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is fundamentally distinct and separate from material conditions. In other words "The material conditions, in fact, merely furnish the fuel and the mechanism; it is the force or power that does the work."1 The whole process, intellectual, vital, chemical, mechanical, the convertibility of physical forces their correlation with vital, the nexus between mental and bodily activity, lead up to that Mind whence is all power. From the apex of this pyramid it is seen that God cannot be "cribb'd, cabin'd, and confined" within any agencies-cannot be adequately expressed by any materialistic formula. He is not a remote and retired mechanician, but higher than the highest conception we can form of Him, the extension to infinity of all our noblest attributes, and certainly possesses that personality which is presence to Himself. Around Him, we conceive, is some everlasting glory; which, by self-revelation, He framed to be the Heaven or Dwelling-place for the body of the light of His spiritual nature; which goes forth eternally to be everywhere the all-pervading, all-sustaining Power, the inscrutable essence of all, without which the world. would be as the baseless fabric of a vision and thought itself would perish.

We now pass to those spectres of thought, ghostly pictures hung in the chambers of our mind by a mysterious power. Is it a power making visible whatever has been reflected in the depths of our nature? Is it a faculty, as yet scientifically undefined, causing what is disembodied and invisible to the natural eye to be spiritually apparent? We certainly seem to have intelligence concerning that unseen land

"The undiscover'd country from whose bourne

No traveller returns."

Hamlet.

Is it true that there has been no return, no reappearance, no answer? Are all men liars? If so, they do not lie always. Our perceptions are twofold: sensual, by our senses; intellectual, by ideas produced in the brain, that is, cerebral. Is it utterly impossible for impressions to reach our brain from an

1 "Mental Physiology," p. 694: W. B. Carpenter, M.D., LL.D.

Spectral Illusions.

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altogether different source-impressions wrought by our own inner organisation, working on the brain precisely as do impressions from the outer and material world? It is not inpossible, and their difference in origin and effect cannot always be discerned. Their instrument is the cerebrum, and the transmission of an impression along the nerves of the internal senses to the sensorium, is equivalent to that of an impression through the nerves of the external senses. Dr. W. B. Carpenter, in his "Mental Physiology," says of spectral illusions—“These are clearly sensorial states not excelled by external objects; and it is also clear that they frequently originate in cerebral changes, since they represent creatures of the mind, and are not mere reproductions of past sensations."

If the mind is duly impressed, a thing will seem heavy that is very light; the odour of a dead body may be perceived from a new and empty coffin, and acute agony be endured from an imaginary wound. The influence of ideas on sensitive subjects is so great, that flames have been seen to issue from magnets, luminous phenomena became visible in dark rooms, sounds were heard in perfect silence, and intangible things touched. Imagination has produced various shades and brilliant coruscations of flame from bare walls; self-deceived and spell-bound, the victims become a prey to their delusion. -a delusion which proves the extraordinary power of mind over body. It is obvious that the fact, "real sensations are produced by mental states," enables us to understand how Sir Isaac Newton could recall the spectrum of the sun, by going into a dark room and intensely applying his mind; and explains the fact of some men being able, at will and at any time, to surround themselves with spectres; and how others, without will but at any time, may be haunted by horrid illusions. Sir Walter Scott (" Demonology and Witchcraft ") gives an example-"Passing from his sitting-room to the entrance-hall, fitted up with the skins of wild beasts, armour, etc., he saw right before him, and in a standing posture, the exact representation of his departed friend (Lord Byron), whose recollection had been so strongly brought to his imagination. He stopped for a single moment, so as to notice the

wonderful accuracy with which fancy had impressed upon the bodily eye the peculiarities of dress and posture of the illustrious poet. Sensible, however, of the delusion, he felt no sentiment save that of wonder at the extraordinary accuracy of the resemblance, and stepped forward towards the figure, which resolved itself, as he approached, into the various materials of which it was composed-great-coats, shawls, plaids, and such articles as are usually found in a country entrance-hall."

Apply these admitted facts-The visible universe and man's physical frame are connected by bonds of energy with the invisible, are capable of receiving energy from it, there exists a bridge between the two-a something that welds the two into one. The motions which produce and acccompany thought affect the whole order of things-visible and invisible. Thought may scientifically explain the past state of the earth and by prevision foretell its future condition. Science, in fact, accepts as physically probable, that which true religion asserts as spiritually true: that Moses was enabled to reveal the past, and that prophets were inspired to make known the future. We do not offer this as an explanation of the power of prophecy, but as an attempt to show that so far from spiritual vision, or prophecy, being impossible, there are states of mind in which science may shortly be able to show that it is a real, though an unusual, possession.

