1 ▼ 1 ET TOI/Y" Can You Talk to the Dead? I £ • OHAN LILJENCRANTSA.M.S1D. flass 3 P 1 X & I Book '1)5 1 Copyright N?.. C.OMBIGHT DEPOSrr. SPIRITISM AND RELIGION SPIRITISM and RELIGION "Can You Talk to the Dead?" INCLUDING A STUDY OF THE MOST REMARKABLE CASES OF SPIRIT CONTROL BY BARON JOHAN LILJENCRANTS, A. M., S. T.D. With Foreword by Maurice Francis Egan, LL.D. Late United States Minister to Denmark NEW YORK THE DEVIN-ADAIR CO. ^ if- NIHIL OBSTAT Arthur J. Scanlan, S. T. D. Censor Librorum IMPRIMATUR * John Cardinal Farley Archbishop of New York Copyright, 1918, by The Devin-Adair Co. All rights reserved by The Devin-Adair Co. JAN -2 1919 ©CLA508831 .-wo } EMINENT APPRECIATIONS For five long years of war we have been living daily in the shadow of the hand of God. There has been no one of us untouched. The purge of suffering has been withheld from no man or woman. Alike we have had to bear the common burden and inspire ourselves to the thought of loss as well as gain. No matter what our religion, our minds have been confronted daily with the awful yet wonderful and thrilling presence of the Hereafter. No one can escape the thought of it, the fact of it; nor can any one escape the relentless questioning that it forces upon every mind capable of even momentary thought. The only serene questioning has been, and can be, that of the man whose faith is sure, whose grasp of Reve- lation is firm and steady. There is no barrier between him and his God, no wall of mystery or uncertainty about his dear and noble dead, that he has neither eyes to pierce nor power to climb. Neither is there in his heart a hunger after impossible, unobtainable knowledge of the realm beyond our bourne of time and place. He has already beheld it with the eyes and heard its story with the ears of Revelation, and knows that it is fair. The only longing he can have is longing for it and for the company of the great, courageous souls who have fought the fight for liberty and justice and are now resting from the battle. Of them and of their destiny he has no questioning. He waits only the hour of his own summons, and until that golden moment goes on his way in peace. This book on Spiritism is scholarly; it is scientific; it is sound in its thinking. I consider it a real advance in the literature of Spiritism. (Signed) J. Card. Gibbons. Spiritism and Religion is beyond doubt the best booh' on that subject in the English language. In its- clear and comprehensive account of the phenomena and practices of Spiritism, its concise presentation of the opinions of authorities in this field, and its keen analysis and criticism of both phenomena and authorities, it is easily without a rival. It is scientific without being dry, and its conclusions will not easily be overthrown . John A. Ryan, D. D., Professor of Sociology, Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C. To Q. P., Whose Loyal Friendship Has Been a Tower of Strength, This Book is Dedicated by The Author DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of the Sacred Sciences at the Catholic University of America in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctorate in Theology vn TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE Foreword 3 Preface 7 Introduction 9 Chapter I. History of Modern Spiritism 18 II. Physical Phenomena 45 III. Physical Phenomena (Continued) 67 IV. Psychical Phenomena 90 V. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 119 VI. Spiritism and Psychology 181 VII. Spirit Identity 212 VIII. Spiritism as a Religion 248 IX. Moral Aspects of Spiritism 268 Bibliography 282 Index 287 Biographical Note 296 FOREWORD. Dr. Liljencrants has produced a book that ought to appeal to all persons interested in the problem we call Spiritism, which we formerly called very carelessly "Spiritualism." Belonging in a generation in years — I hope not in mind — to which this problem was of every- day interest and conversation, I, from my youth, fol- lowed its evolutions (it has had little progress) with keen curiosity. This curiosity might have been more scientific if I had not been prevented by the stern authority of my parents — with whom, as with most Americans of the generation of the middle of the last century, Mesmer and the Fox Sisters and Katie King were household words — and afterwards by obedience to the Decree of the Sacred Congregation, from examining personally the methods by which some of my acquaint- ances and friends reached the conclusion that they were dealing with spirits from another world. Among these was the late W. T. Stead, who often told me of the recreations of "Julia," and repeated messages of no great importance from Cardinal Manning. I knew many, bereaved and inconsolable, who went to Spiritism with all the fervor that has characterized Sir Oliver Lodge and Sir Conan Doyle. In England and in our own country many more are turning to-day to the only way they know of communicating with those whom they have loved and lost awhile. It is not enough to say that the spiritistic phenomena are diabolical. If they are, according to my observation the Devil and his satellites have lost their much-adver- tised cleverness. Does anybody imagine, who can con- ceive what the Devil is capable of, that he has anything 4 Foreword to do with the revelations in "Raymond" — that pathetic manifestation of fatherly affection? One does not com- pare "Raymond" with the eccentricities of the Fox Sisters and Katie King, but it is evident to the dis- passionate that some of the messages to the bereaved father are as little worthy of respect as the revelations of those whose names, once notorious in the newspapers, are forgotten. But Sir Oliver Lodge's book does not stand alone; it is a symptom of a widespread mental condition accentuated and made more general by the terrible losses of this war. And, hence, Dr. Liljen- crants's study must attract wide attention. Hitherto, the strictly orthodox Christian has said of all spiritistic manifestations that were not on the surface fraudulent, "It is the Devil, of course." In this way His Satanic Majesty has been made to appear rather ridiculous than terrible. The principles of the con- servative Christian have not permitted him to go further than this, and, after all, if one is to give the Devil his due, one ought, in justice, to discover whether he is really so foolish as, in this particular line, he is supposed to show himself. As there is such a thing as diabolical possession, there ought to be some means of discovering whether the doomed swine rushed into the sea because evil spirits urged them on, or whether natural causes were responsi- ble for their extinction. Hitherto, the conservative either accepted all kinds of blood-curdling statements without examination, or, like the late believers in Leo Taxil, preferred his special Devil and did not want to be disturbed in his belief in him! Dr. Liljencrants, strictly orthodox as he is, is one of the first of his kind to ap- proach this delicate subject with an open mind. He is nothing if not scientific. His equally orthodox colleague, Dr. Raupert, had, before his conversion, the advantage of examining per- sonally the manner in which seances are conducted. To Foreword 5 my mind, it is a great pity that some among the ortho- dox, scientifically trained, have not had the same advan- tage — or perhaps I ought to say the same disadvantage — as Dr. Raupert, who gained his knowledge in ways forbidden to many. As it is, "Spiritism and Religion" is the nearest thing to what we really need. It seems strange to those around us that the Fox Sisters, Katie King, and that colossal impostor cele- brated by Browning, Daniel Dunglas Home, should have ever been taken seriously, but they were, and by intelligent persons, too, in my memory. Katie King was looked on as a diabolical person until a very clever young journalist, Mr. Louis Magargee, I think, of Philadelphia, unmasked her; and the diablerie of the Fox Sisters filled with horror those who did not accept them as seeresses — until it was discovered that one of the ladies used the joint of a versatile big toe as a means of conveying conversations from the spirit world! Brownson's "Spirit Rapper," once in vogue, gave us no clue to the methods of these modern imitators of Cagliostro. So far as I can see, the Devil would be very foolish to exert extraordinary means to seize the souls of people who showed very evident tendencies to be his without unusual efforts on his part ! Dr. Liljencrants does not contradict the real mystic; the false mystic, that is, the person who prefers to see miracles and diabolic possessions where the melancholy Jaques found books and sermons, will naturally shrink with disgust at his method, for the Doctor examines dis- passionately and calmly testimony and evidence, and leads us to the conclusion that in most of the advertised "spiritistic" cases supernatural or preternatural causes are absent. The book is most opportune, for half the desolate world seems to be crying out for the raising of the curtain between this world and the next — "... and with no language but a cry." 6 Foreword These stricken ones, pathetic, pitiable, worthy of sympathy — above all, worthy of prayer — will be all the better for the unveiling of the false mysteries to which many of them are turning. Maurice Francis Egan. PREFACE. As a normative science dealing with the morality of human acts, Moral Theology is constantly confronted with new problems brought up by the progress of civilization. New discoveries, new philosophies, new beliefs, new political and economic conditions and theories, all have their moral and theological aspects. It is, therefore, the function of Moral Theology to ap- ply to every new phase of human activity, which has a moral bearing, the already established principles of morality, and to set forth such rules of conduct as may be applicable to this new phase in practical life. In exercising this function Moral Theology draws upon principles which in their foundation, as based upon Divine Revelation, are unchangeable, and throughout the ages present an unvarying and supreme standard of morality. In the application of these principles, however, its verdict may undergo changes and modifi- cations following those which take place in the issues themselves or in their relation to political, economic and social life and its development. Thus, for example, older Theologians would condemn the taking of inter- est as being usury, while modern Theologians, alive to the changes which have taken place in economic con- ditions, recognize the productive nature of capital and allow interest within just limits. Again, the progress of scientific discovery has brought many an issue into a new light. From the superstitious practices of astrology and alchemy, severely condemned by Theo- logians, emerged the sciences of astronomy and chemis- try, the usefulness and lawfulness of which were im- mediately recognized. We believe that a similar change is gradually taking place in the subject which concerns us in this treatise. Physical Research, which is rapidly gaining recognition 8 Preface as a new branch of science, is gradually bringing a large portion of the Spiritistic phenomena, and the occult in general, into the realm of nature, divesting it — in its objective nature — of the attributes of a preternatural order with which it, until very recently, has been gener- ally conceived. It is in an attempt to adjust the theological verdict on Spiritism to this new order of things that this book is written. At present Physical Research is an emerging branch of science, and the results it has so far achieved are to a large extent necessarily vague and lacking definiteness and solidity. This has increased both the difficulty of our undertaking and the matter presented preliminary to the theological discussion of the subject. Whatever results we may have obtained we owe in large measure to the members of the Faculty of Sacred Theology of the Catholic University of America, under whose generous guidance this work has been prosecuted. Par- ticularly do we wish to acknowledge our indebtedness to four members of this Faculty, the Reverend Doctors John W. Melody, John A. Ryan, Edmund T. Shanahan, and Patrick J. Healy. The Catholic University or America. August 1, 1918. INTRODUCTION. The year 1848 saw the birth of a popular and, at least in its subsequent development, a religious move- ment which for over half a century has made much noise, not only in the United States of America where its cradle stood, but also abroad, throughout the civilized world. Perhaps more commonly known under the name of Spiritualism, but at any rate more correctly under that of Spiritism, 1 it is founded upon the belief that the living can, and actually more or less at will do, communicate with the spirits of the departed. It pre- sents a threefold element. Besides the fundamental belief in intercommunication between the living and the dead, we find in it the various practices by which such communication is attempted and a collection of partly vague religious creeds derived from what is 4 held to be revelation contained in messages from the beyond. In its turn the fundamental belief in communication with the departed rests upon the interpretation of various obscure phenomena as indicating the agency of de- parted men and women. . While the Spiritistic movement is distinctly modern, its essential features are probably as old as the human race. We find them in what is known as Necromancy, or the — at least presumed — evocation of the spirits of the departed for the purpose of divination, practiced in all ages and rather universally, but especially among pagan peoples. Such practices have always been "common among the fakirs of India; the Chaldean magicians in all prob- 1 Spiritualism rightly denotes a philosophical doctrine which holds, in general, that there is a spiritual order of beings no less real than the material, and, in particular, that the soul of man is a spiritual sub- stance. — Edw. A. Pace in Cath. Encyclop. Art. "Spiritism." For our choice of term we also find support in the French and Ger- man languages in which "Spiritisme" and "Spiritismus," respectively, are predominantly used, and also among certain English, American, and Italian writers. 10 Introduction ability introduced them among the ancient Egyptians, who brought them to a flourishing state; they exist in China since time immemorial and constituted an im- portant element in the religious ideas of ancient Persia. In classical Greece the oracles were being constantly in- voked and necromancers could be consulted in many favored places. Even Socrates and Aristotle indulged in conversations with spirits. 1 Nor was Necromancy unknown among the Romans, as may be gathered from the works of Cicero, Pliny the Elder, Horace, Lucan and others. 2 The Old Testament shows that the Hebrews were acquainted with similar practices. 3 Thus, to give but one example, Saul conversed with the spirit of Samuel evoked by a certain woman of Endor who was endowed with a divining spirit. 4 The frequency of their pro- hibition found in the Sacred Books and the severity with which these practices were punished, would show that they were by no means uncommon. 5 In the first Christian centuries Necromancy was ex- tensively practiced by the pagans in the Roman Em- pire. 6 But with the spread of Christianity, in which it met a relentless enemy, it gradually lost its strict signifi- cance and became identified with witchcraft and other forms of magic in which for the most part evil spirits were given the place of the souls departed. It is interesting to note that some of the most promi- nent features of modern Spiritism are found in the 1 Arist., "de Mirab," 160. 2 Cicero, "Tusculane" i: 16, 37; "de Divinatione," i:58, 132; Pliny the E., "Hist.," xxx:6; Horace, "Satira," vii; "Epod." iii, xii, xvii; Lucan, "Pharsalia," lib. vi. 3 IV Kings, xvii: 17, xxi:6, xxiii:24; II Paralip., xxxiii:6; Isaias, viii:19, xix:3, xxix:4. 4 1 Kings, xxv, iii: 7-20; cfr. Ecclus., xlvi:23, and Div. Thorn. Aquin. Summa Theol. 2.2(F q. xcv., a. iv., ad 2. B Levit. xix:31, xx:6; Deut. xviii:ll, 12; Levit. xx:27; I Kings, xxviii : 9. 9 Tertull., "Apolog." xiii, xxii ; "de Anim.," lvi, lvii ; Minucii Felic. "Octav." xxvii, xxviii; Lactant., "Dio Instit.," iv:27; Hilarii in Ps. 94; Euseb., "Hist. Eccl.," viii:14. Introduction 11 ancient practices of Necromancy. Communication with the spirits was frequently undertaken through the medium of a person thought to possess special faculties for such intercourse, and spirit-communications were often received by these intermediaries while in somnam- bulistic sleep. The priestess in the tower of Belos in Babylonia obtained her information while in a trance, 1 and in the temple of Serapis at Canopus in Egypt great worship was performed and many miraculous works were wrought, which the most eminent men believed, while others devoted themselves to the sacred sleep. 2 The consecrated temple at Alexandria had similar fame, and old Egyptian paintings show figures of priests mak- ing "magnetic passes" and entering into the somnam- bulistic state. Zoroaster entered by trance into the heavenly world and the Pythias were entranced before receiving inspiration from Apollo. We recognize some of the so-called physical phenomena of modern Spirit- ism, such as "levitation" and "elongation," among the miracles of Indian fakirs both of old and of to-day. 3 The belief in ghosts making their presence known by auditory or visual manifestations is ancient. So also the belief that various mysterious physical disturbances observed from time to time, such as flinging of objects, upsetting of furniture, ringing of bells and producing sundry noises, are to be ascribed to spirit-agencies. Many of these disturbances bear a striking resemblance to certain phenomena occurring in the modern seance- room. In 1661 the presence of a drum taken from a vagrant drummer by Squire Mompesson of Tedworth in Wilt- shire gave all indications of being the cause of mys- terious hangings on the Squire's doors, levitation of his children, rappings, moving of furniture and the appear- 1 Herodotus, Hist., lib. i, 180-183. 2 Strabo, Geogr., lib. xvii, c. i, § 17. 3 Philostrat., "Vita Apollon. Tyan." lib. iii, c. 15, 17. 12 Introduction ing of "a great body with two red and glaring eyes." 1 In 1716 the home of the Reverend Samuel Wesley at Epworth was similarly haunted, the ghost apparently preferring the company of the children. 2 Lord Brougham in 1799 had an apparition of a former schoolmate on the night of his death and under rather peculiar circumstances. 3 Accounts of similar disturb- ances and apparitions could be multiplied at pleasure; hardly a single estate or castle in Europe lacks its pe- culiar ghost. Occult phenomena, then, of various kinds and ascribed mostly to the agency of the departed, have been recorded in abundant quantity from all parts of the globe and all ages. But there is no logical or historical connection between these and the movement known as Modern Spiritism which arose in 1848. Yet, however sudden may have been the rise of Modern Spiritism, it can not be said to have sprung into being on unprepared soil, for its way had been broken by Swedenborgianism and Mesmerism, which may be said to have been its direct forerunners. We think a few words concerning these movements will not be amiss in this connection. Mesmerism made its first appearance as a popular system of curing diseases. It was Mesmer's theory, as elaborated in his dissertation for the doctorate in medicine, 4 that the new force which he claimed to have discovered, and which he named "Animal Magnetism," consisted of a very subtle fluid capable of receiving and communicating all impressions of motion independently of distance or intermediary agents. This fluid he held 1 Glanvill's "Sadducismus Triumphatus," quoted by H. Addington Bruce in "Historic Ghosts and Ghost Hunters," p. 28. 2 Bruce, Op. cit., pp. 36-55. 3 Ibid., pp. 102-119. 4 "De Vinfluence des Pianettes sur le corps humain" Vicuna 1766. Introduction 13 to be a medium of mutual influence between bodies celestial, the earth and human beings, manifested par- ticularly in human bodies. Mesmer's "baquet" rapidly became popular, a move- ment emerged and spread, and its adherents organized themselves into "Societies of Harmony." At the same time a considerable literature on the subject made its appearance. The number of mesmeric practitioners, or magnetizers, grew, and in the course of time the rather crude methods to which Mesmer's earlier patients had been subjected gradually were abandoned and "mag- netic passes" became the customary form of treatment. In this manner the magnetizer would induce his clients into somnambulistic sleep, in which state they often were able to diagnose their own diseases as well as those of others and to prescribe remedies. It was left to Alexandre Bertrand and to Braid to find a more natural explanation for the "magnetic phenomena" and to lay the foundation for what now is known under the name of Hypnotism. In the mean- time the popular side of the movement had a rapid growth and development. An ever-increasing army of professional magnetizers and clairvoyants secured a steady stream of converts, the Societies of Harmony were extended and the literature on the subject took volume. Gradually a new interpretation of the phenomena was adopted, associating them with occult and mysterious operations of spirits. No doubt Swedenborgianism contributed in no small degree to this development. Ever since 1745, when Swedenborg had his first vision in which our Lord, so he believed, initiated him into the spiritual sense of Holy Scripture, his trance communications with the other world had attracted much attention. Stockholm became the center of fashionable spirit-seances, and the new theory of communication between the living and the dead was readily received by the members of the 14 Introduction Society of Harmony in that capital. In a short time Sweden was overrun by mediums delivering messages from the departed. Thence the new movement spread through the European continent, where it was taken up by the mesmerists. In the early part of the nineteenth century seances with table-turning and spirit com- munications were being held everywhere. Science did not fail to give a garb to the new move- ment. A school of spiritistic cosmology was founded by Professor J. H. Jung- Stilling, according to which there exists in man, besides his body and immortal soul, a luminous body inseparable from the soul and made of ether. In the trance-state, in which the soul is partly divested of the material body, it is able to act more freely and is capable of perception independently of the sense organs. The ether which fills space is the abode of spirits, while the atmosphere of the earth har- bors the fallen angels and lost human souls. 1 Perhaps the most remarkable medium of the mesmer- istic period was Frederica Hauffe, the "Seeress of Provost," who began her early career with prophetic and revelatory dreams to which soon were added physical phenomena. These latter were particularly de- veloped in the home of the famous physician Julius Kerner, whom she visited for medical treatment a year before her death, which occurred in 1827. Kerner be- came convinced of the reality of her spirit intercourse, and shortly after her death published an account of her trances and trance-revelations. 2 Before the middle of the nineteenth century Mes- merism was largely practiced in North America. Here also it mingled with Swedenborgianism and underwent a development similar to that in Europe. Its most 1 "Theorie der Geister-Kunde." 2 "Die Seherin von Provost, Erbffnungen liber das Innere Leben und iiber das Hereinragen einer Geisterwelt in die TJnsere" — Stuttgart und Tubingen, 4 Ausg. 1846. Introduction 15 interesting character, perhaps, was Andrew Jackson Davis, alias the "Poughkeepsie Seer," who in 1845 gave trance lectures in New York, a Dr. Lyon of Bridge- port acting as his magnetizer, and these were published under the title "The Principles of Nature, Her Divine Revelation, and a Voice to Mankind." On the whole the work is a jumble of the philosophical doctrines then current, including a due portion of evolutionism and pantheism. The "Univercoelum" or "Spiritual Philoso- pher," a periodical devoted to the exposition of Davis' opinions and revelations, made its first appearance in 1847. His complete works, including the "Great Harmonia" are published in 26 volumes. 1 Popular Mesmerism of this kind was in full develop- ment when Spiritism made its entrance into the world. The new movement was quickly adopted by the ad- herents of the older whose creeds, philosophy and prophets it made its own. This fact, and the extension which the superseded movement had reached, alone can account for the rapidity of growth enjoyed by Spiritism from the very outset. Of late much serious and fruitful work has been done along the lines of Psychical Research, and treatises of high scientific merit have been published in which the phenomena of Spiritism are closely scrutinized and analyzed and theories advanced for their explanation. This labor belongs to the realm of psychology and physics, and theology finds no place here any more than it does in biology. No matter how painstaking has been this research, no matter how capable and untiring its leaders, so far as positive conclusions regarding the nature of the phenomena are concerned very little has as yet been established. It is to be hoped that in time 1 James Burns, London. 16 Introduction Psychical Research will succeed in solving the riddle; at present we shall have to abide in its realm by the re- sults it so far has reached. In the meantime Spiritism has broadly been voicing its claims in no uncertain manner, and we need but pick at random among popular books, magazines and news- papers to receive a notion of the great popularity en- joyed by the New Revelation it proclaims to be giving to the world. To Spiritists the reality of intercourse with the souls of the departed is a fact beyond dispute. Upon this conviction they base their firm belief in the validity of the Revelation from the beyond — obtained through mediums — as being, if not an entirely new Re- ligion, at least a new Gospel superseding that of tra- ditional Christianity. It is professedly a Religion of the laity as opposed to sacerdotalism and spiritual authority, and as such it is antagonistic to traditional Christianity. "The Church," says one exponent, 1 "seems to ignore the ability of the laity. It has not reckoned with the force of an advancing tide of criticism — criticism born of the Church's own supine stupidity, its belief in its own supremacy over the minds and souls of mankind, its blind adherence to proved errors, its long and tacit acceptance of unprovable facts, its aggressive attitude toward Science." "In this indictment of the Church lie the reasons for its opposition to spiritualism. The Church resents the experiments of those engaged in psychic research to establish by scientific means that life after death is an absolute fact, that we of this world have the power to know what the 'dead' are doing, think- ing, saying." It is in its popular, religious form that Spiritism challenges Christianity, and in this aspect the new move- x See The Bookman, Jan. 1918, p. 516. Introduction 17 ment certainly falls within the legitimate field of theological discussion. Would it seem, perhaps, that in order to arrive at its decision theology would have to depend upon the verdict of Psychical Research as to the real nature of the messages by which the soi-disant Revelation is conveyed? If the verdict were to be had, if this nature could be scientifically demonstrated, the theological problem would be much simplified. As mat- ters now stand the results at hand will not fail to be of great assistance. But theology is not seeking new proofs of im- mortality — it already possesses proofs to that fact of a nature infinitely stronger than could ever be produced by a poor, weak, entranced spirit-medium. Nor does it absolutely deny the possibility of intercourse with the departed. Let these two things be proven according to the rules of profane science, and theology need not open its mouth. But when a new Revelation or a new Religion emerges it is time for theology to step in — in its rightful province — and to pronounce its verdict in the name of Christianity which its represents. It is the theological side of the inquiry into Spiritism that we shall pursue in this treatise. In general we shall endeavor to estimate the value of Spiritism as a Re- ligion ; in particular to show that its doctrines can not be accepted as offering an amplification and elucidation of the Gospel of Christ, but that, on the contrary, Spiritism is essentially anti- Christian. From a short survey of the Spiritistic movement and of its main phenomena we shall pass to a discussion of already advanced explanatory theories, and having drawn our conclusions from such study we shall deal with the religious aspect in itself as well as in the light of theology. CHAPTER I. History of Modern Spiritism. In December, 1847, John D. Fox, a Methodist farmer, with his wife Margarete and his two youngest daughters, Margaretta and Katie, moved into a small wooden house in the village of Hydesville, Wayne County, New York. David Fox, a married son, lived two miles from Hydesville, and a married daughter, Mrs. Fish (later successively Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Underhill), lived in Rochester, New York. The house in question was known to have been the scene of mysterious disturbances before the advent of the Fox family, and from the time of their arrival strange noises were heard, which gradually increased, and in February the following year became distinct and continuous enough to disturb the sleep of the tenants. On Friday evening, March 31st, 1848, the family had retired early. Presently the usual noises commenced, and at length Katie, being then twelve years old, merrily snapped her fingers and called out : "Here, Mr. Splitfoot, do as I do!" Instantly the invisible rapper responded by imitating the number of her movements. Motions made by her noiselessly were repeated by knocks, and when discovering this she cried out: "Only look, Mother, it can see as well as hear!" 1 Mrs. Fox now began to question the rapper regard- ing the age of her children, and correct answers were given by means of knockings. Neighbors were sum- moned and the investigation was continued till late in the night. A system of answering was invented by one of those present, by which questions were answered by knockings 1 Britten, "Modem American Spiritualism," p. 32. History of Modern Spiritism 19 if in the affirmative, by silence if in the negative. By this method it was learned that the mysterious rapper had been murdered in the house, and after a search hu- man remains were found under the floor of the cellar. Later a neighbor suggested an alphabet-system, and by this means the name of the victim of murder, Charles Rosna, 1 was revealed, together with other information. 2 Thus began the movement of Modern Spiritism, which from its origin in the Fox family spread like wild fire throughout the North American Continent. Shortly after the time of the incidents related Margaretta went to Mrs. Fish in Rochester and Katie visited at Auburn. In both places the phenomena were repeated. Mrs. Fish and many persons in Rochester and Auburn became mediums, and in the course of the next two or three years the rappings had spread throughout the greater part of the Eastern States. 3 In 1851 there were estimated to be a hundred mediums in New York 4 and fifty to sixty private circles in Phila- delphia. Both Mrs. Fox and her daughters became professional mediums, practicing for money. In December, 1850, the Fox girls held public seances in Buffalo, New York. There they came under the ob- servation of Drs. Flint, Lee and Coventry, who the fol- lowing year wrote a joint letter in which they declared the phenomena to be produced by "cracking" of the knee-joints, 5 and a few months later the girls made a confession in which they admitted that the sounds were produced with the knees and the toes and that they had imparted their art to other girls. 6 In 1888 this confes- sion was confirmed and practically demonstrated by 1 Ibid., p. 39. 2 Ibid., pp. 29-39; and Podmore, "Modem Spiritualism," vol. I, pp. 179 et seq. 3 "Spiritual Philosopher" vol. I, p. 99. 4 Ibid., vol. Ill, p. 151. 5 Podmore, "Modern Spiritualism" vol. I, p. 184. •Ibid., pp. 185-186. 20 History of Modern Spiritism Margaretta and Katie, then Mrs. Kane and Mrs. Jencken, respectively. 1 The exposures and confession of 1851, however, did not check the movement. In the meantime another set of phenomena had oc- curred in the home of the Reverend Dr. Phelps, a Presbyterian Minister living with his wife and four children in Stratford, Connecticut. In March, 1850, a series of disturbances, renewed at intervals for about eighteen months, broke out in his house; windows were broken by invisible hands, mysterious writing was pro- duced and raps were heard by which often blasphemous answers were given to questions. On one occasion the older boy, being eleven years of age, was carried across the room ; another time the heavy dining-room table was lifted from the floor. Letters containing mischievous and childish satires on Phelps' brother-clergymen were thrown from above, and one day the boy was found hanged on a tree. Many other mysterious phenomena occurred, and the whole affair created considerable sensation. Andrew Jackson Davis, then of fame, came to Stratford and certified that the disturbances were caused by vital electricity discharged from the elder boy's organism, whereas others sought an explanation in the agency of spirits. 2 At the very outset Spiritism found an ally in the al- ready widespread movement of Mesmerism. A large number of professional clairvoyants included in their performances "spirit-rappings," Mesmerism furnished a popular philosophy to the whole matter, and those who had adopted the spiritistic interpretation of the mes- meric phenomena eagerly included the rappings among the manifestations of spirits. ^bid., p. 188. 2 Podmore, "Modern Spiritualism" vol. I, pp. 194-201. History of Modern Spiritism 21 Numerous mesmeristic publications took up the new movement, thus insuring its spread, and writers of note, such as Laroy and Sunderland — editor of the "Spirit World" — became converted to the new belief, which also was adopted by many of the Socialistic communities flourishing in the middle of the nineteenth century. Among prominent converts in the early days may be mentioned Horace Greeley and Henry James, the Abolitionist W. Lloyd Garrison, the Universalist Minister and Social Reformer John Murray Spear, John W. Edmunds, Judge of the Supreme Court and former Governor of New York, the Hon. N. P. Tall- madge, Governor of Wisconsin, and a number of Ministers and Social Reformers. The ranks of the movement were largely recruited by those who had lost sight of all Christian tradition — among these Professor Robert Hare — while the most active propagandists were furnished by the liberal Protestant sects. In 1854 some 1,300 persons signed a petition requesting Con- gress to investigate the matter, but no action was taken. The cult of Spiritism spread to Europe in 1852, be- ginning with Scotland. 1 In that year a veritable epi- demic of table-turning swept the European Continent, spiritistic mediums appearing everywhere busily en- gaged in delivering "rap-messages" from the departed. It reached England in 1853, where some American mediums — among them Mrs. Roberts and Mrs. Hayden — had arrived and advertised their professional services. It gained many disciples in the Scandinavian countries and Russia, where the way had been paved by the Swedenborgian movement and occult practices in vogue among the Mongols. At the same time it was imported into Germany and France, in which latter country the first experiments were made simultaneously 1 Lapponi, "Ipnotismo e Spiritismo," p. 52. 22 History of Modern Spiritism in Paris, Strasbourg, Marseilles, Toulon and Bordeaux in April, 1853. Five years later it had reached Italy. Spiritism caused great excitement and much discus- sion both in America and in Europe. To the original phenomena new and more startling ones were rapidly added. The early seances usually took place in a dark- ened room, more rarely in full light, those present seat- ing themselves round a table holding their fingers on the edge thereof in such a manner as to form a chain, the thumbs of each person touching each other and each little finger communicating with the little finger of the persons on either side, the medium completing the chain. After a few moments the table would begin to move, indicating that the spirits were present and prepared for further demonstrations. However, this introduction was not always neces- sary. The arrival of the spirits would often be heralded by rappings, which were largely utilized for a means of communication as described in connection with the original manifestations in the Fox family. Various movements, sometimes violent, of furniture and other objects would then follow, bells placed under the table would be rung, musical instruments in the room played, lights would issue from the heads of the sitters and spirit-hands clasp their hands and feet. During a seance held by Mr. Koons the spirits pro- duced a grand concert, "the fiddle, drums, guitar, banjo, accordion, French harp, the horn, tea bell, triangle, etc., playing their parts." 1 Spirit-hands would make their appearance, darting about the room and even utilizing the paper and pencil placed on the seance-table for the purpose of writing messages which they signed. Certain spirits would address the audience, speaking through a horn or a trumpet. 1 Podmore, "Modem Spiritualism," vol. I, p. 248. History of Modern Spiritism 23 Spirit-writing was a common occurrence, messages usually being written on paper placed under the seance- table or sometimes in sight of the sitters, or on closed slates and even on the bare arm and forehead of indi- viduals. In Mr. Koons' seance-room a band of sixty- five spirits, being pre-Adamite men, revealed them- selves under the generic name of King, and these gentle- men were lineal ancestors to the famous spirits John King and his sister Katie, who have been the joy and consolation of two generations of Spiritists throughout the world. 1 Add to these phenomena apparitions of "materialized" spirit-forms, "levitation" from the floor of the medium, "apport" of small objects into closed rooms, and handling of burning substances with im- punity. Apparitions of the dead known to the audience belong to the less frequent phenomena of the early stages. But not only did phenomena of a mere physical nature occur at the early seances. Mrs. Draper of Rochester learned from the spirit of Benjamin Franklin the art of spirit-telegraphy. The messages would be conveyed between two mediums in different rooms, or even in different localities, one of whom stood in "rapport" with the communicating spirit, and at each station the intelligence would be communicated by means of knocks resembling the ticking of a telegraphic apparatus. There were also mediums who, prompted by a spirit, would "speak with tongues," often in a language of which they were ignorant. Apart from this dubious phenomenon coherent speaking and writing were produced under circumstances which strongly sug- gested that the human agent spoke and wrote through a power not his own. It occurred either in trance or in the waking state, automatic trance-speaking being most common. Podmore, "Modem Spiritualism" vol. I, p. 248. 24 History of Modern Spiritism One of the earliest accounts of automatic writing was published in 1852 in "The Pilgrimage of Thomas Paine and others to the Seventh Circle by Rev. C. Hammond, Medium'' and the best inspirational writing of the time is to be found in "The Healing of the Nation' by Charles Linton. 1 John Murray Spear in 1853 had committed to writing revelations received from the spirit-world concerning Ethical, Social, Biological and Cosmological truths. 2 T. L. Harris while in trance dictated a poem of three to four thousand words en- titled "An Epic of the Starry Heaven," composed by Dante and other mediaeval spirits. There was also automatic playing of music, dancing, crowing and so forth, and numerous cases of healing mediums. The Foxes continued their mediumship for a long time, while a multitude of minor mediums developed, chiefly in America. Tallmadge became a medium of note, but the most famous of the early performers was Mr. Daniel Dunglas Home (Hume) . Born near Edin- burgh in 1833 he came with his aunt to America at the age of twelve. In 1850, having heard of the Hydes- ville "rappings," he was seized by the rapidly grow- ing movement and went to New York, where he began to hold seances before people of prominence. In 185. r Home went to England, where he had the fortune to be allowed to perform before members of the highest society, thence to the Continent. He held sittings in the Tuileries, before the Czar, and in the presence of many distinguished members of the European nobility. Having married a rich and noble Russian lady he re- turned to England in 1859, where between frequent trips to the Continent he continued to give seances. In the beginning of the seventies he gradually gave up his 2 New York, 1885. 2 Published by H. E. Newton as vol. I of the Educator. History of Modern Spiritism 25 mediumship, and after a long illness he died in 1886. During a visit to Rome in 1856 Home had been received into the Catholic Church. Home believed himself a teacher of the truth of im- mortality and when entranced frequently delivered dis- courses on religious subjects. He would also deliver messages from dead friends of members of his circle showing an intimate knowledge of the past of the per- sons addressed. His physical phenomena consisted in raps, movements of objects, shaking of the seance-room, playing of musical instruments, production of spirit- hands and spirit-lights, levitation and elongation of him- self, speaking with spirit-voice, handling of burning substances, and various performances common to the mediums of the time. He has the unique distinction among professional physical mediums never to have been exposed as an impostor. 1 Other famous mediums were Mrs. Hay den and Mrs. Roberts, whom we have mentioned in connection with the first appearance of Spiritism in England, Mr. Robert Owen, whose writings contained messages from the dead encouraging his theories, P. B. Randolph, the Reverend T. L. Harris and the English medium Mrs. Marshall, all physical mediums. Psychical mediumship stood on the increase. In some of the professional mediums the two forms were common, but for the most part the psychic mediums excluded physical phenomena with the exception of table-tilting from their seances. Writing and speaking mediums sprang up in almost every private circle, and by their hand or lips an im- pressive collection of famous departed made themselves known to mankind. 1 Podmore, "Modem Spiritualism," vol. I, pp. 223 et seq. ; Idem, 'Studies, etc.," pp. 52-53. 