LESSON XIII.

Second-sight, prevision, etc.

Notwithstanding the difficulties in the way of an intelligent explanation of the phenomena of future-time clairvoyance, second-sight, prevision, etc., of which I have spoken in the preceding lesson, the human race has always had a lively reminder of the existence of such phenomena; and the records of the race have always contained many instances of the manifestation thereof.  Among all peoples, in all lands, in all times, there have been noted remarkable instances of the power of certain persons to peer into, and correctly report from, the mysterious regions of the future.  Passing from the traditional reports of the race, and the minor instances known to almost every person, we find that the scientific investigators of psychic phenomena have gathered together an enormous array of well authenticated cases of this class.  The reports of the Society for Psychical research contain hundreds of such cases, which the student may read and study with interest and profit.

It is not my intention to present a full history of the reports of this character.  Rather, I shall call your attention to a few striking cases, in order to illustrate the phenomenon clearly and forcibly.  There is such a wealth of material of this kind that it embarrases one who wishes to select from it.  However, I shall do the best I can in that direction.  Following, to commence with, I give you extracts from a well known case reported by a prominent member of the Theosophical Society, which has attracted much attention.  It was related to this person by one of the actors in the scene.  It happened in India.  A party of English army officers was entering a dense jungle.  Then follows the story, as below: 

“We plunged into the jungle, and had walked on for about an hour without much success, when Cameron, who happened to be next to me, stopped suddenly, turned pale as death, and, pointing straight before him, cried in accents of horror:  ‘See! see! merciful heavens, look there!’ ’Where? what? what is it?’ we all shouted confusedly, as we rushed up to him, and looked around in expectation of encountering a tiger—­a cobra—­we hardly knew what, but assuredly something terrible, since it had been sufficient to cause such evident emotion in our usually self-contained comrade.  But neither tiger nor cobra was visible—­nothing but Cameron pointing with ghastly haggard face and starting eyeballs at something we could not see.

“‘Cameron!  Cameron!’ cried I, seizing his arm, ’for heavens sake speak!  What is the matter?’ Scarcely were the words out of my mouth when a low but very peculiar sound struck upon my ear, and Cameron, dropping his pointing hand, said in a hoarse, strained voice, ’There! you heard it?  Thank God it’s over!’ and fell to the ground insensible.  There was a momentary confusion while we unfastened his collar,