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THE    EVIDENCE    FOR 
COMMUNICATION    WITH    THE   DEAD 


Demy  8vo.    Cloth  8/6  net. 

THE  NEWER  SPIRITUALISM 

By  Frank  Podmore. 

"  Sums  up  the  results  of  his  prolonged  inquires  on  the 
subject  of  spiritualism.  .  .  .  Mr.  Podmore,  at  any  rate, 
seems  to  have  summed  up  the  existing  evidence  in 
the  most  critical,  and  at  the  same  time,  open-handed 
manner." — Daily  News. 

"Here  Mr.  Podmore  is  at  his  best:  sane,  clear,  and 
wonderfully  acute." — Morning  Leader. 

"  We  are  greatly  indebted  to  Mr.  Podmore  for  this 
clear,  critical,  and  dispassionate  survey  of  the  whole 
question. " — Inquirer. 


LONDON: 
T.  FISHER  UNWIN 


THE  EVIDENCE  FOR 

COMMUNICATION 

WITH  THE  DEAD 


BY 

MRS.    ANNA    HUDE,    PH.D. 


T.   FISHER   UNWIN 
LONDON:   ADELPHI   TERRACE 
LEIPSIC:   INSELSTRASSE   20 


First  published  in  1 9 1 3 . 


[All  rights  reserved.] 


The  quotations  in  this  book  from  the  Proceedings  of 
the  Society  for  Psychical  Research  are  made  by  permission, 
but  it  is  of  course  to  be  understood  that  for  all  interpre- 
tations and  discussion  of  matter  borrowed  from  the 
Proceedings — that  is,  for  everything  beyond  the  actual 
quotations — the  author  alone  is  responsible. 

To  the  above  statement  I  want  to  add  my  warmest 
thanks  to  the  leaders  of  the  Society.  If  I  have  been 
obliged  to  disagree  with  some  of  their  opinions,  this  fact 
has  not  diminished  my  deep  esteem  for  their  great  and 
noble  work. 

No  less  do  I  desire  to  thank  the  leader  of  the  American 
Society  for  Psychical  Research,  Professor  James  Hyslop, 
who  is  indeed,  as  he  has  been  called,  the  apostohc 
successor  of  that  prominent  researcher  and  untiring 
worker.  Dr.  Richard  Hodgson,  whose  name  will  appear 
very  often  in  the  following  pages. 

A.  H. 


CONTENTS 


SECTION   I 

The  Supernormal  Powers  of  Man 

CHAP.  PAGE 

I.     THE   ARGUMENT    OF    PROFESSOR    FLOURNOY  .  .  I 

II.     TELEPATHY  ........  l6 

HI.     CLAIRVOYANCE        .......  30 

SECTION    II 

The  Automatic  Writing  of  Mrs.  Verrall 

IV,  introduction.      dr.    VERRALL'S   EXPERIMENT  .  46 

V.  THE    SYMPOSIUM    INCIDENT        .....  59 

VI.  CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES    WITH    MRS.    FORBES   .  .  74 

VII.  PSYCHOMETRY   AND    PREVISION  ....  85 

VIII.  CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES   WITH   MRS.    PIPER       .  .  95 

SECTION   III 
The  Automatic  Writing  of  Mrs.  Holland 
IX.   spontaneous  writing.         .....     lOI 

X.     THE    beginning   OF   EXPERIMENTS  .  .  .  .        I24 

XI,     CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  .  .  .  .  .       I46 

SECTION   IV 

The  Mediumism  of  Mrs.  Piper.     I.  The  Phinuit 
Period 

xii.   phinuit       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .172 

xiii.   george  pelham  .......     i99 


viii  CONTENTS 

SECTION   V 

The  Mediumism  of  Mrs.  Piper.     II.  The  New 

RJEGIME 

CHAP.  PAGE 

XIV.     THE    HYSLOP    SITTINGS    ......       223 

XV.     THE    JUNOT    SITTINGS       ......       25I 

XVI.     THE    HODGSON-CONTROL  .....       267 

SECTION   VI 

The  Mediumism  of  Mrs.  Piper.     III.  Experiments 

XVII.   cross-correspondences       .....     274 

XVIII.     OTHER   EXPERIMENTS       .  .  .  .  .  •       S" 

SECTION  VII 

Conclusion.    New  Mediums 
XIX.   conclusion  .......     333 

XX.     NEW   MEDIUMS         .......       34I 


index         ........     349 


1 


N 


The  Evidence  for 
Communication   with  the   Dead. 


SECTION    I 
The  Supernormal  Powers  of  Man 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  ARGUMENT   OF   PROFESSOR   FLOURNOY 

With  regard  to  the  problem  which  is  the  subject  of  the 
present  book,  the  world  of  to-day  stands  divided  into  two 
sharply  defined  factions.  There  are  those  who  feel 
convinced  that  a  communication  with  the  dead  exists, 
and  those  who — if  they  have  given  a  thought  to  the  matter 
at  all — consider  it  all  but  insane  to  assume  such  a  com- 
munication. The  former  group  consists  of  the  believing 
spiritualists,  who  without  much  criticism  accept  most 
things  that  purport  to  be  messages  from  the  departed  ; 
but  it  includes  withal  men  and  women  who  regard 
psychical  research  as  a  science,  and  cultivate  it  in  a 
scientific  manner.  Of  the  latter  and  much  larger  group, 
it  may  on  the  whole  be  said  that  its  members  know  Httle 
or  nothing  about  the  question  ;  as  a  rule,  those  who  have 
occupied  themselves  with  it  have  left  the  standpoint 
described  above.  After  a  thorough  and  honest  study  of 
the  subject,  only  a  very  few  have  maintained  their 
original  opinion. 

Among  these  few  is  M.  Theodore  Flournoy,  Professor  of 
Psychology  at  the  University  of  Geneva,   perhaps  the 

CD.  B 


2  COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE   DEAD 

most  important  adversary  of  the  spiritistic  conclusion. 
His  scientific  training,  his  eloquent  language,  and  his 
conspicuous  fairness  in  discussion,  combine  to  make  his 
treatment  of  the  problem  very  valuable  ;  his  works  have 
justly  gained  a  world-wide  reputation,  and  no  psychical 
student  can  omit  pa5ang  attention  to  them.  I  propose, 
therefore,  to  commence  my  investigation  of  the  question 
with  a  revieV  of  his  results. 

Professor  Floumoy's  great  merit  is  above  all  to  have, 
with  respect  to  a  large  category  of  mediumistic  communi- 
cations, made  out  in  a  clear  and  convincing  manner  that 
the  source  from  which  they  proceed  is  to  be  found  in  the 
medium's  own  self.  Imagination,  that  power  to  create 
figures  and  make  up  stories  which  all  of  us  possess  in  a 
degree,  and  which  in  the  partially  or  entirely  entranced 
medium  may  assume  vast  proportions,  is  one  factor  ; 
cryptomnesia,  that  emergence  of  forgotten  memories 
which  we  know  from  our  dream-life,  the  other.  In  the 
opinion  of  Professor  Flournoy,  they  together  explain  so 
completely  the  mediumistic  utterances,  that  at  any  rate 
with  regard  to  those  mediums  whom  he  has  himself 
studied,  nothing  remains  in  support  of  other  theories. 

For  this  assertion.  Professor  Flournoy  has  produced 
interesting  evidence  in  his  famous  book  From  India  to  the 
Planet  Mars  ;  afterwards  he  has  in  the  work  Spirits  and 
Mediums  ^  in  divers  ways  strengthened  the  proof.  What 
the  subconscious  imagination  of  the  medium  Helen  Smith 
(pseudonym)  was  capable  of  inventing  is  already  shown 
in  the  title  of  the  former  book,  which  is  consecrated  solely 
to  her.  It  made  her  believe  herself  to  be  a  reincarnation, 
now  of  the  queen  of  France,  Marie  Antoinette,  now  of  an 
Indian  princess  from  the  fifteenth  century  ;  it  transported 
her  to  the  planet  Mars,  and  made  her  give  detailed 
descriptions,  nay  drawings,  of  the  wonderful  things  she 
saw  there,  and  the  human  beings  she  met  with.  For  the 
planetarians  resembled,  strange  to  tell,  the  inhabitants  of 

*  Esprits  et  Mediums,  translated  into  English  by  Hereward  Car- 
rington  under  the  title  of  Spiritism  and  Psychology. 


ARGUMENT  OF  PROFESSOR  FLOURNOY  3 

this  earth,  and  their  language,  of  which  she  furnished 
many  examples,  certainly  consisted  of  odd  words,  but  its 
construction  corresponded  most  accurately  to  the  con- 
struction of  her  own  mother-tongue,  French.  The 
Martian  vocables  translated  one  by  one  the  French  words. 
Monsieur,  Madame  and  Mademoiselle,  were  called  metiche, 
medachc,  and  metaganichc,  and  so  on.  The  similitude 
was  so  great  that  even  the  connecting  t  had  its  equivalent 
— also  when  it  was  quite  superfluous. 

In  a  romance  like  this,  it  was  not  very  difficult  to 
recognize  a  purely  subliminal  product,  even  if  it  required 
a  scientific  mind  like  Professor  Flournoy's  to  trace  it  back 
to  its  source,  and  make  clear  the  process  that  had  produced 
it.  In  Spirits  and  Mediums,  however,  the  author  has  got 
to  deal  with  communications  of  a  more  ordinary  type, 
and  in  no  wise  does  he  disregard  the  difficulty  of  furnishing 
an  absolutely  satisfactory  proof  of  their  origin.  It  is,  in 
fact,  not  only  necessary  to  show  that  their  contents  may 
have  been  derived  from  the  medium,  but  that  they  cannot 
have  come  from  any  other  source.  It  is  true  that  their 
banality  is  often  so  great  that  all  doubt  must  disappear. 
For  instance,  on  the  occasion  of  the  coming  to  Geneva  of 
a  famous  spiritualist,  the  great  reformer  Calvin  introduced 
himself  with  the  following  tirade  : 

"  Yes,  it  is  indeed  the  reformer  of  Geneva  who  is  here.  I  am 
pierced  with  pain  at  seeing  what  has  become  of  the  Huguenot 
faith  among  the  greater  portion  of  my  fellow-citizens.  But 
I  see  help  coming,  and  I  beseech  you  to  seize  it.  It  is  cleri- 
calism that  has  corrupted  the  masses,  it  is  for  the  spiritualists 
to  repair  the  evil !  It  is  no  easy  thing,  I  know,  to  transform 
suddenly  the  foundations  of  moral  and  religious  life  ;  but  even 
if  one's  whole  life  must  be  devoted  to  it,  and  all  dreamed  of 
happiness  must  be  sacrificed,  it  is  the  duty  of  all  believers  to 
make  the  light  penetrate  as  far  as  possible." 

In  the  same  manner  it  fared  with  the  contemporary 
celebrities  of  Geneva,  when  they  departed  this  life.  They 
invariably  came  into  new  existence  through  the  trance- 
performances   of   one   or   more   mediums,   but   always, 

B  2 


4  COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE  DEAD 

Professor  Flournoy  states,  these  manifestations  corre- 
sponded to  the  medium's  idea  of  the  deceased  persons, 
and  not  to  the  image  which  he  himself  had  of  their 
personahty.  With  crude  colours  was  depicted  the  famous 
corypheus  of  materialism,  Carl  Vogt,  arriving  to  tell  of 
his  death  and  his  surprise  at  being  still  alive. 

"  What !  Vogt,  the  sceptic  who  had  believed  himself  to  be 
brain  and  nerves  only  !  And  he  lives,  he  thinks,  he  acts, 
without  the  instrumentality  of  these  things  !  Woe,  woe  to 
me  !  To  believe  oneself  competent  in  such  a  matter  and  to 
have  deceived  oneself  so  grossly  !  My  poor  head  will  jump 
off !  " 

And  when  shortly  afterwards  the  old  physiologist 
Schiff,  who  when  Professor  Flournoy  saw  him  in  his 
laboratory  was  always  original,  piquant,  and  full  of 
philosophical  ideas,  manifested  through  the  same  medium, 
his  speech  consisted  only  of  platitudes,  after  the  style  of 
Vogt. 

Here,  then,  the  contents  of  the  communications  speak 
for  themselves,  because  the  incongruity  between  the 
alleged  communicators  and  the  utterances  ascribed  to 
them  is  too  evident.  But  of  course  there  are  cases  where 
this  criterion  fails.  Professor  Flournoy,  however,  con- 
tends that  when,  with  regard  to  a  number  of  typical 
"  messages,"  he  can  show  the  impossibility  of  their 
emanating  from  any  other  source  than  the  medium,  he 
must  be  right  in  maintaining  this  simple  explanation  also 
where  their  origin  is  less  clear.  He  reproduces,  therefore, 
with  special  satisfaction,  a  series  of  messages  which  cannot 
be  assigned  to  the  apparent  communicator  because  this 
person  is  still  alive.  A  most  characteristic  case  is  that 
of  Mme.  Dupond,  a  learned  and  highly  educated  lady, 
who  at  the  age  of  forty-five  became  interested  in  spiritism. 
She  read  Allan  Kardec,  etc.,  and  tried  automatic  writing 
with  some  success.  She  had  a  friend,  M.  Rodolphe,  a 
young  Frenchman,  who  to  her  great  regret  had  recently 
entered  into  a  religious  order  in  Italy.     A  few  days  after 


ARGUMENT  OF  PROFESSOR  FLOURNOY   5 

she  had  obtained  her  first  script,  on  April  24th,  1881,  her 
hand  wrote  as  follows  : 

"  I  am  Rodolphe  ;  I  died  at  11  o'clock  last  night,  on 
April  23rd.  You  must  believe  what  I  tell  you.  I  am  happ3\ 
I  have  ended  my  troubles.  I  have  been  sick  for  some  days, 
and  I  could  not  write.  I  had  a  haemorrhage  of  the  lungs, 
caused  by  a  cold,  which  came  suddenly.  I  died  without 
suffering,  and  I  have  thought  much  of  you.  I  have  left  orders 
as  to  your  letters.  I  died  at  X.,  far  from  dom  Bruno  .  .  . 
Your  father  brought  me  to  you  ;  I  did  not  know  we  could 
communicate  thus  ;  it  makes  me  very  happy  ...  A  little 
before  my  death  I  called  the  director  of  the  Oratory  to  me ; 
gave  him  your  letters,  begging  him  to  return  them  to  you  ; 
he  will  do  so.  After  communion  I  begged  to  see  my  colleagues, 
and  said  good-bye  to  them  ;  I  was  peaceful ;  I  did  not  suffer  ; 
but  life  gradually  became  extinct.  The  passage  of  death 
resembled  that  of  sleep.  I  awakened  near  God,  near  parents 
and  friends  ;  it  was  beautiful,  wonderful ;  I  was  happy  and 
free.  I  have  thought  at  once  of  those  who  loved  me,  and  I 
should  have  liked  to  speak  to  them,  but  I  can  only  com- 
municate with  you.  I  remain  with  you,  and  I  see  you,  but  I 
only  notice  your  spirit  ...  I  am  devoted  to  you.  Do  not 
fear  that  I  love  you  less  because  I  am  no  longer  on  earth  ;  it 
is  the  reverse.  I  am  in  space,  I  see  your  parents,  and  I  love 
them  also.  Adieu  ;  I  am  going  to  pray  for  you  ...  I  am  no 
longer  Catholic  ;   I  am  Christian." 

This  first  message  was  followed  by  others — until  Mme. 
Dupond,  on  April  30th,  received  a  letter  from  Rodolphe 
who,  far  from  being  dead,  was  in  perfect  health. 

Professor  Flournoy  has  with  much  fineness  unravelled 
the  causes  of  Mme.  Dupond's  subliminal  romance  about 
her  young  friend.  She  had  met  him  in  Italy,  where  he 
was  passing  the  winter  on  account  of  his  health.  They 
had  talked  together  about  spiritual  subjects,  and  Mme. 
Dupond,  who  was  a  Protestant,  nad  wanted  to  convert 
him  to  her  own  faith  ;  but  instead  of  this  she  found  that 
the  influence  exercised  over  him  by  an  Italian  preacher, 
the  Father  dom  Bruno,  prevailed  over  her  own,  and  that 
he  became  associated  with  a  religious  order  under  the 
direction  of  this  father.  Now  she  expected  a  letter  from 
him  ;  it  did  not  arrive,  and  a  sudden  fall  in  the  tempera- 
ture that  followed  a  warm  spell  of  spring  might  well  make 


6  COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

her  fear  ior  him  whose  liealth  was  so  dehcate.  Such  is 
the  background  of  her  romance  about  his  death  ;  perhaps, 
in  the  depth  of  her  soul  she  would  have  preferred  to  know 
him  dead  rather  than  living  with  dom  Bruno  ;  the  remark 
that  he  died  far  from  this  prelate  suggests  such  a  feeling. 
His  death  made  everything  right ;  he  was  happy  and  loved 
her  even  more  than  before  ;  he  was  no  longer  Catholic, 
he  was  Christian.  There  is,  in  fact,  as  regards  the  sub- 
stance, not  much  difference  between  Mme.  Dupond's 
autfjmatic  production  and  those  day-dreams  which  many 
people  dream  awake,  though  of  course  the  process  is  more 
alike  to  real  dreaming. 

Two  other  cases  were  communicated  to  Professor 
Flournoy  by  the  medium  Mme.  Zora.  One  referred  to  a 
very  old  lady,  Adrienne  B.,  whom  she  had  known  in  the 
small  town  of  Delemont,  where  she  had  resided  at  the  time 
before  her  marriage,  and  celebrated  her  wedding.  Mme. 
Zora's  husband  had  gone  to  live  in  the  tropics,  and  the 
anxious  wife  had  received,  through  another  psychic,  a 
message  which  stated  that  he  was  dead.  Probably,  then, 
her  th(jughts  often  went  back  to  Delemont,  and  to  that 
period  when  she  used  to  see  Adrienne  B.  ;  this  lady  was 
at  that  time,  sixteen  years  before,  eighty  years  of  age  ; 
thus  it  was  natural  that  Mme.  Zora  more  or  less  consciously 
believed  her  to  be  no  longer  among  the  living. 

Under  these  circumstances  she  one  day  automatically 
wrote  as  follows  : 

"  My  very  dear  friend,  for  the  first  time  I  come  to  visit  you  ; 
I  shall  be  glad  to  talk  with  you  if  you  will  permit  me  to  do  so. 
You  have  not  yet  recognized  me,  which  surprises  me  ;  it  is 
not  so  many  years  since  I  saw  you,  and  you  were  very  amiable 
and  full  of  reminiscences.  It  is  eleven  years  since  you  paid 
me  a  visit,  and  you  have  not  been  at  Delemont  since,  so  I  have 
not  had  the  pleasure  of  speaking  to  you  for  a  long  time.  It  is 
already  some  time  since  I  pas^;ed  away,  and  it  is  only  to-day 
that  I  learn  that  you  are  permitted  to  keep  up  the  relationship 
with  this  side  of  the  grave  ;  I  am  very  glad  that  you  enjoy 
this  privilege,  you  deserve  it,  and  I  am  also  glad  for  my  own 
sake.  You  will  tell  me  if  you  too  have  kept  the  memory  of  our 
good  little  moments  in  the  Rue  du  Midi,  and  of  the  last  visit 


ARGUMENT  OF  PROFESSOR  FLOURNOY      7 

I  paid  you  at  Moutiers  ;  it  is  already  long  ago,  it  was  in  1871. 
I  believe  that  I  remember  rightly  though  it  is  not  easy  here, 

nor  yet  on  account  of  my  great  age ^     Good-bye,  my  dear 

friend,  it  will  be  a  pleasure  to  me  to  return  some  time.     Your 
old  friend — Adrienne  B." 

Though  Mme.  Adrienne  B.  was  at  this  time  ninety-six 
years  of  age,  she  did  not  die  until  two  months  after  the 
production  of  Mme.  Zora's  script.  The  latter  was  at 
Delemont  the  day  after  her  death  and  was  told  about  it. 
Without  this  coincidence  she  would  have  continued  to 
regard  the  old  lady  as  the  author  of  the  script.  This  being 
impossible,  she  believed  that  a  deceiving  spirit  had  made 
use  of  her  hand.  That  such  a  one  should  be  cognizant  of 
the  petty  details  upon  which  the  message  is  based,  and 
which  were  all  to  be  found  in  her  own  memory,  does  not 
seem  to  have  caused  her  any  astonishment. 

In  the  second  case  sent  by  Mme.  Zora  the  cause  of  the 
"  message "  was  very  evident.  The  automatist  knew 
that  the  alleged  communicator,  Mme.  Leblanc,  was  dying, 
and  it  was  a  lady  whom  she  had  very  earnestly  tried  to 
convert  to  spiritism,  without  success.  While  her  mind 
was  filled  with  sad  thoughts  about  her,  one  morning  she 
was  seized  with  a  strong  desire  to  write.  She  took  a 
pencil,  which  immediately  wrote  the  following  lines  : 

"  Yes,  I  am  she  of  whom  you  thought.  You  were  right. 
You  spoke  truly.  I  did  not  dare  to  believe  it,  and  behold,  I  am 
here  !  Glory  be  to  our  Father  whom  you  love  and  whom  you 
glorify  in  your  soul  and  in  these  pages  .  .  .  Yes,  I  am  here, 
happy  to  be  so,  to  tell  you  that  in  spite  of  my  great  desire  to 
believe  it,  I  had  to  experience  it  myself — to  touch  with  the 
finger,  to  put  my  hand  in  the  side.  I  have  not  forgotten  our 
first  meeting,  and  I  have  come  to  say  '  Amen  '  with  you  to  all 
the  desires  of  your  hearts,  to  all  your  experiences  ...  A.  L." 

Evidently  the  script  represents  the  feelings  which  the 
medium  must  imagine  to  be  those  of  her  sceptical  friend 
when  she  learned  after  death  that  spiritism  had  told  the 
truth,  and  no  particle  more.     And  yet  Mme.  Zora,  when  it 

1  Omissions  by  the  present  author  are  indicated  by  dashes  ;  otherwise 
by  dots. 


8  COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

was  ascertained  that  Mme.  Leblanc  had  lived  forty-eight 
hours  after  the  production  of  the  message,  could  not  be  per- 
suaded to  accept  the  theory  of  Professor  Flournoy  ;  she 
does  not  in  this  case  seem  to  have  felt  certain  that  a 
deceiving  spirit  had  amused  itself  at  her  cost,  but  she 
preferred  to  remain  without  explanation  rather  than 
believe  that  she  herself  had  been  the  unconscious  author 
of  the  communication. 

