Lola : $b or, The thought and speech of animalsKindermann, Henny
Science
Lola : $b or, The thought and speech of animals
Kindermann, Henny
Animal intelligence; Dogs -- Folklore
For the rest I repeat that "telepathy" also may co-exist along with
"mediumistic" action. In a general way, telepathy would seem to assume
in the animal a greater amount of "human" psychic affinity, whilst in
mediumistic action I look upon the animal as reacting to the
intervention of the other mind in a much more "automatic" way: almost
like a "speaking table," but a table provided with live feet rather
than inert legs, and above all provided with a nervous system forming
part of it, so that very little action on the part of the medium is
required, but the subliminal action of the investigator is enough by
itself to work it. (Of course, this does not exclude altogether action
by others or by the horse itself).
Krall admits the possibility of telepathy (but in a very limited
measure): and then, if I remember right, he was looking finally for
an explanation which to-day I should perhaps call of the
mediumistic type, if I had been better acquainted with it; but in
fact I had of him, in his lifetime, only some vague hint on the
point.
As to Miss Kindermann, she recognises the possibility of
transmission of thought in certain cases (e.g. when Lola is tired
or is unwilling to "work" any more). According to her it would be a
question of a line of least resistance, along which the "work" of
the animal becomes more easy. Hence arises the necessity, as she
maintains, for the investigator to be very careful of the danger of
falsified results and to _abstain with this object from any
intentional thought_. But these are the very conditions which
"mediums" impose on investigators, and if these conditions are not
observed, mediumistic seances seem only to be successful with
difficulty. Therefore, in trying to resist the danger of telepathic
falsification, and without indeed being aware of the resulting
consequences, Lola's mistress may have contributed to create the
very conditions most favourable to the development of mediumistic
action.
V. THE HYPOTHESIS OF CONCOMITANT PSYCHICAL AUTOMATISM
In various parts of her book Miss Kindermann emphasizes the fact that
after having given for some days "communications" of a certain kind, a
sort of tiredness or annoyance, that gets hold of Lola, completely
prevents the repetition of similar communications; but that repetition
can take place if some weeks of rest are allowed in the subject which
has provoked the tiredness.
In another place she mentions that, with the progress of Lola's
"education," the dog's attitude towards herself, and other persons
generally, became harder and more difficult, almost hostile (a fact
which I find confirmed by certain answers of Lola's referred to
elsewhere); just as if the canine consciousness as it gained
illumination began to understand the many wrongs done to it by man,
which formerly it knew nothing about.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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