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DIVINATION & AUGURÝ IN A MODERN LIGHT 187
To them, the possibility of deciding on a course of action by any means of augury or divination is either a delusion of superstitious barbarians or a fraud of mercenary imposters-an impossibility transcending the limits they give Nature as Materialists. But some of this school are less narrow in view and hold an Agnostic position on the subject-admitting vaguelyas they would also of miracles, the possibility of divination, but maintaining that it is a waste of time in trying to explain them : that our present work should only he to collect more facts and reserve our judgment.
A third division of this first-class may be mentioned
the Scribes and Pharisees imbued with dogmatic Church teachings. They are afraid for the sake of their Scriptures to deny the possibility of divination entirely, but admit that the Divine Being has occasionally warned or advised by some supernatural means, but that all other records in history or private experience are imposition and delusion,
Out of this original group there have arisen two other groups now being recognized by public opinion, the Psychical Researchers and the Mesmerists or Hypnotists. The first set in England to secede from the School of Carpenter and Mental Science, and to turn their eyes to the soul of man, were the Psychological Society founded by the late Serjeant Cox, whose views are set forth in his buok-"What am I?” The banner of this party was picked up by the Society for Psychical Research conducted at present by Mr. F. W. Myers, Professor and Mrs. Sidgwick and other
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