In  spite  of  their  triteness  I  have  given  these  "  messages  " 
all  but  unabridged,  because  longwindedness  is  one  of 
their  chief  characteristics.  In  all  of  them,  however,  the 
subconscious  mind  had  shown  a  faculty  of  composing 
which  had  at  least  imposed  upon  the  waking  sensitive. 
And  yet  we  have  only  reached  the  first  stage  of  its 
capabihty.  We  have  as  yet  encountered  nothing  but 
pure  construction,  founded  upon  details  which  the 
mediums  knew  normally  ;  we  have  found  no  knowledge 
which  they  could  not  recognize,  and,  therefore,  with  some 
reason  must  ascribe  to  external  beings.  The  next  stage 
is  the  one  where  such  a  knowledge  supervenes  ;  a  know- 
ledge, however,  which  on  closer  examination  turns  out  to 
be,  nevertheless,- that  of  the  mediums  themselves,  though 
it  has  been  so  completely  lost  by  their  waking  conscious- 
ness that  they  generally  do  not  even  recollect  it  when 
reminded  of  it.  We  meet  here  the  phenomenon  called 
cryptomnesia,  hidden  memory — that  is,  a  memory  which 
exists  only  in  the  subconsciousness,  and  can  only  through 
automatic  speech  or  script,  and  the  like,  be  made  accessible 
for  other  people  and  for  the  normal  medium. 

It  is,  as  accentuated  by  Professor  Flournoy,  of  course 
extremely  difficult  to  prove  this  purely  subjective  origin 
of  the  mediumistic  communications  when  they  refer  to 
matters  whose  connection  with  the  medium  is  hidden  or 
improbable.  It  is  necessary  to  know  the  individuality  of 
the  mediums,  their  past,  their  family,  their  acquaintances, 
their  reading  and  other  occupations,  in  order  to  be  able  to 
judge  in  some  measure  of  "  the  contents  of  their  bag." 


ARGUMENT  OF  PROFESSOR  FLOURNOY   9 

Therefore  Professor  Flournoy  has  himself  preferred  to 
confine  his  studies  to  the  psychics  hving  in  Geneva,  whose 
relations  he  might  have  some  hope  of  unravelling.  And 
here,  as  with  regard  to  pure  fabrication,  he  insists  on  his 
right  to  apply  the  results  of  a  few  thoroughly  analyzed 
cases  to  the  many  similar  ones  which,  on  account  of  the 
circumstances,  it  is  less  easy  to  dissect. 

It  is  more  specially  in  the  book  From  India  to  the  Planet 
Mars  that  he  has  given  us  the  result  of  a  few  analyses  of 
this  kind.  An  interesting  instance  is  his  demonstration 
of  the  origin  of  Helen  Smith's  statements  about  certain 
deceased  members  of  his  own  family.  The  medium  was 
in  a  semi-trance,  communicating  what  she  saw  or  heard 
partly  orally,  partly  by  means  of  table-tippings.  As  a 
typical  case  Professor  Flournoy  reports  his  very  first 
sitting  with  her,  in  1894  ;  at  the  time  it  caused  him  great 
astonishment,  as  it  was  inconceivable  to  him  how  she 
could  be  cognizant  of  things  which  had  occurred  even 
before  his  own  birth.  His  record  is,  slightly  abridged,  as 
follows  : 

The  medium  describes  that  she  sees  two  women,  rather 
handsome,  dark,  both  of  them  in  wedding-dress.  "  This 
refers  to  you,  M.  Flournoy,"  she  exclaims.  They  wear  white 
flowers  in  their  hair,  which  is  black  ;  they  have  dark  eyes. 
There  is  a  certain  resemblance  between  them.  One  of  them 
appears  in  two  forms,  in  one  she  is  young,  about  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  and  dressed  as  described  ;  in  the  other  radiant, 
far  away  [i.e.,  dead],  surrounded  by  a  number  of  handsome 
children,  happy.  The  two  women  are  going  to  be  married. 
The  medium  hears  a  name  :  "An  .  .  An  .  .  Dan  .  .  Ran  .  . 
Dandi  ,  .  Dandiran  !  "  Professor  Flournoy  asks  to  whom  of 
the  two  women  the  name  refers.  Answer  :  To  her  who  had 
two  forms.  The  medium  does  not  see  the  other  so  clearly,  but 
suddenly  discerns  a  big  man  by  her  side.  And  the  table 
dictates  :   "  I  am  her  sister.     We  will  return." 

All  this,  Professor  Flournoy  says,  is  founded  on  the 
fact  that  his  mother  and  her  sister  were  married  on  the 
same  day,  in  1853,  and  that  the  latter,  Mme.  Dandiran, 
died  young  and  childless.  The  description  "  a  big  man  " 
fits   his   father.     In   five   more   sittings   with   Professor 


10        COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

Flournoy,  Helen  Smith  produced  information  concerning 
his  mother's  family  ;  beyond  that,  however,  her  know- 
ledge did  not  seem  to  reach.  This  for  one  thing  is  a  proof 
of  her  honesty  ;  she  might  easily  have  informed  herself 
of  his  father's  or  his  wife's  family  relations.  Moreover, 
the  case  presented  the  pecuHarity  that  the  medium,  after 
the  first  six  sittings,  never  once  in  the  course  of  five  years 
during  whigh  Professor  Flournoy  attended  her  seances 
reverted  to  these  circumstances.  It  was  as  if  her  first 
contact  with  the  new  sitter  had  called  latent  memories  to 
the  surface,  and  the  subHminal  "  bag "  had  at  once 
exhausted  its  supply.  Everything  suggested  that  the 
medium  had  at  some  time  learned  something  about  his 
mother's  family,  the  Claparedes,  and  at  last  he  succeeded 
in  elucidating  the  matter.  On  application  to  the  former 
husband  of  his  long  since  departed  aunt,  Professor 
Dandiran,  at  Lausanne,  who  was  the  one  Uving  member 
of  that  generation  of  Professor  Flournoy's  family,  he 
obtained  the  following  information  : 

"  I  recollect  that  my  mother  and  aunt,  especially  the  latter, 
were  much  interested  in  a  young  woman  of  that  name  [Smith] 
whom  they  had  already  known  and  employed  as  a  seamstress 

before  her  marriage  I  also  believe  that  their  interest 

in  the  young  woman  made  them  introduce  her  to  the 
ClaparMes ." 

Not  until  he  had  received  this  answer.  Professor 
Flournoy  addressed  himself  to  Helen  Smith's  mother, 
who  was  most  willing  to  reply  to  his  questions  about  her 
relation  to  his  mother  and  aunt.  Helen  herself  did  not 
remember  to  have  ever  heard  anything  about  them.  All 
her  statements,  however,  referred  to  two  separate  periods 
in  which  the  intercourse  had  taken  place,  before  and  after 
the  marriage  of  Mme.  Smith,  and  were  of  a  nature  to  make 
it  easily  conceivable  that  they  belonged  to  stories  which 
the  mother  might  have  told  her  child.  It  must,  therefore, 
be  admitted  that  Professor  Flournoy  has  proved  that  this 
was  the  source  of  the  medium's  knowledge.  That  she 
did  not  recollect  anything  about  it  is  only  one  of  many 


ARGUMENT  OF  PROFESSOR  FLOURNOY    ii 

instances  of  the  subconsciously  remembered  things  being 
often  those  that  are  most  thoroughly  forgotten  by  the 
normal  self. 

Likewise,  Professor  Flournoy  found  invariably  that  the 
information  given  about  deceased  persons  in  Helen 
Smith's  trance  referred  to  external  things  which  might 
easily  be  reported  ;  in  a  small  town  like  Geneva,  she  must 
doubtless  have  been  told  many  stories  about  people 
without  consciously  remembering  them.  Moreover,  in 
at  least  two  cases  besides  his  own,  Helen's  mother  was 
proved  to  be  the  source. 

Under  these  circumstances,  Professor  Flournoy  feels 
justified  in  asserting  that  cryptomnesia  alone  suffices  to 
explain  the  knowledge  of  this  medium.  But  of  course  it 
was  not  always  possible  to  obtain  the  proof  of  such  being 
the  case.  In  the  Indian  romance,  for  instance,  the 
source  seemed  certain,  but  the  medium's  connection  with 
it  was  unprovable.  Mile.  Smith  purported  to  be  the 
reincarnation  of  the  princess  Simandini,  the  wife  of  the 
jealous  prince  Sivrouka  Nayaka,  living  in  the  palace 
Tchandraguiri  in  Kanara  in  India,  in  the  year  1401. 
Professor  Flournoy — who,  moreover,  was  alleged  to  be 
the  reincarnation  of  Sivrouka  Nayaka — was  of  course 
very  eager  to  learn  whether  this  prince  had  really  existed, 
and  what  was  on  the  whole  the  foundation  of  Helen's 
story.  But  he  applied  in  vain  to  various  historians  for  a 
confirmation  of  her  statements ;  they  did  not  know 
Sivrouka  Nayaka.  Great,  therefore,  was  his  excitement 
when  one  day  in  the  library  of  Geneva  on  turning  over  the 
leaves  of  M.  de  Maries'  voluminous  Histoire  de  I'Inde,  a 
work  published  in  1828,  he  found  the  following  passage  : 

"  Kanara  and  the  adjoining  provinces  next  to  Delhi  may  be 
regarded  as  the  Georgia  of  Hindostan.  There  the  most 
beautiful  women  are  said  to  dwell ;  also  the  inhabitants  are 
very  jealous ;  they  scarcely  permit  them  to  be  seen  by 
strangers. 

"  Tchandraguiri,  whose  name  means  Mountain  of  the  Moon, 
is  a  vast  fortress  constructed  in  1401  by  the  Rajah  Sivrouka- 
Nayaca." 


12        COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

It  turned  out,  however,  that  this  discovery  did  not 
secure  the  existence  of  the  prince.  The  historians  agreed 
in  declaring  that  the  work  of  Maries  was  worthless,  and 
the  statement  about  Sivrouka  and  his  fortress  pure  fiction. 
Nay,  Maries  himself  only  mentioned  them  in  his  geo- 
graphical description  of  India  ;  in  a  later  volume  where 
he  deals  with  the  history  of  the  period  1200 — 1600,  they 
do  not  figu^re. 

Such  being  the  case,  it  seems  impossible  to  doubt  that 
Helen  Smith  has  made  their  acquaintance  direct  or 
indirect  through  Maries'  work  ;  the  naming  of  a  precise 
year  within  the  Christian  era  is  in  itself  indicative  of 
literary  origin  ;  and  that  the  whole  of  it  is  incorrect,  not 
in  accordance  with  fact,  of  course  points  decisively  to 
this  very  book.  But  Helen  Smith's  connection  with  the 
old  and  rare  work  was  in  itself  most  improbable,  and  not 
even  a  sagacity  like  Professor  Flournoy's  was  capable  of 
discovering  it. 

Where  Professor  Flournoy  sums  up  his  estimation  of 
mediumistic  performances,  he  strongly  accentuates  their 
silliness  or,  as  he  more  often  prefers  to  call  it,  their 
puerihty.  "  The  most  striking  thing  in  all  these 
mediumistic  imaginings,"  he  writes,  "  is  their  childish  and 
terribly  foolish  character.  The  medium  no  longer  seems 
to  be  the  mature  and  serious  person  whom  we  knew  in 
normal  life,  but  an  inferior,  degenerate  personality,  as  if 
the  mediumistic  state  involved  a  spiritual  deterioration, 
a  sort  of  relapse  to  a  former  level."  "  Everything  forces 
us  to  assume  that  the  mind  of  the  medium  when  pro- 
ducing the  messages  is  in  a  state  of  infantile  regression." 
As  an  illustration  hereof,  he  mentions  that  Mile.  X.,  the 
medium  through  whom  Calvin  manifested,  was  a  lady  of 
high  culture,  the  authoress  of  philosophical  and  moral 
writings  ;  if  in  her  normal  state  she  had  proposed  to 
compose  an  essay  on  the  ideas  of  the  reformer,  she  doubt- 
less would  not  have  made  him  express  himself  in  the 
trivial  and  insipid  manner  that  characterizes  her  auto- 


ARGUMENT  OF  PROFESSOR   FLOURNOY    13 

matic  product.  Helen  Smith,  too,  is  described  by  Pro- 
fessor Flournoy  as  a  most  intelligent  woman.  That  her 
romances  are  childish  will  be  clear  to  all  readers  of  From 
India  to  the  Planet  Mars.  Very  infantile  also  is  her 
fabrication  of  the  Martian  language  ;  to  make  a  new 
language  is  in  itself  a  feat  which  probably  many  people 
will  own  to  have  tried  to  accomplish  in  their  childhood. 
A  special  want  of  intelligence  was  displayed  by  the 
entranced  Mile.  Smith  when  Professor  Flournoy  had 
pointed  out  to  her  normal  self  that  the  equivalent  for  the 
connecting  t  in  the  sentence  reviendra-t-il  was  quite 
superfluous  in  the  Martian  translation  berimir  m  hed  ;  a 
week  later  the  French  words  trouve-t-on  were  rendered  by 
bindie  ide — without  the  connecting  consonant,  though  in 
this  case  it  would  have  been  anything  but  superfluous. 
Her  subconscious  mind  had  entirely  missed  the  point  of 
the  professor's  criticism. 

Until  now  we  have  only  discussed  the  mediums  whom 
Professor  Flournoy  had  made  the  objects  of  his  personal 
study.  With  regard  to  those  who  constitute  the  chief 
material  for  the  research  of  the  Psychical  Society  in 
England,  his  views  are  different.  Their  performances  he 
does  not  think  can  be  explained  as  a  mixture  of  imagina- 
tion and  cryptomnesia  only ;  he  sets  up  as  a  third  cause, 
telepathy,  which  furnishes  the  mediums  with  a  knowledge 
that  is  not  to  be  found  in  their  own  mind. 

With  telepathy  we  have  reached  the  supernormal 
powers  of  man  ;  the  faculty  of  speaking  or  writing  auto- 
matically, cryptomnesia,  etc.,  no  doubt  are  not  normal 
qualities,  but  they  do  not  rank  as  supernormal.  Professor 
Flournoy,  however,  accentuates  that  he  does  not  use  the 
term  telepathy  as  an  explanatory  hypothesis,  but  simply 
to  design  "  the  fact  that  a  great  many  automatic  com- 
munications which  are  astonishing  as  coming  from  the 
medium  cease  to  be  so  when  the  sitters  are  reckoned  with 
as  factors."  There  are  mediums  who  draw  not  only  from 
their  own  forgotten  memories,  but  from  the  knowledge  of 


14        COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

the  persons  present.  How  it  is  done,  Professor  Flournoy 
will  not  attempt  to  investigate  ;  he  contents  himself  with 
stating  as  an  "  empirical  law  "  that  telepathy  takes  place. 
The  group  of  memories  which  a  sitter  carries  with  him  of  a 
dead  person  may  emerge  through  the  medium  who  did  not 
know  that  person  ;  "  they  are  telepathically  reflected  in 
the  subconsciousness  of  the  medium  as  in  a  living  mirror, 
and  he  immediately  translates  into  words  and  gestures 
this  borrowed  image,  no  doubt  striking  in  its  resemblance, 
but  one  in  which  the  defunct  has  not  the  slightest 
share." 

In  the  case,  however,  of  the  most  famous  among  the 
English-speaking  mediums,^  Mrs.  Piper,  the  theory  of 
telepathy  from  the  present  persons  became  insufficient. 
"  Doubtless,"  Professor  Flournoy  writes,  "  many  of  these 
striking  cases  can  be  explamed  by  mental  transmission, 
the  medium  having  only  sent  back  to  the  sitters  the 
picture  of  the  discarnate  which  they  themselves  carried  in 
their  thoughts.  But  there  are  more  complex  facts,  in 
which  it  is  necessary  to  admit  an  active  and  selective 
telepathy,  by  the  aid  of  which  the  hypnoid  imagination 
of  Mrs,  Piper  can  choose  from  the  minds  of  many  living — 
present  or  absent — memories  concerning  only  the  dead 
person  in  question,  and  reunite  them  in  such  a  way  as  to 
reconstruct  a  completer  image  than  any  of  the  partial 
images  which  were  left  in  any  of  the  various  persons  of  his 
acquaintance." 

Professor  Flournoy  admits  that  it  is  difficult  to  explain 
this  power  of  choice.  He  points  at  the  possibility  that 
"  the  incomplete  image  of  the  defunct  which  one  of  the 
sitters  has  transmitted  telepathically  to  Mrs.  Piper  may 
attract  to  itself,  by  some  obscure  psychological  affinity, 
other  fragmentary  images  dispersed  among  other  persons," 
and  that  all  these  by  becoming  fused  in  her  subconscious- 
ness may  "  give  birth  to  reconstructions  of  an  exact  and 
recognizable  nature." 

It  is,  then,  through  a  wide-ranging  assumption  of  super- 
normal human  powers  that  Professor  Flournoy  arrives  at 


ARGUMENT  OF  PROFESSOR   FLOURNOY    15 

his  final  conclusion  which  he  lays  down  in  his  preface  to 
Spirits  and  Mediums  when  he  writes  : 

"  As  for  the  supernormal  incidents  which  are  so  often  inter- 
mixed with  mediumistic  phenomena,  and  which  spiritism 
interprets  as  implying  the  intervention  of  extra-terrestrial 

intelligences, they  denote,  in  truth,  a  veritable  realm  of 

forces  or  of  laws  still  mysterious,  but  a  realm  in  which  the 
participation  of  the  discarnate  has  not  as  yet  been  adequately 
proved.  Certainly  it  would  be  rash,  a  priori,  to  exclude  its 
possibiUty.  But  as  there  are  a  number  of  cases  where  super- 
normal phenomena  (telepathy,  clairvoyance,  etc.)  occur  which 
obviously  are  not  due  to  the  departed,  but  to  spontaneous  and 
natural  faculties  of  the  living  in  certain  special  states  of  their 
personality,  it  is  logical  to  suppose — provisionally,  at  least, 
and  until  proof  to  the  contrary  be  forthcoming — that  it  is  the 
same  in  cases  where  the  circumstances  are  more  obscure." 


CHAPTER  II 


TELEPATHY 


In  the  preceding  chapter  we  have  heard  Professor 
Flournoy  assert  that  imagination  and  cryptomnesia  were 
the  sole  sources  of  a  large  number  of  mediumistic  com- 
munications. With  regard  to  the  remaining  part,  he 
referred  to  the  supernormal  powers  of  man  as  a  fact 
which  seemed  to  make  superfluous  the  assumption  of  the 
participation  of  the  dead. 

With  a  certain  force  the  same  opinion  has  been  set  forth 
by  the  German  philosopher,  Eduard  von  Hartmann,^ 
whose  name  is  often  mentioned  by  psychical  researchers. 
It  is  by  means  of  telepathy,  psychometry,  and  clair- 
voyance, he  argues,  that  the  contents  of  the  spiritistic 
messages  are  obtained,  which  give  them  the  appearance 
of  originating  from  the  departed.  Where  the  hne  is  to  be 
drawn  between  the  said  phenomena  is  less  certain,  but 
relatively  of  small  importance  ;  clairvoyance  exists  at  any 
rate  in  the  shape  of  prevision,  as  the  perception  of  what 
has  not  yet  occurred  cannot  be  due  to  the  reading  of  other 
people's  thoughts. 

Hartmann  has  made  his  argument  against  spiritism 
famous  by  connecting  it  with  his  doctrine  of  a  world-soul, 
or  central  mind,  in  which  all  individual  minds  have  their 
root.  Through  it  they  can  get  into  communication  with 
each  other  as  over  the  telephone  ^ — a  simile  he  has  no 
hesitation  in  using — and  from  it  they  can  draw,  not  only 
the   particulars   of   the   present   world-state   in   distant 

1  See  his  two  books  :  Spiritism  (Der  Spiritismus)  and  The  Spirit 
Theory  (Die  Geisterhypothese). 

2  This  explanation,  however,  is  only  applied  to  telepathy  in  its  true 
sense  of  mental  intercourse  at  a  distance  ;  thought-transference  at  close 
quarters  Hartmann  ascribes  to  ether  vibrations. 


TELEPATHY  17 

places,  but  also  the  particulars  of  future  events.  For  in 
the  central  or  absolute  mind  the  threads  of  all  casual 
series  meet  in  one  single  all-seeing ;  its  omniscience 
embraces  implicitly  in  the  present  world-state  the  future 
as  well  as  the  past. 

By  this  theory,  Hartmann  believes  himself  to  have 
explained  not  only  supernormal  intercommunication 
between  human  beings,  or  telepathy,  but  clairvoyance 
and  prevision.  But,  he  adds,  his  argument  against 
spiritism  is  not  dependent  on  the  truth  of  his  theory.  It 
depends  solely  on  the  existence  of  the  said  powers,  not  on 
their  explanation.  Against  one  thing  only  he  protests — 
explaining  them  by  means  of  spirits.  That  would  not  be 
to  solve  the  problem,  but  to  push  it  one  step  back  and 
leave  it  there  just  as  unsolved  as  before.  For,  he  asks, 
why  should  the  discamate  any  more  than  the  living  be 
able  to  look  into  the  future  ? 

According  to  Hartmann,  the  question  is  solved  if  the 
supernormal  faculties  of  the  living  be  acknowledged. 

To  ascertain  with  what  right  Professor  Flournoy  and 
Hartmann  appeal  to  the  existence  of  such  faculties,  must, 
therefore,  be  our  next  step,  and  the  starting-point  for  the 
discussion  of  the  main  problem.  But  it  is  clear  that  the 
investigation  must  take  place  within  another  territory 
than  the  disputed  one.  The  statements  which  a  medium 
adduces  in  the  name  of  a  dead  person  in  proof  of  his 
identity  cannot  be  evidence  for  telepathy  or  clairvoyance, 
as  the  question  at  issue  is  just  whether  they  are  due  to 
these  faculties  or  are  what  they  purport  to  be. 

