all expression of character, and in short 
 all relations of the psychic to the physical in nian and 
 also throughout the Universe. 
 
 The accompany engraving is an illustration of the 
 positive system of Psychology which I have thus 
 demonstrated, the outlines of which were given in 
 my System of Anthropology published in 1854, which 
 has been accepted as true by all who have become 
 acquainted with its 
 principles and their il- 
 lustrations. 
 
 The presentation of 
 the science at New 
 York in 1842, caused 
 the appointment of a 
 committee of investi- 
 gation whose report 
 was noticed in an in- 
 
 teresting article in the 
 Democratic Review of 
 January, 1843, of 
 which I reproduce a 
 portion to give the 
 reader a further illus- 
 tration of the science and its recognition by the 
 enlightened gentlemen who examined its claims at 
 New York.
 
 Psychometry and Anthropology. 5 
 
 In the first presentation of my discoveries I used the 
 most comprehensive term possible, viz. NEUROLOGY 
 which as the science of all nervous matter and its 
 functions includes all Biology or Physiology all 
 forms of animal life that have ever existed. But as 
 the popular presentation of the subject relates chiefly 
 to man, I have since preferred the term Anthropology. 
 This explains the title adopted in the Review as 
 follows : 
 
 NEUROLOGY IN NEW YORK.* 
 
 IPSK VIPI. 
 
 In surveying the history of discoveries in natural 
 science, one of the most peculiar facts that strike the 
 view is the circumstance that for years, aye and even 
 ages, preceding the development of some important 
 principle, many of the leading phenomena had been 
 repeatedly observed ; and when the grand conclu- 
 sion deduced from these phenomena was once 
 announced to the world, the result excited less 
 astonishment than the circumstance of its having 
 been so long unperceived. Men of the most exal- 
 ted genius would seem often to stumble over these 
 facts, and even not unfrequently to pick them up 
 and handle them, and still fail to discover their most 
 obvious bearing. Hence it has always occurred that 
 attempts have been made to rob the discoverer of 
 his honors, however well merited, on the ground that 
 certain of the essential facts had been previously well 
 known. Thus has it been with the kindred subject 
 
 * From tlio Democratic Review .Tanuarv. 1S43.
 
 6 Psychometry and Anthropology. 
 
 of Phrenology, whose enemies, failing in the effort 
 to subvert its principles, endeavored to show that 
 what was true in it was not new, and what was new 
 was not true. And in illustration of the circumstance 
 just adverted to, that the tendency of natural phe- 
 nomena is often by no means appreciated even by 
 the most acute observers, it may be mentioned that 
 Gall himself once struck accidentally upon one of 
 the most important facts of " Neurology v without 
 discovering the general law to which it most obvi- 
 ously pointed. The same remark is applicable to 
 the experiments without number performed during 
 the last fifty years in France, Germany, England, 
 and the United States, upon subjects put into the 
 somnambulic state by means of the Mesmeric pro- 
 cess. 
 
 The earliest knowledge that we have of these 
 discoveries in " Neurology " on the part of Dr. 
 Buchanan, is, that in April, 1841, he was giving 
 public lectures and experiments on the subject at 
 Little Rock, Arkansas. We are the more particu- 
 lar in referring to this date, as an attempt has been 
 made in the city of New York to establish a priority 
 of claim, based upon experiments made in the latter 
 part of the same year. But by this time the 
 announcement of Dr. Buchanan's discoveries had 
 spread, by means of the journals of the day, over 
 the whole extent of our wide domain. " These 
 experiments," in the words of their author, "occu- 
 pied the whole ground of Phrenology ; more than 
 doubled the number of distinct organs ; and estab- 
 lished propositions in physiology and therapeutics,
 
 Psychometry and Anthropology. 7 
 
 of much more importance than the Phrenological 
 doctrines which had thus been established." Instead 
 of hastening to our Atlantic cities, in the reasonable 
 hope that here a discovery of such magnitude would 
 be speedily and fully appreciated, Dr. Buchanan 
 remained in the far West, quietly prosecuting his 
 investigations to the end of perfecting his system 
 of Neurology. So far as regards cerebral excita- 
 bility, he could not but be aware that others would, 
 by this process, attract the public mind, and that it 
 would be caught up even for popular exhibitions ; 
 but justly considering this as entirely subordinate to 
 the science he aimed to establish by this means, he 
 directed his efforts solelv to the accomplishment of 
 the scientific end in view. 
 
 As these discoveries embrace, in their wide range, 
 not only the mental phvsiology of the brain, consti- 
 tuting Phrenology, but also the physiology of every 
 corporeal organ as dependent upon special portions 
 of the cerebral mass, it follows that it was necessary 
 to substitute a new term. Were the functions of 
 the brain exclusively mental, the term, Phrenology, 
 would be sufficiently comprehensive ; but as its con- 
 trol over the corporeal functions is not less decided 
 and important, the term ^Vcnrologv, or science of 
 the nervous substance, has been judiciously selected 
 as expressive of all the phenomena comprised within 
 its wide limits. These two classes of functions, Dr. 
 Buchanan distinguished by the terms psvchological 
 and physiological which are, indeed quite expres- 
 sive in their more popular acceptation ; but, as the 
 phenomena of the mind, in our present existence,
 
 Psychomctry and Anthropology. 
 
 can be manifested only through the cerebral struc- 
 ture, we cannot see that this class of functions is less 
 physiological than the other. This double function 
 of the brain, as demonstrated by Dr. Buchanan, we 
 consider as its mental and corporeal physiology. 
 
 To Dr. Buchanan is due the distinguished honor of 
 being the first individual to excite the organs of the 
 brain by agencies applied externally directly over 
 them, before which the discoveries of Gall, Spurzheim, 
 or Sir Charles Bell men who have been justly 
 regarded as benefactors of their race dwindle into 
 comparative insignificance. This important discovery 
 has given us a key to man's nature moral, intel- 
 lectual, and physical ; for, by this means, in 
 " impressible" subjects, have become discoverable 
 the various cerebral organs which are not only con- 
 nected with the phenomena of thought and feeling, 
 but control the corporeal functions. As man is per- 
 vaded by the imponderable and invisible fluids, which 
 radiate from him unceasingly, such as the electric, 
 galvanic, magnetic, and (according to Dr. Buchanan) 
 " nervauric," the laws of these iie would seem also 
 to have demonstrated. He has likewise clearly estab- 
 lished the general truths of Phrenology, corrected 
 many errors of detail, and developed the subject with 
 such a degree of minuteness, that it now may be 
 said to resemble the full-grown adult as compared 
 with the child. 
 
 " Neurology, " says Dr. Buchanan, " while it 
 incorporates the entire mass of Physiology with 
 Phrenology, makes a revolution in the latter science. 
 Although the greater portions of the organs discov-
 
 Psvchomctry and Anthropology. 9 
 
 ered by Gall and Spurzheirn, have been, in the main, 
 correctly described, yet experiment has proved about 
 one-third of the number to have been incorrectly 
 understood. Nor does the catalogue of Gall, Spurz- 
 heim, Combe, or Vimont, embrace a sufficient num- 
 ber of functions to explain the diversified phenomena 
 of human character. * * * The number of indepen- 
 dent functions which may thus be demonstrated by 
 experiment \vith an adequately susceptible person, 
 amounts to one hundred and sixty-six ; but, for con- 
 venience of instruction, I demonstrate usually not 
 more than one hundred. With a subject of large 
 brain, \vell cultivated mind, and high susceptibility, 
 I have no doubt that even as many as two hundred 
 might be shown distinctly " 
 
 The agent employed most generally by Dr. 
 Buchanan to excite the various functions of the 
 nervous system, is the same as that used in the 
 operations termed Mesmerism or Animal Magne- 
 tism, viz. : the aura of the nevous system, which is 
 radiated and conducted freely from the human hand. 
 Instead, however, of putting the subject first into the 
 Mesmeric somnambulic condition, which renders the 
 phenomena that follow highly deceptive and inacu- 
 rate, Dr. Buchanan operates upon his subject in the 
 ivakiiig state, free from the mental delusions which 
 may be supposed to pertain to somnambulism. This 
 impressible class, which is a verv limited one, may 
 not only have a portion of the brain so energetically 
 stimulated, by the touch of another, as to manifest 
 its particular function predominantly : but the indi- 
 vidual becomes equally excited when he places his
 
 io Psychometry and Anthropology. 
 
 fingers on the cranial regions of the cerebral organs 
 of another person. 
 
 These characteristic and leading principles of Dr. 
 Buchanan's system, are here adverted to merely in 
 a general way, as they will be again brought under 
 notice by us, both in a sketch of the principles of 
 Neurology by Dr. Buchanan himself, and in the 
 diversified experiments of a committee, appointed by 
 a public audience in the city of New York, for the 
 purpose of investigating the pretensions of Dr. 
 Buchanan to the claim of having enlarged the 
 boundaries of anthropological science. 
 
 These announcements are, indeed, of a startling 
 character, extraordinary to all, and to many wholly 
 beyond credence. Had Dr. Buchanan lived in an 
 earlier age of the world, when philosophy had not 
 yet asserted its noble prerogative of releasing the 
 mind from the bondage of superstition, instead of 
 being regarded as a bold and original thinker and an 
 untiring searcher after truth, he would have been 
 dreaded, or perhaps persecuted, as a necromancer 
 casting his magic spells over the body and soul of his 
 victim. But, notwithstanding the wise in all ages, 
 seeing the deceptions constantly practiced on man- 
 kind by the marvellous, have been very justly on their 
 guard against easy credulity, it does not become the 
 true philosopher of the nineteenth century to close the 
 organs of his five external senses against the intrusion 
 of any evidence which might possibly disturb some 
 favorite and long cherished system. It does not 
 become the philosophic enquirer to decide precipitately 
 that any phenomenon is too marvellous for belief.
 
 Psychomctry and Anthropology. i: 
 
 Manv natural phenomena, which were formerly 
 regarded \vith superstitious awe, as, lor instance, the 
 Spectre of Bracken, which consisted of the gigantic 
 image of a man delineated on the sky the fact of 
 troops performing their evolutions on the surface of a 
 lake, or on the face of an inaccessible precipice or 
 the equally extraordinary phantasm of a ship's being 
 seen in the air, in the solitude of the ocean's waste, 
 notwithstanding no vessel was within reach of the 
 eye are all now satisfactorily explained by the 
 unequal refractive powers of the atmosphere arising 
 from its variable temperature. "It is impossible,'' 
 says Dr. Brewster, to study these phenomena with- 
 out being impressed with the conviction, that nature is 
 full of the marveDous, and that the progress of 
 science, and the diffusion of knowledge, are alone 
 capable of dispelling the fears which her wonders 
 must necessarily excite, even in enlightened minds.'' 
 
 In like manner^ to those unaware that each mental 
 faculty has its distinct organ in the brain, the proposi- 
 tion that these emotions or faculties may be excited at 
 will, as when we call forth the different notes of a 
 musical instrument, is so startling as to be beyond 
 credibility ; but to the mind of the phrenologist, who 
 has been wont to contemplate the great truths of his 
 science, the announcement of such results oilers no 
 violence. This field of scientific research, which 
 offers a harvest rich in new and valuable facts, is open 
 to every laborer; and we find, accordingly, that it 
 has been already entered upon by many philosophical 
 enquirers. We, as well as may others, have wit- 
 nessed repeated experimental verifications of th<
 
 12 Psychometry and Anthropology. 
 
 excitement of the separate organs of the brain, thus 
 calling forth, in an intense degree, their natural lan- 
 guage and action. Although the number of those 
 having brains thus excitable is comparatively small, 
 yet in every society of a few hundred individuals, 
 there will be found some subjects impressible in a 
 greater or less degree. To those in whom scepticism is 
 a predominant organ, we would seriously recommend 
 the perusal of the following lines written by Galileo 
 to Kepler, which are not the worse for having been 
 often quoted : 
 
 " Here, at Padua, is the principal professor of 
 philosophy, -^uhom 7 have repeatedly and urgently 
 requested to look at the moon and planets through m\ 
 glasses, which he pertinaciously refuses to do." 
 
 We would now proceed to illustrate the general 
 subject of NEUROLOGY, by bringing before the reader 
 certain portions of a report on experimental inves- 
 tigations, published in the Evening Post of the 6th 
 December, entitled "Minutes of the proceedings 
 of a Committee appointed by the public audience 
 attending the lectures of Dr. Buchanan, to superin- 
 tend experiments relating to ' Neurology,' and to pre- 
 pare experiments suitable for public exhibition/' 
 
 The committee met on the 4th and 5th of Novem- 
 ber, and spent several hours each day in the perfor- 
 mance of a variety of experiments ; but, as a general 
 impression prevailed that the results exhibited were 
 not, on the whole, of a character so marked and une- 
 quivocal as to be very satisfactory, Dr. Buchanan 
 stated that he had relied on the expectation that some 
 impressible subjects would be brought to the meeting
 
 Psyckometry and Anthropology. 13 
 
 by members of the committee, but that there had not 
 been any of a character other than very imperfect and 
 doubtful. lie suggested that a sub-committee should 
 be appointed, who could witness experiments, in 
 greater privacy, upon some subjects who might be 
 found unwilling to appear before so large a number as 
 the general committee, and who would also be able to 
 bestow more time on the investigation of the subject 
 than could be done by the larger number. This sug- 
 gestion being adopted, the following gentlemen were 
 appointed as that sub-committee: Rev. Henry W. 
 Bellows, Messrs. William C. Bryant and John L. 
 O'Sullivan, and Dr. Samuel Forry. The first named 
 of these gentlemen was prevented by absence from 
 the city from being present at the greater part of the 
 experiments made, and from participating in the 
 report. 
 
 We will present, in the first place, the conclusions 
 of this sub-committee : 
 
 " REPORT OF THE SUIJ-COMMITTEE. 
 
 " The sub-committee, appointed to witness private 
 experiments by Dr. Buchanan, beg leave to report, to 
 the committee from which their appointment emanated, 
 that they have held meetings, of which an account is 
 given in their minutes subjoined. Their object has 
 been to give the subject an attention, at the same 
 time cautious and candid, and to present a simple 
 statement of their observations, to serve as a basis for 
 the deductions of others, rather than of any positive 
 conclusions of their own, as to the correctness of
 
 14 Psychonietry and Ant h?' op o logy. 
 
 those views and opinions to which Dr. Buchanan has 
 given the name of the science of " Neurology,' as 
 discovered and developed by him. 
 
 " For the sake of rendering more intelligible the 
 bearing of the facts and appearances observed, upon 
 those principles propounded by Dr. Buciianan, of 
 which they are presented as illustrations and evi- 
 dences, the sub-committee present also a brief and 
 general statement of the outlines of Dr. Buchanan's 
 system, as furnished by himself at their request. 
 
 " In justice to Dr. Buchanan, they at the same 
 time feel bound to declare the highly favorable man- 
 ner in which, throughout all the intercourse growing 
 out of this investigation, they have been impressed 
 by the evident intelligence, sincerity, and earnest- 
 ness of convictions, and truthfulness of conduct and 
 deportment, strongly characterizing that gentleman : 
 and that they are fully satisfied of the honorable 
 motives prompting his present devotion to these 
 investigations, in the sole spirit of a student of 
 science, a pursuer of truth, and a friend of his race. 
 They will also add that, feeling every reason to 
 believe in the good faith and veracity of the subjects 
 of these experiments independent of those experi- 
 ments which were, in themselves, of a nature to 
 preclude deception they deem it their duty, in view 
 of the extraordinary facts they have witnessed, to 
 say that, although they have obtained a very imper- 
 fect knowledge of the system of Dr. Buchanan, and 
 have been prevented by the pressure of their other 
 avocations from bestowing on the subject as much 
 lime as would have been desirable to themselves ;
 
 Psychometry and Anthropology. 15 
 
 they have had sufficient evidence to satisfy them that 
 Dr. Buchanan's views have a rational experimental 
 foundation, and that the subject opens a field of 
 investigation second to no other in immediate interest, 
 and in promise of important future results to science 
 'i ml humanity. 
 
 " The different members of the sub-committee have 
 not all been present at all the meetings described in 
 their minutes. Some of them have, however, in 
 private, on other occasions than those here referred 
 to. witnessed other similar experiments, of the most 
 interesting and satisfactory character, which are not 
 here described, because not witnessed by them col- 
 lectively, in that capacity in which alone they have 
 to make the present report. The absence of Mr. 
 Bellows from the city, at the time of submitting this 
 report, renders it necessary to forego the advantage 
 of his participation in it. The minutes were pre- 
 pared bv Dr. Forry, from notes taken at the time 
 of the various experiments. The papers appended 
 to this report are a brief and general statement, by 
 Dr. Buchanan, of the outlines of his system or 
 science of ' Neurology,' and the minutes of the pro- 
 ceedings of the sub-committee. 
 
 " All of which is respectfully submitted. 
 " WM. C. BRYANT. 
 
 "J. L. O'SULLIYAN, 
 
 " SAMUEL FORKY, M. D." 
 
 Every reader must determine for himself the degree 
 of confidence to which the statements of this commit- 
 tee are entitled. The name of one of its members
 
 16 Psychomctry and Anthropology, 
 
 is already classical in the English language ; Dr. 
 Ferry's recent excellent work on the Climate and 
 Endemic Influences of the United States has jjiven 
 
 ~ 
 
 him, though a young man, an honorable place among 
 the scientific observers and writers of the day ; while, 
 however otherwise obscure, the remaining name is 
 not unknown to the readers of the Review, through 
 which he has the honor, monthly, of coming into a 
 relation with them, grateful on the one side, and not 
 unfriendly, it is hoped, on the other. 
 
 The following outlines of the principles of Neuro- 
 logy, by Dr. Buchanan himself, will, in connection 
 with the remarks already made, afford the reader at 
 least some general idea of the subject : 
 
 " Gentlemen As you desire from me a sketch of 
 the principles of Neurology, I submit the following 
 brief statement, hoping that its brevity will not render 
 it obscure : 
 
 " The word Neurology, as it relates to man, is but 
 another name for the great science of Anthropology, 
 because the science of the nervous substance neces- 
 sarily includes all the manifestations of mind and life 
 connected with or dependent upon that substance, 
 which we know is the seat of life and the organ of 
 the mind. 
 
