LECTURE ON THE THEORY OF BRAIN WAVES AND THE TRANSMIGRATION
AND POTENTIALITY OF MENTAL FORCES.
Professors and Students of the University of Girtham, my Lords, Ladies,
and Gentlemen,--I have the honour to bring before you this evening some
original conceptions and discoveries which have been formulated by me
during my researches in the boundless field of mathematical knowledge;
and though you may be inclined at first to pronounce them as somewhat
hastily conceived hypotheses, I hope to be able to demonstrate the
actual truth of the propositions which I shall now endeavour to
enunciate. It is with some feelings of diffidence that I stand before so
august an assembly as the present; and if I were not actually convinced
of the accuracy of my calculations, I should never have presumed to
appear before you in the character of a lecturer. But '_Magna est
veritas, et praevalebit_.' I cast aside maiden timidity; I clothe myself
in the professorial robe which you have bestowed upon me, and sacrifice
my own feelings on the altar of Truth.
I have been engaged, as you are doubtless aware, for some years in the
pursuit of mathematical research, exploring the mines of science, which
have of late been worked very persistently, but often, like the black
diamond mines, at a loss. Concurrently with these researches, I have
speculated on the great social problems which perplex the minds of men,
both individually and collectively. And I have come to the conclusion
that the same laws hold good in both spheres of work; that methods of
mathematical procedure are applicable to the grand social problems of
the day and to the regulation of the mutual relations which exist
between man and man. Take, for example, the Force of public opinion. Of
what is it composed? It is the Resultant of all the forces which act
upon that which is generally designated the 'Social System.' Public
opinion is a compromise between the many elements which make up human
society; and compromise is a purely mechanical affair, based on the
principle of the Parallelogram of Forces. Sometimes disturbing forces
exert their influence upon the action of Public Opinion, causing the
system to swerve from its original course, and precipitating society
into a course of conduct inconsistent with its former behaviour; and it
is the duty of the Governing Body to eliminate as far as possible such
disturbing forces, in order that society may pursue the even tenor of
its way.
Professors, we have one great problem to solve; and all questions
social, political, scientific, or otherwise, are only fragments of that
great problem. All truths are but different aspects of different
applications of one and the same truth; and although they may appear
opposed, they are not really so; and resemble lines which run in
various directions, but lovingly meet in one centre.
Now, let us take for our consideration the secret influence which men
exert upon each other, apart from that produced by the power of speech
(although that would come under the same general law). As
mathematicians, you are aware that the undulatory theory of light and
heat and sound are now accepted by scientific men as the only sure basis
of accurate calculation. We know that the rays of light travel in waves,
and the equation representing the waves is
a 2[pi]
y = --- sin ------ (vt - r),
r [lambda]
where _y_ is the disturbance of the ether, _a_ the initial amplitude,
_r_ the distance from the starting-point, [lambda] the wave-length, and
_v_ the velocity of light. Sound and heat likewise have much the same
form of equation. Now, I maintain that the waves of thought are governed
by the same laws, and can be determined by an equation of the same form.
You are aware that in all these equations a certain quantity denoted by
[lambda] appears, and varies for the different media through which the
sound, or light, or heat passes, and which must be determined by
experiment Now, in my equation for brain waves, the same quantity
[lambda] appears which must be determined by the same method--by
_experiment_. But how is this to be done? After mature deliberation and
much careful thought, I have discovered the method for finding [lambda].
This method is _mesmerism_. We find the ratio of brain to brain--the
relative strength which one bears to another; and then by an application
of our formula we can actually determine the wave of thought, and read
the minds of our fellow-creatures. An unbounded field for reflection and
speculation is here suggested. Like all great discoveries, the elements
of the problem have unconsciously been utilized by many who are unable
to account for their method of procedure. For example, thought-readers,
mesmerists, and the like, have unconsciously been working on this
principle, although lack of mathematical training has prevented them
from fully mastering the details of the problem. Hence in popular minds
a kind of mystery has hung about the actions of such people, and excited
the curiosity of mankind.
The development of this theory of brain waves may be of great practical
utility to the world. It shows that great care ought to be exercised in
the domain of thought, as well as that of speech. For example: A man has
made a startling discovery, from which he expects to receive
considerable worldly advantage. He would be careful not to disclose his
discovery in speech to his acquaintances until his plans are
sufficiently matured, lest they should impart it to the world, patent
his device, and reap the reward. But while he is endeavouring to talk
carelessly about it, the wave of thought may be travelling from brain to
brain, suggesting the existence of the discovery; and if the conditions
are favourable, and [lambda] sufficiently small, it is possible that the
idea itself may be conveyed. Of course the more complicated the
discovery, the less likely would the wave convey the conception. Or
suppose that one of the learned professorial body of our sister
university should conceive an attachment for a lady-student of Girtham
College (of course a very improbable supposition!), and the infatuated
_savant_ became somewhat jealous of another learned lecturer of the same
college (another improbability!), the fact of his jealousy would be
imparted to the latter by a wave of thought, and might cause
considerable confusion in the serene course of love or science. The fact
of the existence of the wave is indisputable. What do all the stories of
impressions and double-sight teach us? How could the intelligence of the
death of Professor Steele have been conveyed to his friend and
fellow-student, Professor Tait--the one at Cambridge, the other at
Edinburgh--were it not for the existence of some wave, which, like that
of electricity, wings its rapid flight unobserved by human eyes? Are all
the records of the Psychical Society only myths and legends bred of
superstitious fancy? It were hard to suppose so.
But if, gentlemen, and ladies especially, you wish to keep your secret
discoveries to yourselves, watch over your thoughts as well as your
words; for my researches prove, and the universal experience of mankind
corroborates the fact, that some portion of your inmost thoughts and
secret desires are understood by your neighbours (especially when
[lambda] is small!); that they travel along the waves which I have
attempted to indicate; and if you would desire to extend your influence
in the world, probe the secret instincts of mankind, and prevent
yourself from being deceived and wronged--study the art and science of
Brain Waves.
* * * * *
The following verses of rather doubtful merit were found in connection
with the previous MS. They were evidently written by a different hand;
but inasmuch as they were deemed worthy of preservation by the learned
owner of the sealed desk, we venture to publish them. They are closely
connected with the previous lecture, and were evidently composed by an
admirer of the fair lecturer who did not share her love for scientific
research.
Wavelet,[1] wing thy airy flight;
Let thine amplitude be great;
Tell her all my thoughts to-night,
How I long to know my fate.
All the fields of Mathematics
I have roamed at her decree;
From Binomial and Quadratics,
To the strange hyperbole.[2]
I have soared through Differential,
Deeply drunk of Finite Boole;[3]
Though its breath is pestilential,
Reeking of the hateful School.
I have tried to shape a Conic,
Vainly read the Calculus;
But my feebleness is chronic,
_Morbus Mathematicus_.
All my curves are cardioidal;
I confuse my _x_ and _y_s,
Which they say is suicidal;
And my tutor vainly sighs.
Wavelet, tell her how I love her,
As she mounts her learned throne;
And that love I hope may cover
All the failings which I own.
Wavelet, cry to her for pity;
Bid her end this bitter woe;
I might do something 'in the city,'
But never pass my Little-go.
[1] We presume this is addressed to an imaginary brain wave.
[2] We observe here the dash of an indignant pen, and a substituted
for e. But now the rhyme is spoiled. Gentle Muse, thou art
sacrificed by the stern hand of Mathematical Truth!
[3] Query: Does the writer refer to the learned treatise on Finite
Differences by Professor Boole?