As  regards  telepathy,  a  valuable  material  is  given  in 
the  Proceedings  of  the  Enghsh  Society  for  Psychical 
Research,^  through  the  publication  of  a  number  of  experi- 
ments between  the  two  sensitives,  Miss  Clarissa  Miles 
and  Miss  Hermione  Ramsden.  The  intelligent  working 
method  of  the  two  ladies,  the  contemporaneous  recording 

»  Vol.  XXI.,  pp.  60—93. 
CD.  C 


i8       COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

of  the  experiments,  and  their  careful  annotation,  combine 
to  make  the  results  due  to  their  psychical  faculties  a 
golden  mine  for  its  research. 

In  the  following  review  of  the  phenomena,  I  shall  make 
use  of  Hartmann's  classification,  which  is  very  systematic. 
He  divides  telepathy  into  four  categories,  according  to 
the  part  played  by  the  wiU,  or  intention,  respectively  of 
the  agent  xand  the  percipient.  It  will  be  seen  that  the 
two  of  them  constitute  thought-transference,  and  the 
others  so-called  thought-  or  mind-rea  ing.  To  the  first 
belong  the  ordinary  experiments  in  thought-transmission, 
while  the  second  comprises  the  more  uncommon  cases 
where  an  agent  tries  to  influence  a  percipient  without  the 
will  or  knowledge  of  the  latter. 

I.  Intentional  Perception  by  Intentional 
Transmission. 

Illustrations  of  this  category  may  be  taken  from  the 
first  series  of  experiments  between  Miss  Miles  and  Miss 
Ramsden,  which  took  place  in  the  autumn  of  1905.  Miss 
Miles  was  staying  in  London,  Miss  Ramsden  twenty  miles 
from  that  city  ;  the  two  ladies  had  not  met  since  the 
14th  of  June.  .The  arrangement  was  that  the  experiments 
should  be  tried  at  7  p.m.  ;  Miss  Miles  was  agent,  and  made 
at  the  time  of  the  experiment  a  note  of  the  word  or  image 
which  she  wished  to  convey,  while  Miss  Ramsden  wrote 
down  her  impressions,  and  sent  the  record  to  Miss  Miles 
before  knowing  what  she  had  attempted  on  her  side. 

Experiment  I. 
Miss  Miles's  note  : 

"  I  sat  with  my  feet  on  the  fender,  I  thought  of  Sphinx,  I 
tried  to  visualize  it.  Spoke  the  word  out  loud.  I  could  only 
picture  it  to  myself  quite  small  as  seen  from  a  distance. — 
C.  M." 

Miss  Ramsden's  record : 

"  I  could  not  visualize,  but  seemed  to  feel  that  you  were 


TELEPATHY  19 

sitting  with  your  feet  on  the  fender  in  an  arm-chair,  in  a  loose 
black  sort  of  tea-gown.     The  following  words  occurred  to  me  : 

"  Peter  Evan  or  'Eaven  (Heaven). 

"  Hour-glass  (this  seemed  the  chief  idea). 

"  Worcester  deal  box. 

"  Daisy  Millar. 

"  X  ^  arm  socket  or  some  word  like  it. 

"  X    suspension  bridge. 

"  X    Sophia  Ridley. 

"  X  soupirer  (in  French),  which  I  felt  inclined  to  spell 
souspirer.  There  is  some  word  with  the  letter  S.  I  don't 
seem  quite  to  have  caught  it. — H.  R." 

Experiment  II. 
Miss  Miles's  note  : 
"  I  tried  to  visualize  Sphinx  again. — C.  M." 

Miss  Ramsden's  record  : 

"  I  received  a  letter  from  Miss  Miles,  saying,  '  Letter  S  quite 
correct,  the  hour-glass  shape  extraordinarily  correct,  also  SS 
at  the  end  or  something  like  it.  I  shall  try  again  to-morrow 
at  seven.  It  will  come  all  right.'  After  this  I  found  it  very 
difficult  not  to  try  and  guess  the  word  instead  of  making  my 
mind  a  blank. 

"  Cossack. 

"  Cross. 

"  Compass  (?). 

"  Luzac  (the  publisher). 

"  Luxor  in  Egypt. 

"  Here  I  gave  up  in  despair,  then  suddenly  came  the  word  : 
Whistle  !     This  I  beheved  to  be  correct. — H.  R." 

As  may  be  seen,  the  percipient  received  impressions 
partly  of  the  sound,  and  partly  of  the  idea.  Whether 
"  hour-glass  "  was  due  to  an  impression  of  the  shape  of 
the  sphinx  seems  doubtful.  But  the  s^'es  in  "  suspen- 
sion," and  "  souspirer,"  and  the  Sph  in  "  Sophia,"  show 
a  similar  approach  to  the  word  as  that  which  will  be 
understood  from  one's  own  attempts  to  recall  a  forgotten 
name.  The  idea  the  percipient  is  approaching  when  she 
writes  "  Luxor  in  Egypt,"  which  she  gets  hold  of  during 
the  second  experiment  in  spite  of  her  tendency  to  guess  a 

1  A  cross  indicates  that  the  impression  was  especially  vivid. 

C2 


20        COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

word  with  ss.  Perhaps  "  Ridley  "  in  the  first  experiment, 
was  aheady  due  to  an  impression  of  the  idea, — Sphinx 
being  almost  synonymous  for  riddle. 

What  Miss  Ramsden  did  not  get  was,  however,  the 
word  itself.  In  spite  of  her  remarkable  faculties  as  a 
percipient,  she  almost  never  received  exactly  what  was 
sent.  To  "  hit  the  central  mark,"  is,  to  employ  an 
expression  ^which  is  often  used  when  thought-transfer- 
ence is  discussed,  doubtless  very  difficult. 

Experiment  III. 

Miss  Miles's  note  : 

"I  sat  before  the  fire  in  my  sitting-room  and  visualized  a 
lamp.  One  of  those  very  old-fashioned  lamps  with  a  large 
globe,  which  seemed  to  me  to  be  a  round  ball  of  fire. — C.  M." 

Miss  Ramsden's  record  : 

"  Scissors,  X  orangery,  shaloop  ?  shawl,  jalousie  (blinds), 
fretwork  or  sort  of  trellis  in  a  garden,  echantillon  (pattern), 
sleepers,  x  gum  plant  or  pot  ?  verisimilitude.  Paternoster, 
tabloids,  x  orangery,  x  orange  flower,  x  orange  pips,  horse- 
whip, housewife  (needlecase),  verdigris,  purple  hedgerow, 
beech,  beatitudes,  tea  cosy,  Burnham  Beeches,  heather  in 
flower,  crown,  small  box,  short  deal  ?  infanticide,  x  maltese 
oranges  growing  in  a  pot,  Chinese  slippers,  x  Cape  goose- 
berries, these  look  like  oranges. 

"  The  most  probable  seems  to  be  a  small  Maltese  orange 
tree,  such  as  I  have  seen  in  London  houses. — H,  R." 

In  this  experiment,  contrary  to  the  preceding  ones,  the 
vision  evidently  played  the  chief  part.  Between  the 
percipient's  own  ideas,  which  seem  more  or  less  explicable 
by  assonance  or  association,  always  and  with  increasing 
strength  the  image  of  an  orange  or  an  orange-tree  intrudes 
itself, — no  doubt  Miss  Miles's  lamp  with  the  globe  like  a 
"  round  ball  of  fire." 

Experiment  VII. 
Miss  Miles's  note  : 
"Spectacles. — C.  M." 


TELEPATHY  21 

Miss  Ramsden's  record  : 

"  '  Spectacles.'  This  was  the  only  idea  that  came  to  me 
after  waiting  a  long  time,  I  thought  of  '  sense  perception,' 
but  that  only  confirms  the  above.  My  mind  was  such  a 
complete  blank  that  I  fell  asleep. — H.  R." 

Later  on  Miss  Ramsden  added  :  "I  did  not  visualize 
the  spectacles,  the  word  came  to  me  as  a  sudden  idea." 
She  had  at  this  point  determined  to  try  to  visualize,  being 
unsatisfied  with  her  attempts  to  "  hear."  Miss  Miles, 
again,  had  on  this  occasion  for  the  first  time  tried  another 
method  which  afterwards  became  the  usual  one.  Having 
found  that  it  was  easier  to  impress  an  idea  when  it  was 
something  that  she  had  seen,  and  thought  of  later  in  the 
day,  she  resolved  that  in  future  she  would  make  her  choice 
accordingly,  and  think  of  some  object  in  connection  with 
Miss  Ramsden,  without  specially  sitting  down  to  do  so 
at  7  p.m.  On  the  day  of  the  seventh  experiment,  she 
attended  a  meeting,  and  had  for  her  neighbour  a  gentle- 
man who  wore  a  curious  pair  of  spectacles  which  attracted 
her  attention.     These  she  fixed  on  as  her  subject. 

The  success  that  attended  the  first  application  of  the 
new  method  was  not  continued.  This  was  the  only  time 
that  Miss  Ramsden  received  the  very  word  which  her  co- 
experimenter  had  tried  to  transfer  to  her. 

2.  Non-intentional  Perception  by  Inten- 
tional Transmission. 

This  category  does  not,  probably,  number  many 
instances.  For  the  present,  I  shall  confine  myself  to  refer 
to  a  case  which  will  be  discussed  later — Dr.  Verrall's 
attempt  to  impress  his  wife  to  produce  automatically 
some  Greek  words,  while  she  did  not  in  the  least  suspect 
that  he  was  trying  to  influence  her.  It  bears  a  close 
resemblance  to  the  cases  given  above,  where  both  the 
transmission  and  the  perception  were  intentional.  There 
was  the  same  fragmentariness,  the  same  unconscious 
struggle  to  grasp  now  the  sound,  and  now  the  sense. 


22-        COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

which  we  saw,  for  instance,  in  the  Sphinx-experiment. 
And  as  was  often  the  case  with  Miss  Ramsden,  the  result 
was  only  approximative.  Nay,  Dr.  Verrall's  success  was 
inferior  to  that  of  the  two  ladies  ;  if  his  experiment  had 
not  been  continued  for  a  length  of  time,  it  might  have 
been  difficult  to  discover  that  he  had  succeeded  in  trans- 
ferring anything  whatever. 

3.  Intentional  Perception  without  Inten- 
tional Transmission. 

With  this  category  we  have  reached  what  Hartmann 
designates  as  thought-readiilg.  Of  this  also  we  shall 
find  excellent  illustrations  among  the  Miles-Ramsden 
experiments.  Already,  during  their  first  period  of 
experimenting,  in  the  autumn  of  1905,  it  happened  that 
Miss  Ramsden  obtained  impressions  without  her  co- 
operator  having  executed  her  share  in  the  programme. 
Such,  for  instance,  was  the  case  on  the  fourth  day  appointed 
for  experiments,  on  October  22nd,  Miss  Miles  notes 
down  : 

"  I  never  tried  to  visualize  anything  at  all.  About  6  o'clock 
to  7.30  I  was  wrking  letters  to  friends.  One  I  was  pondering 
over,  for  it  required  an  answer.  It  was  from  a  Polish 
artist .— C.  M." 

Miss  Ramsden  wrote  in  a  letter  of  October  25th  : 

"  On  Sunday  night  [October  22nd]  I  felt  that  you  were  not 
thinking  of  me,  but  were  reading  a  letter  in  a  sort  of  half 
German  writing.    The  letters  had  very  long  tails  to  them 

"  Is  there  any  truth  in  that  ? — H.  R." 

The  letter  in  question  was  written  in  a  sloping  and 
obviously  foreign  hand,  corresponding  with  the  description 
by  Miss  Ramsden. 

On  the  ninth  day  Miss  Miles  had,  to  be  sure,  thought  of 
something,  but  Miss  Ramsden  caught  something  wholly 
different.  The  former  had  in  the  afternoon  had  a  visit 
from  a  lady,  and  resolved  to  make  her  name  the  subject 


TELEPATHY  23 

of  the  experiment.     Miss  Ramsden  did  not  receive  this, 
but  records  : 

"  I  visualized  :  W.  M  M  was  more  vivid.  It  suggested  your 
sister-in-law.  E  V  L  Evelyn  ?  or  '  Evelina,'  which  is  the 
name  of  an  old-fashioned  novel.  Were  you  thinking  about 
me  at  all  ?  These  I  saw,  but  no  vivid  impressions.  Perhaps 
they  had  been  topics  of  conversation,  and  were  still  on  your 
mind.— H.  R." 

Miss  Miles  and  her  visitor  had  talked  of  an  acquaintance 
with  the  initials  W.  M.,  and  of  Miss  Miles's  sister-in-law, 
Eveline,  whose  name  Miss  Ramsden  did  not  know. 

Other  instances  of  Miss  Ramsden  being  able  to  obtain 
impressions  of  names  without  any  intention  on  the  part  of 
Miss  Miles  are,  from  a  later  period  of  experimenting, 
"  Tichbome,"  which  she  caught  the  day  after  a  gentleman 
had  entertained  Miss  Miles  about  Lord  Tichborne,  and 
"  Lotherton  "  when  the  same  gentleman  had  mentioned 
Lotherton  Hall  to  her. 

There  seems  to  be  a  certain  difference  between  the 
process  when  Miss  Ramsden  is  influenced  by  the  agent's 
thinking  of  a  word,  and  when  this  is  not  so.  In  the 
former  case  she  gropes  her  way  with  the  right  word,  so  to 
speak,  within  sight,  but  generally  without  obtaining  more 
than  an  approximation.  When,  on  the  contrary,  she 
perceives  something  which  Miss  Miles  has  not  intended 
to  transmit,  it  is  no  longer  mere  approximations  that  she 
gives  ;  the  perceived  thing  is  in  a  wise  correct,  and  is  given 
without  hesitation.  It  seems,  in  fact,  to  be  easier  to 
"  perceive "  of  one's  own  accord  than  to  grasp  the 
thoughts  of  an  agent. 

In  the  following  autumn,  1906,  the  two  ladies  recom- 
menced their  experiments.  Miss  Miles  during  most  of 
the  time  was  far  from  London,  in  places  which  were 
wholly  unknown  to  Miss  Ramsden.  She  was  staying 
first  at  Blaise  Castle,  about  400  miles  from  the  home 
of  her  co-experimenter.  The  plan  was,  as  before,  that 
Miss  Ramsden  should  think  of  Miss  Miles  regularly  at 
7  p.m.,  while  the  latter  on  her  side  had  no  fixed  time  for 


24        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

thinking  of  Miss  Ramsden,  but  thouglit  of  her  more  or 
less  during  the  whole  day,  and  in  the  evening  noted  briefly 
what  ideas  had  been  most  prominently  before  her  mind. 

The  result  was  that  she  only  succeeded  occasionally  in 
transferring  those  ideas,  but  that  almost  every  day  some 
of  Miss  Ramsden's  impressions  represented,  more  or  less 
closely,  something  that  Miss  Miles  had  been  occupied 
with,  or  tallying  about,  on  the  same  day.  Sometimes  it 
was  her  surroundings  rather  than  her  thoughts  which  were 
perceived  by  Miss  Ramsden.  In  the  two  cases  cited 
below.  Miss  Miles  had  sent  no  message  at  aU. 

On  the  third  day  of  experimenting  she  wrote  on  a 
post-card  dated  from  Blaise  Castle  : 

"  At  7, 1  was  so  overcome  with  the  heat  that  I  sat  in  a  white 
dressing-gown  and  said  I  could  send  no  message.  You  might 
have  seen  a  castle  on  a  hill,  or  pencil  heads,  or  a  room  full  of 
people  at  Kingsweston  all  having  tea. — C.  M." 

On  the  same  evening  Miss  Ramsden  caught  a  series  of 
impressions  from  Miss  Miles's  surroundings,  among  which 
were  the  following  : 

"  Now  I  see  a  big,  plain,  old-fashioned  English  country- 
house  among  trees  ;  it  is  rather  a  distant  view,  I  am  looking 
up  at  it  from  below,  standing  in  what  seems  to  be  a  ravine  full 
of  trees.  There  ~ are  all  sorts  of  precious  curios  in  the 
house " 

The  curious  point  is,  that  Miss  Miles  had  "  willed  "  her 
to  see,  not  the  actual  house,  but  a  castle.     She  writes  : 

"  I  tried  to  make  Miss  Ramsden  think  I  was  living  in  a 
castle,  as  the  name  of  the  house  would  make  you  think  so.  It 
is  a  square,  old-fashioned  country-house  situated  close  to  the 

woods.    It  is  full  of  precious  curios .   A  deep  ravine  full  of 

trees  stands  between  you  and  the  house " 

Miss  Ramsden,  in  fact,  had  believed  Blaise  Castle  to  be 
a  castle,  and  therefore  did  not  suspect  that  her  vision 
referred  to  that  building.  She  comments  afterwards  on 
this  case  as  follows  : 

"  I  am  not  a  good  visualizer,  and  although  I  sometimes  see 
visions  in  the  same  way  as  one  sees  the  so-called  *  hypnagogic 


TELEPATHY  25 

illusions,'  which  most  of  us  have  experienced,  though  perhaps 
rarely,  in  the  moments  between  sleeping  and  waking,  I  am  not 
able  to  visualize  at  will,  nor  can  I  see  in  a  crystal.  Blaise 
Castle  appeared  to  me  after  the  manner  of  a  hypnagogic 
illusion  ;  it  was  a  perfect  picture  in  colour,  in  fact  it  was  the 
place  itself — so  it  seemed  to  me — though  I  did  not  know  that 
it  was  Blaise  Castle,  as  I  had  imagined  the  latter  to  be  a  real 
old  castle  with  turrets." 

On  the  day  for  the  thirteenth  experiment,  Novem- 
ber I2th,  1906,  Miss  Miles,  without  the  knowledge  of  Miss 
Ramsden,  had  returned  to  London,  and  made  no  attempt 
to  impress  her  co-experimenter.  The  latter  on  her  side 
wrote  as  follows  : 

"  A  tree,  a  bay  tree,  a  camp-stool,  a  wreath  of  bays  or 
laurels,  a  fir  tree,  a  lawn-tennis  net  and  people  playing.  I 
don't  know  what  to  think  of  this  evening's  experiment ;  either 
it  is  a  complete  failure  or  else  it  is  the  best  success  we  have 
ever  had.  I  saw  the  pattern  of  the  tennis  net,  then  it  changed, 
and  I  saw  that  it  was  a  window  with  white  dimity  curtains 
and  a  criss-cross  pattern  of  green  with  little  pink  rosebuds  in 
the  centre  of  each.  [Drawing  of  a  window  with  curtains.] 
First  the  curtains  were  shut  across  the  window,  and  then  they 
were  drawn  aside.  It  was  a  school-room,  a  big,  long,  low 
room,  with  a  long,  wide  window.  The  height  and  width  of 
the  room  is  not  much  more  than  that  of  the  window.  There  is 
a  large  table  in  the  middle  laid  for  tea.  Two  little  girls  with 
their  hair  down  their  backs,  loosely  tied  with  blue  and  white 
ribbons,  are  waltzing  together  very  prettily.  I  can  hear  the 
time  they  keep,  but  I  cannot  hear  the  music.  You  and 
another  lady  are  standing  watching  them,  and  I  think  there  is 
some  one  else  in  the  room  ;  she  is  sitting  down. 

"  I  shall  be  very  anxious  to  hear  whether  this  is  right.  I 
have  my  doubts  because  there  were  so  many  other  impressions 
first.— H.  R." 

Referring  to  this  impression  Miss  Miles's  sister,  Mrs. 
Coventry,  wrote  : 

"  My  sister,  Clarissa  Miles,  dined  with  me  on  Monday, 
November  12th,  at  7.30.  My  little  girl,  Nesta,  came  down  on 
purpose  to  see  her,  and  she  asked  her  many  questions  about 
her  lessons,  and  how  she  was  getting  on  at  her  school  and 
about  her  dancing,  of  which  she  is  very  fond.  The  wall  paper 
in  her  bedroom,  and  nursery,  has  a  trellis  work  of  brown,  with 
bunches  of  pink  roses  and  green  leaves  in  the  centre  of  each. 
Also  a  window  very  like  what  Miss  Ramsden  drew.     She 


26        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE   DEAD 

described  exactly  what  had  often  taken  place,  Nesta  dancing 
with  a  little  friend,  and  my  sister  and  I  often  watching  them, 
and  her  nurse  sitting  sewing." 

Miss  Ramsden  was  afterwards  shown  the  room,  and 
recognized  the  wall  paper.  The  room  was  much  smaller 
than  she  saw  it,  but  in  other  respects  it  was  the  same. 
From  her  drawing  of  November  12th,  it  appears  that  it 
was  not  thcv  curtains  that  had  a  pattern  with  rosebuds, 
which  might  perhaps  be  inferred  from  the  description. 
The  window  in  her  sketch,  however,  is  divided  in  two 
parts  which  the  real  window  was  not. 

In  this  case,  then.  Miss  Ramsden  saw  a  place  and  a 
scene  which  Miss  Miles  had  nat  seen  recently,  and  did  not 
think  of,  but  which  of  course  may  have  been  on  the 
threshold  of  her  consciousness  during  her  talk  with  the 
child. 

During  the  experiments  with  Miss  Miles,  Miss  Ramsden, 
as  told  above,  had  been  led  to  try  for  visions  instead  of 
auditory  impressions  ;  before  this,  however,  she  had  had 
some  interesting  experiences  of  the  latter  type.  These 
are  recorded  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Society 
for  Psychical  Research,^  and  partly  belong  to  the  category 
dealt  with  here. 

Miss  Ramsden,  staying  in  England,  had  proposed  to  a 
friend  in  Copenhagen  an  experiment  where  she  would  be 
the  agent  while  he  should  be  the  receiver.  It  was  to  take 
place  on  a  pre-arranged  day,  September  24th,  1905,  at 
one  o'clock  in  England,  which  is  two  o'clock  in  Denmark. 
At  the  said  hour  Miss  Ramsden,  after  fifteen  minutes  of 
intense  concentration,  asked  :  "  Are  you  there  ?  Do 
you  hear  me  ?  "  Then,  to  her  amazement,  she  heard  the 
voice  of  her  friend  calling  her  name  and  saying  in  an 
amused  tone  in  Danish  :  "  Are  you  there  ?  I  cannot 
hear,  speak  a  little  louder  .  .  .  your  invisible  wires  ..." 

