ON THE WAKE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 270, 15 November 1890, Page 2 (Supplement)

ON THE WAKE.

The Supernatural Fad Gradually Dting

Out.

R. C. Kittridge, of Washingbon, who was a few years ago one of fche most ardent searchers after the mysteries of fche psychic forces, sponb a record; Sunday wifch friends in bhis city, says a writer in the New York 'Star.' I had a talk wifch him upon the occulfc matters which formerly engaged so much of his time. ' The study of bhe occult, as you call ifc,' he said, j* seems fco be dying oub as a fad. Two years ago ib had a greab run, and hundreds of people, who hadu'fc bhe slightesb conception of what were claimed as the underlying principles of either spiritualism or bbeosophy were eager students of psychic phenomena. They tired of it, as they tire of everything else. Earnest sbudenfcs have also given up fche pursuit of the occulb in a good many insbances because of fche meagreness of returns. Votaries of theosophy who still remain faithful fco Mmo. Blavafesky say fchafc we were too worldly-minded and unwilling fco give ourselves up to the absorbing and self-sacrificing work of real research. However bhab may be, ' psychical research ' has had its day as a fad. The famous American Society for Psychical Research of Boston, which spent a great deal of time and labour and thousands of dollars, disbanded last winter after a life of three years. That; Society had as members such men as Professor S. P. Langley, the astronomer, Professor Newcomb of the Smithsonian Institute, Dr. Elliott Coves, Professor E. S. Fullerfcon of the University of Pennsylvania, C. R. Cross of the Massachusetts School of Technology, Willam James, Josiah Royce and others of Harvard. Tbey devoted themselves fco all phases of occulb phenomena, bub never gob any sabisfactory results. They hunted down hundreds of alleged spiritual manifestations and Buddhistic phenomena, bub found nobhing sufficiently well proved for a scientific' basis, and at last gave up their work in disgust and left private individuals fco sib up nights in haunted houses and chase spooks of various kinds. If there is anything acculfc, as claimed by fche followers of these faiths—or philosophies, if you like—the professional clairvoyants and charlatan mediums, by their ridiculous claptraps, have made tho study distasteful. The flood of theosophio novels which followed Sennetfc's ' Karma' and Rider Haggard's ' She'spurred a good many imaginative people to a study of bhe religion of bhe adepts, bub they have about fallen oft", andwhilethe followersof theadepfca rebain their societies wifch a good many earnesb and honesb students, bhe sbudy, as a fashionable fad or afieobidh, is ab an end.'

The Duke of Connaughb is busy wibh a diary of his Indian sojourn, which will be published shortly, the Buehess conbribufcing bhe illustrations, taken from sketches of her own on the spot.