 " Physiology, Pathology, Insanity, and what has 
 been called Animal Magnetism, Mental Philosophy 
 or Phrenology, Cranioscopy, Physiognomy, Educa- 
 tion, etc., are partial views of the phenomena and 
 systematic laws of the human constitution, which 
 constitute the science of Neurology. 
 
 "The characteristic feature of that svstem of Neu-
 
 Psychomctry and Anthropology. 17 
 
 rology which I have brought before the public is, 
 that it has been established by means of cautious and 
 decisive experiments, and may easily be verified by 
 any individual who has the necessary patience to pur- 
 sue the investigation of the subject. 
 
 ik The experiments consist in exciting the various 
 functions of the nervous substance in the cranium or 
 the body by the application of the proper stimulating 
 agents. Every article of the materia medica pos- 
 sesses in some form, or to some extent, the power of 
 exciting and modifying the functions ; Galvanism, 
 Electricitv, Magnetism, and Caloric, possess efficient 
 exciting powers ; but no agent that I have used pos- 
 sesses so efficient, and at the same time, so congenial 
 an influence, as the aura of the nervous system. 
 
 " This Nervaura, which is the a<jent by which one 
 
 o . 
 
 individual makes a physiological impression upon 
 another, when in contact, is radiated and conducted 
 freely from the human hand. The experiments which 
 I have made in your presence, consist in applying 
 this Nervaura to the various portions of the brain, 
 upon which it may make an impression through the 
 cranium and the face, which present no obstacles to 
 its transmission. 
 
 4i To develop important results from such experi- 
 ments, it is necessary that we should make them upon 
 persons whose cerebral action is easily excited, or 
 deranged by slight influences. It is necessary that 
 the portion of the brain which we excite should be 
 so energetically stimulated as to become predominant 
 over all the other portions, and to manifest its func- 
 tions in a pure and distinct form, unmingled with
 
 i8 Psychoinctry and Anthropology. 
 
 any different or counteracting functions. It is also 
 extremely desirable that the experiments should be 
 made upon persons whose mental cultivation, sagac- 
 ity, and integrity, render their descriptions of their 
 own sensations cautious, exact, and worthy of implicit 
 confidence. 
 
 " As my experiments have been repeated by many 
 Phrenologists and others, and havj generally been 
 attempted by them during the state of somnambulism 
 superinduced by mesmeric operations, I would remark 
 that such experiments are often highly deceptive and 
 inaccurate. Experiments should be made in the nat- 
 ural condition of the subject, and free from the imag- 
 inative excitement which belongs to somnambulism. 
 As far as I have heard of the result of the somnam- 
 bulic experiments, I know of but few cases in which 
 the operator has not been misled by his imaginative 
 subject. 
 
 " An extensive course of experiments upon persons 
 of intelligence, in their natural state of mind, has 
 established and placed beyond a doubt, the fact that 
 the brain, as a psychological organ, manifests an 
 immense number of mental functions, and that there 
 are no phrenological divisions in the brain, other than 
 the anfractuosities of the convolutions, and that there 
 are no simple primitive cerebral organs manifesting a 
 pure special single function, unless we carry our sub- 
 divisions so far as to 'make a primitive organ of each 
 constituent fibre of a convolution. 
 
 "The number of cerebral organs which we may 
 recognize is, therefore, a matter of arbitrary arrange- 
 ment, as we mav divide the brain, for convenience,
 
 Psychometry and Anthropology. 19 
 
 into three, four, or five regions, or with equal preci- 
 sion and functional accuracy, into three, four, or five 
 hundred. From fifty to a hundred subdivisions would 
 be as many as we can learn to locate correctly, and 
 is a sufficient number for practical purposes. 
 
 k ' It is established with equal certainty, that the 
 brain is as much a physiological organ as a psychol- 
 ogical organ, and that it maintains its sympathies with 
 the body, and exercises its controlling power over it 
 by means of certain conductor organs at the base of 
 the encephalon, by which it radia'.es volitionary, cir- 
 culatory and secretory influences to the muscular sys~ 
 tern and other tissues of the body. Each portion of 
 the brain has an intimate-relation or sympathy with its 
 particular region of the body, and exercises a modi- 
 fving influence upon the general circulation and inner- 
 vation of the system. It is through the conductor 
 organs that the special relations of the brain and the 
 body are established, and all the physiological e fleets 
 which may be produced by operating upon the brain, 
 mav be as easily, and, indeed, more promptlv evolved 
 by operating upon the corresponding conductors, 
 which transmit their influence directly. 
 
 ''Thus do we explain the relations of the brain to 
 the body, and by carrying out the mathematical laws 
 of cerebral physiology, we show the influence of each 
 hemisphere of the brain upon the opposite hemis- 
 phere, and through that upon the correlative half of 
 the body. 
 
 " To explain the relations of the mind to the brain, 
 and the peculiar mode or laws of their connection, 
 would not be a more difficult ta.>k than to explain the
 
 2O Psychomctry and Ant/tropology. 
 
 relation between the brain and the body either of 
 which would seem to the novice a chimerical under- 
 taking. 
 
 "This higher psychological philosophy, however, 
 constitutes no part of the psychologico-physiological 
 system to which I have called the attention of the 
 public, and which aims at extensive educational and 
 medical utility. Of this system, I have given you a 
 lew imperfect illustrations, and regret that I have not 
 had the opportunity of illustrating, in your presence, 
 the beneficial influence which may be exerted upon 
 the sick. 
 
 "The experiments with medicines applied to the 
 fingers, were designed to illustrate some important 
 principles in reference to human impressibility, and the 
 mode in which medicines produce their effects. 
 
 " The experiment of bringing an impressible per- 
 son into contact with the head of another, illustrates 
 tne laws of the transmission of the nervaura, and pre- 
 sents us a method of accomplishing a perfect diagno- 
 sis of disease, as well as of exploring the physiology 
 of the brain, and ascertaining the characters of differ- 
 ent individuals. This method, which I have been for 
 some time engaged in applying to practice, must ulti- 
 mately take the precedence of all other methods of 
 diagnosis and examination, either for character, for 
 disease, or for the establishment of scientific principles. 
 " In conclusion, permit me to remark, that the prin- 
 ciples of Neurology have been established by innum- 
 erable coincident harmonious facts, similar to those 
 which you have witnessed, and that unless the testi- 
 mony of our senses is utterly false, or unless a large
 
 Psychometry and Anthropology. 21 
 
 number of intelligent observers have been suddenly 
 seized by an epidemic and methodic insanity, a new 
 class of facts has been devoloped, and a new science 
 exists, which imperiously demands the attention of all 
 lovers of truth or friends of man, and which, if even 
 half of its bright promise is realized, must originate a 
 great and happy era in the history of human progress. 
 
 "With high respect, enhanced by the cordiality, 
 courtesy and promptness with which you have 
 engaged in your recent duties, I remain, 
 " Your humble servant, 
 
 "Jos. R. BUCHANAN. 
 
 " Messrs. Bryant, Forry and O'Sullivan.*' 
 
 In view of the preceding observations, it may be 
 asked Whither is this new science to lead us? 
 Are the old landmarks of knowledge to be set aside ; 
 and are we to pull down every system which has 
 been built up upon consciousness, or upon the tedious 
 gatherings of observation? Is this new system to 
 subvert all its predecessors, and then be overwhelmed 
 in turn by another theory a still shorter royal road 
 to wisdom ? 
 
 We answer, No. Systems pass away, but truths 
 survive; and every new truth added to our stock of 
 knowledge, notwithstanding it may clcstrov som^ 
 error, cannot crush or obscure a previously known 
 truth. The new demonstrative school of meta- 
 physics will, we are confident, develop and contirm 
 many of the principles which, heretofore, as no expe- 
 rimental mode of testing them was known, have been 
 sustained bv reason alone. We observe that memorv
 
 22 Psychometry and Anthropology. 
 
 has been restored to its rightful place in the catalogue 
 of our faculties by the new system. Consciousness 
 and abstraction are also recognized as special facul- 
 ties, dependent upon special organs. We expect to 
 see many of the doctrines of Locke, Reid, Stewart 
 and Brown established experimentally on the new 
 physiological basis. 
 
 We expect to see a subtile and intricately arranged 
 philosophy spring up from these investigations, as 
 different from the crude system of Gall, as is the 
 bright face of Nature, with all her diversities of 
 mountain, plain, forest, field, river, and sea, from 
 the rudely sketched outline of a school-boy's map. 
 
 But to what else will it lead? If impressibility is 
 most frequently found among those of refined organi- 
 zation, why may it not be evinced by some man of 
 genius? If so, may not the intellectual organs be 
 stimulated to a higher degree of activity, than results 
 from ordinary influences? May not a cerebral power 
 be generated, bordering upon the supernatural energy 
 of insanity? And may not this intense intellectual 
 excitement be directed to useful purposes, in the 
 investigation or illustration of truth? May not the 
 student rouse his memory, when it fails to recall 
 the knowledge that it once possessed? May not the 
 naturalist and the artist have the external senses 
 rendered more acute? May not the faculties of sight, 
 touch, taste, and smell, be sharpened, for minute 
 investigation of physical science? 
 
 May we not, by various excitements, produce all 
 the diseases and all the conditions to which the 
 human mind and body are subject? May we not
 
 Psychomeiry and Anthropology. 23 
 
 ascertain the condition of the mind and of the brain 
 in insanity, sleep, dreaming, trance, and the act of 
 dying? May \ve not determine the seat of life, and 
 discover in what portion of the brain the mental 
 action is last perceived from what spot the soul 
 takes its final departure? May we not besiege and 
 torture Nature with ingenious and searching experi- 
 ments, until we compel her to confess her secrets? 
 
 We put these questions because they seem natur- 
 ally to arise from the establishment of the fact, that 
 we can compel the various fibres of the brain to 
 manifest their functions ; and thus we may interro- 
 gate Nature as it were, by the most rigid examina- 
 tions. We believe that all that we have hinted at, 
 and much more, is comprehended in the system of 
 Dr. Buchanan ; and that these various points have 
 been made the subject of experiment, we know. His 
 views have not yet been embodied in a volume, to 
 which we might refer for their nature and scope ; but 
 we know that he aspires to go as far as human intel- 
 lect can pierce the almost impenetrable mysteries of 
 life and mind. Should he ever present to the public 
 t'n at higher psychological system of philosophy," 
 >f which he speaks as distinct from Neurology, we 
 anticipate something of a still more strange and 
 startling character. 
 
 If all the elements of humanity can be summoned 
 up at the beck of the skillful experimentalist, we 
 cannot but believe that many a rare and strange fea- 
 ture of our common nature will be brought to light. 
 The elements of genius, of poetry, of love, and of 
 the mysterious sympathies of mind with mind, will
 
 24 Psychomctry and Anthropology. 
 
 be brought forth, and subjected, like the gay orna- 
 ment of the skies the rainbow to philosophical 
 analysis. As the natural philosopher explains its beau- 
 tiful effect by the laws of that luminous medium, which, 
 by passing through the drops of water, presents to 
 the eye a brilliant spectrum ; so will he, perhaps, 
 explain how that higher medium the Divine Aura 
 of life and thought passing through the white and 
 gray matter of the cerebral convolutions, originates 
 the affections and all the poetry of life. Would it be 
 strange if he should discover through what medium 
 the soul acts upon its corporeal tenement, or that 
 there are media heretofore unknown, and of a nature 
 different from the galvanic and magnetic? Would it 
 be incredible that faculties should be discovered in 
 man, which have been sometimes supposed to exist 
 in the gifted few, but \vhich are entirely unknown 
 and unfelt by the multitude? 
 
 In the great ideal of Humanity, in which we 
 embody its digniy and its powers worthy to be the 
 servant and the agent of Divinity - - we perceive that 
 which we realize in no individual. There are none 
 to be found who even approximate the great and per- 
 fect type of humanity. How far the noble nature of 
 man has been debased cannot be told, nor how many 
 of the world-knowing and world-conquering faculties, 
 bestowed by his Creator, have been enfeebled or 
 destroyed. There are continual aspirations to some- 
 thing greater and better, which are not gratified, and 
 which we cannot carry into execution ; but which 
 seem like vestiges to remind us of what we should 
 be, and what may once have been the nature of man.
 
 Psychometry and Anthropology. 25 
 
 In the system of BUCHANAN, these vestiges are rec- 
 ognized ; a range of faculties has been discovered, 
 which are now dormant, and which have been, per- 
 haps, dormant for ages, in the greater portion of the 
 human race. These faculties, giving a stimulus to 
 the mind, and expanding greatly its range of knowl- 
 edge, may, hereafter, be developed as features of our 
 common nature, and be made the means of obtaining 
 a loftier species of knowledge than has ever yet been 
 obtained by human kind." 
 
 The present volume of Psychometry is an illustra- 
 tion of the concluding remarks of the Review as to 
 the possibility of developing dormant intellectual pow- 
 ers and attaining " a loftier species of knowledge than 
 has e~cer yet been obtained by hit man kind." 1 
 
 That loftier knowledge is attained in the psychic 
 exploration of the spirit-world, in which are dwelling 
 now the millions of millions who have occupied this 
 earth since it has been habitable for man, and who, in 
 the world of emancipation from matter and of far 
 reaching intelligence have attained a profundity of 
 wisdom and holiness of nature which would be not 
 only inaccessible but unintelligible to the juvenile and 
 immature beings who occupy this nursery-ground of 
 Immortality. 
 
 The short-sighted beings who inhabit this earth, 
 and whose proudest representatives in governments, 
 colleges and churches live in the unconscious spiritual 
 blindness which turns away from truth and mistakes 
 darkness for light, are but embryonic men in intelli- 
 gence, compared to what thev will become when
 
 26 Psychometry and Anthropology. 
 
 matured and developed in the Divine light of the nor- 
 mal life, they vindicate by their nobility the assertion 
 that man was made in the image of God an asser- 
 tion which might seem blasphemous to those who 
 know nothing of man matured, developed and edu- 
 cated in the supernal sphere of wisdom. 
 
 It does not seem to have occurred to the philoso- 
 phers of the present century, that the realm of light 
 and life is not in matter but far away from its contract- 
 ing sphere, and that all attempts to penetrate the mys- 
 teries of life by delving deeper in the chemistry of 
 material atoms, but plunge the mind in the darkness 
 of the non-living basis of organization where every 
 path of inquiry ends in a ^foramen ccecwn." 
 
 The imbecility generated by the habit of confining 
 thought to the material and external has rendered it 
 possible for Christian nations to believe the world of 
 disembodied spirit to be in its highest sphere a realm 
 of monotonous and harmless imbecility, occupied like 
 an immense Kindergarden in twanging harps and 
 singing songs, with hysterical emphasis, while its 
 boundless depth and breadth is occupied by the 
 resounding cries of human agony. 
 
 Psychometry dismisses to oblivion these idiotic pue- 
 rilities, and assures us by direct perception of the 
 departed, that the law of progress lias no illustration 
 on earth comparable in any degree to the grand illus- 
 tration which we realize when man in becoming a 
 disembodied spirit begins to manifest the divinity of 
 his nature. 
 
 It tears away the veil which has hidden from our 
 vision the home ef light, of life and joy, and showing
 
 Psychomctry and Anthropology 27 
 
 how earth and heaven may commune, assures us 
 thereby of the advent of a higher civilization in which 
 there shall be not only wisdom, but the nobler ele- 
 ment without which all is dross the Divine element 
 of Love which exists in perfection in its supernal 
 home which Psychometry teaches us is accessible to 
 man and is the source of his inspiration. 
 
 The enlightened reader will perceive that in these 
 remarks it is implied that the world's religions are all to 
 be recast, reformed, elevated, purified, enlightened and 
 made worthy of our highest conceptions of the Divine. 
 
 If we have free access to the higher world and free 
 
 O 
 
 access to all the world's past history, the records, 
 monuments and traditions upon which religions are 
 based are no longer needed. Our sacred books mav 
 
 * 
 
 still be held in esteem and love, although like the 
 lamps and lanterns that guide us in the night, they 
 cease to be necessary when daylight reveals all. 
 
 *- w O 
 
 Psychometry is, therefore, the herald of the Religion 
 of the Future not the religion of the intellect 
 toward which many are drifting which is not religion 
 at all but the true religion of Divine Love and 
 Divine Wisdom which shall terminate the war of 
 arms, the war of competitive commerce and industry, 
 and the war of the criminal classes, and shall embrace 
 to uplift all the unfortunate and degraded classes of 
 society. 
 
 Regarding this as the grandest and most beneficent 
 work of Psychometry, the uplifting of humanity into 
 the sphere of religious life, and religious wisdom. I 
 regard it as secondary matter that it extends our 
 knowledge through the vast realms of geology, pale-
 
 28 Psychometry and Anthropology. 
 
 ontology and astronomy heretofore inaccessible to all 
 the methods and apparatus of science. Of this I have 
 given but a hint in this volume, and in reference to 
 this vast theme I would refer the reader to Prof. 
 Denton's three splendid and fascinating volumes 
 entitled " The Soul of Things," a rich repository of 
 the most marvelous knowledge to be found in any sci- 
 entific publication. The death of this gifted author 
 was a calamity to science. 
 
 My own studies have been concentrated upon that 
 which relates most nearly to man and his welfare. 
 Greatest among these themes is that which concerns 
 his religious and moral elevation. 
 
 The science of Cerebral Psychology illustrated by 
 the engraving on page 4, is not a mere matter of 
 intellectual speculation to suit the demands of those 
 who have been called metaphysicians and psycholo- 
 gists, but a profoundly practical view of human nature 
 which illustrates our duties, our social relations and 
 all the laws of culture and development the practi- 
 cal application of which has been shown in my work 
 entitled " Moral Education " which shows how to lift 
 society above the level of pauperism, intemperance, 
 ignorance and crime. 
 