Miss   Ramsden   says   that   the   expression   "  invisible 

'  Experiments  and  Experiences  in  Telepathy,  Vol.  V.,  pp.  673 
—753- 


TELEPATHY  27 

wires,"  was  one  that  she  had  never  thought  of,  and 
certainly  could  not  have  invented  in  Danish.  It  turned 
out,  however,  that  her  friend  had  not  at  all  tried  the 
experiment ;  but  he  had  thought  of  her  earlier  in  the  day 
when  he  read  her  letter,  and  had  used  the  expression 
"  invisible  wires,"  in  Danish,  in  speaking  about  her  to 
another  person. 

In  this  case,  then,  the  would-be  agent,  Miss  Ramsden, 
had  in  fact  become  percipient.  It  seems  correct,  though, 
to  interpret  the  phenomenon  as  intentional  perception, 
both  on  account  of  her  question  to  her  supposed  co- 
experimenter,  "  Are  you  there  ?  "  etc.,  and  on  account 
of  the  state  of  concentration  she  had  produced  in  herself 
for  the  sake  of  the  experiment.  That  she  caught  some- 
thing which  was  said  at  another  time  of  the  day  is  not 
different  from  what  she  experienced  with  Miss  Miles. 

A  few  days  afterwards  Miss  Ramsden  tried  to  experi- 
ment with  a  lady  who  was  living  at  Newmarket.  The 
first  day  she  had  arranged  to  be  percipient,  and  heard 
then  what  she  describes  as  a  "  soundless  voice  "  that  told 
her  several  things  which  turned  out  to  be  a  mixture  of 
truth  and  falsehood.  In  this  case  her  friend  had  really 
"  telepathed  "  to  her.  But  the  next  day  Miss  Ramsden 
was  to  be  agent.  The  result  hereof  was  wholly  negative  ; 
her  friend  did  not  receive  anything  at  all.  But  Miss 
Ramsden  herself  after  fifteen  minutes  once  more  heard 
the  soundless  voice,  saying  : 

"  I  can't  hear.  Such  a  pity,  I  wonder  if  you  heard  me 
.  .  .  Packing  ...  off  to-morrow  ...  so  sorry  I  shall  miss 
your  letter  .  .  .  mother's  health  .  .  ,  Nelly  has  a  cough, 
doctor  advises  change  of  air " 

It  was  true  that  her  friend  could  not  "  hear,"  but  she 
had  not  tried  to  communicate  this  fact  to  Miss  Ramsden. 
The  latter  knew  that  she  was  thinking  of  leaving,  and  was 
anxious  about  her  mother's  health.  It  was  not  true  that 
her  pupil,  Nelly,  had  a  cough  ;  nor  had  the  doctor  been 
called  in. 

Miss  Ramsden,  then,  cannot  in  this  case  be  said  to  have 


28        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

gained  knowledge  supernormally.  It  is  interesting, 
though,  that  she  not  only  got  impressions  of,  but  even 
heard,  things  which  were  partly  false.  Also  it  is  note- 
worthy that  her  attempt  to  be  agent  once  more  resulted 
in  a  perception.  It  confirms  what  all  the  cases  of  this 
category  have  shown — that  it  is  the  faculty  to  obtain 
impressions  which  is  the  principal  thing.  The  part  of 
the  agent  is  bf  minor  importance  ;  his  co-operation  is  not 
indispensable,  and  he  can  effect  nothing  when  the  per- 
cipient does  not  possess  the  necessary  qualities. 

4.  Non-intentional  Perception  without  Inten- 
tional Transmission. 

As  an  instance  of  this  category,  Hartmann  refers  to  a 
case  which  on  account  of  the  informant's  authority  ought 
to  be  quoted  with  his  own  words.  The  renowned  Swiss 
philosopher,  Heinrich  Zschokke,  in  his  autobiography, 
writes  as  follows  :  ^ 

"  It  sometimes  happened  that  at  my  first  interview  with  a 
person  hitherto  unknown  to  me,  I  saw  his  past  life  with  many 
small  particulars,  or  perhaps  only  some  scene  from  it,  in  a 
dreamlike  and  yet  clear  manner  pass  before  me,  quite  spon- 
taneously and  in- the  course  of  a  few  minutes On  a 

market-day  in  the  town  of  Waldshut,  I  returned  in  the  even- 
ing, tired  after  a  forest-inspection,  to  the  hostelry  '  Zum 
Rebstock  '  in  the  company  of  two  young  students  of  forestry 
who  are  still  living.  We  supped  at  the  table  d'hote  where  the 
numerous  guests  were  in  the  act  of  making  fun  of  the  many 
peculiarities  of  the  Swiss,  Mesmer's  magnetism,  Lavater's 
physionomics,  etc.  One  of  my  companions,  feeling  hurt  in 
his  national  pride,  asked  me  to  protest,  especially  against  a 
handsome  young  man  who  sat  opposite  to  us  and  delivered  the 
most  flippant  jokes.  The  life  of  this  youth  had  just  passed 
before  me.  So  I  addressed  myself  to  him  with  the  question 
whether  he  would  answer  me  honestly  when  I  told  him  the 
most  secret  thing  of  his  life,  though  I  knew  him  no  more  than 
he  me.  That,  I  said,  would  be  even  more  than  the  physio- 
nomics of  Lavater.  He  promised  me  to  confess  if  I  told  him 
the  truth.  Then  I  related  what  my  dream  vision  had  told 
me,  and  the  whole  company  was  made  acquainted  with  the 

'  Selbstschau,  I.,  p.  227, 


TELEPATHY  29 

life  story  of  this  young  merchant,  his  years  of  apprenticeship, 
his  httle  aberrations,  and  finally  with  a  small  defalcation  from 
his  employer.  I  described  the  bare  room  with  the  white- 
washed walls  where  the  black  money-box  stood  on  a  table  to 
the  right  of  the  door,  etc.  A  dead  silence  reigned  in  the  room 
during  the  narration  which  I  only  interrupted  now  and  again 
to  ask  whether  I  spoke  the  truth.  Each  circumstance  was 
affirmed  by  the  deeply  moved  youth,  even — what  I  did  not 
expect — the  last  one." 

A  small  incident  which  confirms  the  existence  of  such  a 
phenomenon  where  the  percipient  plays  his  part  just  as 
unintentionally  as  the  person  from  whom  the  impression 
emanates,  is  the  following,  which  Sir  OHver  Lodge  ^  quotes 
about  a  connection  of  his  own,  Mrs.  Fred.  Lodge.  Here, 
moreover,  the  two  parties  were  not  in  the  same  room, 
but  separated  by  many  miles. 

Mrs.  Fred.  Lodge  was  expecting  her  sister  from  South 
America,  but,  being  away  from  home,  was  unable  to  meet 
her  at  Southampton.  So  a  friend,  Mr.  P.,  had  offered  to 
do  so.  While  travelling  in  the  train  on  her  way  to  her 
home,  about  3.30  p.m.,  Mrs.  Lodge  closed  her  eyes  to  rest, 
and  at  the  same  moment  a  telegram  form  appeared  before 
her  with  the  words,  "  Come  at  once,  your  sister  is  dange- 
rously ill."  During  the  afternoon  Mr.  Fred.  Lodge  received 
a  telegram  from  Mr.  P.  to  his  wife,  worded  exactly  as 
above  and  sent  from  Southampton  at  3.30  p.m.  Mrs. 
Lodge  had  no  idea  of  her  sister  being  ill,  and  was  not  even 
at  the  time  thinking  about  her,  but  about  the  illness  of 
her  own  daughter  whom  she  had  just  left.  The  hand- 
writing she  saw  she  recognized  to  be  Mr.  P.'s,  but  the 
paper  was  the  brown-coloured  one  of  a  telegram,  while  he 
would  have  been  writing  on  a  white-paper  form.  Such  a 
mixture  of  true  and  false  seems  to  characterize  both 
telepathy  and  clairvoyance. 

1  The  Survival  of  Man,  pp.  73 — 74. 


CHAPTER  III 


CLAIRVOYANCE 


As  mentioned  before,  Hartmann  was  unable  to  draw  a 
decisive  line  between  telepathy  and  clairvoyance.  Theo- 
retically he  was  clear  enough,  "  Clairvoyance,"  he  alleges, 
"  differs  from  thought-reading,  in  that  it  is  not  the 
contents  of  another  mind  ^  which  are  perceived,  but 
objective  facts."  But  how  make  sure  of  this  in  individual 
cases  ? 

Hartmann  himself  stretched  the  theory  of  mind-reading 
as  far  as  possible.  When  a  medium  states  particulars 
concerning  a  sitter's  past  Hfe,  which  the  latter  at  the 
moment  believes  to  be  incorrect,  but  which  turn  out  to 
be  correct,  Hartmann  contends  that  the  right  knowledge 
was  obtained  from  the  sitter's  subconsciousness.  When 
the  sensitives,  without  desiring  it,  in  a  moment  discern 
the  chief  events  of  a  person's  whole  life,  it  is  because  their 
unconscious  wilh  to  read  characters  and  fates  forces  the 
person's  subconsciousness  to  recall  just  these  events. 
Knowledge  about  an  absent  person  the  medium  procures 
either  by  reading  the  thoughts  of  the  people  present  about 
him,  or  by  entering  into  rapport  with  him  through  a 
present  person,  and  afterwards  reading  his  own  thoughts. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  last-mentioned  phenomenon, 
I  may  refer  to  an  interesting  series  of  experiments  per- 
formed by  Andrew  Lang.^  Lang  demonstrated  that 
certain  sensitives  could,  by  looking  into  a  crystal  or  glass 
ball,  pick  up  facts  unknown  to  the  sitter  about  people 
whom  they  did  not  know,  but  who  were  known  to  the 
sitter.  He  baptized  this  phenomenon  "  telepathy  a 
trois  "  after  the  three  participators, — the  crystal-gazer, 

'  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XV.,  pp.  48  seqq. 


CLAIRVOYANCE  31 

the  sitter,  and  the  sitter's  absent  acquaintance.  He  did 
not,  however,  feel  sure  that  the  performance  was  not  due 
to  clairvoyance,  rather  than  to  telepathy.  But  such 
would  not  have  been  the  opinion  of  Hartmann, — his 
criterion  of  clairvoyance  just  being  the  absence  of  every 
interconnection,  or  rapport,  between  the  sensitive  and  the 
thing  perceived.  That  it  is  practically  impossible  to  be 
sure  of  such  an  absence  is  another  matter.  Hartmann,  in 
fact,  finished  by  referring  to  prevision  as  the  one  kind  of 
clairvoyance  about  which  there  could  be  no  doubt. 

Somewhat  inconsistently,  however,  he  classified  as 
clairvoyance  psychometry  or,  to  cite  his  own  words,  "  the 
reconstruction  of  persons  or  characters  by  means  of  locks 
of  hair,  written  documents,  and  other  articles  to  which 
their  personal  atira  is  attached." 

Psychometry,  it  would  seem,  is  a  rather  common  art 
in  the  latter  days,  even  if  it  be  not  easy  to  find  well- 
attested  cases  of  it.  Miss  Miles  and  Miss  Ramsden  both 
seem  to  practise  it.  Miss  Miles  says  that  since  the  year 
1892,  at  which  time  circumstances  "  brought  out  all  the 
clairvoyant  faculty  that  had  been  dormant  "  in  her,  she 
has  been  able  to  see  in  crystals,  psychometrize  letters  or 
articles  for  people,  and  tell  fortunes  for  her  friends. 
Miss  Ramsden  writes  concerning  her  in  1906  that  she  is  a 
very  good  psychometrist,  who  has  often  held  letters  for 
her  and  described  scenes  in  connection  with  the  life  of  the 
writer.  At  a  later  time  they  made  some  very  careful 
experiments  in  psychometry  of  which  Miss  Ramsden 
relates  : 

"  I  collected  a  number  of  articles  such  as  pens,  thimbles, 
safety  pins,  watch  chains,  from  relations  and  servants,  allowing 
her  to  choose  one,  while  I  sat  on  the  other  side  of  a  screen,  our 
object  being  to  test  whether  I  should  be  able  to  recognize  the 
owner  of  the  articles  from  her  description,  and  also  whether 
her  knowledge  was  really  gained  through  contact  with  the 
article,  and  not  through  reading  my  mind.  The  result  was 
quite  satisfactory,  she  not  only  gave  accurate  descriptions  of 
the  owners,  but  also  detailed  information  of  which  I  was 
entirely  ignorant,  but  was  afterwards  able  to  verify." 


32        COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

About  herself  Miss  Ramsden  writes  that  she  has  had 
"  several  successes,  and  also  many  failures,  in  what  is 
called  psych ometry,  i.e.,  holding  an  article  and  describing 
the  owner  and  scenes  from  his  or  her  surroundings." 

Among  older  accounts  of  the  phenomenon  may  be 
chosen  the  following,  where  Mr.  Edmund  Gumey  vouches 
for  the  trustworthiness  of  the  narration.^  An  acquain- 
tance of  his^  Mrs.  Stella,  of  Chieri,  Italy,  hearing  that  there 
was  a  "  sonnambula"  in  the  neighbouring  town,  went  to 
see  her  out  of  pure  curiosity.  The  sitting,  which  com- 
menced with  the  woman  being  placed  in  a  state  of  trance 
by  a  young  girl  who  then  left  the  house,  did,  however, 
shake  her  disbelief,  and  she  sent  a  description  of  it  to 
Mr.  Gurney.     She  narrates  as  follows  : 

"  The  woman  first  gave  me  a  personal  description  of  myself, 
nationality,  etc.,  with  a  description  of  character,  which  was 

perfectly  correct .     I  then  gave  her  some  hair  which  I  had 

combed  out  of  a  brush  in  my  stepson's  travelling  bag,  he  having 
just  arrived  from  Spain.  She  took  the  hair  in  her  hand, 
placing  it  on  her  forehead,  and  at  the  same  time  leaving  her 
hold  on  my  hand.  At  first  she  was  puzzled  and  confused,  but 
soon  her  ideas  seemed  to  become  more  distinct,  and  then  she 
told  me  his  relationship  to  myself,  giving  an  exact  personal 
description  of  his  appearance,  character,  etc.  She  did  not 
call  him  my  stepson,  but  '  a  close  relation  without  consan- 
guinity.' I  then-asked  her  where  he  lived,  what  he  did,  etc. 
She  told  me  aU,  even  to  unimportant  details.  For  instance, 
she  said,  '  Yesterday,  he  rode  into  the  country,  got  off  his 
horse,  and  bought  some  cigars.  The  tobacconist  could  not 
give  him  change,  so  seeing  two  friends  passing  he  asked  them 
to  change  the  note.'  I  knew  nothing  of  this,  but  asked  my 
boy  when  I  returned  home,  and  found  it  true." 

Mr.  Gurney  suggested  that  this  may  have  been  a  case 
of  reading  the  mind  of  a  person  not  present  through  its 
affinity  to  the  person  who  was  present ;  no  doubt  it 
makes,  setting  aside  the  "  article,"  a  parallel  to  Lang's 
telepathy  a  irois.  But  it  is  worth  noticing  the  Itahan 
psychic's  proceedings  when  going  to  psychometrize  the 
young  man's  hair.    She  not  only  took  it  in  her  hand  and 

1  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  99. 


CLAIRVOYANCE  33 

placed  it  on  her  forehead,  but,  what  is  more  significant, 
she  let  go  Mrs.  Stella's  hand  which  she  had  hitherto  held. 
If  she  meant  to  reach  him  through  the  stepmother,  she 
must  have  done  quite  the  reverse.  She,  at  least,  must 
have  believed  that  it  was  from  the  article  and  not  from 
the  sitter  that  her  impressions  were  derived. 

With  a  well-known  English  medium,  Mr.  Vout  Peters, 
a  series  of  psychometrical  sittings  were  held,  under  scien- 
tific supervision,  in  the  spring  of  1908,  at  Helsingfors  in 
Finland.  The  inspecting  committee  afterwards  published 
a  number  of  the  stenographic  records,  annotated  by  those 
sitters  whose  articles  had  been  psychometrized. '^  In  this 
manner  were  procured  materials  of  evidential  value,  from 
which  no  small  amount  of  knowledge  about  the  pheno- 
menon may  be  gained. 

Mr.  Vout  Peters  regards  his  psychometric  faculty  as 
something  wholly  apart  from  mind-reading.  The  com- 
mittee that  supervised  his  performances  leaned  to  the 
latter  explanation — not  because  they  could  account  for 
their  opinion,  but  because  they  found  the  psychometrical 
theory  too  inconceivable.  But  the  medium  protested 
emphatically  against  this.  "  I  don't  get  before  me  what 
you  expect,"  he  said  ;  "  I  get  the  actual  facts."  He 
maintains  that  his  impressions  are  due  to  an  aura  attached 
to  the  articles.  They  crowd,  he  says,  upon  him  with  such 
rapidity,  that  he  can  scarcely  manage  to  translate  them 
into  words.  He  not  only  sees  and  hears,  but  feels  as  if 
the  whole  of  his  body  knew  about  the  things  he  is  going 
to  tell. 

Mr.  Peters's  utterances  are  confirmed  and  supplemented 
by  the  published  records.  It  seems  as  if  he  can  feel  that 
which  the  person  he  speaks  about  is  supposed  to  have 
felt,  nay  as  if  he  can  feel  his  character  or  nature  within 
himself.  His  psychometrizing  consisted  of  character- 
descriptions  and  the  telling  of  incidents  from  the  life  of 
the  owners  of  the  articles ;   at  the  same  time,  he  seemed 

1  Meddelanden  utgifna  af  Sallskapet  for  Psykisk  Forskning  i  Hel- 
singfors.    No.  I. 

CD.  D 


34        COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

unable  to  describe  their  exterior ;  in  one  case  when, 
contrary  to  his  habit,  he  tried  such  a  description  which 
was  far  from  correct,  he  said  :  "I  can't  tell  his  com- 
plexion, because  I  only  feel  him  as  within  myself." 
Generally  he  could  not  even  tell  whether  it  was  a  man  or 
a  woman  he  psychometrized,  unless  the  object  itself  gave 
some  indication  of  it.  But  he  could  feel  whether  the 
person  in  question  had  been  ill  or  infirm  ;  once  he  said 
that  he  saw  indistinctly  as  if  the  owner  of  the  article  had 
been  blind  in  his  old  age,  which  had,  in  fact,  been  the 
case. 

The  committee  published  those  among  Mr.  Peters's 
performances  which  they  considered  the  best  ones  ;  they 
were  very  unequal,  and  at  least  a  fourth  part  are  des- 
cribed as  failures.  Also  in  the  successful  cases  errors 
did  occur  ;  but  on  the  whole  they  were  of  a  character  to 
convince  most  people  that  his  power  of  supernormal 
perception  was  remarkable.     I  shall  cite  a  few  of  them. 

Some  months  before  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Peters  in  Finland, 
a  young  university  student  from  Helsingfors,  politically 
interested,  was  found  dead  on  the  railway  line,  run  over 
by  the  train,  but  with  traces  of  a  revolver  shot  through 
his  head.  Circumstances  made  it  probable  that  another 
person  had  fired  the  shot,  and  afterwards  placed  the  body 
on  the  lines.  When  it  was  found,  it  was  covered  with 
snow. 

Several  objects  which  the  young  man  had  had  upon 
him  when  he  died — a  pocket-book,  a  watch,  and  some 
money — were  at  three  different  sittings  given  to  Mr.  Peters 
for  psychometrizing,  of  course  without  his  knowing  that 
they  had  belonged  to  the  same  person.  It  is  true  that  it 
was  the  same  lady  who  brought  them,  but  there  were  a 
great  many  people  present  at  the  seances,  and  no  likeli- 
hood of  the  medium  recognizing  them  individually. 
Besides,  the  articles  were  not  handed  to  him  personally 
by  those  who  had  brought  them,  and  the  same  person 
might  of  course  bring  articles  from  more  than  one  owner. 
At  any  rate  there  is  not,  either  in  this  or  in  other  cases. 


CLAIRVOYANCE  35 

anything  which  intimates  that  Mr.  Peters  suspected  that 
he  spoke  about  a  person  whom  he  had  characterized  before. 
In  this  case  it  is  worth  noting  that  he  caught  from  each 
object  impressions  that  were  partially  new,  although  with 
scarcely  any  exception  they  were  consistent  with  the 
facts. 

With  the  pocket-book  in  his  hand  he  gave  the  following 
correct  statements  : 

"  The  first  impression  I  get  is  an  impression  of  wanting  to 
throw  away  the  pocket-book,  an  impression  of  death,  of  some 
one  who  has  passed  away. 

"  When  I  hold  the  pocket-book,  I  feel  that  the  person  who 
owned  it  used  to  do  so  [Mr.  Peters  walks  rapidly  to  and  fro  on 
the  floor'],  when  thinking. 

"  And  he  wanted,  when  thinking,  to  move  something.  He 
easily  became  enervated.  I  have  a  sensation  of  immense 
activity,  of  being  tremendously  busy  and  having  much  to  do 
in  Hfe.     He  writes  rapidly. 

"  It  was  a  very  open  nature,  an  honest  nature,  he  could  not 
and  would  not  tell  a  lie,  nor  do  anything  wrong,  because  he 
could  not. 

"  He  used  to  do  so  when  speaking  [Mr.  Peters  pushes  his  hair 
from  his  forehead] . 

"  This  person  had  for  a  time  had  much  to  fight  against. 
And  before  he  had  won  the  battle,  he  died." 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  the  medium  said  that  he 
seemed  to  feel  the  person  within  himself,  and  gave  a 
description  of  his  appearance ;  here  the  items  which 
referred  to  the  young  man's  figure  were  correct,  while 
those  which  referred  to  his  face  were  wrong. 

With  the  young  man's  watch  in  his  hand,  Mr.  Peters 
at  the  next  sitting  said  : 

"  The  first  impression  I  get  with  this  watch  is  a  pain  in  my 
head,  a  pain  just  above  the  right  eye. 

"  Whoever  possessed  it,  was  a  very  quick,  impulsive, 
energetic  person  who  was  capable  of  acting  incautiously.  He 
stood  in  the  midst  of  a  danger,  and  went  towards  it  though  he 
was  warned.  It  seemed  to  overtake  him  suddenly,  and  for  a 
moment  it  was  as  if  he  became  stunned,  and  then  he  gets  that 
pain  in  his  head.  I  cannot  tell  what  happened.  I  feel  as  a 
blow  against  the  head,  and  it  is  in  a  whirl,  so  to  speak." 

