Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 50.djvu/242

228 medicine will be of no use.’ My mother then asked, ‘If medicine is of no use, what shall we do?’ The demon replied, ‘Burn incense to me, and submit yourself to me, and all be well.’ My parents promised to do this, and knelt down and worshiped the demon, begging it to torment me no longer. Thus the matter was arranged, I all the time remaining in a state of unconsciousness." After more prayers and worship Kwo recovered consciousness, and was told what promises had been made in his name. He at once refused to worship the demon, upon which he was attacked again. Finally, he consented, and for some time the demon gave him little trouble, coming only at intervals, and then behaving very well. It promised to heal diseases, but "many diseases were not under its control, and it seemed as if it could perfectly cure only such as were inflicted by spirits"—in other words, those that were due to suggestion and could be relieved in the same way.

In the summer of 1878 a native missionary named Leng heard of Kwo, and persuaded him to tear down the shrine of the goddess and become a Christian, assuring him that if he did so he would be freed from the spirit's power. This he did, and a few days later his child died, which his wife ascribed to the vengeance of the goddess. Then the demon returned once more and said: "If your husband is determined to be a Christian, this is no place for me. But I wish to tell you that I had nothing to do with the death of your child." "What do you know of Jesus Christ?" they asked. The answer was: "Jesus Christ is the great Lord over all; and now I am going away, and you will not see me again." And the demon was as good as his word.

Prof. Forel, of Zurich, has given an account of a case of this sort which seems to have puzzled him considerably. The patient, K. K., was a German, a wagon-maker by trade, had lived in the United States for some years, and had got interested in "spiritualism." Several times he tried to get the spirits to write by his own hand without success, but at last the hand started suddenly and wrote against his will. The writing was followed by automatic ideas in the form of the inner voice. All the communications professed to emanate from a spirit who, although unknown to him, was interested in him, and desired to improve him and prepare him for the life to come. Its commands were usually simple and reasonable enough. For example, the patient had been an excessive smoker, but at the spirit's command he gave up smoking entirely, and without especial suffering. Sometimes, however, the spirit was whimsical and even malicious. It forced him to smash lamps, break his false teeth, and do other things which caused him no little annoyance. The spirit always claimed that