THE INTERPRETATIONS OF AUTOMATISM. 507 



everytliing twins from the same mother in all outward respects. 

 One pulsates and throbs with that which we call " life/' It pos- 

 sesses heat, bodily motion, animal power. The other is cold, mo- 

 tionless, pulseless, throbless a thing of clay. What is that " life " 

 which the one possesses and the other lacks ? Ah, there's the 

 rub ! With the wisest of men we can only answer, " Quien 

 sabe f " (Who knows ?) 







THE INTERPRETATIONS OF AUTOMATISM. 



By Prof. WILLIAM EOMAINE NEWBOLD. 



THROUGHOUT this series of papers I have confined myself 

 closely to one theory of interjDretation, and I have done so 

 because the theory which I adopted stands nearest to those of 

 current science. To leave the subject in this shape, however, 

 would be an injustice both to my readers and myself. The phe- 

 nomena the reality of which I have acknowledged constitute but 

 a part of those which are regarded by competent observers as ac- 

 tually entering into the question ; and the solution which I have 

 proposed is not only with difficulty capable of reconciliation with 

 these other phenomena, but is itself based upon a metaphysical 

 theory which is far from demonstration. It seems, therefore, no 

 more than fair that I should, before concluding my series, give 

 my readers a somewhat broader outlook upon the various aspects 

 of the problem than I have yet done. A complete survey of all 

 theories that have been proposed to account for the whole or a 

 part of the facts can not, of course, be given in a magazine article, 

 even if I were competent to the task, which I do not profess 

 to be. But some account of the manner in which the phenomena 

 of suggestibility and automatism are related to the broader field 

 of the supernormal, and of the possible points of view from which 

 the whole field may be surveyed, seems to me essential. 



There is no need of my again recounting the salient features 

 of suggestibility, automatism, and secondary states. Let me turn 

 at once to the material which I have hitherto excluded the realm 

 of the supernormal. 



It is with some hesitation that I have resolved to introduce 

 any discussion of these topics in the pages of the Popular Science 

 Monthly. The inquiry into the supernormal is as yet in its in- 

 fancy : its methods are still crude, and its results are under dis- 

 cussion. None of these results have as yet won the right to a 

 place among the scientific truths which may be regarded as 

 known. They are still the personal opinions of a small group of 

 students, and although I account myself one of the group, I do 

 not make the mistake of identifying my personal opinions with 



