With
us in England it is often spoken of as if it were the exclusive appanage
of the Celtic race, but in reality it has appeared among similarly
situated peoples the world over, it is stated, for example, to be very
common among the Westphalian peasantry.
"Sometimes the second-sight consists of a picture clearly foreshowing some
coming event; more frequently, perhaps, the glimpse of the future is given
in some symbolical appearance. It is noteworthy that the events foreseen
are invariably unpleasant ones--death being the commonest of all; I do not
recollect a single instance in which the second-sight has shown anything
which was not of the most gloomy nature. It has a ghastly symbolism of
its own--a symbolism of shrouds and corpse-candles, and other funeral
horrors. In some cases it appears to be to a certain extent dependent upon
locality, for it is stated that inhabitants of the Isle of Skye who
possess the faculty often lose it when they leave the island, even though
it be only to cross to the mainland. The gift of such sight is sometimes
hereditary in a family for generations, but this is not an invariable
rule, for it often appears sporadically in one member of a family
otherwise free from its lugubrious influence.
"There may be still some people who deny the possibility of prevision, but
such denial simply shows their ignorance of the evidence on the subject.
Pages:
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227