Criticism of Telepathy.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVIII, Issue 2, 10 July 1912, Page 10

Criticism of Telepathy.

In one of a series of lectures which Dr. James J. Walsh, an American professor, has been delivering, the learned lecturer gave some striking illustrations of the utter failure of telepathy .or mind-read-ing when put to simple, practical tests. "Mind-reading,” said Dr. Walsh, "is being practically tested every day in every court in the world. Every criminal trial is a test of mind reading. A man is accused of a crime, and is brought into the presence of a judge, several lawyers, some of whom are friendly, some hostile, and twelve presumably, fair minded jurors. All of these, judge, lawyers, and jurors, are trying earnestly to read the mind of the accused- The latter, if he be innocent, is exerting every power of his brain to convey to the judge, the lawyers and the jurors the thoughts that are in his mind. And yet I have never heard of a single ease in 'which the judge, counsel or jurors have l>een able to read the mind of an accused person. Surely, if there really were any substantial basis for tlie claims of those who believe in thought transference, there must have been at some time in all the ages since trials began, somewhere in all the lands where trials have taken and are ta’/ing place, some record or some report of some occasion on which mind reading had influenced the conviction or the acquittal of an accused person.” Dr. Walsh did not deny that mind reading may sometimes be possible, but he pointed out that any man who can really read ths minds of others can go and get at ones a million dollars a year salary, for any big firm of financiers would make its fortune if it had on its staff a mind reader upon whom it could rely.