D  2 


36        COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE  DEAD 

After  an  interval  of  three  sittings  some  pieces  of  money 
that  had  been  found  upon  the  young  man's  body  were 
handed  to  the  medium.  Mr.  Peters  objected  that  it  was 
difficult  to  psychometrize  money,  because  it  had  been 
handled  by  so  many  people,  and  asked  whether  they  were 
connected  ^^dth  some  special  incident.  Having  been 
answered  in  the  affirmative,  he  said  : 

"  They  belonged  to  someone  who  used  to  sing,  who  was  a 
bright  and  happy  nature.  It  was  a  person  who  didn't  care 
much  about  money,  or  what  people  call  practical  things,  but 
took  life  joyfully.  I  do  not,  however,  mean  to  saj'  that  it  was 
a  careless  nature.  I  don't  know  whether  I  can  get  much  out 
of  this,  but  I  feel  as  if  this  bright  joy  would  be  extinguished  of 
a  sudden,  as  if  something  would  suddenty  happen.  I  have  a 
sensation  as  if  water  arose,  and  a  feeling  of  intense  cold.  I 
have  the  feeling  that  the  spirit  leaves  the  body  without  the 
body  lying  in  its  bed.  It  is  as  if  the  body  stood  erect  and  was 
dressed  while  life  flees.  I  have  a  feeling  of  wanting  to  scream, 
but  not  being  able  to.  I  feel  it  as  if  nobody  would  hear  me 
even  if  I  screamed.  And  a  sensation  of  absolute  helplessness 
comes  over  me." 

All  this  would  be  correct  if  snow  were  substituted  for 
water  as  the  cause  of  the  feeling  of  cold. 

Mr,  Peters  showed  a  certain  preference  for  the  psycho- 
metrizing of  letters,  which  he  seemed  to  find  specially 
adapted  to  preserve  the  "  aura."  It  is  considered  certain 
that  he  did  not  try  to  obtain  information  by  means  of 
the  handwTiting.  WTien  dealing  with  an  article,  he  used 
to  place  it  in  his  left  hand  ;  he  did  the  same  with  letters, 
without  unfolding  or  in  any  way  examining  them.  Neither 
did  he  care  for  the  language  used  in  them,  as  in  no  case 
did  he  look  at  their  contents.  The  letters  which  he 
psychometrized  in  Finland  were  generally  written  in 
Swedish.  One  of  them  came  from  a  personahty  weU- 
known  in  history,  the  hero  of  Sweden's  fight  with  Russia 
about  Finland,  von  Dobeln,  who  died  in  the  year  1820. 
About  this  letter  the  medium  spoke  as  follows  : 

"  This  letter,  though  old,  is  full  of  strength.  Whoever 
wrote  it,  is  a  person  with  a  very  strong  character  and  a  strong 
individuality,  vivid,  quick,  precise  and  somewhat  exacting  ; 


CLAIRVOYANCE  37 

who  had  a  very  strong  will  and  was  fond  of  governing,  of  being 
the  master  of  all  with  whom  he  got  into  contact.  Neverthe- 
less, beneath  this  hard  exterior  there  was  a  very  good  nature, 
a  very  good  heart.  It  was  someone  who  was  fond  of  reading 
and  studying,  and  who  was  so  to  speak  ahead  of  the  age  he 
lived  in.  There  was  some  difficulty  for  this  person, — whether 
it  was  a  man  or  a  woman,  I  will  not  decide,— but  it  was  difficult 
for  him  to  be  himself  in  the  place  where  he  stood. 

"  This  person  was  a  little  impatient.  If  he  waited  for  some- 
thing, he  showed  his  impatience.  I  feel  when  I  describe  this 
as  if  I  must  do  so  with  my  fingers  [gesture].  I  don't  assert 
that  the  person  in  question  did  so,  but  I  express  impatience." 

The  annotations,  taken  from  historical  and  biographical 
works,  show  in  every  particular  an  exact  correspondence 
to  the  characterization  given  by  Mr.  Peters.  Von  Dobeln 
was  not  only  a  great  commander  with  the  temperament 
of  the  born  ruler,  but  intelligent  and  warm-hearted 
withal.  His  spare  time  he  employed  in  reading,  quite 
an  unusual  thing  with  Swedish  officers  of  that  period. 
His  greatest  faults  were  impetuosity  and  impatience  ; 
it  was  better,  people  said,  to  commit  a  blunder  than  to 
ask  him  twice  about  the  same  thing.  To  his  misfortune, 
his  superiors  were  mediocrities  to  whom  he  would  not 
bow  ;  thus  it  might  rightly  be  said  that  it  "  was  difficult 
for  him  to  be  himself  in  the  place  where  he  stood." 

The  mediumism  of  Mr.  Vout  Peters  presents  another 
phenomenon,  his  so-called  spirit-visions.  During  the 
sittings,  the  psychometrizing  is  now  and  again  interrupted 
by  the  description  of  forms  whom  he  generally  alludes  to 
as  standing  beside  some  one  among  the  sitters,  and  who 
are  in  many  cases  recognized  by  the  person  designated. 
It  is  seldom  that  the  description  refers  to  the  owners  of 
the  articles  ;  among  fourteen  descriptions  of  recognized 
figures,  published  by  the  committee,  this  was  only  the 
case  with  two.  This  phenomenon,  however,  carries  us 
beyond  the  subject  of  the  present  discussion — super- 
normal perception  without  any  alleged  participation  of 
the  dead.  I  have  merely  mentioned  it  to  point  out  a 
most  remarkable  difference  between  these  visions  and  the 
impressions  obtained  by  the  medium  by  means  of  the 


38        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

articles.  The  latter  were  throughout,  even  when  correct, 
rather  vague  and  not  at  all  exhaustive.  Thus  in  the  case 
of  the  murdered  student  we  saw  that  the  medium  could 
every  time  tell  something  new.  Neither  could  he  by 
means  of  the  articles  describe  the  exterior  of  their  owners. 
The  spirit-descriptions,  on  the  contrary,  refer  above  all 
to  the  outward  appearance,  being  in  return  so  exact  and 
precise,  that^  for  instance,  in  a  case  where  the  same  lady 
was  seen  twice  by  Mr.  Peters  after  an  interval  of  two 
sittings,  the  wording  of  the  two  descriptions  was  all  but 
identical.  If  these  visions  be  due  to  clairvoyance,  they 
represent,  in  fact,  a  quite  separate  type  of  this  pheno- 
menon. 

We  have  now  reached  the  top  rung  of  the  ladder,  the 
apparently  highest  of  the  supernormal  powers  of  man, 
but  at  the  same  time  the  one  which  it  is  most  difficult 
to  accept — namely  the  faculty  of  prevision.  On  men- 
tioning this  phenomenon  in  his  book,  The  Survival  of  Man, 
Sir  OUver  Lodge  cites  Frederic  Myers  as  one  of  those  who 
recognized  its  reality  as  a  possibility  worthy  of  serious 
discussion.  In  eloquent  and  beautiful  words  this  pioneer 
of  psychical  research  wrote  : 

"  Few  men  have- pondered  long  on  these  problems  of  Past 
and  Future  without  wondering  whether  Past  and  Future  be  in 
very  truth  more  than  a  name — whether  we  may  not  be  appre- 
hending as  a  stream  of  sequence  that  which  is  an  ocean  of 

co-existence Let  us  imagine  that  a  whole  earth-life  is  in 

reality  an  absolutely  instantaneous  although  an  infinitely 
complex  phenomenon.  Let  us  suppose  that  my  transcen- 
dental self  discerns  with  equal  directness  and  immediacy  every 
element  of  this  phenomenon  ;  but  that  my  empirical  self 
receives  each  element  mediately,  and  through  media  involving 
different  rates  of  retardation  ;  just  as  I  receive  the  lightning 
more  quickly  than  the  thunder.  May  not  then  seventy  years 
intervene  between  my  perceptions  of  birth  and  death  as  easily 
as  seven  seconds  between  my  perceptions  of  the  flash  and  the 
peal  ?  And  may  not  some  intercommunication  of  conscious- 
ness enable  the  wider  self  to  call  to  the  narrower,  the  more 
central  to  the  more  external,  '  At  such  an  hour  this  shock  will 
reach  you  !  Listen  for  the  nearing  roar  !  '  "  i 
'  The  Survival  of  Man,  pp.  159 — 160, 


CLAIRVOYANCE  39 

The  poetical  illustration  of  Myers  suits  especially  those 
cases  where  an  important  and  sad  occurrence  is  foreseen. 
Such  cases  are  probably  those  most  often  heard  of  ;  death 
plays  the  principal  part  in  this  strange  phenomenon.  Living 
people  who  are  seen  dead  though  they  have  not  been  ill, 
funeral  processions  where  the  visionary  recognizes  the 
mourners  and  by  this  means  can  tell  who  is  lying  in  the 
coihn — previsions  of  this  type  abound.  Allied  to  these 
are  the  following  cases  which  I  reproduce  from  Mrs.  Sidg- 
wick's  paper,  "  On  the  Evidence  for  Premonitions,"  ^  that 
contains  a  carefully  sifted  material  where  only  the  best 
attested  instances  have  found  admission. 

A  lady  in  India,  who  had  lost  several  children,  heard 
a  voice  say,  "  If  there  is  darkness  at  the  eleventh  hour 
there  will  be  death."  About  a  week  after,  a  little  girl 
was  taken  ill.  Two  or  three  days  passed  ;  the  sun  blazed 
above,  and  the  child  hovered  between  life  and  death. 
At  last,  after  more  than  a  week  of  cloudless  weather,  a 
few  minutes  before  eleven  in  the  morning  a  squall  arose, 
and  the  sky  became  black.  That  day,  soon  after  one 
o'clock,  the  child  died. 

A  lady  in  London,  Mrs.  Schweizer,  dreamed  that  she 
was  walking  on  the  edge  of  a  cliff,  her  son  Fred  and  a 
stranger  a  little  in  advance,  when  her  son  slipped  suddenly 
down  the  side  of  the  cliff.  She  turned  to  the  stranger  and 
asked  for  his  name,  and  got  the  reply,  "  My  name  is 
Henry  Irvin."  She  said,  "  Do  you  mean  Irving  the 
actor  ?  "  "  No,"  he  replied,  "  not  exactly  :  but  some- 
thing after  that  style."  Her  son  was  then  on  a  journey, 
but  the  anxious  mother  told  her  dream  to  his  brother.  A 
week  afterwards,  Mr.  Frederick  Schweizer  went  for  a  ride 
on  horseback  along  with  a  casual  acquaintance  named 
Deverell ;  his  horse  shied,  he  was  thrown  on  the  road, 
and  expired  three  hours  later.     When  his  mother  arrived 

1  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  V.,  pp.  288 — 354.  Mrs.  Sidgwick  employs 
the  term  "  premonition"  as  comprising  more  cases  than  "  prevision." 
Clairvoyance,  however,  being  used  to  designate  both  what  is  heard  and 
seen  supernormally,  or  caught  by  impressions,  it  seems  permissible  to 
stretch  prevision  in  a  similar  manner. 


40        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

at  the  place  of  his  death,  she  recognized  in  Mr.  Deverell 
the  stranger  of  her  dream,  and  asked  him  at  once  if  his 
name  was  Henry.  When  he  answered,  "  Yes,  my  name 
is  Henry,"  she  told  the  dream.  He  was  extremely 
impressed,  and  told  her  that  he  occasionally  took  part  in 
private  theatricals,  and  was  on  those  occasions  introduced 
as  "  Henry  Irvin,  junior." 

Both  case?  are  remarkable  on  account  of  the  strange 
details  which  cannot  be  explained  as  due  to  guessing  or 
chance.  Noteworthy  is  in  the  latter  case  the  mixture  of 
true  and  false  ;  only  the  main  points  are  correct  :  the 
fall  of  the  son,  the  stranger's  relation  to  the  name  Henry 
Irvin  ;  the  rest  of  the  dreamed-of  scene  is  construction. 

A  contrast  to  the  previsions  of  death  is  presented  by  a 
number  of  cases  where  the  foreseen  event  is  of  quite  an 
ordinary  and  often  extremely  trivial  character.  I  borrow 
a  few  examples  from  Mrs.  Sidgwick.^ 

An  American  lady  saw  a  friend,  Mrs.  Conner,  falHng  up 
the  front  steps  in  the  yard  of  her  house,  about  one  mile 
and  a  half  distant,  while  a  lot  of  papers  which  she  had  in 
her  hand  were  scattered  around  her.  The  vision  took 
place  about  two  o'clock,  the  fall,  with  many  minutely 
foretold  circumstances,  at  2.40  p.m. 

A  lady,  Mrs.  Mackenzie,  one  morning  at  breakfast  told 
her  house  party  that  she  had  had  the  following  dream. 
She  thought  there  were  several  people  in  her  drawing- 
room,  among  others  Mr.  J,,  and  she  left  the  room  to  see 
if  supper  was  ready,  and  when  she  came  back  she  found 
the  carpet  covered  with  black  spots.  She  was  very  angry, 
and  when  Mr.  J.  said  it  was  ink  stains,  she  retorted, 
"  Don't  say  so,  I  know  it  has  been  burned,  and  I  counted 
five  patches."  So  ends  the  dream.  Afterwards  they  all 
went  to  church,  and  on  their  return  Mr.  J.  came  with 
them  to  luncheon,  a  thing  he  had  never  done  before. 
And  now  everything  happened  as  in  the  dream.  Mrs. 
Mackenzie  went  into  the  dining-room  to  see  if  things  were 

1  The  first  case  is  taken  from  her  paper,  "  On  the  Evidence  for 
Clairvoyance,"  Proceed^ngs  S.P.R.,  Vol.  VII..  pp.  30 — 99. 


CLAIRVOYANCE  41 

ready,  and  then  going  back  into  the  drawing-room  she 
noticed  a  spot  near  the  door  and  asked  who  had  been  in 
with  dirty  feet ;  Mr.  J.  said  it  was  surely  ink,  and  then 
pointed  out  some  more  spots,  when  Mrs,  Mackenzie  called 
out,  "  Oh  !  my  dream  !  my  new  carpet  !  burnt  !  "  As 
they  afterwards  discovered,  the  housemaid  had  carried  in 
live  coals  which  she  had  dropped  on  the  carpet,  burning 
five  holes. 

A  lady  in  London  dreamed  that  she  found  a  brooch 
upon  a  seat  in  Richmond  Park,  which  she  gave  to  her 
maid.  She  mentioned  the  dream  to  the  maid  next 
morning.  Unexpectedly,  she  went  to  Richmond  on  the 
following  afternoon,  and  found  the  brooch  on  the  seat  as 
in  her  dream. 

The  triviality  of  previsions  such  as  these  is  of  a  special 
interest,  because  it  speaks  loudly  against  connecting  them 
with  spirits,  or  on  the  whole  believing  that  they  are  due 
to  an  intention.  Mrs.  Sidgwick  justly  remarks  that  we 
have  no  reason  to  suppose  "  that  premonitions,  if  they 
exist,  are  a  species  of  petty  private  miracles  intended  to 
help  us  in  conducting  our  affairs — temporal  or  spiritual." 

Sir  Oliver  Lodge,  too,  is  seen  to  share  the  opinion  of 
Hartmann,  that  the  question  of  prevision  has  nothing  to 
do  with  the  question  of  spirits,  when  he  writes  : 

"  The  anticipation  of  future  events  is  a  power  not  at  all 
necessarily  to  be  expected  on  a  Spiritistic  or  any  other  hypo- 
thesis ;  it  is  a  separate  question,  and  will  have  important 
bearings  of  its  own.  An  answer  to  this  question  in  the  affir- 
mative may  vitally  affect  our  metaphysical  notions  of  '  Time,' 
but  will  not  of  necessity  have  an  immediate  bearing  on  the 
existence  in  the  universe  of  intelligences  other  than  our  own. 
A  cosmic  picture  gallery  (as  Mr.  Myers  calls  it),  a  photographic 
or  phonographic  record  of  all  that  has  occurred  or  will  occur  in 
the  universe,  may  conceivably — or  perhaps  not  conceivably — 
in  some  sense  exist,  and  may  be  partly  open  and  dimly 
decipherable  to  the  lucid  part  of  the  automatist's  or  entranced 
person's  mind."  ^ 

By  virtue  of  such  a  faculty  of  "  dimly  deciphering,"  it 
is,  then,  that  the  ordinary  clairvoyant  displays  his  art 

^  The  Survival  of  Man,  p.  151. 


42        COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

when  people  "  consult  "  him.  But  well-attested  cases 
of  such  prophesying  are  no  doubt  scarce.  As  an  instance 
may  be  referred  to  a  case  mentioned  by  Mrs.  Sidgwick, 
where  a  medium  in  Boston  told  an  English  lady  that  she 
had  a  picture  of  her  children  with  her,  and  on  seeing  it 
pointed  to  one  of  these,  a  boy  of  seventeen,  saying  that 
he  would  die  soon  and  suddenly.  A  few  weeks  after  the 
return  of  th«  mother  to  England  her  son  was  killed  at  a 
game  of  football. 

Mr.  Vout  Peters,  too,  often  foretells  the  future  when 
psychometrizing  articles  whose  owners  are  living.  Miss 
Miles  is,  as  told  above,  not  only  able  to  psychometrize, 
but  also  able  to  tell  fortunes^  for  people.  She  is  withal 
spontaneously  foresighted.  Coming  events,  she  writes, 
are  so  distinctly  impressed  on  her  mental  vision,  that  they 
become  a  positive  nuisance.  As  for  Miss  Ramsden,  she 
has  had  many  premonitory  dreams,  and  when  she  has 
tried  to  write  down  impressions — being  unable  to  write 
automatically — the  writing  generally  consists  of  prophe- 
cies of  evil  to  come.  The  proportion  of  truth  to  fiction 
being  about  fifty  per  cent.,  she  has  found  it  to  be  a  most 
uncomfortable  faculty,  and  so  has  discontinued  the 
exertion  of  it. 

It  appears,  then,  to  have  been  in  every  particular 
possible  to  find  evidence  to  prove  that  Hartmann  and 
Professor  Flournoy  were  right  in  their  assertion  about 
the  supernormal  powers  of  man.  Certain  people  can  in 
a  more  or  less  mysterious  manner  obtain  knowledge  about 
others,  about  distant  events,  about  the  past,  nay,  about 
the  future. 

The  only  point  where  it  proved  difficult  to  agree  with 
Hartmann  was  perhaps  in  his  attempt  to  fix  a  boundary 
between  telepathy  and  clairvoyance ;  an  attempt, 
however,  which  he  was  not  himself  able  to  carry  through. 
The  greater  number  of  psychical  researchers  acknowledge 
the  difficulty  of  distinguishing  between  the  two  pheno- 
mena.    Mrs,    Sidgwick   intimates   that   the   hue   drawn 


CLAIRVOYANCE  43 

between  them  has  not  much  scientific  value.  Professor 
Hyslop  writes  when  referring  to  Miss  Ramsden's  experi- 
ments that  she  has  "  access  to  the  marginal  data  in  the 
mind  of  the  agent,  if '  in  that  mind  '  rightly  describes  the 
facts,"  and  in  another  place  :  "  There  is  a  fragmentary 
access  to  various  facts  belonging  to  the  agent's  mind,  or 
connected  with  her  physical  environment  and  possibly  not 
in  her  mind  at  all."  And  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  accentuates 
that  "  we  must  not  too  readily  assume  that  the  apparent 
action  of  one  mind  on  another  is  really  such  an  action." 

Possibly,  then,  there  is  reason  to  ask  whether  Hartmann 
and  others  have  not  assigned  to  telepathy  a  larger  part 
than  is  due  to  it.  Because  it  was  possible  to  make  inten- 
tional thought-transference  the  subject  of  experiments,  it 
became  for  the  researchers  the  natural  starting-point  for 
the  treatment  of  the  whole  problem.  It  seemed  to  be 
scientifically  correct  to  proceed  from  thought-trans- 
ference to  thought-reading  as  from  the  known  to  the  less 
known,  and  to  cling  to  the  utmost  to  this  "  explanation  " 
as  preferable  to  the  wholly  mysterious  clairvoyance.  But 
in  reality  the  matter  stands  otherwise.  It  is  the  faculty 
of  perception  that  is  the  commencement  of  the  whole 
phenomenon.  The  percipient,  the  sensitive,  the  psychic, 
the  medium — whatever  he  is  to  be  called — is  the  principal 
factor  also  in  intentional  thought-transference.  There 
must  be  a  more  or  less  sensitive  person  to  impress  if  the 
agent  shall  effect  anything  at  aU.  Nay,  the  agent  is,  in 
fact,  just  as  secondary  as  the  percipient  is  important. 
The  percipient  is  even  better  able  to  catch  things  which 
the  agent  is  not  thinking  about  than  those  which  he  is 
striving  to  transmit  with  all  his  might.  This  was  evident 
in  the  Miles-Ramsden  experiments.  Intentional  thought- 
transference  is  so  to  speak  an  artificial  scion,  grafted  into 
the  naturally  growing  tree  of  supernormal  perception. 

But  with  perception  as  starting-point  the  second  class 
of  telepathic  phenomena,  thought-  or  mind-reading, 
appears  in  a  new  light.  That  clairvoyance  exists  is  at 
any  rate  shown  through  prevision.     Why  then  not  give 


44        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

it  its  due  and  admit  that  supernormal  perception  is 
clairvoyance,  and  so-called  mind-reading  only  an  element 
of  it  ?  The  impression  must,  doubtless,  have  some  cause 
besides  the  faculty  of  the  sensitive.  In  psychometry 
this  cause  seems  to  be  an  article,  inconceivable  as  it  may 
be.  In  the  apprehension  of  a  present  person's  character 
and  life-story,  his  presence  seems  to  be  the  cause.  In 
this  case  we  may  as  well  say  that  he  is  psychometrized  as 
that  an  article  is.  But  this  is  not  equivalent  to  his 
thoughts  being  read.  It  is  himself,  the  whole  of  his  per- 
sonality, that  is  psychometrized  ;  because  his  thoughts 
are  an  element  of  the  personality,  they  may  slip  in,  but 
only  as  one  factor  among  many.  On  account  of  this, 
things  may  be  perceived  which  the  psychometrized  person 
believes  to  be  right,  but  which  are  wrong.  On  the  other 
hand,  true  facts  may  be  perceived  without  regard  to  the 
erroneous  belief  of  the  sitter. 