26 History of Modem Spiritism The second decade of the movement shows a consider- able increase of physical mediumship while the psychical was pushed more in the background. "Materialization" now became more common in America. In 1860 Robert D. Owen held sittings with the Underhill family 1 at which a veiled and luminous female figure presented itself and walked about the room. Mr. Livermore had sittings with Katie Fox at which the spirit of his wife and later that of Benjamin Franklin appeared. Similar phenomena were repeated by other mediums. In the seventies this phenomenon began to be pro- duced in England, the first really successful medium being Miss Florence Cook, who used a cabinet from which the materialized spirits emerged, the most famous of whom were John and Katie King, whose acquaint- ance we have already made. She was detected in fraud in 1873 by Mr. Volksman, who seized the "spirit" — being the young lady herself. 2 During the period 1872- 1880 a large number of mediums appeared in this form of manifestation, but there were also numerous ex- posures of fraud, indignantly resented by the Spiritists. 3 Spirit-photography made its first appearance in Boston in 1862, when Dr. Gardner of that city an- nounced that a photographer named Mumler had taken photographs of him on which there was found also the likeness of his cousin who had been dead for twelve years. Mumler soon received many clients, but at length Gardner discovered fraud in the process, and his exposures stopped the trade for some time. It reap- peared in 1869 in New York, and the municipal authori- ties instituted a prosecution, but Mumler was discharged 1 Margaretta Fox. 2 Medium and Daybreak, Jan. 23, 1874. 3 Mr. Leymarie, "Proces des Spirites," p. 45; Medium, Aug. 14, 1874; Newcastle Daily Chronicle, Aug. 21, 1874, and Medium of the same date; Spiritualist, Aug. 28, 1874; Medium, Jan. 15, 1875; Spiritualist, May 3 and 17, and June 7, 1878. History of Modern Spiritism 27 for lack of evidence. 1 In 1872 it came to England, Mr. Hudson being able with the aid of Mrs. Guppy and other mediums to take spirit-photographs, but fraud was soon ascertained. 2 In 1874 a Parisian photog- rapher, Buguet, arrived in London and produced highly artistic spirit-photographs. He was arrested by the French Government two years later on the charge of fraudulent manufacture of spirit-photographs and made a full confession. 3 A fourth professional spirit- photographer presented himself in Mr. Parks. 4 Among physical mediums in the sixties we also note Squire, Redman, Foster, Colchester, Conklin and the Davenport brothers. These latter produced their phenomena from a wardrobe-like cabinet in which they were sitting with hands and feet tied. From the very outset the spiritistic phenomena had caused considerable speculation regarding their origin and the manner in which spirit-communication was ef- fected. The theories generally adopted in the early stages in America and to a certain extent on the European Continent borrowed much from Mesmerism and Swedenborgianism, and usually agreed upon the existence in man of an astral substance of a nature be- tween matter and spirit, which, if detached from the material body, offered a means of communication with spirits. Mediumship, therefore, consisted in the ability of a person easily to detach from his body this astral substance. It would be to no purpose to set forth here the many wild theories of this period regarding the life of the soul, especially after death, and the constitution 1 Spiritual Magazine, 1862, p. 562; 1863, pp. 36, 82, 128, 182; 1869, pp. 226, 241; Proceedings, 8. P. R., vii:270 et seq. 2 Spiritualist, July 1872; Proceedings, S. P. R., vii:271. 3 Podmore, "Modern Spiritualism," vol. II, p. 121. 4 For an account of the four Spirit-Photographers see Mrs. H. Sidgwick in Proceedings, S. P. R., vii : 270 et seq. 28 History of Modern Spiritism of the spirit-world in general; be it enough to say that they were marked by an astounding ignorance of natural sciences and an amazing lack of logic. In Europe, however, there was a strong tendency to change the crude views of the early American Spiritists in a manner to bring the phenomena in analogy with already known phenomena of science. Most French and ultimately most continental Spiritists followed the doctrine of Allan Kardec — formerly M. Rivail. Hav- ing been an ardent advocate of Phrenology and Animal Magnetism Kardec became converted to Spiritism in 1862 and received through various clairvoyants a full exposition of a new Gospel, the leading truth in which was the doctrine of Reincarnation as set forth in a series of works 1 based on these revelations. However, not all those who believed in the phenomena were disciples of Kardec. Count Agenor de Gasparin explained them as being caused by some magnetic or physical force in- herent in the sitters, and his friend Thury sought their origin in a new mode of energy. Among German thinkers neither the doctrines nor the phenomena of Spiritism gained such ready accept- ance as in France. In 1861 Maximilian Perty, Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Berne, ascribed the physical phenomena to some occult power in the medium's organism, at the same time accounting for the mental phenomena by planetary spirits. Similar views were advocated by other Continental writers. Up to 1870 America had furnished almost all pro- fessional physical mediums. But in the seventies some English physical mediums made their debut, notably F. Heme and Charles Williams, Miss Florence Cook, Monck, Rita, Miss Wood, Miss Fairlamb — later Mrs. 1 "Le Livre des Esprits" "L'Evangile selon le Spiritisme," and others. History of Modern Spiritism 29 Mellon, Miss Stokes, Mr. Eglinton to whom we shall return later, and, above all, the Reverend Stainton- Moses. William Stainton-Moses, known under the pseu- donym "M. A. (Oxon.)," was born in Lincolnshire in 1839 and received his later education at Oxford. Dur- ing his student years he suffered from weak health and was known often to walk in his sleep, and finally, his health having broken down, he was obliged for some time to interrupt his studies at Oxford. Seeking recreation in travel he came to Mount Athos, where he stayed for some time studying mysticism and monastic life. After his graduation from Oxford he was ordained by Bishop Wilberforce of the Church of England and accepted a curacy on the Isle of Man. In 1871 he came as Master to the University College School, in which position he remained till three years before his death. In 1872 Mr. Moses found himself possessed of medi- umistic ability and began to hold seances, mostly in the presence of Dr. and Mrs. Stanhope Spear, at which the usual physical phenomena occurred, and he gave very remarkable demonstrations especially of levitation of himself. A year later he began to produce automatic script. Among the more extraordinary features of his seances are numerous apparitions of what he considered to be spirits, which apparitions fall into three groups: first, a group of persons recently deceased, often presenting themselves before their death was publicly known, and frequently giving satisfactory identification; secondly, a group of spirits belonging to more remote genera- tions, and, thirdly, spirits giving such names as Rector, Doctor, Theophiles and, above all, Imperator. These from time to time would reveal the names which accord- ing to their assertion were theirs in life-time, proving themselves to be far more illustrious and ancient than the spirits of the second group. 30 History of Modern Spiritism Mr. Moses aided in the founding of the Society for Psychical Research in 1882, but soon withdrew on ac- count of what he considered its unduly critical attitude towards the spiritistic view and reverted to "Spiritism as a Religion." During the last years of his life he edited the weekly Light. He died on the fifth of September, 1892. 1 We quote the following from an article by Frederic Myers, who had made Moses' acquaintance in 1874 and soon became his devoted friend : 2 "The experiences which Stainton-Moses had under- gone had changed his views but not his character. He was already set in the mould of the hardworking, con- scientious, dogmatic clergyman, with a strong desire to do good, and a strong belief in preaching as the best way to do it. For himself the essential part of what I have called his 'message' lay in the actual words auto- matically uttered or written — not in the accompanying phenomena which really gave their uniqueness and im- portance to the automatic processes now so familiar. In a book called Spirit Teachings he collected what he regarded as the real fruits of those years of mysterious listening in the vestibule of a world unknown. "Stainton-Moses was ill-fitted for this patient, uphill toil (of propagating his new faith). In the first place he lacked — and he readily and repeatedly admitted to me that he lacked — all vestige of scientific, or even of legal, instinct. The very words 'first hand evidence/ 'contemporary record,' 'corroborative testimony,' were to him as a weariness to the flesh. His attitude was that of the preacher, who is already so thoroughly persuaded 1 See: Frederic W. H. Myers in Proceedings, S. P. R., ix:245 et seq., xi:24 et seq.; Podmore, "Modern Spiritualism," vol. II, pp. 78 et seq.; Idem, "Studies, etc.," pp. 62 et seq.; Moses' articles in Human Nature, 1874, pp. 47, 161 et seq.; and "Psychography," "Spirit Identity," etc., London, 1874; Posthumous papers in Proceedings, S. P. R., vols, ix and xi. 2 "William Stainton-Moses," by F. W. H. Myers in Proceedings, S. P. R., viii: 579-600. History of Modern Spiritism 31 in his own mind that he treats any alleged fact which falls in with his views as the uncriticized text for fresh exhortation." Among American physical mediums of the period 1870-1880 should be mentioned Mrs. Holmes, Miss Eva Fay, Messrs. Bastian and Taylor, the Foxes, especially Kate (Jencken), and Slade. "Dr." Henry Slade had gained considerable fame in America for his slate-writing productions. He would take an ordinary school-slate, put a small piece of pencil on it and hold it under the table. Presently the "spirit" would announce its presence by raps and then the writ- ing would be heard by the sitters. Slade came to Eng- land in 1876 and there he was detected in trickery by Professor Ray Lankester, who snatched the slate from his hand under the table before the "spirit" had an- nounced its presence and found the message already on the slate, which had been prepared beforehand and exchanged under the table for the original slate. As a consequence Slade was prosecuted and forced to leave England. 1 During the seances in the seventies, besides the usual physical phenomena there was slate writing, spirit "materialization" and spirit-photography. As a rule the sittings were held in the dark, and the performances were often accompanied by music. Several mediums, notably Mrs. Guppy, Mr. Heme, Miss Lottie Fowler and Mr. Henderson, exhibited "transportation," i. e., the medium would suddenly disappear from the seance- room, leaving a slight haze in the ceiling. Mr. Moncure Conway in 1875 exposed the trick on the part of the medium of freeing one hand, supposedly held by the sitters, and using it for performing the phenomena. 2 1 London Times, Sept. 16, 1876; Podmore, "Modern Spiritualism" vol. II, p. 89. 2 Podmore, "Modern Spiritualism" vol. II, p. 80. 32 History of Modern Spiritism Prior to 1860 trance-communications and automatic speaking and writing had played a leading part in the seances at least in England, but after that year these manifestations became less important. Yet, in private circles there has been an abundance of automatic com- munication up to the present time. Both Home and Moses had trance-communications. The most noted professional psychic mediums during the period 1860- 1880 were Miss Lottie Fowler, Mrs. Olive, Mr. Towns, Miss Hudson, Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher and Mme. Esperance. David Duguid, a cabinet maker by trade, became a Spiritist in 1865 and is famous for his pictures painted in trance no less than for the revelations he re- ceived, beginning with the year 1869, from the spirit of the Persian Prince Hafed. 1 Mrs. Emma Harding began her career as trance-speaking medium in 1865 2 and was followed by Mr. Morse in 1870. But the supreme example in this line was Cora L. V. Tappan (later Tappan Richmond). As a girl of twelve she was in Ballou's Community at Hopedale, and four years later she became famous as a Spiritist-lecturer in New York. She believed herself when in trance to speak under spirit guidance. In 1873 she came to England, where she received an enthusiastic welcome. 3 At the beginning of the movement scientific men in general were inclined to look upon the phenomena with scorn, treating the whole thing as a matter of trickery unworthy of attention. But gradually this attitude was changed and scientists began to institute private investi- gation. In the autumn of 1853 Count Agenor de 1 "Hafed, Prince of Persia; His Experiences in Earth-Life and Spirit- Life; being Communications received through Mr. David Duguid, the Glasgow trance-painting Medium. Illustrated." London, James Burns. 2 See her "Extemporaneous Addresses." London, 1865. 3 See "Discourses through the Mediumship of Cora L. V. Tappan," London, 1875. History of Modern Spiritism 33 Gasparin 1 carried on a series of experiments endeavor- ing to prove that the phenomena were not to be attrib- uted to the agency of the departed, but rather to some force in the human organism which stood under the con- trol of the will. He was assisted by M. Thury, Pro- fessor at the Academy of Geneva, and the results of the investigations were published in de Gasparin's "Des Tables Tournantes, du Surnaturel en general et des Esprits." 2 Dr. Robert Hare, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania, conducted experi- ments with various mediums, an account of which was published in 1855. 3 In 1869 the London Dialectical Society appointed a committee, including many promi- nent medical men and jurists, 4 to investigate the sub- ject. A report including experiments with D. D. Home and other mediums was published in 1871. 5 The most important evidence for the operation of a new force is given by Sir William Crookes, the great Chemist and Physicist who in the years 1870-1873 conducted experi- ments with D. D. Home, Miss Cook and others. 6 The Psychological Society was founded in London in 1875 under the presidency of Sergeant Cox for the promotion of psychological science in all its branches, the main subject of investigation being the physical phenomena of Spiritism. 7 The following year Professor W. F. Barrett read a paper before the British Associa- tion, at Glasgow, on "Some Phenomena Associated with Abnormal Conditions of Mind." 8 In 1877-1878 1 Podmore, "Studies, etc.," pp. 43-44. 2 Geneva, 1855. 3 "Experimental Investigations, etc.," New York, 1855. See Podmore, "Studies, etc.," pp. 47-49. 4 The most notable were : A. R. Wallace, Sergeant Cox, Chas. Bradlaugh, H. G. Atkinson, and Dr. James Edmunds. 5 "Report of Spiritualism by the Committee of the London Dialectical Society," London, 1871. 6 "Researches in the Phenomena of Spiritualism," London, 1875. 7 Podmore, "Studies, etc." p. 14. 8 Podmore, "Studies, etc., p. 14. 34 History of Modern Spiritism Professor Johann Zollner of Leipzig, assisted by- colleagues, held sittings with Slade. But much credit can not be given to his investigation when we bear in mind Slade's bad reputation of being merely a skilled prestidigitator. Frank Podmore seeks further to lessen this credit on the ground that Zollner was ob- sessed with the idea of the fourth dimension, evidence for which theory he found in Slade's phenomena, 1 but in all justice we think it must be said that this theory was rather suggested to Zollner by the phenomena he had witnessed during his investigation. 2 Finally in 1882 the Society for Psychical Research was founded under the Presidency of Professor Henry Sidgwick for the purpose of investigating certain phenomena "designated by such terms as mesmeric, psychical and spiritualistic," 3 and in the same year a similar American Society came into being. Since that time most mediums of note have come under the ob- servation of members of the Societies the results of whose investigations will be found recorded in the Pro- ceedings and the Journal published at regular intervals by both Societies. Among later mediums we shall give a short account of three only, Mrs. Piper, Mrs. Thompson, and Mme. Eusapia Palladino, whose cases are typical of psychical and physical mediumship respectively. We notice also Mrs. Verrall and Miss Verrall, Mrs. Holland, 4 Mrs. Forbes, 4 and the Misses Miles and Ramsden — all trance- writing mediums, and a few physical mediums who have attracted attention. 1 Preliminary Report of the Seybert Commission on Spiritualism, Podmore, Op. cit., pp. 71-80. 2 His "Transcendental Physics." 3 Proceedings, 8. P. B., vol. i. 4 Mrs. Holland and Mrs. Forbes are both assumed names. History of Modern Spiritism 35 Mrs. Piper 1 of Boston had visited a professional clairvoyant for medical purposes, and at a second visit she herself became entranced and was controlled by the spirit of an Indian girl called Chlorine. This was in 1884. 2 The following year she came under the obser- vation of Professor William James of Harvard, who soon became convinced of her genuine powers and in 1887 introduced her to Dr. Hodgson. From that time she has been in almost constant relation with members of the English and American Societies for Psychical Research. She was now for a long time almost ex- clusively controlled by the spirit of a French doctor who revealed himself as Phinuit, 3 and she delivered his communications with her voice. In February, 1892, a certain George Pelham died. The following month he made his appearance as a con- trol, in which capacity he is usually designated as G. P. This marks the beginning of the second period in Mrs. Piper's mediumistic career. G. P. developed communi- cation by writing, and during the early part of this period there was the double control of Phinuit and G. P., the former talking and the second writing, often at the same time and on different subjects. 4 The second period lasted till 1897, when Phinuit made his last appearance and the Imperator Band — famous in the days of Mr. Moses — assumed the position of chief controls. Since that time G. P. has taken a very 1 See Mrs. Henry Sidgwick: "A contribution to the study of Mrs. Piper's Trance Phenomena" in Proceedings, S. P. R., xxviii; cfr. R. Hodg- son in Proceedings, S. P. R., xiii:284 et seq., and Podmore, "Modern Spiritualism," vol. II, pp. 333 et seq. ; Oliver Lodge, "The Survival of Man," pp. 190 et seq., et alibi passim, and in Proceedings, S. P. R., xxiii: 127-305; Hyslop, "Science and a Future Life," pp. 113 et seq.; J. G. Piddington in Proceedings, S. P. R., xxii: 19-417. 2 Proceedings, S. P. R., viii: 46-47. 3 Three reports on this control were published : W. James in Proceed- ings, Am. S. P. R., vol. i, English Committee in Proceedings, S. P. R., vol. vi., R. Hodgson in Proceedings, S. P. R., vol. viii. 4 The second period was reported on by Hodgson in Proceedings, S. P. R., vol. xiii, and Newbold in Proceedings, S. P. R., vol. xiv. 36 History of Modern Spiritism subordinate part in the communications. At the begin- ning of the third period voice communications were suspended for a few months and were afterwards but rarely used. The convulsive movements which hitherto had accompanied the medium's entrance into trance ceased completely, much to the relief both of Mrs. Piper and her circle. 1 The fourth period was ushered in by Hodgson's death in December 1905. The deceased Psychical Re- searcher, like Gurney and Myers before him, now be- gan to appear as control, while Rector acting under Imperator's directions played the main role in such ca- pacity. In 1906 Mrs. Piper visited England, where sittings were held in the presence of Mr. Piddington and Sir Oliver Lodge who gave their reports to the Society. 2 In 1908-09 she had sittings with Mr. Dorr 3 and also with Dr. Stanley Hall and his assistant, Miss Amy Tanner. 4 Towards the end of 1909 Mrs. Piper made her last trip to England. She was not in good health, and seemed to have lost her power of going into trance. It was not until May the following year that the power returned, and from now on regular sittings were re- sumed. Sir Oliver Lodge conducted some in the autumn and winter of 1910-11 but the communications were ir- regular, trance could not always be induced and, what was worse, when induced was followed by a state of coma which made recovery very difficult. Finally Im- perator declared that the trance was bad for Mrs. Piper, that the seance should be discontinued and that the spirits must leave. On May 24th he took final leave, but was present at Mrs. Piper's last seance, which was 1 Reported : Hyslop sittings, Proceedings, 8. P. R., vol. xxvi, and Pro- ceedings, Am. 8. P. R., vol. iv; Junot sittings, Proceedings, 8. P. R., vol. xxiv. 2 Proceedings, 8. P. R., xxii and xxiii resp. 3 See Proceedings, 8. P. R., vol. xxiv. 4 Who reported in a book: "Studies in Spiritualism," New York, 1910. History of Modern Spiritism 37 held in July, 1911, and which is remarkable for the fact that automatic writing developed in an apparently normal state. 1 The communications received through Mrs. Piper would relate to some deceased person, or to the past, present and future of those still in the flesh. "Her real strength," writes Mr. Podmore, 2 "lies in describing the diseases, personal idiosyncrasies, thoughts, feelings, and character of the sitter and his friends ; their loves, hates, quarrels, sympathies, and mutual relationships in gen- eral; trivial but significant incidents in their past his- tories, and the like." Mrs. Thompson's 3 mediumistic career shows much similarity to that of Mrs. Piper, the main point of differ- ence being that while the latter's mediumship was purely psychical, the former produced physical as well as psychical phenomena. Her first seances were given in 1897 and 1898 usually in the house of Mr. F. W. Thurstan, who would invite, besides Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, a few friends to take part in the sittings, which took place in a double room with curtains separat- ing the two apartments. The one room would be with- out artificial light, and the other, in which the circle was sitting, illuminated only sufficiently for those pres- ent to distinguish each other. Her main controls were Nelly, her daughter, who had died in infancy, and Peter Wharton, who abandoned the medium in 1897 and gave place to a band of seven spirits, four of whom revealed themselves by direct writing as Esther, Charles Wade, Annie and a name which could not be deciphered. It is of particular inter- est to note that about a year after the death of Mr. Myers, which occurred in January, 1901, he appeared as her control. 1 Proceedings, 8. P. B., xxviii: 127-129. 2 "Modem Spiritualism" vol. II, p. 341. 3 She has no connection with Mrs. Isaac Thompson, who had sittings with Mrs. Piper. 38 History of Modern Spiritism The physical phenomena were of the usual type, in- cluding materialization, but she seems to have ceased to sit for them in 1898. Her trance differs from that of Mrs. Piper in that it is hardly distinguishable from the normal waking state, and she occasionally receives clairvoyant impressions outside of the seance room. Her trance communications have been carefully studied by several members of the Society for Psychical Research, and the late Frederic Myers, with whom she was well acquainted, ranked her with W. Stainton- Moses and Mrs. Piper as one of the world's most famous trance-mediums. 1 Their acquaintance makes the subsequent Myers-control doubly interesting. 2 A peculiar kind of automatic script emerged in 1901 3 under the hand of Mrs. Verrall which has come to be known as cross-correspondence. It consists in frag- mentary and often quite unintelligible writing obtained by two or more mediums simultaneously, the messages being complementary of each other so that when read together or interpreted one in the light of another their hidden sense becomes apparent. Real success did not come until 1907, when the famous cross-correspondence took place between Mrs. Piper in London, Mrs. Ver- rall in Cambridge, and Mrs. Holland in Calcutta. The phenomenon, to which we shall return in an- other chapter, has been investigated by Mr. Frank Podmore, Mr. Piddington, Professor Pigou, Miss Alice Johnson, Mr. Dorr, the Right Honorable Gerald Balfour, and others. We now come to deal with another type of medium- ship. Eusapia Palladino, hailed by many as the most 1 Proceedings, 8. P. R., xviii:67 et seq. 2 For her communications see Proceedings, 8. P. R., vols, xvii, xviii, and xx ; Sir Oliver Lodge, "The Survival of Man," pp. 228-312 et alibi sim. 8 See Miss Alice Johnson in Proceedings, 8. P. R., xxi:375 et seq. History of Modern Spiritism 39 remarkable of physical mediums, was born on January 21, 1854, according to one account in the village of La Pouille, 1 and to another at Minervo Murge near Bari in Apulia. 2 Her mother died while she was an infant, and her father, who seems to have been murdered by brigands some eight or twelve years later, 3 placed her in the hands of neighboring peasants, who neglected the child and when she was only one year old allowed her to fall and injure her head. This is the origin of the cranial opening from which, during her seances, a cold breeze is often reported to have issued. At the death of her father, according to her own ac- count, 4 she was taken in charge by a Neapolitan, who transferred her to some foreign ladies desirous of adopt- ing a child. For almost a year she now underwent the ordeal of daily bath, instruction, and piano lessons, but civilization had no charm for her and she returned to the family of her Neapolitan friend. It was in their house that she was introduced to the practice of table turning and soon was found to possess mediumistic talents. But the seances failed to interest her and after some time she exchanged them for laundress work. Somewhat later, it seems, she came in contact with M. Damiani, an Italian medium of some reputation, and now John King appeared — the spirit gentleman and buccaneer whose acquaintance we have made in Mr. Koons' seance-room — to remain with her through- out her mediumistic career. 5 Eusapia was married at Naples to Raphael Delgaiz> a merchant of modest means and an amateur theatrical artist, whose store she helped to manage and from whom 1 Flammarion, "Mysterious Psychic Forces," p. 67. 2 Carrington, "Eusapia Palladino and Her Phenomena," p. 23, 3 Flammarion, loc. cit., and Carrington, loc. cit. 4 Mme. Paola Carrara's account, quoted by Carrington in Op cit., pp. 20- 25 et alibi passim. •Ibid. 40 History of Modern Spiritism undoubtedly she learned various conjuring tricks. 1 She never learned to read and write ; her language was that of the uneducated Italians, in addition to which she spoke a little French. When Professor Flammarion met her in 1897 she was "a woman of very ordinary ap- pearance, a brunette, her figure a little under the medium height not at all neurotic, rather stout." 2 Mme. Carrara describes her as "a mixture of many contrasts. She is a mixture of silliness and mali- ciousness, of intelligence and ignorance, of strange con- ditions of existence Her appearance and words seem to be quite genuine and sincere. "She has not the manner of one who either poses or tricks or deceives others." She is "outspoken, sincere, instinctive, to such a degree that however wonderful may be the tales she tells, they are true." Mme. Carrara finds her not ugly, but her face is marked by suffering and by the fatigue resulting from her seances. "She has magnificent black eyes, mobile and even diabolical in expression Her hands are pretty, her feet small." She seems to cherish her appearance. In the Annals of Psychical Science 2, Mrs. Finch — its late editor — makes very bitter attacks upon Eusapia, saying that most of her sitters are deluded or "glamoured" by her mere presence, accuses her of erotic tendencies, and asserts that she holds her sitters spell- bound by the very fact that she is a woman. But Mr. Carrington rises to her defense, vehemently denouncing Mrs. Finch's attempt to sully her character. 4 Her "erotic tendencies," however, can not escape the notice of one who reads the accounts of her seances. In her trance-state, which was usually light and not hypnotic, John King would claim to take possession 1 Carrington, Op. cit., p. 19. 2 Op. cit., p. 67. 3 July-September, 1909. *Op. cit., pp. 339 et seq. History of Modern Spiritism 41 of her and through her lips would address himself to the circle before which she was exhibiting her powers. If we except John King's occasional admonitions, her phenomena were exclusively of a physical character, the most notable consisting of levitations, telekinesis, ma- terializations, and impressions of hands and faces. Professor Lombroso came to Naples in 1891, 1 where he held sittings with her for the purpose of verifying current reports regarding the marvels she exhibited. Although loth to admit the spiritistic theory of their causation he nevertheless returned convinced that the phenomena which he had witnessed were genuine. His testimony led to new investigations, carried on by scientists and scientific committees for nearly twenty years. We shall return to these in greater detail in our chapter on Genuine and Spurious Phenomena. Her first set-back came in Cambridge in 1895 where all her marvels were declared fraudulent. But thanks to her Continental admirers and investigators she soon was re- habilitated and after a series of successful sittings with eminent French, Italian, Russian and Polish savants, her case, which had been dropped by the Society for Psychical Research after the Cambridge exposures, was reconsidered by that body, and the investigating Com- mittee, composed of skeptics, pronounced a verdict in favor of genuine phenomena. After this new triumph Eusapia came to the United States, where, however, she failed miserably and was caught in flagrant fraud. Sub- sequent attempts to patch up her case were of no avail, and her New York sittings may be said to mark the sad end of her illustrious career. She died in the spring of 1918. Physical mediumship of much the same description as that of Eusapia Palladino does not lack modern representatives. Among the best known mediums we shall mention Auguste Politi of Rome, whose phenomena 1 See M. Ciolfi's report in Annates des Sciences Psychiques, 181, p. 326. 42 History of Modern Spiritism were examined by de Rochas in Paris in 1902 and in Rome in 1904, 1 Sambor, who gave numerous seances in St. Petersburg between the years 1897 and 1902, 2 the American, Miller, who in 1904 appeared in Paris, 3 and Mile. Tomczyk, who was studied by Dr. Ochorowicz in Varsovie. 4 Francesco Carancini discovered his mediumship at one of Politi's seances, came under the observation of Baron von Erhardt in Rome in 1908, and in the following year performed in England before Feilding and Sir William and Lady Crookes and others. 5 Although scientific investigation had laid bare an overwhelming amount of fraud in spiritistic perform- ances, and in various theories had offered a more or less natural explanation of whatever could not be attributed to fraud, the vast number of Spiritists adhered to the old opinion of spirit intervention. This belief was elaborated and systematized by a great many writers, and the most complete account, probably, of the meta- physics of later Spiritism is to be found in "The Mechanism of Man" by Sergeant Cox. Cox attributed the phenomena to the extra-corporeal action of the hu- man soul. Man, according to his theory, consists of two parts, body and soul. But the soul is material like the body, having the same shape, parts and magnitude; as a fact, a spirit is not and cannot be immaterial. But the soul is not grossly material, "Its substance is vastly more refined than the thinnest gas with which we are ac- quainted." It possesses will and intellect, and does not disintegrate with the death of the body. It is exempt 1 Flammarioii, "Mysterious Psychic Forces," pp. 368 et seq. 'Count Solovovo in Annates des Sciences Psychiques, 1902. 8 Annates des Sciences Psychiques, 1906, pp. 501, 591 et seq. * Annals of Psychical Science, 1909, pp. 271-284, 333-399, 515-533. 5 W. W. Baggally, "Some Sittings with Carancini" in Journal, S. P. R., xiv: 193-211. History of Modern Spiritism 43 from gravity and has the power to communicate this ex- emption to bodies. It can flow through visible "molecular" matter and has enlarged powers of per- ception dependent upon aerial or ethereal undulations, and so forth. 1 Other notions are found in the writings of Dr. Hare, 2 who tells us that spirits differ from one another in destiny, and that they have a circulation system through which passes a fluid and also organs for respiration. Mr. Cromwell Varley 3 considers thoughts to be "solid." But there is very little of the commodity among the Spiritists, and Cox's philosophy seems to have survived to the present generation. Trance speaking and writing have played an im- portant part in Spiritism as a religious movement, and the "inspired" writings of W. Stainton-Moses form its older Gospel. According to him the phenomena in gen- eral are ascribed to the spirits of the dead whose reve- lations are to form the basis of a future world-wide Religion. 4 This idea is to a certain extent adopted by Myers, who makes its exposition the concluding chapter of "Human Personality" But while Moses in his "Spirit Teachings" makes himself an exponent of rather free Protestantism, Myers' ideas have already abandoned even the most essential elements of Chris- tianity, and in this tendency he has been followed by nearly all educated prophets of Spiritism. Perhaps no work dealing with Spiritism as a religious revelation has created more sensation than Sir Oliver Lodge's "Ray- mond" a product of the present war. Among our pres- ent major prophets Sir Arthur Conan Doyle takes a prominent place, flooding cheap magazines with sen- sational articles in which he with enviable dogmatic con- ^odmore, "Studies, etc.," pp. 35-36. 2 "Spirit Manifestations." 'Dialectical Report, p. 172. 4 See his "Spirit Teachings"— "M. A. (Oxon.)." 44 History of Modern Spiritism viction extols vague and undigested doctrines at the ex- pense of the dark superstition of traditional Chris- tianity. The minor prophets and their various teachings defy enumeration. In 1855 there were two millions of Spiritists in the United States, twelve or fourteen periodicals were de- voted to the cause of the movement, lectures were given every day of the year and spiritistic circles were held day and night in nearly every city, town and village throughout the country. 1 Since then the number both of adherents and of publications has increased. In 1887 there were about one hundred newspapers dealing with the philosophy and phenomena of Spiritism, thirty of which were published in the English language — the ma- jority circulating in the United States — and forty in Spanish. There is no exact or reliable information concern- ing the number of adherents at the present time. Since the outbreak of the war the movement in its popular, religious form seems to have gained considerably in England where, if we are to believe recent accounts, a veritable frenzy of spirit consultation has seized those who have lost dear relatives and friends in the struggle. 2 1 North American Review, April, 1855. 2 See "Spiritism in England," by Robert Mountsier in The Bookman, January, 1918. CHAPTER II. Physical Phenomena. ' The phenomena of Spiritism may be classified in two groups, Physical and Psychical. In making this classi- fication we do not attempt to base ourselves on the cause or causes, whether claimed or established, of the phenomena, for the question of their source or sources will be the subject of later discussion. We merely look to their general, prima facie appearance as being of a physical or a psychical character, and classify them ac- cordingly. In this and the two following chapters, therefore, we shall attempt under proper headings to present the main and more typical phenomena as de- scribed by eye-witnesses of repute, chiefly in the publi- cations of men and societies devoted to investigation of Spiritism. The Physical Phenomena appear as effects produced in physical substances and often occur in connection with external objects such as pieces of furniture, house- hold objects and human bodies. They may be said to be external manifestations apparently of occult agen- cies, mediately through some physical object or sub- stance. While they show considerable variation they may be separated into two groups, one of which includes mainly such effects as locomotion, counteraction of gravitation, and percussion — or, in general, the ap- plication of a seemingly physical force to objects; the other embracing phenomena suggesting a more pro- found alteration in physical nature or implying the con- veyance of intelligence by physical means. The phenomena of the first group consist of movements of 46 Physical Phenomena inanimate objects, apport, change in weight, levitation, touches and sounds, while the second group embraces elongation, ability to touch burning substances, pro- duction of inanimate substances, materialization, im- pressions, spirit-photography, direct spirit messages and spirit voices. To each group we shall give a separate chapter. 1. Movement of inanimate objects. To this group belong some of the earliest and most common perform- ances of the seance-room, consisting of slow or rapid, sometimes violent, movements principally of tables or other pieces of furniture, but also of other objects of all descriptions, opening and closing of doors, and in gen- eral the upheavals known as Poltergeist-performances, all effected with or without contact with the performer, but not always without visible physical exertion on his part. The motive power either seems to emanate from the performer, who as in the case of Eusapia Palladino often becomes exhausted, or to be supplied by some in- visible agency. The commonest forms of movement of this kind are table turning and table tilting or levitation, which often constitute the initial stage of a spiritistic seance. The sitters having formed a chain by placing their hands on the table, the latter begins a rotary movement, which sometimes continues after the hands have been lifted a short distance from the surface. Occasionally the move- ment becomes quite rapid, the table dancing about on the floor. Table tilting has been described in the chapter dealing with the history of Spiritism. 1 Usually one end or corner of the table rises a short distance from the floor, remains for a few moments in the raised position and falls back. Less often the whole table is raised, first one end, then the other. This effect is more easily 1 See p. 22. Physical Phenomena 47 obtained when the hands rest upon the table, but re- markable levitations have been observed when the medium alone has held one or both hands above its sur- face. Mr. Sergeant Cox records levitations three inches from the floor of a solid mahogany table six feet wide and nine feet long. They took place in broad light, Cox and the medium standing on each side of the table, two feet away from it and holding their hands above the surface. 1 Eusapia Palladino's seances afford many ex- amples of this phenomenon. With her, complete levi- tations are very frequent, the table rising 4 to 8, and, exceptionally, 24 to 27, inches from the floor. 2 Some interesting photographs have been taken dur- ing experiments with table levitation. One made by M. G. de Fontenoy shows the table lifted twenty-five centimetres from the floor, the hands of two sitters plainly being seen on the table while the other two sitters are engaged in "controlling" Palladino, the medium, whose hands and feet, which are in full view, do not seem to touch the table. 3 Another taken at Auteuil by M. Guerronnau gives an excellent view of a high and complete levitation without contact. 4 Similar photographs were taken at seances before the French Psychological Institute 5 and at sittings with the medium Politi held in Paris in 1902. 6 During experiments the writer noticed that the table — usually a large flower table — when levitated, in spite of his efforts, could not be pressed back to the floor. At the Palladino seances it was observed that pressure on the levitated table gave a sensation of floating on water 1(< What am If" quoted by F. W. H. Myers in Proceedings, 8. P. R., ix:259, foot note. 2 Flammarion, "Mysterious Psychic Forces" p. 154. "Idem, opposite p. 82. * Idem, opposite p. 174. "Flournoy, "Spiritism and Psychology," opposite p. 270. 8 Flammarion, Op. cit., opposite p. 368. 48 Physical Phenomena or on some elastic fluid. 1 On one occasion Professor Lombroso estimated that it required a pressure of twelve to fifteen pounds to force the table down. 2 But we have examples of much greater force being in activity. When a certain young boy played the piano, the instrument would become levitated. When two per- sons tried to prevent the levitation by leaning with all their might on the corners of the piano one of two things would happen :. the levitation would take place in spite of their efforts, or the music stool with the player would be pushed back. 3 Professor Flammarion, who saw the piano in question, calculated that it would require an upward pressure, in one case of about 165, in another of about 440 pounds to lift the key-board edge of the instrument. 4 Movement of other objects without contact is a fre- quent occurrence in the seance-room. Furniture at a distance from the sitters will move along the floor in slow or lively gait, pictures will be torn from the walls and again be replaced, bric-a-brac will leave mantel- pieces or tables, dart about in the air or be placed in the lap or pockets of those present, burning coals will fly from the fireplace, and so on. At one of Sir William Crookes' sittings with D. D. Home a lath, two feet long and one and one-half inches wide, covered with white paper to make it more easily visible, was lying on the table, the sitters having formed a chain with their hands away from the table. The lath presently began to rise, first one end reaching a height of ten inches above the table, then the other end half this distance. For a period of about one minute the lath continued floating in this position, much like a 1 Flammarion, Op. cit., opposite p. 5. Same sensation with Mile. Huet as medium, p. 37. 2 Idem, p. 144. 3 Thury: "Les Tables Tournantes," quoted by Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 275. 