Similar impressions are left by other points in the story of Lola.
I read on page 64: "If, for instance, I write one under the other
three or four numbers of two figures each, very quickly, and
without adding them myself, and then hold up the sheet in front of
the dog, I see that her eyes only glance at the sheet for 1-2
seconds; after which the dog bends its head to add but looks away,
and then taps the reply." This behaviour is the same as that of
Krall's pony Hanschen, when Dr. Assagioli and I made experiments
with it.
The same can be said of various other performances of an intuitive
kind, on the part of Lola, to which the authoress refers: e.g.
knowledge in four seconds of a given number of points (up to 35),
marked without any regularity whatever on a piece of paper.
(Similar experiments were made at Elberfeld and Mannheim.) Other
performances of an intuitive kind concern various measures of time,
temperature, musical intervals, etc., and they reach their highest
point in the _premonitions_ as to the course of the weather and the
birth of the puppies. Professor Ziegler finds the explanation of
this last performance in the prenatal movements of the foetus
within the maternal body. This seems to me doubtful; besides, it
must be remembered that this prevision of Lola's was a double one,
as it concerned both the number and the sex of the puppies
(autoscopia?). The fact that the sex of the puppies was foretold
_almost_ correctly does not eliminate all doubt. And the authoress
gives sufficient details on the experiment to make us regard it as
genuine, until we have proof to the contrary.
Many other manifestations of Lola's betray very clearly a subliminal
relationship between herself and her mistress (or perhaps between
herself and other persons), and so I do not see that there is any
reason for us to doubt that Miss Kindermann was really surprised at the
replies which she obtained.
I could cite at length: I am content, however, to remind the reader
of the many replies of the dog which reveal quite clearly the
feeling of the authoress towards the dog itself, as e.g., "I know
you, alas, so little"; or again, "Show constancy in your love for
me," etc.; then, again, the words never pronounced before in
presence of the dog (this makes me think of the famous "Urseele" of
Rolf); the things
|