896 Dynamic Theory. 



possible, and thinking his own thoughts as little as possible, must as- 

 sume a condition of expectancy, awaiting the impression from the agent. 

 If there are several persons in the room the effect is better when they 

 assist the agent b}^ concentrating their attention upon the same idea. 

 This operates to strengthen the force of the impression and at the same 

 time to eliminate the element of distraction which might arise from the 

 presence of other impressions. If the percipient is blindfolded, the dis- 

 tracting impressions which he might get from things seen are eliminated. 

 He may be still further insulated if his ears are stopped. Children and 

 females generally make the best percipients. Generally the best effects 

 are obtained when the agent and percipient are close together or even in 

 contact. Contact is made by the hands, or by the agent touching the 

 head, neck or some other part of the percipient. A connection be- 

 tween the two with a stick or piece of wire is sometimes better than 

 nothing, though a great number of successful experiments have been 

 performed without visible connection of any kind. ' ' Practice makes per- 

 fect" in this sort of exercise as in every other. There is reason to be- 

 lieve that the faculty is possessed in some degree by almost every one, 

 but it is much more highly developed in some than in others. The fact 

 that it can be cultivated involves also the reverse. It may be lost by 

 disuse, and the conjecture is ventured here, that since the development 

 of articulate language, there has been such a loss to the human race. 



The experiments made by the P. E. Society consisted of the attempted 

 transference of various sorts of ideas, embracing in short, ideas of all 

 classes ; viz. : 



( 1 ) Ideas of direction and locality. These I take it are among the 

 easiest to transfer, and consist in hiding objects which the percipient is 

 to find, and in thinking of localities to which he is to go, &c. 



(2) Visual impressions; the forms of objects, such as drawings or 

 pictures, figures, alphabetic and geometric characters, cards, &c. The 

 agent makes these characters, or keeps his attention fixed upon them by 

 looking steadily at them or otherwise, when the percipient is, or should 

 be, able to describe them or reproduce them on a slate or paper. The 

 transference of the idea of a color comes under this head. 



( 3 ) Other sense impressions ; as smell, taste, hearing, &c. , sounds 

 of words, names, sentences, tunes, &c. In the transference of many 

 sensations there will of necessity be a blending of different senses, to a 

 greater or less extent. For example, when the agent draws a card from 

 a pack, he naturally is himself impressed by its appearance, form, color, 

 &c. , visual impressions, and also by its name, which is an auditory im- 

 pression aroused by association. The transfer to the percipient is there- 

 fore two mingled impressions. 



(4) Impressions from the internal senses, (a) Emotional, as pain. 