In  cases  where  the  cause  of  the  perception  is  neither  an 
article  nor  the  presence  of  a  person,  it  may  often  be 
characterized  as  a  rapport  between  the  clairvoyant  and 
the  thing  perceived,  and  this  rapport  may  be  a  person. 
Such  was  the  case  with  regard  to  the  perceptions  of 
Miss  Ramsden  ;  even  when  Miss  Miles  did  not  perform 
her  duty  as  agent,  the  once  established  connection — the 
invisible  wires,  as  Miss  Ramsden's  friend  in  Copenhagen 
appropriately  called  them — continued  to  exist.  And, 
doubtless,  in  those  cases  where  the  cause  cannot  be  dis- 
covered, some  unknown  line  of  connection  exists  which 
leads  this  impression  just  to  this  percipient. 

For  our  problem,  however,  it  may  in  a  degree  be  said 
to  be  of  slight  consequence  whether  the  line  drawn  by 
Hartmann  between  telepathy  and  clairvoyance  is  abohshed 
or  not.  Whether  it  is  by  mind-reading,  psychometry,  or 
direct  clairvoyance,  that  mediumistic  individuals  become 
possessed  of  their  supernormal  knowledge,  is  unimportant 
in  proportion  to  the  fact  that  all  these  powers  exist,  and 
must  be  reckoned  with  as  a  possible  explanation  of  the 
alleged  communications  from  the  dead. 


CLAIRVOYANCE  45 

Still,  one  circumstance  must  be  pointed  out  before  the 
discussion  of  the  supernormal  powers  of  man  can  be 
completed.  The  evidence  which  we  found  for  their 
existence  at  the  same  time  spoke  loudly  about  their 
limitation.  Even  Miss  Ramsden's  most  successful  per- 
ceptions were  only  approximative.  With  regard  to  the 
visionary  impressions  this  is  clearly  seen  in  the  cases 
where  she  subjoins  a  sketch  of  her  vision  ;  though  it  is 
impossible  to  deny  its  resemblance  to  the  real  thing,  it 
most  often  turns  out  to  be  a  far  from  correct  reproduction 
of  it.  As  to  the  auditions,  the  incorrectness  was  even 
greater.  Neither  are  the  achievements  of  the  professional 
mediums  perfect.  Of  Mr.  Vout  Peters's  performances 
in  Helsingfors  at  least  a  fourth  part  were  failures, 
and  even  the  best  ones  contained  errors.  In  cases  which 
are  not  given  verbatim,  as  for  instance  Mrs.  Stella's,  we 
cannot  of  course  expect  to  get  full  information  about  the 
incorrect  statements.  In  the  cases  of  prevision,  too,  we 
find  the  same  inaccuracy.  Rightly  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  uses 
expressions  as  "  partly  open  "  and  "  dimly  decipherable  " 
when  he  metaphorically  describes  the  relation  between 
the  clairvoyant  persons  and  the  record  which  they  are 
reading.  That  kind  of  clairvoyance  which  the  name 
denotes  does  not  seem  to  exist.  A  dim  and  clouded  vision 
would  be  a  more  correct  designation  for  supernormal 
perception. 

Only  with  this  reservation  can  we  subscribe  to  the  asser- 
tion of  Hartmann. 


SECTION    II 

The  Automatic  Writing  of  Mrs.  Verrall 

CHAPTER  IV 

introduction,    dr.  verrall's  experiment 

The  instances  of  supernormal  perception  by  means  of 
which  Hartmann's  assertion  was  illustrated  must  neces- 
sarily be  taken  from  cases  where  no  participation  of  the 
dead  was  assumed.  This,  however,  involved  that  it  was 
as  a  rule  perception  in  a  waking  condition  we  had  to  deal 
with.  For  with  the  trance  state  imagination  sets  in,  and 
most  often  gives  birth  to  the  idea  of  an  extra-terrestrial 
origin  of  the  mediumistic  productions. 

With  the  trance,  then,  we  have  reached  quite  a  new 
territory.  A  state  of  concentration  or  otherwise  abnormal 
condition  is  probably  the  necessary  accessory  both  of 
telepathy,  psychometry,  and  clairvoyance  ;  Miss  Ramsden 
accentuates  the  importance  of  concentration,  and  Mr.  Vout 
Peters  says  that  he  puts  himself  in  a  slight  ecstasy  when 
accompHshing  his  performances.  But  this  is  very  different 
from  the  state  which  excludes  the  psychic's  waking  co- 
operation and  conscious  apprehension  of  his  perceptions. 
Only  in  that  state  commences  the  production  of  those 
romances  which  Professor  Flournoy  relates.  Cryptom- 
nesia,  also,  of  course  implies  that  the  waking  consciousness 
is  in  abeyance. 

What  is  said  here,  however,  is  not  confined  to  real 
trance,  but  includes  as  well  that  state  in  which  the  other- 
wise waking  individual  is  automatically  producing  speech 
or  script  without  knowing  what  he  produces,  Mrs.  A.  W. 
Verrall,   whose  automatic  script  we  are  first  going  to 


DR.   VERRALL'S  EXPERIMENT  47 

examine,  gives  an  account  of  the  manner  of  its  production 
which  shows  how  completely  this  is  the  case  with  her. 
The  words  come  to  her  as  single  things,  she  says,  and 
seem  to  vanish  as  soon  as  she  has  written  them.  She 
perceives  a  word  or  two,  but  never  understands  whether 
it  makes  sense  with  what  goes  before.  Though  she  is 
aware  at  the  moment  of  writing  what  language  her  hand 
is  using,  when  the  script  is  finished  she  often  cannot  say 
what  language  has  been  used  as  the  recollection  of  the 
words  passes  away  with  extreme  rapidity.  She  is  some- 
times exceedingly  sleepy  during  the  production  of  the 
writing,  and  more  than  once  she  has  momentarily  lost 
consciousness  of  her  surroundings. 

There  seems  to  be  no  reason  to  doubt  that  this  is  a 
state  similar  to  trance  as  regards  the  co-operation  of 
consciousness.  It  is  quite  another  matter  when  Miss 
Ramsden  describes  her  impressions,  and  reasons  about 
their  being  right  or  wrong,  etc.  Mrs.  Verrall  is  just  as 
ignorant  of  her  writing  as  she  is  irresponsible  for  it. 

The  problem,  then,  which  will  occupy  us  in  the  following 
pages  is,  how  to  account  for  the  origin  of  her  productions. 

Mrs.  A.  W.  Verrall  is  a  most  inteUigent  lady,  with 
extensive  knowledge  of  modern  and  ancient  literature,  a 
lecturer  in  Greek  at  Newnham  College  in  Cambridge. 
She  has  herself  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Society  for 
Psychical  Research^  pubhshed  a  report  of  her  automatic 
writing  during  the  first  four  years  of  its  existence  (1901 — 
1904).  She  has  done  this  with  a  critical  sense  which  is 
both  acute  and  fine,  and  which  in  many  points  makes  her 
clear-sighted  as  to  the  character  of  the  script.  That  an 
intimate  connection  exists  between  its  contents  and  her 
own  mind  is  shown,  she  says,  in  the  languages  used?  in 
quotations  from  authors  known  to  her,  in  allusions  to 
literary  and  other  subjects  familiar  to  her.  She  speaks 
of  "  the  extremely  far-fetched  nature  of  associations  in 
the  region  of  her  subliminal  self  "  ;  she  points  out  the  part 

1  Vol.  XX.,  pp.  1—432. 


48        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

played  by  assonance, — as  when  Daphne  seems  suggested 
by  daffodil,  and  the  Hke.  But  in  spite  of  all  this,  she  does 
not  believe  that  the  script  as  a  whole  originates  from  her 
own  self.  It  can  intrude  upon  it  and  often  does  so  ;  but 
the  chief  part  is  due  to  other  factors. 

Mrs.  Verrall  had  been  interested  in  psychical  pheno- 
mena for  many  years  before  she  herself  succeeded  in 
producing  automatic  script.  She  had  tried  writing  and 
"  planchette  "  as  well  as  crystal-gazing  ;  her  experiments 
in  the  latter  direction  were  published  in  the  Pro- 
ceedings ;  but  with  a  few  doubtful  exceptions  the  pictures 
so  seen  were,  she  herself  says,  purely  fantastical.  She 
was  a  very  close  friend  of  that  eminent  representative  of 
psychical  research  in  England,  Frederic  Myers.  Like 
herself  and  her  husband,  Dr.  A.  W.  Verrall,  he  resided  in 
Cambridge.  His  death  in  Rome,  on  January  17th,  1901, 
was  a  double  bereavement ;  she  not  only  lost  a  friend, 
but  the  one  who  had  more  than  any  other  been  the 
participator  of  her  interest  in  psychical  matters. 

From  January  19th,  1901,  Mrs.  Verrall  recommenced 
her  attempts  to  obtain  psychical  phenomena.  She  sat 
in  the  darkness,  she  held  her  hand  on  a  planchette  or 
tried  with  a  pencil.  On  March  5th  her  efforts  were 
crowned  with  success,  and  her  first  script  was  produced. 
It  contained  about  eighty  words  almost  entirely  in  Latin, 
but  though  the  words  seemed  to  make  phrases,  there  was 
no  general  sense  in  these.  By  degrees,  though,  the 
script  became  more  comprehensible  ;  besides  Latin  and 
Greek,  English  too  was  employed. 

When  reading  consecutively  a  large  quantity  of 
Mrs.  VerraU's  script,  one  is  struck  at  the  same  time 
with  its  learned  and  poetical  character,  and  with  its 
want  of  cohesion,  its  use  of  wrong  quotations  and  self- 
fabricated  language,  its  apparent  profundities  which 
most  often  turn  out  to  be  nonsense  ;  to  all  of  which  must 
be  added  its  faltering  and  seeking,  its  groping  both  for 
words  and  ideas.  All  this  can  be  explained  in  different 
ways.    The  learning  and  the  poetry  may  be  due  to  Myers 


DR.    VERRALL'S   EXPERIMENT  49 

in  whose  name  the  script  most  frequently  speaks,  in  a 
more  or  less  open  manner.  The  confusion  may  be  due 
to  Mrs.  Verrall's  automatic  self  that,  like  the  dream-self, 
lacks  the  reasoning  power  of  the  waking  consciousness. 
The  groping  and  faltering  may  be  due  to  the  automatist's 
defective  power  of  perception.  But  the  learning  and 
poetry  may  also  be  due  to  Mrs.  Verrall's  own  high  culture 
and  philological  erudition.  Her  subconscious  memory 
may  bring  to  light  matter  which  she  had  normally  for- 
gotten, so  that  the  script  will  in  a  manner  give  more  than 
she  herself  would  be  capable  of  giving,  and  at  the  same 
time  less,  owing  to  the  want  of  control  on  the  part  of  the 
waking  intelligence.  There  remains,  then,  the  question  of 
the  origin  of  those  things  which  the  automatist  gropingly 
seems  to  seek. 

It  will  be  necessary,  I  believe,  to  analyze  a  large  portion 
of  the  script  in  order  to  answer  these  questions.  It  does 
not  suffice  to  give  instances.  There  ought  not  to  remain 
anything  after  examination  which  might  justly  be 
advanced  in  support  of  an  opposite  theory  to  that  which 
will  be  laid  down  here. 

One  of  the  questions  asked  above  referred  to  the  cause 
of  the  seeking  and  groping  which  was  sometimes  apparent 
in  the  script.  No  doubt  it  is  not  certain  beforehand  that 
it  is  due  to  an  external  source  ;  everybody  knows  from 
personal  experience  what  it  is  to  search  one's  own  memory 
for  a  forgotten  word.  On  the  other  hand,  we  have  seen 
how  Miss  Ramsden  groped  for  the  things  which  Miss  Miles 
tried  to  transmit  to  her.  Now  it  happens  that  Mrs. 
Verrall's  script  of  an  early  period  presents  an  instance  of 
her  being  made  to  receive  an  impression  from  a  willing 
agent,  without  willing  it  and  without  knowing  anything 
about  it.  The  case  has  been  mentioned  as  an  illustration 
of  Hartmann's  category  of  "  non-intentional  perception 
by  intentional  transmission  "  ;  it  will  later  on  be  very 
useful  in  the  discussion  of  these  problems.  So  I  propose 
to  reproduce  it  at  some  length. 

CD.  E 


50        COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

Not  long  after  the  inception  of  Mrs.  Verrall's  automatic 
writing,  in  April,  1901,  her  husband  decided  to  try  whether 
he  could  by  thought-transference  produce  a  certain  thing 
in  her  script.  He  chose  for  his  subject  a  Greek  sentence, 
and  though  she  partly  wrote  in  Greek  this  no  doubt 
rendered  the  whole  thing  more  difficult.  At  the  same 
time,  it  was  of  course  wise  to  choose  something  quite  out 
of  the  ordinary,  in  order  that  a  possible  success  might  not 
be  ascribed  to  chance. 

The  sentence  was  ixovottioXov  h  aw,  and  belonged  to  a 
passage  from  the  Orestes  of  Euripides  set  for  translation 
in  the  Tripos  of  1873,  the  year  of  Dr.  Verrall's  degree  ; 
it  had  at  the  time  caused  some^ mirth  between  himself  and 
his  friends,  among  whom  were  Edmund  Gurney,  who  died 
in  1888,  and  Dr.  A.  T.  Myers,  who  died  in  1894.  The 
literal  translation  of  the  phrase  is  "to  the  one-horse  [car 
of]  dawn "  ;  in  Dr.  Verrall's  opinion  the  translation 
ought  to  be  "  to  the  lonely  wandering  dawn."  The 
incident  was  never  known,  as  far  as  they  were  aware,  to 
his  future  wife. 

The  result  of  the  experiment  was  that  Mrs.  Verrall 
never  produced  the  phrase  in  her  automatic  script ;  but 
that  in  the  course  of  the  summer  of  1901,  from  May  to 
September,  it  presented  in  so  many  different  ways  an 
approximation  now  to  the  sound  of  the  words,  and  now 
to  their  sense,  that  it  is  impossible  to  doubt  that  she  was 
unconsciously  influenced  by  her  husband's  thought.  At 
the  same  time  it  is  seen  that  not  only  the  sentence  which 
he  wanted  to  get  written,  but  other  circumstances  con- 
nected with  the  episode  from  1873,  were  reflected  in  the 
script.  Besides,  other  occurrences  of  his,  but  possibly 
known  to  Mrs.  Verrall,  seem  to  have  appeared  in  the  script 
as  a  consequence  of  her  exertions  to  produce  his  Greek 
words.  Further,  it  is  interesting  to  see  that  he  himself 
is  often  referred  to  during  these  exertions,  as  if  her  sub- 
consciousness together  with  the  impression  received 
quite  a  correct  idea  as  to  its  origin,  and  this  in  spite  of 
Mrs.  Verrall's  own  conception  imprinting  on  the  whole 


DR.   VERRALL'S   EXPERIMENT  51 

production  the  stamp  of  being  derived  from  another 
source. 

It  will  appear  from  the  following  extracts  that  the  efforts 
of  the  script  were  with  a  single  exception — ^ovox!-tu>vos 
on  July  31st — for  a  long  time  directed  exclusively  towards 
the  notion  of  dawn.  At  that  notion  it  aimed  directly  and 
indirectly,  the  latter  mostly  by  means  of  the  symbols 
cock  and  cock-crowing.  Mrs.  Verrall  herself  thinks  that 
the  first  allusion  is  to  be  found  in  a  script  of  June  i6th, 
1901 ;  I  beheve  it  dates  further  back,  and  that  the  script 
of  May  nth  is  already  connected  with  Dr.  Verrall's 
experiment,  although  another  element,  of  which  account 
will  be  rendered  later  on,  intermingles  with  it.  I  com- 
mence therefore  with  the  earlier  script  which  both  alludes 
to  Dr.  Verrall,  and  contains  the  drawing  of  a  bird  which 
Mrs.  Verrall  interpreted  as  a  cock  and  in  jest  dubbed 
"  the  cocky oly  bird." 

May  nth,  1901. 

"  Do  not  hurry  date  this  hoc  est  quod  volui — tandem  [this 

is  what  I  have  wanted — at  last].  A.  W.  V.  [in  Greek :] 

and  perhaps  some  one  else.  Calx  pedibus  inhaerens  diffi- 
cultatem  superavit  [chalk  sticking  to  the  feet  has  got  over  the 
difficulty]. " 


"A.  W.  V."  is  in  the  script  the  usual  designation  for 
Dr.  A.  W.  Verrall,  when  it  does  not  say  "  your  husband." 
As  Mrs.  Verrall  believes  that  another  personahty  makes 
use  of  her  hand,  she  addresses  herself  in  the  second  person, 
and  means  when  she  says  "I"  the  invisible  writer.  The 
sentence,  "  This  is  what  I  have  wanted — at  last,"  also 
intimates  that  it  is  Dr.  Verrall's  phrase  the  script  refers 
to.     But  just  like  as  in  dreaming  one  matter  is  by  a 

E  2 


52        COMMUNICATION  WITH   THE   DEAD 

desultory  association  of  ideas  interwoven  with  another ; 
the  idea  of  the  cock  leads  to  something  wholly  different ; 
the  words  "  Chalk  sticking  to  the  feet,"  etc.,  have  their 
own  curious  history.  Altogether,  it  would  be  unjusti- 
fiable to  connect  the  script  with  Dr.  Verrall's  experiment 
if  the  interesting  bird  did  not  reappear  under  circum- 
stances which  show  that  it  is  meant  to  symbolize  the  dawn. 
The  nejit  writings  referring  to  the  experiment  run  as 
follows  : 

June  i6th,  1901. 

"  Five  stars  in  the  east  that  is  not  right.  Can't  you  under- 
stand— avis  ille  incredibilis  redibit  [the  incredible  bird  will 
return] Show  it  all  to  your  husband 

July  4th,  1 90 1. 

"  Yellow  is  the  colour  of  the  dawn 

July  3is^,  1901. 

"  Longaevus  senex  barba  alba  /aovoxitwvos  [an  aged  man 
with  a  white  beard,  one-garmented] 

August  13th,  1901. 

"  [Drawing  oj  a  cock]  cock  a  crested  cock  that  crows  is  the 
emblem — not  a  real  bird,  heraldic — with  a  motto^cano 
canam  albam  [I  sing  the  white  dawn]." 

The  last  script  contained  withal  an  allusion  to  an 
incident  connected  with  Dr.  Verrall,  the  loss  of  a  hat  and 
a  hatbox  some  years  previously  :  "  Hat — a  black  hat  in 
a  box  belonging  to  him  was  lost."  Afterwards  follow 
quickly  one  upon  the  other,  a  number  of  writings  con- 
nected with  the  experiment. 

August  16th,  1901. 

"  Easier  and  easier,  though  you  do  not  know.  The  cock  is 
inside  a  circle  perhaps  a  coin.  Try  for  the  words  again. 
Cano  canti  clam  no  carmen  cano  [I  sing  a  song]  Canam  some- 
how belongs going  towards  the  east.  A.  W.  V.  will  under- 
stand this — I  think  of  him  when  I  say  it.     You  do  not  know. 

August  20th,  1901. 

"  [Remarks  in  Greek  about  others  being  present.]  Now  you 
must  see  that  it  is  right.  The  long  room  with  the  many 
windows  is  near  this  hot  room — he  was  outside — how  plain  it 
seems  to  me !  but  you  don't  know.  Arthur  [Dr.  A.  T. 
Myers  ?\  can  tell  you. 


DR.   VERRALL'S   EXPERIMENT  53 

August  2yd,  1901. 

"  Canta  catechumen  no  that's  not  right But  it  looks 

like  canta  and  then  something.  The  cock  is  really  important 
— crowing  in  a  circle  [circle  drawn]  there  is  writing  round  the 
bird  letters  raised  ^tta  something  like  that.  And  there 
is  something  gold  about  it  somewhere.  Canticlere  is  nearer 
[drawing  of  belf]  a  bell. 

August  2Sth,  igoi. 

"  [Drawing  of  cock  in  circle]  Kikiriki  !  it  is  better  now — the 

emblem  is  within  the  circle,     golden  I  think Ask  A.  W. 

he  will  recognize  this  Cappa  or  Cana  is  a  word  that 

belongs.     Cantilupe  is  more  like — cant  ilenam  Cantiaris 

[drawing  of  sundial]  x  x  x  in  the  east  to  the  daylight — 
happily.     Now  write  the  word — it  runs  round  a  dial  or  font." 

As  may  be  seen,  the  script  of  August  i6th  had  placed 
the  cock  within  a  circle  or  perhaps  a  coin.  This  idea  was 
followed  up  on  August  23rd  where  it  was  said  that  there 
were  letters  round  the  bird  ;  besides,  a  sundial  was 
mentioned,  and  on  August  28th  the  two  motives,  the 
cock  and  the  sundial,  were  closely  connected  ;  there 
seemed  to  be  a  question  of  a  sundial  with  an  inscription 
round  the  ring  and  a  cock  in  the  middle.  This  is  another 
interweaving  like  that  which  is  known  from  dreams.  But 
the  remarkable  point  is,  that  all  the  motives  have  some- 
thing to  do  with  Dr.  Verrall.  He  had  once  composed  a 
Latin  description  for  a  friend  of  Frederic  Myers  ;  it  seems 
that  the  object  to  be  inscribed  was  a  mantelpiece,  but 
that  his  recollection  was  that  it  was  a  sundial.  It  is  of 
course  possible  that  it  was  the  mention  of  a  sundial  in  the 
script,  which  was  shown  to  him  by  his  wife,  that  made 
him  connect  the  inscription  with  such  a  one  ;  if  this  be 
the  case,  the  placing  of  it  in  a  circle  is  Mrs.  Verrall's  own 
subliminal  invention.  But  at  any  rate  the  fact  remains, 
that  she  in  her  script  connected  her  husband's  Latin 
inscription  with  the  cock  of  whose  relation  to  him  she  was 
normally  ignorant. 

After  the  conversation  between  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Verrall 
about  the  sundial  and  the  inscription,  the  script  no  more 
reverted  to  these  subjects,  but  continued  in  the  following 
manner : 


54         COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

August  29th,  1 90 1. 