 This new Psychology embracing the animal king- 
 dom as w r ell as man will require an extensive work 
 for its illustration and it is not probable that I shall be 
 able to do it full justice within the limits assigned me 
 by the tables of mortality. 
 
 THE SCIENCE OF SARCOGNOMY. 
 
 The <jfreat scientific and utilitarian work in which
 
 Psychometry and Anthropology. 29 
 
 Psychometry has been my assistant, and lor which I 
 have received the grateful and enthusiastic expression 
 of the most enlightened physicians has been the solu- 
 tion of that greatest of mysteries the relation of soul, 
 brain and body a mystery so vast and so enshrouded 
 in darkness that the boldest intelligence of all past 
 ages has shrunk from its exploration, and only GALL 
 and SWKDENBORO in modern times have invaded this 
 realm of mysterv in partial explorations. 
 
 The law of correspondence and association between 
 the brain and body is like that between the soul and 
 brain. Every function of the eternal or spiritual man, 
 whether intellectual, emotional or physiological has 
 its special apparatus in the nervous structure of the 
 brain, and cannot be manifested in any other way. 
 In like manner every function and organ of the brain 
 has a corporal correspondence or region of the body with 
 which it is in close sympathy. The science of this 
 correspondence and connexion is called SARCOGNOMY ; 
 and as it determines for every portion of the surface 
 of the body the exact physiological and psychic influ- 
 ence which belongs to it, it enables us to understand 
 why every disease has certain mental symptoms and 
 why each emotion has a special influence on the body 
 favorable or unfavorable to certain diseases. 
 
 JJy showing the seat of each vital energy and the 
 nature of the influx by which life is sustained it gives 
 us an intelligent mastery of the vital forces never 
 before possible. 
 
 The human body is analytically revealed before us 
 with all its capacities and powers scientifically located, 
 and the physician who would operate upon it is in the
 
 30 Psychometry and Anthropology. 
 
 position of a musician standing by the piano and 
 knowing in what keys to find all its tones. If he 
 would apply heat or cold, stimulants, counter-irritants, 
 positive and negative poles of batteries or the power 
 of the human hand, he knows where to apply for the 
 desired effect. 
 
 Such knowledge as this must, therefore, be the 
 basis of a large amount of medical practice and my 
 recent w r ork Therapeutic Sarcognomy not a full 
 exposition of the science but an exposition of its 
 application to the healing art, was received with great 
 cordiality by enlightened physicians and the whole 
 edition sold out in four months. I present herewith a 
 miniature copy of the chart of Sarcognomy which is 
 now in use by many physicians as a guide in practice. 
 
 An important philosophic doctrine which Sarcog- 
 nomy has illustrated is the proposition which over- 
 turns the doctrines of the medical profession taught in 
 all colleges and textbooks that life is but the aggre- 
 gation of properties in the tissues as though man were 
 but a chemical compound and aggregation of organ- 
 ized substance. Therapeutic Sarcognomy demon- 
 strates that life is not in the tissues but is entirely and 
 absolutely an influx coming through the nervous sys- 
 tem aided by the lungs form a source of life which is 
 not material and thus leading us from matter which 
 
 o 
 
 has been vainly supposed to possess the potency of all 
 things in itself to the true source of all power which 
 is invisible and spiritual. 
 
 Sarcognomy has many interesting applications 
 beside those of the healing a/t. It interprets the 
 the human form to the sculptor and painter, and lies
 
 Psychometry and Anthropology. 
 
 at the foundation of the laws of expression. It gives 
 to the hygienist and the educator the laws of devel- 
 opment and principles of culture for the human body 
 to attain the highest physical perfection in harmony 
 with the development of the virtues. 
 
 In short the science of Anthropology by its exposi- 
 tions ot Cerebral Psychology, Physiology and Sar- 
 cognomy becomes the monitor and guide for individuals 
 and nations in the culture of all that is desirable and 
 ennobling. The following sketch from the upper 
 portion of the chart of Sarcognomy will give the 
 reader some idea of its character. 
 
 The fundamental princi- 
 ple of Sarcognomy is that 
 everv facultv of the soul is 
 
 V *. 
 
 associated witli a special 
 portion of the brain, and 
 that everv organ of the 
 brain is in intimate sym- 
 pathy with a correspond- 
 ing portion of the bodv, 
 through which sympathies 
 the body and soul are 
 brought into close con- 
 nexion. The brain is the common centre, its action 
 downward, in the body being physiological, and its 
 action upward or distinct from the body being psychic. 
 The knowledge of these localities enables the phy- 
 sician to understand the philosophv of disease, and to 
 operate upon the mind through the body or upon the 
 body through the mind, thus giving an exact science 
 to guide electric and magnetic practice.
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 FUTURE LIFE AX1) LEADERS IX RELIGTOX. 
 
 Franklin and Ilemans The gloomy view of agnosticism The gloomy 
 influence of college and cloister The honest inquirers driven into 
 agnosticism Psychomctry restores their mastery of the truth and 
 buries obstructive rubbish Education lias paralyzed reason Psy- 
 chometry resisted, other discoveries withheld Psychometry the 
 demonstration of immortality Compared to a telescope Even 
 agnostics may recognize the departed They are not like hidden 
 stars, because they have been seen Death like a passage over a bay 
 with a visible shore Psychometric communication with the dead 
 and medical advice Post mortem wisdom Nearness of the departed 
 Different impressions from the living and dead Impressions from 
 the letter of Gen. Jackson Life in the spirit world Discovery of 
 life and death Discrimination between the living and the dead 
 Experimental test with eleven names Psychometric description of 
 leaders in religion Swedenborg ]>uddha Keslmb Chunder Sen 
 Laoutze Confucius John Calvin Michael Servetus Mart in Luther 
 Albigeuses "Waldenses Henri Arnaud, the Christian Hero. 
 
 " Existence here on earth is hardly to be called 
 life. 'Tis rather an embryo state a preparation for 
 living ; a man is not completely born until he is 
 dead. Why, then, should we grieve that a new 
 child is born among the immortals.'' (Dr. Benjamin 
 Franklin to Miss E> Hubbard, February 12, 1756.) 
 
 " O, thou rich world unseen ! 
 That curtained realm of spirits! Thus my cry 
 Hath troubled :i:r and silence; dost thou lie 
 Spread all around, yet by some filmy screen 
 Shut from us ever? 
 32
 
 Future Life, 33 
 
 " Cold, weak ami eolil 
 
 Is earth's vain language, piercing not one fold 
 Of our decu being! Oil, for gifts more high ! 
 Foi u seer's glance to rend mortality ! " [Mrs. I [emails. 
 
 Psychometry brings the " seer's glance" for which 
 so many millions have longed in vain, not because 
 God hath withholden this blessing, but because 
 human ignorance has neglected it, human bigotry 
 has crushed it out of sight, human arrogance and 
 vanitv have despised it, and human animality has 
 sunk below the level of refined intelligence, until vast 
 multitudes live and die in darkness, uncheered and 
 unsustained by the knowledge of the Infinite Benevo- 
 lence, and their own vast estate in realms of wealth, 
 to which earth has no parallel. Amaurotic in soul- 
 vision, they are honestly deluded bv the feeble 
 sense " which cannot see beyond life's dim horixoTi 
 of materiality, and think like the old Spanish poet : 
 
 Our lives like hasting streams mu>t be, 
 That into one piigulphing sea 
 Are doomed to fall 
 
 The sea of death whose waves roll on 
 o'er king and kingdom, crown and throne 
 And swallow all. 
 
 Alike the river's lordly tide. 
 Alike the lumihlc rivulets glide, 
 To that sad wave. 
 
 Death levels poverty and pride, 
 Ami rich and poor sleep side by side 
 Within the trravc. 
 
 I. too, have known something of this ignorance 
 
 ~ r^ 
 
 and delusion before I had maturelv investijiated the
 
 34 Future Life. 
 
 problem of life, and in the optimism of youth was 
 almost willing to surrender to an eternal sleep, but 
 all, how gloomy is the thought to those in whom hope 
 is dead, and who see in this life only the " martyr- 
 dom of man " the great army of the defeated and 
 unsuccessful for whom there is neither pleasure, 
 nor bodily comfort, nor love, nor friendship, nor 
 hope. For them I speak, to them I appeal, with the 
 scientific assurance that death does not end all. / 
 
 Could trumpet-tongued eloquence penetrate the 
 cold halls of collegiate pedantry and the dim clois- 
 ters of the church, to teach the human mind its 
 innate power and dignity, and sever with lightning 
 flash the bonds that bind men to the past, what a mar- 
 velous and sudden transformation society would show. 
 But it cannot be. Daylight dawns too slowly for 
 
 *> o - 
 
 impatient watchers. The mass of mankind like half- 
 grown youth have depended on instruction from their 
 seniors or leaders, and adhered to traditions which 
 not only had the disadvantage of coming from an 
 earlier and consequently more ignorant period, but 
 were essentially changed by priestcraft and statecraft. 
 The ambitious speculation of the ancients, far outrun- 
 ning their knowledge, filled the world with visionary 
 systems of mythology, theology and metempsychosis 
 which were sufficiently delusive when not corrupted 
 by church and state influence. 
 
 The greatest energy exerted by inquiring minds was 
 shown in the study of ancient writings and monu- 
 ments or in agnostic contention against the popular 
 faith at the risk of liberty and life. The religious 
 
 v O 
 
 impulse in enlightened minds as well as the ani-
 
 Future Life. 35 
 
 mal impulse of the coarser class has ever rebelled 
 against the corrupt religion of churches, yet in aban- 
 doning traditional religion it could but wander in 
 darkness and uncertainty. Only for those gifted with 
 intuition could there be any clear conviction of the 
 future life, after renouncing the faith of their fore- 
 fathers. The incredible tales of the supernatural 
 circulated by the superstitious populace and the priest- 
 hood made all records of the supernal or spiritual 
 seem incredible, and when all facts of that class were 
 rejected as imposture, the honest inquirer was com- 
 pelled to settle down into an uncompromising material- 
 ism, which explained all the remaining phenomena, 
 after the rejection of spiritual facts as unsustained by 
 the character of the testimony. 
 
 Psychometry places the inulligent inquirer in a 
 different position. Guided by this science, he no 
 longer needs the aid of old traditions and monu- 
 ments, since Psychometry enables us to go to the ori- 
 gins of religions and determines the characters and 
 motives of their founders. The mind endowed with 
 psychometric intuition becomes independent of his- 
 tory, of exegesis and criticism. Nor does it need the 
 evidences afforded by modern spiritualism to settle 
 the question of human immortality since it has direct 
 evidence and personal perception. 
 
 When we think of the vast amount of ecclesiastic 
 and theological rubbish which Psychometry enables us 
 to consign to oblivion the aggregation of nineteen 
 centuries of ignorance for the European race, filling 
 large libraries we realize what a burdensome, stilling 
 luad is taken oflT the back of struggling humanity.
 
 36 Future Life. 
 
 It is these senseless dogmas which have been most 
 effectual in paralyzing reason and perpetuating stolid- 
 ity, for philosophy is a plant of tender growth, which 
 needs all fostering influences, and when its first ger- 
 mination is crushed as it has ever been in our systems 
 of education, when the frank inquiries of childhood 
 are frowned upon or laughed at, and the adolescent 
 mind, deprived of its freedom, is forced into the tread- 
 mill of dogmatic teaching, less monotonous and stu- 
 pid than that of China, but sufficiently mechanical 
 and memorital to repress all originality and compel 
 the reception of self-evident and malignant absurdi- 
 ties (such as the infinite torture of nearly all mankind) 
 it is but a natural consequence that the aggregate 
 intelligence of humanity should become incapable of 
 dealing with the problems of human destiny and 
 incapable of recognizing the scientific demonstration 
 of the higher class of psychic phenomena. Every 
 demonstration of psychometric or of spiritual phenom- 
 ena has to overcome a stubborn resistance in the 
 majority of the spectators, until they are convinced 
 by their senses (not their reason) and to overcome 
 the still more stolid resistance of those who avoid all 
 investigation. Hence it is that Psychometry has not 
 been welcomed and other equally important truths 
 must be withheld to a later period of human progress. 
 
 The truth of immortality is fully established by 
 Psychometry, and no other evidence is necessary to a 
 logical mind. We begin by establishing the credibility 
 and power of Psychometry in reference to medicines 
 held in the hand. We soon find that its reports are 
 ample and accurate. We test it in reference to char-
 
 Future Life. 37 
 
 acter and disease when the subject is present and we 
 know his condition. We lind it accurate, with a pen- 
 etrating power and truthfulness not approached either 
 by medical diagnosis or by craniology, which are 
 about equally reliable in their respective spheres. 
 
 We then test it upon the absent whose writing we 
 may have, and tind the report to be as accurate as if 
 the individual were present, with this difference, that 
 in certain cases the psychometer reviewing the whole 
 life, discovers the change called death, and yet speaks 
 of the post mortem life as freely and positively as of 
 the ante mortem. Surely if he is competent to speak 
 truthfully of the personal appearance and the life of 
 one whom we know, but whom he knows only by 
 impressions received from a piece of writing if his 
 descriptions have that accuracy in a multitude of 
 details which we know by mathematical reasoning it 
 is utterly impossible could occur by chance if he 
 has traced the life up to death and discovered that 
 change as an incident of continued life, why is not 
 the latter part of his statements in which he discovers 
 neither sleep nor any suspension of mental activity 
 but a brighter and happier mode of life and most nat- 
 ural reflections upon his past career, as credible as 
 any other portion of his statement. 
 
 If a telescope be trustworthy and accurate in all its 
 revelations of terrestial objects that we know, is its 
 accuracy and reliability at all impaired by being 
 directed to the stars which are beyond our reach and 
 beyond vision by the naked eye, concerning which 
 the telescope alone gives us information? Would not 
 the scientist be suspected of insanity who would
 
 38 Future Life. 
 
 advocate such an opinion? Equally insane would it 
 be to suppose that a psychometric faculty upon which 
 we have found it safe to rely in reference to all the 
 phases of human life and in reference to historic 
 affairs shrouded in the obscurity of many centuries, 
 would suddenly fail and lose its reliability when it 
 speaks of the hidden life of the departed, which is 
 no more hidden from mortal eye than the secret pur- 
 poses and intentions which are often psychometrically 
 revealed. 
 
 This perception of the departed and their spirit 
 life is not due to any prior theory upon the subject 
 but arises clearly in the minds of those who were 
 previously agnostic. The lady upon whom the New 
 York committee experimented (Bryant their chair- 
 man) \vas distinguished as an agnostic and had 
 harangued many meetings against Christianity when 
 Ro D. Owen and Frances Wright were conducting 
 their agnostic agitation in New York. But she was 
 profoundly impressed and astonished when she first 
 psychometrically perceived the existence of the 
 deceased which she said she had been accustomed 
 to believe entirely impossible. 
 
 The report upon the departed is not properly com- 
 parable to a report upon hidden stars, but rather to 
 telescopic observations on those that we see, for the 
 departed are not entirely hidden from mortal view. 
 Thousands in all countries have seen them and even 
 heard them, and thus corroborate by countless wit- 
 nesses the testimony of Psychometry to their exis- 
 tence and mode of life. 
 
 It would be a parallel case when of the population
 
 Future Life. 39 
 
 upon an island a number arc impelled to swim a wide 
 sound to the opposite mainland. The spectators see 
 them going until they are lost to view, and may infer 
 that they are clrowned until those of more acute 
 vision catch a glimpse of their forms and the lovely 
 scenery in which they dwell on the far shore. That 
 testimony the skeptical reject, because they, too, can- 
 not see the distant shore, but when the telescope is 
 brought which has been tested for its accuracy, and 
 tells the whole story, like a camera, doubt is no 
 longer rational the photograph must be recognized 
 The emigrants are not only seen but signal back 
 messages in accordance with their characters and 
 through Psychometry we mav communicate with 
 
 / J - 
 
 them so as to profit by their knowledge and advice. 
 We may counsel with departed physicians as to the 
 treatment of disease, and however cramped or erro- 
 neous their views in earth life, their post mortem 
 suggestions never mislead. Such at least has been 
 my experience. / Jurcc never received a medical 
 suggestion from departed physicians ~i'hich icas not 
 truth fill * ~;'isc and successful in its application. We 
 may counsel with statesmen as to public policy and 
 its results and iind if we have, a competent channel 
 and genuine communication thev have a higher wis- 
 dom than they ever displayed in earth life and a 
 greater capacity for foreseeing the results of every 
 measure. We may counsel with eminent teachers of 
 religion and we find that those who were in the love 
 of good have dropped all their sectarian follies and 
 mutual antagonisms and advanced into the sphere of 
 love and wisdom, while the bigots are losing their 
 bigotry and becoming philosophic.
 
 4 Future Life. 
 
 No one can give his attention to the higher phe- 
 nomena of Psychometry without realizing that the 
 world of disembodied mind is as positive a world of 
 life as that which is immersed in matter, and that 
 they who are " beyond the river," called death, are 
 no farther removed then they who have been trans- 
 ferred across the Atlantic ocean. The incident which 
 first most forcibly illustrated the effect of death on 
 the psychometric perception was an experiment on 
 the autograph of Gen. Jackson, a political letter of 
 very forcible expression, addressed in 1826 to my 
 father-in-law, Judge Rowan. The powerful and 
 thrilling effect which this letter produced upon the 
 Rev. Benj. Kent, at Boston, in 1843, has already 
 been stated. In the summer of 1846, being in Mis- 
 sissippi, I made an experiment with the same letter 
 upon W. B. S., (now a prominent and wealthy busi- 
 ness man in New York), then a young teacher, and 
 found the effect altogether of a calm and meditative 
 character, to which, indeed, his own temperament 
 inclined him. He approached the character from the 
 spiritual side. 
 
 It will frequently be the case with persons of a 
 calm temperament and feeble vitality that autographs 
 of the deceased will produce so sedative an effect as 
 to fail to rouse the full perception of the character, 
 and even to produce a depressing influence. As Mrs. 
 R. expressed it, they produce a coldness or inaction 
 at the heart. 
 
