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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 228. 



(blue or spirit), pbospliorus (red or hope), 

 carbon (black or fear) and nitrogen 

 (green or life), derive from their postulates 

 a diflereut view of the nature of shades and 

 phantoms. In the famous treatise on the 

 ' Discovery of Misconceptions ' this theory 

 is set forth in an engaging manner. 



" The ethnological divisions of the human 

 race," says the author, " proceed directly 

 from excessive vibi-ations of these four gases. 

 The white skin of the Caucasian marks an 

 approach to the harmonious relation of the 

 four gases. This relation has been gradu- 

 ally produced by salt or the hidden blue 

 hydrogen imbedded in salt. The skin and 

 characteristics of the Ethiopian mark the 

 superior force of carbon and phosphorus ; 

 those of the Mongolian, of sulphur, or a 

 combination of hydrogen and phosphorus ; 

 those of the Indian, of nitrogen and hy- 

 drogen. Through the same study of the 

 natural relation existing between the four 

 gases, all natural forms, from a microbe to 

 a whale or elephant, maybe understood." 



In such fashion the materialists have en- 

 deavored to set aside all problems of the pos- 

 thom phantom, by resolving them with the 

 hopes and fears of man into gas, controlled 

 by colored forces of chemical relation. 



On the other hand, immaterialists claim 

 that of all forms of fluidic forces personal 

 magnetism is the most potent. It is shown 

 by Mr. William Q. Judge that the astral 

 light of the imagination can form images of 

 all imaginable things, and these, by the mag- 

 netism of the will, can be clothed in matter 

 through precipitation. These objects will 

 readily fade away unless fixed by some per- 

 manent mordant. " The distinct image of 

 every line of every letter or picture," says 

 Mr. Judge, " is formed in the mind, and then 

 out of the air is drawn the pigment to fall 

 within the limits laid down by the brain, 'the 

 exhaustless generator.of face and form.' " 



Mr. Dean found himself unwilling to differ 

 from so high an authority as Mr. Judge, who, 



more than any other recent investigator, 

 has sounded the limitless ocean of scioso- 

 phy. The facts, however, remain. To the 

 materialist, on the one hand, he would say : 

 " There are more things in heaven and 

 earth than are dreamed of in our philoso- 

 phy, surely far more than hydrogen, car- 

 bon, nitrogen and phosphorus." To the 

 immaterialist he would emphasize this fact : 

 There is not a posthom phantom extant 

 which has not its double in material things. 

 When the body decays the 2-)osthom disinte- 

 grates. When the tree falls its shadoAV falls 

 with it, and there is no adequate evidence 

 that a true shadow can be made by the pre- 

 cipitation of fine forms of matter on the 

 image laid down in the brain. 



A vision thus formed in the brain could 

 surely have no digestive apparatus, yet 

 no phantom is better attested than the 

 donkey of St. Croix, who for several days 

 after his actual death and burial was 

 seen by several gentlemen wandering about 

 in its old pasture, cropping the fluidic 

 shadows of the growing oats. Careful ob- 

 servations showed that the actual oats suf- 

 fered no injury. It is not likely that the 

 donkey would feed on oats unless it retained 

 a stomach in which oats could be placed. 

 Whether actually digested or not would not 

 affect the argument. 



The images formed in the brain havenoan- 

 atomy ; and though, no doubt, actual matter 

 is often precipitated upon them, in accord- 

 ance with Mr. Judge's observations, the re- 

 sult is rather a picture than a posthom, as 

 only the side of the posthom image nearest 

 the brain is actually developed and material- 

 ized. If Mr. Kardec had given close atten- 

 tion to the shadow of Tartuffe he would 

 have found it a flat bas-relief or spiritual 

 cameo instead of a figure in perspective. 



That posthoms can accomplish at times 

 great material results is beyond question. 

 Under the head of the "geometry of phan- 

 toms," Dr. D'Assier makes the important 



