THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 91, 10 January 1908, Page 4

THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE.

HYPNOTIC CURE OP DRUNKENNESS. ? I-' ... J AN AMERICAN IDEA. Reforming drunkards by hypnotism is a novel, euro. Di;. Gusiav.A. Gayer of New Ybrk. (says tho. Now York "Herald") .'claims h-3 is turning inebriates into . .self-respecting citizens!.. It certainly opensVa; wide field' for'; ■ experiment. ' If' drunkards can , ho;, cured, why ■ not motormen, car conductors without manners and hotel clerks, who_ always givo, you tho samo old room next to the' elevator. 'Dr. Gayer, would ..have the,'unfortunate drunkard save himself.v, .To :do' this, ;hb,gets possession of his sub-conscious •: mind --.by; hypnotism. .■\Once-m';that: stato, the'.'maii.' is. ■,completely under : th6> Doctor's , influence/ lie , says.. .In view, of/liis' interest 111;, tlio;.work, Dr. Gayer Uias opened a free clinic uni Saturday..'afternoons; for .the; treatment ' of drunkenness... ',•■ . ;■ : As. a- test;; a challerigo ..was sent to .'the Bowery Rev. John G. Hallimond, superintendent v of ; thd . institution,., appeared;at, Dr.-.Gaycv's houso iv;ith sevbn or eight 'sots,.'.vicious to.-tho, ends. oftheir • toes, and-given, up-many times as boj'ilrid , form.' ; .At tho' clinic the ' third, hypnotic treatment was given. The Doctor began Miy lintroductions; all arouridj : addressing, the lato drunkards, as:',"gentlemen. ; , . . They, sat''in: luxurious easy,chairsXin; tho Doctor's office. as solemn as undertakers and a better behaved lot of men .one never saw.

; : ( "We will .begin with a prayer," said.the". Doctor, and .tho, superintendent .of. : the mission ,-olfered,-ail, appropriate invocationpray'ing that'■ strength. ; might;bo given;. the,.men; never -to drink again, and,. Svitii : pbwer .'from 011 High;- to: continue:in the now life !which they.had.begun. ' Then Dr: Gayer- explained, .that, ho .;'h!(d. .hypnotised some-fifteen thousand '.persons' ■variously afflicted and saved many who were supposed to. be ,dying. .The men .listened .with a 1 sort' l of 'reverential, awe, and presently he leaned over.them,' gbing-from, ono, to .the' other.' as', he deeply intoned'the -words:— '-■ 7 ' .' '• '. '.-,■ - -■ ,:.■

; "Sleep, sleep, sleep, soundly. V Rest well! Rest well I Relax yoiir minds;v'gentlemen,' .think of nothing I 'i Do'.riot''criticisebe at ■ rest;' go to sle'op, sleep, 'sleep. . Now-you are. going to sloop'. l ■ \ our eyes-are dead— you hear my • voico, but' you do, not,, think 'about it—how you • are sinking >into' sle<jp. 'into deep, "deep sleep—now you aro asleep.'.. 11 .Hero't>ne Doctor begins tho. euro by auto-: suggestion and : tells the-men that thoy no longer want liquor—says they .liato it—that they'll riever. drink .it. again—that it , will make them sick if they do.. . V\' - ' :

By this timo the .subjects aro supposed ito bo ..under- hypnotic control; ! with 'the Doctor 'in full possession :of their ■ sub-con-scious minds. . In a / word, -the'. sub-con-' : scions mind dominates 1 the 'objective"'mind (tlio milid, that works through: tho. senses)'."Tho sub-conscious mind is really thfisoul." explains tho; Doctor.- "In 1 dream life it works independently, of tho physical bofly 'and can traverse tho'world and all-space. Oln (this 1 hypnotic sleep tho patient is free from' his base appetites and controlled entirely by/the master mind.". ; ■*' - . After. a'period of profound ..quiet.lasting •for ten or 'fifteen;-minutes,- during, •"•'which .everybody. looked at "the late, drunkards and'wondered if'.they were" really affectedby tho treatment, they'were released ~ and requested to sleep no more. ,- They certainly, seemed O.ocilo and the most obedient of pationtSi'' "They're being transformed into' ,'nmv men," said tho Doctor,'"and will nevor go'back .to their old, habits." ' > Suddenly ho said, "We .will now havo somi>; coffee, .gentlemen'."-'. Ho -repeated, "l'ou aronvido awake:' You nued sleep no lenger.". At this'the late/drunkards seomed' to arouso'thenWves from an open eyed slumber' and all tho company, followed the Doctor into-thegarden.--;:^-.":'' ""r;r » At the rear of the yard in a litt-lo sum-., mcr house coffee was served'arid-' visitors '■'were-invited to ask-tho men-about how they felt.

