My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

124 MY LIFElater gave me the long-sought clue to the effectiveagent in the evolution of organic species.It was at Leicester that I was first introduced toa subject which I had at that time never heard of, butwhich has played an important part in my mentalgrowth — psychical research, as it is now termed.Some time in 1844 Mr. Spencer Hall gave somelectures on mesmerism illustrated by experiments,which I, as well as a few of the older boys, attended.I was greatly interested and astonished at the phenomenaexhibited, in some cases with persons whovolunteered from the audience ; and I was also impressedby the manner of the lecturer, which was notat all that of the showman or the conjurer. At theconclusion of the course he assured us that mostpersons possessed in some degree the power of mesmerisingothers, and that by trying with a few of ouryounger friends or acquaintances, and simply doingwhat we had seen him do, we should probably succeed.He also showed us how to distinguish betweenthe genuine mesmeric trance, and any attempt toimitate it.In consequence of this statement, one or two of theelder boys tried to mesmerise some of the youngerones, and in a short time succeeded ;and they askedme to see their experiments. I found that they couldproduce the trance state, which had all the appearanceof being genuine, and also a cataleptic rigidity of thelimbs by passes and by suggestion, both in the tranceand afterwards in the normal waking state. This ledme to try myself in the privacy of my own room, andIsucceeded after one or two attempts in mesmerisingthree boys from twelve to sixteen years of age, whileon others within the same ages I could produce no