1885-1 
From the Debatcablc Land. 
72 7 
confederate, as we had previously had the opportunity of 
observing that before he was thrown into this state the 
pupils of his eyes expanded and contracted in the ordinary 
manner according to the degree of light. It must be noted 
that this peculiar state, however it may be explained, soon 
passed away, the operator retaining no prolonged contiol 
over the subject. 
Recently, however, this process of — shall we say hypno- 
tising ? — has undergone further developments at the hands 
of Dr. Charcot, of the Salpetriere, and results of a most 
curious character have been reached. The influence, or 
delusion, does not pass away in the course of a few minutes, 
but may continue after the subject has left the presence ol 
the operator, and extend to the next day, possibly longer. 
A person who has been thrown into this state may be told 
to go the next day and shoot a person, some acquaintance, 
and then give himself up to justice. It is impressed upon 
him that he is to do this, not in obedience to the operator s 
command, but purely of his own motion, whether out 0 
revenge for some imaginary insult or injury, or out oi meie 
“superfluity of naughtiness.” There can be no necessity 
for us to describe the experiments of this kind which have 
been performed, since accounts of them have been, and still 
are, “ going the round of the papers.” Still less need we 
enlarge on the possible moral results of such an ascendency 
acquired by one person over the mind of another. But a 
point at which we must briefly glance is their bearing upon 
the question of free will. A subject who has been thus 
impressed goes and commits some crime. He feels that lie 
is doing this wickedness, not at thecommand of the operator, 
but of his own motion. Yet, in reality, he has not been in 
this aftion a free agent at all, but a mere puppet, a machine 
performing the will of another, and yet retaining the belief 
in his own freedom and responsibility ! Who can help 
asking, What, then, becomes of the doctrine of free will 
altogether? Who does not further feel anxious to learn 
whether there may not be other conditions in addition to 
that of hypnotic trance in which human beings may be 
subjugated by a foreign will whilst letaining a im e ie l 11 
their free agency. Experience seems to tell us that such is 
the case. Witness the manner in which weak-minded and 
impressionable people-it must be remembered that Dr. 
Charcot’s experiments succeeded only upon certain indi- 
viduals— are not merely carried away for the time bein & 
at “ mass meetings,” revival meetings, &c., but aie con- 
trolled in their subsequent conduct. This control they 
