Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

may even remain latent through life. Like a caged lion, neither its possessor, nor those around him, may realize its extent, because it may never have been called out. Or it may manifest itself only in manual labor, which may so divert the blood from the brain that the subject may give every indication of unusual dulness and stupidity; but the power will be there and evince itself in some form. Yet it is less often consumed by the brain than by the other portions of the system. It at least requires a great amount of mental action to bring and keep it in working order; so that it often, I may say generally, fails to put forth its energies but whoever has a prominent nose, large chin and cheek bones, and large joints, has the real stamina in him, and only requires ACTION to make himself felt somewhere.

3. The ACTIVE temperament, known by LENGTH of organization, furnishes another index of character. The Canadian pony cannot run much. Its motions are rather slow and almost clumsy. So with all short and thick-set animals and men. But all long-built animals are agile, quick-motioned, spry, and fleet. Of this the deer, gazelle, antelope, camel, leopard, etc., furnish examples. A round-favored, short horse is never put upon the race, because this form always lacks motion; but slim, gaunt, long-limbed, tall, and angular horses are selected for free travelers, yet they ENDURE less. So with men, both mentally and physically. Tall, spare, slim, long-faced persons, are generally far more active than corpulent ones-more nimble, quick to move, limber-jointed, and supple. This same quality likewise extends to their minds. Their brain, like their joints, works easily. They perceive quickly, feel intensely, are wide awake, brisk, and take a lively interest in whatever they engage. Yet they have more activity than either force or endurance. They are therefore liable to overdo, to wear out prematurely, and are best fitted for some light business, which requires more smartness than originality, more tact than talent, more brilliancy than judgment. This organization gives memory, and capacity for scholarship, good business talents, with considerable excitability and quickness of perception and comprehension.

4. The MENTAL temperament or fine-grained organization. As some lands run to one kind of produce and others to others, so this organization runs to mind proper. It gives the mentality complete control over the body, so that any unfavorable news or state of mind destroys appetite, banishes sleep, and deranges all the animal functions. It gives extreme intensity of feeling, and the keenest sensibilities; so that what is enjoyed at all is enjoyed in the very highest degree, and what is painful is excruciatingly so. It confers clearness of mind, and a great flow of thought, and an insatiable hungering after knowledge. It allows the brain to work much more freely than it can when the vital or powerful predominate, and allows it to become, as it were, more spiritualized

more detached from the organization—and thereby promotes that INTUITION, or working clairvoyance, of which so much has been said in this and former volumes, a more specific idea of which we shall endeavor to convey hereafter.

The likeness of Tholuck furnishes one of the forms which accompanies this cast of mind. So does that of Joseph C. Neil, introduced into a former volume. Yet our present purpose is rather to draw the outline of this and also of the other temperaments, than to give specific ideas concerning them. The latter will be the work of the subsequent

volume.

Yet the COMBINATIONS of these temperaments have most to do with character, and furnish the best index of it. These combinations, the shapes by which they may be known, and the cast of mind which accompanies them respectively, will also be discussed in the forthcoming volume. The subject is one of peculiar interest, and full of the most valuable practical suggestions. No branch of phrenological inquiry has interested the editor as deeply as this. None is as full of "SIGNS OF CHARACTER," or discloses the mentality as readily or fully, for it gives us the mental outline of all we meet at the first glance. All that the editor can do he will do, to convey to his readers the results of his long and close observations on this important point.

ARTICLE LXXI.

CLAIRVOYANCE-ITS POSSIBILITY AND RATIONALE.

Our article in the January Journal, on this subject, attempted to show its possibility, by arguing that it was analogous to that state of mind anticipated after death by believers in the immortality of the soul, and that this clairvoyant perception is often evinced by extremely nervous per. sons, and those on the confines of death. We recommend that that article be read in connection with this, as a means of facilitating the complete understanding of both.

Many of our readers who had before been skeptical as to the possibility of Clairvoyance, regard that article as establishing not merely its possi bility, but its probability. This article will contain one more argument bearing on this point. It is this:

There are certain persons who have become conscious of events about to transpire, or that have occurred at a great distance, by a kind of spiritual instinct, or inner consciousness. They perceive what course it is best to pursue, and what will end in disaster, neither by reason, nor by knowledge derived from the senses, but by INTUITION. They have also

an innate perception of truth, so that whatever subject is presented to their minds, strikes them as true or untrue, right or wrong, whichever it may be, at first, without any previous knowledge, independently of all reasoning, and in the absence of all the ordinary data by which the mind arrives at its conclusions.

This faculty is stronger in woman than in man. A shrewd writer, taking cognizance of this fact, has somewhere said, that man reasons out his conclusions, while woman jumps at hers-that man ascends the ladder of truth step by step, while woman mounts it at one bound, she knows not how. She cannot give you reasons, but only RESults. All have more or less of this capacity, yet it is so weak in most as not to be recognized. They even stoutly deny its existence. Yet the organization of such will be either coarse, or more powerful than fine, or more animal than mental; while those who possess this gift are endowed with temperaments of the finest grain. And the specific object of this article is to state this observation of the editor, as the summing up of almost a quarter of a century of professional practice, namely, that the finer and more mental the temperament, the more clear the spiritual perceptions. Whenever I find very highly organized and keenly susceptible temperaments, I describe them as possessing this intuition, this waking clairvoyance, this seeing things afar off without eyes, and knowing things independent. ly of all the usual means of acquiring such knowledge.

