74 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



upon the exorcist to pay heed to what the energumen has eaten. 

 He was also right in believing what the devil said on this point, 

 for "if the devil is the father of lies, he can nevertheless be 

 compelled by the Church to tell the truth ; that he was forced 

 in this case to bow to ecclesiastical authority, is proved by the 

 result." 



Dr. Schneidt indorsed the opinion of his colleague, adding a 

 few remarks from a " philosophical-psychological " point of view 

 and denouncing the scientific materialism of the day, which de- 

 nies the existence of spirits and their influence on corporeal sub- 

 stances. He admitted that the symptoms of Saint Vitus's dance 

 and hysteria are very similar to those of demoniacal possession, 

 but can be readily distinguished by two tests, both of which were 

 applied by Father Aurelian : the boy Zilk raged and fumed when 

 sprinkled with holy water, but remained quiet if ordinary water 

 was used ; the utterance of a benediction in ecclesiastical Latin 

 rendered him extremely^ violent, whereas he was wholly unaf- 

 fected by the recitation of a passage from a Latin classic. Dr. 

 Schneidt thought Father Aurelian was right in laying great stress 

 upon these two criteria, and in regarding the manner of their " re- 

 action " as conclusive proof of diabolic agency. 



That learned doctors of theology and high Church dignitaries 

 should be willing to appear before a court of justice at the present 

 day with such expert testimony as this, is a curious psychological 

 phenomenon and a remarkable instance of superstitious survival. 

 It would also be a greater miracle than any wrought by the holy 

 coat of Trier, if the inculcation and dissemination of these me- 

 diseval notions by the bishops and other clergy should not pro- 

 duce a benighting and degrading effect upon the masses intrusted 

 to their instruction and guidance in spiritual things. A few ex- 

 amples may be cited to show to what extent the popular belief in 

 witchcraft, demoniacal possession, and the efficacy of conjurations 

 still prevails. In the spring of 1894 a Hungarian named Jordan 

 started on a bicycle from Bucharest, with the intention of making 

 a tour through the Balkan peninsula to Constantinople. Not far 

 from Philipoppel, in Roumelia, he was overtaken by night and 

 obliged to stop at a hovel which served as a public hoase, and 

 after confiding his " wheel " to the care of the innkeeper, who 

 took charge of it with considerable distrust, went to bed. Very 

 soon the news spread abroad that a sorcerer had arrived riding 

 on a magic car drawn by invisible spirits, and a crowd of excited 

 peasants filled the inn under the direction of the pope, or village 

 priest, who sprinkled the bicycle with holy water and adjured 

 the demon to depart. The " magic car " of the itinerant sorcerer 

 was then taken out of doors and demolished. On the next morn- 

 ing, when Mr. Jordan wished to continue his journey, he found 



