Letters on Natural Magic - David Brewster - Google Books

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CONTENTS.

THE BEING AND FACULTIES OF MAN IN REFERENCE

TO NATURAL MAGIC.

Material and immaterial nature of man-Body-Mind-Life-

Feeling-External matter-Touch-Separation and con-

nection of all these-Plato and the soul-Electricity-

Epicurus-Bishop Berkeley-David Hume-Consciousness

and matter-Consciousness and the immaterial-Reciprocal

contact-Man's primary perceptive power-Its contact with

and knowledge of matter and the immaterial-Its proximity

to the infinite-Cause of the Epicurean error-Berkeley's

blunder the other way-Cause of Hume's error-Self-de-

ception in philosophy-Fallacy in a syllogism.

Consciousness as the primary perceptive faculty of our Being-

Its contact with reality and with all our impressions and

sensations of reality-Eye and Ear more subject to in-

fluence from simulated impressions than the other senses-

Touch and Taste possess more positive powers and means

of accuracy-Smell intermediate in point of power-Bishop

Berkeley and the Eye-Not the Eye that requires educa-

tion from experience, but the Consciousness-The Eye

perfect from the first-Difference between the Conscious-

ness of man and of other animals-Difference between

instinct and reason-The Seat of Sensation--Misapprehen.

sions as to it-Consciousness moves through our bodies-

Capable of extension on surfaces-Consciousness of space—

Action of the senses not necessary to Consciousness in

them-Power of Consciousness over the faculties-Pleasure

and Pain-Attention-Thought-Memory

The senses the physical media of the Consciousness-The

evidence of the senses of touch and taste—Its impartiality

-Its positiveness-Evidence of the eye and ear compara-

tive and relative-Co-operation of the senses without col-

lusion-Distinctive perceptions or impressions of the

senses-The current of ideas-How stimulated-Its im-

portance-Our relative perception of hardness, size, weight,

colour, pitch of sound, &c.-Our positive perception of

form-Standards of comparison-Size differently seen by

different individuals-Erect vision and the inversion of

images on the retina--Neither the true size nor true posi-

tion of objects presented to us by the eye-Accuracy of the

eye-Its superiority over photography-A defect of photo-

graphy-How caused-Further remarks on comparison—

Mirrors and mode of vision

The limited range of our positive or absolute knowledge of

external matter-How much our knowledge is merely

comparative-How necessary, therefore, that we should

test everything where we can-Difference in the mode in

which truth and falsehood demand our credence-Spirit-

ualism and its séances-Its profanation of the dead-

Table-turning-Faraday's exposure of it-Simple appli-

cation of his indicator for the detection of unconscious

lateral pressure and of confederacy-Mesmerism-Its more

preposterous pretensions abated-Our tendency to neglect

the true knowledge of what is familiar-Our ignorance

of why or how our hands instantly obey our will-

Consciousness can control and direct the operations of

matter-Is it the force by which motion is accomplished?

-Probability that it is not-The vital forces and the forces

of motion distinguished―The blocd the life, a mystery-

Electricity as a motive force in animals-Probability of its

being the only motive force-Structure of the muscles and

electric action on them-Ampère's theory of electric cur-

rents-Telegraphic and electro-mechanical nature of

YAGE

Animal motion-Spontaneous, involuntary and diseased motions

-Capable of being artificially produced-Defects in

Mesmerism-Want of uniformity in its results-Electro-

biology and Phrenology-The brain-Propensities—

Cerebral development no proof of propensity-Alleged

propensity not consistently shown in experience—Pro-

pensity not material but metaphysical, and cannot be indi-

cated by size and quantity of matter-Exercise causes

development-Small mental power capable of great

achievements-Accountability of human life-Right and

wrong divide the universe-Danger of error-
r-Tendencies

of the age-Opinion-Difference between Opinion and

Conviction-Not necessary to form opinion as a basis of

'action-Opinion not truth-An impediment to correct

action-An illustration of this-Case of an African

traveller-Confusion as to opinion-Our means of protec-

tion against error

LETTERS ON NATURAL MAGIC.

Extent and interest of the subject-Science employed by ancient

governments to deceive and enslave their subjects-In-

fluence of the supernatural upon ignorant minds-Means

employed by the ancient magicians to establish their

authority-Derived from a knowledge of the phenomena of

Nature-From the influence of narcotic drugs upon the

victims of their delusion-From every branch of science-

Acoustics-Hydrostatics-Mechanics-Optics - M. Sal-

verte's work on the occult sciences-Object of the follow-
ing letters.

PAGE

89

The Eye the most important of our organs-Popular descrip-

tion of it-The eye is the most fertile source of mental

illusions-Disappearance of objects when their images fall

upon the base of the optic nerve-Disappearance of objects

when seen obliquely-Deceptions arising from viewing

objects in a faint light-Luminous figures created by

pressure on the eye either from external causes or from

the fulness of the blood-vessels-Ocular spectra or acci-

dental colours-Remarkable effects produced by intense

light-Influence of the imagination in viewing these

spectra-Remarkable illusion produced by this affection of

the eye-Duration of impressions of light on the eye-

Thaumatrope-Improvements upon it suggested--Dis-

appearance of halves of objects or of one of two persons-

Insensibility of the eye to particular colours-Remarkable

optical illusion described

95

Subject of spectral illusions-Recent and interesting case of

Mrs. A.-Her first illusion affecting the ear-Spectral

apparition of her husband-Spectral apparition of a cat-

Apparition of a near and living relation in grave-clothes

seen in a looking-glass-Other illusions affecting the ear-

Spectre of a deceased friend sitting in an easy-chair-

Spectro of a coach and four filled with skeletons-Ac-

curacy and value of the preceding cases-State of health

under which they arose-S
-Spectral apparitions are pictures

on the retina-The ideas of memory and imagination are

also pictures on the retina-General views of the subject-

Approximate explanation of spectral apparitions

Science used as an instrument of imposture-Deceptions with

plane and concave mirrors practised by the ancients-The

magician's mirror-Effects of concave mirrors-Aërial

Images-Images on smoke-Combination of mirrors for

producing pictures from living objects-The mysterious

dagger-Ancient miracles with concave mirrors-Modern

necromancy with them, as seen by Cellini-Description

and effects of the magic lantern-Improvements upon it-

Phantasmagoric exhibitions of Philipstal and others-Dr.

Young's arrangement of lenses, &c., for the phantas-

magoria Improvements suggested-Catadioptrical phan-

tasmagoria for producing the pictures from living objects—

Method of cutting off parts of the figures-Kircher's

mysterious handwriting on the wall-His hollow cylindrical

mirror for aërial images-Cylindrical mirror for reforming

distorted pictures-Mirrors of variable curvature for pro-

ducing caricatures

РАСБ

Miscellaneous optical illusions-Conversions of cameos into

intaglios or elevations into depressions and the reverse-

Explanation of this class of deceptions-Singular effects

of illumination with light of one simple colour-Lamps

for producing homogeneous yellow light-Methods of in-

creasing the effect of this exhibition-Method of reading

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