"  Cantilect — that  is  not  so  good  as  before — Cantuar  CC 
and  a  heraldic  bird  in  colours — the  light  comes  through,  on 
a  window  to  the  east 

September  2nd,  1901. 

"  Canticlene  has  a  word  to  say — one  for  him  not  you 


There  could  be  more.     Malleson Don't  give  up.     Listen 

again — waly  is  the  beginning — perhaps  vale,   two  syllables 
is  TO foUow  the  valy — it  comes  again." 

This  w^as  the  first  of  a  series  of  attempts  to  produce  the 
identical  Greek  words,  is  a<Z  and  ixoifOTrcoKov,  of  which 
the  following  are  the  clearest : 

September  ^th,  1901. 

"  Find  it  and  you  will  see  — —  /xovoo-toXos — jxovoxLTmvos  fiovos 

[single-vested — single-robed  alone]  There  were  others 

but  he  knew  more  than  the  rest 

September  jth,  1901. 

"  Mol  es  to  but  the  6C  is  the  end  of  the  word e?  there 

are  o  and  1  before  the  es,  oA es  Tender  es  fusa  a  long  word 

like  that. 

September  gth,  1901. 

"  01  un  c  es  that's  not  right — but  the  m  comes  before  the 
cs  a  g  iles.  I  can't  tell  you  the  sense,  only  the  letters.  It 
was  someone  else's  words,  not  his — His  are  the  other,  quite 
separate. — moleskin — that  is  more  like,  the  look  not  the  mean- 
ing.    Pye  is  a  bird  too  but  not  ours Find  the  herb  moly 

that  will  help -^' 

Pye  is  the  first  intimation  of  the  tt  in  {xovottcoKov.  As 
regards  7}ioly,  Mrs.  Verrall  points  out  that  this  word  is 
found  in  a  passage  from  Milton's  Comus,  which  was  the 
subject  for  Latin  hexameters  in  the  Tripos  examination 
of  1873.  Dr.  Verrall,  however,  had  completely  forgotten 
this  circumstance,  and  it  seems  quite  unjustifiable  to 
connect  it  with  the  "  moly  "  of  the  script.  The  latter 
exactly  resembles  the  other  approximations  to  ixovoiroiKcv 
— valy,  mol,  moleskin,  etc. — which  are  given  there. 

Meanwhile  the  script  continued  its  evident  but  not  very 
successful  attempts  at  the  words. 

September  12th,  1901. 

"  —  fio — €s  cyao/Xes  mollis Pye  gives  one  clue,  but  there 

is  another a  dark  man  who  smoked — Both  were  in  it — 


DR.   VERRALL'S  EXPERIMENT  55 

which  of  them  spoke  ?  not  yours.  In  the  long  dull  room — 
with  candles  lighted.  Pale  when  that  is  not  sense,  but  not 
very  wrong. 

September  14th,  1901. 

"  Moaves  that  is  the  old  mistake — estote  looks  like  a  part. 
On  the  wall,  mola  or  molina  is  more  like.  Strange  it  seems 
that  you  cannot  read.     On  the  left  there  are  more  A  V  E  N  T 

then  the  word  that  ends  in  es  and  something  after  it 

Pla  net  or  play  net.  illustre  vagatur  caelo  sine  comite  [bright 
it  wanders  in  the  sky  uncompanioned]  palely  loitering — I  can't 
get  it  to-night — wait — you  will  hear  later " 

In  the  latter  script  the  passage  about  the  uncom- 
panioned planet  is  perhaps  an  echo  of  the  one-horse  dawn. 
But  with  regard  to  the  reproduction  of  the  Greek  the 
progress  was  small.  To  forward  matters  Dr.  Verrall,  on 
September  i8th,  while  his  wife  was  writing  in  one  room 
and  he  sitting  in  another,  fixed  his  mind  upon  the  notion 
of  horse,  the  only  idea  which  had  so  far  been  entirely 
absent.  That  he  did  not  do  so  in  vain,  the  following 
script  will  show  : 

September  18th,  190 1. 

"  There  is  a  message  for  her — about  a  knife — on  a  table,  with 
letters  engraved  upon  it — not  in  Enghsh  J~H  inTrcJ-  [one 

horse]  the  letters  look  like  that " 

Possibly  the  reading  ought  to  be  ^vltttto?,  "  of  goodly 
horses,"  but  the  notion  of  horse  had  at  any  rate  appeared. 
But  with  this  nice  instance  of  thought-transference  there 
was  put  an  end  to  the  success  of  the  experiment.  Dr. 
Verrall  on  September  19th  told  his  wife  that  in  the  above 
writing  there  was  an  allusion  to  a  point  which  he  had  long 
looked  for,  and  that  when  she  went  to  write  on  the  i8th 
he  had  fixed  upon  this  point.  This  communication 
evidently  changed  the  course  of  the  experiment.  The 
automatic  self  seems  to  have  been  unable  to  continue  its 
exertions  after  Mrs.  Verrall  had  learned  that  they  were 
caused  by  a  living  person.  The  following  script  is  very 
characteristic  : 

October  6th,  19CI. 
"  But  A.  W.  V.  must  be  satisfied What  is  the  word  he 


56        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

wants  to  complete,  neither  you  nor  I  know  it.  so  it  is  hard 
to  get.  It  all  belongs  to  him  but  not  to  me,  his  friends  but 
not  mine.  No  one  here  knows  but  one  &  her  I  have  not 
met.     I  will  ask  Arthur " 

It  is  remarkable  to  see  how  the  script  clings  to  the  belief 
that  it  speaks  in  the  name  of  a  deceased  person,  viz.,  Myers. 
As  long  as  Mrs.  VerraU  thought  that  it  was  he  who  wanted 
to  express  certain  things  by  means  of  her  hand,  it  ran  : 
"  How  plain  it  seems  to  me  !  but  you  don't  know,"  etc. 
But  as  soon  as  she  had  learned  that  it  was  her  husband 
who  tried  to  impress  her,  it  was  quite  another  part  that 
was  assigned  to  the  alleged  communicator.  Now  it  is  no 
longer  he  who  knows  the  wanting  word  ;  now  he  and 
Mrs.  Verrall  are  equally  in  the  dark.  "  What  is  the  word 
he  [A.  W.  v.]  wants  to  complete  ?  "  it  now  runs  :  "  neither 
you  nor  I  know  it,  so  it  is  hard  to  get."  Formerly  it  was 
Myers  who  urged  her  to  write  the  words  ;  now  he  does 
not  know  them.  The  automatic  self  does  not  shun  any 
inconsistency  in  order  to  preserve  its  leading  idea. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  October  of  the  following 
year,  1902,  that  Dr.  Verrall  related  the  whole  experiment 
to  his  wife.  In  the  meantime  allusions  to  it  had  now  and 
again  appeared  in  the  script.  But  now  it  was  evident 
construction,  and  no  longer  anything  due  to  the  thoughts 
of  Dr.  Verrall.  As  instances  the  following  writings  may 
be  quoted  : 

November  4th,  igoi. 

"  It  is  the  woman's  name  your  husband  wants — it  was  not 
Clara — but  I  see  the  curve  beginning  it." 

Clara  seems  to  be  a  reminiscence  of  Canticlere  and  the 
other  attempts  at  words  beginning  with  C. 

March  loih,  1902. 

"  Your  husband's  cocks  have  gone  away,  but  I  will  tell 
more  later." 

March  2yth,  1902. 

"  Your  husband's  thought  was  good  but  not  complete.  The 
old  man  in  white  was  the  best  part  of  it  but  I  have  not  been 
able  to  finish  that,  and  now  it  has  aU  gone  away." 

The  experiment  was  finished,  but  a  good  deal  may  be 


DR.   VERRALL'S   EXPERIMENT  57 

learned  from  it.  A  comparison  with  Miss  Ramsden's 
attempts  to  receive  what  Miss  Miles  strove  to  transmit 
shows  both  resemblance  and  disparity.  The  resemblance 
consists  in  the  difficulty  which  the  automatic  writer  no 
less  than  the  waking  percipient  has  in  grasping  things 
which  really  come  from  outside.  As  regards  this,  it  seems 
to  make  no  difference  whether  the  percipient  knows  that 
someone  tries  to  impress  him,  or,  as  Mrs.  Verrall,  is 
ignorant  of  it.  There  is  a  strong  contrast  between  this 
difficulty  and  the  fluency  with  which  the  words  flow  from 
the  automatist's  hand  when  left  to  himself.  Perhaps 
one  ought  always  on  meeting  such  a  groping,  such  a 
desperate  struggle  to  express  something  which  the  writer 
does  not  even  subconsciously  seem  to  know,  to  stop  and 
ask  :  "  What  can  be  the  origin  of  this  that  intrudes  here 
upon  the  psychic's  mind  ?  " 

The  two  phenomena  further  resemble  each  other 
therein,  that  Mrs.  Verrall,  as  well  as  Miss  Ramsden,  not 
only  receives  impressions  of  the  words  and  notions  which 
the  agent  intends  to  transmit ;  she  dimly  discerns  other 
circumstances  belonging  to  the  distant  episode  which  her 
husband  had  in  mind.  He  had  after  the  translation  of 
the  passage  from  the  Orestes  stood  outside  the  Senate 
house  where  the  examination  took  place,  and  with  his 
friends  laughed  at  the  odd  phrase  "  the  one-horse  dawn." 
More  than  once  this  situation  seems  to  have  been  dis- 
cernible to  the  inner  vision  of  his  wife.  "  He  was  out- 
side," the  script  relates  on  August  20th  ;  and  on  Sep- 
tember 9th  :  "  there  were  others  there,  but  he  knew  more 
than  the  rest."  Of  the  words  themselves  it  says  on 
September  9th  :  "It  was  someone  else's  words,  not  his." 
This  is  correct,  as  the  words  were  taken  from  Euripides. 
To  the  examination  the  script  seems  to  allude  on  Sep- 
tember 12th  when  it  says  :  "In  the  long  dull  room — 
with  candles  lighted." 

Mrs.  Verrall,  then,  has  shown  herself  not  only  able  to 
receive  impressions  supernormally,  but  clairvoyant,  or 
mind-reading  if  that  term  be  preferred. 


58         COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

The  difference  between  Miss  Ramsden  and  Mrs.  Verrall 
is  mostly  due  to  the  circumstance  that  the  latter  not 
only  "  perceives,"  but  constructs  withal.  This,  and  the 
cause  of  it,  the  trance-like  and  irresponsible  state  which 
accompanies  the  writing,  has  already  been  spoken  of. 
Dr.  Verrall's  experiment  has  shown  that  the  supernormal 
perceptions  are  woven  into  the  dream-like  fabrication 
exactly  in  \the  same  manner  as  the  automatist's  own 
normal  or  latent  knowledge.  They  are  used  to  support 
the  idea  that  the  invisible  power  which  employs  her  hand 
and  puts  down  words  which  her  brain  does  not  apprehend 
is  some  other  than  herself. 

This  idea  is  the  life-principle  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  writing. 
When  she  addresses  herself  by  you,  she  does  not  see  that 
the  one  who  does  so  is  another  part  of  her  own  self.  But 
is  it,  after  having  followed  Dr.  Verrall's  experiment 
through  its  different  phases,  possible  to  doubt  this  ?  Is 
it  possible  to  doubt  that  when,  for  instance,  the  script 
says  :  "  A.  W.  V.  will  understand — I  think  of  him  when 
I  say  it.  You  do  not  know,"  it  is  the  lucid  part  of  her 
mind,  to  quote  Sir  Oliver  Lodge,^  that  thinks  of  Dr. 
Verrall,  while  her  normal  self  ignores  that  he  is  concerned 
with  the  matter  ?  But  this  kind  of  dramatic  play 
between  the  writer  and  her  automatic  self  is  throughout 
characteristic  of  Mrs.  Verrall's  script,  and  confirmed  her 
belief  in  its  being  another  person  who  wrote.  At  the 
outset,  her  hand  refused  to  put  the  name  of  that  other 
person  under  the  messages.  Once  even  her  own  initials 
were  written  under  the  words  spoken  to  herself  :  "  Can't 
you  see  ?  Can't  you  believe  ?  M.  de  G.  V."  A  battle 
seems  to  be  fought  between  her  subconscious  knowledge 
and  the  belief  of  her  waking  self  ;  but  the  latter  gains  the 
victory,  and  many  communications  are  signed  with  the 
names  of  Frederic  Myers  or  other  departed  persons. 

'  See  above,  p.  41. 


CHAPTER   V 

THE   SYMPOSIUM   INCIDENT 

A  SHORT  time  before  the  death  of  Frederic  Myers  and 
the  commencement  of  her  own  automatic  writing, 
Mrs.  Verrall  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  another  lady- 
automatist,  Mrs.  Forbes  (pseudonym).  The  script  of 
the  latter,  which  was  partly  produced  by  means  of  plan- 
chette,  was  thought  by  her  to  originate  fiom  her  son 
Talbot  (pseudonym)  who  had  been  killed  in  the  South 
African  war  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1900,  and  from 
Edmund  Gurney  who  had  been  known  to  her  personally. 
From  February,  1901,  Myers,  who  had  been  also  known 
to  her,  was  added  to  these.  The  state  of  Mrs.  Forbes, 
also  when  she  produced  direct  script,  was  less  uncon- 
scious than  that  of  Mrs.  Verrall ;  she  understood  what 
she  wrote,  and  sometimes  completed  the  words  by 
guesses  ;  it  was,  however,  always  carefully  noted  down 
when  such  was  the  case. 

A  couple  of  months  after  becoming  acquainted  with 
Mrs.  Verrall,  on  February  24th,  1901,  Mrs.  Forbes  obtained 
at  her  house  in  the  north  of  England  in  planchette- 
writing  what  turned  out  to  be  a  correct  description  of 
Mrs.  Verrall's  contemporaneous  situation  in  Cambridge. 
The  first   words   were  :     "  Edmund   Gurney   writes   for 

Myers^ let  us  see  our  friends  in  Cambridge.  Mrs.  Verrall 

is  so  strongly  my  friend  that  I  can  be  with  her."  Plan- 
chette  then  said  that  she  was  sitting  in  a  chair  near  the 
fire,  very  comfortable,  and  added  :  "  but  don't  ask  me 
to  look  over  her  shoulder,  for  I  can't  see  that  she  has  got 
a  book." 

Mrs.  Verrall  at  the  time  was  sitting  in  a  low  chair  near 

1  This  communicator  is  throughout  Mrs.  Verrall's  report  designated 
by  the  initial  H. 


6o        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

the  fire,  close  to  her  husband's  chair  ;  they  were  together 
looking  over  a  typewritten  manuscript  of  an  article  which 
she  had  written ;  her  attitude  and  occupation  were 
suggestive  of  reading,  but  she  held  no  book. 

On  March  4th  Mrs.  VerraU  had  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Forbes 
giving  the  full  account  of  this  incident.  The  next  day 
she  obtained  her  first  script  with  real  words.  She  herself 
thinks  that  \  there  is  possibly  a  connection  between 
Mrs.  Forbes's  letter  where  the  names  of  her  supposed 
communicators  were  given,  and  the  marked  improvement 
in  her  own  script. 

At  any  rate,  the  connection  with  Mrs.  Forbes  became 
of  much  importance  in  the  next  period.  On  March  17th 
Mrs.  Verrall's  script  contained  the  following  words  in 
Latin  : 

"  What  is  more  difficult,  not  to  say  impossible,  unless  you 
also  wish  it  ?  To-day  I  can,  not  without  doubt.  Write  '  we 
are  in  Diana's  allegiance.'     Note  it  again." 

The  reference  is  to  a  poem  of  Catullus  ;  but  Diana  is 
the  Christian  name  of  Mrs.  Forbes,  and  Mrs.  VerraU  took 
the  words  to  be  a  message  from  the  persons  writing 
through  this  lady.  In  themselves  they  do  not  seem  to 
contain  anything  to  support  such  an  assumption.  But 
gradually  there  developed  between  the  two  automatists 
a  faculty  of  influencing  each  other  supernormaUy  which 
recalls  the  relations  between  Miss  Ramsden  and  Miss 
Miles.  These  are  described  by  Miss  Miles  as  follows^  : 
"  There  seems,"  says  she,  "  an  invisible  cord  attached  to 
Miss  Ramsden.  When  the  power  is  once  fairly  started 
she  seems  to  get  any  message  whether  I  am  thinking  of 
her  or  not.  It  seems  to  go  on  the  whole  time."  At  other 
times,  on  the  contrary,  they  "  cannot  get  into  touch  at 
all."  With  this  the  following  account  by  Mrs.  Verrall 
ought  to  be  compared  :  "  On  January  nth,  1902,  I  noted 
in  my  diary  that  I  had  felt  on  the  day  before  that  '  after 
an  interval  I  had  again  come  into  touch  '  with  whatever 

1  Proceedings  Am.  S.P.R.,  Vol.  V.,  p.  688. 


THE  SYMPOSIUM   INCIDENT  6i 

it    was   that    produced    my   automatic    script On 

January  loth,  Mrs.  Forbes  automatically  wrote  a  long 
message  for  me  from  '  Edmund  '  which  I  received  after 
I  had  made  the  above-mentioned  entry  in  my  diary. 
Neither  the  subjective  impression  nor  the  contents  of  the 
script  are  definite  enough  to  be  evidential.  But  the 
coincidence  between  the  reference  to  me  after  three 
weeks'  silence  and  my  own  sensation  of  having  '  come 
into  touch  '  is  worth  noting."  It  seems  then  as  if  Mrs. 
Verrall  could  feel  that  Mrs.  Forbes  was  once  more  engaged 
with  thoughts  of  her.  No  doubt  she  herself  took  her 
sensation  to  mean  more  than  this  ;  but  the  "  message  " 
has  evidently  contained  nothing  to  sustain  her  belief. 
If  it  cannot  be  supported  in  other  ways,  the  parallel  to 
the  Miles-Ramsden  cases  must  give  the  precedence  to 
the  purely  human  interpretation. 

In  the  planchette- writing  of  February  24th,  Mrs.  Forbes 
had  shown  a  supernormal  power  to  perceive  the  surround- 
ings of  Mrs.  Verrall  of  which  several  instances  occur  in  the 
time  following.  Essentially  it  did  not  differ  from  that 
displayed  by  Miss  Ramsden  and  other  sensitives.  Some- 
times it  had  the  character  of  a  faculty  to  obtain  impres- 
sions about  something  which  occupied  Mrs.  Verrall,  at 
other  times  it  was  of  a  more  visionary  nature.  No 
doubt  it  was  further  developed  through  experiments 
made  by  the  two  ladies  simultaneously  trying  for  auto- 
matic script,  and  the  like. 

This  faculty  of  Mrs.  Forbes  became  important  in  the 
following  case  which  in  its  way  is  as  instructive  as  the 
experiment  of  Dr.  Verrall.  "  The  Symposium  incident  " 
presents  an  instance  of  subconscious  fabrication  which 
must  be  acknowledged  as  such  because  it  led  to  an  actual 
event,  viz.,  the  opening  of  a  sealed  letter  left  by  Frederic 
Myers,  by  which  its  real  nature  was  unveiled.  But  the 
part  played  by  Mrs.  Forbes  as  co-operating  at  a  certain 
point  was  a  phenomenon  which  might  well  confirm 
Mrs.  Verrall's  behef  in  the  genuineness  of  her  own  script. 


62        COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

The  incident,  however,  had  a  prelude  which  had  nothing 
to  do  with  Mrs.  Forbes. 

On  May  31st,  1901,  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  among  other 
things  contained  the  phrase  "  Diotima  gave  the  clue." 
Mrs.  Verrall  states  that  she  knew  at  that  time  nothing 
about  Diotima  except  that  she  was  the  one  woman  in 
the  Platonic  dialogues,  and  that  she  was  mentioned  in  the 
Symposium.  \  The  dialogue  itself  she  had  never  read,  and 
had  very  little  conscious  knowledge  of  its  contents. 

No  doubt  it  does  not  in  itself  require  a  special  explana- 
tion that  Mrs.  Verrall's  script,  which  so  often  refers  to 
classical  subjects,  mentioned  a  name  from  Plato  which 
she  at  any  rate  knew.  A  possible  ground  for  its  emer- 
gence just  at  this  point  may,  however,  be  adduced. 
Diotima  is  mentioned  in  Myers's  work,  Human  Personality 
and  its  Survival  of  Bodily  Death,  which  was  just  then  going 
through  the  press.  The  proofs  v/ere  in  Mrs.  Myers's 
house  at  Cambridge  where  Mrs.  Verrall  was  a  frequent 
visitor  in  the  spring  and  summer  of  1901.  It  is  therefore, 
as  she  herself  states,  not  impossible  that  she  should  have 
seen,  without  consciously  noticing,  the  passage  which 
contains  the  name  Diotima.  She  corrected  the  proofs  of 
a  portion  of  the  book,  and  must  doubtless  have  been  near 
the  remaining  parf. 

Nay  it  may  even  be  contended  that  it  is  not  only 
possible,  but  all  but  certain  that  such  was  the  cause  of 
the  mention  of  Diotima  in  the  script.  At  a  later  time, 
but  before  the  publication  of  the  book,  Mrs.  Verrall 
expressed  through  the  script  her  belief  that  the  passage 
in  question  was  to  be  found  in  it.  This  already  intimates 
that  she  had  without  knowing  seen  the  passage.  But, 
moreover,  the  script  of  this  period  contains  a  case  pointing 
in  the  same  direction.  When  Mrs.  Verrall  had  written 
of  Diotima,  she  wanted  to  learn  more  about  her ;  so,  on 
June  1st,  she  looked  up  in  the  Symposium  the  passage 
where  Socrates  says  that  Diotima,  the  prophetess,  had 
said  that  Love  (Eros)  was  a  spirit  (daimon)  and  mediator 
between  God  and  man.     The  speech  of  Socrates  comes 


THE   SYMPOSIUM   INCIDENT  63 

immediately  after  Agathon's  panegyric  of  Love,  at  the 
end  of  which  are  introduced  two  hexameter  Hnes  con- 
taining the  phrases  "  calm  [yakijvn]  on  the  sea,  and 
"  stillness  [vrjveixtav]  of  winds."  Mrs.  Verrall  herself 
tliinks  that  she  may  unconsciously  have  seen  these  lines 
on  the  day  when  she  read  about  Diotima.  Later  she 
automatically  wrote  as  follows  : 

June  2yth,  1901. 