4 Flammarion: Op. cit., p. 275. Physical Phenomena 49 piece of wood on a small wave of the sea. It then gradually descended to the table, beginning with the lower end. The phenomenon was repeated and this time Sir William was able to reassure himself that the lath was not touched, Home sitting at least three feet distant from it. 1 Another interesting phenomenon was produced by Home in Sir William's presence. A wire cage had been placed under the table and in this cage an accordion was held in Home's left hand which reached down between the upper edge of the cage and the top of the table. His right hand rested on the table. The accordion thus vertically suspended in the cage with its lower end con- taining the key-board quite free presently began to play and continued to do so after it had been lifted out of the cage and left levitated in the air without support. The experiment was repeated and this time the ac- cordion was left by itself in the cage, where it began to play while floating about unsupported. 2 The Palladino seances were rich in phenomena of this kind. She always sat before the seance table with her back turned to the "cabinet," which was a corner partitioned from the rest of the room by means of a pair of curtains. The advent of phenomena was almost invariably heralded by an inflation of the curtain, giving the impression that it was pushed out by a strong gust of air from the cabinet. At times the curtain would protrude so far as to envelop the medium or one of the sitters. Various articles would now begin to move. A violin, a tambourine, a table, a bell or a book, which previously had been placed in the cabinet, would be thrown on the table, be pushed along the floor or would sail about in the air. Often considerable force was dis- played. The violin would be hurled upon the table, ob- jects would be wrenched from the hands of an experi- 1 Proceedings, 8. P. R., vi: 111-112. 2 "Researches in Spiritualism," pp. 12 et seq. 50 Physical Phenomena menter and returned to the cabinet, or pieces of furni- ture moved on the floor and upset. It is recorded how a chair weighing twenty-two pounds suffered this fate, how a big divan was seen approaching the circle, how a small table advanced towards Professor Lombroso, one of the sitters, who took it between his hands but in spite of his efforts was unable to hold it, and how a music box was presented to the curtain where it was seized and thrown back, wounding a gentleman present by striking him beneath the left eye. 1 Other peculiarities were observed in connection with these phenomena. A small table, a violin, a chair or other objects would approach one of the sitters, en- deavoring to climb up his legs. Occasionally the climb- ing would be successful and the object would place it- self in the lap of the gentleman in question. At other times they would climb and place themselves upon the table. Again it was observed how on approaching one of the sitters the small table would hesitate, seem to struggle between different desires and finally continue its course. 2 Objects were often heard moving about in the cabinet. Mme. Flammarion relates the following incident : 3 "Up to the moment when the event that I am going to relate took place, Mme. Brisson had remained almost as incredulous as I, apropos of the phenomena, and she had just been expressing to me in a low tone her re- gret at not having yet seen anything herself, when, all of a sudden, the curtain behind Eusapia began to shake and move gracefully back, as if lifted by an invisible curtain band — and what do I see? The little table on 1 Various reports on sittings with Eusapia Palladino in Paris 1898, and in Milan 1899, in Flammarion, "Mysterious Psychic Forces," pp. 96, 125, 98, 94, 97, 156, 90, 114. 'Various reports on seances in Naples and Paris, in Flammarion, Op. cit., pp. 99-100, 145, 114, 125, 146-50. 3 Mme. Flammarion's notes in Flammarion, Op. cit., pp. 126-127; cfr. M. Mathieu's report on seance Nov. 25, 1898, Ibid.., p. 113. Physical Phenomena 51 three feet, and leaping (apparently in high spirits) over the floor, at the height of about eight inches, while the gilded tambourine is in its turn leaping gaily at the same height above the table, and noisily tinkling its bells. "Stupefied with wonder, quick as I can pull Mme. Brisson to my side, and, pointing with my finger at what is taking place, 'Look!' said I. "And then the table and the tambourine begin their carpet-dance again in perfect unison, one of them fall- ing forcibly upon the floor and the other upon the table. Mme. Brisson and I could not help bursting out into laughter; for, indeed, it was too funny!" Movements of objects would sometimes follow Eusapia's or Prof. Flammarion's movements synchroni- cally, and the curtains were found at times to become inflated at the gestures of sitters. 1 We shall find a parallel to this when treating of the phenomenon of sounds. Another variation of the phenomenon consists in movement of the keys of a musical instrument, without contact, often in a manner to produce pieces of music. We have mentioned Home's prestations with the ac- cordion. The phenomenon was reproduced by Eusapia Palladino. M. Flammarion was holding an accordion, just purchased by him, vertically suspended in the air with the keys down and near the medium, whose hands, however, could not touch it. After the lapse of five to six seconds the bellows began to be moved and at the same time music was heard. M. Flammarion now let go of the accordion, which remained "as if glued to the curtain." Once more it began to play, no one holding 1 M. Mathieu's report on seance, Nov. 25, and M. Armelin's report on seance, Nov. 21, both in Paris 1898, in Flammarion, Op. cit., pp. 111-113, 103 et seq. 52 Physical Phenomena it, and while playing it moved to the middle of the table. 1 An account of a piano producing music without being touched will be found in Flammarion's work to which we often have made reference. 2 2. Apport. Apport of various objects into the seance-room is a rather frequently witnessed phenom- enon. It consists in an object being, as it were, car- ried by invisible hands from one room to another or transported from the outside to the circle of sitters. At times objects already in the seance-room are moved in a manner which gives the impression of conveyance by invisible hands. Dr. Spear tells how in the Reverend Mr. Moses' home on the Isle of Man invisible hands brought various toilet articles, etc., to the center of Mr. Moses' bed, arranging them in the shape of a cross, Moses' clerical collar forming the halo around the up- per portion thereof. 3 At a seance held with Dr. and Mrs. Spear, Moses re- lates how the spirit "Dicky came and brought very gently an ivory piece of puzzle from the drawing-room." At Moses' request "he fetched another. After this," Mr. Moses continues, "I felt something crawling over my right hand (which Mrs. Spear held) and could not make out what it was. When a light was struck we found it to be a marker from Mrs. Spear's bedroom. It had crawled over my hand, and was placed directly in front of her, with the legend 'God is our refuge and strength' right before her eyes." 4 Similar phenomena are abundantly recorded from Palladino's seances. At a sitting in Paris in 1898 a cushion upon which a member of the circle was resting his elbows was suddenly snatched away from him and 1 Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 121-122. 2 p. 369. 3 Proceedings, 8. P. B., xi:265. * Ibid., ix:311. Physical Phenomena 53 thrown against a mirror. 1 At another sitting M. Levy 2 tells us how "a force" has been abusing M. Mathieu, another sitter, and while this gentleman "is complaining of the violence used upon him, we hear the sound of the tambourine, which is then quickly thrown upon the table. Next the violin arrives in the same manner. . . . I seize the tambourine and ask the Invisible if he wishes to take it. I feel a hand grasping the instrument. I am not willing to let it go. A struggle now ensues be- tween myself and a force which I judge to be con- siderable. In the tussle a violent effort pushes the tambourine into my hand, and the cymbals penetrate the flesh. I feel a sharp pang, and a good deal of blood flows. I let go of the handle. I just now ascertain, by the light, that I have a deep gash under the right thumb nearly an inch long." A book held before the curtain was seized, and in like manner a cigarette holder which later was thrown into the seance-room through the cleft between the curtains. Twigs of different trees were carried into the room through the open window. 3 Another time a glass half full of water standing on a buffet out of reach of the sitters was carried in complete darkness and with great precision to the lips of three persons present who drank of it. 4 A carafe is reported by M. Porro to have moved from one table to another, flowers were put in the mouth of a sitter, the carafe came to the mouth of the medium, who was made to drink from it twice — in between the two times it sank down to the table, where it stood up- right for a moment 5 — a guitar was lifted from the wall 1 M. Armelin's report on seance in Paris, Nov. 21, 1898, in Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 109. 2 His report on seance in Paris, Nov. 16, 1898. Ibid., p. 89. 3 M. Mathieu's report on seance in Paris Nov. 25, 1898, Ibid., pp. 113, 112. M. le Bon's report on seance in Paris Nov. 28. Ibid., p. 201. M. Claretie's report on seance in Paris Nov. 25. Ibid., p. 99. 4 Report of M. de Siemiradski on sittings in Rome 1893-94, Ibid., p. 163. 5 In Op. cit., p. 182. 54 Physical Phenomena where it was hanging, approached the circle with great rapidity, making changes in its course; it then struck three blows on the forehead of one sitter, which became bruised, and came to rest very quietly on the table. Finally a heavy typewriter was brought from one table to another. 1 The apparent passing of objects through solid sub- stances has frequently been reported from sittings with mediums. Among the objects brought into Mr. Moses' seance-room when the doors were securely closed we may mention a blue enamel cross, a snuff box, a candle- stick, a biscuit, a pair of Sevres salad tongs, gravel, a marble statuette, a chamois horn, flowers, seed pearls, a silver salver, large stones and various gems. Other peculiar phenomena of somewhat the same type were observed by Professor Zollner in Leipzig during his experiments with Slade 1877-78. Coins were taken out from securely closed and sealed boxes, and other things put into them, rings strung to a piece of catgut and sealed were freed and put round the leg of the table, knots were tied on an endless cord and a table laid it- self to rest under another table, stretched its legs across the floor and finally entirely vanished out of the room and returned from the ceiling. 2 From the Palladino seances we record the passing of a book through the cabinet curtain. It was at a seance given in Paris in 1898, and we quote M. Flammarion: "Jules Bois presents a book before the curtain at about the height of a man standing upright. The salon is dimly lighted — yet objects are seen with distinctness. An invisible hand behind the curtain seizes the book. Then all the observers see it disappear as if it had passed through the curtain." Mme. Flammarion, quite skepti- cal about the phenomena and hoping to detect fraud 1 Reports on seances in Paris 1898, in Flammarion, "Mysterious Psychic Forces," pp. 109, 87, 113, 112. 2 "Transcendental Physics," pp. 50-51, 17-18, 90-91. Physical Phenomena 55 and unmask the medium, had glided past the windows to the rear of the curtain. "Suddenly the book appears to her, it having passed through the curtain — upheld in the air, without hands or arms, for a space of one or two seconds. Then she sees it fall down. She cries, 'Oh! the book: it has just passed through the curtain!' and, pale and stupefied with wonder, she abruptly re- tires among the observers." * In the presence of the Russian medium Sambor phenomena of still more astounding nature appeared. 2 A chair was lifted from under its occupant and en- deavored to hang itself on the hand with which he was holding the medium. It then suddenly disappeared from that gentleman's arm and was felt pressing upon the arm of the narrator, the hand of which was holding that of a neighbor. When the light was turned on, it became evident to all those present that the arm in question had passed through the back of the chair. At a later seance the phenomenon was again produced after the hands concerned had been joined with a strip of cloth. 3 3. Change in weight of objects. This phenomenon was produced by Mr. Home, among others, before Sir William Crookes and a friend of his, Dr. A. B., all precautions against fraud having been taken. Sir William had fitted up an apparatus consisting of a ma- hogany board, thirty-six inches long by nine and one- half inches wide and one inch thick, one end of which rested on a firm table, the other being attached to a spring balance with self-registering index. The ap- paratus was adjusted to hold the mahogany board horizontally, in which position its weight was registered 1 Flammarion, "Mysterious Psychic Forces," pp. 129-130. 2 Count Petrovo Solovovo's report on seances in 1901 in Annates des Sciences Psychiques, 1902 — see Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 372. 3 Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 373. 56 Physical Phenomena to be three pounds. Home by placing his fingers on the edge of the board, which rested on the table, occasioned the pointer of the balance to descend and ascend several times. He then placed a small hand-bell and a card match-box, one under each hand, on the board, this in order to convince the investigators that he was not pro- ducing the downward movement by pressure of his hands. The scale now registered as much as nine pounds, or six pounds in excess of the original weight. Standing on one foot on the edge of the board, where Home's fingers previously had been held, Crookes who weighed 140 pounds occasioned the scale to register but two pounds' increase. The experiment was repeated sev- eral times. 1 Later Sir William altered the apparatus so that a vessel filled with water was placed on the edge of the board resting on the table, and the balance was furnished with an automatic clock register, showing alteration in weight in curves drawn on smoked glass. 2 Home placed his right hand finger tips in the water, his left hand and his feet being held. The balance immediately registered an increase in weight, the lowest point reached corre- sponding to a pull of about 5,000 grains. The water- bowl was now withdrawn, and without any contact be- tween Home and the apparatus alteration in weight was registered. 3 Not satisfied with the results of these experiments Sir William constructed a more delicate apparatus con- sisting of a horizontal board with a light lever, the shorter end of which rested with a vertical point on parchment tightly stretched across a circular hoop of wood, the longer ending in a needle which touched a smoked glass plate movable by means of a clock work. Researches in Spiritualism, pp. 11, 14-15. 2 Ibid., pp. 33-36. 3 Ibid., pp. 37-42. For similar experiments by Thury and Gasparin, see 'Des Tables Tournantes" and by Dr. Hare, "Experimental Investigations." Physical Phenomena 57 It was sufficient for Home to hold his hands on the side of the board (not on the lever) or above, but not touching the lever, in order to produce percussive sounds on the parchment and cause the lever to move up and down, which movements were registered in curves on the glass plate. 1 Although under less exact control, Eusapia Palladino produced similar effects ; she would place her hands out- stretched one on each side of a letter weigher which then would register as if weights had been placed on it. M. Levy records how a considerable registration was ob- tained when her hands were held four inches from the instrument, and after it had been ascertained that she did not hold a hair or similar object between her hands (occasionally she would resort to this trick, pressing the top of the scales with the hair) , 2 The experiment had been successfully performed in l'Agnelas in 1895 before a distinguished assembly of scientists, 3 and at other sessions in Paris. 4 During the sittings in Milan in 1892 a table was suspended by one of its ends to a dynamometer coupled to a cord which in its turn was securely supported from above. The end of the table being lifted six and a half inches the dynamometer registered seventy-seven pounds. Eusapia seating herself at the suspended end of the table placed her hands wholly thereon, one on each side of the dynamometer, which now began to show a gradual diminution in weight till it finally registered zero. When placing her hands under the table she increased the weight of its suspended end from seven and a half to thirteen pounds. 5 1 "Researches in Spiritualism," pp. 38 et seq. 2 Report on seance Nov. 16, 1898, in Flammarion, "Mysterious Psychic Forces," p. 88. 3 Flammarion, Ibid., p. 173. 4 Ibid., p. 198. 5 Ibid., p. 153. See also pp. 413-414. 58 Physical Phenomena 4. Levitation of human body. Still more remark- able, perhaps, than change in weight of inanimate ob- jects are the phenomena of levitation as observed with certain mediums, notably D. D. Home, W. Stainton- Moses, and Eusapia Palladino. Sir William Crookes attests 1 that "on one occasion (he) witnessed a chair, with a lady sitting on it, rise several inches from the ground. On another occasion, to avoid the suspicion of this being in some way performed by herself, the lady knelt on the chair in such manner that its four feet were visible to (those present). It then rose about three inches, remained suspended for about ten seconds, and then slowly descended." Eusapia Palladino was levitated in the same manner at the Milan sittings in 1892. 2 Messrs. Richet and Lombroso were holding her two hands and the medium complained of suffering pressure under the arm. Presently, in a state of trance, she said — or rather "John King" through her: "Now I will bring up my medium upon the table." A few seconds later the chair with the medium in it rose slowly and placed itself on the table, whence it again carefully descended to the floor after an announcement to that effect had taken place. A few days later the performance was repeated. Three times Sir William saw D. D. Home levitated, once sitting in an easy chair, once kneeling on his chair and once standing on the floor. On separate occasions he witnessed two children with their chairs rise from the floor, in broad daylight and under best circumstances for observation. 3 The Master of Lindsay describes the following ex- perience with Mr. Home, on which he previously had reported to the Committee of the Dialectical Society: 4 "I was sitting with Mr. Home and Lord Adare and a 1 "Researches in Spiritualism" p. 89. 2 Flammarion, "Mysterious Psychic Forces" p. 159-60. 3 "Researches in Spiritualism" p. 89. 4 Dialectical Report, p. 214. Physical Phenomena 59 cousin of his. During the sitting, Mr. Home went into a trance, and in that state was carried out of the window in the room next to where we were, and was brought in at our window. The distance between the windows was about seven feet six inches, and there was not the slight- est foothold between them, nor was there more than a twelve-inch projection to each window, which served as a ledge to put flowers on. We heard the window in the next room lifted up, and almost immediately after we saw Home floating in the air outside our window. The moon was shining full into the room; my back was to the light, and I saw the shadow on the wall of the window sill, and Home's feet about six inches above it. He remained in this position for a few seconds, then raised the window and glided into the room feet fore- most and sat down." "Lord Adare then went into the next room to look at the window from which he had been carried. It was raised about eighteen inches, and he expressed his wonder how Mr. Home had been taken through so nar- row an aperture. Home said, still entranced, 'I will show you,' and then with his back to the window he leaned back and was shot out of the aperture, head first, with the body rigid, and then returned quite quietly. The window is about seventy feet from the ground." 1 On several occasions W. Stainton-Moses was levi- tated. Once he was lifted in his chair about twelve or fourteen inches from the floor, then floated from the chair, ascended higher and was moved to one of the ceiling corners of the room, after which he quietly de- scended. While this occurred he was not in the state of trance. As he approached the wall he placed a pencil between his chest and the wall, making a mark thereon for later verification of the phenomenon. The sitters declared themselves to have heard Moses' voice issuing from the corner of the ceiling. 2 ^odmore, "Studies, etc.," pp. 52-53. 2 Proceedings, 8. P. R., ix:261. Further instances Ibid., vi:119, 126. 60 Physical Phenomena 5. Touches. Touches as of hands are often felt at dark seances, less frequently when light is admitted. The phenomena show considerable variations ranging from gentle touches as with a closed hand or contact with the palm or fingers, to heavy blows which leave un- mistakable marks on the victims. There may be a few scattered touches during a seance, again the frequency of their administration is sometimes greatly increased. Then, at times, there are violent pushes or strong pres- sure felt on different parts of the body. The touches may also take the form of pinchings of ears, cheek, etc., or some one present will have his hair or beard pulled. Professor Flammarion on one occasion "was struck several times in the side, touched on the head, and (his) ear was smartly pinched." He goes on to say: 1 "I de- clare that after several repetitions I had enough of this ear pinching; but during the whole seance, in spite of my protestations, somebody kept hitting me." Sir Oliver Lodge 2 felt blows as if some one was striking the head, arms, or the back, while the head, the hands, and the feet of the medium were plainly in view or held apart from the portions of the body that were touched." And M. Victorien Sardou tells us 3 that on one occasion he received a "blow with the flat of the hand, applied in the small of the back, without hurting (him) at all, (which) was strong enough to make (him) lean forward, in spite of (himself), toward the table." More pleasant, perhaps, are the gentle caresses with which sitters at seances are sometimes favored. M. Pallotti several times experienced gentle strokes on his face, head, neck, and breast "by a hand which came out 1 His Experiments with Eusapia Palladino in "Mysterious Psychic Forces," p. 73. 2 Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 167. 3 Report on seances in Paris, Nov. 19, 1898, in Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 97. Physical Phenomena 61 from behind the curtain." 1 But the spirits do not stop at such trifles. When the right ones appear there will be enacted regular love scenes with embraces and kisses according to ancient terrestrial tradition. It happened at one of the Palladino sittings in Paris in 1898 2 that a certain M. Boutigny — who was affianced to the daughter of M. Pallotti — while standing before the curtain which gaped open by his side, announced aloud that he was being caressed very affectionately. The medium, in an extraordinary state of agitation, kept on saying: "Amove mio, Amove mioT Then she called to Pallotti, "Adesso vieni tu/ J and hastening to take B.'s place he was kissed several times. For a moment he could touch the head of the affectionate Invisible. The medium was all the time carefully watched. But it is not always necessary to await the pleasure of the amorous spirits. Kisses may be had for the ask- ing, although the quality in such cases seems slightly in- ferior. 3 Touches are also felt as of a beard, of human hair, etc. At times the sensation is very distinct so that the person experiencing it can tell whether the beard is soft or coarse, whether the hair is that of a man or a woman, and so on. The hands which perform touches are some- times the large, robust — and even hairy — hands of a man, at other times the smaller, softer hands of a woman or those of a child. It has frequently been ascertained that the hands were quite different from those of the medium — or that the beard or hair was different from her hair — and on many occasions the touches have been felt when the medium's hands were reported securely 1 Report on seance in Paris, Nov. 14, 1898, in Flammarion, "Mysterious Psychic Forces," p. 116. 2 M. Pallotti's report on seance Nov. 14, Ibid., p. 115. 3 Flammarion reports from experiments with Palladino in Milan 1892: "One of us having expressed the wish to be kissed, felt before his very mouth the peculiar quick sounds of a kiss, but not accompanied by any contact of lips." — Op. cit., p. 161. 62 Physical Phenomena held — as always was the case with Eusapia Palladino, from the accounts of whose seances these incidents are gathered — and also exposed to full view. 1 The same phenomena occurred during sittings with Auguste Politi when that medium was securely inclosed in a sack. 2 The hand has been felt coming out from the curtain behind the medium, or the blows or pinches have been administered through the curtain. 3 Again, hands will emerge from the curtain and then advance "so far as to touch first one, then the other of the company, caressing them, pressing their hands, daintily pulling their ears or clapping hands merrily in the air above their heads." 4 M. Victorien Sardou records the following curious instance: 5 "You (Flammarion) disengaged your left hand from the chain, and, turning toward me, twice made in the air the gesture of a director of an orchestra waving his baton to and fro. And each time, with per- fect precision, I felt upon my side the repercussion of a blow exactly tallying with your gesture, which reached me and which seemed to me to correspond exactly to the time necessary for the transference of a billiard ball or a tennis ball from you to me." Twice Professor Schiaparelli had his spectacles, which were fastened with springs round his ears, removed from his nose with greatest precision, and placed on the table before another sitter. This was accomplished in full darkness. 6 6. Sounds of various kinds are among the more usual occurrences of the seance-room. Mysterious raps 1 See v. g. M. Brisson's report in Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 111. 2 Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 371. 3 M. Mathieu's report in Flammarion, Op. cit., pp. 116, 113. 4 Prof . Porro's report in Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 181. 5 His report on seance in Paris, Nov. 19, 1898, in Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 97. 6 Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 160. Physical Phenomena 63 constituted the initial phenomena of the spiritistic movement, and have ever since been popularly known as perhaps the most common means of communication on the part of the spirits. So far as messages pro- duced by rappings are concerned we shall return to them in another connection. At W. Stainton-Moses' seances there occurred a "great variety of raps, often given simultaneously, and ranging in force from the tapping of a finger nail to the tread of a foot sufficiently heavy to shake the room. Each spirit always had its own distinctive rap and those sounds often took place in sufficient light for the sitters to see each other's features and .... hands. . . . These raps could not possibly have been produced by any human agency. . . ," 1 Sir William Crookes thinks that the name of "raps" gives an erroneous im- pression of the phenomena. He says: 2 "At different times, during my experiments, I have heard delicate ticks, as with the point of a pin; a cascade of sharp sounds as from an induction coil in full work; detona- tions in- the air ; sharp metallic taps ; a cracking like that heard when a f rictional machine is at work ; sounds like scratching; the twittering as of a bird, etc." The variety in these phenomena to which Sir William makes reference will be found with most mediums — at least of the class which is not obviously fraudulent. The many reports on Eusapia Palladino's seances gathered by Professor Flammarion 3 show a variation ranging from ordinary taps as if produced with a finger to powerful thuds and blows. They do not always pro- ceed from the table, but sometimes from the floor or from objects in the room. 4 Miss Fox seems to have 1 Extract from Charlton J. Spear's letter to Mr. Myers, Nov. 5, 1893, in Proceedings, 8. P. R., ix:345. 2 "Researches, etc." p. 86. 8 See "Mysterious Psychic Forces." * Ibid., p. 88, and M. J. Maxwell, "Les Phenomenes Psychiques," quoted by Flammarion in Op. cit., p. 360. 64 Physical Phenomena been able to produce them at pleasure on any object. Again we quote Sir William: 1 "With mediums, generally, it is necessary to sit for a formal seance before anything is heard ; but in the case of Miss Fox it seems only necessary for her to place her hand on any substance for loud thuds to be heard in it, like a triple pulsation, sometimes loud enough to be heard several rooms off. In like manner I have heard them in a living tree — on a sheet of glass — on a stretched iron wire — on a stretched membrane — a tambourine — on the roof of a cab — and on the floor of a theater. Moreover, actual contact is not always necessary; I have heard these sounds proceeding from the floor, walls, etc., when the medium's hands and feet were held — when she was standing on a chair — when she was en- closed in a wire cage — and when she had fallen fainting on a sofa. I have heard them on a glass harmonicon — I have felt them on my own shoulder and under my own hands." Eusapia Palladino obtained raps at a distance of ten feet, 2 and similar incidents are referred to by Dr. Max- well as having occurred with different mediums. 3 It should be noted that they are not always heard on an object but rather as if proceeding from within the same. This was adverted to by those who observed Palladino, 4 by Sir William Crookes, 5 and by Dr. Maxwell, who writes, 6 "I have heard them on sheets of paper laid on the experiment table, in books, in walls, in tambourines, in small wooden objects, especially in a planchette used for automatic writing." He also noticed them in the wood of a pencil which was being used for automatic 1 "Researches in Spiritualism," pp. 86-87. 2 Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 88. 3 Ibid., p. 361. 4 See v. g. Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 88. 5 "Researches in Spiritualism," p. 88. 6 "Les Phtnomenes Psychiques," quoted by Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 361. Physical Phenomena 65 writing, carefully ascertaining that the pencil did not tap the table. Raps will sometimes occur following the gestures of the medium or of some one present. Eusapia Palladino on one occasion asked one of the sitters to lift his hand about eight inches above the table, and then made three taps thereon with her finger. The three taps were simul- taneously heard in the table. 1 At the same seance she freed her right hand and beating four or ^ve times in the air produced corresponding sounds on the tambourine in the cabinet. On another occasion while her hands were held her fingers executed the movements as if play- ing a tambourine, to which the tambourine in the cabinet accurately responded. 2 Musical sounds occur less frequently than raps. We do not refer to musical sounds produced upon a musical instrument, for such are rather to be referred to as raps or as movement without contact. We shall have to con- fine ourselves to an account of some of the musical sounds heard during Mr. Moses' performances 3 in a room where there was no musical instrument. They were many and of great variety. Four types could be distinguished. First there was the sound of the "fairy bells," "resembling the tones produced by striking musical glasses with a small hammer," and apparently issuing from within the table. Moses testifies that he "saw (the spirit) Grocyn making the sounds; he stood pointing at the table, and as he pointed the sound was made. Behind him stood (Benjamin) Franklin. As the power failed, Franklin seemed to put more into him by passes. He gradually faded, and the sound ceased." 4 1 M. Antoniadi's report on seance in Paris Nov. 21, 1898, in Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 105. 2 Dr. Le Bon's report on seances Nov. 28, 1898, in Ibid., p. 101. 3 C. T. Spear's letter in Proceedings, 8. P. R., xi: 346-347. * Experiences of Mr. Moses, seances Nov. 21, 1874, in Proceedings, 8. P. R., xi:59. 66 Physical Phenomena Next there was the sound of a stringed instrument akin to a violoncello. It was heard only in single notes, and used entirely by one spirit. The third sound was that of a hand-bell, which would be rung sharply to indi- cate the presence of a certain spirit. It issued from the walls, the ceiling, etc. Finally, a sound, difficult to describe, but resembling "the soft tune of a clarionet gradually increasing in intensity, until it rivalled the sound of a trumpet, then by degrees diminishing to the original subdued note of the clarionet, until it eventually died away in a long-drawn-out melancholy wail." It was always associated with a certain spirit. 1 Other noises are frequently noticed at seances. Mr. Moses records: "a noise rather like sawing wood," and another time, 2 "little dropping sounds on the table which turned out to be minute beads." 1 His notes of Sept. 19, 1872, in Proceedings, S. P. R., ix:285. 2 Experiences of Mr. Moses in Ibid, xi : 59. CHAPTER III. Physical Phenomena. (Continued.) In the preceding chapter we have dealt with that part of the physical phenomena which apparently could not postulate a physical operation very complex in it- self, and it remains for us to make mention of those sug- gesting a more profound alteration in physical nature or implying the conveyance of intelligence by physical means. 7. Elongation of human body. This phenomenon has been shown by a few mediums, principally D. D. Home, Heme, J. J. Morse and Peters. Lord Lindsay gives the following account of an elongation of Home which he had witnessed: 1 "On another occasion I saw Mr. Home, in a trance, elongated eleven inches. I measured him standing up against the wall, and marked the place ; not being satis- fied with that, I put him in the middle of the room and placed a candle in front of him, so as to throw a shadow on the wall, which I also marked. When he awoke I measured him again in his natural size, both directly and by the shadow, and the results were equal. I can swear that he was not off the ground or standing on tiptoe, as I had full view of his feet, and, moreover, a gentleman present had one of his feet placed over Home's insteps, one hand on his shoulder, and the other on his side where the false ribs come near the hip-bone." In 1900 the medium Peters was elongated in Rev. C. J. M. Shaw's house, Shaw and his brother sit- 1 Dialectical Report, p. 207. See also Podmore, "Modem Spiritualism," vol. II, p. 259. 68 Physical Phenomena ting on each side of the medium, holding each one foot on the feet of Peters. Peters began to sway to and fro, then raised his arms and began to grow taller. Sud- denly his one arm was found to be six inches longer than the other, then the shorter arm was elongated to match the longer one. In the meantime Peters continued to grow. Finally he collapsed and fell to the floor. 1 8. Touching of burning substances. Among Mr. Home's phenomena one of the most interesting is the so-called fire-ordeal, consisting in Home's or one of the sitters' taking in his hand a red-hot coal without suffer- ing injury or pain. On one occasion, in the presence of Sir William, Home put his hand into the fireplace and "very deliberately pulled the lumps of hot coal off, one at a time, with his right hand, and touched one which was bright red." Then placing his handkerchief like a cushion in his hand he put his other hand into the fire and "took out a large lump of cinder red hot at the lower part, and placed the red part on the handkerchief," where it remained for about half a minute without burn- ing the linen. 2 , On another occasion, also in Sir William's presence, "after stirring the hot coal about with his hand" he "took out (from the fireplace) a red- hot piece nearly as big as an orange" which he enclosed between his two hands "and then blew into the small furnace thus extemporized until the lump of charcoal was nearly white-hot, and then drew Sir William's at- tention to the lambent flame which was flickering over the coal and licking round his fingers." 3 Lord Lindsay during seances with Home eight times held a red-hot coal in his hand without injury, when it scorched his face on raising his hand. 4 1 See Podmore, Op. cit., p. 260. 2 Proceedings, 8. P. R., vi:103, 104. 3 Ibid., 103. 4 Dialectical Report, pp. 208-209. Physical Phenomena 69 9. Production of objects and substances. This phenomenon consists in what appears to be production of substances in the seance-room, such as fluids, scents, lights, various objects and so forth. Scents of various descriptions were frequently brought to Mr. Moses' circle. There was musk, verbena, new-mown hay and "spirit-scent," an odour un- familiar to those present. At times liquid musk, etc., would be poured on the hands or handkerchiefs of the sitters, or heavy breezes of perfume would invade the room. At the end of a seance scent was often found oozing out from the medium's head, and the more it was wiped off the more plentiful it became. 1 Mr. Moses ex- plains 2 that "the scent is either carried, as it seems, round the circle, and it is then accompanied by cool air, or it is sprinkled down from the ceiling of the room in liquid form On certain occasions the scent is pungent and most painful if it gets into the eye. At other times it is harmless " But not only in the seance-room is the scent produced., Mr. Moses states 3 "that he has been walking with a friend into air laden with scent, and through it again into the natural atmosphere," and that he has known cases of scent having been produced and show- ered down in the open air. A phenomenon of equal interest presents itself in the production of lights and luminous substances in the seance-room. At Moses' seances two kinds of lights were observed — the objective, which were seen by all, and the subjective, which were seen only by persons of mediumistic temperament. The former usually were like small illuminated globes, shining brightly and 1 Charlton Spear's letter to Myers in Proceedings, S. P. R., ix:346. See also Ibid., xi:32. 2 Proceedings, S. P. R., ix:271. 8 Proceedings, 8. P. R., ix:270. Showers of a fluid supposed to be water appeared during Prof. Zollner's experiments with Slade in Leipzig 1877-78, and also fire and smoke; Podmore, "Studies, etc.," p. 71. 70 Physical Phenomena steadily and often rapidly moving about the room but never illuminating other objects. Again we quote Charlton Spear: 1 "A curious fact in connection with these lights always struck me, viz., that looking on the top of the table one could see a light slowly ascending from the floor, and to all appearances passing out through the top of the table, the table itself apparently not affording any obstacle to one's view of the light. The subjective lights were described as be- ing large masses of luminous vapour, floating round the room and assuming a variety of shapes." At one of Moses' seances "a pillar of light, very bright and diffused, descended the centre of the table and passed round the circle, vanishing near the ceiling. It was like a flash of light at first." 2 At another seance Moses sat in the cabinet — being the bathroom closed off with a curtain — Dr. and Mrs. Spear and Mr. H. sitting on a sofa outside. The following then happened: 3 "Lights soon came, whilst I (Moses) was in deep trance. They are described to me as of a pale, soft light which was surrounded apparently with drapery. Mr. H. described it to me as a luminous crystal with a hand holding it. Mentor (a spirit), on being asked whether it was his hand, assented, and showed a gigantic finger before the light. There were about thirty lights. They flashed by with a comet-like motion at times, and then again stood at the opening, gradually fading away." The luminous appearances observed by Sir William Crookes bear a certain resemblance to those of Moses' seances. The distinguished physicist writes: 4 "Under the strictest test conditions, I have seen a solid self-luminous body, the size and nearly the shape better to Myers in Proceedings, S. P. R., ix:345. 2 Proceedings, 8. P. R., ix:311. 3 Ibid., p. 314. 4 Researches in Spiritualism, p. 91. Physical Phenomena 71 of a turkey's egg, float noiselessly about the room, at one time higher than any one present could reach stand- ing on tip-toe, and then gently descend to the floor. It was visible for more than ten minutes, and before it faded away it struck the table three times with a sound like that of a hard, solid body. During this time the medium was lying back, apparently insensible, in an easy chair. "I have seen luminous points of light darting about and settling on the heads of different persons; I have had questions answered by the flashing of a bright light a desired number of times in front of my face. I have seen sparks of light rising from the table to the ceiling, and again falling upon the table, striking it with an audible sound. I have had an alphabetic communication given by luminous flashes occurring before me in the air, whilst my hand was moving about amongst them. I have seen a luminous cloud floating upwards to a picture. Under the strictest test conditions, I have more than once had a solid, self-luminous, crystalline body placed in my hand by a hand which did not belong to any person in the room. In the light I have seen a luminous cloud hover over a heliotrope on a side table, break a sprig off, and carry the sprig to a lady ; and on some occasions I have seen a similar luminous cloud visibly condense to the form of a hand and carry small objects about." Lights were occasionally seen at the Palladino seances, but they were usually of an inconspicuous appearance, "like a will-o'-the-wisp, similar to electric sparks." 1 These lights seldom lasted for more than a few seconds. They were mostly seen in the cabinet. There is a record of a luminous zigzag line shaped like a very tall N appear- ing on the curtain; 2 again, of a pear-shaped gleam in 1 V. Sardou's report on seance in Paris, Nov. 19, 1898, in Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 97. 2 M. Armelin's report on seance in Paris, Nov. 21, 1898, in Ibid., p. 108. 72 Physical Phenomena the ceiling 1 and of "a large white star of the colour of Vega, though larger and of a softer light, and which rests motionless for some seconds, then is extin- guished." 2 At Politi's seances there were lights appear- ing and disappearing in the air, some of which gave the outline of a curve, and two luminous crosses about four inches high. 3 It should be noted that for the most part the so-called "spirit lights" did not give any radiation. 