 One psychometer will take a letter of great energy, 
 enter into the spirit of the writer as he was in writing, 
 and after a time arrive at the perception of his death
 
 Future Life. 41 
 
 and post mortem condition. Another more spiritu- 
 ally constituted will sympatnize at once with the post 
 mortem condition, while one more fully developed 
 will grasp the entire condition and describe with 
 equal ease the ante mortem and post mortem condi- 
 tions. 
 
 Men of energetic, active temperaments are more 
 apt to grasp the living conditions than the post mor- 
 tem, as in the psychometric descriptions of this letter 
 by Gen. Quitman, of Mississippi, and Bishop Otey, 
 of Tennessee. The description given by Gen. Qjiit- 
 man, in 1846, was as follows : 
 
 " He is brave, firm, decided, intellectual. It gives 
 an impression of gravity, of a high, elevated purpose 
 and determination to carry out and execute. There 
 is strength, energy and great gravity, and determina- 
 tion of purpose." 
 
 (What of his pursuits and sphere of life?) " Some 
 lofty pursuits it would call into action energy - 
 nothing of a scientific character the feeling is 
 rather that of firmness and determination." 
 
 (What were his pursuits?) " Several especially 
 military there is planning of any description and a 
 settled purpose also political aims he would soar 
 high. 
 
 (What is there in this letter?) " Some determined 
 purpose specifying manner and plan of execution 
 determination gravity fearlessness it might 
 be warlike it might be a political measure. 
 
 (What of the moral character?) " Verv good, 
 brave, lofty, noble, perfectly honest too generous 
 to be rich patriotic and ambitious ambitious for
 
 42 Future Life- 
 
 wealth, power and fame, but more for reputation than 
 wealth. 
 
 (What is he fit for?) " For any great purpose 
 particularly for the command of armies he has been 
 tried." 
 
 Bishop OTEY, of Tennessee, had remarkably active 
 psychometric faculties, and in a few seconds after this 
 letter was placed on his forehead asserted that the 
 writer was one of the class of Alexander and Napo- 
 leon. He manifested the usual astonishment of a 
 novice when he learned that it was the letter of Gen. 
 Jackson. 
 
 A high psychometric power like that ot Mrs. B. 
 grasps the whole character at once with so thorough 
 an understanding as to be able to portray it concisely 
 in comprehensive language, recognizing at once the 
 existing as well as the post mortem condition of the 
 departed. The following is her impression of GEN- 
 ERAL ANDREW JACKSON. 
 
 " This is an illuminated mind it is a spirit. This 
 brain had jets of fire and far reaching thought. He 
 was voluble and had no trouble in expression. He 
 had a great soul. He spoke out fearless and earnest 
 and still had a human side the sentiment of love. 
 He loved (like every thing else) powerfully, with his 
 whole soul. 
 
 " He was called before the public his business 
 was to guide and direct he had quick far-seeing per- 
 ception. He was a politician, who occupied high 
 positions as high as could be given. 
 
 " He would rule his friends and many times against 
 their judgment. He had the power of controlling 
 them. Even his opponents could not stand against 
 his power ; he had great power of persuasion and
 
 Future Life. 43 
 
 force to carry his points. He could combat with 
 opponents, so they would be forced to yield. 
 
 " If called on to manage the country in the office 
 of president, he would leave the office with pride and 
 satisfaction with fewer faults than most men. 
 
 " In some respects he was like Washington, in his 
 candor, his strong judgment and his devotion to duty 
 though he was not entirely in the same mould ; his 
 brain \\as differently constructed. I do not think his 
 military ability equal to Washington's, for he was 
 not so cautious was much more reckless and 
 impulsive." 
 
 " His course was not as commendable as Washing- 
 ton's. He was firm, brave and unflinching in carry- 
 ing a point ; he would never admit that he had made 
 a mistake. He was not as just and conciliatory to 
 opponents as Washington had not as much benevo- 
 lence and spirituality.' 
 
 "People admired his boldness even .his oppo- 
 nents admired it. He is often quoted. His character 
 will not die out, but lives in the minds of the people. 
 He wris a southern man of Democratic feelings. 
 
 " In spirit he has advanced rapidly. In ladies 
 society his language was fluent and very appropriate, 
 gallant and fascinating. In rough society he would 
 be apt to sweai vigorously." 
 
 In post mortem descriptions I generally enquire into 
 the present status of the spirit and his present senti- 
 ments and objects of interest the answers to which 
 have been interesting and satisfactory. Some spirits 
 1 find actively engaged in philanthropic work on 
 earth, impressing the minds of the benevolent and 
 spiritual or watching over their surviving friends and 
 relations. Others are enjoying celestial associations, 
 or looking deeply into a philosophy and knowledge of 
 the Universe which were not accessible on earth.
 
 44 Future Life, 
 
 The great founders of religion and philanthropy are 
 living in accordance with their exalted character, the 
 knowledge of which has been to me a profound 
 pleasure, as it relieves the dreariness of the moral land- 
 scapes on earth, to look aloft and find something we 
 can admire, revere and love. 
 
 The revelations of pneumatology and religion 
 which come through Psychometry will be given in a 
 second volume. 
 
 To perfect the argument for immortality derived 
 from Psychometry it is desirable to verify as thor- 
 oughly as possible the power of Psychometry to dis- 
 cover \vhether the writer is living in the body or not. 
 To make a satisfactory test of this matter which had 
 indeed been tested a hundred times before, I wrote 
 down eleven names of living and dead persons, and 
 placed them successively in the hands of Mrs. 13. 
 without any intimation whatever as to their personal- 
 ity. Within about fifteen minutes she gave her opin- 
 ion of all, as to life, with some remarks on their 
 character, without a single error or doubt. 
 
 In such experiments there are two sources of diffi- 
 culty. The recently dead, who passed from a life of 
 restless energy and activity carry with them so much 
 of that activitv as to make it difficult to distinguish 
 
 / O 
 
 them from the living. This was especially the case 
 with Gen. Gordon. On the other hand persons of a 
 very gentle spiritual temperament have so much of the 
 calmness of spirit-life as to make it sometimes doubt- 
 ful if they are living. But when vigorous persons in 
 active life are compared with those who have long 
 passed away the discrimination is not difficult.
 
 future Life. 45 
 
 The power of determining in reference to any indi- 
 vidual whether he is living or dead, became a matter 
 of special interest at the time when contradictory 
 reports were received about the death of Gen. Gor- 
 don. To test the power of Mrs. B. I wrote upon 
 small slips of paper the names of living and dead 
 persons, viz. : Queen Elizabeth, Geo. Fox, Gen. 
 Garrield, Robert Ingersoll, Arabi Pasha, El Mahdi, 
 Gen. Gordon, Gladstone, Swedenborg, Joseph Rodes 
 Buchanan, Joan of Arc, and brought them to her 
 sitting room proposing to place a few names in her 
 hand and ask her if the parties were living or not 
 She was very reluctant and doubtful of her ability, 
 of which, however, I had very little doubt. Her 
 expressions were as follows, holding in her hands 
 
 Qiiccn Elizabeth. " I think it is a spirit j I think 
 a woman of a good deal of character/' 
 
 Gco. Fox. " I believe this is a spirit a peculiar 
 character individualized." She also spoke of him 
 as religious, and having many friends. 
 
 Gen. Garficld. " This comes like a man as 
 much alive as dead a wide awake man seems 
 alive whether in or out of the body. If he has passed 
 over it is not long. I conclude he is dead, but not 
 long." 
 
 Robert Ingcrsoll. ki First I thought he was dead, 
 then I saw so much brightness around him I think he 
 is alive. He has too much brain force and activity 
 for me. I think he is alive." She felt the influence 
 on her head as she did when she once described his 
 character. 
 
 Arabi Pasha. " This is a less active brain rs
 
 46 Future Life. 
 
 good deal of physical force hard to kill he's 
 alive." 
 
 El Mahdi. -" It seems this is a man. He's alive 
 - a man of intellectual capacity. He spreads him- 
 self over a good deal of territory has a wide range, 
 but with good solid sense." 
 
 Gen. Gordon. " How different they all feel. It 
 seems to me the man is dead he has crossed a 
 bridge. His ruling desire was for power for 
 aggrandizement an ambitious character of high 
 aims. His purposes were good." 
 
 Gladstone. " There's such a paleness about this 
 man. I feel the feebleness, but it is a man. If he is 
 not dead he is on the brink from great feebleness. 
 But he is alive. He has the feebleness of age of 
 wasted vital force. He is a man of fine capacities, 
 fine managing abilities understands finance and 
 government affairs is diplomatic." 
 
 Su>edcnborg. " There is more brightness here - 
 a permeating influence magnetic. I judge this 
 man is in the other world. I think it is a man. He 
 brings a powerful spirit influence very powerful. 
 He had great individuality of character. There was 
 no one like him." 
 
 "Joseph Rodcs Buchanan. She laughs immod- 
 erately, and seems to have a mischievous, sportive 
 feeling. " The man 's alive and well. What makes 
 me laugh so?" (In what part of the world is he?) 
 *' Very near here. It 's just like you." 
 
 Joan of Are. " I don't think this person is living 
 dead a long time. When this person died, the 
 died too. But now I see the blossoms coming
 
 Future Life. 47 
 
 up. This life was not in vain. This person lives in 
 the hearts of many. I see a woman now. I might 
 think it a man from the strength of character, but it 
 is a woman dressed in a plain garb no ornament 
 a woman of medium height." 
 
 The whole experiment occupied not more than 
 fifteen or twenty minutes. 
 
 Psychometry is not confined to the mere perception 
 of continued life. It follows that life in supernal 
 worlds as clearly as here on earth. (That theme, 
 however, would be too much for this introductory 
 volume). It realizes the fruition of what millions 
 have sighed for in vain, and what thousands have in 
 all ages enjoyed what Mrs. Hemans described 
 from her own experience. 
 
 ' He died he died 
 
 On whom my lone devotedness was cast! 
 I might not keep one vigil by his side, 
 7. whose wrung heart watched with him to the last! 
 
 " Know'st thou what I sought ? 
 For what high boon my struggling spirit wrought ? 
 Communion with the dead! I sent a cry 
 Through the veiled empires of Eternity 
 A voice to cleave them ! 
 
 I sat beneath that planet I had wept 
 My love to stillness, every night-wind slept; 
 A hush was on the hills; the very streams 
 Went by like clouds, or noiseless founts in dreams, 
 And the dark tree o'er shadowing me in that hour. 
 Stood motionless, even as the gray church tower, 
 Whereon I gazed, unconsciously. There came 
 A low sound like the tremor of a tlame, 
 Or like the light, quick shiver of a wing. 
 Flitting through twilight woods across the air; 
 And I looked up. Before me there 
 He, the departed, stood! Aye. face to face, 
 So near and yet how far. He spoke! 
 How shall 1 tell thee of the startling thrill
 
 48 Leaders in Religion. 
 
 In that low voice, whose breezy tones would till 
 
 ily bosom's infinite ? O. friend, 1 woke 
 
 Thus first to heavenly life. 
 
 I sought that lighted eye 
 
 From its intense and searching purity 
 
 I drank in soul ! I questioned of the dead 
 
 Of the hushed, starry shores their footsteps tread, 
 
 And I was answered. Full and high 
 
 Was that communion with eternity ; 
 
 Too rich for aught so fleeting ! Like; a knell 
 
 Swept o'er my sense its closing words : " Farewell 
 
 On earth we meet no more ! " and all was gone. 
 
 SWEDENBORG. 
 
 The following psychometric description of Sweclen- 
 borg strikes me as very correct. I have never read 
 any of his works, and have avoided doing so, not 
 from any aversion or indifference, but because when I 
 first presented the doctrines of Anthropology develop- 
 ing the faculties of the soul, brain and body, and their 
 laws of connexion, correspondence and inter-action, 
 the devotees of Swedenborg would often say that my 
 doctrines were similar to his. As these doctrines had 
 been derived entirely from experimental investigation, 
 uninfluenced by the theories of my predecessors, 
 excepting only the discoveries of Gall, which I impar- 
 tially investigated to compare with cranial devel- 
 opments, pathology and experiments, I wished to 
 preserve my independence and isolation as a witness 
 of the truth, independent of any influence from previ- 
 ous suggestions. Hence I have postponed reading 
 Swedenborg's writings to the completion of my own 
 researches hereafter, but no one who mingles in soci- 
 ety or peruses current literature can avoid learning the 
 essentials of Swedenborg's doctrines the system of
 
 Leaders in Religion. 49 
 
 thought introduced by him, in which he assumed an 
 attitude of authority and imposed his theological spec- 
 ulations on his followers as a finality discouraging 
 that further research, which has given us so mnch 
 more simple, accurate and satisfactory views. His 
 influence has tended to discourage free investigation 
 and has done more to develop a refined scholarly 
 intellectuality among his followers than to exalt or 
 intensify the religious sentiments. 
 
 SWEDENBORG. 
 
 " This is not very far back not more than seventy 
 years a character that made an impression on the 
 minds of the people. There were some who would 
 adhere to him, to any length, and others who would 
 not. 
 
 " He had a great amount of positiveness in his 
 character too much by which he lost sight of his 
 best impressions. I feel that very sensibly he was 
 so strong willed. lie had a great deal of materiality 
 about him, yet he taught spiritual things. He 
 abounded in opinions or doctrines and was quite orig- 
 inal an originator of new thoughts. 
 
 " He was calculated to dispel the ideas of modern 
 theology was not a believer in the doctrines taught 
 in the churches. He was somewhat a martyr to his 
 opinions not exactly a martyr but he had great 
 opposition from priests and creedists but he rather 
 courted opposition than otherwise. If he had had 
 more of the spirit of Christ he would have felt the 
 oppositton more sensitively. 
 
 " He was an author who published works. His 
 books met with considerable acceptance but called 
 down much criticism. Were any of his works sup- 
 pressed I think some were not published. He was
 
 50 Leaders in Religion. 
 
 very radical I do not think he had much religious 
 fervor. 
 
 " He was plain and comprehensive in his writings 
 more scientific and philosophic than religious. I 
 do not feel as much warmth as a religious teacher 
 
 ... 
 
 requires. There is a cool, calculating spirit a good 
 deal of the mathematical in his character. 
 
 " I think he believed in inspiration but not to so 
 great an extent as ivc think only to a few himself 
 being inspired. He claimed to be an ambassador sent 
 for the purposes to which he devoted his life. He 
 felt a special divine favor bestowed -on him. I think 
 he claimed more for himself than was true. He was 
 guided by ancient savans but he thought a great deal 
 and followed his own speculations, mathematical and 
 physical. He had his theories about life and specu- 
 lated largely about physical life. I presume he 
 adopted a system of physical training for spiritual 
 development. He did not indulge in luxurv, but 
 lived rather abstemious and plain. 
 
 " His ideas were not altogether just as to getting 
 inspiration from God, but he was very easy in receiv- 
 ing impressions and would lose sight of their source. 
 He had a circle of profound logicians. lie had sea- 
 sons of great mental exaltation and was clairvoyant 
 and saw into the spirit-world and saw many things 
 correctly through the help of his guides, but lie had not 
 any such communications from the Most High as he 
 claimed. Spirit influences were so strong sometimes 
 he might seem strange or insane. He was sometimes 
 accessible to the lower order of spirits, but he would 
 soon throw them oft". He did not understand the laws 
 of spirit intercourse as fully as we do now. 
 
 "He had immense assumption assumed much 
 more than was true he would suppose something 
 given to him when it was the impression of his own 
 mind. He had psychological illusions which were 
 purely subjective.
 
 Leaders in Religion. 51 
 
 " His intellect was of a higher and more spiritual 
 character than Arnold ;* he was more positive and 
 emphatic and had more intellectual spiritual associa- 
 tions, lie would give the sentiments of exalted 
 spirits. 
 
 (Q^ How is he now how does he regard his 
 former teachings?) " I think he would alter his 
 teachings materially. He is not well satisfied with his 
 teachings. He knows his claims as to Divine com- 
 munication were not correct. lie is no nearer God 
 now than myriads of others. 
 
 SECOND DESCRIPTION from an engraving. 
 
 " I feel a great mental power. The front of my 
 brain and side of my forehead are very active - 
 largely developed in the perceptives. I feel that this 
 is a man, am I correct? (Yes.) A very original. 
 deep thinker. I think he was an author. I think 
 this person's writing was largely on theological sub- 
 jects. He had a great deal of method and accuracy 
 of judgment. His great power of reasoning always 
 carried him on and made him victorious in argument 
 when in controversy or propounding a subject. 
 
 " His work was intellectual. His subjects were 
 theological, but he was engaged in reconstructing 
 governmental affairs, but not military. He was verv 
 eloquent in his address. He knew his own power 
 but was not an opinionated man. lie gave much ol" 
 his attention to the literature of others was a great 
 reader, but very select, seeming to be governed bv 
 some intuition in the pursuit of knowledge never 
 given to anything trashy or superficial a great 
 student. 
 
 " It seems to me he was of some Christian denomi- 
 nation in early life, but his own freedom of thought 
 carried him beyond any creed or sect ; he had great 
 love of independence. 
 
 * Arnold was a spiritual writer profc.>iii to make very wonderful 
 revelations from the spirit world.
 
 52 Leaders in Religion. 
 
 " I think he was once obscure, and accident had 
 something to do with bringing him forward. His 
 views were all reformatory, in government as well as 
 religion. He had broad, philanthropic views. I 
 think he is not alive. 
 
 " He had spiritual impressions that assured him of 
 immortality, but did not believe in spiritual matters 
 as we do. He conversed with spirits, saw spirits and 
 had visions of the other world. His belief was 
 very peculiar it seems mythical to me; I cannot 
 describe it. 
 
 " He lived a religious life. His whole life was 
 governed by justice toward others. His teachings 
 were something like Swedenborgianism, so for as I 
 understand it. 
 
 " He seemed alone in a portion of his life. He had 
 a few followers and was obliged to devise methods to 
 get his doctrines established He lived to see his 
 teachings widespread. lie had many followers he 
 has many now. His teachings were obscure and men 
 ridiculed them, but he gave such marvelous evidence 
 that he established men in his faith after a time. He 
 was a great humanitarian had wonderful psycho- 
 metric power, though he did not give it that name. 
 