Reflection will make this clear. We do not doubt the possibility of a science of meteorology; nor of science dealing with phenomena which are the product of many and complex factors; nor do we, while allowing that sociology cannot be brought under the control of mathematical deduction, refuse to admit that physiological and psychological laws are true, precise, inevitable in their result. Accepting the fact, there is a sense in which Buddhism and Mohammedanism might have been predicted. The production of gigantic personalities, and the peculiar impression produced by them, could be foreseen; such predictions being possible to an intellect able to contemplate and comprehend the many and intricate factors producing and controlling the progressive life and opinions of the world. This prevision, at present, is crude

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work, little more than guessing; but can become systematic and thorough so soon as we know and are able to trace the application of law to the vastness and variety of biologic phenomena. That the antecedents of the phenomena are irresistibly working out their results is certain; our knowledge of them is uncertain, owing to their vast complication; owing also to the operation of that unknown factor-—human will; but the science is already in existence, and gathering precision with the development of human skill. This being the case, so far from men of science refusing to acknowledge prophecy, they can conceive the flash of prevision as somewhat similar to the sparks which fell into Sir W. Rowan Hamilton's mind concerning the long-sought fundamental equations.

Pass to another series of thought.

When we dream, it is often against our expectations and wishes. Things, which we would see, are not seen; those not desired, forcibly intrude. Insight, invention, origination, even creative genius, bearing the well-marked stamp of our individuality, yet transcending ordinary power, are possessed in dreams. The imagination is sometimes constructive, at others lucky guesses are made; a dullard, when awake, will pass in sleep through long process of thought and years of experience in the twinkling of an eye. The mind not only feeds upon the store of past ideas, but works them up into never-ending combinations. Those who have become deaf, as in the wellknown case of Beethoven, compose music involving new combinations of sound; and men who have lost their sight, rejoice in the imagined beauties of a glorious landscape, or of a visionary picture.

Condorcet, in a dream, found the last steps of a difficult calculation which no power of his waking thought could discover. Tartini in a dream, heard, as he thought, the archfiend play; but when awake could not satisfactorily reproduce the visional music. Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" is notable as a dream-poem. Some find that their dreams, however vivid, are always incoherent and unreasonable, often impossible in some parts so true, nevertheless, are dreams to us while they last, and work in such new shape and unaccountable directions, that intended crimes have been prevented and past crimes

discovered—not by mere coincidences, but by occult action of the mind. Some impression, or succession of impressions, in waking moments, has given to the dreamer an almost revelatory power. The wife of General Sleeman slept within a tent which had been pitched in a lovely opening of a jungle. Her dreams were haunted all night by the sight of dead men. The general, because of information which he had received, caused the ground to be opened, and fourteen corpses, victims of the Thugs, were discovered. It is easily conceivable that the foul odour of these dead suggested to the lady, in unconscious cerebration of the dream, the horrible vision.1

If it be said, "These things are not of sufficient certainty to be used as arguments;" use them simply as illustrations. Sometimes, dreaming, with closed eyes, we see the realities around our bedroom and everything in it; our library and persons entering. We are fast asleep, it is a dream-but the objects are true, clear, defined. The horizon of the dream expands, the whole street is visible, distant places are brought nigh, the inward scene is a true picture of things really existing. At times, old things become new; forgotten events are remembered; words long ago said, in a now unknown language, are repeated; the dead appear as living; and, as by clairvoyance, there are visions of the absent. Inward influences seem the stronger the more our brain is given up to rest and sleep: or, as others assert, the operation is carried on not when we sleep soundest, but with the maximum of sub-consciousness consistent with sleep.

Whatever these perceptions are, unconscious, sub-conscious, flashes of insight whether scientific or poetical, our brains use them in the same manner as were they outward impressions received through the senses. They are not a mere play of the fancy for when we are awake, no imagination, no fancy, has power to produce the objective perceptions and realities of a dream. Some persons, when they dream, are as dramatic as Shakespeare. Sometimes, on awaking in the morning, there is no remembrance other than a confused notion of having lived another life in sleep; but in course of the day some trifling incident, that has no apparent connection with dream1 "Mental Physiology," p. 590: W. B. Carpenter, M.D., LL.D,

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