10. Materialization. Apparitions as such are not proper to Spiritism but have always formed an experi- ence in human life. Generally speaking they consist in phantoms, be it of persons still living, of those departed or of beings recognized as angels, men, demons or simply as spirits of unidentified character. The apparitions properly belonging to Spiritism are of far narrower compass, being limited to what are claimed to be phantoms of the departed. They may be visible to several persons or to all those present, again they may be visible but to one individual in the company. The individual apparitions give the impression of be- ing of a subjective rather than of an objective char- acter, and would suggest hallucinatory effects in the subject rather than images obtained by sense per- ception ; be they what they may, their place is evidently among psychical phenomena. The same, undoubtedly, is true of certain collective apparitions. However, apparitions seen by all or several partici- pants in a seance are usually identified with what the Spiritists call "materialized" spirit forms, an expression which must be understood in the light of the spiritistic theory of the nature of the human soul with its astral substance. The materialized spirit form usually has a very human appearance, moves about the room, speaks X V. Sardou's report as above. *M. Armelin's report as above. 3 Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 371. Physical Phenomena 73 and at times even allows itself to be touched by the sit- ters. On more rare occasions there have been collective apparitions of far less material looking beings — the phantom being shadowy and semi-transparent. Whether or not such apparitions be objective, investiga- tion may some day show. In the present classification we judge only from appearances. The materialization phenomena proper consist in ap- paritions of hands, arms, busts and whole human bodies, sometimes transparent or luminous, sometimes most realistically life-like. To frequenters of spiritistic seances they are a familiar spectacle, and examples could be adduced ad libitum. But for reasons which later will be set forth, we shall seek our illustrations only among phenomena produced during well controlled seances. Sir William Crookes relates some instances of having seen hands, 1 thus, v. g., "a beautifully-formed small hand rose up from an opening in the dining-table and gave (him) a flower," appearing and disappearing three times. On another occasion, "a small hand and arm, like a baby's, appeared playing about a lady who was sitting next to (him). It then passed to (him) and patted (his) arm and pulled (his) coat several times." He goes on to say: "The hands and fingers do not al- ways appear to me to be solid and life-like. Sometimes, indeed, they present more the appearance of a nebulous cloud partly condensed into the form of a hand. This is not equally visible to all present. For instance, a flower or other small object is seen to move; one person pres- ent will see a luminous cloud hovering over it, another will detect a nebulous-looking hand, while others will see nothing at all but the moving flower. I have more than once seen, first, an object move, then a luminous cloud appear to form about it, and, lastly, the cloud condense into shape and become a perfectly- formed hand. At this stage the hand is visible to all present. It is not always a mere form, but sometimes 1 Researches in Spiritualism, p. 92. 74 Physical Phenomena appears perfectly life-like and graceful, the fingers moving and the flesh apparently as human as that of any in the room. At the wrist, or arm, it becomes hazy, and fades off into a luminous cloud. "To the touch, the hand sometimes appears icy cold and dead; at other times, warm and life-like, grasping my own with the firm pressure of an old friend." This description is significant in that it shows a tran- sition and connection between the phenomenon we have described under the name of apport, and those of ma- terialization and production of luminous substances. Similar phenomena are abundantly recorded from Eusapia Palladino's many seances. Faces and hands were often seen. Once it was a "small hand, like that of a little girl of fifteen years, the palm forward, the fingers joined, the thumb projecting. The color of this hand is livid; its form is not rigid, nor is it fluid; one would say rather that it is the hand of a big doll stuffed with bran." "When the hand moves back from the brighter light, as it disappears it seems to lose its shape, as if the fingers were being broken, beginning with the thumb." 1 Another time two hands were simultaneously seen upon the glass panes of a window which was feebly il- luminated from the outside. They "exhibited a rapid tremulous motion, but not so rapid as to hinder us from seeing the outline clearly. They were wholly opaque and were thrown upon the window as absolutely black silhouettes." 2 Again, a white hand was seen between the curtains, above the medium's head, and at the same time somebody felt his hair pulled. One of the sitters saw the hand stretched out a second time, touching the shoulder of a gentleman present. 3 *M. Levy's report on seance in Paris, Nov. 16, 1898, in Flammarion, Mysterious Psychic Forces, p. 89. 2 Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 159. 3 M. Armelin's report on seances in Paris, Nov. 21, 1898, in Flam- marion, Op. cit., p. 107. Physical Phenomena 75 One night in Milan pieces of cardboard painted with a phosphorescent substance 1 were placed on the seance table and on various chairs in the room. The outline of a hand was then clearly seen on the piece placed on the table while the shadow of a hand kept passing and re- passing over the chairs. 2 We have already referred to the seance at which M. Pallotti and his wife embraced and kissed a being, in- visible to the rest of the circle and believed to be their defunct daughter on a spirit visit. A moment before the kisses were heard Professor Flammarion several times saw "the head of a young girl bowing before (him) with high-arched forehead and with long hair." 3 The silhouette of a young girl of slightly less than average stature was indistinctly seen at the lower end of the cabinet — the curtains having opened themselves. "The head of this apparition was not very distinct. It seemed surrounded by a sort of shaded aureole. The whole form of the statue stood out very little from the dim obscurity from which it had emerged ; that is to say, it was not very luminous." M. Le Bocain, who saw this apparition and in it thought himself to recognize his sister, asked it in Arabic to identify itself by pulling the hair on the back of his head three times. Ten minutes later this was done. 4 We can not refrain from quoting the following from M. Sully Prudhomme's description of a seance held with Palladino in Auteuil in 1896 : 5 "A dark bust moves forward upon the table, coming from where Eusapia sits; then another, and still another. 'They look like Chinese ghosts,' says M. Mangin, with the difference, that I, who am better placed, owing to the 1 Sulphide of calcium. 2 Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 159. 3 Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 128. 4 M. Le Bocain's report on seance in Paris, Nov. 14, 1898, in Flam- marion, Op. cit., p. 117. 5 See Ibid., p. 177. 76 Physical Phenomena light from the window, am able to perceive the dimensions of these singular images, and above all their thickness. All these black busts are busts of women, of life size; but, although vague, they do not look like Eusapia. The last of them, of fine shape, is that of a woman who seems young and pretty. These half- lengths, which seem to emanate from the medium, glide along between us; and, when they have gone as far as the middle of the table or two-thirds of its length, they sink down altogether (all of a piece, as it were), and vanish I murmur, 'One would think he was looking at busts moulded in papier-mache.' Eusapia heard me. 'No, not papier-mache/ she says in- dignantly. She does not give any other explanation, but says, 'In order to prove to you that it is not the body of the medium, I am going to show you a man with a beard. Attention!' I do not see anything, but Dr. Dariex feels his face rubbed against for quite a while by a beard." Katie King, the sister of John King, the ghost, has given us abundant material for the study of materializa- tion through the pen of Sir William Crookes, who con- ducted a series of experiments with her medium Miss Florence Cook, which he describes in his "Researches in Spiritualism. 3 ' At the first seances 1 a back drawing- room was used as cabinet, i. e., it was separated by means of a curtain from the front room, where the com- pany was sitting. At the beginning of the seance the medium retired into the cabinet. "After a little time the form Katie appeared at the side of the curtain, but soon retired, saying her medium was not well, and could not be put into a sufficiently deep sleep to make it safe for her to be left. I was sitting within a few feet of the curtain close behind which Miss Cook was sitting and could frequently hear her moan and sob, as if in pain ^p. cit., p. 103. Physical Phenomena 77 I admit that the figure was startlingly life-like and real, and, as far as I could see in the somewhat dim light, the features resembled those of Miss Cook; but still the positive evidence of one of my own senses that the moan came from Miss Cook in the cabinet, whilst the figure was outside, is too strong to be upset by a mere inference to the contrary, however well sup- ported." On another occasion: 1 ". . . . after Katie had been walking amongst us and talking for some time, she re- treated behind the curtain which separated my labora- tory, where the company was sitting, from my library, which did temporary duty as a cabinet. In a minute she came to the curtain and called me to her, saying, 'Come into the room and lift my medium's head up, she has slipped down.' Katie was then standing be- fore me clothed in her usual white robes and turban head-dress." Sir William then walked into the cabinet and found Miss Cook, dressed in black velvet, in a trance, having slipped partially from the sofa. Three seconds elapsed between his seeing Katie and the medium. Later Katie was seen behind Miss Cook, who was crouching on the floor. 2 Sir William, having on one occasion embraced the ghost Katie, states that she "was as material a being as Miss Cook herself." 3 To make sure that Katie was not impersonated by Miss Cook, Sir William had a photograph of himself and Katie taken, and later, on the same spot of the floor and with identical arrangement of posture, cameras, light, etc., another photograph of himself and Miss Cook dressed like Katie. "When these two pictures are placed over each other," Sir William writes, 4 "the two photographs of myself coincide exactly as regards stature, etc., but 1 "Researches, etc." p. 105. 2 Ibid., pp. 106-107. 3 Ibid., p. 106. 4 Ibid., p. 110. 78 Physical Phenomena Katie is half a head taller than Miss Cook, and looks a big woman in comparison with her." Other differences are noted in the breadth of her face and on several other points. The closing seance was very dramatic. We quote Sir William: 1 "When the time came for Katie to take her farewell I asked that she would let me see the last of her. Accordingly when she had called each of the company up to her and had spoken to them a few words in private, she gave some general directions for the future guidance and protection of Miss Cook" .... (she then) "invited me into the cabinet with her, and allowed me to remain there to the end." "After closing the curtain she conversed with me for some time, and then walked across the room to where Miss Cook was lying senseless on the floor. Stooping over her, Katie touched her, and said, 'Wake up Florrie, wake up! I must leave you now!' Miss Cook then woke and tearfully entreated Katie to stay a little time longer. 'My dear, I can't ; my work is done. God bless you,' Katie replied, and then continued speaking to Miss Cook. For several minutes the two were con- versing with each other, till at last Miss Cook's tears prevented her speaking. Following Katie's instruc- tions I then came forward to support Miss Cook, who was falling on to the floor, sobbing hysterically. I looked round, but the white-robed Katie had gone." Sir William had observed Katie carefully, in strong electric light, and found certain differences between her and the medium, such as marks on Miss Cook's face ab- sent on Katie's, different colour of hair — Katie's was of a rich, golden auburn, and Sir William cut a lock of it which he kept — and so on. He says : 2 "I have the most absolute certainty that Miss Cook and Katie are two separate individuals so far as their bodies are con- cerned." 1 "Researches, etc." p. 111. 2 Ibid., p. 110. Physical Phenomena 79 A somewhat parallel case to Katie King's is found in that of Bien Boa — the materialized spirit of an Oriental warrior in white draperies and with a helmet on his head, who appeared during a succession of seances held in 1905 in a small pavilion belonging to the "Villa Carmen" in Algiers. 1 M. Richet tells us that this martial phantom, which would develop from a white ball before the cabinet curtain, and disappear in the same manner, was in possession of all attributes of life, that he had seen it walk, and go and come in the room, that he had heard the sound of its footsteps, its breath- ing and its voice. It was successfully photographed. The medium was Mile. B , the nineteen-year-old daughter of a retired army officer. Phenomena of this kind have been very frequent with mediums operating from a cabinet. It should be noted that when the medium remains — or does she not? — in the cabinet the exceedingly life-like phantom is pro- duced, whereas the nebulous, shadowy or transparent phantom is seen when, as in the case of Palladino, the medium sits in the seance-room outside the cabinet. There are instances of phantoms seen by one or a few individuals, appearing in a room without a cabinet. These, we think, should rather be recorded among psychical phenomena. To draw a sharp line of dis- tinction between phantoms of the two orders would be impossible without involving preconceived ideas as to their production. 11. Impressions in clay, putty or other plastic sub- stances of hands, fingers and faces have not seldom been witnessed at spiritistic seances. Such impressions are usually claimed to represent the features of a spirit, and so far as those of faces are concerned they at times strongly suggest the gargoyle rather than the species of humanity one is pleased to meet. 1 The Annals of Psychical Science, Oct. and Nov., 1905. 80 Physical Phenomena The phenomenon is usually linked to materialization seances and not rarely is the impression obtained inside the cabinet. It shows very little variation, and we shall content ourselves with giving a few examples from the Palladino seances. In the course of Professor Flammarion's experi- ments with this famous medium a tray of putty weigh- ing about nine pounds was placed on a chair twenty inches behind the cabinet curtain in front of which Eusapia was sitting. The chair then moved forward above the head of the medium and sitters and came to rest on the head of one of the latter whose husband re- ceived the tray with putty softly deposited upon his head. Suddenly Eusapia, rising, cries out, "E fatto" and, the lights having been turned on, those present were able to discover the profile of a human face impressed in the putty, a photographic reproduction of which shows a striking likeness to Mme. Palladino. It should be added that the gentleman on whose head the putty had been deposited had felt no pressure upon the tray to indicate that an impression was being made, and that a lady sitter immediately after the experiment kissed the medium upon both cheeks without perceiving the odour of linseed oil. 1 We refer to another instance. It was at a dark seance, and Eusapia's head was resting heavily upon that of Dr. Ochorowicz, who writes: 2 "At the moment of the production of the phenomenon a convulsive trembling shook her whole body, and the pressure of her head on my temples was so intense that it hurt me. At the moment when the strongest convulsion took place, she cried, 'Ah, che dura!' We at once lighted a 1 Flammarion, "Mysterious Psychic Forces," pp. 74-76; reproduction of the impression and photograph of E. P. opposite page 76. For other prints received at seances with the same medium see Op. cit. opposite p. 138, cfr. Flournoy, "Spiritism and Psychology," p. 256. For other instances see Op. cit., pp. 22, 163, 184. 2 "The Externalization of Motivity" p. 406. Physical Phenomena 81 candle and found a print, rather poor in comparison with those which other experimenters have obtained — a thing due, perhaps, to the bad quality of the clay which I used. This clay was placed about twenty inches to the right of the medium, while her head was inclined to the left. Her face was not at all soiled by the clay, which was yet so moist as to leave traces upon the fingers when touched." The tray was then placed on the dining-room table near a big kerosene lamp and Eusapia, in trance, hav- ing remained for some moments at the table, moved backward into the adjoining seance-room, the experi- menters following her. "We had already got into the chamber," Dr. Ochorowicz continues, "when, leaning against one of the halves of the double door, she fixed her eyes upon the tray of clay which had been left upon the table. The medium was in a very good light: we were separated from her by a distance of from six to ten feet, and we perceived distinctly all the details. All of a sudden Eusapia stretched her hand out abruptly toward the clay, then sank down uttering a groan. We rushed precipitately towards the table and saw, side by side with the imprints of the head, a new imprint, very marked, of a hand which had been thus produced under the very light of the lamp, and which resembled the hand of Eusapia." Impressions of hands and fingers have also been re- ceived on paper blackened with the smoke of a lamp. The prepared paper was placed on the table opposite the medium whose two hands were held each by a mem- ber of the circle. Not only were impressions of fingers and of a whole human hand obtained in the lampblack, but upon request the soot was transferred to and rubbed over the hand of one of the controllers while the medium's hands remained perfectly clean. It was pos- sible to constate that the impressions received had a 82 Physical Phenomena striking resemblance to Eusapia's hands and fingers — the fingerprints being exactly hers. 1 12. Spirit-photography. There have been few pro- fessional spirit-photographers of note, although, no doubt, the art has been practiced to some extent in private circles. Mr. Raupert in his "Dangers of Spiritualism" 2 reproduces four spirit-photographs, the first showing a cloud-like formation near the human image, the other three a more or less clear figure of a woman and a man draped in sheets. Others may be seen in H. Carrington's "The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism." 3 The following is a description of a photograph taken in Mr. Parks' studio: 4 "It was taken on a plate freshly purchased, and which had never been in Mr. Parks' possession. The plate had been prepared and placed in the shield, when a photographer who was present requested that it might be taken out and turned upside down before exposure. This was done, and, on developing the plate, a rude outline of a figure, com- posed of two busts, appears; the busts pointing in op- posite directions." Among spirit-photographs a certain number has been recognized as likenesses of deceased persons, but these cases are comparatively rare. 5 In 1874 Buguet took a photograph of Mr. Moses while in trance lying in his bed. Two exposures were made; the first — being the first half of the plate — showed hardly discernible fea- tures, while the second gave a good effigy of Moses. But 1 Statement concerning the Milan sittings 1892, in Flammarion, Op. cit., p. 158. 2 pp. 67, 70, 72 and 74. 3 See list of Illustrations. 4 Mrs. Sidgwick on Spirit-photographs in Proceedings, 8. P. R., vii:270 et seq. ; cfr. Human Nature, Apr. 1875, p. 157. 5 Mr. Moses in Human Nature, June 1876, p. 268, states that "out of some six hundred photographs which I have seen and examined, and of most of which I have heard the history, I do not know of half a dozen in which the expected form appeared." Physical Phenomena 83 a voice, which used to communicate with Moses, later in- formed him that the first picture was a photograph of the ghostly owner of that voice as he — or it?— looked in life. 1 There are some famous cases of this phenomenon such as the photograph taken in the library of D Hall on the day of Lord D.'s funeral, which, on being developed six months later, showed the image and likeness of Lord D. 2 For literature on the subject see Mrs. Sidg- wick's article in the Proceedings? 13. Direct spirit-messages. The original means of communication with spirits was found in the so-called rappings which throughout the movement have con- tinued to constitute the principal conveyor of messages. The raps may be taken to indicate an affirmative answer to simple questions, a series of raps to indicate a num- ber or, again, the alphabet system may be used, in which the receiver of a rap-message lets his finger glide from letter to letter on a printed alphabet. When it passes the letter which the "communicator" wishes to indicate a rap is heard and a note of the letter is then taken. In this fashion the message is spelled out letter after letter. Doubt or emphasis is sometimes expressed by faintness or vehemence in the raps. A peculiar form of rap messages is found in so-called "spirit-teleg- raphy." Spirit-writing, however, furnishes a more satisfactory means of communication than the rap-method. There are different kinds of spirit-writing, the various phenomena falling into two groups, direct and indirect. The direct writing, to all appearances, is performed without an intermediary, the spirits themselves produc- ing the script, whereas the indirect writing is performed 1 Proceedings, 8. P. R., vii: 287-288. 'Podmore, "Modern Spiritualism," vol. II, p. 124. 3 Proceedings, 8. P. R., vii: 269 et seq. 84 Physical Phenomena through an intermediary, i. e., the medium, acting as amanuensis. We shall treat in this chapter of direct writing alone, the indirect properly belonging to the psychic phenomena. Direct spirit- writing takes several forms. The spirits write their messages either on a slip of paper placed in the seance-room, or on slates, or, again, by employing the planchette. The first kind of writing is very common, and was a frequent occurrence at W. Stainton-Moses' seances. In his letter to Myers, Mr. Charlton T. Spear writes : 1 "Direct writing was often given, sometimes on a sheet of paper placed in the center of the table and equidistant from all the sitters; at other times one of us would place our hands on a piece of paper previously dated and initialed, and usually a message was found written upon it at the conclusion of the seance. We al- ways placed a pencil upon the paper, but sometimes we only provided a small piece of lead, the result being the same in both cases. Usually the writing took the form of answering questions which we had asked. . . ." At a seance in 1872 2 , held by Moses in the presence of Dr. and Mrs. Spear, a piece of ruled paper with a corner torn off for identification and a pencil were put on the floor under the table. Various raps and a noise "rather like sawing wood" were heard and objects brought into the room, and at the end of the seance, the lights having been turned on, the paper when picked up was found to contain a message exactly following the ruling. At another seance Moses relates: 3 "I had seen a veiled figure standing by Dr. Spear. Mrs. Spear could see the light, but could not distinguish the figure. It 1 Proceedings, 8. P. R., ix:347. 2 Sept. 19th. See Proceedings, 8. P. R., ix:285, with fac-simile of the message. 3 Proceedings, 8. P. R., xi: 32-33. Physical Phenomena 85 did not seem to move, and was apparently outside the circle, near the window curtains Presently distinctive raps came on the table, and 'Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, I salute you,' was rapped out. Dr. S. questioned the spirit in French, and answers were returned correctly. A curious instance of this was as follows: Dr. S. intended to ask the name of Napoleon's mother, but by mistake asked for his wife's name. This was given, a response not to the mental intent, but to the spoken question Dr. S. asked for some direct writing on one of the two marked papers, and assent was given, 'J'ecrirai. Taisez-vous !' Mentor controlled, and said that it was really the spirit of Napoleon, late Emperor of the French. They would write on the paper near Dr. Spear's foot, that being nearest to where the figure had been standing. After his control passed I was, as is frequently the case, clair- voyant, and described the face of the Emperor, his waxed imperial and moustache, his impressive marble face, and wound up by saying he was a 'regular Mephistopheles.' The form was just in the same place, and apparently could not come within the circle. Men- tor was at my right hand, and rapped clearly at request with his double knock. All this time our hands were joined, and remained so until the seance closed, and we found on the paper close by Dr. Spear's foot writing of which I append a facsimile/' There are many instances of writing obtained in languages supposedly unknown to the medium. Baron de Guldenstubbe obtained writing in Latin, Greek, Russian, French, German, English, etc., the writers be- ing spirits of greatest fame, such as Mary Stuart, St. Paul, Cicero, Melchisedec, Plato and Juvenal. 1 lu La R6alite des Esprits et le phenomene merveilleux et leur ecriture direct," quoted by Podmore in "Modern Spiritualism," vol. II, pp. 188-189. 86 Physical Phenomena Sir William Crookes relates some interesting facts about spirit-writing. 1 At a dark seance, Miss Kate Fox being the medium, a luminous hand came down from the upper part of the room, took the pencil from his hand and began to write on a sheet of paper. At an- other seance held in daylight a pencil, which had been placed together with paper on the table, suddenly stood up and advanced by hesitating jerks to the paper, where it fell down exhausted. A lath now began to move and apparently came to its aid, but in spite of their com- bined efforts the couple of them did not succeed in pro- ducing a message. Slate-writing came to prominence through Mr. Slade, who had many followers in the art, notably Mr. Eglin- ton. The sittings at which the writing is produced often take place in broad daylight and the script is received on an ordinary school-slate or on the inside of a double slate fitted with hinges and lock. Mr. S. J. Davey records the following experiences with Mr. Eglinton: 2 "I procured two ordinary slates at a stationer's shop, and these did not leave my possession during the seance. At first we obtained messages by simply putting a piece of slate-pencil on one slate and holding the slate on the table. After a while the force became stronger, and messages with various styles of writing were received. But the best test of all was when I put a crumb of pencil on the slate, and then put another slate over that ; hold- ing the two slates together myself, I then asked if I should ever become a medium. No sooner was the ques- tion asked than I heard the pencil within begin to move ; .... and in a few seconds three small raps were heard, and .... when I removed the upper slate I found the following message written in a clear and good hand. I was particular to notice that the small crumb of pencil was nearly worn out " i 1 "Researches, etc.," p. 93. 2 Journal, 8. P. R., 1886, p. 436. Physical Phenomena 87 At another sitting: 1 "Between the famous slate pre- sented to Mr. Eglinton by a distinguished personage, with a strong Brahma lock securely fastened by myself, we obtained messages in the well-known handwriting of (the spirit) Joey." Later at the same sitting mes- sages in Greek were given. Planchette-writing is done with a small, oval wooden board having a pencil stuck through a hole at one end. It is placed on a table with the point of the pencil on a sheet of paper. Sometimes two or more, sometimes one person alone, by placing the hands lightly on the instru- ment will cause it to move, leaving writing or drawing on the paper. The following account is taken from the Proceedings: 2 "On January 28 last I called at the house of some friends; and on this occasion there was some planchette writing Some four or five of us sat around a table in a full and well-lighted room. The operator of the planchette was a lady; her husband was at the table Different communications were received by different ones at the table .... from different friends (as the Spiritualists say), who have passed into the spirit world." Among other messages received there was one from the sister of the narrator, who died in infancy and neither could have been known by the medium, nor had been in the narrator's mind for years. The message as written out by the planchette read: "Mr. Lewis, I am his sister, I am glad you came here to-night; come again (signed) Angeline." Examples of this kind could be multiplied at pleasure. Spirit- telegraphy has a certain superficial re- semblance to wireless telegraphy. The message is sent between two parties sitting in different rooms, one of which is in "rapport" with the operating spirit. At both stations the identical message is received, delivered by 1 Journal, 8. P. R., 1886, p. 437. 2 Proceedings, S. P. B., ix:64. 88 Physical Phenomena means of raps resembling in sound the tickings of a telegraphic apparatus. The distance between the sta- tions is often considerable, messages having been sent between New York and Washington. The following is an account of an early instance, the medium being Mrs. Draper of Rochester: 1 "On the appointed day the above-named persons convened; .... and as soon as order was observed, the question was asked, 'What are the directions of Benjamin Franklin V A. 'Hurry; first magnetize Mrs. Draper.' This was done, The company was divided as follows: (five persons, among them Mrs. Fox and Catherine Fox), in a retired room, with two doors closed between them. Mrs. Draper, Mr. Draper (two other gentle- men) and Margaretta Fox remained in the parlor. Sounds unusually loud were heard in each room by either company, as before, resembling the telegraphic sounds. They were so unusual that Miss Fox became alarmed, and said, 'What does all this mean?' Mrs. Draper, while her countenance was irradiated with ani- mation, replied, 'He is trying the batteries.' Soon there was the signal for the alphabet, and the following com- munication was spelled to the company in the parlor: 'Now I am ready, my friends. There will be great changes in the nineteenth century. Things that now look dark and mysterious to you will be laid plain be- fore your sight. Mysteries are going to be revealed. The world will be enlightened. I sign my name, Benja- min Franklin.' " One of the sitters in the retired room, directed by the sounds, now came in the parlor carrying the message received by his party. It was identical to the one re- ceived in the parlor, except for the addition, "Go in the parlor and compare notes." 1 Podmore, "Modern Spiritualism," vol. I, pp. 252-253. Physical Phenomena 89 14. Spirit voices. Spiritists often tell of hearing voices, meaning an "inner voice" not perceived through the air. This phenomenon, however, belongs to the purely psychical group, the "voice" being but a kind of intuition. Spirit-voices, as we here shall employ the term, refers to clearly externalized voices, at least to all appearances perceived with the ear. As in the case of apparitions there are two kinds of spirit-voices, those heard by all present, and those heard only by single in- dividuals in an assembly. The former kind occurs frequently with physical mediums, usually during more stormy seances, and has a close resemblance to so-called Poltergeist phenomena. We shall content ourselves with referring to Mr. Koons' pre- Adamite spirits who were wont to deliver speeches through a horn or a trumpet or confidentially to whisper in the ears of the sitters. 1 It would be of no particular interest to describe this kind of performance in detail. The latter kind has a certain resemblance to appari- tions of phantoms, but occurs more rarely than these. It is found mainly in connection with psychic medium- ship; thus Mrs. Thompson occasionally perceives ex- ternal voices, which are not heard by those in her presence. 2 A certain lady, we are told by Mr. Myers, 3 could hear human voices and musical sounds by holding a shell to her ear. *See p. 22. 2 Proceedings, 8. P. R., xvii:70. 3 Proceedings, 8. P. R., viii:492. CHAPTER IV. Psychical Phenomena. The purely psychical phenomena of Spiritism may be defined as internal, intelligent and immediate mani- festations apparently of an occult agency, directly ex- pressed by the recipient. We call them internal be- cause, in so far as they have a source outside the recipi- ent, they are not conveyed to him through the channels of sense-perception; they are intelligent, because they convey an intelligent message, as it were from an in- telligent being outside the recipient to the mind of the recipient, or they even sometimes show an actual usurpation on the part of the outside intelligence of the control over certain faculties of the recipient naturally exercised by his own will. Finally, they are immediate in so far as they require — to all appearances — no medium of transmission between their apparent out- side source and the recipient. Their only outward ap- pearance consists in the expression given to them by the external faculties of the recipient. The phenomena reduce themselves to a few closely allied groups which we shall describe under the head- ings apparitions, automatic speaking and writing, and crystal gazing. It should be noted that they are not peculiar to Spiritism, for in their essential aspects they are ancient, varying in form and appearance as from time to time they have emerged upon the field of human experience. To a certain extent they are recognized in Mesmerism and especially in the life of Emanuel Swedenborg, and they are exhibited in quarters which disclaim any connection in their regard with spirits. We shall present here only such phenomena as are more commonly observed among spiritistic mediums. Psychical Phenomena 91 1. Apparitions. Collective apparitions of more im- material looking phantoms belong to the rare phenom- ena of the seance-room. In dealing with materializa- tion we stated the difficulty in determining whether in- dividual cases of this kind of apparitions should be re- ferred to as physical or as psychical phenomena. Of course, the difficulty lies in determining — on the face of the phenomenon — whether it should be thought to exhibit an objective reality, or whether it should rather be regarded as a subjective reality — a hallucination in- duced from some source or other. The difficulty is naturally lessened when the apparition is seen by only a minority in the company. 1 We shall present here two cases from Crookes' experiments with D. D. Home, which might be classified under either heading. 2 "In the dusk of the evening, during a seance with Mr. Home at my house, the curtains of a window about eight feet from Mr. Home were seen to move. A dark, shadowy, semi-transparent form, like that of a man, was then seen by all present standing near the window, waving the curtain with his hand. As we looked, the form faded away and the curtains ceased to move." "The following is a still more striking instance. As in the former case, Mr. Home was the medium. A phantom form came from a corner of the room, took an accordion in its hand, and then glided about the room playing the instrument. The form was visible to all present for many minutes, Mr. Home also being seen at the same time. Coming rather close to a lady who 1 Certain phantoms of the Palladino seances were seen by a minority, but it should be noted that they could be seen by anybody looking from a particular part of the seance-room. This fact we think would indicate their real objectivity, and that they were visible only from certain parts of the room. We have consequently classified these phenomena as physical. 'Researches, etc.," p. 94. 2 «i 92 Psychical Phenomena was sitting apart from the rest of the company, she gave a slight cry, upon which it vanished." Another example of collective apparition occurred in the house of Mr. Z. where W. L. had been in service as butler for half a year. During this time he on several occasions had seen a certain ghost dressed in brown gar- ments with two tassels at the side. One evening Mr. and Mrs. Z. with a few friends tried table-turning, and W. L. entering the room in which they were sitting again saw the same ghost. "The spirit communicating through the table then promised to appear at 11 p. m. one evening in the drawing-room, and W. L. was re- quested to be present. The gas was turned low and the drawing-room door left open. As the clock struck 11, 'it' walked slowly in." The dress was the same as seen by W. L. before, apparently of Japanese flowered silk. "The face was haggard-looking, with a long thin nose; the hair fair and hanging over the shoulders." When the gas was turned on the phantom disappeared. Later it indicated to W. L. a spot in the cellar where a treasure was hidden. Investigation failed, however, to reveal the treasure. Among the seven persons present only three saw the figure which appeared at the seances on four separate occasions. 1 Individual apparitions are sometimes seen by mediums, both physical and psychical. This was often the case with Moses, and we have already related how in connection with the production of "fairy bells" he saw the spirit "Grocyn making the sounds; he stood point- ing at the table, and as he pointed the sound was made." He also saw the spirit of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, who benevolently produced his autograph with pencil and paper. 1 Podmore, "Studies, etc.," pp. 314-315. Psychical Phenomena 93 Mrs. Thompson, 1 the famous psychic, frequently sees spirits standing in the room, who sometimes, though not always, indicate their identity. At times these figures form life-size scenes. Thus, on a certain oc- casion, a glove-fight witnessed by Frederic Myers' son at Eaton was partially reproduced by figures ap- pearing behind him. 2. Automatic speaking and writing constitute by far the most important and interesting of the psychical phenomena. Both usually occur in trance, in which state apparently other personalities than the normal waking medium control his body and use his organs of speech or employ his hand for writing, thereby showing knowledge of facts which the medium could not have obtained by ordinary means. The phenomena in ques- tion are of the utmost importance not only as being the chief means of alleged communication with the de- parted, but, above all, as constituting the channels through which the spiritistic revelation is given to the world. W. Stainton-Moses while in trance would deliver spoken messages purporting to come from spirits. These were taken down usually by Dr. Spear, who al- most constantly was present at his seances. His auto- matic writing for the most part took place in the wak- ing state, and for a description we shall refer to the fol- lowing quotation from his "Spirit Teachings:" 2 "Automatic writing is a well-known method of com- munication with the invisible world of what we loosely call spirit. I use that word as the most intelligible to my readers, though I am well aware that I shall be told that I ought not to apply any such term to many of the' unseen beings who communicate with earth, of *F. W. H. Myers in Proceedings, 8. P. R., xvii:70. 3 See Preface to that work. 94 Psychical Phenomena whom we hear much and often as being the reliquiae of humanity, the shells of what were once men. It is no part of my business to enter into this ghost question. My interlocutors call themselves spirits, perhaps be- cause I so call them, and spirits they are to me for my present purposes." He then goes on to tell how messages began to be written a year after his introduction to Spiritism, and how automatic writing has great advantages over other forms of messages, as being quicker and leaving a per- manent record. He procured a pocket book which, for this purpose, he always carried with him. He con- tinues : "I soon found that writing flowed more easily when I used a book that was permeated with the psychic aura ; just as raps were more easily heard on a table that has been frequently used for the purpose, and as phenomena occur most readily in the medium's own room." "At first the writing was very small and irregular, and it was necessary for me to write slowly and cautiously, and to watch the hand, following the lines with my eye In a short time, however, I found that I could dispense with these precautions. The writing, while becoming more and more minute, became at the same time very regular and beautifully formed. . . . . The answers to my questions (written at the top of the page) were paragraphed and arranged as if for the press, and the name of God was always written in capitals and slowly, and, as it seemed, reverentially. The subject matter was always of a pure and elevated character, much of it being of personal application, in- tended for my own guidance and direction. I may say that throughout the whole of these written communica- tions there is no flippant message, no at- tempt at jest, no vulgarity or incongruity, no false or misleading statement, so far as I know or could dis- cover; nothing incompatible with the avowed object, Psychical Phenomena 95 again and again repeated, of instruction, enlightenment, and guidance by spirits fitted for the task." The various controlling spirits showed their indi- viduality in handwriting as well as in literary style. Moses says, "I could tell at once who was writing by the mere characteristics of the caligraphy." When spirits appeared who were unable to produce script they em- ployed "Rector" as an intermediary. "The circumstances under which the messages were written were infinitely varied. As a rule it was neces- sary that I should be isolated, and the more passive my mind the more easy the communications. But I have received messages under all sorts of conditions." .... "It is an interesting subject for speculation, whether my own thoughts entered into the subject matter of the communications. I took extraordinary pains to prevent any such admixture. At first the writing was slow, and it was necessary for me to follow it with my eye, but even then the thoughts were not my thoughts. Very soon the messages assumed a character of which I had no doubt whatever that the thought was opposed to my own. But I cultivated the power of occupying my mind with other things during the time that the writ- ing was going on, and was able to read an abstruse book, and follow out a line of close reasoning while the message was written with unbroken regularity. Mes- sages so written extended over many pages, and in their course there is no correction, no fault in composition, and often a sustained vigor and beauty of style." The mass of ideas contained in the writing not only conveyed opinions opposed to those of Mr. Moses, but clear and definite information regarding things un- known to him. He could not command the writing, but had to follow impulses. "Where the messages were in regular course," he writes, "I was accustomed to devote the first hour of each day to sitting for their reception. I rose early, and the beginning of the day was spent, 96 Psychical Phenomena in a room that I used for no other purpose, in what was to all intents and purposes a religious service. These writings frequently came then, but I could by no means reckon upon them." The following is an account of "Rector' ' quoting from a book unknown to Mr. Moses : * Q. Can you read? A. "No, friend, I can not, but Zachary Gray can, and Rector. I am not able to materialize myself, or to command the elements." Q. Are either of those spirits here? A. "I will bring one by and by. I will send .... Rector is here." Q. I am told you can read. Is that so? Can you read a book? A. (Spirit handwriting changed.) "Yes, friend, with difficulty." Q. Will you write for me the last line of the first book of theiEneid? A. "Wait — Omnibus errantem terris et fluctibus aestas." (This was right.) Q. Quite so. But I might have known it. Can you go to the book case, take the last book but one on the second shelf, and read me the last paragraph of the ninety- fourth page ? I have not seen it and do not even know its name. A. "I will curtly prove by a short historical narra- tive, that Popery is a novelty and has gradually arisen or grown up since the primitive and pure time of Chris- tianity, not only since the apostolic age, but even since the lamentable union of kirk and state by Constantine." (The book on examination proved to be a queer one called "Roger's Antipopopriestian, an attempt to liberate and purify Christianity from Popery, Politi- 1 Proceedings, 8. P. R., xi: 106-107. Psychical Phenomena 97 kirkality, and Priest rule." The extract given above was accurate, except that the word "narrative" was sub- stituted for "account.") Q. How came I to pitch upon so appropriate a sentence? A. "I know not, my friend. It was by coincidence. The word was changed by error. I knew it when it was done, but would not change." Q. How do you read? You wrote more slowly, and by fits and starts. A. "I wrote what I remembered, and then I went for more. It is a special effort to read, and useful only as a test. Your friend was right last night; we can read, but only when conditions are very good. We will read once again, and write and then impress you of the book: — 'Pope is the last great writer of that school of poetry, the poetry of the intellect, or rather of the in- tellect mingled with fancy.' That is truly written. Go and take the eleventh book on the same shelf. (I took a book called "Poetry, Romance, and Rhetoric") It will open at the page for you. Take it and read, and recognize our power, and the permission which the great and good God gives us, to show you of our power over matter. To Him be glory. Amen." (The book opened at page 145, and there was the quotation perfectly true. I had not seen the book be- fore; certainly had no idea of its contents.) It is to be remembered that Rector often constitutes the intermediary through whom other spirits purport to communicate. Mr. Moses was satisfied with the identity of many of these spirits, proof of which he sets forth in his "Spirit Identity" published in 1879. 