 *' Many times he was restless and uneasy, not 
 knowing what was the matter. Something in the air 
 told him things were not right. 
 
 " He had great determination never faltered or 
 lost his balance. He did not fear death. lie knew 
 just when he was going. He carried with him the 
 same principles, and as a spirit he teaches the same 
 doctrines with very little change, though he may not 
 approve of all his writings. If he were to write now 
 he would not have so much mystery. He made his 
 writings rather obscure to the general reader -- now 
 he would be more plain and clear. lie was a frugal 
 man had few wants was temperate in all things. 
 " He is interested in systems of religion and <rov-
 
 Leaders in Religion. 53 
 
 ernmental systems. He would regulate and arrange 
 all things that depress men. He is a hater of slavery 
 in any lorm. I have never known this man, but he 
 is not a stranger to Psychometry and to you. Many 
 of your ideas meet his approval, and he would give 
 you credit for knowing more than he did of the cere- 
 
 fc' O 
 
 bral faculties. He never knew from what source his 
 knowledge came. He never analyzed the brain cor- 
 rectly. 
 
 */ 
 
 " lie holds now a very high rank in spirit life 
 has great veneration and religion. As to the doctrines 
 he taught, I should not approve them entirely, and 
 he now regards many of his doctrines as speculative, 
 and not really correct from his present standpoint. 
 If he were here he would reform his church he must 
 have had some church organization. 
 
 When he passed away lie did not sutler his life 
 passed out like a breath it was like a translation. 
 He is as active as ever, and as readv to respond to 
 calls. He looks upon the believers in his doctrines 
 with a great deal of pride and satisfaction. 
 
 " He did not live in this country, but far away. I 
 believe I know who this is it is Emanuel Sweden- 
 borg." 
 
 GAUTAMA nrnniiA. 
 
 " This is a man he has passed awav. He seems 
 like a historical character, as though he had figured 
 in the world's historv. 
 
 " As I reach out into his character, it seems his 
 morals were elevated and pure. He was a verv good 
 man. [At this moment I caught an impression of an 
 elevated and very intellectual being.] His tenden- 
 cies were liberal and religious. His main purpose in 
 life was to perpetuate a religious system. He seems 
 like one bursting the shell of tvranny and old systems 
 - an undaunted spirit fearless in promulgating his 
 sentiments.
 
 54 Leaders in Religion. 
 
 " He takes me away back among the martyrs, and 
 brings up those terrible scenes." 
 
 (What were his surroundings?) 
 
 " He was surrounded by those who might be called 
 idolaters, and started out almost single-handed and 
 alone to work out a better system. In early lite he 
 was bound to a system very distasteful to him and he 
 gradually outgrew it. 
 
 *' The climate was warm. In his early life the 
 country around him was not very populous the 
 government was tyrannical ; had no mercy on any 
 form of crime. His own position was in the higher 
 ranks, and among the most intelligent. lie stood 
 very high, socially, and was greatly admired. He 
 did not aim at wealth." 
 
 (What was his career?) " He started out as a 
 reformer in religious and political conditions, for all 
 seemed wrong to him in government and church rule, 
 he turned his back on it all. He was a great 
 educator. He spent years in meditation, and almost 
 solitary, before he made his purposes known, then 
 came out boldly and preached his views with great 
 success. He startled the people. There was a 
 general uprising against him as an innovator and 
 dangerous man by the priests. It caused a revolu- 
 tion. The authorities strove hard to suppress him - 
 he had great trouble and sometimes danger of his 
 life. He was unjustly accused. He was final! v suc- 
 cessful in establishing his doctrines and received the 
 acclamations of the intellectual and civilized. He 
 perpetuated his doctrines even to this day." 
 
 (Where did all this occur?) " In a warm country, 
 farther South than this to the East very far ; I 
 cannot tell the distance ; it was in the old country. 
 I get more of his spirit and career than of any loca- 
 tion." 
 
 (What is the magnitude of his following to-day?) 
 " It ranks as high as any denomination, or higher."
 
 Leaders in Religion. 55 
 
 (In what era was this?) "It was before the 
 Christian era, and yet he had many of the principles 
 of Christ he was like Jesus was prophetic.'' 
 
 (How does he compare with Jesus?) " He was 
 very much like him. His birth might have been pre- 
 dicted like Jesus', and his character resembled. 
 
 "lie performed things considered miracles he 
 healed the sick. He taught morality and a belief in 
 God, instead of idols, he taught love and faith, and 
 doing as we would be done by. He would prohibit 
 war and mal-treatment of animals." 
 
 (What of his system and his followers to-day?) 
 " They are a dark colored people, about as dark as 
 Arabs not a large people. They are peaceable 
 and temperate in all things. They adhere to his 
 system well grounded in their belief, which has 
 become traditional. It has some resemblance to the 
 Catholic, in forms. They consider their doctrine 
 older and better than Christianity. They seem to 
 be vegetarians averse to the use of ilesh." 
 
 O 
 
 (What do you think was the mode of his death?) 
 He was not crucified as Christ, but I think there 
 was some betrayal for there was always a rancor 
 between his followers and the priests. lie seems 
 betrayed in some way into the hands of his enemies, 
 and thereby he lost his life through treachery." 
 
 This opinion does not say much of the intellectual 
 character of Buddha and Buddhism which 1 find 
 mentioned in a very good psychometric description 
 of Buddha some years since by Dr. P., substantially 
 like the foregoing. The following passage, however, 
 gives an additional illustration. 
 
 " He is not like the old Bible spirits was not 
 among the followers of Christ did not feel as the 
 Apostles did. His vein of thought is separated from 
 them, and like the Greek philosophers. It was a 
 religion of the intellect reasoned out. Miracles did 
 not have much place in it. His religious ideas were
 
 56 Leaders in Religion. 
 
 founded on reason and naturalism, discarding mira- 
 cles somewhat like the Unitarians. He believed 
 in a measure in the immortality of the soul, but 
 did not realize it like the Christians. It was not 
 as clearly well defined as we would like it. He 
 did not see the spiritual life clearly, though he had 
 considerable of the spiritual element." 
 
 KESHUB CHUNDER SEN Before his Death. 
 
 " This is very different from El Mahdi. I like him 
 but do not get into him easilv. 
 
 "It is a good character, benevolent, active, very 
 astute, quick in seeing into things. He is a good 
 teacher has great brain force, strong affectional 
 nature, industry and conscientiousness. He has had 
 to struggle with the ignoramuses like yourself a 
 man of great genius and hopefulness. He does not 
 lose his balance. He has battled with reverses. 
 
 " He is truly religious, but not sanctimonious. He 
 has inspiration from the .spiritual faculties. He is 
 unlike others has great independence. He is not 
 bombastic or overbearing. He is a good family man, 
 admirable at home a favorite with many. 
 
 "He takes the unpopular side to some extent, but 
 his merits are appreciated by many. He is a diligent, 
 fluent writer and a public speaker. Every one that 
 knows him (except the envious) likes him. He is 
 always ahead of his hearers far advanced beyond 
 the people no common man. 
 
 (Q^ What people are around him?) "They are 
 civilized that is about all. There are self-impor- 
 tant people whom he do n't like much. He does not 
 have battles but he do n't admire the elements around 
 him. 
 
 " He is too forgiving. He does not take to heart 
 the assaults of people or regard them a high- 
 minded, whole-souled, grand man. It is not a rigid
 
 Leaders in Religion. 57 
 
 climate but a genial one where he lives. He will 
 carry out much that he desires, but not accumulate 
 wealth yet he is in easy circumstances. 
 
 "He will reform the religion. He will not be 
 orthodox. He does not cater to the .rich. lie has 
 important work in contemplation and begun. He 
 seems like an abolitionist in principle. His work is 
 symmetrical. He will live to see a good deal of suc- 
 cess. He is somewhat like John the Baptist a great 
 religious teacher." 
 
 LAOU-TSZE the Chinese Philosopher. 
 
 There is a great deal of spirituality and venera- 
 tion in this. 
 
 " It does not seem a Bible character, but a spirit 
 that existed long, long ages past, and has become 
 holy and god-like. 
 
 " This spirit once had great ambition and desire 
 for power, and attained it. lie seems to have lived 
 anterior to the Christian dispensation. When he lived 
 all religious teaching was crude. There was no stand- 
 ard by which the people could be led ; there was con- 
 fusion of thought. It seems there were wars and 
 disturbances and a reaching for power and aggrand- 
 izement at that time a perpetual strife. No man or 
 woman was safe in their home. 
 
 " I seem in a city, in constant fear of invasion by 
 hostile forces. lie passed away before the accom- 
 plishment of his purposes, in the midst of strife a 
 beautiful spirit. He had great moral elevation - 
 great spiritual elevation he saw and felt the needs 
 of the people. 
 
 "He was an intuitive scientist a geologist and 
 philosopher. He did not accept the current theories. 
 He had remarkably clear perception and clairvoyant 
 powers. But he had something intolerant in his char- 
 acter, lie was rather too positive fora great teacher. 
 His mode of expression was forcible and magnetic.
 
 58 Leaders in Religion. 
 
 " He is a glorious spirit now. He would engage in 
 regulating governments if he could. He would favor 
 the teachings of Christ now." 
 
 (Q^ Whom is he most like?) " I can't think of 
 any one. He has warmth, philanthropy, positiveness 
 and intolerance of opposition." 
 
 (Q^ How does he compare with Confucius?) 
 " More favorably than with Socrates. He does not 
 differ very widely. His teachings would be similar, 
 but he is clearer and presents his thought more clearly 
 than Confucius more like the principles of Jesus. 
 He does not follow authority he is original. He is 
 more independent than Confucius, and would not 
 adhere to the old books. He had more genius and 
 originality than Confucius, but there was considera- 
 ble resemblance." 
 
 Another psychometer said : " He differs from Con- 
 fucius in greater power to originate, construct and 
 carry out." 
 
 (Q^ How would Confucius have regarded him?) 
 " Confucius might not have regarded him as an 
 equal, but would regard him as a great thinker. 
 
 (Q^ Is he interested in the world here?) " He is 
 given to great devotion. He would exhort to patience 
 and devotion through mediums. He does not come 
 much to America chiefly to the eastern continents. 
 He is more in harmony with Jesus than Confucius. 
 He wrote a great deal and spoke a great deal in life. 
 He was an authority a founder of new thought in 
 philosophy and religion. I would have chosen him 
 before Confucius. He has followers still to the 
 present time." 
 
 CONFUCIUS. 
 
 " This is no common thing a strong penetrating 
 influence. I feel a great power the influence seems 
 male. There is intellectual brightness, vividness,
 
 headers in Religion. 59 
 
 more than ordinary. It combines male and female- 
 influences. 
 
 " There is such a breadth and scope to this mind. 
 and so much of the love element as to suggest the 
 female. 
 
 " It is a scholastic mind, given to great undertak- 
 ings, with strength of will to accomplish them. The 
 influence takes possession of me, and I feel like a 
 rock solid and immovable. 
 
 4 ' J would want to write books and make a great 
 name for myself, being very ambitious to establish 
 forms and systems of government and religions. I'd 
 combine politics and religion and make them one. 
 I'd reform evervthin<r and let nothing remain as it is. 
 
 * " . 
 
 I'd reform all laws and simplify everything.'' 
 
 (Q^. What did he do?) "lie did many things. 
 He was endowed with uncommon faculties and intui- 
 tions second to no man living. Me is a historical 
 character. 
 
 " His character was singularly divided. He had 
 two extremes. He could have been tyrannical and 
 oppressive if he had been in power in the remote 
 period when he lived, but he never swerved from his 
 purpose with all his opposition and seeming unpopu- 
 larity, lie had so much force of character and saw 
 the need of reformation, he would seem coercive to 
 some. But there is no military tyranny. He had no 
 military career. 
 
 ' He taught great humility. lie taught love and 
 philanthropy like Christ had that fatherly pro- 
 tecting character as Jesus. It seems to me he was 
 before some centuries before Jesus. 
 
 (Q^. What of his religion?) " He taught a 
 religion of morality -- lie had no antagonism to 
 liberal sentiments. He was not Orthodox, but a 
 reformer and innovator in religion and government. 
 He would put down war. He was not aggressive - 
 would sooner conquer bv love than by the sword.
 
 60 Leaders in Religion. 
 
 He might perform something miraculous. He had 
 great controlling powers. 
 
 " His religion was not like that of Mahomet. He 
 walked with angels and was near our modern 
 Spiritualism. He believed in Deity and used sym- 
 bols in his teachings. He was devoted to the moral 
 but believed also in prayer yet relied on works 
 and taught a practical religion. 
 
 " He compares favorably with Jesus. He was 
 more communicative talked more with the people 
 and not so much in parables. His sayings were 
 better understood by the common people. lie was 
 a self-sacrificing man and cared little for his own 
 personal comforts.. He had not as much enthusiasm 
 as the Christian system. His teachings did not lead 
 the mind from the moral to the spiritual, but kept the 
 moral foremost. 
 
 (Q,. Was he conservative or progressive?) "It 
 seemed he was slow did not lead the people on by 
 excitement but deliberately. His followers progressed, 
 but there was limit to their progression, and it ceased. 
 It was a step toward the Christian system. Fate 
 ordained that he should give the world a certain kind 
 of teaching, preparing it for the Christian era. He 
 \vas not an idolater. His teaching did not lead them 
 on as there were none of his followers to carry them 
 on. Some were more spiritual, but not more logical. 
 
 " He had more influence on women. They took 
 in his teachings more readily. He had a high idea 
 of women's nature, but his followers did not. lie did 
 not give much publicity to his sentiments, as woman 
 was not so important then as now. His followers are 
 not growing or spreading. 
 
 "It needed more of the true spirit the Divine 
 spirit. It needed the Divine spirit to make it a suc- 
 cessful teaching more faith. There was a lack 
 of the religious element. He regarded the higher 
 influences, but not with much of the devotional spirit.
 
 Leaders in Religion. 61 
 
 ( Q^. What is his present condition?) "In the 
 spirit world he has made great progress what he 
 lacked here he has gained there. His influence on 
 the earth is powerful and effective. He is now in the 
 realm of Jesus, and would fall in with his doctrines. 
 
 (Qc What does he think now of woman?) k ' He 
 desires that woman shall receive all the honors that 
 man can give her. He predicts that she will rise to 
 her proper status in all countries. The time will 
 come when there shall be no women slaves. 
 
 (Q^. How does he regard my labors?) 
 
 The answer was a cordial endorsement. 
 
 JOHN CALVIN an Unfinished Sketch. 
 
 I placed the name of Calvin in her hands as that of 
 a man to be described, as I sometimes assist her pro- 
 gress by stating the sex which saves the trouble of 
 finding it for herself. My general method, however, 
 is to say nothing, leaving her to discover all. The sex 
 is not as conspicuous a fact to Psychometry as the 
 general character. 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 ' I feel that this is a person of great prominence 
 great intellectual prominence. 1 don't think I know 
 anything of him. I feel a great working force in the 
 front brain. (She next described the cerebral action 
 as extending up from the outer part of the forehead 
 along the sidehead to the upper posterior region.) 
 
 "I feel that his mind took a wide scope. All his 
 faculties were brought into action in his life-work. 
 He is not alive. He had a stupendous intellect. He 
 aimed at power and attained it too. 1 do not admire 
 him. I think he was unscrupulous. His self-love 
 was very great. He was not a philanthropist would 
 not sacrifice himself for anvthin<r.
 
 62 Leaders in Religion. 
 
 " I think he had something to do with military 
 affairs and was at home in time of national distur- 
 bances. He had fine literary capacity and wrote 
 extensively. He had great originality of expression. 
 He is not like any one that I know. His mind was 
 versatile. He had a great repertoire of subjects. His 
 chief occupation was with the pen. He had much 
 scientific knowledge and an inventive mind." 
 
 (How was he regarded then and now?) " I could 
 tell more if I had his writing. His intellect was not 
 displayed in poetry." 
 
 (What were his religious ideas?) " He was an 
 innovator in religion was iconoclastic. He had few 
 reformatory ideas such as Jesus taught. He had not 
 the spirit of Christianity. He was selfish. He would 
 not teach universal salvation. He had a peculiar doc- 
 trine of his own which he established. He believed 
 in a supreme being and a future life. He was not an 
 American. His ideas were not in harmony with ours. 
 He was a bigoted man. It is difficult for me to under- 
 stand him. His chief aim was to bring people to his 
 own way of thinking. If he had power he would 
 use unscrupulous measures to force people into his 
 views." 
 
 Thus far her answers came slowly and she seemed 
 so embarrassed and out of sympathy with the charac- 
 ter, in fact, feeling a positive disgust, that it was 
 necessary in justice to the occasion to discontinue the 
 investigation. As she said afterwards it was like 
 pulling teeth to say any more about him. She has a 
 great aversion to describing evil characters and 
 though she does sometimes describe a wicked or 
 unprincipled character it is not her forte and she dis- 
 likes greatly such mental associations which leave an 
 unpleasant influence. 
 
 As far as she went, however, she struck Calvin's
 
 Leaders in Religion. 63 
 
 true character. His grand, intellectual power and 
 literary ability are known to all. His selfish, unscrup- 
 ulous and tyrannical character, so widely different 
 from the character and teaching of Jesus, she correctly 
 stated, and in that we see why he was responsible for 
 the murder of Servetus by fire, and for the grand per- 
 version of Christianity from a system of love to one 
 of tyrannical cruelty. 
 
 SERVETUS, learned in law and physic, a fearless 
 champion of Unitarianism, and author of "Chris- 
 tianity Restored," incautiously trusted himself too near 
 the tiger, by stopping in Geneva on his way to Italy. 
 Calvin procured his arrest, trial and condemnation by 
 a Catholic tribunal to death by fire for heresy, which 
 was savagely carried out, October 27, 1553, with a 
 slow fire of green oakwood, on a hill near Geneva, 
 in full view of Nature's sublimities, before a large 
 throng of superstitious bigots. 
 
