[coYNr] RICHARD MAURICE BUCKE— A SKETCH 185 



Ernest Ehys having " seen Dr. Bucke and Niagara," Whitman 

 expressed pleasure, saying, smilingly, " I am proud of both." 



Speaking of his serious illness in June, 1888, Whitman said Bucke 

 saved his life, " his skill, decision, brotherliness, pulled me ashore." 

 And again, " Osier, too, has his points, big points. But after all the 

 real man is Dr. Bucke. He is the top of the heap. He has such 

 a clear head, such a fund of common sense — such steady eyes — such 

 a steady hand. As you say, Bucke is a scientist, not a doctor; he 

 has had severe personal experiences — is an expert in questions involv- 

 ing the mind — is in every sort of way a large man — liberal, devoted, 

 far-seeing. I especially owe him so much, — Oh, so much." 



A short note from Bucke, he described as " a whiff of fresh air 

 from the north." In sending a return message, he added : " Doctor 

 is the kingpin." One day there was no letter from Bucke : " I get 

 to look for Bucke as I look for my breakfast," he said. 



27. 



In May, 1894, Dr. Bucke read before the American Medico- 

 Psychological Association in Philadelphia, a paper entitled, " Oosmic 

 Consciousness." The thought had been long in his mind. The germ- 

 inal idea is traceable in his two earlier books, " Man's Moral N'ature," 

 and " Walt Whitman the Man." 



In August, 1897, as president of the Psychological Section of the 

 British Medical Association at Montreal, he further developed the 

 thought in his presidential address on " Mental Evolution in Man." 



Four years later the result of his researches on the subject was 

 put before the world in a book entitled " Cosmic Consciousness ; a Study 

 in the Evolution of the Human Mind," of which a limited edition of 

 500 copies was printed from the type by Innes & Co., of Philadelphia, 

 in 1901. As a specimen of the book-maker's art it is worthy of note. 

 Its dignified format, quarto, on a specially good quality of paper, with 

 wide margins and large clear-cut type, is an evidence of conscientious 

 purpose and execution, which is somewhat rare in the age we live in. 



The term " cosmic consciousness " is derived from the east, signi- 

 fving an elevated plane of consciousness associated with various psychic 

 phenomena, including that known as " illumination." The author 

 finds it exemplified in fourteen conspicuous instances, including the 

 founders of the three great religions, and in eleven other persons, 

 viz.: Plotinus, Dante, Las Casas, John Yepes, Francis Bacon, Jacob 

 Behmen, William Blake, Honoré de Balzac, Walt Whitman and Edward 



Sec. II., 1906. 13 