So numerous and universal is this class of facts that they CANNOT receive a scientific go-by, nor be accounted for on the ground of accident or coincidence. They DEMAND, in the name of inductive reasoning, a scientific explanation, which it is the object of this article to furnish. Those who have not this power may poh and scout as they like; but this will not alter the FACTS-those stubborn things to which all candid minds will gladly give a full and ready hearing.

I have observed one other general fact in my professional practice; namely, that Spirituality or Marvelousness accompanies this fine-grained organization much more frequently than any other, and that it is generally small where the vital or powerful temperament prevails. These observations are entitled to consideration, for I state them on my professional character.

The philosophical explanation of them seems to me to be something like this. The temperament in question gives the mind an ease, quickness, and liberty of action to which the other temperaments are strangers. That is, it leaves the mind more at large. It does not chain it so closely to the body as they do, but allows it to perceive all truth independently of the body and senses, somewhat as we suppose spirits do after death.

A common illustration may render my meaning more clear. Many of my readers have at times overeaten, so as to feel dull, confined in their intellectual range, and as if chained down to an inert body; whereas,

[ocr errors]

after the load had passed off from their stomachs, they experienced a brightness and clearness of intellect, a freedom and enlargement of mind, and a ready perception of truth in general, of which, while glutted, they were incapable. Now I would liken you, glutted, to those with the physical temperament-their minds narrowed down, superficial, and, as it were, encased in a material strait-jacket; but you, fasting, to those who possess this mental temperament-their minds so liberated that they can go forth freely into the wide field of universal truth and fact. I may be misconstrued by some, and ridiculed by others. I may not have done my subject justice; but this I know, that this subject contains a great practical truth, and here I leave it, with this evident and most cheering inference, that, as the human family improve, and this temperament, in connection with Spirituality, becomes more prevalent and exquisite, mankind will become more and still more clairvoyant in their waking state, will drink in universal truth-scientific, religious, and historical-touching past and future, as the thirsty imbibe water; and thus, besides what is transpiring thousands of miles from them, will be capacitated to acquire more knowledge-arrive at more truth-in an hour than we do in a week or month.

We shall describe this temperament, its components, appearance, signs, etc., more at large in our next volume.

For the American Phrenological Journal.

ARTICLE LXXII.

PHRENOLOGY IN UTICA.

It is interesting to the phrenologist to review the progress of the science of Phrenology for the last ten or twelve years; to note the gradual and accumulating strength that has gathered around its nucleus, and the ramifying influence that has extended through the length and breadth of the country. It has been like the gathering of the gentle dews into rivulets, then increasing into smaller streams, till anon the foaming, dashing river impetuously forces its way through every obstacle, and overcomes every barrier that opposes its course. Some fourteen years since, when the attention of my brother and myself were directed to the science of Phrenology, scoffers were abundant—almost every one presented the sword of ridicule and derision; but perseverance was our motto, and we now have the satisfaction to see the science every where believed by the scientific and intelligent, and meeting that attention which its merits demand.

Eight years since we visited the city of Utica, in the valley of the Mo

hawk, and gave many lectures on the subject of Phrenology, to a full and attentive audience; then left it in the hands of its friends and believers those who were willing to work in the cause for its own sake. Among its staunch followers was Dr. McCall, who has quite a numerous collection of skulls and busts; Dr. Haven, Prof. Coventry, besides many young men who have been industriously engaged in circulating books, Journals, etc. Having received repeated and urgent solicitations from the young men of the city to favor them with another course of lectures, at length a public call was given, with which I accordingly complied the past month.

Though it was on the eve of the election, when party spirit and excitement were high; though the weather was unpleasant most of the time, and there were amusements and entertainments in the city, yet the largest hall was nightly filled, at times to overflowing, by an attentive audience of the most worthy and intelligent of the society. It is said that so many persons have never before collected together in Mechanics' Hall, at so long a course of lectures as the present.

A committee of three prominent citizens were chosen by the audience for the purpose of selecting suitable persons to be examined at the close of each lecture, in order to test the science. Judge Bacon was one of the first called to the stand. The judge has his eccentricities and peculiarities, a strong mind, considerable mirth, poetical talent, etc. The examinations were said to be astonishingly correct and very satisfactory.

One of the most interesting reminiscences is my visit to the Insane Asylum, under the supervision of the excellent Dr. Brigham, whose phrenological developments are favorable to the fulfillment of the arduous tasks assigned to him. I met between four and five hundred insane men and women in the chapel of the Asylum, in the afternoon, and gave them ⚫ a lecture on Phrenology. They appeared highly pleased, and were very attentive auditors. After the lecture I embraced the opportunity to go into the various halls of the Asylum, and examined the heads of many of the unfortunate inmates. I found there brilliant minds, talents of the finest order, and some of the finest feelings. Indeed, it is an established fact that the most susceptible minds, and most elevated organizations, are the most liable to be unbalanced. I described one lady, Miss W., as having unusual original talents, and natural capabilities for painting, drawing, and for a scholar. She was once a teacher in Troy Female Seminary, and even now paints well. Another lady was pliable, polite, accomplished, etc. She is from one of the most talented and aristocratic families in New York. Another lady had large Marvelousness and Ideality. She imagined herself to be the wife of the king of Austria. Scores of interesting cases might be mentioned. It was a source of much gratification to notice the peculiarities of different individuals. Though the cause of insanity is not always apparent to the touch of the

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »