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Our Hidden Forces ("La Psychologie Inconnue") an Experimental Study of the Psychic Sciences

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Our Hidden Forces ( OUR HIDDEN FORCE S EMILE BOIRAC TRANSLATED BY W. deKERLOR mw 'mm iiilii'fU^!!? HiH;mMi*1i8'V^''»-'''ii Siii|l|;jill';*!: ill pi X K ^ / /h-j^r/tri;, / y m MEM©]R2AM Charles Josselyn, ED DC. PSYfiHr- ^HBRARY - ^^^^^^ /' sr\ u OUR HIDDEN FORCES 'z:^nt^^< rLcJrccu- SU y '^uJ^^^^^j:^ j^ /^, Our Hidden Forces ("LA PSYCHOLOGIE INCONNUE") AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE PSYCHIC SCIENCES BY EMILE BOIRAC RECTOR OF THE ACADEMY AT DIJON TRANSLATED AND EDITED WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY W. DE KERLOR ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY PUBLISHERS • • » < • * > « « « • • I • • .IBRARl EDUC. UBRARV eii Copyright, 1917, by Frederick A. Stokes Company All rights reserved TO THE MEMORY OF THE MUCH REGRETTED DR. DUMONTPALLIER MEMBER OF THE ACADEMY OF MEDICINE PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY OF HYPNOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED AS A TOKEN OF GRATEFULNESS AND RESPECT C'15803 TKA:tTSLATOIl'S NOTE While making a series of investigations into the psychological libraries attached to the psychological de- partments of various universities in the United States, I was able to realize how fully German mechanical efficiency has gained a footing on this side of the water. Out of an average of 500 books, one third of those I examined were written in German, one third were translated from the German, and the remaining third were from the pen of German-Americans or were writ- ten by Americans trained in the German schools of thought. Only a very small—infinitely small—propor- tion were French, English, or Italian works (translated or in the original). Why have not Erance, England, and Italy as sys- tematically introduced their philosophical and psycho- logical productions ? Why have not the Bergsons, the William Crookes, Gustave Le Bon, Pierre Janet, Eichet, Eibot, Payot, Grasset, Le Dantec, Bernard, Binet, Eouillee, Einot, Sir Oliver Lodge, Lombroso, Schia- parelli, Morselli, Varisco, Salvadori, etc., etc., found their way to the shelves of psychological laboratory libraries in the United States ? the Why is it that in spite of the friendly attitude of majority of American university professors toward Erance and Erench learning, German concepts and Ger- • • Vll ! viii TKANSLATOK'S XOTE man teachings have gained such a hold on the intel- lectual life of American youth? What of the finer, subtler, more refined, life- and happiness-giving French psycholog^^ ? Hardly anything of it is known in Amer- ica or taught to the students here in medicine, applied psychology, or art. It is, therefore, time that the more advanced strides taken by French psychologists be brought to the knowl- edge of the virile-thinking youth of America. Already there have been held in Paris, in the years 1910 and 1913, two International Congresses of Ex- perimental Psychology, over each of which presided M. £mile Boirac, the author of this remarkable book. Professor Boirac, Rector of the Academy of Dijon, had already, years before the appearance of this volume, achieved fame and fortune as a professor of philosophy and psychology. And when the Academie des Sciences of Paris decided to award him the prize endovnnent ^Tanny Emden" it was but the crowning of a career spent in devotion to the quest of more knowledge regard- ing the problems of Life and Death, and the Hidden Forces in Man. These problems, of mighty import at all times, are particularly so now. ''What has become of the soids of the millions of men hilled on the battlefields of Europe since lOlJff said Professor Morselli, of the University of Genoa, Italy, when I was on a visit to him in March, 1915. This problem should be solved now Psychical research as contrasted with psycho-physio- logical experimentation has languished in America not- TRANSLATOR'S NOTE ix witlistandiug the efforts of William James, Royce, and keep pace Hyslop to give it a hearing, in an endeavor to with the researchers of England, France, and Italy in scientific their laudable attempt to give humankind a basis for religion and spiritual life. enables us to For it is undeniable that as psychology mind, solve the problems concerning the mechanism of discovery of so psychical research will lead us to the the functions of the soul in its relation to mind and matter. When Science shall have solved these vital questions the she will then turn to transcendental metaphysics for purpose of giving mankind a solution to the problems concerning the knowledge of God—God in all His mani- festations: spiritual, psychic, mental, and physical, in and without man. To-day the science concerning the knowledge of man Hitherto is in its infancy only. It has just been born. ancient it has been kept relegated to medieval and authors or to the non-scientific. But to-day scientists the world over are slowly waking to its importance in youth human affairs. They recognize that