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Inward Sight

Inward Sight image
Parent Issue
Day
14
Month
November
Year
1846
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

We must not conclude our notice of this most interesting of autobiographics without afibrding an account of a remarkable faculty Zschokke possesses, and which he calis "inward sight." u I am," he remarks, " almost afraid to speak of this, not because I am afraid to be thought superstitipus, but that I may thereby strengthen such fcelings in others. And yetitmay be an addition to our stock of soul experiences, and therefore I will confess ! - It has happened to me sometimes on my first meeting with strangers, as I listened silently to their discourse, that their former lifo, with many tri ding circumstances therewith connected, or frequently some particular scène in that life, has passed involuntarily, and as it wcre dream like, yet perfectly distinct, before me. - During this time I usually feit so cntirely absorbed in the contemplation of the strangers life, that at last I nolonger see clearly the face of the unknown, vvherein I undesignedly read, nor distinctly hear the voices of the speakers, which beforo served in some measures asa commentary to Ihe tcxt of their features. For a long time I held such visions as dclusions of the fancy, and the more so as they showed even the dress and motions of the actors, rooms, furnitures, and other accessories. By way of jesi, I once, in a familiar family circle at Kirchberg, related the secret history of asempstress who liad just left the room and the house. I had never seen her before in my life; people were astonished, and laughed, but were not to be porsuadedthat Í did not previously know the relations ofwhich I spoke ; fbr what I had uttered was the literal truth ; I on my part, was no less astonished that my dream-pictures were confirmed by the realily. I became more attentive to the subject, and, when propriety admitted it, I would relate to those whose life thus passed before me the subject of my vision, that I might thereby obtain confirmalion or refutation of it. It was invariably ratified, not without consternation ontheir part. I myselfhad less confidencethan anyone in this mental juggley. So often as I revealed my visionary gifts to any new person, I regularly ex)ected to hear the answer - "It was not o ." I feit a secret shudder when my auditors replied that it wastrue, or when lieir astonishmeut betrayed my acouracy before they spoke. Instead of many, I vill mention one example, which preminently astounded me. One fair day, n the city of Waldshut, 1 entered an inn, the Vine,) in company with two young tudent foresters ; we were tired with ambling through the woods. We sup)ed with a numerous society at the tabled'hotc, where the guests were making ery merry with the peculiarities and ccentricities of the Swiss, with Mesmer's magnetism,Lavaler's physiognomy,xc. &c. Une oí my companions, whose national pride was wounded by their mockery, begged me to make some reply mrticularly to a handsome young man, who sat opposite us, and wlio had allowed ïimself extraordinary license. This man's former life was at that moment presented o my mind. I turned to him, and asked vhether he would answer me candidly, f I related to him some of the most secret passages of his life, 1 knowing as ittle of him per.sopally as he did of me ? That would be a going a little further, 1 hought, than Lavater did with his physiognomy. He promised, if 1 were correct in my information, to admit it frankly. I then related what my visión had shown me, and the whole company were made acquainted with the private historyofthe young merchant : his school years, his youthful errors, and lastly, with a fault committed in reference to the strong box of his principal. I described to him the uninhabited room, with whitened walls, whcre, to the right of the brown door, on a table, stood a black money-box, &c. &c. A dead silence prevailed during the whole narration, which I alone occasionally interrupted, by inquiring whether I spoke ihe truth. The stai-tled young manfírmed every particular, and even, what I had scarcely expeeteil, the last mentioned. Touched by his candour, í shook hands wilK him over the table, and said no more. He asked my name, which I gave him, and we remained together talking till past midnight. He is probably still living !" Any explanation of this phenomenon, by means of the known laws of the human mind, would, in Ihe present confined state of our knowledge, assuredly fail. - We therefore simply give the extraordinary fact as we find it, in the words of the narrator, leaving the puzzle to be speculated on by our readers. Zschokke adds, that he had met with others who possessed a similar power. - Chambeas Journal. " What demon inspires you 7 Must I aijnin believe in possession 7' exclaimcdihe spiritual Johann von Riga, when in thc first hour of ouraequaintance. I related hia pa3t life to him. with ihe avovved object of learning whetheror no I deceived myaelf. We speculated long on the enigma, but even his penetiation could nol solve it."