author of "Kosmos, a Physical Description of the Universe," who also foretold the day and hour of his death. Swedenborg was another gifted in this direction. Charles Wesley also exhibited previsive power in a religious way.

Many accurate predictions in regard to the weather are made by those who possess this gift, and some have forebodings of something sad or calamitous about to happen, yet cannot state what it will be. Others, with a more previsive perspicacity, can detail accurately the course of coming events, which are justified by their occurrence.

As humanity emerges from its infantile condition it parts with many of its youthful traits and takes on a more mature endowment. The race, as a whole, has progressed rapidly since mediæval times; hence, all those traits and powers which were then dominant, such as credenciveness, faith, prescience, prophecy, foreknowing, foretelling, and prevision are not now as general as formerly. Science has given to the world such positive and demonstrable methods of arriving at results that the

Born in Massachusetts. Principal facial sign, Prescience, shown by vertical depth of the eye at its inner corner. The law of the straight line and curve governs this face. The brain, bone, and muscular systems in the order named are highly developed in this subject. The signs for Firmness, Conscientiousness, Benevolence, Patriotism, Love of Home, Self-esteem, and Modesty

former methods have by are all well defined. In the nose the signs for Mental

disuse become weakened and have gradually ceased to attract the attention and command the same consideration as formerly.

Imitation, Sublimity, Ideality, Constructiveness, Human Nature, Cautiousness, and Acquisitiveness are very pronounced; while Veneration, Executiveness, Selfwill, Observation, Form, Size, Language, Color, Locality, Order, Prescience, Memory of Events, Reason, and Intuition are large. Credenciveness, Alimentiveness, Bibativeness, Amativeness, and Love of Young are below the average. An expression of purity, serenity, benevolence, and of mental and moral power is stamped unmistakably upon the countenance of this philosophic poet, whose pen has been ever bravely used in the cause of the oppressed.

It is

Prescience, like Intuition and Instinct, has in some respects both an infantile and a matured nature. not always clear in its foreknowledge and not always sure, hence it is not unerring; yet in some instances its predictions and prophecies are scientifically correct. I have known those who could foretell the result of an election or a trial by jury with considerable accuracy, also the result of a battle or campaign. Their predictions were looked upon with more or less respect, and if they

coincided with the results of the event predicted they were looked upon as "shrewd guessers." Relying too much upon these methods of anticipating events leads to fraud, trickery, and delusion, for, unless one knows the physiognomical signs for this power he may be misled and humbugged by those frauds and charlatans termed "fortune-tellers," "clairvoyants," etc., who infest all large cities and thrive off the too-credulous portion of the public. The application of the laws of scientific physiognomy in their case shows that science is for the purpose of prevision or foreknowing, for, by applying its principles to the physiognomy of rogues one may, with certainty, predict that they are going to cheat and deceive,—an instance of previsive power not excelled by any exhibition of the faculty of Prescience.

August Comte, in his "Philosophie Positive," observes that science is previsive, and that by a knowledge of various sciences we can foreknow, foresee, and avert dangers, death, and calamities. This is a strong assertion, yet a true one. We now have the facilities in most large cities, and at other points, for foreknowing the approach of a storm, sometimes two or three days in advance of its appearance; also from which direction it will come, and thus mariners and others may take advantage of these prognostications and avert disaster and losses.

Our present knowledge of sanitary science teaches us how to avert epidemics by well-devised systems of cleansing great cities by drainage and the use of disinfectants. All these methods are previsive. By a scientific knowledge of a man's face one can say with certainty (if in that face he observes the signs for Friendship large), "This man will always have friends,”—a previsive knowledge of character to be known only by the laws of Scientific Physiognomy. It is a settled law of human nature that we receive in kind that which we give. If one continually extends friendly offices, hospitality, kindness, love, and amiability, he will, in the long run, receive the same treatment; but if, on the contrary, he deals out hatred, malice, deceit, slyness, and treachery, he will find those who will mete out to him a good share of the same, and some even who will be ambitious of excelling him in this direction.

As science advances in its upward progress, and discovers laws and principles in regard to mind and matter heretofore unknown, we enlarge our ideas of the possibilities of mental powers, and thus many things which have appeared "supernatural," the "works of the devil," or operations of the "black art," are now referred to as mental or psychological phenomena; and, although our knowledge of the occult powers of the mind is in its infancy, yet we are

gradually arriving at a more comprehensive and liberal view of what is obscure, mysterious, or unusual in connection with the mental powers of man. The liberal and scientific spirit of the age encourages the examination and discussion of all subjects, unhindered by persecution and legal penalties, hence it is probable that great light in the direction of psychology will be attained in this century. Such knowledge can come only by thorough investigation and research, not by ignoring phenomena, nor by ascribing them to the "devil" or other suppositious characters and powers; and, if we cannot immediately solve every riddle and unfold every mystery, we can at least be candid, and suspend judgment until the facts and evidence are all in and the related laws discovered and connected. No one can say a thing is impossible until he can prove that it is so. Arago, the eminent mathematician, conscious of many mysterious appearances in Nature, exclaimed: "He who outside of pure mathematics pronounces the word impossible lacks prudence," and I may add that he would also lack conscientiousness, for to deny what one cannot disprove is evidence of a total lack of both truth and logic. While not ignoring singular appearances, nor ascribing all mysteries to fraud or delusion, one should beware of accepting as truths the many singular phenomena put forth as such by ignorant, vicious, or deluded persons. "Try all things; hold fast that which is good," is an excellent maxim.