society, and and industry, demand a different treatment from that that this treat- which they have received hitherto ; and ment must depend upon the soul-understanding of the individual unit: Man. At the very source of America's life and efficiency pertain- lie her psychological laboratories and libraries ing to the study of man's mind and soul. These li- Ger- braries are filled with books of German origin or bent man influence. Yet German thought has been X TEANSLATOR'S NOTE solely upon problems of mechanical and material ef- ficiency, while France has devoted herself to the study of soul-understanding. When the Academie des Sciences decided to award two thousand francs as encouragement to Professor fimile Boirac it did so in the full consciousness of what that meant to the outside world and in particular to the general public. It gave psychical research its passport to travel freely on the road to Scientific Progress. The moral shock I received when first landing on these shores—a shock caused by the attitude of a scoff- ing press, the indifferent attitude of prejudiced college professors, and the hysterical, non-scientific attitude of a public always preyed upon by charlatans and hum- bugs—led me to the translation of this important work, La Psychologic Inconnue, For having made the translation possible, T tender my sincerest thanks to the publishers for the kind and sympathetic hearing they gave me in August, 1916. From the many signs of interest which I already have seen in the American public, during various public activities in the presentation of this new method of experimental psychology, I do not hesitate a moment to predict for Our Hidden Forces a most hearty and welcome reception. In anticipation of this, I extend my heartfelt thanks to the American public, the press, and the academical bodies; for I know that only through their cooperation and through perfect harmony can success be achieved and the progress of human knowledge be advanced. TEANSLATOR'S NOTE xi In the process of translation I have thought it ad- visable to condense certain portions of the work which contain repetitions due to the exact reproduction in the French version of material that had been independently published in several French periodicals. This translation is offered in the hope that we may see in America a new impetus to the scientific study and solution of such important problems as those offered by the presence of Hidden Forces in man, around man, above and helow man. W. DE KeELOE. 681 Fifth Avenue, New York City, April, 1917. : PEEFACE TO THE SECOND EDITIO:^' The report presented to the Academie des Sciences de Paris by the Commission Board of the prize endowment ''Fanny Emden" is given here in full. This biennial prize of three thousand francs was founded by Mademoi- selle Juliette de Reinaeh in memory of her mother, nee Fanny Emden, its object being to reward ''the best work on suggestion, hypnotism, and physiological actions likely to be exerted from a distance upon the human organism in general." The Commission Board, composed of MM. Bouchard, Guyon, Perrier, d'Arsonval, Lannelongue, Laveran, Dastre, and Delage acting as secretary, reported as follows "From among the numerous contributions presented to the examining commission board for competition, two only were selected as meeting the requirements and therefore elected to receive the reward. "The commission allots the sum of two thousand francs to M. Emile Boirac and one thousand francs, as consolation prize, ''a litre d' encouragement," to M. Ochorowicz. "In his work, La Suggestion Mentale,^ M. Ochorowicz * La Suggestion mentale, Dr. Ochorowicz : Paris, 1887. • « • xiv PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION explains that after having absolutely denied this form of suggestion, on account of the insufficiency of the argu- ments and of the experiments conducted to demonstrate its existence, he finally reached the stage, following a series of personal observations and experiments of a most demonstrative order, when disbelief was no longer possible. ^' These numerous experiments are often replete with interest ; but it has not appeared to us that the control was of a sufiiciently rigorous order thoroughly to con- vince, in spite of the evident sincerity and worthy ef- forts of the author to eliminate all sources of error. However, although his theories are not free from con- fusion and other defects, his work remains une oeuvre magistrale, a masterpiece, which coming generations en- gaged on similar lines of study will do well to consult. *'M. fimile Boirac,in his La Psychologie inconnue, has made a laudable attempt, in the greater part crowned with success, to classify systematically and in their re- spective order the phenomena of the unknown in psychology, which he divides into hypnoidal, magne- toidal and spiritoidal phenomena. Unfortunately, in that part of his work are to be felt the habits of thought of the professional philosopher, who is inclined to solve these problems by purely logical arguments rather than by experimental control.
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