THE CLASSICAL CONTROVERSY. 631 



it may well be doubted whether in the whole world there is another 

 person thus mutilated and at the same time possessing all the general 

 physical characteristics of the individual described in the letter. 



More striking still is the fact that this individual did not reside in 

 the place where the letter was sent (which is not a large place), and 

 was there by chance only the day that the letter reached there. 



Those who believe that the mathematical doctrine of chances can 

 solve the complex problems of coincidences will find in this case mate- 

 rial for consideration. I may here quote a single sentence from the 

 second of my series of papers on " Experiments with Living Human 

 Beings," in the April number of the "Monthly": "In these and all 

 studies of a like character it is to be recognized that coincidences of 

 the most extraordinary character and astonishing nature are liable to 

 occur at any instant, and that they are as likely to occur on the first 

 trial as on the last of a long series." 



A second point of great psychological interest in this case is the 

 attempt made by the person to whom the letter was addressed to over- 

 look certain discrepancies between the imaginary and real individual, 

 and to twist and pervert and reason upon the facts of the case, so as to 

 bring them into harmony with what he was expecting to see. While 

 the man corresponded to the description in size, in the color of his 

 whiskers, and especially in the loss of his finger, he did not correspond 

 in the fact that he wore spectacles and had no side-whiskers. The 

 detective reasoned that he wore spectacles to hide the defect in the 

 eye, which defect he did not see ; and he assumed, on thought, that 

 the side-whiskers had been recently shaved or cut. Nothing is said of 

 his stooping, or of his being lame in the left leg, or of the color of his 

 hair, or of its length. 



The bearings of this whole history on the delusions of clairvoyance 

 mind-reading, animal magnetism, and spiritism are apparent. A suc- 

 cessful coincidence of this kind would have made fortune and favor 

 for any clairvoyant, or medium, or mind-reader. 



Truly yours, Geoege M. Beaed. 



New York, July, 18T9. 



--- 



THE CLASSICAL CONTROVERSY. 



By Peofessoe ALEXANDER BAIN. 

 ITS PBESENT ASPECT. 



IN the present state of the controversy on classical studies, the pub- 

 lication of George Combe's contributions to Education is highly 

 opportune. Combe took the lead in the attack on these studies fifty 

 years ago, and Mr. Jolly, the editor of the volume, gives a connected 

 view of the struggle that followed. The results were, on the whole, 