1 Out of the great mass of script we quote the following case which 1 See Proceedings, 8. P. R., xi : 69 et seq. 98 Psychical Phenomena was described by Mr. Moses to Edmund Gurney and Frederic Myers, while it was still fresh, on their first meeting with him in 1874. 1 "On the evening of April 8th, 1874, while at Bedford with his father and mother, Mr. Moses, who had been receiving messages about ancient religions during the day, began to ask a question. 'I should 1 ,' when a meaningless drawing was made in place of intended words." Q. What is all that? And why was I stopped? A. "A spirit wishes to communicate, and we are commanded to permit her. She is not able to write with ease, but will communicate through us. Her name is Fanny Westoby. Do you know the name?" Q. I do not remember. A. "Your mother knows her well. She is a cousin of hers. She passed from your earth May 15th last." Q. Was she married? A. "Yes, her maiden name was Kirkham." Q. Fanny Kirkham. Yes, I have a dim remem- brance. She used to live at Markby. A. "She says that she was born in Alford, in the house now occupied by Sam Stevenson. She then lived at Markby, and, having married, at Belchford. She passed away at Horncastle, at 63 years of age. You do not remember her, when, in the year 1845, you went to see her at Markby. Her mother, Elizabeth Kirkham, was then just released from a lingering illness, and your mother had gone to condole with her cousin. You were taken round the farm, and rode on a goat (she is anxious on this point), and she threw you in sport into a heap of wheat which was being threshed. The result was that you were severely bitten by the harvest bug. She is very anxious that you should recall this to your mother." ^ook VIII, pp. 78-83; cfr. Myers, "Human Personality'* vol. II, pp. 599-600. Psychical Phenomena 99 Q. I will. But is it wise? A. "You will not be able to induce her to search into this matter, but you may satisfy yourself that what is said is true." Q. Has she any message? A. "She says, 'I lost much of my opportunity for progress through the gratification of bodily appetite, which cast me back. My course of progress is yet to come. I find my present life not very different from yours. I am nearly the same. I wish I could influence Mary, but I can't get near her.' " Q. Can she assure me that she is F. W.? A. "She can give you no further evidence. Stay, ask your father about Donnington and the trap-door." Q. I have not the least idea what she means. All the better. I will ask. Any more? Is she happy? A. "She is as happy as may be in her present state." Q. How did she find me out? A. "She came by chance, hovering near her friend (L e.j Mrs. Moses), and discovered that she could com- municate. She will return now." Q. Can I help her? A. "Yes, pray. She and all of us are helped when you devote your talents willingly to aid us." Q. What do you mean? A. "In advocating and advancing our mission with care and judgment. Then we are permeated with joy. May the Supreme bless you." "+Rector." The exact particulars of the communication as re- lating to Fanny Westoby and the trap-door were veri- fied by Mr. and Mrs. Moses, and her death was also verified in the Register of Deaths. A rather striking message received by Mr. Moses is related by Frederic Myers 1 whose knowledge of the 1 "Human Personality," vol. II, pp. 230-234, and Proceedings, 8. P. B., xi:96 et seq. 100 Psychical Phenomena soi-disant communicator and of incidents in the case renders it the more interesting. At the death of Mr. Moses one of his MS. books marked "Private Matter" was placed in Myers' hands. The pages were gummed down and when opening them he found a brief piece of writing entirely characteristic of a certain person of his former acquaintance whom he designated as 'Lady Abercromby,' and who had died some twenty-five years previously. This note was found to form the conclusion of a series of writings signed by Mentor and Rector and beginning with some obscure drawings, apparently representing the flight of a bird. The communication began in answer to a written question as to the meaning of the drawings: A. "It is a spirit who has but just quitted the body. Blanche Abercromby in the flesh. I have brought her. No more. M." No further reply was given. There was a note indi- cating that the message had been received on a certain Sunday night about midnight. On the following Mon- day morning the message was continued : Q. I wish for information about last night. Is that true? Was it Mentor? A. "Yes, good friend, it was Mentor, who took pity on a spirit that was desirous to reverse former errors. She desires us to say so. She was ever an inquiring spirit, and was called suddenly from your earth. She will rest anon. One more proof has been now given of continuity of existence. Be thankful and meditate with prayer. Seek not more now, but cease. We do not wish you to ask any questions now. +I:S:D:X Rector." A week later more script appeared in which the con- ditions causing the presence of spirits was discussed. This is also signed by Rector. And a few days later the Psychical Phenomena 101 writing which first drew Myers' attention, and which ex- hibited the handwriting of 'Lady Abercromby:' A. "A spirit who has before communicated will write for you herself. She will then leave you, having given the evidence that is required." "I should much like to speak more with you, but it is not permitted. I know but little yet. I have much, much to learn. — Blanche Abercromby." "It is like my writing as evidence to you." First it must be noted that Moses hardly knew the lady in question, having met her only at a few seances. He could have had no knowledge of her death which oc- curred about 200 miles from London in the afternoon the same Sunday on which the first script appeared, and was announced for the first time in the following Mon- day's Times. Her handwriting was clearly recognized by Myers, and its identity and that of the script veri- fied by her son and others. We shall now pass to Mrs. Piper's automatic utter- ances and script as being fairly typical of the best pro- duction of automatism. She falls into a trance for the duration of which she is "controlled" apparently by other intelligences than her own normal waking Self, and these utilize her bodily organs of speech or employ her hand for writing, showing a knowledge which is beyond what she could obtain by ordinary means. Furthermore, they present themselves as distinct per- sonalities purporting to be the spirits of departed hu- man beings speaking from their own memory and ex- perience or conveying messages from friends of the sitters, now departed from earthly life and living in the beyond. Phinuit, Mrs. Piper's earliest control, exclusively em- ployed her voice for his communications. While in con- trol he would most vividly exhibit his own personality, not only in style of language which was that of a French- 102 Psychical Phenomena man speaking English, but also in voice which was his own and not that of the normal Mrs. Piper. The trance-utterances, then, distinctly belong to Phinuit — be he spirit, secondary personality, or a manifestation of Mrs. Piper's subliminal self — and will consequently be referred to as his, not the medium's. The sitters were usually, in so far as could be as- certained, previously unknown to Mrs. Piper, and they were never introduced to her by their real names, and consequently, at least during first sittings, it would be impossible for her to draw on ordinary sources of in- formation. The seance would usually take the form of a dialogue between Phinuit and the sitter in which he would make mention of the latter's relatives and friends, and answer questions regarding them. Often he would enumerate the various members of the sitter's family, give an account of their full name and relationship, their character, features, dress, occupation and inci- dents in their life. There would be information regard- ing the living as well as those departed, in both cases given with equal vividness, accuracy and copiousness of detail. Phinuit would act as a narrator, and only in rare cases would he give place to some one departed, al- lowing him or her to speak through his medium. He would tell of the present condition of the departed — what they now looked like, wherewith they were oc- cupied, whether they were happy and so forth. At times the statements were perfectly clear, and given in a straightforward manner without hesitation, and this especially when a letter from or an object which liad been in possession of or in contact with the subject under discussion was presented to Phinuit, who would hold it against his medium's forehead. Some state- ments, on the other hand, were rather confused, and while making them he would allow himself considerable fishing. Again, some statements would be correct even in detail, while others in certain details or even as to their Psychical Phenomena 103 whole substance were found quite incorrect and some- times unintelligible. 1 The G. P., or George Pelham, control 2 which intro- duced writing in the place of speaking, appeared in 1892. The person designated by this assumed name was a young lawyer well known to Dr. Hodgson, who had used to discuss with him questions of philosophy, and especially that of the possibility of future life which G. P. could not accept. Before his death in 1892, which was known by Hodgson a few days after it occurred, he had held one single sitting with Mrs. Piper, at which he presented himself incognito. She could not very well have known him through other ordinary sources. Four or five weeks after G. P.'s death John Hart 3 held sittings with Mrs. Piper in the course of which Phinuit exclaimed: "There is another George who wants to speak to you — how many Georges are there about you anyhow?" The 'other George' purported to be G. P., and gave his and John Hart's names correctly, and also mentioned the names of persons who had been G. P.'s friends in his short earth life. One of the pair of studs worn by John Hart was given to Phinuit and the following conversation en- sued, Phinuit speaking for G. P. : 4 J. H. "Who gave them to me?" G. P. "That's mine. I gave you that part of it. I sent that to you." J. H. "When?" G. P. "Before I came here. That's mine. Mother gave you that." J. H. "No." G. P. "Well, father then. Father and mother to- gether. You got those after I passed out. Mother 1 See Hodgson in Proceedings, 8. P. R., vi:436-650; viii:l-67; xiii:284- 295; 413-582. 2 See Hodgson in Proceedings, 8. P. R., xiii: 295-582. 3 Assumed name. 4 Proceedings, 8. P. R., xiii: 297. 104 Psychical Phenomena took them. Gave them to father, and father gave them to you. I want you to keep them. I will them to you." Mr. Hart notes that the studs were sent to him by G. P.'s father, and that he afterwards ascertained that they had been taken from G. P.'s body by his step- mother, who suggested that they should be sent to him. James and Mary Howard, two intimate friends of G. P., were mentioned with strongly personal specific references, and G. P. gave a message to their daughter Katherine: "Tell her, she'll know. I will solve the problems, Katherine." Later Mr. Hart explained that the message at the time was quite meaningless to him, but that he subsequently learned from James Howard that G. P. frequently had used to talk with Katherine on such subjects as Time, Space, God and Eternity, pointing out to her how unsatisfactory commonly ac- cepted solutions were. 1 A few weeks after the appearance of G. P., sittings were held with the Howards, who were not predisposed to take an interest in such matters but had been per- suaded by Mr. Hart to give Mrs. Piper a trial. We quote from Mr. Howard's notes taken during the first sitting on April 11th, 1892, 2 G. P. apparently con- trolling the voice directly: G. P. "Jim, is that you? Speak to me quick. I am not dead. Don't think me dead. I am awfully glad to see you. Can't you see me? Don't you hear me? Give my love to my father and tell him I want to see him. I am happy here, and more so since I find I can com- municate with you. I pity those people who can't speak I want you to know I think of you still. I spoke to John about some letters. I left things terribly mixed, my books arid my papers ; you will for- give me for this, won't you? . . . ." 1 Proceedings, 8. P. R., xiii: 297-298. 2 Ibid., pp. 300 et seq. Psychical Phenomena 105 (What do you do, George, where are you?) G. P. "I am scarcely able to do anything yet; I am just awakened to the reality of life after death. It was like darkness. I could not distinguish anything at first. Darkest hour just before dawn, you know that, Jim. I was puzzled, confused. Shall have an occupation soon. Now I can see you, my friends. I can hear you speak. Your voice, Jim, I can distinguish with your accent and articulation, but it sounds like a big bass drum. Mine would sound to you like the faintest whisper " (Were you not surprised to find yourself living?) G. P. "Perfectly so. Greatly surprised. I did not believe in a future life. It was beyond my reasoning powers. Now it is as clear to me as daylight. We have an astral fac-simile of the material body .... Jim, what are you writing now?" (Nothing of any importance.) G. P. "Why don't you write about this?" (I would like to, but the expression of my opinions would be nothing. I must have facts.) G. P. "These I will give to you and to Hodgson if he is still interested in these things." (Will people know about this possibility of com- munication?) G. P. "They are sure to in the end. It is only a question of time when people in the material body will know all about it, and every one will be able to com- municate I want all the fellows to know about me . . . ." Here follow references to several friends, to a tin box containing letters and so on. Finally G. P. was asked two questions : What was the purpose of the as- sociation he had formed two years ago with Miss Helen Vance and two other ladies, and who were the two ladies in question? G. P. appeared confused and gave wrong answers. But Phinuit now seemed to have 106 Psychical Phenomena taken control of the voice. As regards references to persons, incidents, characters, etc., in the preceding dialogue, they were, in so far as could be ascertained, correct. 1 Mr. Howard, although deeply impressed with the feeling that he had communicated with the departed G. P., remained unconvinced until the eleventh sitting held towards the end of December the same year, when he asked for some convincing proof in form of some- thing known to him and G. P. alone. Mrs. Piper was in deep trance, her body inert and lifeless with exception of the right hand, which was writing persistently and fiercely in answer to Mr. Howard's request. Mr. Hodgson, who was taking notes, makes the following comment : 2 "Several statements were read by me, and assented to by Mr. Howard, and then was written 'private' and the hand gently pushed me away. I retired to the other side of the room, and Mr. Howard took my place close to the hand where he could read the writing. He did not, of course, read it aloud, and it was too private for my perusal. The hand, as it reached the end of each sheet, tore it off from the block book, and thrust it wildly at Mr. Howard, and then continued writing. The circumstances narrated, Mr. Howard informed me, contained precisely the kind of test for which he had asked, and he said that he was 'perfectly satisfied, per- fectly.' After this incident there was some further conversation with reference to the past that seemed specially natural as coming from G. P." In order to test G. P.'s power to see things on earth some experiments were made among which were the following: G. P. was asked to visit Mrs. Howard in her home and report what she was doing, it having been previously arranged between her and Dr. Hodg-r 1 Proceedings, 8. P. B., xii:302. 2 Proceedings, 8. P. B., xiii:322. Psychical Phenomena 107 son that she should do various fantastic things. G. P. reported through Phinuit speaking: 1 "She's writing, and taken some violets and put them in a book. And it looks as if she's writing that to my mother Who is Tyson .... Davis .... I saw her (Mrs. Howard) sitting in the chair. By George! I've seen that fellow (the sitter) somewhere (touching face) (Why, George, you know me) sitting before a little desk or table. Took little book, opened it, wrote letter he thinks to his mother. Saw her take a little bag and put some things in it belonging to him, placed the photograph beside her on the desk. That's her. Sent a letter to TASON (Tyson?) TYSON." . . . . "She hunted a little while for her picture, sketching. He is certain that the letter is to his mother. She took one of George's books and turned it over and said: 'George, are you here? Do you see that?' These were the very words. Then she turned and went up a short flight of stairs. Took things from a drawer, came back again, sat down to the desk, and then finished the letter." A statement was sent to Mrs. Howard, who in a letter to Dr. Hodgson 2 affirms that she had done none of the things on the day of the seance, but all of them during the previous day and a half, and that nearly all the de- tails of the description were minutely accurate. The death of Mr. Edmund Gurney, which occurred in 1888, ushered in a new phase in Mrs. Piper's auto- matic communications. Shortly after his death mes- sages purporting to come from him were received by another automatist, and the following year by Mrs. Piper. Later the Edmund Gurney control appeared in the script of other mediums as did also those of Pro- fessor Sidgwick, Mr. Frederic Myers and Dr. Hodgson subsequent to their death. 1 Proceedings, 8. P. B., xiii:305 et seq. 2 Proceedings, 8. P. B., xiii : 306-307. 108 Psychical Phenomena We shall sufficiently refer to these communications in our chapter on Spirit Identity and shall make no further mention of them in this place. The most interesting development in automatic script is found in cross-correspondence, consisting of independent references to the same topic occurring at about the same time in the script of two or more autom- atists sometimes separated by very long distances. In the better cases the statements of one automatist are no mere reproductions of those of another or others, but represent different references to one and the same idea, so written that while in themselves they are often quite unintelligible, when taken together they are found to complement one the other and thus to form a coherent and intelligible statement. The different parts of the correspondence are sometimes distributed over a con- siderable space of time and in separate trances. We shall here present two examples which will be discussed in a later chapter. The "Ave Roma Immortalis" cross-correspondence occurred between the 2d and 7th of March, 1916, the automatists being Mrs. Verrall and Mrs. Holland. The script reads as follows. 1 Mrs. VerralVs script on March 2d, 1906. Non tali auxilio invenies quod velis non tali auxilio nee defensoribus istis. Keep the two distinct — you do not hear — write regularly — give up other things. Primus inter pares ipse non nominis immemor. Cum eo frater etsi non sanguine animo con- sanguineus ii ambo tibi per aliam vocem mittent — post aliquot dies bene quod dicam comprehendere potes — usque ad illud vale. 1 Proceedings, 8. P. R., xxi:297 et seq. Psychical Phenomena 109 Mrs. V err all's script on March 4th, 1906. Pagan and Pope. The Stoic persecutor and the Christian. Gregory not Basil's friend ought to be a clue, but you have it not quite right. Pagan and Pope and Reformer all enemies as you think. Crux signiflcationem habet. Crucifer qui olim fertur. The standard-bearer is the link. Mrs. VerralVs script on March 5th, 1906. Leonis pelle sumpto claviger in scriptis iam antea bene denotatus. Corrigenda sunt quaedam. Ask your husband, he knows it well. Stant inde columnae relicta Calpe iam finis. No you have left out something. Assiduo lectore columnae (fractae). Mrs. Verrall had recognized the reference to the iEneid ("Non tali auxilio" — the vain defence of Troy against the Greeks) but the rest had no meaning to her. Dr. Verrall, to whom she showed the script on March 2nd, said that he saw a connection between the two Latin passages but did not tell what connection. On seeing the script of March 4th he said that the same in- tention was conveyed by "Pagan and Pope, etc." On March 11th a copy of extracts of Mrs. Holland's script of March 7th arrived containing the words "Ave Roma Immortalis. How could I make it any clearer without giving her the clue?" which Dr. Verrall said ap- plied appropriately to the same thing. He then told his wife what he considered the script to allude to, being Raphael's picture of Attila meeting with Pope Leo. 1 1 Miss Johnson gives the following description of the picture : "The picture is the well-known one in the Stanza d'Eliodoro in the Vatican. The Pope sits on a white palfrey, a cross-bearer riding on his left and cardinals on his right. Attila on a black horse is in the middle of the picture, with a standard-bearer in the background on his right 110 Psychical Phenomena The "Sesame and Lilies" incident introduces the Mac family, the five members of which had been practicing planchette writing. The reading of Myers' "Human Personality" increased their interest in the practice, which now gave results in better writing and in new controls. In June, 1908, they read Miss Johnson's re- port on Mrs. Holland's script, 1 and on July 19th a "Sidgwick" control appeared in their script. Mrs. Verrall's name also appeared. On September 23d they made themselves known in a letter to Mrs. Verrall. In this letter the following script, which occurred on July 27th, 1908, was inclosed: 2 "Sidgwick. News from the Orient (Drawing of rose) Roses — dew-kissed — R. S. Sidgwick. Sesame and lilies — lotus the flower of repentance. Sidgwick. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. A little love and then the joy fades and the rose is crumpled and wither (s) up — fane. (Automatists ask, 'What is that?') French ('fane'). Bleeding hearts can not be staunched and the voice of death echoes through the brain with palling monotony — Sidgwick. Hollow and mortal vain is life without a meaning." This script, all from the Sidgwick control, has refer- ence to four topics, each forming the subject of cross- correspondence with other automatists, viz.: 3 1. "News from the Orient" refers to cross-corre- spondence between Mrs. Piper, Mrs. Holland and Mrs. Verrall under title "Light in the West." and a group of mounted Huns beyond. St. Peter and St. Paul are de- scending from the sky, both bearing swords, and St. Peter also holding a large key or keys in his left hand. In the background is seen the city of Rome, with the Coliseum and aqueducts." (Op. cit., p. 229.) 1 Proceedings, 8. P. R., xxi:266 et seq. 2 Ibid., p. 269. 3 Ibid. Psychical Phenomena 111 2. "Sesame and Lilies" refers to Miss Verrall's script of March 17th, 1907, and to that of Miss Verrall between July 20th and September 1st, 1908. 3. "Vanity of vanities" refers to Miss Verrall's script beginning June 1st, 1908. 4. "Bleeding hearts," etc., refers to Miss Verrall's script of March 16th, 1908, a stanza from one of Victor Hugo's poems. A description of the whole script in its connections would here be too lengthy and we shall confine our- selves to the "Sesame and Lilies" incident. We shall mention the scripts in chronological order. A. Miss VerralVs script of March 17th, 1908} "Alexander's tomb quinque et viginti annos post urbem conditam with fire and sword to purge the altar not without grief laurel leaves are emblem laurel for the victor's brow Say not the struggle nought availeth Sesame and lilies arum lilies When the darkness on the quiet land Scarlet tulips all in a row." The words "laurel" and "wreath" occur in Mrs. Ver- rall's script of February 6th, 1907. 2 Analyzing Miss Verrall's script we find : 1. Laurel leaves and laurel wreath. 2. Clough's poem, "Say not the struggle nought availeth." 3. Sesame and Lilies. B. Miss Macs script July 19th, 1908? "Where is the little blue vase with the lilies that grow by Sharon's dewy rose .... Search the Scriptures, and the dust shall be con- verted into fine gold." 1 Proceedings, 8. P. R., xxii:99. 2 Ibid., pp. 97-98. 5 Proceedings, 8. P. R., xxiv:273. 112 Psychical Phenomena C. Mrs. VerralVs script July 20th, 1908} contains reference to the Clough poem. D. Miss Mac's script July 26th, 1908? "A blue book bound in blue leather with ended paper and gold tooling." E. Miss Mac's script July 27th, 1908? "Sidgwick. Sesame and lilies — lotus the flower of repentance." F. Miss Mac's script July 29th, 1908? The "Evans" control says that Mr. Sidgwick is anxious to get a message through the automatists to Mrs. Verrall and was trying to do it now. G. Miss VerralVs script August 12th, 1908? "praeterita rediviva O mors, O labies Araby the perfumes of Araby H. Mrs. VerralVs script August 19th, 1908? "Let your hand go loose — let the words come. It is a literary allusion that should come to-day. Think of the words Liliastrum Paradise — Liliago — no not that. Lilies of Eden — Lilith no Eve's lilies all in a garden fair. Try again. Lilies swaying in a wind Under a garden wall Lilies for the bees to find Lilies fair and tall. Then besides the Lilies there is to be another word for you and for her Lilies and a different word — 1 Proceedings, 8. P. R., xxiv:268. 2 Ibid., p. 273. 8 Ibid., p. 269. 4 Ibid., p. 270. 6 Ibid., p. 313. Mrs. Verrall saw this script Sept. 1, 1908. "Ibid. Miss Verrall saw this script on Sept. 1, 1908. Psychical Phenomena 113 So that lilies is the catchword to show what words are to be put together. And your second word is gold. think of the golden lilies of France. You will have to wait some time for the end of this story, for the solution of this puzzle — but I think there is no doubt of its ultimate success. Yours." I. Miss VerralVs script August 19th, 1908} "Blue and gold were the colours golden stars on a blue ground like a night sky — the brimming goblet the eagles prey cupbearer to Zeus himself, but it availed him nothing when the peril came . . . ." J. Miss VerralVs script August 22&, 1908. 2 "Unto this last that was the message to be given. The cross and sceptre the double symbol temporal and spiritual but the cross was first. Who said 'I will go before that ye may see the track.' It was in the cemetery where the lilies grow — a view over the hills — blue hills — in love with death. Note that the words are a clue. But you have no but you have not yet written the most important of all. But do not hurry or guess let it come of itself. Is not there a change this time? You should consider what it was that made you feel what no (drawing of lyre without strings). An oriel window beautifully traced the Western light shines through. F. W. H. M." K. Miss Mac's script, September, 1908. 1st — Script of July to be sent to Mrs. Verrall. 13th — Above repeated. 18th — Script to be sent by September 26th. *Op. cit., p. 314. Mrs. Verrall saw this script on Sept. 1, 1908. 2 Ibid. Mrs. Verrall saw this script on Sept. 1, 1908. 114 Psychical Phenomena If we begin with E we read "Sesame and Lilies," which is the title of one of Ruskin's books, originating in two lectures given in Manchester in 1864. The lec- tures were called "Sesame: of Kings' Treasuries' , and "Lilies: of Queens' Gardens." In the first edition each lecture has a Greek motto, Sesame having prefixed Job xxviii :5-6 ("Out of it cometh bread and . . . . dust of gold"), and Lilies Canticles ii:2 ("As the Lily among thorns, so is my love . . . ."). This edition was bound in brown cloth. Later editions, bound in blue and gold, had other mottoes. The B script may well be considered to refer to the mottoes in the first edition and the D script evidently refers to the later editions bound in blue leather and gold. We have, then, in Miss Mac's script an allusion to Ruskin's "Sesame and Lilies." If we now turn to Mrs. Verrall's script, H refers to a literary allusion "which is to come to-day." Then "lilies" is referred to as the catchword which of course indicates cross-correspondence, and would connect with Miss Mac's script B and E. "Lilies" is to be the first word in the answer, the second is gold — which fits in with "Sesame: of Kings' Treasuries." We shall not en- large upon the various connections to be found between the two scripts. But if H is understood to refer to "Sesame and Lilies," the rest of the answer becomes clear. In G Miss Verrall writes "praeterita rediviva." Praeterita is the name of another of Ruskin's books, as is also Unto this Last, which occurs in her script in J. In his preface to the edition of 1882 Ruskin says of Sesame and Lilies that "if read in connection with Unto this Last, it contains the chief truths I have en- deavored through all my past life to display." This somewhat chimes in with praeterita rediviva! Psychical Phenomena 115 3. Crystal gazing is by no means proper to Spiritism. It is an ancient art which has been found among the customs of Assyria, Persia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, Japan and India, North American Indians, African tribes and the Incas, and is still in vogue among the Shamans of Siberia and Eastern Russia, the Polynesians, Australian savages, and so on. It received perhaps its highest development under di- rection of Doctor John Dee of the Elizabethan period, whose "shew-stone" has been preserved in the British Museum, and of whom Hudibras says : 1 "I've read Dee's prefaces before, The Devil and Euclid o'er and o'er, And all the intrigues 'twixt him and Kelly, Lescus and the Emperor would tell ye, Kelly did all his feats upon The Devil's looking-glass, a stone; Where playing with him at Bo Peep He solved all problems ne'er so deep." His "scyrer," Kelly, not only could see spirits in the stone, but also hear them talk, and he often kept long conversations with them. Sometimes writing was seen in place of spirits. Since his time the practice of crystal gazing has been carried on in England and else- where and has simply been adopted by the Spiritists. 2 The practice consists in looking fixedly into a crystal enveloped in a dark cloth or otherwise so arranged that it will return the least possible reflection. Instead of a crystal, a vessel containing clear water or some other clear liquid, a steel mirror, water in springs, etc., can be used. It is necessary that there should be nothing to distract the "scyrer," and consequently solitude and mental passivity are to be strongly recommended. A *Part II, canto 3. 2 See Andrew Lang, "The Making of Religion," pp. 90 et seq., and "Recent Experiments in Crystal Vision" by anonymous lady in Pro- ceedings, 8. P. R., v: 490-504. 116 Psychical Phenomena surface reflecting the images of surrounding objects would not fulfill this requirement, and it is for this rea- son that the crystal should be enveloped in black cloth or otherwise protected. In gazing into the crystal the "scyrer" must avoid fatigue no less than distraction. After the lapse often of about ten minutes a clouding is seen in the crystal, which will dissolve and give room for some figure. At times several figures and scenes will appear dramatically representing events. Again script will take the place of figures and scenes. Mrs. Verrall in describing crystal visions says 1 that they are unlike all other visual impressions which she has received, mentioning mental pictures, faces in the fire, shapes in the clouds and spontaneous impressions of persons or scenes. The difference between a picture in the crystal and a mental picture is quite marked but difficult to describe. She states: "I believe that with me the crystal picture is built up from the bright points in the crystal, as they sometimes enter into it; but the picture, when once produced, has a reality which I have never been able to obtain when looking into the fire or trying to call up an imaginary scene with my eyes shut." Her visions include animals, human figures, common ob- jects, geometrical figures, written words, scenes and fanciful groups or scenes. Movement occurs not infrequently in the pictures, and so does change. By movement she means altera- tion within the same picture, whereas change signifies that the whole picture undergoes alteration and is suc- ceeded by another. She adduces the following two ex- amples of movement and change respectively: "Landscape, large piece of still water in evening light, beyond it mountains and hills, two snowy peaks, one. sharply defined dark hill in front — open space on 1 Proceedings 8. P. R., viii:473. Psychical Phenomena 117 right of mountains. Steamer passing from right to left till it touched shore and was lost to sight." "I saw nothing for some time. Then a flower like a convolvulus, which I knew to be pink though I saw no color, first sideways, then facing with a hard round knob in the middle. Then I knew it was not pink, but metal. I knew this from the hardness of outline, not the color. It kept changing from one position to the other." 1 Sometimes the picture undergoes development in that things which first appear dim and confused become clear and distinct. The pictures shown in the crystal in a large number of cases do not even suggest spirit intervention. They are plainly after-images and memories recrudescent or unconsciously in the mind of the percipient. But there are visions of another kind, which imply acquisition of knowledge by other than generally accepted normal means. These visions are often premonitory or they represent events occurring at a distance and not at the time known by the recipient, or past events of which he or she is normally ignorant. The figure of a man, his features muffled, is seen crouching at a certain small window and looking into the room from the outside. One is led to believe that some account of burglary has conjured this vision in the imagination of the recipient. But three days later a fire breaks out in the same room, which has to be entered from the outside through the window, the fireman protecting his face against the flames with a wet towel. 2 Or, a small bunch of daffo- dils presents itself in various positions on a certain Monday evening, and a few days later the "scyrer" re- ceives from an artist friend a "Valentine" with a bunch of daffodils, corresponding exactly to the picture in the 1 Proceedings, 8. P. R., v:474. -Proceedings, S. P. R., v: 517-518. 118 Psychical Phenomena crystal, and learns that the sender employed some hours on the preceding Monday in making studies of the flowers in various positions. 1 Occasionally, however, the crystal vision corresponds poorly to the actual object to which it refers, which was the case when the "scyrer" described the person of Queen Victoria as "wearing black trousers and shoes, a white hat, red coat, black waistcoat, having whiskers, and presenting a glass tumbler." 2 1 Proceedings, 8. P. R., v:516. 2 Ibid., v:514. See further Proceedings, S. P. R., v: 486-521, viii:473- 492; x:108, 136; xv: 48-50; 385; Myers, "Human Personality," varia loca, etc. CHAPTER V. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena. Turning from the phenomena themselves as they have been observed and are found described in the sources upon which we have drawn, we now approach the task of accounting for their origin. The problem thus offer- ing itself has for a long time demanded the attention of men identified with Psychical Research, but so far has found no complete or definite solution, so that at present the subject has not advanced beyond the stage of more or less plausible theories. In dealing with Spiritism from the point of view of Religion we should necessarily be supremely concerned with the question whether or not the claim to preter- natural causation of the phenomena, put forth by the defenders of Spiritism, can be substantiated. And evi- dently we can reach a decision on that point only by exhausting the possibility of natural causation. The enormous difficulty which such task involves will be appreciated when we consider the divergence of con- clusions — or rather the inconclusive results — which are the fruits of the strenuous and patient labors of over sixty years of scientific investigation. With such facts before us, and realizing on the one hand the vast im- portance of the subject, and on the other its bizarre and evasive nature, we can not dare to hope for summary and definite conclusions, nor must we treat the subject in a dogmatic manner. And since it would be entirely beyond the scope of the present treatise to undertake anything approaching a searching investigation, we shall here merely in a general way refer to the results already obtained and give a short outline of the process by which we think the question might possibly become more definitely settled in the future. 120 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena To begin with the physical phenomena, there are two main hypotheses of natural causation to be considered. For the phenomena as a whole may either be spurious, that is to say surreptitiously produced by mechanical means, or owe their merely subjective existence to psychological aberrations in the mind of the observer; or they may be genuine, i. e., of an objective nature true to their appearance, in which they would have to be ascribed to some hitherto unknown force or forces in nature. If either can be shown to offer adequate ex- planation the ground will be cut from under the spirit- istic claim. We readily admit that nature is far from having been fully explored and that doubtless she may harbour powers of which at present we are not cognizant. The thought that such a force or such forces would have been brought to display in phenomena which are new and puzzling has long been in the minds of men. Mesmer ascribed his phenomena to Animal Magnetism, Petetin referred them to Animal Electricity, and both Count de Gasparin and Sir William Crookes sought the operation of an unknown natural force behind the phenomena of Spiritism. Baron von Reichenbach thought that he had dis- covered a force, which he named Od, and which emanated with a luminous effect from magnets, crys- tals, human bodies and other substances. But so far as his experiments are concerned, it was never proven that the luminous emanations had more than a subjective reality in the mind or imagination of the observers. On the other hand, more recent observations and experi- ments have proved that psychical emotions cause elec- trical variations in our system, and radiations from the body similar in effect to cathodic rays have been registered upon photographic plates. 1 It seems certain 1 See Boirac, "Our Hidden Forces," pp. 249-259 ; Tromelin, "Le Fluide Humain" ; Imoda in "Annals of Psychical Science," Aug.-Sept. 1908; and Baraduc, "L'Iconographie en Anses." Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 121 that these radiations follow variations and changes in our system. As a rule they are not visible to the normal eye, but can be seen by clairvoyants and psychics de- pending, no doubt, upon the supernormally increased sensitivity of their senses. Other minute effects, which would be easily explained by bodily electricity or even heat, have been registered upon a very sensitive appa- ratus, while attempts to test the odic fluid, or whatever we might choose to call the emanations from the body, upon sensitive scales have been in vain. 1 The physical phenomena of Spiritism postulate not only a force exerting attraction and repulsion. Such action would account but for a minority of the phenomena, whereas a great many of them, such as sounds, impressions, passing of matter through matter, raps, touches and blows, production of substances and objects, elongation, the fire-test, and, above all, ma- terialization, would not find their explanation in any force analogous in its operation to presently known forces of nature. A force, which at the will of pref- erably an uneducated peasant woman, or a young girl with no experience in physics — or in so far as the marvel is concerned, at the will of anybody — will not only lift tables, play musical instruments, produce faces in clay and reproduce the texture of the medium's skin in lamp-smoke, but also create shadowy hands and figures, life-like phantoms with all the properties of living hu- man beings, dressed and trimmed in female costume, or awe-inspiring in pickelhaube and bedsheet — which ob- jects, by the way, also have to be produced — and again reduce all this tangible matter to the ether or nothing- ness whence it issued — such a versatile force is a strange one indeed — in itself a stranger phenomenon than those of Spiritism. 