 That thrice accursed flame 
 Which Calvin kindled by Geneva's -lake." 
 
 MICHAEL SERVETUS the Martyr. 
 
 4i This seems a person not living. There was a 
 good deal of ambition and will-power here, combined 
 with gentleness and forbearance. I get among the 
 manuscripts and books of a man. He has a taste for 
 literature and publication. lie takes me back far in 
 the past yet he had many modern views upon sci- 
 ence and religion. He was a man of progressive ideas. 
 He had very strong prejudices. \Vlien he discovered 
 a truth he was independent and did not stop to think 
 whether it would meet the approbation of the public 
 he challenged criticism. He seems an educator,
 
 64 Leaders in RcJigion. 
 
 founding new doctrines. He was a religious man. 
 His views of the Deity were correct. He had no vin- 
 
 / 
 
 dictiveness in himself, and could not find it in the 
 Deity. He was quite an innovator in the religion of 
 his time, though he may have had some remnants of 
 orthodoxy in his mind." 
 
 (What sort of a career did he have?) 
 
 "He had many storms to contend with Intoler- 
 ance and bigotry reigned supreme, and he stood very 
 much alone. I consider him a great leader he had 
 a small following. His ambition was to establish an 
 improved condition, but he lived in a period which had 
 not our facilities for improvement, and therefore had a 
 great deal of difficulty and anxiety. He did not live 
 to realize his hopes. He met opposition from the 
 church the clergy were his greatest opposers it 
 resulted unfavorably for him he was arrested in his 
 career and imprisoned and condemned for heresies, 
 and he suffered oh, how he suffered mentally and 
 physically ; but he never retracted his sentiments he 
 suffered tortures of mind and body, and gave up his 
 life for his principle, like the old martyrs. Was this 
 Servetus? I feel that it was T know his end he 
 was burned." 
 
 (How did he regard Calvin?) " He considered 
 him a monster in his character, conduct and doctrines." 
 
 (You are right it is Servetus.) " It is wonderful 
 -I only know that Servetus was a martyr, but not the 
 circumstances or its connexion with Calvin." 
 
 MARTIN LUTHER. 
 
 " This? seems a man not living it is very long 
 since he lived. 
 
 " It seems to me he was a leader of some kind 
 there was a great deal of system in his work lie 
 was a disciplinarian. His work was humanitarian 
 and reformatorv. It seems to me he was a spiritual-
 
 Lenders in Religion. 65 
 
 ist, or believer in spiritual phenomena, though our 
 spiritualism did not exist then. lie was himself a 
 seer, for he saw enough to be able to prophesy. lie 
 had foreshadowings in his mind of things that took 
 place. I think he saw spirits and conversed with 
 them. (What kind of spirits?) Me saw both kinds, 
 but, I think, he saw especially spirits of the lower 
 and undeveloped class he might call them, in his 
 version, spirits of the damned, but I don't regard 
 them so. Thev were sensual, lustful and malicious 
 spirits. (Why did he have that class?) Because 
 his own mind dwelt on melancholy conditions. Some 
 might say they were fancies of his imagination, but 
 I think they were real spirits. When he felt in a 
 brighter condition he would commune with more 
 developed minds. 
 
 "He was taught by spiritual influences gained 
 much instruction. He had great healing power. He 
 did a great deal for the spirits too, as well as mortals. 
 
 (What was the state of society in his day?) " It 
 was rather low as to morals and intellect more 
 animal than spiritual. Their religion was of a low 
 character, no better than paganism the kind of 
 religion that believes in offerings and sacriiices. 
 
 "He was a reformer gave them more humane 
 doctrines did away with their idolatries labored 
 very hard, regardless of his own personal comforts, 
 lie succeeded in making himself understood, and 
 founded a new system of Christian religion. lie was 
 a follower of the doctrines of Jesus. 
 
 (What was his career and its results?) 
 
 He was denounced as an impostor by some, and 
 accepted by others. He suffered much, bodily ami 
 mentally, in his mission, but never swerved from his 
 principles. He taught the people more orally than 
 by his writings. He was a profound speaker I 
 don't think very eloquent, but he had great physical 
 force and magnetism, that made his addresses tell.
 
 66 Leaders in Religion. 
 
 He founded a system which has gone all over the 
 world, to some extent, and is among the leading 
 religions to-day. 
 
 " He suffered a good deal of persecution by mobs 
 and governmental power, which interfered very much 
 with his career. He w r as not alone, he had friends 
 and adherents, men, too, who approximated to his 
 strength as teachers. 
 
 "He was educated as a Catholic, but he was a 
 Protestant." 
 
 (What did he think of the Devil?) " He believed 
 in a personal Devil and a Hell." 
 
 (How does he compare with Calvin?) " He was 
 a better man and would teach a more humane religion 
 - very different." 
 
 The life of Luther was full of spiritual experiences. 
 His healing power was shown in curing Melancthon 
 when he was apparently on his death-bed. 
 
 These psychometric studies are instructive. 
 
 Among the great nations of this century there is no 
 influential religious organization that really represents 
 the religion of Jesus, which was engulfed in the 
 paganism and political corruption of the Roman 
 Empire, losing all its essential characteristics, but 
 names, professions and historical memories. From 
 that deep immersion an attempt was made for its res- 
 cue by two great men, unfit except in their energy, 
 for such a task one, a dark, malignant, capable of 
 the most horrid crimes the other, a fanatical pessi- 
 mist to whom the ministry of angels seemed diaboli- 
 cal and modern astronomy a wicked falsehood. 
 When we look into these men psychometrically, we 
 understand why their revolution was not reformation 
 except so far as it shattered an ancient tyranny and
 
 Leaders in Iteltgioii. 67 
 
 burned out an accumulated rottenness. Protestant 
 ecclesiasticism is but little nearer to Jesus than the 
 Roman. Everywhere it is identified \vith homicide 
 - it floats in the red tide of war, sanctifying it with 
 chaplains, with prayers for its success on both sides, 
 and with a preliminary sanction for the marshalling 
 of armies and declaration of war. We have just seen 
 two great nations on the brink of war, spending vast 
 sums for preparation, and not a remonstrance from the 
 church in either country or in any other country, 
 against the introduction of Pandemonium. 
 
 CAN WE CALL THIS CHRISTIANITY? This ecclesi- 
 asticism garlanded with bayonets and surrounded with 
 cannon ! Shall we call this organization Christian- 
 ity, the religion of Divine love (which would sutler 
 rather than inflict a wrong) because the innate virtues 
 of humanity gleam out through all forms of false- 
 hood, giving to all deadly ecclesiasticisms a beatitv 
 which is not their own. 
 
 No ! modern Christianity as an ecclesiasticism is a 
 dire apostacy, though it has not been able to destroy 
 that essential religion which is inseparable from human 
 destiny and which has found inspiration in the lan- 
 guage of the New Testament and lives of the found- 
 ers of Christianity. 
 
 How was it that the religion of Christ, St. John, 
 St. Peter and St. James became extinguished? To 
 answer this question I directed the psychometric power 
 to those who seemed to have resisted the bloody per- 
 version of Christianity which has ruled and still rules 
 the civilized nations. I directed the inquiry to the 
 Albigenses and Waldenses and obtained the following 
 
 O O 
 
 reports :
 
 68 Leaders i)i Religion. 
 
 ALBIGENSES. 
 
 (This is not an individual nor a planetary body to 
 be explored, but relates to places and people.) " It 
 takes me a long distance over the sea. It is not in a 
 cold climate. The air seems balmy as I go. I go 
 into the interior of some foreign country. The peo- 
 ple are naturally peaceable, and don't care to affiliate 
 with other nations. If not disturbed they would 
 never go into wars. They have no warlike sur- 
 roundings. Their complexions are rather dark, I 
 do not know their origin. They have not much 
 domestic political rule among them, but may be sub- 
 ordinate to other powers. 
 
 " They may have had Christian missionaries, but 
 do not seem to understand Christianity. They believe 
 in a Deity. If they had opportunities they would fall 
 in with the Christian religion, but it has not been pre- 
 sented to them properly. They deal with each other 
 according to Christian principles and have no strife. 
 They are naturally humane. Originally they had 
 ideas foreign to Christianity, but as they advanced in 
 the centuries from their very ancient stock they par- 
 took of the teachings of Jesus rather than the forms of 
 Catholicism. They never were Catholics. They had 
 a good deal of fervor and adhesiveness to their doc- 
 trines and their people. Then there was a system of 
 coercion practiced by the Catholic dominion, which 
 unsettled them and broke up their organization, scat- 
 tered them and arrested their progress, but remnants 
 remained in their country and other countries." 
 
 (Was this in Europe, Asia or Africa ?) " I think in 
 Western Asia, Asia Minor, and South-Eastern Europe.'' 
 
 WALDENSES. 
 
 " This seems to me the same class of people at a 
 later period more acquainted with Christian teachings 
 and obedient to the Christian system."
 
 Leaders in Religion. 69 
 
 (Is there any connection between the two?) 
 
 " Yes, it seems the same party or sect; they might 
 be called descendants, both in doctrine and* blood 
 They do not seem different essentially. This people 
 are in such development they can receive advanced 
 teachings." 
 
 (What relation do they bear to the Catholics?) 
 " They respect the Catholic church to some extent, 
 but have Protestant principles.'' 
 
 (How were they treated by the Catholics and 
 adjacent powers?) 
 
 " They were held in subjection by authorities who 
 thought they must be restrained. If they had been 
 let alone they would have been a peaceable and pro- 
 gressive people, I am sure of that. They were a 
 people to be led, not driven they would yield to 
 persuasion. They feared the powers that controlled 
 them." 
 
 (How were they treated?) "They were easily 
 controlled by authoritv, but they were ill-treated." 
 (Here we were interrupted.) 
 
 (Resumed in the evening.) "They were ill- 
 treated by the religious powers the Catholic 
 church, of which they were in fear. They were 
 under an oppressive hierarchy. A spirit of persecu- 
 tion was exercised it might be called a traditional 
 persecution, which dispersed and drove them away. 
 They were robbed of their home, their people 
 dragged off to military service a great deal of 
 misery was produced ; they were treated like slaves 
 or dogs. They resisted the contest was not accord- 
 ing to the usages of war, but like butchery. Almost 
 the entire population was destroyed many thou- 
 sands and those that survived were enslaved." 
 
 " I feel that there was some interposition, but not 
 sufficient to protect them." 
 
 ( Are there any remnants of them to-day ? ) " There 
 mav be a few r onlv a few.'
 
 70 Leaders in Religion. 
 
 (What do you think of their system of religion if 
 it had been fairly developed.) 
 
 "It was humane and orderly they remind me 
 of pilgrims seeking only to be at peace. They were 
 followers of Jesus, believed in immortality and return 
 of spirits or spiritual communion. They were a 
 finely organized people intuitional, mediumistic. 
 They treated women well and recognized their 
 
 mf O 
 
 equality, being in advance of the present times." 
 (How do they compare with primitive Christianity 
 in its best form?) 
 
 " It was very like it. I see no real distinction. 
 Their most intelligent and intuitive people considered 
 themselves the lineal descendants of primitive Chris- 
 tianity. It gives me a lofty feeling when I study their 
 natures." 
 
 HENRI ARNAUD. 
 
 (How does this character impress you?) 
 
 " It gives me great stimulus in the intellectual pro- 
 phetic region of the brain. It is a far-seeing, far- 
 reaching mind with the most humane principles, 
 without selfishness or ambition, except to do great 
 things for others. There is great strength and spiri- 
 tual power here." 
 
 (I felt this before she expressed it.) 
 
 kt I can't imagine what I am talking of but the 
 scenes come before me. He seems raised up for a 
 special purpose a man who can sift the chaff from 
 the wheat. He was a protector to the weak and 
 unprotected, helpless and innocent. He did some- 
 thing for them. He gathered the remnants and took 
 them away by battle and strategy. He was a 
 religious teacher and humble, unselfish man a 
 reformer, a true follower of Jesus." 
 
 Strictly true, and more might have been said. 
 HENRI ARNAUD was one of nature's nobility, worth
 
 Leaders in Religion. 71 
 
 more than all the leaders of the Reformation. He 
 was the marvelously inspired and heroic man who 
 saved a remnant of the Waldenses, after they had 
 been persecuted and butchered with savage ferocity 
 from the bull of Innocent VIII., 1487, till their final 
 butchery in 1686, when a remnant of fourteen thou- 
 sand who could not escape, were captured and thrust 
 into cruel prisons from which only three thousand 
 issued alive. 
 
 The exploits of the Waldenses under their pastor. 
 ARNAUD, a man unacquainted with war, belong to 
 the loftiest realm of romance, and are more marvelous 
 than the deeds of the Spartans at Thermopylae. With 
 k * a handful of starving men," nine hundred in num- 
 ber, "few of whom had ever handled a musket," 
 he " forced a passage of the bridge of Sababer- 
 tran against two thousand and rive hundred well 
 entrenched men, killing six hundred of them, and 
 losing only fourteen or fifteen." Less than four 
 hundred Waldenses made a long defence against 
 twenty-two thousand French and Piedmontese who 
 had come with ropes to hang them. It is said that 
 the Waldenses in nine clays fought eighteen battles 
 and destroyed ten thousand of their assailants with a 
 loss of only seventy men. The successful march of 
 Arnaud's band of nine hundred over the lake of 
 Geneva, and through mountains occupied by the 
 armies of French and Piedmontese, making prisoners 
 as he went and passing the bridge of Sababertran, 
 is unequalled in the annals of war. Their leaders 
 -ucre guided by intuition, and it was this intuition 
 which led Gen. Grant through his triumphant cam- 
 paigns.
 
 72 Leaders in Religion. 
 
 The foregoing account of the Albigenses and Wal- 
 denses is, I have faith to believe, a true divination of 
 their origin and the fidelity with which they main- 
 tained the peaceful religion of Jesus, until battling 
 with martyr courage they were captured, butchered, 
 and exiled. 
 
 " O bloodiest picture in the book of Time! " 
 
 It is to be hoped that the feeble remnants of that 
 Christian people may prove the germs of a new 
 religious life for Italy and Switzerland. 
 
 The feeble efforts for their relief are mentioned in 
 the description. Among others, Cromwell and Mil- 
 ton endeavored to shield them. It was of them that 
 Milton wrote the immortal lines beginning : 
 
 " Avenge, O Lord, tliy slaughtered Saints whose bones 
 Lie bleaching on the Alpine mountains cold." 
 
 Let this volume of Psychometry give its feeble 
 assistance, not to avenge the victims, but to honor the 
 memory of the slaughtered followers of Jesus. 
 
 Still more eloquently might Milton have written 
 had he attempted to describe the prosperity and 
 refined civilization of the kingdom of the Incas in 
 South America, crushed into desolation by murder- 
 ous Spanish brigands in the name of a Christian 
 church. The hopeless ruin, the desolation, poverty, 
 and demoralization of Quito, and the surrounding 
 country, to-day controlled by priests, is an awful 
 illustration of the power of ecclesiasticism to con- 
 vert a divine religion into a desolating curse to
 
 Leaders in Religion. 73 
 
 humanity. Against all such errors and crimes, Psy- 
 chometry pleads, trumpet-tongued. In this enlight- 
 ened age, and in our great republic, let us hope that 
 the doctrine and the life of divine love may reappear 
 with the firm and fervent love of the Jewish martyr- 
 prophets, combined with the ampler knowledge and 
 greater liberality of a more mature a^e. 
 
 cr* *- c* 
 
 When I reflect upon the power of Psychometry, 
 speaking as with a divine roice, calling up for inspec- 
 tion and judgment the world's religious bodies and 
 its numerous systems of religion calling up for 
 judgment all who have aspired to lead mankind, and 
 passing in review the supernal life as well as the 
 earthly career, I am forcibly reminded of the 
 resemblance between this real judgment upon the 
 actual panorama of nations, and the juvenile fiction 
 cherished by theologians, of a boundless multitude 
 assembled on some future day to receive their indi- 
 vidual sentences of extreme bliss or extremes! misery 
 with nc intermediate fate. This imaginary tribunal, 
 if it gave but one minute to each mortal arraigned, 
 would require nearly three thousand years of un in- 
 termitting labor (twenty-four hours each day), fora 
 single generation such as we have on earth to-day. 
 
 The power of Psychometry on earth and in Heaven 
 
 - the universal perception of character in its naked 
 
 reality, is the real day of judgment, which all must 
 
 meet. It was well expressed by Mrs. F. O. Ilyzer 
 
 in her remarkable poem ou Psychometry. 
 
 " To thee tho sea shall yield its dead. 
 And to the housetop* ou by olio 
 Tin 1 secret deeds of man l>e led
 
 74 Leaders in Religion. 
 
 "\Vitliin the closet done. 
 Thy records shall unquestioned lie 
 For none their truth will dare deny. 
 
 Nor to our planet's atmosphere 
 Is thy far-seeing power confined 
 
 From world to world, from sphere to sphere 
 Of omnipotent mind, 
 
 Thy cables stretch and interwine 
 Charged with God's glowing fires divine. 
 
 The great negations of our race 
 Hate, scorn, hypocrisy and lust, 
 
 Through thee shall sec God face to face, 
 And grovel in the dust, 
 
 Calling upon the mountains high 
 To hide them from His searching eve."
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Til)-: FAMOUS PROPHECY OF CAZOTTK. 
 
 The belief in prophecy which has been entertained 
 by liberal-minded and religious persons from the most 
 ancient times, and which has been opposed chiefly by 
 modern animalism, is so well sustained by examples 
 of successful prophecy, that no well balanced and well 
 disciplined mind can reject it. Of course we cannot 
 recognize as well disciplined, the minds that yield 
 passively either to social vulgarism or to college dog- 
 matism. 
 
