Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 13

The Fifth Session

The Fifth Session

Was organised by Dr M'Leod taking the chair, who called on Mr Morgan to read a paper on Thought Reading, or "Cerebral Sympathy," which he asserted was the cause of impressions, dreams, warnings, etc., and not the work of spirits, or of the individual's independent spiritual powers, as, in certain cases, the spiritualists argued. Mr Morgan having finished his paper,

The Chairman made some remarks as to the nature of the impressions which he sometimes had himself, but said they were generally of an impractical nature, and if he followed them at all times would often be, misled.

Mr Spear gave his experience. At one period of his life he aided prisoners on trial, and other destitute individuals, in which he had many singular adventures. Amongst others, he related that at one time when he had occasion to frequently pass a certain street, he had an impression that he should find gold at a given spot. He did not understand what it could mean, but one evening a person in a cloak approached him, while crossing the place indicated by the impression, and put something into his hand. When he got home he looked at it, and found it was a golden eagle, and it proved to be of much service at the time. He sometimes prepared himself for these impressions. When planning a journey, he would look on the map, and his attention would be directed to certain places, and often he would mentally see himself going journeys a long time before he thought of starting on them.

Mr Bums wanted to know what Mr Morgan meant by cerebral sympathy. He had favoured the meeting with many very interesting instances of it, but he had omitted to say what it really was. He would like to know what was the modus operandi. Was it where two brains sympathised that the act of "cerebral sympathy" was performed? and if the brains did sympathise, how did they do it? page 56 The speaker could not understand bow two organised structures at a distance from each other could sympathise, or act on each other at all. To be an argument against the spiritual theory, this would need to be shown. He considered that the term "cerebral sympathy" was a misnomer, and that it was the spirits or minds of individuals that sympathised, and not their brains at all. This was a confirmation of the spiritual hypothesis; and Spiritualism could explain these facts, whereas the materialists failed. Mr Burns adduced many evidences similar to those related by Mr Morgan; also cases of individuals being magnetised at a distance, hearing conversations in other rooms, and mental telegraphy, which showed that there was a spiritual power inherent in the mind which gave a consciousness independent of the senses, and could produce impressions at a distance beyond the reach of the material organs. This was the means whereby spirits did the same thing; by a function appertaining to spirit, especially when disembodied, they could act on others at great distances, and thus produce impressions and other phenomena. He thought that Mr Morgan's facts were evidences in favour of Spiritualism, if properly interpreted.

Mr Morgan explained that cerebral sympathy was impressions, but without entering into detail as to how they were produced.

Mr Hodge thought they were identical, and wished to conciliate those who might hold opposite views on the matter.

Mr Heslop thought it should be called spiritual sympathy, or mental sympathy, as it was the mind or spirit that was the actor, often independent of the brain; in support of which view he referred to numerous instances given in Professor Brittan's celebrated work on Man and his Relations, and quoted the following:

"On the nineteenth day of May, 1854, while a Mr Wilson was employed in writing at his desk, he fell asleep, and dreamed that he was in the city of Hamilton, some forty miles west of Toronto, where he was at the time. After attending to some business, he proceeded in his dream to make a friendly call on Mrs D——s. On arriving at the house he rang the bell, and a servant came to the door, who informed him that her mistress had gone out, and would not return for an hour. The dreamer thereupon left his name and compliments to Mrs D., and started for home. At length awaking from his slumber, Mr Wilson found himself precisely where he had lost himself half in hour before, quietly seated at his writing desk in Toronto.

"Some days after the occurrence of this incident, a lady in the family of Wilson received a letter from Mrs D——of Hamilton, in which she incidentally mentioned that Mr W. had called at her house a few days before, while she was out. She complained that he did not await her return, and said that on hearing that he had been there, she had visited all the hotels in Hamilton in the hope of finding him.

"On perusing this letter Mr Wilson suggested that his fair friend must be crazy, since he had not been in Hamilton for a month, and that on the particular day and hour mentioned he was at his place of business, and in a deep page 57 sleep. His curiosity, however, was excited, and inviting several of his friends to join him, the party went to Hamilton, and called at the house of Mrs D. The lady herself met them at the door, and they were invited into the parlour. While the party remained, Mrs D., on some plausible pretext, directed her servants to go into the room, and suggested that they should notice the gentlemen present, and tell her if there were any familiar faces among them. Two of the servants instantly identified Mr Wilson as the person who called ten days before, and in the absence of their mistress left his name, which they remembered and repeated."

From this instance and many others, Mr Heslop thought it was clearly established that calling such phenomena "cerebral sympathy" was no explanation at all; for by numerous experiences it was proved that persons could be seen and conversed with, hundreds of miles from their bodies; which went far to indicate that man consists in an essential something, that can exist independent of the body, and that what are called "apparitions" are a natural reality, and neither supernatural manifestations nor the results of a diseased imagination.

The question of organisation was now proposed by Mr Spear. He said that in America there was no national or permanent organisation. There were conventions held, but only for the hour. These took place occasionally, and at various places, where the friends felt disposed to meet. Recently, however, a New England convention had been organised, which had opened offices, employed an agent to open lyceums, collect facts, etc., and would in time send out missionaries, develop mediums, and otherwise forward the work. He thought there was room in England for several large organisations to diffuse information in their respective localities. He thought that without binding themselves to any settled form of belief or action, they might take the initiative by electing officers, have a centre, and be ready to take advantage of circumstances as they might arise. He therefore moved that the Convention proceed to the election of such officers, and thus organise themselves into a regular association, having tangible form and objects.

The Convention then went into committee for the purpose of forming an association, when it was resolved that it should be denominated