Prescience, like all other mental faculties, is a fallible trait, and cannot be trusted implicitly in every one; yet when one's predictions, prophecies, or forewarnings have proven true in the majority of cases much stress may be laid upon them, and credence given to their prognostications. There are many and varied ways in which the prescient faculty manifests itself. In some it appears in warning dreams, yet not all the dreams of such are to be relied upon; in others, foreknowledge and predictions of the approach of death are often found to be correct. Some are forewarned of approaching death or disasters to themselves or friends by apparitions, while others, still, see in a trance or in a cataleptic state events that are occurring, or foresee that which will occur in distant places, and the results often confirm their visions.

The evidence bearing upon the existence of so-called occult powers in large numbers of persons of all ages, sexes, and conditions is incontrovertible, and I shall not deny the existence of such mental powers simply because I cannot state their laws nor clearly analyze their origin and operation. I leave this for time and more fortuitous circumstances to reveal. The history of all nations, ancient and modern, are replete with accounts of the prophecies,

sibylline utterances, trance-visions, and forewarnings of seers, prophets, poets, clairvoyants, spirit-mediums, etc., and these phenomena form so great a part of modern knowledge that he would be a hard-headed skeptic who would doubt the reality of powers which are as mysterious as they are abundant. A vast literature has been elaborated in these days upon the occult powers of the mind, and societies for the purpose of psychical research are to be found in all civilized lands. It is to be hoped that these associations in connection with scientific instrumentalities will be enabled to throw some intelligence upon this somewhat obscure subject, and that some well-understood laws in relation to this entire class of phenomena will be elaborated.

The possession of the prescient faculty gives to its possessor a love and desire for a future life, and thus robs death of its terrors. I have a dear friend who exhibits this trait in a wonderful manner. She is unusually cognizant of any great suffering, mental trouble, or sickness and death in any member of her family at a distance. Sometimes this knowledge comes in dreams; sometimes she "feels it," as she says, when awake. This lady on one occasion was very ill, and given up to die. She derived great happiness from the prospect, and prepared for her laying out and her funeral services. She selected the dresses of every member of the family, the position of her coffin in the parlor, and named the hymns to be sung at her funeral. All this gave her as much satisfaction as some would derive from the preparations for a wedding. She spoke with impatience and longing for the meeting with friends and relatives who had gone before, and said to me that she was just going into another state, and felt as contented about it as if she were preparing to travel to a distant part of the land to visit her relatives there. Every article for her entombment was submitted to her, and chosen with taste, and made up and laid aside for her expected demise; but she recovered, and still keeps all these articles in order that the same preparations will not have to be again made. This aged lady possessed a most beautiful character, and one might well believe that such a character would not be afraid of any fate in the future which destiny might have in store for her. This lady was not a professing Christian, hence her longing for the future life did not come from a belief in those doctrines, but was the offspring of the action of the faculty of Prescience, which was manifested all through her life in many ways, although in her own case they were not accurate.

The manifestations of Prescience are different in each individual; not only does it differ in its mode of manifestation, but also in the degree of power which it exhibits, just as with every

other trait. Some have scarcely a germ of prescient power, and such characters are not able to comprehend it in others. I was for many years a disbeliever in the reality of its existence, believing that honest people who professed a belief in it were dreadfully deluded; but years of research, aided by discoveries in Physiognomy, revealed its presence in the human mind, and by comparison of those who were gifted in this respect I was able to locate and describe its most salient features and signs in the face.

The most common manifestation of this trait is in the form of presentiments; in some instances they are faint and obscure, in others clear, distinct, and profound. Some persons are continually forewarned by presentiments, and by acting upon information thus obtained trouble and danger are averted. There are many persons who have never had a presentiment of coming events, nor been warned in dreams, nor seen visions nor spirits, nor ever experienced any form of so-called supernatural phenomena. Such characters are usually very practical persons, hence assistance of this sort is not necessary to their well-being.

Where the gift of Prescience is excessively exhibited, it will be found upon analysis to be the compensation for the absence of some other trait or traits, as, for example, deficient practicality or keen powers of observation; or it may be the lack of the elements of self-defense, and previsive knowledge steps in and protects its possessors from threatened dangers; it may compensate for too great delicacy of body.

The faculty of Prescience is exhibited in various animal races in as many modes as in the human family. Their foreknowledge of approaching storms and weather-changes has always been observed. It is suggested that they have some peculiarity of the senses which is so acute as to give them notice of slight variations in the temperature, too slight for man's observation. In regard to this peculiarity, Dr. Lindsay tells us―

Many animals are so susceptible to atmospheric influences that they are sometimes supposed to be gifted with a sort of Prescience of coming weather-changes, such as rain, wind, cold, heat, or thunder. They are popularly regarded as a kind of weather-prophets, forecasters, or prognosticators, superior in some cases, it is averred, to the barometer itself. Among sensitive animals of this kind are to be mentioned the common crow, the robin of England and Canada, and the blackbird of England; the porcupine, South American cattle, dolphins, and spiders; the swallow, duck, sea-mew, heron, common fowl, and other birds; the cat, tortoise, dog, swine, and monkeys. The prairie-dog, Gilmore assures us, is superior to a barometer.*

Again, he speaks of another sort of Prescience exhibited by animals. He observes:

* Mind in the Lower Animals, J. L. Lindsay, M.D., p. 307.