 The prediction of Monsieur Cazotte concerning the 
 events of the French Reign of Terror, recorded by 
 the celebrated writer, J. F. de La Harpe, the com- 
 panion of Voltaire, in his posthumous memoirs pub- 
 lished at Paris, 1806, is in several respects the most 
 satisfactory of modern prophecies. Prof. Gregory 
 ^ays : " It was well known in all its details, both in 
 Paris and London, at times when everyone thought it 
 a mere dream. I have seen persons who heard of it 
 very soon after it was delivered, and who remembered 
 hearing it ridiculed in society as absurd. It is par- 
 ticularly worthy of notice that Cazotte, who was a man 
 of a very peculiar turn of mind, and much addicted to 
 the study of occult science, was also subject to fits of 
 abstraction, reverie or dreaming, in which lie seems 
 to have been clairvoyant, and that this was far from 
 
 7 1 )
 
 76 Appendix. 
 
 being the only occasion in which he uttered predic- 
 tions which were verified." 
 
 La Harpe says : "It appears to me but yesterday, 
 and yet it was early in 1788.* We were dining with 
 one of the members of our Academy, a man of rank 
 and talent. The guests were numerous, and of all 
 ranks ; courtiers, lawyers, writers, academicians, etc. ; 
 as usual, they had feasted. At desert, the wines of 
 Malvoisie and Constantia gave to the gayety of the 
 company that sort of license not always discreet ; they 
 had arrived at that pitch where anything was allow- 
 able to raise a laugh. Chamfort had read to us some 
 of his impious and libertine tales ; and the great ladies 
 had listened without having recourse to their fans. 
 Then arose a deluge of jokes on religion. One quoted 
 a tirade of La Pucelle, and then recollected these 
 philosophic verses by Diderot : 
 
 " Et cles hoyruix du dernier p ret re 
 Serrer le eou du dernier roi," 
 
 and applauded them. A third rose, and holding a 
 brimming glass said : ' Sirs, I am as sure that there 
 is no God, as I am that Homer is a fool ; ' and in fact 
 he was as sure of one as of the other. 
 
 " The conversation then became more serious ; they 
 were full of admiration at the revolution effected by 
 Voltaire, and agreed that he had thus won the high- 
 est title to glory. He had given the prevailing tone 
 to his age, and was equally read in the antechamber 
 and the drawing-room. One of the guests told us 
 with bursts of laughter that his hairdresser had said 
 to him : ' You see, sir, although I am no more than a 
 poor apprentice barber, I have no more religion than 
 the others.' It was agreed that the revolution would 
 soon be completed ; that superstition and fanaticism 
 
 * La ITarpo. who died in 1803, was forty-nine years of aj,'p, and :in 
 ardent Robeaplerrean republican when this prophecy was uttered. The 
 prophecy of Cazotte was attested not only by La Harpe, but by Madame 
 (.ienlis, The Countes.- Beauharnais, and others.
 
 Appendix. 77 
 
 must absolutely give way to philosophy ; and we set 
 about calculating the probable time of its supremacy, 
 and who amon< them would witness the advent of the 
 
 O 
 
 age of reason. The aged lamented the improbability 
 of their beholding it, while the young rejoiced in the 
 hope of seeing it reach its meridian glory. The 
 Academy was above all congratulated on having pre- 
 pared the great work, and on having been the princi- 
 pal promoters of liberty of thought. 
 
 " One alone of the guests had not taken part in the 
 gaiety of the conversation, and had even passed a few 
 quiet jokes on our fine enthusiasm : it was Cazotte, 
 an amiable and original man, but unfortunately in- 
 fatuated with the reveries of the Illuminati. lie took 
 up the conversation, and in a serious tone said : 
 4 Gentlemen, be content ; you will all witness this 
 grand and sublime revolution that you so much desire. 
 You know I am a Itttle inclined to prophecy. I re- 
 peat, you will see it.' They replied by the well- 
 known line, ' No need to be a sorcerer to see that.' 
 * Be it so ; but perhaps a little of the prophetic spirit 
 is necessary to foresee what remains for me to tell 
 you. Do you know what will be the result of this 
 revolution what will happen to you all? Do \;ou 
 know what will be the immediate practical effect, the 
 recognized consequence to all here present ! ' ' Ah, 
 tell us, 'said Condorcet, with his insolent and half sup- 
 pressed smile, * a philosopher is not sorry to encounter 
 a prophet.' ' For you, Monsieur de Condorcet, you 
 will die wretched on the floor of a dungeon ; you will 
 die of the poison that you will take in order to avoid 
 the block ; of the poison which the happiness of that 
 time will oblige you to carry about with you.' 
 
 "At first much surprise was exhibited, but tliev 
 presently recollected that the good Cazotte was sub- 
 ject to waking dreams, and they laughed heartily. 
 ' Monsieror Cazotte, the tale that you have told is 
 not so agreeable as your Diablc Amourcitx " (a novel 
 of Cazotte's.)
 
 78 Appendix. 
 
 " But what devil has put the dungeon and poison 
 and executioners into your head? What can that 
 have to do with philosophy and the reign of reason?" 
 " That is exactly what I am telling you ; it is in the 
 name of philosophy, of humanity and liberty, and 
 under the reign of reason that you will thus end your 
 career, and well may it be called the reign of reason, 
 for she will then occupy all the churches, and there 
 will not then be in all France any other temples than 
 those dedicated to the Goddess of Reason." " By 
 my faith (said Chamfort with a sarcastic laugh), you 
 will not be a priest in those temples." " I hope not, 
 but you, Monsieur de Chamfort, who will be one, 
 and a most worthy one, will open your veins with 
 twenty -two razor cuts, and yet you will not die for 
 some months afterwards." They looked at each 
 other and laughed again. " You, Monsieur Vicq 
 d'Azyr, will not open your own veins, but you will 
 have them opened six times in one day in an attack 
 of the gout, in order to be sure of your end, and you 
 will die in the night. You, Monsieur de Nicolai, will 
 die on the scaffold; you, Monsieur Bailly, on the 
 scaffold ; you, Monsieur de Malesherbes, on the scaf- 
 fold." "Ah, heaven be thanked (said Ruocher), 
 this gentleman, it seems, only wants the Academi- 
 cians, he has made a great slaughter ; and myself, 
 for mercy's sake?" "You? You also will die on 
 the scaffold." " Oh ! what a guesser ; he has sworn 
 to exterminate all of us." " No, it is not I who have 
 sworn." " But shall we then be conquered by Tar- 
 tars and Turks?" "No, not at all. I have already 
 told you, you will then be governed by philosophy 
 and reason alone. Those who will thus treat you 
 will all be philosophers ; will have at the time on 
 their tongues the same phrases that you have uttered 
 during the last hour ; will repeat all your maxims, 
 and, like you, will recite the verses of Diderot and 
 La Pucelle."
 
 Appendix. 79 
 
 "Everybody was whispering, "you see he is 
 mad," for he was perfectly serious and solemn. " It 
 it easy to see that he is joking, and he always intro- 
 duces the marvelous into his jests." " Yes (replied 
 Chamfort), but his marvelousness is not gay; it 
 savors too much of the gibbet. But when is all this 
 to happen?" " Six years will not have passed before 
 all that I have said will be accomplished." 
 
 "You talk of miracles (and now it was I who 
 spoke), but you have not included me in your list." 
 " You will then be a miracle, no less wonderful, for 
 you will then be a Christian." At this there were 
 many exclamations of surprise "Ah, (said Cham- 
 fort), I am relieved. If we shall only perish when 
 La Harpe becomes a Christian we shall be immor- 
 tal." "As for us (then said Madame la Duchesse de 
 Grammont), women are very happy to rank for noth- 
 ing in revolutions. When I say for nothing, I do not 
 mean to say that we do not meddle a little, but our 
 sex is exempt." " Your sex, ladies, will not save 
 you this time ; you had better meddle with nothing, 
 for you will all be treated as men, without the least 
 difference.'' " But what do you mean, Monsieur 
 Cazotte? You are preaching to us the end of the 
 world." " I know nothing about that, but what I 
 do know is that you, Madame la Duchesse, will be 
 taken to the scaffold, you and many other ladies with 
 you, in the executioner's cart with your hands tied 
 behind your back." "Ah, I hope in that case I shall 
 at least have a carriage hunjr with black." 
 
 "No, madame ; ladies ol higher rank than your- 
 self will, like you, go in a cart with their hands 
 bound behind them." "Of higher rank! What! 
 Princesses of the blood ! " " Of still higher rank ! " 
 At this the company began to be agitated and tin- 
 brow of the host grew dark and lowering. All began 
 to feel that -the joke grew serious. In order to dispel 
 the cloud, Madame de (Jranr.ir>nt, instead of noticing
 
 80 Appendix. 
 
 this reply, said in a lively tone: "You see he will 
 not even let me have a confessor." " No, Madame ; 
 neither you nor any one else will have one. The 
 last of the condemned who will have one, as a special 
 favor, will be - ' He hesitated. ' ' Well, who is the 
 happy mortal that will enjoy this prerogative? " "It 
 is the last that will remain to him it will be the 
 kin<; of France." 
 
 o 
 
 "The master of the house hurriedly arose, and all 
 was confusion. Approaching M. Cazotte, he said to 
 him impressively: " My dear Monseiur Cazotte, we 
 have had enough of this mournful farce. You carry it 
 too far, and will not only compromise yourself, but 
 the whole company." Cazotte made no reply, but 
 preferred to depart. When Madame de Grammont, 
 who was always merry, turned towards him and said : 
 " Sir Prophet, you have told us all our good fortunes, 
 but you have said nothing of your own/' lie mused 
 for some time with his eyes cast down. " Madame, 
 have you read ' The Siege of Jerusalem in Jose- 
 phus?' "Oh, certainly, who has not? But tell 
 me as though I had not read it.'' " Well, Madame, 
 during the siege there was a man who, for seven days 
 and nights, walked the ramparts incessantly, in the 
 sight of besieged and besiegers, shouting in a sad 
 and loud voice : k Woe to Jerusalem ! ' and on the 
 seventh dav he cried : ' Woe to Jerusalem ! Woe to 
 
 / *J 
 
 myself! ' " at which moment an enormous stone cast 
 by the enemies' machines, struck him and crushed 
 him to death." On saying this, Cazotte bowed and 
 retired." 
 
 These predictions were wonderfully fulfilled. La 
 Ilarpe, from being a supporter of Robespierre, 
 became disgusted with the revolution and adopted 
 religious views. Bailly was executed in their usual 
 .savage style by the Jacobins, November, n, 1793. 
 His profound scientilic and historic writings, and his
 
 Appendix. 8 1 
 
 eminent services as mayor of Paris, and as president 
 of the National Assembly, inspired no mercy in the 
 savages. The learned and exemplary Malesherbes 
 was arrested in December, 1793, and executed April 
 22, 1794. Thus both met their fate within the six 
 years allowed by Cazotte. 
 
 Of Chamfort, the brilliant wit and furious revolu- 
 tionist, Chambers' Cyclopedia says that he died in 
 1794 (within the six years of Cazotte). lie had 
 been once arrested for his reckless expressions, and 
 being threatened with a second arrest, he attempted 
 suicide with pistol and poignard, and, shockingly 
 hacked and shattered, dictated to those who came to 
 arrest him, the well known declaration: " I, Sebas- 
 tian Roch Nicholas Chamfort, declare that I would 
 soon suffer death as a freeman than be conducted as 
 a slave to prison." lie did not die immediately, but 
 lingered a while in the charge of a gen d'arme. 
 
 Roucher was put to death August 7, 1794, Cazotte 
 was executed September 25, 1792, and Vicq D'Azvr 
 died June 20, 1794. 
 
 Prof. Gregory says: '"When for the first time I 
 read this astonishing prediction, I thought that it was 
 only a fiction of La Ilarpe's, and that that celebrated 
 critic wished to depict the astonishment which would 
 have seized persons distinguished for their rank, tneir 
 talents, and their future, if several years before the 
 revolution, one could have brought before them the 
 causes which were preparing, and the frightiul con- 
 sequences which would follow. The enquiries which 
 I have since made and the information I have gained 
 have induced me to change my opinion. M. le 
 Comte, A. de Montesquieu, having assured me that 
 Madame de Genlis had repeatedly told him that she 
 had often heard this prediction related by M. de la 
 Ilarpe, 1 begged of him to have the goodness to 
 solicit from that lad}' more ample details. This is 
 her reply :
 
 82 Appendix. 
 
 XoVE.MHEB, 1825. 
 
 " I think I have somewhere placed among my sou- 
 venirs, the anecdote of M. Cazotte, but I am not sure. 
 I have heard it related a hundred times by M. de La 
 Harpe, before the r -evolution , and always in the same 
 form as 1 have met with it in print, and as he, him- 
 self, has caused it to be printed. This is all that 1 
 can say or certify, or authenticate by my signature. 
 
 COUNTESS DE GENLIS.'' 
 
 " I have also seen the son of M. Cazotte, who as- 
 sured me that his father was gifted in a most remark- 
 able manner with a faculty of prevision, of which he 
 had numberless proofs ; one of the most remarkable 
 of which was that on returning home, on the day on 
 which his daughter had succeeded in delivering him 
 from the hands of the wretches who were conducting 
 him to the scaffold, instead of partaking of the joy of 
 his surrounding family, he declared that in three days 
 he should be again arrested, and that he should then 
 undergo his fate ; and in truth he perished on the 25th 
 of September, 1792, at the age of seventy-two. 
 
 " In reference to the above narrative, M. Cazotte, 
 Jr. would not undertake to affirm that the relation ot 
 La Harpe was exact in all its expressions, but had not 
 the smallest doubt as to the reality of the_/fl?c/s. 
 
 " I ought to add that a friend of Vicq d' Azyr, an 
 inhabitant of Rennes, told me that that celebrated 
 physician, having travelled into Brittany some years 
 before the revolution, had related to him, before his 
 family, the prophecy of Cazotte. It seemed that not- 
 withstanding his skepticism, Vicq d' Azyr was uneasy 
 about this prediction. 
 
 A letter on this subject from Baron Delamothe 
 Langon, addressed to M. Mialle, gives additional con- 
 firmation as follows : 
 
 " You inquire of me, my dear friend, what I know 
 concerning the famous prediction of Cazotte mentioned
 
 Apjendix. 83 
 
 by La Ilarpe. I have heard Madame la Comtesse 
 de Beauharnais many times assert that she was pres- 
 ent at this very singular historical tact. She related 
 
 *"* 
 
 it always in the same way, and with the accent ol 
 truth ; her evidence is fully corroborated by that of 
 La Harpe. She spoke thus, before all the persons 
 of the society in which she moved, many of whom 
 still live, and could equally attest this assertion. You 
 may make what use you please of this communication. 
 Adieu, my good old friend. I remain with inviolable 
 attachment. Yours, 
 
 BARON DKLAMOTHK LANGON. 
 
 To obtain the light of psychometry in understanding 
 the powers of Cazotte, I took down a report of Mrs. 
 B.'s impressions from the concealed words, " Monsieur 
 Cazotte at Paris, 1788," which were as follows: ' k I 
 feel an intellectual glow. It is a man of fine abilities 
 of great individuality of character. I think he is 
 in the spirit world. He had remarkable powers 
 powers of divination. It brings clearness and freshness 
 of thought. It seems like one before the public as a 
 leader or teacher. He seems of the past, sixty or 
 seventy years back or more. He lived in the last 
 century chiefly, very little in this. (lie died in 1792. ) 
 
 "He had wonderful powers he was so prophetic 
 and so sound. His powers were psychometric 
 within himself to make wise sayings. He felt 
 things that were to happen to people. He predicted 
 a great many things that occurred. He did not com- 
 prehend what gave him that power. 
 
 " He seems something like Swcdenborg. I don't 
 think he attributed his predictions to spirit power, 
 lie was not religious in the ordinary sense of the 
 word. lie had very peculiar views he was rather 
 iconoclastic. 
 
 "He won many friends. lie was sought and re- 
 spected, lie was interested in governmental affairs.
 
 84 
 
 but would be unpopular with the authorities. lie had 
 a careless way of expressing himself, and might pro- 
 voke the rabble, though he was rather a favorite with 
 the people. He was an aristocrat. 
 
 (What do you think of his prophetic power?) '*< I 
 think he seldom failed in his predictions. He was 
 very correct in giving the dates at which things would 
 occur. He would predict a person's death, and it 
 would occur as he predicted. 
 
 (How does he compare with other prophets ?) ' ' He 
 compares well with Daniel. lie was more correct, 
 and had a greater variety of power. He was ac- 
 quainted with astrology. He was very independent. 
 
 (What was the end of his life?) " He was dealt 
 with harshly. He had persecution from priestly 
 sources. He was brought before some tribunal. The 
 priests considered him in league with the devil. 
 He was sought by societv, which created envy and 
 jealousy. Many went to him to know of the future.'' 
 
 FREQUENCY OF 1'RE VISION". 
 
 I have not met with any examples of prevision quite 
 as remarkable in circumstance and dramatic force as 
 that of M. Cazotte, but I have had many illustrations 
 of a power equally distinct and satisfactory in its 
 predictions, in the experience of Mrs. 13., and of 
 others whom I have made acquainted with Psychome- 
 try. Mr. Charles Dawbarn, of New York, has been 
 especially successful in foreseeing future events and 
 conditions. He has made several predictions con- 
 cerning myself which have been accurately fulfilled : 
 one relating to my residence two years later, another 
 referring to the publication of this volume. About 
 six years since he was sitting with other guests in 
 the parlor of a Health Institute in Owego, New York,
 
 Appendix. 85 
 
 when two ladies who had just arrived, were intro- 
 duced, being strangers to all but the hostess. Psv- 
 chometry soon became the subject of conversation, 
 when these ladies, mother and daughter, defied him 
 to look into their surroundings, Mr. D. turned to the 
 senior lady and said : " Madam, in six months you 
 and your daughter will be working for a living. In 
 about eighteen months you will again be in comforta- 
 ble circumstances." Of course this w r as deemed 
 incredible, but in due time it was fulfilled. Their 
 property had been in oil wells, which ceased to pro- 
 duce, and they had to open boarding houses to earn 
 their livelihood, but after eighteen months their prop- 
 erty became more valuable than ever, placing them 
 in independent circumstances. These details have 
 been verified by the ladies, whom I know to be intel- 
 ligent and reliable. 
 