1 See Flournoy's and E. Dermole's experiments in the former's "Spiritism and Psychology" p. 296. 122 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena It would be an obvious weakness to refer to many forces with different operations, especially since ma- terialization and dematerialization, if at all possible, would explain the majority of the phenomena as being the work of the materialized being. But materializa- tion, to which subject we shall have occasion to return, offers — at least apart from the spiritistic hypothesis — what seem to be insuperable difficulties of acceptance. If a new force has been found operative in the phenomena of Spiritism, let us have proof of its ex- istence other than seventy years of notoriously fraudu- lent mediumship. The kind of proof we look for has well been stated by Sir William Crookes who writes: 1 "The spiritualist tells of flowers with the fresh dew on them, of fruit, and living objects being carried through closed windows, and even solid brick- walls. The scientific investigator naturally asks that an additional weight (if it be only the thousandth part of a grain) be deposited on one pan of his balance when the case is locked. And the chemist asks for the one-thousandth of a grain of arsenic to be carried through the sides of a glass tube in which pure water is hermetically sealed." Till such proofs are forthcoming we need not appeal from Spiritism to unknown forces in nature. As a matter of fact, the phenomena when studied in their ensemble at seances to our mind offer little en- couragement to the prospective discoverer of a new force. With few exceptions they are such as could be performed by a human being, most frequently with the agency of one or two hands. The mediums usually re- fer to them as done by spirits possessing the properties of a living being — it is the spirit that dips its face in the wet clay, that lifts the table, administers the blows, makes the raps, carries the objects, the lights, etc., and pro- duces the sounds. Eusapia, when levitated, could feel 'Researches, etc.," p. 6. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 123 pressure as of a hand under the pit of her arm, and her sitters, when molested by the spirits, could feel the out- line of a hand which gave the blows, or of the fingers which pinched them. During her seances there was mention of a third hand, a kind of materialized spirit hand, executing the various movements, etc. If to these facts we add the frequently occurring materializations of hands, and also those of busts and whole figures, we come to the conclusion that at least the great majority of the phenomena are not produced by a simple natural force, but by a being, acting as would a living human being. Upon this conclusion, apart from the spiritistic hypothesis, two claims may be based. The defenders of materialization as a natural process, whereby the etheric double or body of the medium will escape from the material body and manifest itself, see in the phe- nomena the activity of the thus externalized and ma- terialized double. On the other hand more skeptically inclined people are ready to assert that the whole marvel is the result of trickery and prestidigitation on the part of the medium. Leaving the question of materialization for later discussion we shall now see how far the hypoth- esis of fraudulent production will lead. No serious investigator, particularly of the physical phenomena of Spiritism, will deny that fraud plays an important part in their production, that, in fact, dis- honesty among mediums generally speaking is so com- monly found as to justify an a priori attitude of skepticism, if nothing worse, towards spiritistic per- formances. While it would not be in harmony with principles of scientific research to reject the whole mat- ter on prima facie evidence or on a priori judgment, nevertheless we feel that the weight of this evidence is such that we are justified in refusing to accept the phe- 124 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena nomena as genuine until proofs to that end have been forthcoming. The grounds for our attitude may be briefly summarized as follows : 1 Beginning with the phenomena themselves it must be admitted that a priori they are very improbable, al- though not in the same degree, for while raps and tele- kinetic phenomena might be placed side by side with already accepted physical effects, materialization and passing of matter through matter would reverse our whole conception of the laws of nature. Of course, this point does not disprove the possibility of the physical phenomena of Spiritism, for, however firmly our conception of the laws of nature may be es- tablished, yet it is not unthinkable that some future discovery might bring about a readjustment. But, at least in so far as the fundamental laws of nature are concerned, this seems exceedingly improbable. And consequently we feel justified on these grounds in in- creasing our demands upon the evidence adduced in favor of the spiritistic phenomena. 2 Passing from the phenomena to the conditions sur- rounding their occurrence we find that the arrangements in the seance-room are highly favorable to fraudulent productions. The darkness or semi-darkness of the seance-room will to a large extent prevent detection of trickery, and facilitate the introduction of apparatus for producing effects such as "spirit-lights," luminous bodies, showers of fluid, and the like. This is empha- sized by the employment of a cabinet with a curtain be- hind which the medium may operate without much risk of being detected. 1 We follow in part the general outline of Count Perovsky-Petrovo- Solovovo's a priori argument as found in "Les Phenomenes physique du Spiritism: quelques difficultees." In Proceedings, 8. P. R., xxv:413 et seq. 2 Count Petrovo (Op. cit., p. 414) quotes the principle: "Plus un fait est en soi improbable, plus nous sommes authorises a nous montrer diffi- ciles en fait de preuve." Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 125 The conditions enjoined upon the sitters such as hold- ing of hands, remaining in a certain place, thinking of a certain thing or observing a certain point, etc., are cal- culated to act as an effective check upon investigation. The playing of musical instruments, and singing and talking during the seances — a thing frequently en- couraged by mediums — would serve both to drown the sound of secret manipulations and considerably affect the attention of the sitters, whose powers of observation are furthermore dulled by the mysterious atmosphere created by the expectation of the marvels the medium will announce to be about to happen. While all these conditions may not be found at seances held for the bene- fit of scientific investigators, yet it is a fact that noted professional mediums have been unable to produce a single phenomenon when the suspicious circumstances were removed. 1 There is an obvious objection to this point. Physical experiments depend upon certain conditions. Rub a glass-staff and it will become charged with electricity. Insist upon rubbing it with a wet cloth or in great humidity, and no result will be obtained. Insist upon taking photographs in the dark or developing the plates or films in broad daylight, and no photographic impres- sion will be received. On the face of it the objection seems to carry some weight. But the conditions upon which natural physical phenomena depend are first of all simple, and usually — except perhaps in the case of photography — do not in the very least suggest a secret process. The reverse of this is to be said of the spiritistic phenomena, for not 1 From 1874 to 1886 Mrs. Sidgwick conducted a series of investiga- tions with eight professional mediums. Not a single phenomenon could be produced when necessary precautions were taken. See Proceedings, 8. P. B., iv:45 et seq. Nor has the American Society for Psychical Research ever been able to find a medium that would produce physical phenomena satisfactorily under test-conditions. See Am. Proceedings, S. P. R., i:230. 126 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena only are the conditions complex, without which they are said not to occur, but they are precisely those we would expect were trickery to be practiced. But then there is another consideration which we think will be of still more weight. Natural physical phenomena depend upon laws and conditions which are constant. A copper wire will always conduct electricity — rubber never; light will always dissolve nitrate of silver; heat always procure expansion, and so forth. But this is not the case with spiritistic phenomena. Mediums — or rather their "spirit-controls" — will ex- plain the "laws" which govern the physical phenomena. And these "laws," said to be of a sine qua non nature, change with various "spirits" in a self -contradictory manner. One "spirit-control" will say that darkness is necessary for the production of phenomena — yet, D. D. Home usually operated in full light, so did the slate- writing mediums, and as regards certain sittings with Eusapia we are told by her investigators that the num- ber of the phenomena increased in proportion to the light. 1 The chain of hands is necessary, yet, when con- venient to the medium it may be broken as will be seen, for example, on the photographs of levitated tables to which we have referred. Certain mediums — as for in- stance the Davenport brothers — will operate only when isolated from the assistants, and with their hands and feet tied, while others will not consent to be tied. The apport-phenomena are rather common, but some mediums never perform them, and Home's "spirit- control" declares that "it is impossible for matter to pass through matter." 2 When we come to inquire into the materialization phenomena, we shall be told that they depend upon the trance state of the medium. According to Aksakov's 1 Feilding, Baggally and Carrington in Proceedings, 8. P. R., xxiii : 323. * Researches, etc., p. 98. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 127 theory there corresponds to each partial or total ma- terialization a partial or total dematerialization of the medium. 1 Still, at Crookes' tete-a-tetes with Katie King, at the materializations at Villa Carmen and at many other times, both medium and materialized spirit are reported to have been seen together. The "astral- body" or "etheric double" theory will have the astral- body of the medium, which conforms in size and shape with his material body, appear outside him, and such is the exact resemblance between the two that the faces impressed by Eusapia's double in clay or putty are easily recognized to be her face, and the marks of her astral fingers in the lamp-black could not be dis- tinguished from her finger prints by a Bertillon expert. But Sir William Crookes takes photographs both of Florence Cook and of Katie King, and finds them two different beings: the young lady of Villa Carmen has a bearded double with pickelhaube and bedsheet ; Eusapia materializes hands of men, women and children, big and small, hairy and soft. Jan Guzik is never entranced, nor even isolated from his sitters when the spirits materialize. However, he makes one condition — no pieces of cloth impregnated with luminous substances must be tied around his legs and arms. That is the supreme "law" of his materiali- zations. Some materialized spirits are flowing over with startling information, but Mrs. Corner (Florence Cook) declares that once back in human shape the spirit knows no more than the assistants. The very phenomena are mutually contradictory. The immediate presence of the medium, and par- ticularly of his hands, is required for the most in- significant movement without contact, whereas apport takes place often from long distances and at that neces- sitates the passing of the object brought through brick walls or other substantial matter. 1 Proceedings, 8. P. R., xxiii:323. 128 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena Apart from the element of contradiction, is it merely coincidence that the soi-disant laws of the spiritistic phenomena seem to point to rather plausible methods of trickery? We also find them changing in a manner which can not escape our suspicion when we compare them with fraudulent methods already dis- covered in use. First there is the "materialized hand" carrying objects; later, when the trick of freeing one hand has been discovered, the "law" changes and the "materialized cord," unheard of before Ochorowicz's ex- periments, takes its place. The materialized form is said to issue from the medium, and to dissolve by re- joining him. That is precisely what would appear at a staged materialization. Grocyn stands pointing at the table from which the sounds issue at Moses' seances. All in all, there is a deplorable coincidence between the "law" and conditions which would favour fraud. The spirits frequently leave relics in the seance-room, but these are invariably of the most terrestrial origin — we again refer to Katie King's lock and the piece from her dress, both secured by the gallant Sir William — and as for Anna Rothe's flowers and Baily's birds — one even discovered the shops from which they came. Certain mediums have been subjected to seances under test-conditions which at times have convinced the investigators present that mechanical trickery was precluded. Such was the case with Sir William Crookes when investigating the Home phenomena, and of many of Eusapia's investigators. Of course their judgment is based merely upon ocular observation which cannot always be exact. And it is interesting to notice that there is a certain relation between the severity of the test conditions and the success of the phenomena. The early days of Spiritism show more astounding phe- nomena than we have been accustomed to hear of later when more rigorous control has been employed. Home's phenomena were more marvelous than Eusapia's. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 129 If the conditions of the seance-room invite to fraud, there are also ample methods of fraudulent production. Almost every physical phenomenon has been success- fully reproduced by mechanical means under conditions not only similar to but at times less favourable than those of the average seance-room. We shall not attempt to describe the many methods for lifting and moving objects, producing raps and all kinds of sounds, causing objects to appear and disap- pear, loosing tied cords (whereby the medium may easily free himself in the cabinet), producing luminous effects, "spirit-photographs," etc.; suffice it to say that there is a profuse abundance of such methods known to the sleight-of-hand artist. 1 On the other hand, none of these methods would account for certain phenomena of this order as they are reported to have been produced by certain mediums, notably the "elongations" and "fire-test" of D. D. Home. But to these cases we shall return later. The phenomena which convey intelligence are as easily accounted for by fraud as those of a purely physical character. We need make no new reference to raps as occurring in "rapping-messages" and "spirit-telegraphy." Slate- writing is easily performed without the intervention of spirits. Both Slade and Eglinton, the foremost slate-writing mediums, were found to produce the phenomena by substituting for the original slate a prepared one. 2 Mr. S. J. Davey learned the tricks connected with this art, and gave per- formances in broad daylight which baffled even such critics as Mr. Podmore. 3 1 Hereward Carrington has devoted considerable space in his "The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism" to a description of a few of these methods. See also Paul Cams, "The Old and New Magic," Chicago, 1906. 2 Podmore, "Studies, etc.," p. 95, and Criticism by Mrs. Sidgwick in Journal, S. P. R., June, 1886. 3 "He produced a long message in Japanese for a Japanese marquis; he made — or seemed to make — pieces of chalk under a glass describe geometrical figures . . .; ... he materialized in strong light a woman's 130 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena Planchette-writing, in so far as its physical part is concerned, differs little from table turning. Direct "spirit-writing" with pencil and paper may be per- formed by sleight-of-hand as easily as any "apport" phenomenon. "Materialization" may, without great difficulty, be staged in a dark room 1 with the aid of a few yards of white netting previously impregnated with a luminous substance. The performer, dressed in black and wear- ing a black mask, is invisible in the darkness. He car- ries the prepared netting in a small, black bag in his vest-pocket 2 or keeps it concealed in the back of his chair, and all he has to do is to take it out, let it appear on the floor as a small, glowing ball which, as he un- folds it, grows into a phantastic rising spirit-shape, and, finally, wrapped round him as he takes off his black mask and gloves, which have hidden face and hands powdered with luminous substance, presents a life-like, full-fledged "materialized" spirit. Whole scores of "ghosts" have been introduced into the seance-room by this method, and readily recognized by the sitters as their departed parents, grandparents, children, friends and relatives. Indeed, the most charm- ing "spirit-queens" have been known to have returned to the shadows of earth in quest of some pecunious "affinity," to sweeten his life and empty his pocket- book. 3 So far we have shown that there exist conditions and methods which render the physical phenomena as a whole exceedingly suspicious. That our suspicions are not unfounded is eminently shown throughout the head, which floated in the air and then dematerialized ; and the half- length figure of a bearded man, in a turban, reading a book, who bowed to the circle and finally disappeared through the ceiling with a scraping noise." (Podmore, "Studies, etc.," pp. 104-105; see also Proceedings, 8. P. R., vi:416, 418.) Harrington, Op. cit., pp. 230-275. 2 Ibid., pp. 250-251. 3 Ibid., pp. 258-260. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 131 history of the spiritistic movement, which, at least in so far as physical phenomena are concerned, is so filled with evidence of fraud that it would seem that genuine productions were scarcely ever exhibited. The Fox girls were exposed in fraud, 1 so were Anna Rothe, 2 Miss Cook, 3 Miss Wood, 4 Mrs. Mellon, 5 Messrs. Slade 6 and Eglinton, 7 Heme, 8 Williams and Rita, 9 Bastian and Taylor, 10 Miss Showers, 11 Eusapia Palladino, 12 the spirit-photographers, 13 the Australian, Bailey, 14 Charles Eldred, 15 Craddock; 16 as a fact almost every pro- fessional physical, and most psychic mediums have — in many cases repeatedly — been detected in trickery; and only the most amazing credulity coupled with ignorance on the part of the masses can explain the continued prosperity of the profession. 17 .... Nor is fraud to be laid at the door of the paid medium alone, for the desire to receive notice, to be extraordinary and interesting and to be considered specially gifted has 1 See pp. 19-20. 2 Annales des Sciences Psychiques, 1894, p. 388; 1895, p. 53. 3 See p. 26. 4 Podmore, "Modern Spiritualism," vol. II, pp. 198, 112-113. 5 T. Shekleton Henry, "Spookland," pp. 50-51. 8 See p. 31 and Annales des Sciences Psychiques, 1905, p. 218. T Podmore, Op. cit., pp. 206-207; "Studies, etc.," p. 100. 8 Podmore, "Modern Spiritualism," vol. II, p. 107. "Ibid., p. Ill, and Annales des Sciences Psychiques, 1894, p. 333. 10 Podmore, "Modern Spiritualism," vol. II, p. 107. "Ibid., p. 104. "See p. 41. "See pp. 26-27. 14 Annales des Sciences Psychiques, 1905, p. 218. "Ibid., 1906, pp. 184 and 292. "Ibid., 1906, pp. 320, 448. "J. N. Maskelyne, a former professional medium, in "The Super- natural," p. 183, says: "There does not exist, and there never existed, a professional medium of any note who has not been convicted of trickery or fraud." He evidently forgets the case of D. D. Home. The author of "The Revelations of a Spirit Medium," a former Spiritist who admits fraud in his own performances, states (p. 95) : "Of all the mediums I have met, in eighteen years, and that means a great many, in many phases, I have never met one that was not sailing the very same description of craft as myself." See also Myers on "Resolute Credulity" and "Spurious Mediumship" in Proceedings, S. P. R., xi:213- 234, and Journal, S. P. R., iii: 199-207. 132 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena caused many an one to seek emergence from the com- parative obscurity, which talent failed to dispel, in parading an enviable intimacy with the great spirits of the past before small circles of up-to-date society. We have just mentioned that malobservation is not excluded even on the part of the skeptical scientist and critic examining the phenomena. But if we turn to the great mass of evidence for genuine phenomena pub- lished broadcast in magazines and newspapers by peo- ple who do not attend seances in the capacity of critics but whose credulity and disposition towards Spiritism incline them to accept whatever is presented to them no matter under what conditions, we shall find that it is without any value whatsoever. And yet, it is this kind of evidence which is placed before the vast, un- critical public. That such an attitude not only facili- tates, but positively invites, fraud goes without saying. Mr. Myers gives some interesting data on credulity and fraud in his articles on "Resolute Credulity" * and "Spurious Mediiimship." 2 Add to this that the medium, when the phenomena are slow in coming, may receive help from fanatic sitters who know that the spirits can cause them, and when for some reason or other they fail, do what the spirits would have done. But apart from credulity and fanaticism, many a sensible and unprejudiced investigator will be deceived, for it takes long training to be a good observer. One must know and be prepared for tricks and avoid being distracted by the methods which mediums use to con- trol the attention of their sitters. It is extremely hard, if not mostly impossible, to detect the methods of professional jugglers. But jugglers are expected to "perform" without mishap and failure, whereas the medium can fail as many times as he wishes — and blame it on the spirits — and choose for his phenomena 1 In Proceedings, 8. P. R., xi: 213-234. 2 In Journal, 8. P. B., iii: 199-207. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 133 moments when the attention of the observers is properly diverted and other conditions are favourable. Even detection of constant trickery is no more considered an argument against the occurrence of genuine phenomena. The a priori argument, as said, does not prove that the whole of the physical phenomena is imposture. But it goes to show how greatly they are open to suspicion and certainly places on their side the onus probandi. After all that has been said we feel fully justified in refusing to accept as genuine a single physical phe- nomenon in the absence of direct, positive evidence. In seeking this we shall briefly review some of the results obtained by scientific investigations, and particularly by those associated with Psychical Research, reserving the phenomenon of materialization for a special ex- amination. Investigation in the past is associated especially with the names of Dr. Hare, Professor Zollner, and Sir William Crookes. Mr. Moses, although never subject to scientific examination, offers evidence at least in a certain respect valuable. More modern times have had a large number of investigators, experimenting with several remarkable mediums, but we shall confine our- selves here to the investigations conducted with Eusapia Palladino whom Carrington hails as the greatest of all physical mediums. 1 To begin with Professor Zollner we find that the only accounts of his experiments are given by himself. 2 The value of his written evidence depends entirely upon whether the phenomena actually occurred as described therein, or whether the medium, Slade, succeeded in de- ceiving Zollner. There is nothing to corroborate Zollner's testimony. 1 "In her may now be said to culminate and focus the whole evi- dential case for the physical phenomena of spiritualism." — "Eusapia Palladino and her Phenomena," p. 4. 2 In "Transcendental Physics." 134 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena To this should be added the fact that Slade was notorious for fraudulent performances outside the sit- tings with Zollner 1 and even seems to have confessed trickery. 2 Carrington 3 gives a rather detailed account of the tricks by which the phenomena in question might be produced, and also of the possible sources of error in Zollner's observation ; and taking all together we are forced to admit that Zollner's experiments furnish no valid evidence for the genuineness of Slade's phe- nomena. We shall not detain ourselves with Dr. Hare's ex- periments since it is generally admitted that the evi- dence they offer for the genuineness of physical phe- nomena is inferior to that of Zollner. 4 Sir William Crookes' experiments fall into three parts: those conducted with Miss Cook for the investi- gation of "materialization," those conducted with D. D. Home covering physical phenomena in general and change in weight in particular, and his observations in regard to sounds. Let us begin with D. D. Home. It has often been stated that this gentleman holds the unique position in the annals of Spiritism of being the only physical medium who was never discovered in trickery. We can adduce the testimony of only one person to the con- trary. But this is in no way surprising if on the one hand we consider the character of Home and his presence which won for him the personal affection and esteem of all those with whom he came in contact and a priori inclined his audience to look upon him as a man 1 Podmore, "Modern Spiritualism," vol. II, pp. 87-90; Mrs. Sidgwick in Proceedings, S. P. R., iv:56; Report of the Seybert Commission, pp. 56-59; Truesdell, "Spiritualism, Bottom Facts," passim; Carrington, "The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism," pp. 20-24. 2 Report of the Seybert Commission, p. 70. 3 "The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism," pp. 24-47. 4 Dr. Hyslop says: "Hare's experiments . . . were not so good as Zollner's" ("Borderland of Psychical Research," p. 237) ; See also Podmore, "Studies, etc." p. 49. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 135 beyond suspicion ; on the other that this very audience — people of society — gathered around him more to be amused and entertained than to investigate his phe- nomena, this with only a few notable exceptions, par- ticularly Sir William Crookes, whose experiments with Home we now propose to discuss. But let us first quote a letter written in August, 1855, by Mr. Merrifield, and bearing upon Home's phenomena: 1 ". . . . Just as we were on the point of taking our leave, the medium professed his willingness to give us another sitting. Accordingly, we took our places at the side of the table, the medium occupying the extreme right, and a constant associate of his sitting opposite to him. I sat nearly halfway between them, and there- fore facing the windows. The table was circular, and the semicircle nearest the window was unoccupied. The lights were removed, and very soon the operations be- gan. It was about eleven o'clock; the moon had set, but the night was starlight, and we could well see the outline of the windows and distinguish, though not with accuracy of outline, the form of any large object intervening before them. The medium sat as low as possible in his low seat. His hands and arms were under the table. He talked freely, encouraging con- versation, and seeming uneasy when it flagged. After a few preliminary raps somebody exclaimed that the 'spirit-hand' had appeared, and the next moment an object resembling a child's hand, with a long, wide sleeve attached to it, appeared before the light. This occurred several times. The object appeared mainly at one or other of two separate distances from the medium. One of these distances was just that of his foot, the other that of his outstretched hand; and when the object receded or approached, I noticed that the medium's body or shoulder sank or rose in the chair 1 Journal, 8. P. R., May 1903, pp. 77-78. 136 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena accordingly. This was pretty conclusive to myself and the friend who accompanied me; but afterwards, upon the invitation of one of the dupes present, the 'spirit- hand' rose so high that we saw the whole connection be- tween the medium's shoulder and arm, and the 'spirit- hand' dressed out on the end of his own." In this connection it may be interesting to note that Robert Browning was convinced "that the whole display of hands, spirit utterances, etc., was a cheat and im- posture." 1 We shall now return to Sir William Crookes and the scientific investigation of Home's phenomena. The experiment with the accordion was considered by Sir William and his assistants as a crucial test. 2 It is evident that Home could not have played the ac- cordion under the circumstances. On the other hand the alleged phenomenon is so extraordinary that we can not accept its genuineness unless all possibilities of prestidigitation or other forms of trickery can be elimi- nated. This, we think, cannot be done. We may well suppose that Home did not come un- prepared ; rather he must have known what kind of phe- nomena were expected, for Sir William states that the experiments in his home were held for the purpose of testing certain phenomena which had occurred under Home's influence. Sir William had witnessed them "some half dozen times" before. 3 1 Times (London), Nov. 28, 1902. 2 "Mr. Home still holding the accordion in the usual manner (be- tween thumb and middle finger of one hand at the opposite end to the keys) in the cage, his feet being held by those next to him, and his other hand resting on the table, we heard distinct and separate notes sounded in succession, and then a simple air was played. As such a result could only have been produced by the various keys of the instrument being acted upon in harmonious succession, this was considered by those pres- ent to be a crucial experiment. But the sequel was still more striking, for Mr. Home then removed his hand altogether from the accordion, tak- ing it quite out of the cage, and placed it in the hand of a person next to him. The instrument then continued to play, no person touching it and no hand being near it." — "Researches, etc." p. 13. 3 Ibid., p. 10. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 137 Now, the music consisted of a few sounds, several notes in succession and a simple air. What could have been easier for Home than to produce this quantity of music by means of a music-box carried concealed on his person? The most natural conclusion, then, is that the accordion did not play at all, and that the experi- menters simply took for granted that the sounds from the concealed music box issued from the accordion. There is nothing in Sir William's account to suggest that he ascertained the exact source of the music. Sir William mentions the temperature in the room but makes no record of the intensity of its illumination. Yet, the value of visual observation would have been greatly reduced had the light been dim. In connection with his experiments with the spring balance appa- ratus Sir William mentions that the light was ample enough to show all that took place. 1 We do not know whether this statement should be taken to include the experiments with the accordion. But even with the light from a gas jet, the space under the table where the cage was placed must have been quite dark. Sir William's assistant crept under the table where he ob- served the accordion expanding and contracting while Home's hand, which was holding it, remained still. But it would not have been very difficult for Home to produce these movements in the accordion to which the air had access by the base key being open, 2 and oc- casional minute jerks of his hand, which was concealed in the comparative darkness under and close to the top of the table, would scarcely have been detected. Had a lamp been placed under the table the test would have carried more weight, but Sir William would not have failed to make mention of such precaution if it had been taken. 1 "Researches, etc.," p. 36. a "Researches, etc.," p. 12. 138 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena A small, black silk cord with a hook would have helped Home to complete the marvel. With some skill in his fingers he could have fastened the hook in the table above his hand and suspended the accordion from the cord which would not have been visible in the dark- ness under the table, and again introducing his hand into the cage to remove the accordion he could also have removed the evidence of the trick. The music box and the cord are Mr. Podmore's sug- gestion for an explanation of the phenomenon. 1 Sir William must have foreseen criticism of this kind, for he states 2 that on the afternoon of the experiment he called for Mr. Home in his apartment and was present when Home changed dress, thus being able "to state positively that no machinery, apparatus, or contrivance of any sort was secreted about his person." But what could have prevented Home, who knew what kind of phenomena would be expected, from slipping the music box and cord into his top-coat pocket? So far as Sir William's account shows, evidently nothing. Next we come to the experiments with the spring balance. Mr. Podmore thinks 3 that the weakness in the evidence for the results reported consists in "that Home, a practised conjurer, as the past record of him- self and his followers entitles us to assume, dictated the conditions of the experiment" This he did by declin- ing to allow the capricious force of which he was master to operate until the conditions were to his liking. This is confirmed by Sir William's statement: 4 "The ex- periments I have tried have been very numerous, but owing to our imperfect knowledge of the conditions which favor or oppose the manifestations of this force, to the apparently capricious manner in which it is ex- lt( The Newer Spiritualism," p. 51. 2 "Researches, etc.," p. 11. 3 Op. cit., pp. 52-53. * "Researches, etc.," p. 110. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 139 erted, and to the fact that Mr. Home himself is subject to unaccountable ebbs and flows in the force, it has but seldom happened that a result obtained on one oc- casion could be subsequently confirmed and tested with apparatus specially contrived for the purpose." 1 Mr. Podmore's inference is that Home employed a device such as "a loop of black silk, which would be in- visible in the obscurity, passed over the distal end of the board and attached at the other end to some part of Home's person." 2 No doubt, this might have been done in the obscurity by a person skilled in the art of prestidigitation. And Mr. Podmore asserts that ob- scurity probably was one of the necessary conditions for the success of the experiment, basing himself on the fact that at a certain occasion the light is reported to have been so dim as scarcely to show the movement of the board and index. 3 This, however, was not al- ways the case, for Sir William expressly states — as we have already mentioned — that the light was sufficient to show all that took place. And the difficulty increases when we consider the results obtained with the more perfected apparatus. 4 The first experiment was made with a non-professional female medium whose hands were held under con- trol on the board of the apparatus while "percussive noises were heard on the parchment, resembling the dropping of grains of sand on its surface." 5 We can not here adopt the explanation that the medium freed one hand — in the manner known from Eusapia's seances — for the light was sufficient for Sir William to see a fragment of graphite on the membrane being projected about l-50th of an inch simultaneously with 1 "Researches, etc." 2 Op. cit., p. 64. 3 Podmore, Op. cit., p. 53, and Proceedings, S. P. R., vi:110. 4 See p. 56. 5 Researches, etc., p. 39. 140 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena the occurrence of the percussions. It should be noted that the medium came fully ignorant of the nature of the experiments. 1 Similar results were obtained with Home when hold- ing his one hand above the membrane and about ten inches from the surface, the other being under control. The movements of the lever were, however, much slower and not accompanied by the percussive vibra- tions previously noticed. If the light had been dim, Home would have been able easily to perform his task with the help of a black silk cord with a small weight suspended from his hand above the membrane. But there is no information regarding the light, and the ex- periment succeeded when Home was two to three feet away from the apparatus. This, however, did not take place until he had had time to study the experiment and to procure suitable apparatus for its success. We must admit the great difficulty in detecting the methods of skilled prestidigitators, and the value of the evidence is much lessened by the fact that at this stage of experi- mentation Sir William was quite convinced that he had discovered a new force the manifestation of which he was witnessing. While nevertheless fraud might have been excluded by sufficient precautions, Sir William's account does not bear out the actuality thereof, and the evidence we now possess must consequently be considered incon- clusive. Home's levitations show but one remarkable ex- ample — his reported floating in the air outside the house. But the evidence for this phenomenon is very faulty. First of all, Lord Lindsay was sitting with his back to the window through which Home is alleged to have floated into the room, and he judged only from the shadow of Home which presented itself upon the 1 Researches, etc., p. 39. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 141 opposite wall. Having been warned by a whispering voice that Home was to float out through the window in the opposite room and in the same manner enter the room where he was sitting, his Lordship heard the first window open, saw the shadow on the wall, heard the second window open in its turn, and then found Home near it in the room. The rest was made up in his imagination. 1 After all, the testimony of one who examines the phenomena by turning his back upon them and looking at their shadow does not carry inconvenient weight. And he was already — previous to this inci- dent — convinced of Home's power to levitate himself. Lord Adare testifies to having heard the windows raised and that Home appeared outside the window. But he did not see Home appear outside the window, he simply tells what he heard Lord Lindsay describe. Captain Wynne, the third witness, says he can swear to the fact. But there is no statement to show that either of the three gentlemen had seen Home floating outside the windows. Mr. Podmore thinks that Home, having prepared the minds of the witnesses for the mar- vel which was to take place, noisily opened the window in the adjoining room, slipped back to the seance-room under cover of the darkness, got behind the curtains, opened the windows, and stepped on to the window 1 This report to the Sub-Committee of the Dialectical Society (Dialectical Report, p. 214) reads: "I saw the levitations in Victoria Street when Home floated out of the window. He first went into a trance, and walked about uneasily; he then went into the hall. While he was away I heard a voice whisper in my ear, 'He will go out of one window and in at another.' I was alarmed and shocked at the idea of so dangerous an experiment. I told the company what I had heard, and we then waited for Home's return. Shortly after he entered the room I heard the window go up, but I could not see, for I sat with my back to it. I, however, saw his shadow on the opposite wall; he went out of the window in a horizontal position, and I saw him outside the other window (that in the next room) floating in the air. It was eighty-five feet from the ground." Two years later Lord Lindsay wrote from memory an account which is given in Chapter II. 142 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena ledge. 1 At least, there is nothing to show that the feat was not accomplished in this or a similar manner. Home also exhibited less exciting levitations, mostly in complete darkness, but it is to be noted that either the evidence of touch alone is given or, when the phe- nomenon was produced in a dim light, Home's body- was only partially seen. Under such circumstances it would not have been difficult for him artificially to pro- duce the impression that he was floating. Mr. Podmore dismisses the evidence for Home's elongation as insufficient and unreliable. 2 Lord Lind- say's account of the phenomena he had witnessed was written some time after their alleged occurrence and Lord Adare's contemporary notes are too meagre to elucidate the phenomenon. It seems difficult to find an account which would convince us that the medium's heels did not leave the ground at the moment when the elongation took place. It is obvious that lacking this point any evidence becomes inconclusive. Finally there is the so-called fire-test. Mr. Podmore quotes some cases which he thinks could without diffi- culty be ascribed to the art of the conjurer. Now, several methods are known whereby the phenomenon may be staged, one consisting in preparing the part of the skin which is to touch the coal with chemical sub- stances such as alum or sulphuric acid, or, if the heated object is to be placed on the tongue, covering this organ with a layer of powdered sugar, which in its turn is then covered with soap. Another method is found in sub- stituting for the coal a piece of platinum-sponge the upper part of which, as held in the hand, is made to glow by application of hydrogen or alcohol. It must be taken for granted that none of these methods could have been used by Home. First of all, it was often the sitters who had to undergo the test, 1(e The Newer Spiritualism," pp. 71-72. 3 Ibid., pp. 72-76. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 143 which fact excludes previous preparation of the skin. And should we not give Sir William — a physicist and chemist — credit for being able to distinguish between charcoal and a piece of platinum sponge? The evidence at hand, to our mind, shows cases quite beyond the possibilities of prestidigitation, and Podmore admits this of certain cases "if accurately recorded." 