Modern science, after having ineffectually denied _animal magnetism_, has found herself forced to accept it as a fact. It is now a recognized property of human and animal organization; as to its psychological, occult influence, the Academies battle with it, in our century, more ferociously than ever. It is the more to be regretted and even wondered at, as the representatives of “exact science” are unable to either explain or even offer us anything like a reasonable hypothesis for the undeniable mysterious potency contained in a simple magnet. We begin to have daily proofs that these potencies underlie the theurgic mysteries, and therefore might perhaps explain the occult faculties possessed by ancient and modern thaumaturgists as well as a good many of their most astounding achievements. Such were the gifts transmitted by Jesus to {131} some of his disciples. At the moment of his miraculous cures, the Nazarene felt a _power_ issuing from him. Socrates, in his dialogue with Theages,[237] telling him of his familiar god (demon), and his power of either imparting his (Socrates’) wisdom to his disciples or preventing it from benefiting those he associates with, brings the following instance in corroboration of his words: “I will tell you, Socrates,” says Aristides, “a thing incredible, indeed, by the gods, but true. I made a proficiency when I associated with you, even if I was only in the same house, though not in the same room; but more so, when I _was in the same room_ ... and much more when I _looked at you_.... But I made by far the greatest proficiency when I sat near you and _touched you_.”