 O 
 
 Early in 1882 Mr. Dawbarn fell in with an intelli- 
 gent ladv who was a student and candidate for gradu- 
 ation in a medical college, but depressed in spirits and 
 fearful of failure in her graduation. Mr. L). looked 
 into her future and assured her that she would pass a 
 creditable examination ; would then travel to the 
 West, make money rapidly and then send for her pre- 
 ceptor to associate with her in professional business. 
 This was all fulfilled ; I had the pleasure of signing 
 her diploma. She was financially successful, and has 
 associated with her preceptor in California. 
 
 Mr. Dawbarn 's descriptions of disease and of 
 character are as remarkable as his prevision. A gen- 
 tleman about a year ago asked his opinion of a 
 certain lady; Mr. 1). replied that she was a victim 
 of the opium habit. The gentleman was quite 
 shocked at this revelation, and made careful inquiries 
 of the lady and her friends, which satisfied him that 
 Mr. 1). was mistaken, but three weeks after telling 
 him that it was a mistake, he wrote to Mr. Dawbarn 
 from Saratoga that he had just ascertained that the 
 ' statement was a horrible truth."
 
 86 Appendix. 
 
 About five years ago, a lady (the sister of a New 
 physician), living in an adjoining county, was quite 
 ill, and a consultation of physicians decided that they 
 could give her no relief. Her husband sent a lock of 
 her hair to her brother, the physician in New York, 
 for psychometric examination, who handed it to Mr. 
 Dawbarn. Mr. D. declared that the lady would give 
 birth to a monstrosity. The doctor considered this a 
 failure, but in six weeks from that time she was 
 relieved, by instruments, of a false conception, which 
 verified Mr. Dawbarn's prediction. 
 
 Mr. Dawbarn is sometimes bold and emphatic in 
 his opinions. When making New Year calls in 1880, 
 he was greeted in a New York mansion by a lady and 
 her daughter, who at that moment had no other call- 
 ers. The lady handed him a small note, an inch or 
 two square and asked him the character of the writer. 
 Mr. D. promptly pronounced the writer an unprinci- 
 pled scoundrel, who was paving his way to the state's 
 prison. The statement was very coldly received, and 
 Mr. D. quickly withdrew. The opinion he had given 
 led to a detective inquiry into the private life of the 
 man, who was beginning to pay attentions to the 
 young lady. It was discovered that he was leading 
 the life of a gross sensualist, and that under the guise 
 of respectable medical practice he was violating the 
 law in a manner which must result, sooner or later, 
 in criminal prosecution. Of course his further atten- 
 tions were declined. 
 
 Dr. S. J. Damon, of Massachusetts, whom I made 
 acquainted with Psychometry and Sarcognomy four 
 years since, has applied both sciences in his practice 
 with signal success, gaining for himself a very large 
 practice and an enviable reputation in diagnosis, 
 prognosis and cure a success which he attributes 
 to his novel scientific instruction. 
 
 In the first week of May last, a lady called from a 
 distance with a lock of hair, to obtain his psychom-
 
 Appendix. 87 
 
 etric opinion. He told her it \vas from a young lady 
 very low in consumption, and described her general 
 appearance then announced that nothing could be 
 done for her, but to make her comfortable, as she 
 must die about the twenty-fifth. The lady who was 
 the mother, thought she would live much longer, and 
 in reply Dr. Damon said: "Your daughter will not 
 live until the twenty-fifth." Her brother called soon 
 after her death, and informed the doctor that she died 
 on the evening of the twenty-fourth at Wickford, R. I. 
 
 In another recent instance he was called upon by 
 Dr. G. with a letter from his wife. Dr. G. states the 
 result in his own language: "Dr. Damon began as 
 follows : ' I am taken away from here to a place,' 
 giving a full description of the house, color, sur- 
 roundings, etc., also the location of different objects 
 inside, together with a little lame boy crawling about 
 upon the floor. Finally he saw my wife. After 
 describing her accurately, he told me of all the 
 troubles of which she had complained. He also told 
 me I would move from there to a cottage, giving a 
 perfect description of the same, even to a description 
 of the men who were to move us, every part of which 
 was strictly true. This was some weeks before we 
 moved, and the place I had never seen before I 
 moved into it/' 
 
 A very large volume might be filled with such 
 illustrations of the intuitive perception, or spiritual 
 sight, and foresight of hundreds of psychometric 
 physicians and teachers in this country whose num- 
 bers will soon be increased to thousands, whose 
 instructive words will rouse the torpid intelligence 
 that has been paralyzed by the college and the 
 church the reservoirs of ancient ignorance in 
 whose malarious atmosphere no vigorous free thought 
 can flourish, and whose hostility against any new 
 truth is in proportion to its revolutionary and elevat- 
 ing power.
 
 88 Appendix. 
 
 It would require an eloquent tongue, indeed, to 
 portray the consequences to humanity when the 
 divine element in man shall be recognized and 
 obeyed when the unpardonable sin of striving to 
 repress the Holy Spirit shall cease to be repeated, 
 and nations shall yield to the guidance of the Divine 
 wisdom, incarnated in man, which comprehends the 
 future, and through which the noble words: " THY 
 KINGDOM COME," so often uttered, unmeaningly, 
 shall come to their fulfilment. 
 
 How magnificent the contrast between the vast 
 dark area of ancient history, in which we see nations 
 staggering along blindly into gulfs of destruction, 
 making all lands red with human blood, and all 
 private life a struggle and war between antagonistic 
 purposes, blindly pursued, and the enlightened ages 
 to come, in which the world shall be at peace, societv 
 in harmony, and all calamities averted by the far 
 seeing wisdom which comprehends this life and that 
 which is to come. That wisdom shall guide and 
 harmonize all things, and one of its most important 
 applications which I have not yet mentioned (this 
 little volume being inadequate to doing justice to my 
 themes), is the parental guidance of youth. 
 
 THE DESTINY OK Til]-: YOUNG 
 
 Is the most important thought that dwells in the 
 parental mind. For them we toil and to them we 
 leave our names and the external fruits of our life 
 work, as well as the interior powers of our souls. 
 We would fain know if their feet are to tread in paths 
 of honor or dishonor, of happiness or misery, and if 
 we can do aught to determine their fate with cer- 
 tainty. 
 
 Psychometry gives this far seeing comprehension, 
 and loving mothers by the million will hereafter seek 
 its guidance and consolation. The younger the child
 
 Appendix. 89 
 
 the more uncertain its parents must be as to its char- 
 acter and destiny, and almost as uncertain concerning 
 the discipline and direction that should be adopted. 
 
 Having received the photograph of an interesting 
 child, whose future I wished to foresee, for the sake 
 of the parents, I placed the picture in the hands of 
 Mrs. B., who, in such cases, never sees the picture 
 but only touches it. The following is the impression 
 that she gave, and the subsequent life of the boy cor- 
 responds thus far with her opinions. 
 
 " I like this influence. It brings a pleasant impres- 
 sion. It seems youthful not an advanced mind. 
 It seems a precocious mind of very strongly marked 
 traits of character, but the faculties are not unfolded. 
 It seems like a child. 
 
 " It has a maturity we do not often see It lias 
 the germ of a distinguished manhood. lie seems 
 well, but not of a robust organization. They will 
 nave to be. careful not to overcrowd him in his 
 studies, and to keep him back rather than push 
 ahead. 
 
 " There is great amiability of disposition, which 
 is natural to him. He is very sensitive and will sut- 
 ler a great deal from not being understood as he 
 grows up. He is not calculated for the rough and 
 tumble of life, but lives in the interior in the spirit. 
 
 " If he lives and is not cramped or forced to an 
 unnatural position, he will unfold superior qualities 
 and be very independent. If lie has opportunities, 
 he will probably be a reformer in his views, and 
 philanthropic. He will be studious and desire a 
 profession rather than a business life. 
 
 " They must be careful of this child until he is 
 seven years old, for his organism is not strong, and 
 
 " . ... 
 
 must not be taxed. His intellect is too active for his 
 body. He should be out of doors to play ball and 
 other games and sports not shut up with a book. 
 He may take a fancy to some of the arts but I do not 
 think he would like it as a profession.
 
 90 Appendix. 
 
 " He has u very spiritual development and religious 
 tendency, but is not likely to be a clergyman. If he 
 decides for himself, theology would not be his choice* 
 I would like to make a statesman of him. He will 
 be a good speaker, and would like to understand 
 governmental matters and look deeply into all sub- 
 jects. 
 
 " He is not in the least selfish, but is a self-reliant 
 character when left to act for himself yet is liable 
 to yield too much to the wishes of his parents. He 
 should be thrown upon his own resources early in 
 life." 
 
 Such children will often be born when matrimonial 
 unions are guided by psychometric wisdom, and 
 when they are placed under the developing and 
 ennobling influences of truly intellectual, industrial 
 and love-inspiring schools, as illustrated in my work : 
 " MORAL EDUCATION," the world's redemption from 
 the ancient tyranny of poverty, pestilence,, crime and 
 war, will be accomplished. Science, wisdom and 
 love shall rule the world under a smiling Heaven. 
 Until that time arrives, let us pray by earnest labor 
 in diffusing truth, 
 
 "THY KINGDOM COME.
 
 Announcements. 91 
 
 IMPORTANT WORKS 
 
 Published by Prof. Buchanan. 
 
 THERAPEUTIC SARCOGNOMY. 
 
 The American JIonifKopathist of December, 1884, gives the 
 following editorial notice of this volume : 
 
 "Of the very highest importance in the healing art is a 
 work just issued by the venerable Professor Buchanan. We 
 have read the book from cover to cover with unabated 
 attention, and it is replete with ideas, suggestions, practical 
 hints, and conclusions of eminent value to every practitioner 
 who is himself enough of a natural physician to appreciate 
 and apply them. The word Sarcognomy was coined by 
 Prof. Buchanan, in 1842, to express in a word the recogni- 
 tion of the relations existing between the body and the 
 brain. He advances the idea that the whole body is expres- 
 sive ; that the entire form is an embodiment of character ; 
 that each part of the envolving surface not only possesses a 
 physiological characteristic but psychological powers ; that 
 each portion of this cutaneous surface exercises, through 
 the nervous system, a direct action upon some particular 
 part of the brain ; and that these facts, now for the first 
 time properly elucidated, may be advantageously used in 
 the treatment of disease. Having been cognizant of the 
 very valuable and original work accomplished by Professor 
 Buchanan in physiology, and having seen him demonstrate 
 many times on persons of all grades of intellectual and phy- 
 sical health the truths he here affirms, the subject has lost 
 the sense of novelty to us, and is accepted as undoubtedly 
 proven. But to the majority of physicians these views, 
 differing as they do radically from text-book knowledge and 
 college instruction, will seem at first imaginative and fanci- 
 ful. They will, however, stand the test of practical experi- 
 ence. They will repay study, and will add largely to the 
 successful performance of professional service. No physi- 
 cian can afford to ignore the help proffered by this new 
 philosophy. Upon the psychic function of the brain. Prof.
 
 9 2 Announcements. 
 
 Buchanan is the highest living authority. The leading idea 
 of his philosophy is that life belongs to the soul, and not to 
 the body. This is antagonistic to the views of most scien- 
 tists of the day ; but it nevertheless deserves consideration, 
 and will ultimately find acceptance. We hope that this work 
 may have a wide sale among the medical profession, for 
 wherever it goes we may expect as a consequent, improved 
 methods in the art of healing." 
 
 THERAPEUTIC SARCOCNOMY met with an unexpectedly 
 favorable reception, and the whole edition was sold out in 
 four months, since which Dr. B. has purchased back a few 
 copies to supply his friends. 
 
 Parties who cannot be supplied at present will, if they 
 send their orders to the author this year (1885), be supplied 
 at $2.00 from the next edition, the regular price being 82.50. 
 
 THERAPEUTIC SARCOGNOMY furnishes the scientific guid- 
 ance necessary in magnetic and electric practice, to which it 
 is as necessary as anatomy is to surgery. 
 
 The Psycho-Physiological Chart of Therapeutic Sarcog- 
 nomy 21x31 inches is sold by the author at 81.00 and 
 sent by mail. 
 
 MORAL EDUCATION. 
 
 Two editions of this work have been sold. No work on 
 the subject of education has ever received more enthusiastic 
 commendation, of which the following expressions are an 
 illustration : 
 
 Rev. B. F. Barrett, OTIC of the most eminent writers of liis church, says : 
 
 " We are perfectly charmed^ witli your book. I regard it as by far the 
 most valuable work on education ever published. You have herein for- 
 mulated the very wisdom of heaven on the highest and most momentous 
 of all themes. Your work is destined, in my judgment, to inaugurate u 
 new era in popular education. It contains more and higher wisdom on 
 the subject of which it treats than all the other books ever written on 
 education." 
 
 " The originality of this work is remarkable. It is one of those works 
 which, like Bacon's ' Novum Organum,' or llahneman's ' Organon,' com- 
 pels us, if we accept it, to make a new departure from old methods and 
 principles." Health Monthly. 
 
 "A copy of it should be in every household and on every teacher's 
 desk. The twelfth chapter relates to ' Ventilation and Health",' and con- 
 tains matters of such vital importance that, were it all tin book contained, 
 it would more than compensate the reader for any outlay of time or 
 money he may have made upon it a needed book, whose teachings 
 would lift humanity out of darkness into light." Newmarket Advertiser. 
 
 Copies may be obtained by remitting the price ($1.50) to 
 the author, 21) Fort Avenue, Boston.
 
 Announcements. 93 
 
 ANTHROPOLOGY. 
 
 The edition of this work, published in 1854, was speedily 
 sold. The author hopes to issue a greatly improved and 
 enlarged edition in 188G. All who are interested in the 
 subject are requested to send their address in advance to the 
 ruithor, which will entitle them to receive the work when 
 issued, at a discount of twenty per cent, from the price. 
 The language of the press when this work was issued was 
 highly eulogistic. The North American Review, New York 
 Tribune, National Era, Cincinnati Times, Louisville Jour- 
 nal, the Scalpel, the Homoeopathic and Eclectic Medical Jour- 
 nals, and many other publications contained reviews of this 
 work, giving it a high rank for ability and originality. 
 
 The Cincinnati Daily Times said : " The author has long 
 been known as a distinguished professor of physiology, 
 whose name is identified with one of the most remarkable 
 discoveries of the age, the impressibility of the brain. We 
 are confident Buchanan's " Anthropology ' will soon suj e:-- 
 sede the fragmentary systems of Gall and Spurzheim, the 
 metaphysicians and phrenologists." 
 
 "Beyond all doubt, it is a most extraordinary work, ex- 
 hibiting the working of a mind <.f no common stamp. Close 
 students and hard thinkers will find it a rich treat a deep 
 and rich mine of thought." Gosjtd Herald. 
 
 This work presents Dr. Buchanan's experimental dis- 
 covery and demonstration of the entire nature of man all 
 the faculties of his soul, their location in the brain and sym- 
 pathetic relations to the body, constituting, 1. CKKEBKAL 
 PSYCHOLOGY (a higher development of phrenology), 2. CEU- 
 KP.KAL PHYSIOLOGY (relation of the brain to the physiological 
 functions in the body), 3. SARCOGXOMY (expression of psy- 
 chic life in the body), and 4. PATHOGNOMY, the fundamental 
 philosophy, and laws of the relations of the pyschic and 
 physical in the constitution of man and throughout the uni- 
 verse, which not only gives an exact philosophy to physiol- 
 ogy, but developes the laws of expression and oratory, of 
 physiognomy, and of all expression in art. 
 
 It is impossible in any brief statement to give a just con- 
 ception of the magnitude and grandeur of the new Anthro- 
 pology, which supersedes by positive science, all the specu- 
 lative philosophies of the universities, and of current 
 literature.
 
 94 Announcements. 
 
 BUCHANAN'S JOURNAL OF MAN. 
 
 This unique magazine was published at Cincinnati for six 
 years, and received by the enlightened with enthusiastic ap- 
 probation. The language -of the press was highly lauda- 
 tory. It was devoted to human welfare and progress, and 
 the original views and discoveries of the editor subjects 
 that interest most deeply every philanthropic and philo- 
 sophic mind. As soon as other engagements permit, its 
 publication will be resumed a monthly, at $2 per annum. 
 The friends of progress are requested to send their address, 
 and will receive the prospectus when first issued. 
 
 LANGUAGE OF TIIK PRESS. "In our humble opinion 
 there does not live in this country a more profound and 
 original thinker than Prof. Buchanan." {Memphis Express.) 
 " He has cast more light upon mental philosophy than all 
 the metaphysicians combined, fiom the days of Aristotle 
 down to Upham, of our time." (Plain Dealer, Iowa.) " It 
 is a rare thing to see as much really worthy of the name of 
 thought as is presented in each number of this monthly." 
 (llhiminati.) " This sterling publication is always welcome 
 to our table. Many of its articles evince marked ability 
 and striking originality." (National Em, Washington City.) 
 "After a thorough perusal of its pages, we unhesitatingly 
 pronounce it one of the ablest publications in America." 
 (Brandon Post.) "It is truly refreshing to take up this 
 monthly." (Capital City Fact.) "More of new, varied, 
 and useful information in relation to man's physical and 
 mental constitution can be obtained from this work than 
 from any with which we are acquainted." (Toledo Republi- 
 can.) "We rejoice that they are in the hands of one so 
 well qualified as the editor of this journal, to do them jus- 
 tice, both by his indomitable spirit of research, his cautious 
 analysis of facts, and his power of exact and vigorous ex- 
 pression." (New York Tribune.) 
 
 PSYCHOMPTTRIC INVESTIGATIONS. 
 Mrs. Cornelia II. Buchanan continues the practice of Psy- 
 chometry , at 21) Fort Avenue, Boston, with the uniform success 
 which has heretofore attended her labors. TKKMS, personal 
 interview not exceeding an hour $2. Written opinions 
 of one person or subject, 83. Elaborate opinions and coun- 
 sel, 85.
 
 589 
 
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