1 The handkerchief incident, 2 of course, is rather sus- picious, for Home could have used two handkerchiefs, substituting a previously prepared one for the handker- chief he showed the sitters. But it is difficult to con- tradict Lord Lindsay's evidence before the Committee of the Dialectical Society and the last instance described by Sir William Crookes, unless we appeal to collective hallucination. 3 For the present we shall not enter upon a discussion of the theory of collective hallucination. Granting that Home's fire-test had an objective reality such as pre- sented in the accounts which we have quoted, there is lu The Newer Spiritualism," p. 80. 2 See p. 68. 3 Lord Lindsay's report on the "fire-test" reads as follows (Dialectical Report, pp. 208-209) : "I have frequently seen Home, when in trance, go to the fire and take out large red-hot coals, and carry them about in his hands, put them inside his shirt, etc. Eight times I myself have held a red-hot coal in my hands without injury, when it scorched my face on raising my hand. Once I wished to see if they really would burn, and I said so, and touched a coal with the middle finger of my right hand, and I got a blister as large as a sixpence; I instantly asked him to give me the coal, and I held the part that burnt me, in the middle of my hand, for three or four minutes, without the least inconvenience." "A few weeks ago I was at a seance with eight others. Of these, seven held a red-hot coal without pain, and the two others could not bear the approach of it; of the seven, four were ladies." Sir William Crookes' report on the fire-test in Proceedings, 8. P. R., vi:103: "Mr. Home again went to the fire, and, after stirring the hot coals about with his hand, took out a red-hot piece nearly as big as an orange, and, putting it on his right hand, covered it over with his left hand so as to almost completely enclose it, and then blew into the small furnace thus extemporized until the lump of charcoal was nearly white- hot, and then drew my attention to the lambent flame which was flicker- ing over the coal and licking round his fingers; he fell on his knees, looked up in a reverent manner, held up the coal in front, and said: 'Is not God good ? Are not His laws wonderful V " 144 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena nothing unique in this phenomenon, for occurrences of similar nature have been recorded from various parts of the world and quite apart from Spiritism. We refer to the so-called fire-walk' which has been and still is in vogue in many countries and of which Andrew Lang gives an account in the Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research. 1 We mention the following in- stances : Colonel Gudgeon, three other Europeans and two hundred Maoris walked with bare feet across the hot stones of an oven twelve feet in diameter prepared for that purpose by the natives of Rarotonga, Polynesia, and neither he nor two of his European friends suffered the slightest injury. The fourth in the party was badly burned because he disobeyed the rules and turned round. It is certain that no chemical preparation was applied to the Europeans at least. To show the state of heat of the stones the priest, who conducted the ceremony, and who handed over to the fire-walkers the mana or power over the fire, half an hour afterwards threw on them a green branch which in a quarter of a minute was blazing. The incident occurred in 1899. 2 Similar ceremonies are customary among the inhabit- ants of the Fiji Islands, and Dr. Hocken, who witnessed one of them, gives the following account thereof. 3 Seven or eight Fiji natives belonging to a clan which possesses the power to execute the "vilavilairevo" or fire ceremony walked across and around a stone oven twelve to fifteen feet in diameter in which a fire had been burning for thirty-six or forty-eight hours, the leader remaining within for about one-half minute. Immediately after he had entered leaves of the hibiscus were thrown into the oven which they immediately a Vol. xv : 2-15. 2 "Te Umer-Ti, or Fire Walking Ceremony," by Col. Gudgeon, British Resident, Rarotonga, quoted by Andrew Lang, in Op. cit. pp. 4-6. 3 "An account of the Fiji Fire Ceremony," by Dr. T. M. Hocken, F. L. S., quoted by Andrew Lang, in Op. cit., pp. 6-11. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 145 filled with clouds of hissing steam. Dr. Hocken caused a thermometer to be suspended five feet and six inches above the center of the hot stones, but after a few moments it had to be withdrawn to escape destruction by the heat and it was then found to register 282° Fahr. He also examined two of the natives immediately be- fore and after their performances, testing the skin of their feet even with his tongue, but he neither found traces of preparation nor injuries from the fire. The power is considered hereditary. A fire walk in Tokio was witnessed in 1899 by Colonel Andrew Haggard, who tells us 1 that the performers after an ablution in cold water walked through a fire of red-hot charcoal, six yards long by six feet wide. When afterwards examining their feet he found them quite soft and without a trace of the effects of fire. Mr. Stokes 2 saw thirteen persons during a ceremony in India walking unhurt through a fire twenty-seven feet long, seven and a half feet broad and a span deep, while a boy who fell in the same fire was burnt to death. Referring to fire-walks in India Dr. Oppert 3 states that "the heat is unbearable in the neighborhood of the ditch" in which it is built, but the walkers "as a rule do not do themselves much harm." In the Straits Settlements, Province of Wellesley, six coolies prepared by a "devil-doctor" were observed walking the full length of a trench twenty feet long, six feet wide, and two feet deep, on a bed of red-hot coal from a pyre of wood four or five feet high, which had been burning four hours. They then walked into water. None of them showed the slightest sign of in- jury, although later one who fell was terribly burned. 4 *Col. Andrew Haggard in The Field, May 20, 1899, p. 724, quoted by Andrew Lang in Op. cit., p. 11. 2 In "The Indian Antiquary," vol. II, p. 190, quoted by Andrew Lang, in Op. cit., p. 12. s "Original Inhabitants of India," p. 480, quoted by Andrew Lang in Op. cit., p. 12. *Op. cit., pp. 12-13. 146 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena Other cases are recorded from the Fiji Islands, Benares, Trinidad, Spain and Bulgaria. 1 It should be mentioned that photographs were taken during some of those performances and Mr. Lang's article especially refers to one taken by Lieutenant Morne of the French Navy and published in the Poly- nesian Journal, 2 and to another in the possession of Mr. Basil Thompson of New York. Mr. Lang comes to the following conclusion: 3 "For my part I remain without a theory, like all European observers whom I have quoted. But in my humble opinion, all the usual theories, whether of collective hallucinations (photographic cameras being halluci- nated), of psychical causes, of chemical application, of leathery skin on the soles of the feet, and so on, are inadequate." If Spiritism is the solution let the mediums try it! In the meantime Home's case remains unexplained. It would be impossible within the scope of this treatise to attempt a criticism of the Palladino phe- nomena. No medium has been more thoroughly ex- amined and the accounts of over twenty years of in- vestigation by men of high ability are sufficient in them- selves to fill numerous volumes. We have the records from over twenty series of investigations by scientific bodies, and also a vast literature containing com- mentary on and criticism of these records, accessible to all who are interested in the matter; but for the reasons stated we shall not enter into the subject fur- ther than to indicate the main steps in the investiga- tion of Eusapia as a whole and to state the conclusions to which a study of her case has brought us. *For historical cases see: Mneid, VII, 800; XI, 784 et seq.; Pliny, Hist. Nat., VII, 2; Silius Italicus, V, 175. 2 Vol. II, No. 2, p. 105. 3 Op. cit., p. 14. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 147 The investigations fall into three main periods, each forming a more or less logical and independent series conducted under the supervision of partly different groups of investigators, the first beginning with the labors of the Milan Commission in 1892 1 and ending with the Cambridge sittings in 1895, the second includ- ing a number of experiments chiefly by French and Italian savants, and the third and last conducted by members of the English Society for Psychical Research and including sittings in New York before representa- tives of the American public. Professor Lombroso's experiments with Eusapia in Naples, which led him to accept her phenomena as genuine, had opened the eyes of scientific men to the seriousness of the problem which her case offered, and as a result a body of illustrious savants, including Pro- fessors Schiaparelli, Director of the Observatory of Milan, and Gerosa, the physicist, Dr. Ermacora, M. Aksakov, Councillor to His Majesty of Russia, Dr. Charles du Prel of Munich, Professors Charles Richet of the Sorbonne, and Buffern, and M. Finzi, met in October, 1892, in the latter's home in Milan for the purpose of examining Eusapia's phenomena. 2 The in- vestigation covered seventeen sittings at which were observed phenomena such as telekinesis, once in full light, table movement without contact, apport with the hands of the medium tied loosely to those of her controllers, impressions of fingers on smoked paper, levitation of the medium, apparitions and touchings of hands, contact with human faces, but the most striking 1 Various experiments preceded and led up to those of the Milan Commission, notably those of Chiaia in 1888 and Lombroso and others in 1891. 2 Proceedings, 8. P. R., ix: 21 8-225; Annales des Sciences Psychiques, Jan.-Feb. 1893; Flammarion, "Mysterious Psychic Forces," pp. 151-161; Carrington, "Eusapia Palladino and Her Phenomena," pp. 29-34; Podmore, "The Newer Spiritualism," pp. 89-93. 148 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena and best observed phenomena were those of levitation of the table and alteration of the medium's weight, both occurring in full light. The report of the sittings con- tains a declaration signed by all the sitters with ex- ception of Prof. Richet, and stating that while the results did not always come up to their expectations, and while in the greater number of cases it had been impossible to apply the rules of experimental science regarded as indispensable for obtaining certain and in- contestable results in other fields of observation, they did not feel justified to assert that the whole perform- ance had been fraudulent, although this might ulti- mately prove to be the simplest explanation. 1 Richet comes to the conclusion that although the phenomena were absurd and unsatisfactory, it seems difficult to attribute them to conscious or unconscious fraud or to a series of deceptions; nevertheless, conclusive proof that there was no fraud on Eusapia's part, or illusion on the part of the observers, is wanting. We shall not tarry over the less striking phenomena which almost all occurred in darkness. But a few words might be said about the alteration of the medium's weight and the table levitations, because these *We quote from Flammarion's ''Mysterious Psychic Forces," which gives a reproduction of the report — pp. 151-152. The signed declaration reads as follows: "The results obtained did not always come up to our expectations. Not that we did not secure a large number of facts ap- parently or really important and marvellous; but, in the greater num- ber of cases we were not able to apply the rules of experimental science which, in other fields of observation, are regarded as indispensable in order to arrive at certain and incontestable results. The most important of those rules consists in changing, one after the other, the methods of experiment, in such a way as to bring out the true cause, or at least the true conditions of all the events. Now it is precisely from this point of view that our experiments seem to us still incomplete." "It is very true that the medium, to prove her good faith, often voluntarily proposed to change some feature of some or the other ex- periment, and frequently herself took the initiative in these changes. But this applied only to things that were apparently indifferent, according to our way of seeing. On the contrary, the changes which seemed to us Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 149 phenomena were ranked as carrying superior evidence, particularly because of having been observed in good light. Kichet has appended photographs of the levita- tions to his report in the Annates. 1 The first experiment with the medium's weight registered a change of seventeen and a half pounds, but the apparatus employed was not a very suitable one and no conclusion was reached. A better instrument was then devised consisting of a platform suspended by the four corners and attached to a lever which would register the weight automatically. A change in position of an object on the platform would not affect the registration. While Eusapia was resting on the platform certain slight upward movements were observed, lasting not more than twenty seconds. But it should be noted that although Richet and Schiaparelli assert that she touched neither floor nor table, her dress was in con- tact with the floor,, and that no results were obtained when such contact was prevented, and, furthermore, that the observers were not certain that the registration of change in weight did not take place at the very moment when Eusapia took hold of the hand of one of their number. In the presence of such conditions there is absolutely no evidence to show that the recorded necessary to put the true character of the results beyond doubt, either were not accepted as possible or ended in uncertain results. "We do not believe we have the right to explain these things by the aid of insulting assumptions, which many still find to be the simplest explanation, and of which some journals have made themselves champions. We think, on the contrary, that those experiments are concerned with phenomena of an unknown nature, and we confess that we do not know what the conditions are that are required to produce them. To desire to fix these conditions in our own right and out of our own head would be as extravagant as to presume to make the experiment of Torricelli's barometer with a tube closed at the bottom, or to make electrostatic ex- periments in an atmosphere saturated with humidity, or to take a photo- graph by exposing the sensitive plate in full light before placing it in the camera. However, it is a fact that the impossibility of varying the experiments in our own way has diminished the worth and the interest of the results obtained, by depriving them of that rigorous demonstration which we are right in demanding in cases of this kind, or, rather, to which we ought to aspire." 1 Annates des Sciences Psychiques, 1893. 150 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena change was not fraudulently produced by the medium. There were both partial and complete levitations of the table and a special apparatus was employed to register the pressure brought to bear on it, upward when Eusapia's hands were held on the table, down- ward when under the table. About seven pounds pres- sure in either direction was registered during partial levitations, the end of the table, where the medium was sitting, suffering the pressure. The hand control seems to have been quite effective. The report says: 1 "In all the experiments which precede, we gave our atten- tion principally to a careful inspection of the position of the hands and feet of the medium; and, in this respect, we believe we can say that they were safe from all criticism. Still, a scrupulous sincerity compels us to mention the fact to which we did not begin to call attention before the evening of October 5th, but which probably must have occurred also in the preceding ex- periments. It consists in this, that the four feet of the table could not be considered as perfectly isolated dur- ing the levitation, because one of them at least was in contact with the lower edge of the medium's dress." .... "One of us having been charged with the duty of hindering this contact, the table was unable to rise as before, and it only did rise when the observer in- tentionally permitted the contact to take place." The reporter then asks: "Now, in what way is it possible for the contact of a light dress-stuff with the lower ex- tremity of the foot of a table to assist in the levitation?" Well, we shall see ! Professor Richet, wishing to continue the experi- ments with Eusapia with a view to obtaining evidence of a more satisfactory character, invited some distin- guished men to investigate her mediumship in his home on the He de Roubaud. His invitation was accepted 1 See Flammarion, "Mysterious Psychic Forces," p. 155. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 151 by Sir Oliver Lodge, Mr. F. W. H. Myers, and Dr. Ochorowicz, and by Professor and Mrs. Henry Sidg- wick and Sir William Crookes, who arrived for the later part of the sittings. The experiments which began in July, 1894, were after some time transferred from the island to Carquieranne. 1 Four sittings were held and the usual phenomena were exhibited, including raps, tilts and levitations of the table in full light, telekinetic phenomena of a cer- tain variety, playing of musical instruments, touches, faces, and so forth, the most remarkable ones consist- ing in the winding of a music box, which then began to play and finally was torn from the string by which it was suspended, and in the turning of a key in a door seven feet from the medium, which key subsequently was brought to the table and again replaced in the key- hole. Richet, Lodge and Myers were convinced that some of the phenomena they had witnessed were due to super- natural causes and Sir William Crookes also seems to accept this conclusion; the Sidgwicks were impressed but not convinced. In his report, however, Lodge offers no explanation but asserts that his conviction is mainly based on his observation of telekinetic phenomena in sufficient light to see the objects move, those being the simplest and most definite. And he argues that if the genuineness of some of the phenomena, which would seem impossible, is established, the rest will be the more easily accepted. 2 1 See Oliver Lodge's report on the sittings in Journal, 8. P. R., vi : 306- 360; Carrington, "Eusapia Palladino and Her Phenomena," pp. 38-51; Podmore, "The Newer Spiritualism," pp. 93-97; Hodgson's criticism in Journal, 8. P. B., vi: 36-55; Reply to Hodgson by Myers, Lodge, Richet and Ochorowicz, Ibid., vii: 55-79. 2 Sir Oliver Lodge thus concludes his report on the sitting, in Journal, 8. P. R., vi:360: "However the facts are to be explained, the possibility of the facts I am constrained to admit. There is no further room in my mind for doubt. Any person without invincible prejudice who had had the same experience, would have come to the same broad conclusion, viz.: That things hitherto held impossible do actually occur. If one such fact 152 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena The report was sent to Dr. Hodgson, whose long ex- perience and great ability in detecting trickery in mediumistic performances was well known, and in a lengthy reply he shows that the phenomena as described could all have been performed by Eusapia using a special method of freeing one hand or foot. 1 Hodgson's criticism did not disturb the conviction of either Richet or Lodge, but Myers could not deny feeling the weight of his argument. 2 The discussion continued and re- sulted in Hodgson's acceptance of an invitation to come and witness Eusapia's phenomena. Dr. Hodgson, who then was secretary for the Amer- ican Society for Psychical Research, came to England in 1895, and sittings with Eusapia were arranged in Mr. Myers' home in Cambridge. 3 The seances which were held in a series during the months of August and September were attended, besides Hodgson and Mr. is clearly established, the conceivability of others may be more readily granted, and I concentrated my attention mainly on what seemed to me the most simple and definite thing, viz.: the movement of an untouched object, in sufficient light for no doubt of its motion to exist. This I have now witnessed several times; the fact of movement being vouched for by both sight and hearing, sometimes also by touch, and the objectivity of the phenomena being demonstrated by the sounds heard by an outside observer,* and by permanent alteration of position of object. . . . The effect on an observer is usually more as if the connecting link, if any (between object and living organism of medium), were invisible and intangible, or as if a portion of vital or directing energy had been de- tached, and were producing distant movements without apparent con- nection with the medium. . . . The result of my experience is to con- vince me that certain phenomena usually considered abnormal do belong to the order of nature, and, as a corollary to this, that these phenomena ought to be investigated and recorded by persons and societies interested in natural knowledge." 1 Journal, 8. P. R., vii: 36-55. 2 For their replies to Hodgson and that of Ochorowicz, see Journal, 8. P. R., vii: 55-79. 3 Journal, 8. P. R., vii: 131, 148; Canington, "Eusapia Palladino and Her Phenomena," pp. 51-57 ; Podmore, "The Newer Spiritualism" pp. 97- 98; Flammarion, "Mysterious Psychic Forces," p. 168. *Dr. Ochorowicz from the outside heard the key, which later was brought to the table, turn in the door. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 153 and Mrs. Myers, by Mr. Nevil Maskelyne, Miss Alice Johnson, and Professor and Mrs. Sidgwick. The result of the Cambridge experiments was to con- firm beyond any doubt Dr. Hodgson's hypothesis, for fraud was detected again and again in actual operation and the experimenters unanimously adopted the con- clusion that they had witnessed nothing but trickery. There are several points to be noted. First of all the tricks were found to be effected by Eusapia using one hand or foot which she succeeded in freeing from the control employed. Sometimes, it seems, she em- ployed her head. Mr. Myers states that the experi- menters in several cases at first sight were favorably impressed with the phenomena, and only by making changes in the conditions were able to ascertain that fraud was practiced. This goes to show what undoubt- edly would have been the result had they been content with mere observation and not insisted upon changing the conditions. It also shows that Eusapia possessed great skill in prestidigitation which could have been gained only by years of systematic trickery. Fraud was attempted even when the tests were at their best, and, Myers states, practiced both in her waking state and in her real or simulated trance. 1 The Cambridge exposure led the Society for Psychical Research to drop the investigation of Eusapia. But the world was not convinced. Hardly had the news of the exposures been published before a storm of discussions broke loose, and arguments for ^rom F. W. H. Myers' report in Journal, 8. P. R., vii:133: "I can not doubt that we observed much conscious and deliberate fraud, of a kind which must have needed long practice to bring it to its present level of skill. Nor can I find any excuse for her fraud (assuming that such excuse would be valid) in the attitude of mind of the persons, several of them distinguished in the world of science, who assisted in the inquiry. Their attitude was a fair and open one; in all cases they showed patience, and in several cases the impression first made on their minds was dis- tinctly favorable. With growing experience, however, and careful ob- servation of the precise conditions permitted or refused to us, the existence of some fraud became clear; and fraud was attempted when the tests 154 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena and against Eusapia made their appearance both in the literature devoted to the subject and in the English daily press. Dr. Maxwell severely criticized the results of the experiments on the grounds that the attitude of the investigators towards Eusapia was one of haughtiness and disdain, which made her ill at ease and prevented her from making use of her mediumistic powers. He adds that the unaccustomed climate coupled with the undue length of the sittings exhausted her. She was physic- ally and morally unfit for the task imposed upon her. 1 But this is partly in contradiction to Myers' state- ment, 2 in which he says that he fails to find an excuse for Eusapia's fraud in the attitude of mind of those present, which was a fair and open one, free from im- patience. Both Myers and the Sidgwicks had been sitting with Eusapia before, and it would be strange if persons of their insight in matters psychological should have failed to correct or at least make due al- lowances for so adverse conditions. Mr. Carrington has no difficulty in pointing out the exact cause of Eusapia's failure. It has always been well known that she would resort to trickery under lax control, and the lax control employed at Cambridge in- duced her to practice fraud at every seance. 3 were as good as we were allowed to make them, quite as indisputably as on the few occasions when our holding was intentionally left inadequate in order to trace more exactly the modus operandi. Moreover, the fraud occurred both in the medium's waking state and during her real or alleged trance. "I do not think there is adequate reason to suppose that any of the phenomena at Cambridge were genuine." Professor Sidgwick in Journal, 8. P. R., vii:231, says: "Inasmuch as trickery has been systematically practised, apparently, by Eusapia Palladino for years, I propose to ignore her performances in the future as those of other persons engaged in the same mischievous trade are to be ignored." 1 In "Metaphysical Phenomena," quoted by Carrington in "Eusapia Palladino and Her Phenomena," pp. 55-56. 2 See p. 153, note 1. z "Eusapia Palladino and Her Phenomena," p. 54: ". . . there is a reason for the fraud that Eusapia resorted to at Cambridge, and those Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 155 Of course, what he says contradicts Mr. Myers' statement that the control was good except on a few occasions when laxity was allowed. And she attempted trickery when the tests were as good as they could be. Both Mr. Myers and the Sidgwicks were present at Richet's sittings with Eusapia in 1894 and consequently knew the manner of control employed there. Why should they now be satisfied with laxer control? And they also knew that Eusapia would resort to fraud when the control was not sufficiently strict. Our main argu- ment against the critics is that they contradict or ignore the facts stated in the report on the experiments. Eusapia's reverses at Cambridge did not greatly shake the faith of her continental investigators and ad- mirers, nor of Sir Oliver Lodge. Between the years 1895 and 1907 no less than twelve different series of experiments were undertaken by different savants in France and Italy, among whom appear besides the names of Lombroso, Richet and Ochorowicz, those of Professor Morselli, Doctors Foa and Herlitzka, M. Bergson, M. and Mme. Curie, Professor Botazzi and of many others. The Institute Gen6rale Psychologique of Paris arranged a series of sittings extending over four years (1905-1908) and including no less than forty-three sittings. 1 The phenomena during this period showed little or no variation from those previously presented. In the investigators who have had much experience with her had no difficulty in pointing out exactly what the cause of this was. It has always been well known that if Eusapia were allowed to trick her sitters she would do so, and the policy of the English investigators had been, not to endeavor to prevent phenomena by rigorous control, but to allow great laxity, to permit her to substitute her hands when she desired, and merely note the results. Eusapia, finding that she could effect substitution of hands with ease, and apparently without detection, naturally resorted to this device at each seance. . . ." 1 See Carrington, "Eusapia Palladino and Her Phenomena," pp. 57-151. 156 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena beginning table-levitation, telekinesis and apport mainly filled the seances, later apparitions and partial materializations came into prominence, while a favored few were allowed to witness more complete materializa- tions and even experience the more personal and inti- mate phases of this marvel. Taken as a whole the new investigations do not in- spire much confidence. A number of accounts and re- ports impresses us above all with the credulity and apparently uncritical attitude of the investigators. The narrative often runs off in the wildest romance, the tables and objects no longer being moved about by in- visible forces, but taking life they execute a mad panto- mime of dancing, speaking and laughing. The most interesting feature of this period of in- vestigation is the employment of physical apparatus for testing the genuineness of the phenomena. Pro- fessor Lombroso aided by Dr. Imoda and Dr. Andenino held sittings in Turin in 1907, at which a "tambourine Marey" was placed on a table near the cabinet and con- nected with rubber tubes with a cardiograph in the cabinet and a Morse apparatus on the experiment table. The object in employing this apparatus was to obtain on the smoked surface of the "tambourine" a dia- grammatic registration of pressure exerted by the medium on the Morse key and at the same time that of the invisible force on the button of the cardiograph and to ascertain whether the two impressions would be synchronic. According to the report published in La Stampa and quoted at length by Carrington 1 the ap- paratus began to register at the fourth seance, drawing a diagram corresponding to the pressure on the cardio- graph in the cabinet, and this happened while the medium's hands were in the hands of her controllers. It is also stated that the distance between the medium lt( Eusapia Palladino and Her Phenomena," pp. 89-100; see particularly pp. 93 and 99-100. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 157 and the cabinet was such that it would have been im- possible for her to reach the cardiograph. The experi- ment fully convinced the reporter that the instrument had registered an unknown force. But as will be seen, the report as it stands does not offer adequate evidence for the absence of fraud. 1 To begin with, the desired double registration of synchronic pressure, partly on the Morse key on the seance table, partly on the cardiograph in the cabinet, failed to occur. No doubt, to effect it by trickery would have been no easy matter. And thus we are deprived of an automatic record of the synchronism between the movements of the medium's hands or body and those of objects in the cabinet so frequently observed at Eusapia's seances. This is the more lamentable as it might have helped to dispel our suspicion that there is a more intimate relation between the two movements than that of mere synchronism. The account states that the distance between the medium and the cardiograph was such as to exclude the possibility of the medium manipulating the instru- ment. No doubt, the reporter has his grounds for such a statement. But, was the distance measured? And what, precisely, did it measure? We do not know, but at the beginning of the seance a hand issued from the curtain near the head of one of the controllers (who 1 From Carrington, Op. cit., pp. 99-100: "Dr. Andenino thought sadly of his Marey apparatus, which for three evenings had not been used, and. looked to see if the smoked paper had not been touched, when suddenly a slight sound indicated that the needle of the apparatus was moving. Dr. Andenino at once put the tambourine in action, and our ears per- ceived for a few seconds the scratching of a pen, which made long jumps on the smoked surface of the tambourine in such a manner as to corre- spond to the pressure exerted inside on the cardiograph, tracing a curious and variable diagram. The cabinet was quite empty and the medium's hands were, as always, in the hands of the controllers. Moreover, the distance between the cardiograph and the medium's chair was such that, even had she wished to, she could not have succeeded in pressing it with her hands. "This phenomenon finally eliminates all suspicion. We have no longer merely the testimony or our senses, but that of a metal instrument. 158 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena was further removed from it than was the medium) and seized his hand, and later the curtain swelled out and advanced to his hand. Evidently the distance between the sitters and the cabinet could not have been very- considerable, and Eusapia usually insisted upon sitting close to the curtain. Again, there is the rubber tube leading from the "tambourine" to the cardiograph, and a pressure on which would have affected the recording needle. Was this tube out of Eusapia's reach? The report gives us no information on that point. Nor does it show that the hand and foot control was such as to prevent Eusapia from resorting to her usual trick. In the course of his experiments with Eusapia Palla- dino in the same year Dr. Foa placed on the table a toy piano the keys of which were capable of manipula- tion, and covered it with a cardboard box which was fastened down with sealed ribbons. Of course, it would have been impossible for the medium to touch the keys unless the box were removed, a thing which would necessitate the breaking of the seals. The piano was heard to play when the lights had been turned out, but subsequently it was found that the box had been unfastened and that one of the ribbons was missing. 1 It would be tedious to record further experiments with automatically recording apparatus; be it enough to state that in every case where the apparatus has been adequately protected from manipulation by the medium one of two things has resulted: either the protecting material has been broken or removed, and registration obtained, or else, when this could not be done, the ap- paratus has failed to register, and thus, there is not one instance of proof of absence of fraud given by means of automatic registration. 2 1 See Carrington, Op. cit., pp. 101-102. *Ibid., pp. 103, 105, 108, and Podmore, "The Newer Spiritualism" p. 102. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 159 The investigation undertaken by the Institute Gen- erate Psychologique was carried out by a committee in- cluding M. Jules Courtier, Secretary of the Institute, MM. d'Arsonval, Ballet, Richet, Perrin, M. and Mme. Curie and others. M. Courtier published the official re- port in two parts, the first of which is a collection of photographs taken at the sittings, while the second con- tains a description of the phenomena observed, a psycho- physiological study of the medium, an account of the physical conditions surrounding her, and, finally, critical consideration. 1 The physical examination of Eusapia's person and that of the air in the cabinet failed to reveal anything that is not found in other mortals and their surround- ings. As a fact, the whole of the considerable labor of the members of the Institute brought to light nothing of a startling character, and its result was chiefly nega- tive. The critical part is mainly concerned with the unsatisfactory character of the control which Eusapia would allow. Rarely does she consent to have both hands held but insists upon holding one of them on the hand of her neighbor. The same is the case with her feet, her right foot having a sore corn which makes her un- able to sustain the pressure of her neighbor's foot upon it. And the committee is of the opinion that the only effective foot control would be that exerted by a per- son holding the medium's feet under the table. But Eusapia is very particular in regard to the position of her observers, and as a rule she will permit none under the table. Nor will she permit an observer behind her or near the scene of action, consequently the controllers also have to play the role of main observers, a thing which necessarily strains their attention, and makes them liable to be diverted from their control by the oc- currence of unexpected phenomena. Another source 1 For summary of the phenomena see Annals of Psychical Science, July-Sept., 1909, pp. 400-422. See also Carrington, Op. cit., pp. 129-134. 160 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena of distraction is created by Eusapia's request for con- versation among those present. All attempts to intro- duce more satisfactory conditions of test were invaria- bly rejected by Eusapia. We shall now refer to some particular observations of interest. 1 One night when the seance-room was dimly illuminated by the faint gas light from the street Eusapia was sitting with M. Courtier as her right and M. de Mech as her left control. The latter then noticed her freeing her right hand, at the same time placing her left little finger between two fingers of M. Courtier's left hand so as to make him believe that he had hold of her right thumb. At this moment a white arm was seen opening the curtain and a head made its appearance thrusting itself with a cry towards M. Courtier, who then felt the touch of two hands on his shoulders and through the curtain the contact of a face with his face. Eusapia had just freed herself from her two controllers, and so rapid were her movements that when the shock of being touched was over M. Courtier found her right hand on his left. At one of the seances Eusapia's chair and feet rested upon a platform so arranged that possible changes in her weight would be registered, and it was ascertained that for each levitation of the table or of other objects there was a corresponding increase in her weight. There were also experiments with a small balance, and the usual results were obtained. The balance was sur- rounded with a wooden frame with linen or wooden panels to fit, and it was not until first the panels and then the frame had been removed that she succeeded in moving the balance. When the top of the balance was covered with lamp-black she was unable to affect it, and when a balance having a disc of paper was em- ployed, it moved down, but the paper crackled just as 1 Report, pp. 524-525. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 161 it would if pushed down with a stretched hair or thread. Once during similar experiments an isolated observer saw a hair between her hands. 1 After their four years of investigation the members of the committee passed the verdict that whereas fraud had been practiced by Eusapia they hesitated to say that fraud is the final conclusion, and the methods of automatic recording occasionally employed exclude the possibility of hallucination as an explanatory factor. In general, they are of the opinion that her phenomena are losing in power, a result, no doubt, of her growing old, and that she resorts to fraud in order not to disap- point her clients. In 1908 the Society for Psychical Research decided to reconsider the case of Eusapia, and Mr. Carrington with the Honorable Everard Feilding and Mr. Baggal- ly, who is an amateur conjurer, went to Naples, where sittings were arranged with the celebrated medium. In all, eleven seances were held, and a stenographic record was kept, giving, besides an account of the phe- nomena as observed by the investigators, also detailed notes on the conditions of control, light, etc., as they were at the time when the different phenomena oc- curred. 2 The value of the investigation, we think, has been justly estimated by Mr. Podmore, who writes: 3 "The Committee are certainly not inferior in general capacity to any previous investigators, and their practi- cal experience is probably unrivaled. The record is as nearly as possible perfect. No other record of the physical phenomena of spiritualism, it may be said, is of any value beside it. And yet the record 1 Report, p. 521. 2 For the report see: Carrington, "Eusapia Palladino and Her Phe- nomena" pp. 152-240, and Proceedings, 8. P. R., xxiii: 309-570. 8 "The Newer Spiritualism," p. 141. 162 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena is at critical moments incomplete, and at almost every point leaves obvious loopholes for trickery The events of the three most important seances 1 can be readily explained if we assume, what the record itself seems to indicate, that a single person was hallucinated and a single sense, the sense of touch. We can not blame the individual members of the Committee. Rather, we must recognize that the task which they set themselves to perform is probably beyond human power. In no other field of human activity is the strained and unremitting exercise of every sense fac- ulty for several consecutive hours demanded by the cir- cumstances. ,, We regret that an adequate criticism of this highly interesting report would be too lengthy to find a place here. Mr. Podmore reaches his conclusion as to its evi- dential value by a process of elimination, the validity of which we do not think can be refuted and which we shall represent in its main outline. Of the eleven seances, eight were held with members of the Committee controlling the medium on both sides, 2 and one of those was a complete failure. 3 Dur- ing the three remaining seances when other persons were in full or partial control the greatest abundance of "higher" phenomena took place. 4 It is very signifi- cant that this latter group should show a great abundance of "higher" phenomena, and it may not be simply coincidence that it occurred when the control was in the hands of "outsiders." At any rate the very fact of "outside" control necessarily reduces the value of this group. Of the larger group one seance was a failure, leav- ing seven for our consideration. Of these three were 1 Seances V, VI, VII. See Podmore, Op. cit., pp. 133 et seq. a Seances Mil, V-VII, IX, X. 3 Seance X. 4 Seances IV, VIII, XI. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 163 held with Messrs. Carrington and Feilding controll- ing, 1 and the remainder with the control of Mr. Baggally and Mr. Feilding, 2 the former having taken the latter's place by request of the medium, excepting one, when Mr. Carrington and Mr. Baggally con- trolled. 