'■'"It is a. great'T thing,.'.this hypnotism," said tho toughest character of the lot. "I'm .an'-old; : -tinier,'"' said he; '"Everybodyhas' •tried, to' reform me. '-but nothing seemed to do 'tlip -work : until tho Doctor- took-me in ..hand.c. 1 hadno faith—only curiosity lit' first. But when ho touched my''eyes I felt things going down' .'my back, :l and I' had never experienced anything liko that befoie It's some kind of a power that's'new to me. dt hit tho'spot'where. 1 ilive, ahcl from that moment my-'taste for drink passed away. I: ihavo a record I ' for doing'up people and being tho. worst man ,iii tho Bowery.- I've been in ;Sing'Sing threo or four times, arid-after all ,tlie fclubbing ; and hard'; life I'vo had in prison arid oil tho streets it's a wonder I'm alive. '' 1 S i' ,

, ' Thank God, tho .Doctor's hypnotism; or! .whatever.- you'call it, is making a 'new, man' of_ iiiO; Thoy'vo been trying to got lie to drink again down'in tho Bowery but I refused. Then the-boys' "put up jobs to do mo up. They set all kilids of traps and laid temptations, in my .'path. Thon-they guyed me. .' I said 'Look hore, fellers, you know me. You know what a man I've "been and tiho fights I've been in, aud the times I've been sent' up the river; and how I could drink moro- boozo than -any man in tho Bowery.' Now I've guifc for good, and you can guy- mo ,to the limit—but I don't drink, I don't fight and ,'l'm going 'to be square with myself, G9d helping me.'" , The other men under treatment made similar statements and investgation proved .that they really had been''a hard!lot. The superintendent-corroborated all 'that was said, and expressed enthusiasm over the result.' : '

In explaining his methods Dr. Gayer said that it was a great mistake to attempt any reformation without duo regard to the sens'e of propriety -and decency—"the gentleman" —that's in every one of' these unfortunates. "When they first came-to my house," said he, "they attempted to enter by'the base-' ment. I said, 'Gentlemen, walk this way. Como up the steps,' and led them into niy best rooms, seated them' in niy best chairs, addressed' them as if they w'cro the most favoured- of invited guests. • I played for them on- the' piano,' gave them refreshments and showed 'tlioin 'my pictures. The re-, suit was almost instantaneous. ' They seemed bowildcred, but braced up and assumed tlio air of men humble aiid sinccro in their desire for reformation." '

So as thcso men sat' t-hcro in the summer house; listening to the convorsation and tho explanations given by the Doctor as to the- philosophy of it .ill, they drank their coffee out of-littlo cups and except for their palo face 3 0110 could scarcely imagino that they had seen tho worst. 'of the Bowery slums. The superintendent told extraordinary stories of their records, said t.hcy wero truly reforming and dicl not wish' their names published. "\cs," said the loader, "I guess some of the first clergymen in tho city, including Dr. Mac Arthur, have hud a hand-in trying to reform mo. They thought if 1 was' such a desperate criminal and had done time in Sing Sing at-different, periods ever since tho days of the boodle aldermen it would bo a big thine to get me anchored to something dccont that would heln nic to live-honestly. You see, I was all right, at tho start. My parents owned tho ground where Ccopor Institute now stands. 1 was born there,-and had education enough . and know enough to have been a respectable man. But Iwent wrong at the start, until I could outfight and ontdrink any man in tho Bowery and do as neat a bit of burglary work as'the best of them."

Such in brief is t.lio new way .of "hynotising sin out of a man by giving him a n«'w set. of moral nerves mid killini his "desire for painting things red and drinking himself into insanity every other week.