Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 17, 1906.djvu/390

 374 Correspondence.

So it seems clear that Dr. Lang has not made up his mind where to place these phenomena. His suggestion implies that he believes they may be capable of scientific explanation, but he is evidently hampered by the feeling that, possibly, they may lie within the domain of the supernatural, and, therefore, be con- tributory to the " fairly strong presumption which human faculty (religious faith apart) lends to the belief in favour of the survival of human consciousness." (See Dr. Lang's review of Myers's "Human Personality," Monthly Review^ March, 1903.)

I am sorry to have been guilty of loose writing in saying that ^schylus attributed the invention of crystal-gazing to Prometheus. I used that term for divination generally; thus applied, the reference holds good. For the passage which I had in mind is that wherein Prometheus enumerates the part he played as seer or medicine-man :

I gave them many modes of prophecy,

And I first taught them what dreams must prove true visions. ..

I led men on to art full difficult ;

And I gave eyes to omens drawn from fire,

Till then dim-visioned. {Prometheus Boufid, 11. 492, 493, 506.)

Edward Clodd.

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