Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 58.djvu/224

216 mother's love becomes, after treatment, the incarnation of filial reverence and affection. The liar looks his interlocutor in the face and speaks the truth without regard to consequences. The thief parts with all inclination to appropriate what is not his. The libertine accepts the white life. Human saprophytes that thrive on social rottenness are not wholly destitute of moral chlorophyl." Nor is this all. By the same means, "Habits of thought concentration may be made to take the place of habits of rambling, ability to use grammatical English for uncertainty in syntax, a taste that approves elegance for an inclination to slang." Though potent for good, this panacea refuses to work ill. "Fortunately for the protection of society, the power of suggestion to deprave is providentially limited, while its influence for good is without horizon. A mesmerizee quickly discovers the hypocrite in a suggestionist, and a pure soul will always revolt at the intrusion of a sordid or sensual self and spontaneously repel its advances." That the suggestionist must have unusual gifts to accomplish such vast results seems natural enough. "A practitioner of hypnotism should be a proficient in the physical sciences, in literature, language, belleslettres, art, sociology and theology." "Ignorance in an operator is a disqualifying defect; soul-exalting suggestions are full of atmosphere." Nor is it surprising to learn that the mesmerizee evidences "supranormal perceptive powers, possessed by subliminal selfs, acting at a distance from their physical bodies (a rational explanation of clairvoyance and clairaudience), or of automatic communications between the subliminal selfs of such unconscious mediums and outside personalities not human, who are cognizant of the events described, and are independent of time and space limitations;" and that "human beings are hypnotizable by other human beings, between whom and themselves exists a peculiar sympathy or harmonious relationship known as rapport."

There is no need to continue. If the above citations prevent the spread of false notions regarding the contents and character of the work they will in part have fulfilled their purpose. That the volume contains interesting, possibly valuable observations, may be true; but the general distrust of any results so sensationally presented will deservedly prevent recognition of any sound contribution of fact that may happen to be buried beneath this tinsel and paste. Were it not for the 'premeditated ignorance,' the author might have known of similar observations more soberly presented by other writers; and he might have been induced by a knowledge of the present status of hypnotism to present his own results with more reserve, proportion and scientific acceptability. It is difficult to say whether the author offends most deeply our scientific sensibilities by his extravagant, false and misleading representations, or our aesthetic sense by his grotesque and tactless manner of presentation, or our moral judgment by his disregard of obvious relations and his irrelevant and officious appeal to religious beliefs. On account of its popular tone, such a volume has great power for evil, and the condemnation of author and publisher for such abuse of a popular interest should be expressed in no uncertain terms.

translated from the French of Dr. Maurice de Fleury by Stacy B. Collins, M. D., and published by Downey & Co., is the type of work which the scientifically-minded are likely to dismiss as too 'literary,' and the litterateur to disregard as too scientific. Neither disparagement is quite warranted, however natural. If one assumes a proper attitude towards the volume—or perhaps one should say, finds himself in a sympathetic mood for this kind of reading—he may find attraction, suggestiveness and profit in its perusal. But it is distinctly a kind of writing to which the Anglo-Saxon mind is unresponsive; our standards of popular science are totally different in ideal and execution from