The Book of Dreams and Ghosts eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 292 pages of information about The Book of Dreams and Ghosts.

The Book of Dreams and Ghosts eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 292 pages of information about The Book of Dreams and Ghosts.

{56a} Told by the nobleman in question to the author.

{56b} The author knows some eight cases among his friends of a solitary meaningless hallucination like this.

{58} As to the fact of such visions, I have so often seen crystal gazing, and heard the pictures described by persons whose word I could not doubt, men and women of unblemished character, free from superstition, that I am obliged to believe in the fact as a real though hallucinatory experience.  Mr. Clodd attributes it to disorder of the liver.  If no more were needed I could “scry” famously!

{60a} Facts attested and signed by Mr. Baillie and Miss Preston.

{60b} Story told to me by both my friends and the secretary.

{62} Memoires, v., 120.  Paris, 1829.

{66} Readers curious in crystal-gazing will find an interesting sketch of the history of the practice, with many modern instances, in Proceedings, S.P.R., vol. v., p. 486, by “Miss X.”.  There are also experiments by Lord Stanhope and Dr. Gregory in Gregory’s Letters on Animal Magnetism, p. 370 (1851).  It is said that, as sights may be seen in a glass ball, so articulate voices, by a similar illusion, can be heard in a sea shell, when

“It remembers its august abodes,
And murmurs as the ocean murmurs there”.

{68} A set of scientific men, as Lelut and Lombroso, seem to think that a hallucination stamps a man as mad.  Napoleon, Socrates, Pascal, Jeanne d’Arc, Luther were all lunatics.  They had lucid intervals of considerable duration, and the belief in their lunacy is peculiar to a small school of writers.

{69a} A crowd of phantom coaches will be found in Messrs. Myers and Gurney’s Phantasms of the Living.

{69b} See The Slaying of Sergeant Davies of Guise’s.

{70} Principles of Psychology, by Prof.  James of Harvard, vol. ii., p. 612.  Charcot is one of sixteen witnesses cited for the fact.

{74} Story written by General Barter, 28th April, 1888. (S.P.R.) Corroborated by Mrs. Barter and Mr. Stewart, to whom General Barter told his adventure at the time.

{75} Statement by Mr. F. G., confirmed by his father and brother, who were present when he told his tale first, in St. Louis.  S.P.R.  Proceedings, vol. vi., p. 17.

{76} S.P.R., viii., p. 178.

{77} Mrs. M. sent the memorandum to the S.P.R.  “March 13, 1886.  Have just seen visions on lawn—­a soldier in general’s uniform, a young lady kneeling to him, 11.40 p.m.”

{78} S.P.R., viii., p. 178.  The real names are intentionally reserved.

{80a} Corroborated by Mr. Elliot.  Mrs. Elliot nearly fainted.  S.P.R., viii., 344-345.

{80b} Oddly enough, maniacs have many more hallucinations of hearing than of sight.  In sane people the reverse is the case.

{82} Anecdote by the lady.  Boston Budget, 31st August, 1890.  S.P.R., viii., 345.

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The Book of Dreams and Ghosts from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.