The scene was one of the most vulgar and debasing that can be described
or imagined; and it was curious to watch the expressions on the faces of
my companions. They wore the air of trained doctors or nurses, watching
some disagreeable symptoms, with a sort of trained and serene
compassion, neither shocked nor grieved. Then the situation was
discussed and analysed, and various suggestions were made which were
dealt with by the lecturer, in a way which showed me that there was much
for us to master and to understand.
There were many other such illustrations given. They were, I discovered,
by no means imaginary cases, projected into our minds by a kind of
mental suggestion, but actual things happening upon earth. We saw many
strange scenes of tragedy, we had a glimpse of lunatic asylums and
hospitals, of murder even, and of evil passions of anger and lust. We
saw scenes of grief and terror; and, stranger still, we saw many things
that were being enacted not on the earth, but upon other planets, where
the forms and appearances of the creatures concerned were fantastic and
strange enough, but where the motive and the emotion were all perfectly
clear.
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