3 The first of these groups shows hardly any "higher" phenomena — the only exceptions being the transportation of a small table from the cabinet to the seance table, 4 and the appearance of a square-looking head on a long, black neck at a time when the Feilding control was interrupted. . The transportation of the table took place when the light was lowered to a degree allowing the sitters to "distinguish merely the outlines 1 MIL a V-VIL 3 IX. 4 The following description is given in the report, quoted from Carrington, Op. cit., pp. 175 et seq. : (Eusapia's legs were tied by means of ropes to the chairs of the con- trollers, the ropes being first passed round each ankle, knotted, and then carried to the chair legs, where they were securely fastened. — Op. cit., pp. 172-173— Feilding (F) right control, Carrington (C) left.) "11:30 P. M. C. — The left curtain has blown right out on to the table. C. — My right hand was under the table firmly holding the medium's left hand. F. — I have hold of her right hand continuously in her lap. C. — Medium holds my right hand firmly. F. — The medium kicks with her right foot violently on mine. C. — She kicks with her left foot also. C. — Her left hand raises my riffht hand towards the curtain. F. — Objects in the cabinet rattle on the table. F. — Medium asks me to put my left arm on her shoulder. Her right arm is around my neck. C. — With her left hand medium is holding my right hand on the table. C. — Objects in the cabinet fall over on the table. She grasped my right hand firmly in her left hand at the time this was going on and pressed on my right foot with her left foot. F. — I held her right hand on the table with my left and the tips of both her feet under the table with my right hand. C. — My left hand holds her head. I am holding her left hand in my right. "Immediately after this, the small table, which had been placed in the cabinet and upon which rested the various musical instruments, climbed up of its own accord on to the seance table. It came up, remaining behind the curtains, so that it was invisible. Several objects remained on the surface of the table — kept there by the pressure of the curtain upon them. It came up at an angle of about forty-five degrees, and, while it was en- 164 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena of the medium's body, and the details of her head and hand upon close inspection. ,, 1 Mr. Carrington in his "Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism" gives a number of interesting examples of the skill of conjurers in untying and tying ropes with which they have been bound. 2 With a little skill in the art Eusapia could have freed herself, and this may well have taken place when the kicking occurred. Under such circumstances she could have used one foot with which to bring about the phenomena. Now, it is true that Mr. Feilding is on record as having held the tips of her feet — but, perhaps, one of her shoes was empty. deavoring to clamber up on the seance table by a series of jerks, I placed my hand and elbow upon its surface and pressed downward in an at- tempt to force it to the floor. I experienced a peculiar elastic resistance, however, as though the table were strung on rubber bands and was un- able to force it downward. I continued this struggle for several seconds, then yielded and allowed the table to clamber on to our seance table, which it almost succeeded in doing. While this was happening, we veri- fied, several times, that our control of head, hands, elbows, feet and knees was secure." 1 Carrington, Op. cit., p. 175. 2 pp. 143 et seq. The following is a description of the Davenport Brothers' performance (pp. 154-155) : "The first task is the binding of the two Americans. All present agree in selecting, for the performance of this delicate task, a veteran naval officer, who is expert in knots of every description, and in whose skill every one appears to have the ut- most confidence." The ropes are tested and the men searched. "The Americans step into the cabinet, and place themselves on the seats to which they are to be tied. Our naval representative takes a cord, marks it, to make sure that there is no substitution ; he takes note of its precise length, and then, by means of regular 'sailors' knots,' hitherto reputed invincible, he ties up, first one brother, then the other. He pinions their arms to their sides, ties their legs firmly together; in fact, he so ties and lashes them to their seats and to the cross rails, that every one regards the defeat of the Americans as a foregone conclusion; they must, beyond a doubt, be driven to cry for quarter." . . . Scarcely have the doors to the cabinet been closed, "than we see appear . . . the arms of the right hand prisoner — still rosy with the friction of the famous 'sailors' knots.' ... A little later, and the three doors (to the cabinet) are opened. We see the two brothers, with smiling countenances, step down from the cabinet freed from their bonds, which they now carry in their hands. More than ten minutes had been occupied in tying them up; a single minute had sufficed for their release. "The first feat concluded, the young men again step into the cabinet, and take their seats. The cords are laid in a heap at their feet, and the doors closed. Two minutes later, the doors are opened, and we find the mediums again in bondage." Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 165 The second group has three seances with "higher" phenomena, and one, when Mr. Carrington had taken Mr. Feilding's place, completely devoid of them. 1 Throughout the three seances the higher phenomena occurred on the right side of the medium, which was controlled by Mr. Baggally. They all occurred within reach of Eusapia's right hand and foot, and conse- quently could be the result of trickery on her part if we assume that Mr. Baggally was deceived in think- ing that he was in touch with her limbs in question. Mr. Podmore gives three reasons for thinking that this was actually the case. 2 First, Eusapia's right hand is reported as resting on or upon Mr. Baggally's left hand, while her left generally is securely held by the other controller. Secondly, on many occasions the curtain was covering his arm and hand or he was hold- ing the medium's hand through or under it. These two circumstances can not fail to have weakened Mr. Baggally's control, and consequently to have aided Eusapia in fraudulent performances with her right hand. Finally, she was often found to go through the well-known preliminaries for substitution of hands, and this occurred just before the phenomena were observed. Taken all in all these circumstances can not fail to force us to admit that there is not sufficient evidence to deny the possibility of fraud in the seances. 3 Mr. Carrington, being anxious to establish the genu- ineness of Eusapia's phenomena before savants of the United States, brought her to New York in 1909, where several sittings were held towards the end of that year and in the beginning of 1910. At the first sittings on December 13, 16 and 18 there were present Mr. G. B. 1 No. IX. 2 "The Neiver Spiritualism," pp. 133-135. 3 This opinion is upheld also by Mr. W. S. Davis; see Am. Journal. 8. P. R., iv: 401-424. 166 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena Dorr, Professor Hugo Munsterberg and others, Pro- fessor Trowbridge of Princeton taking part in the second seance. 1 The phenomena consisted mainly of levitations of the table, movement of objects from the cabinet, swelling of the curtain and touches. The levi- tations took place in good light, but the rest of the phe- nomena occurred when the light was so poor that ob- jects were hardly discernible. 2 After the first two seances the sitters were quite puz- zled, and unable to explain what they had witnessed. During the third seance while Professor Miinster- berg was controlling on the left a young man had, un- seen by the medium, crawled upon the floor into the cabinet, where he saw Eusapia's left foot fishing about for objects. He immediately seized the foot, Eusapia let out a yell and the seance was broken up. It is inter- esting to note that while Eusapia's foot actually was in the cabinet Professor Munsterberg continuously felt the pressure thereof on his right foot. In his article he states that the medium had lifted her foot freed from the shoe to the height of his arm and was fishing with it in the cabinet. On the strength of this statement we would think that what he felt pressing against his foot was Eusapia's empty shoe. But Mr. Carrington 3 re- fers to a letter from the man who caught her foot, and who is not at all sure that her heel was bare, and fur- thermore states that the foot as a matter of fact was not bare. We can not settle the disputed point, but the fact is nevertheless significant, and should be noted that while her foot was actually free, Professor Munsterberg had the definite sensation of touch with it. *G. B. Dorr in Journal, 8. P. R., xiv:267 et seq.; Prof. Hyslop in Am. Journal, 8. P. R., iv:169; Hugo Miinsterberg in The Metropolitan Maga- zine, Vol. 31, No. 5, pp. 559-572 (Feb. 1910); Flournoy, "Spiritism and Psychology" p. 282, and Carrington's Introduction, pp. 16, 17; Hyslop, "Eusapia Palladino" ; Podmore, "The Newer Spiritualism," p. 143. 2 Journal, 8. P. R., xiv:2C8. 3 Flournoy, "Spiritism and Psychology," p. 284, translator's note. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 167 In April new sittings were held in the house of Pro- fessor Lord of Columbia University, 1 and while Eusapia's attention was drawn in other directions two controllers secreted themselves on the floor under the table where they could observe how Eusapia un- noticed by the ordinary controllers would free one foot, and with it perform the phenomena of table levitation, swelling of the curtain, movement of objects in the cabinet, and so on. There, at least, we have positive proof of fraudulent production, gained by the fact that Eusapia was unaware of the presence of the controllers under the table. A new series of five sittings was held in Naples in November and December, 1910. 2 The first of these, attended by Count and Countess Solovovo and Mr. Feilding, was a failure, and the phenomena observed in the third, fourth and fifth were in the opinion of three sitters mainly, and in that of Mr. W. Marriott wholly, fraudulent. The second seance showed only insignifi- cant phenomena and led to no conclusion. During the sittings Eusapia was noticed to shake the curtain, throw it over her shoulder, pull at it with her hands or elbow, and kick it. She would use her left foot for producing the phenomenon of touch and for moving objects, while her elbow was employed for upsetting the cabinet-table. There is a curious ex- ample of her releasing one hand without effecting sub- stitution. Mr. Feilding and Mr. Marriott distinctly saw Eusapia removing her hand from its position rest- ing upon the back of Countess Solovovo's hand, on the table and under the curtain. Yet, the Countess had the distinct impression of its continuous grasp. 3 Count 1 Collier's Weekly, May 14, 1910. 1 Proceedings, 8. P. R., xxv: 57-69. 8 Ibid., p. 58. 168 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena Solovovo ascribes this fact to tactile hallucination in- duced by the medium, 1 whereas Miss Alice Johnson thinks it was due to a "negative hallucination," an everyday fact, whereby the sensation of touch often will remain for some time after actual contact with an object has ceased. 2 Whatever may be the explanation, the fact remains, and is of greatest value in showing the unsatis- factory character of tactile control. We have devoted considerable space to the investi- gations of Eusapia Palladino's mediumship. As will have been seen the twenty years of labor expended upon a study of her phenomena has failed to bring positive evidence for their ever being genuine. On the other hand, while fraud and fraudulent methods have been found in abundance, we can not positively say that all the phenomena are spurious. Nevertheless, while granting so much, we think that there is a very strong argument for the probability that not a single phenomenon exhibited by the medium was genuine. First of all, the usual method of control employed at her seances is fully inadequate for preventing fraud being successfully practiced. This has been pointed out in detail in connection with the investigation by the Institute of Paris. She invariably dictates the con- ditions of control, providing for one hand and foot be- ing freed, and preventing observers from placing them- selves in inconvenient positions to her. It is impossible for the two controllers, whose duty it is to watch her hands and feet, to fulfill this duty and at the same time observe the phenomena. She generally refuses to sub- mit to methods which would prevent her using her legs and feet in the performances, such as screens placed round her knees and feet, or, when she submits to them, phenomena cease to occur. 1 Op. cit., p. 60. 2 Ibid., p. 67-68. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 169 Only a few phenomena take place in good or toler- able light — chiefly table levitation and telekinesis. The majority are exhibited in almost complete darkness when the inadequacy of the control is greatly increased. The cabinet will always remain a source of suspicion, and in Eusapia's case not only do the best phenomena originate in the cabinet, but they grow stronger the closer she sits to the cabinet. 1 She will not allow an observer in the cabinet, nor between her and it. The curtains play an important role in her performances, their swelling out till they touch and envelop the medium or one of the controllers, or at least their hands and arms, often being a preliminary to other phe- nomena. Touches and blows are usually administered through the curtain. Furthermore, her dress seems to partake in the function of the curtains; at least up to the Naples seances in 1908 table levitation could not be obtained unless her dress was in contact with one of the legs of the table. At times photographic control has been employed, and as often as the photographs have revealed ap- parently genuine phenomena the arrangements in their making have been directed by Eusapia. But the fallacy of photographic control will be shown by the following incident. The Committee of the Institute was making photographs of levitations of objects, which are reproduced in its report. There are three photographs taken from a position facing the medium and showing a foot-stool against the background of the dark curtain apparently floating above the head of the medium. But a fourth photograph taken at the same moment as the third, but from the side, shows the same stool resting on her head. She ceased to levitate the foot-stool after this exposure. 2 1 Carrington admits this — "Eusapia Palladino and Her Phenomena/ p. 329. 2 Podmore, "The Newer Spiritualism" p. 106. 170 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena The phenomena occur at Eusapia's will or at the will of "John King" and are often announced a moment be- fore their occurrence. Mostly they are exhibited so near the medium that she could easily have effected them with her hands or feet. There is not a single phenomenon on record which could not in itself have been reproduced by a conjurer, occasionally with the aid of insignificant apparatus. Eusapia's methods of trickery, including that of substitution of hands and feet, when detected by her observers has revealed a skill which would postulate years of training. This was the opinion of the Cam- bridge investigators. When phenomena occur her body executes convulsive movements which would largely conceal fraud on her part. The abundance and quality of her phenomena de- pend upon the constitution of her audience. With French and Italian controllers and observers they have reached a greater height than with those of the more phlegmatic temperament of the Englishman. During the Naples seances in 1908 hardly a single phenomenon of importance occurred while Mr. Carrington was in control. The first sittings with a certain audience are never as good as subsequent ones, and they improve gradually, in proportion as the sitters gain conviction in her favor. It would seem that she depends for her success upon the benevolent frame of mind of her ob- servers. Gradually she convinces them that her phe- nomena are genuine, and thus, gradually she puts them off their guard and influences their imagination. That she depends on psychological causes for her success will be shown by the fact that she has been caught in fraudulent production with her hands and feet while her controllers were convinced that they were in touch with theirs. We refer to her fishing in the cabinet with her right foot, at the New York sittings, while Professor Miinsterberg was certain that he felt this Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 171 same foot pressing against his, and Mr. Carrington de- clares that the foot in question, when caught, was in its shoe; and to her performance with her hand in Naples in 1910, while Countess Solovovo had the dis- tinct impression of its being held against hers. It has been frequently recorded that a pressure of her hands and feet against those of her controller precede her phenomena. Finally all experiments undertaken with automati- cally registering apparatus of one kind or other, so con- structed that manipulation would be excluded or re- corded, have either failed to show even the slightest symptoms of phenomena, or else recorded that fraud had been perpetrated. The phenomena of materialization have been ex- hibited by a great many physical mediums under the ordinary conditions of test, and perhaps the most re- markable case is that of Katie King, Sir William Crookes' spirit-guest. While other "materialized spirits" have made their appearance in seance-rooms merely to be seen for a moment, and to deliver some message, Katie, in apparently full human form and with all the properties of life, would remain with Sir William for hours, allow herself to be touched and photographed — and also kissed — and engage in the most natural manner in the conversation of the com- pany. The very idea of a spirit being "materialized" into such complete human likeness, including clothing to all appearances of the same description as the productions of human dressmakers, would make one inclined to re- ject the whole affair as a bold imposture, were it not for the testimony of so eminent a scientist as Sir Wil- liam, and it is because of his testimony, and only on that ground, that we think the case should be given a full and close consideration. 172 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena We are not here concerned with the question of the possibility of the phenomenon as presented in the ac- counts published by Sir William, for no more here than in regard to other physical phenomena are we able or justified in dogmatizing. In accordance with the principles we have stated before we wish to establish whether or not the evidence at hand gives positive proof that the phenomenon is genuine. And in Sir William's own words the question, in so far as we can see it, resolves itself to this, whether "when the form which calls itself 'Katie' is visible in the room, the body of Miss Cook is ... . actually in the cabinet or is not there." 1 The first seance reported by Sir William was held in the house of Mr. Luxmore, the cabinet being a back drawing-room separated by a curtain from the front room where the company was sitting. The cabinet hav- ing been examined Miss Cook entered it, and "after a little time the form Katie appeared at the side of the curtain, but soon retreated, saying her medium was not well, and could not be put into a sufficiently deep sleep to make it safe for her to be left." Sir William admits that the figure was startlingly life-like and in the dim light prevailing resembled Miss Cook. But he finds sufficient evidence to prove that the phenomenon was not a case of impersonation by Miss Cook in the fact that "a sobbing, moaning sound, identical with that which Miss Cook had been making at intervals the whole time of the seance, came from be- hind the curtain where the young lady was supposed to be sitting." This evidence he considers unshakable. 2 To our mind this greatly weakens the value of any evidence put forth by Sir William, who ought to have known that by some skill in ventriloquism Miss Cook could easily have staged the marvel. 1 Researches, etc., p. 102. 2 Ibid., pp. 102-3. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 173 Sir William presents the following cases as giving "absolute proof" of Katie and Miss Cook being two separate material beings. The first case is that of a seance of March 12, 1874, held in Sir William's home, 1 the library serving as cabinet. Having retired to the cabinet after some time of conversation with the sitters Katie again appeared at the curtain and asked Sir William to come into the library and lift her medium's head. The cabinet was dark and Katie was clothed in her white robes and turban. Sir William writes: "I immediately walked into the library up to Miss Cook, Katie stepping aside to allow me to pass. I found Miss Cook had slipped partially off the sofa, and her head was hanging in a very awkward position. I lifted her onto the sofa, and in so doing had satisfactory evidence, in spite of the darkness, that Miss Cook was not attired in the 'Katie' costume, but had on her ordinary black velvet dress, and was in a deep trance. Not more than three seconds elapsed between my seeing the white-robed Katie standing before me and my raising Miss Cook onto the sofa from the position into which she had fallen." 2 Katie reappeared upon Sir William's returning to his post of observation. First of all, the cabinet was dark, and it necessarily must have taken Sir William some time to reach the couch on which Miss Cook was found lying. He esti- mated this time to be at the most three seconds, but he did not verify this by his watch — he could not have verified it in the darkness. Supposing that the Katie who met him at the curtain in reality was Miss Cook attired in a turban and with a white robe over her black velvet dress, what would have prevented her from hastily discarding the "Katie dress" and flinging her- self upon the couch before it could be reached by Sir 1 Researches, etc., pp. 105-107. 3 Ibid., p. 105. 174 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena William, and then, upon that gentleman's leaving the cabinet, again assuming it? The hypothesis presup- poses nothing beyond a little alertness on her part. Katie then promised to show herself together with the medium, and Sir William again entered the cabinet illuminated by a phosphorus lamp. But all he saw was Miss Cook, Katie having completely disappeared. The second case is recorded from a seance at Hack- ney on March 29th the same year. Katie had been walking about the room for nearly two hours, during which time she had taken Sir William's arm on several occasions and even allowed him to embrace her. He testifies that there was nothing to suggest that he did not hold a young lady in his arms. Finally, carrying the phosphorus lamp in his hand, he followed Katie into the cabinet, where he began to feel about for Miss Cook, whom he then found in her black costume crouch- ing on the floor and to all appearances senseless. Then raising the lamp he saw "Katie standing close behind Miss Cook. She was robed in flowing white drapery as (he) had seen her previously during the seance/' Holding Miss Cook's hand he now three times moved the lamp from one figure to the other, satisfying him- self that it was really a living woman lying before him and that the white-robed form had an objective reality. Moreover, he saw Katie's face when she moved and smiled on him. Finally, upon a sign from Katie, he left the cabinet. 1 Let us first note that the seances usually were held in Sir William's home, but that this particular one was given in a house in Hackney. We are told nothing re- garding the arrangement of the seance-room and the cabinet doors, windows, etc. During the previous seances Sir William had become convinced of Katie's identity. In order to present proof to the public he 1 Researches, etc., pp. 105-107. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 175 was desirous of being able to give a record of having seen Miss Cook and Katie simultaneously, and Katie had promised to show herself together with Miss Cook. There is absolutely nothing to show that Miss Cook did not have a confederate introduced into the cabinet at the proper moment, and the role the confederate would have to play was an easy one. She did not have to move or talk, but merely in the light from a phos- phorus lamp look like a girl draped in white, smile, and, upon sign from Miss Cook, dismiss Sir William with a gesture. Absolutely any young woman could have done it. In a previous chapter we have referred to photo- graphs taken both of Miss Cook and of Katie, which show slight differences in the bodily structure of the "two ladies." How easily this could have been ar- ranged, by stretching, tip -toeing or slightly bending the knees, and by turning the face differently for differ- ent exposures, seems almost superfluous to point out. In the whole of the evidence presented by Sir Wil- liam to prove that Katie King was not identical with Miss Cook, or, at least on one occasion, with a con- federate, there is nothing whatsoever to carry con- viction. The phantom of the Villa Carmen showed the same likeness to life as did Katie King. 1 Prof. Richet in his report says that it was not the medium disguised, nor a confederate parading in Arab costume, and af- 1 Richet in The Annals of Psychical Science, Oct. -Nov., 1905, says (pp. 269-270): "This personality is neither an image reflected by a mirror, nor a doll, nor a manikin. Indeed, it possesses all the attributes of life. I have seen it emerge from the cabinet, walk, go, and come into the room. I have heard the sound of its footsteps, its breathing, and its voice. This hand was articulated, warm, flexible; I have been enabled through the drapery with which it was covered to feel the wrist, the carpal and the metacarpal bones. . . . The phantom also blew through an India- rubber tube into a flask of barite water, which bubbled, proving that the respiration of this phantom produced carbonic acid . . ." 176 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena firms that he took all necessary precautions against fraud, but he fails to give us the details of these pre- cautions. At the time of the experiment with the barite water, Aischa, the negress, was sitting, supposedly with Mile. Marthe, in the cabinet, and when Bien Boa, standing inside the cabinet and close to the curtain, bent for- ward to blow into the water, Richet says that he "dis- tinguished clearly Aischa seated far away from Bien Boa, and Marthe." He goes on to say: "I could not see Marthe's face very well; but I recognized the skirt and the chemisette she was wearing, and I saw her hands." 1 M. Delanne, however, saw Marthe's face. Even granting that Marthe did sit in the cabinet while this took place, we must not leave out of sight the fact that she had smaller sisters who might easily have been introduced into the cabinet. The photo- graphs appended to M. Richet's report overwhelm- ingly suggest a rather crude amateur make-up. The one opposite p. 276 shows a big form before the opening of the curtain, resembling a bed sheet, and the arm of a girl seated at some distance. The next 2 gives the picture of a face with black beard and "pickelhaube" covered with a sheet. Both beard and "pickelhaube" may have originated in Nuremberg in so far as appear- ances are concerned. Facing the following page is a photograph showing the same figure of Bien Boa stand- ing in the opening of the cabinet, and also Aischa seated in a chair within. There is no photograph giving a clear view of the whole trio. There is only one way to prove the reality of ma- terialization, and it is amazingly simple. After the materialized form has appeared, let it be isolated from the medium and investigated while the cabinet at the same time is subjected to a separate scrutiny. If Katie 1 Ibid., p. 270. 3 Opposite p. 280. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 177 King or Bien Boa had dematerialized in the hands of their investigators after the cabinet had been thoroughly- searched and the medium (if there) examined, we should have believed. But now we believe not. We have saved the case of W. Stainton-Moses till the last. It is very difficult to pronounce upon his phe- nomena, for there are no other records than his own and those made by members of the Spear family from his dictation while in trance. 1 He was never subjected to scientific investigation — was never even controlled during his performances. Our only evidence for his phenomena, then, is his own authority and that of the Spears. Ordinarily this fact would dismiss his case as purely unevidential. But when we take into account the char- acter of Mr. Moses as a clergyman of the Church of England, an Oxford man, and a scholar, known by all who came in contact with him as a gentleman through and through, 2 it would seem incredible that at any time he could have resorted to deliberate fraud. And furthermore, there would have been no purpose in his defrauding, for he never gave public seances and drew no advantages from his spiritistic career. Mr. Myers considers his phenomena genuine, 3 and no doubt, on account of his close acquaintance with Moses, has a right to his opinion. Podmore, on the other hand, refuses to admit their supernormal causa- tion, but at the same time allows for the absence of de- liberate deception in so far as Moses is concerned. He reminds us, however, of the presence of young children 1 The following are the records of Moses* seances now in existence : "Spirit Identity," by W. S. Moses — out of print; "Human Nature," con- temporary numbers; Mrs. Spear's Notes in "Light"; Posthumous papers in Proceedings, 8. P. B., vols, ix and xi. 2 See F. W. H. Myers' sketch in Proceedings, 8. P. R., viii: 597-669. s "Human Personality," vol. II, pp. 223-37, 540-41, 546-49, 551-54, 583- 87, etc. 178 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena in the house of Dr. Spear, suggesting that they might have had a hand in the spirit maneuvers. 1 The more we study the Moses case, the more we come to the conviction that if it should be accepted as ex- hibiting anything, it is a typical case of self-delusion on the part of the medium, or, in inadequate terms, of un- conscious deception. For while there is nothing to show that the phenomena were ever genuine, nor that they exceed the possibilities of ordinary manipulation, there is all reason to believe that Mr. Moses would not have lowered himself to conscious deception. We shall return to his case in a later chapter. Our brief survey so far has shown, we think, the ab- sence of positive evidence for genuine physical phe- nomena. The psychical phenomena show a very differ- ent aspect. Entering upon them we are no longer con- cerned with the possible substitution of mechanical action for the claimed or supposed action of unknown forces or spirits, but confronted with phenomena of a mental order the reality of which can be verified only from the accounts of those who experience them. Automatic writing and speaking constitute the main and most interesting phenomena in this group, and in so far as the rest are concerned their actuality is no longer questioned. As we have already said, these lat- ter phenomena do not properly belong to Spiritism, and they find their natural explanation outside of spiritistic theories. In our investigation of the psychical phenomena we shall, therefore, confine ourselves to those known as automatic speaking and writing. Of course, there are fraudulent mediums who obtain their knowledge from natural sources, and even simulate the state of trance. 1 "Studies, etc," pp. 116-133; "Modern Spiritualism," vol. II, pp. 280- 288. Genuine and Spurious Phenomena 179 Yet, a study of the records of automatic script and utterance will convince the unprejudiced inquirer that all is not fraud or coincidence. 1 If we discard, then, undoubtedly numerous cases of simulated trance and of intelligence obtained from mediums' blue books or from other sources and de- liberately given out in the form of messages from the dead, we find a residue of instances in which the trance- state is genuine and the intelligence given automati- cally, at least without any intention to defraud on the part of the medium. All investigators of the Piper case rank it in this class, 2 to which we should prefer to add those of Mr. Moses, Mrs. Thompson, 3 the Verralls, Mrs. Holland and Mrs. Forbes, not excluding other cases not mentioned in this treatise. In face of what is generally accepted as a fact a discussion of this point would be to no purpose. So far we have termed the phenomena genuine with- out considering their actual cause. The intelligence usually purports to come from persons departed and this point in itself is still open to debate. The en- tranced medium is in an abnormal condition in which other personalities than the normal waking self appear, and it is in the state of trance that the messages take form and are delivered. Whatever may be their actual, *Mr. Podmore says {"The Newer Spiritualism," pp. 145-146): "I should, perhaps, state at the outset, as emphatically as possible, that it seems to me incredible that fraud should be the sole explanation of the revelations made in trance and automatic writing. No one who has made a careful study of the records and is sufficiently free from prepossession to enable him to form an honest opinion, will believe that any imaginable exercise of fraudulent ingenuity, supplemented by whatever opportune- ness of coincidence and laxness on the part of the investigators, could con- ceivably explain the whole of these communications." 2 Podmore in Proceedings, S. P. R., xiv: 50-78; Mrs. Sidgwick in Ibid., xv : 16-38; Andrew Lang in Ibid., xv: 39-52; Prof. W. R. Newbold in Ibid., xiv: 6-49; Dr. Hodgson in Ibid., xiii:248 et seq. To these may be added the testimony of Lodge, W. Leaf, William James, Profs. Hyslop and Sidg- wick, Myers, Pvichet and others. 3 Dr. Hodgson accuses Mrs. Thompson of fraud ( see Proceedings, 8. P. R., xvii : 138-161 ) but even to Podmore this accusation seems unwar- ranted (see "The Newer Spiritualism," p. 158). 180 Genuine and Spurious Phenomena objective source, their subjective reality, as found in the mind of the medium, corresponds to their expres- sion in speech or in script. In this degree, then, we feel justified in accepting the records as genuine a priori, and the problem confronting us will be to determine, from a study of their contents, whether the messages could have a natural source or whether they give posi- tive proof of preternatural origin. Obviously here, as in the case of the physical phenomena, we can not ac- cept a preternatural element in the absence of positive proof. But before proceeding to such inquiry we shall consider certain facts and theories which would con- tribute to the elucidation of the matter before us. CHAPTER VI. Spiritism and Psychology. The phenomena of Spiritism which are not obviously- associated with deliberate fraud are invariably pro- duced in the presence of certain individuals known as mediums. Considering therefore the phenomena in gen- eral as mediumistic, that is to say as depending upon certain individuals in the absence of whom they do not occur, we find in them a striking analogy with phe- nomena, in themselves of an obviously natural order, appearing in abnormal mental states and with hypno- tized persons, such as, besides the hypnotic state itself, cases of suggestion, dissociation of the personality, automatism, thought transference, clairvoyance, etc. There are then to all appearances, and in so far at least as their association is concerned, two analogous orders of phenomena, those of Spiritism and those pertaining to the realm of psychology, and in order to appreciate and arrive at a conclusion regarding the nature of the former we propose to institute a comparative study of both. While the constitution of our psychical life, or per- haps more definitely of our own personality or Ego, and the relation of its varied phenomena to purely psychical or psycho-physiological causes has not in all its details and aspects been scientifically established, and we therefore are unable to reason from thoroughly known principles, the ensemble of authenticated phe- nomenal facts has been incorporated in theories, the tentative acceptance of one or other of which becomes necessary for an intelligent treatment of the subject. The authenticated facts, however, have a probative value independently of the theories in which they are 182 Spiritism and Psychology found incorporated, and while it may become not only convenient but necessary to employ the terminology they furnish, we base our conclusions, not upon the hypothetical principles implied in the terminology, but upon the facts themselves upon which they rest. It is not our intention to enter on speculation regard- ing human personality; whatever may be the different conclusions of various schools of psychology, we ac- cept the principle of an individual and personal unity of the Ego, at the same time admitting the complexity of its constitution. This admission forms the basis of two different theories regarding the constitution of the Ego which we shall present prior to some of the facts upon which they are based. The most ordinary everyday experience tells us not only of the complex nature of the Ego, but shows that what goes to make up my own Self is broader than that self of which at any given moment I am conscious. As a fact, the conscious Self embraces but a small portion of the whole Ego, which includes not only conscious thought, memory, experience and action, but also im- pressions non-consciously received and later perhaps emerging into consciousness, latent memory of what formerly was conscious, certain processes of association of ideas, and largely that whole, incessant activity which goes to make up the ensemble of vital function. We shall briefly state two theories which we have found helpful in coordinating and systematizing the psychological phenomena to which we have referred. Dr. Grasset's system of "polygonal psychology" treats the question of human personality from a psycho- physiological point of view, while that of Frederic Myers, the theory of the "subliminal self," deals with the subject more purely psychologically. In main they follow the same leading outlines, admitting in the Ego a fluctuating interaction between its normally con- scious and subconscious strata. Spiritism and Psychology 183 Mr. Myers 1 considers a human being as a spiritual and permanent entity, a soul, of which our conscious self is but a small portion. This entity he compares to a solar spectrum the visible region of which is extended at both ends in the extra violet and the ultra red rays. Similarly our supraliminal or ordinary consciousness, constituting a small proportion of the whole self and particularly adapted to terrestrial life, is extended on the one side in inferior faculties now lost, but formerly at the disposal of our ancestors, i. e., the power to in- fluence physiological functions at will, on the other in superior faculties of which we do not have free use in this existence but which occasionally manifest them- selves, such as clairvoyance, lucidity, etc. These two extensions form the subliminal part of ourselves. The limen or border, dividing the supraliminal from the subliminal is, however, not impervious, but there are constant fluxes between the two orders. The author of this theory begins his argument with a study of disintegration of personality, observed in obsession, subconscious ideas, hypnotic phenomena, secondary states of consciousness, etc., which bespeak a regressive process inverse to the process of evolution by which he thinks human personality has come into being. Genius shows upshots of the subliminal into the supraliminal consciousness; in sleep supraliminal func- tions are suspended and our being recruits its strength from the metetherical world, which is the source of all energy; and finally hypnotism, an experimental de- velopment of sleep, increases the subliminal vitalization of the organism. Suggestion Myers defines as "a suc- cessful appeal to the subliminal self." The different forms of automatism as well as telepathy and clairvoy- ance are the functions of the subliminal self, ac- centuated in sleep and particularly in hypnotic trance. 1 The theory is stated and elaborated in "Human Personality." 184 Spiritism and Psychology We shall not follow Myers in the ultimate develop- ment of his theory leading to notions such as the dis- sociation of segments of the subliminal self and their subsequent impression at distance of other personali- ties (psychical invasion) or rapport with material things in clairvoyance, or, again, the establishing of phantasmogenetic centers (collective hallucinations) ; nor in his ultimate conclusion regarding intercommuni- cation with the departed. In these things his theories go far beyond the warrant of the facts and lose them- selves in speculation. Dr. Grasset 1 abandons the purely psychological ground for a hypothesis which would cover and arrange the facts, and refers them rather to a psycho-physiologi- cal structure. His theory is represented in an upper psychical center, O, dominating a polygon of lower psychical centers. 2 The O represents the upper psychical center of conscious personality — free will, the responsible Ego — the cerebral cortex of the pre- frontal lobe. The polygon consists of the lower psychical centers, both motor (kinesthetic, speech and writing) and sensory (auditory, visual and tactile), which are connected with their respective centrifugal and centripetal organs, and interconnected by intra- polygonal organs. Psychical acts are partly voluntary and conscious, partly involuntary and unconscious, corresponding to the two groups of psychical centers and neurones both located in the cerebral mind, viz., the upper center O, and the lower or polygonal centers. The whole psychism participates in the management of life in the physiological state,, but when under certain circum- stances the two orders of psychism are separated — hyper polygonal disaggregation — interaction wholly or partially ceases. Such disaggregation is found in sleep, 1 In "The Marvels Beyond Science" 2 See diagram at the beginning of Op. cit. Spiritism and Psychology 185 absent-mindedness, hypnosis, etc. In this condition the polygon is susceptible to influence from another O by means of suggestion. The disaggregated polygon ex- presses itself in the phenomena of automatism and ap- pears in "secondary personalities," and a further, intra- polygonal disaggregation will account for the phe- nomena of analgesia and anaethesia often observed in induced somnambulism. Spiritistic phenomena, as we have said, occur with mediums, i. e., intermediaries between the phenomena as perceptible effects, and spirits as their alleged cause. In the physical phenomena the intermediary role is less obvious, especially where physical contact is not* im- plied, whereas in the psychical phenomena the medium exhibits automatism purporting to be the result of spirit-possession or at least to be guided under the in- fluence of spirits. 1 If we analyze mediumship we shall find its essential constituents in the trance-state, motor automatism and the apparent possession, to which should be added sensory automatism as found, for in- stance, in the hyperesthesia which made the control of Eusapia Palladino's one hand and foot very painful to her. The trance-state is indicative of dissociation of per- sonality as we find it in various psychological abnormal states in which both automatism and secondary per- sonalities appear. We shall now present these psycho- logical phenomena for the purpose of comparison with the corresponding phenomena of spiritism as we have presented them in another chapter. 1 Even Miss Johnson makes this distinction.