"  Quid  coerces  nenymon  yaXjjvwv  pi^fj-qv  [why  dost  thou 
stay  the  might  of  the  windless  calm]. 

September  28ih,  1901. 

"  Noenymus  vt^vc/^os  eVrt  yaXyjvrj  [windless  is  the  calm]. 

December  12th,  1901. 

"  Nenymos  yaXqvrj  — is  the  word  but  there  is  more It 

is  Greek  but  written  in  English  letters — two  words  are  plain. 
I  think  there  is  something  more.  This  is  not  your  husband's 
word — he  wants  a  word  but  more  than  a  name." 

The  latter  script  shows  that  Agathon's  words  from  the 
Symposium,  which  have  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the 
Diotima  incident  save  that  they  precede  the  passage  which 
Mrs.  Verrall  looked  up,  had  become  for  the  automatist  a 
part  of  the  usual  notion  of  something  that  was  to  be 
found  and  supplemented,  i.e.,  the  notion  that  her  impres- 
sions came  from  outside.  Possibly  the  unconscious  groping 
for  Dr.  Verrall's  phrase  had  taught  the  automatic  self  to 
grope  for  words  and  seek  for  clues  generally.  But  when 
the  idea  of  the  "  windless  calm  "  undoubtedly  had  come 
to  Mrs.  Verrall  by  a  casual  glance  at  something  which  did 
not  reach  her  waking  consciousness,  it  is  highly  probable 
that  the  same  had  been  the  case  with  the  Diotima  passage 
in  the  proofs  of  Myers's  book,  which  had  at  any  rate  been 
in  her  immediate  proximity.^ 

The  Symposium  incident's  real  history,  however,  does 
not  begin  until  November  26th,  1902,  a  year  and  a  half 
after  the  mention  of  Diotima  in  the  script.     It  happened 

1  Cf.  Mrs.  Myers's  remarks  about  the  proofs  of  Fragments  from  Prose 
and  Poetry,  to  which,  other  allusions  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  of  the  same 
period  seem  due  {Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXVI.,  p.  229). 


64        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

that  the  Diotima  passage  from  the  Symposium  had  been 
set  for  translation  by  a  lecturer  at  Trinity  College,  Cam- 
bridge, and  that  Mrs.  Verrall  was  in  the  habit  of  using  the 
Trinity  College  translation  papers  for  her  class  at  Newn- 
ham  College.  On  account  of  this  she  read  on  Novem- 
ber 26th  in  the  dialogue  the  context  of  the  passage,  and 
on  November  27th  looked  over  some  ten  or  twelve 
translation?  of  it.  "  During  these  two  days,"  she  writes, 
"  my  mind  was  full  of  the  passage,  of  the  reference  to  it 
earlier  in  my  script,  and  of  the  appropriateness  of  its 
selection." 

By  the  last  phrase  Mrs.  Verrall  means  the  appropriate- 
ness of  the  selection  of  the  passage  by  Myers  as  a  message 
on  May  31st  of  the  preceding  year.  When  she  could 
make  so  much  of  the  bare  mention  of  the  name  Diotima 
in  her  script,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  subsequent  develop- 
ment of  the  case  must  impress  her  greatly.  For  those 
acquainted  with  the  final  result  it  must  of  course  appear 
in  another  light. 

At  this  point  Mrs.  Forbes's  receptiveness  for  impres- 
sions concerning  Mrs.  Verrall  had  reached  no  small  pro- 
portions, and  she  had  given  several  proofs  of  supernormal 
knowledge  about  her  doings  and  preoccupations.  It  had 
been  agreed  between  the  two  automatists  that  Mrs.  Verrall 
ought  to  receive  all  of  Mrs.  Forbes's  script  which  the 
writer  thought  referred  to  her,  while  on  the  contrary. 
Mis.  Forbes  never  saw  the  other's  script  nor  learned 
anything  whatever  about  her  opinion  of  her  own.  Con- 
sequently she  knew  nothing  about  the  references  to 
Diotima  or  the  Symposium.  At  the  same  time  she  of 
course  knew  that  Mrs.  Verrall  like  herself  was  interested 
in  Myers,  and  hoped  that  her  script  had  him  partially  for 
its  source.  The  importance  of  ascertaining  this  by  means 
of  some  test  must  likewise  be  clear  to  her.  With  this  in 
mind  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  that  she  could 
produce  the  following  scripts  : 

November  26th,  1902. 

"  Myers  opens  a  book  long  closed. 


THE   SYMPOSIUM   INCIDENT  65 

November  zyth,  1902. 

"  Will  it  be  worth  while  to  try  to  follow  the  clue  of  yester- 
day ?  Myers  wishes  Mrs.  Verrall  to  open  the  last  book  she 
read  for  him  in  which  is  the  true  word  of  the  test.  If  she  will 
try  to  begin  the  sentence  with  this  word  he  will  be  sure  to 
prove  his  being  the  writer — let  the  letter  be  sent  to-night." 

On  the  other  hand,  a  supernormal  element  probably 
intervenes.  In  view  of  the  relations  between  the  two 
sensitives  it  is  very  likely  that  Mrs.  Forbes  has  had  a 
vague  perception  of  the  matter  which  occupied  Mrs. 
Verrall  during  the  same  days — a  book  in  which  was  a  word 
that  was  perhaps  a  test.  But  a  real  conformity  is  wanting  ; 
on  the  base  of  what  is  in  itself  a  correct  impression, 
something  wholly  wrong  or  nonsensical  has  been  con- 
structed. It  was  wrong  to  speak  about  a  book  which 
Mrs.  Verrall  had  read  for  Myers.  And  even  if  we  accept 
an  interpretation  which  Mrs.  Verrall  favours,  and  take 
the  phrase  "  open  the  last  book  she  read  for  him  "  to 
mean  "  open  for  him  the  last  book  she  read,"  viz.,  the 
Symposium,  the  result  did  not  confirm  that  the  instruction 
to  find  a  word  there  and  begin  a  sentence  with  it  came 
from  Myers.  As  proceeding  from  him  the  script  is  irre- 
levant ;  as  built  on  an  impression  about  the  preoccupation 
of  Mrs.  Verrall  it  is  comprehensible  and  interesting. 

Mrs.  Verrall,  however,  was  much  struck  with  its  con- 
tents which  seemed  so  clearly  connected  with  her  own 
thoughts  at  the  time  of  its  production.  She  tried  now  if,  by 
fixing  her  mind  upon  theSymposium  before  trying  for  auto- 
matic script,  she  could  obtain  further  instructions  ;  but  this 
attempt  met  with  no  success.  On  the  other  hand,  the  script 
told  her  already  on  November  28th  that  "  it  must  come 
elsewhere  "  ;  and  her  belief  in  this  has  possibly  had  a 
stimulating  effect  on  Mrs.  Forbes,  whose  subsequent  script 
clearly  reflects  the  ideas  which  filled  her  co-operator — 
Diotima,  Eros,  the  Symposium.     She  writes  as  follows  : 

December  18th,  1902. 

"...  word  .  .  .  Myers  make  it —  .  .  .  with  the — Diony- 
sus {?  y  Dion —  .  .  . 

1  A  query  indicates  that  part  of  the  word  is  a  guess. 
CD.  F 


66        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

"  Edmund  writes  to  tell  the  friend — who  writes  with  Talbot 
— word  of  the  Test  will  be  Dy  .  .  .  Will  you  give  the  sense  of 
the  message.  Write  to  Mrs.  Verrall  and  say  the  word 
will  be  found  in  Myers  own  .  .  .  will  you  send  a  message  to 
Mrs.  Verrall  to  say  Myers  will  see  with^  her  on  Friday 
[December  igth] — will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  send  this  to-day  ? 

"...  Talbot  writes  to  say  you  can  be  sure  ...  it  is 
one  of  the  most  Hymeneal  Songs — Love's  oldest  melody. 

January  6th,  1903. 

"...  sou  .  .  .  son  suspuro  suspiro  sryseo  sym  on  Myers 
eros." 

Moreover,  on  January  nth,  Mrs.  Forbes,  who  did  not 
know  Greek,  produced  the  following  letters  :  w,  e,p,o-,<^,s,a, 
which  were  described  as  part  of  an  uncompleted  test. 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  Mrs.  Verrall  after  this 
apparent  confirmation  of  her  belief  in  "  Diotima  "  as  a 
message  sent  by  Myers  produced  one  script  after  another 
full  of  allusions  to  the  co-operation  of  Mrs.  Forbes,  and  to 
the  book  of  Myers,  which  was  about  to  be  published. 
It  began  after  she  had  received  Mrs.  Forbes's  script  of 
December  i8th. 

December  igth,  1902. 

"  In  the  sealed  book  is  the  word,  the  message  to  men,  the 
new  and  old  Diatesseron. 

December  26th,  1902. 

"  Mrs.  Forbes  will  get  the  words  I  want,  but  wait,  happy  is 
the  hour,  let  your  thoughts  follow  her,  do  not  write. 

January  14th,  1903. 

"  Mrs.  Forbes  has  sent  it  to  you — or  should  have  by  now ; 
she  has  got  nearer  and  will  get  the  word.  Write  more  often 
this  month — we  can  do  more  now  for  you.  Your  husband's 
test  goes  forward,  Mrs.  Forbes  gets  that  better  than  you  do — 
write  regularly — there  will  be  news  for  you  to  write  next  week 
— good  news  before  the  month  is  out.  The  book  will  help — 
our  word  is  there  contained. 

January  21st,  1903. 

"  Wait  for  the  word  from  Mrs.  Forbes 

January  22nd,  1903. 

"  In  Myers'  book  is  a  word  that  ought  to  make  things 
plain— read  it  to  see — not  at  the  head  of  a  chapter — but 
quoted  in  the  text — it  should  have  been — and  surely  is. 

*  This  expression  is  in  Mrs.  Forbes's  script  the  usual  equivalent  for 
"  communicate  with  "  or  "  write  by  means  of." 


THE  SYMPOSIUM   INCIDENT  67 

January  2yd,  1903. 

"  Read  the  book  for  me.     Look  there  for  the  helping  word. 

January  2^th,  1903. 

"  Between  God  and  Man  is  the  Sai/xovtw  n — you  will  see 
that  quoted  in  the  book — Love  is  the  bond. 

January  ^isl,  1903. 

"  Look  for  what  I  have  told  you  in  the  book — Myers'  book. 
The  passage  is  important  '  To  the  ends  of  the  earth.'  That 
is  the  countersign." 

As  may  be  seen,  there  is  nothing  supernormal  in  all 
this.  It  is  simply  an  expression  of  Mrs.  Veriall's  belief 
that  the  Diotima  passage  was  to  be  found  in  Myers's 
book,  whose  publication  she  awaited  in  much  excitement. 
She  is,  however,  not  blind  to  the  fact  that  it  is  herself  who 
at  times  speaks  in  the  script.  She  points  out,  for  instance, 
with  regard  to  the  remark  on  January  22nd  :  "  not  at  the 
head  of  a  chapter,"  that  she  had  corrected  for  press  a  slip 
consisting  of  a  list  of  quotations  for  the  headings  of  the 
chapters,  adding  :  "  Hence  no  doubt  the  allusion  in  the 
script."  Other  things  in  the  script  characterize  them- 
selves as  fabrications  because  they  are  wrong  ;  such  a  one 
is  the  remark  on  January  14th  on  Dr.  Verrall's  test ;  it 
neither  went  forward  nor  had  anything  to  do  with  Mrs. 
Forbes  ;  and  the  phrase  at  the  end  of  the  script  of 
January  31st,  about  the  important  passage  "  To  the  ends 
of  the  earth  "  ;   it  was  not  found  in  Myers's  book. 

But  the  Diotima  passage  was  really  found  in  Human 
Personality.  It  is  argued  above  that  Mrs.  Verrall  had 
seen  it  unconsciously  in  the  proofs  in  the  spring  of  1901, 
and  had  thus  throughout  had  a  latent  knowledge  thereof. 
But  for  herself  this  explanation  hardly  existed  as  a 
possibility.  The  genuineness  of  her  script  became  for 
her  almost  indisputable  when  she  found  on  looking  over 
the  book  on  February  loth,  1903,  that  Myers  in  its  first 
volume  "  gives  an  abstract  of  the  '  cosmical '  aspect  of 
Love,  as  described  by  Plato  in  the  Symposium,  calling 
special  attention  to  the  fact  that  this  utterance  is  placed 
by  Plato  in  the  mouth  of  Diotima,  the  prophetess." 

With  this  apparent  success  the  first  chapter  of  the 

F  3 


68        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

Symposium  incident  ends.  Only  Mrs.  Forbes,  who 
normally  knew  nothing  about  the  whole  matter,  continued 
to  dwell  on  the  Symposium.     She  writes  : 

February  20th,  1903. 

"  All  we  write  is  really  S  Y  M  P — a  the  tic  (?) 
March  2nd,  1903. 

"  Write  to  Mrs.  Verrall  to  say  the  word  we  want  to   send 

her  to-day  is  sympathy  come  y Epws  [?]  love  [?]. 

April  1st,  1903. 

"  S  y  m  p  athy Seal  s  ym  p  athy  write  this." 

The  word  seal,  though,  in  the  last  script  is  possibly  due 
to  a  new  impression  from  Mrs.  Verrall.  And  its  appear- 
ance in  Mrs.  Forbes's  script  together  with  the  attempt  at 
symposium  might  well  confirm  the  former's  belief  that  it 
was  Myers  who  continued  to  use  the  hand  of  her  fellow- 
automatist.  Apart  from  this  contribution  Mrs.  Forbes, 
however,  had  no  part  in  the  further  development  of  the 
Symposium  case. 

Mrs.  Verrall's  script,  on  the  contrary,  had  only  two  da^^'s 
after  the  appearance  of  Human  Personality  continued  in  a 
new  line. 

Several  years  before  his  death,  in  1891,  Frederic  Myers 
had  given  into  the  charge  of  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  a  sealed 
envelope  which  was  to  be  opened  after  his  death  if  some 
medium  produced  a  communication  about  its  contents  in 
a  manner  that  made  it  probable  that  it  came  from  him. 

It  was  with  the  contents  of  this  envelope  that  Mrs. 
Verrall's  script  after  the  success  with  the  Diotima  passage 
began  to  occupy  itself.  The  automatist  herself  is  of 
opinion  that  she  may  unconsciously  have  been  led  to 
think  of  this  envelope  by  her  script  of  December  19th, 
1902  :  "In  the  sealed  book  is  the  word  "  ;  to  the  impres- 
sion which  the  word  sealed  made  on  her  subconsciousness 
all  the  following  utterances  about  Myers's  sealed  envelope 
might  be  due.  But  although  she  was  willing  in  this  case, 
where  the  result  proved  that  the  communications  did  not 
proceed  from  the  alleged  source,  to  ascribe  them  to  herself, 
she  did  not  from  thence  draw  any  conclusion  with  regard 


THE  SYMPOSIUM  INCIDENT  69 

to  the  remaining  script.  And  yet  there  seems  to  be  no 
essential  difference  between  other  "  messages  "  and  those 
referring  to  the  sealed  envelope.  For  the  estimation  of 
Mrs.  Verrall's  script  as  a  whole  it  is  therefore  very  useful 
to  thoroughly  study  this  case. 

During  the  first  two  months  after  the  publication  of 
Myers's  book  the  following  scripts  were  written  : 

February  12th,  1903. 

"  Hodgson  will  help  .  .  .  The  key  of  the  box  is  in  a  little 

drawer  upstairs The  metal  box  is  heavy  not  very  small 

— not  a  cash  box  to  carry.     The  letter  is  tied  with  thread  and 
there  is  a  word  stamped  on  the  seal, — not  a  figure — a  word  of 
4  letters. 
February  22nd,  1903. 

"  Direct  Leaf  and  Pitherington  to  see  open  the  chest  and 
this  is  the  order  of  the  rite — Seal  green  and  irregular  has  a 
word  across  it  in  an  oval  little  print  letters  in  English.  Truth, 
Light — no  not  those — Love  you  mistake — that  is  not  outside 
— you  do  not  hear. 
March  lyth,  1903. 

"  Two  high  windows,  with  dark  curtains — looking  on  a 
street — and  a  table  with  a  red  cloth.     The  writing  table  is 

in  that  room  and  the  key  in  its  drawer  would  fit Ask 

Hodgson  too — 
March  20th,  1903. 

"  Now  something  else.  You  must  find  that  drawer  and  get 
the  key.  Then  things  will  be  plain.  There  are  papers  inside 
and  you  will  not  find  mine  at  once,  you  must  look  for  it. 

The  seal  is  quite  irregular — ragged  in  outline 

March  26th,  1903. 

"  The  device  on  the  seal  is  distinctive — get  that  first 
[drawing  of  oval  seal]  four  letters  as  js"  like  that,  pairs 
[scrawls]  no  you  don't  understand.  It  is  on  the  seal,  an 
oval  shaped  seal,  with  four  letters  on  it — Roma  or  amor 
perhaps — not  a  figure  but  a  word  with  a  meaning.  Inside 
is  the  sentence  you  know — but  it  is  not  in  Greek — it  is  in 
English  letters — It  is  the  word  of  the  simposium — and  the 
greatest  of  these  is  Charity  is  like  it — but  the  word  is  Love — 
Crosst  amor. 

April  igth,  1903. 

"  [Drawing  of  oval  seal]  sigillum.     The  envelope  is  square 

square  and  white Go  to  the  box  for  it — it  lies  there  with 

others  and  is  not  on  the  top.  The  paper  inside  is  folded  once. 
The  box  has  a  handle  on  the  middle  of  the  top, — a  sunken 
handle.     There  is  some  double  locking — two  keys  are  wanted 


70        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

— the  small  one  and  one  on  a  bunch.  Oroiava  or  something 
like  that  is  the  password  Life  is  more  like  the  word  on  the 
seal.  LIFE  there  is  a  little  frame  round  of  double  lines. 
Is  not  this  enough  ?  The  seal — the  box — the  2  keys  in 
different  places — the  dark  house  &  high  windows  the  box 
and  something  green." 

Mrs.  Verrall  had  thus  gradually  written  down  a  great 
many  particulars  which  she  thought  referred  to  Myers's 
envelope.  I^  is  true  that  most  of  them  were  quite 
unimportant,  as  regards  the  test ;  others  were  self -con- 
tradictory ;  now  it  is  Dr.  Leaf  and  Mr.  Piddington  who 
ought  to  open  the  chest,  now  the  assistance  of  Dr.  Hodg- 
son— who  was  in  America — is  invoked.  However,  on 
March  26th  the  script  had  clearly  stated  the  main  point. 
"  Inside  is  the  sentence  you  know,"  it  ran,  "  it  is  the  word 
of  the  Symposium — the  word  is  Love."  To  be  sure,  this 
was  a  rather  likely  guess.  Possibly  Mrs.  Forbes's  script 
of  March  2nd  had  its  share  in  it ;  Mrs.  Verrall,  of  course, 
did  not  consider  it  an  echo  of  the  preceding  ones. 

On  April  17th  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  had  given  a  very 
clear  description  of  a  box  in  a  bank  as  the  place  where  the 
letter  was  kept.  This  agreed  with  the  normal  knowledge 
of  the  automatist ;  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  had,  in  fact,  deposited 
Myers's  sealed  envelope  in  a  bank.  But  on  the  other  hand 
the  script  had  mentioned  Hodgson,  and  Mrs.  Verrall 
therefore  thought  that  it  did  not  at  all  refer  to  the  envelope 
in  Sir  Oliver's  charge,  but  to  some  other  letter  left  with 
Dr.  Hodgson.  The  allusions  on  April  17th  to  the  pass- 
word, "  Orotava  or  something  like  that,"  also  pointed  to 
Dr.  Hodgson  ;  the  exertions  to  produce  a  particular  word 
were  continued  for  some  time  in  the  script  and  were  in 
fact  connected  with  Dr.  Hodgson,  as  will  be  seen  later  on. 
But  they  had  not,  as  believed  by  Mrs.  Verrall,  any  con- 
nection with  a  Myers  envelope. 

Mrs.  Verrall's  belief  in  such  a  connection  was,  however, 
displayed  in  the  following  script : 

August  18th,  1903. 

"  The  box  that  I  told  of  stands  on  a  chair,  squared  with 
metal  clamps — yellowish  wood.     It  is  near  a  window.  Hodgson 


THE  SYMPOSIUM  INCIDENT  71 

expects  a  message  about  it  before  he  will  open  it — you  have 
sent  part  of  the  word  to  him  but  not  all.  The  word  you  should 
send  is  the  name  of  a  ship — Orinaria  Orellaria,  like  that. 
It  ends  in — ia.  The  message  inside  is  from  the  Symposium 
the  passage  you  know " 

After  this  most  clear  intimation  of  Dr.  Hodgson  being 
the  keeper  of  the  envelope  with  the  Symposium-passage, 
Mrs.  Verrall  wrote  to  him  telling  him  of  the  description 
of  the  box.  In  his  reply,  dated  September  17th,  1903,  he 
told  her  that  he  knew  nothing  of  any  box  like  that 
described,  and  had  no  sealed  envelope  left  him  for 
posthumous  reading. 

Mrs.  Verrall's  subsequent  script  contained  among  other 
things  divers  messages  that  purported  to  come  from 
Professor  Sidgwick  who  died  in  the  year  igoo.  As  a 
consequence  hereof,  the  subject  of  an  envelope  left  by 
him  with  his  wife  was  introduced,  though  such  a  one  does 
not  seem  to  have  existed.  References  to  this  envelope 
and  to  that  of  Myers  were  mixed  in  a  confused  manner. 
In  the  script  it  was  now  Myers  and  now  Professor  Sidg- 
wick who  held  the  conversation. 

September  22nd,  1903. 

"  In  his  [i.e.  Myers's]  envelope  is  a  drawing,  a  curved  line, 
on  one  side  of  the  paper,  and  a  word  or  two  on  the  other  side 
.  .  .  Sty/Att  stands  for  Sidgwick  elsewhere,  why  not  there 
too  ?  But  you  must  give  another  message  correctly  first 
and  then  ask  her  to  open  my  envelope. 

January  lyih,  1904. 

"  S  is  the  letter.  S  in  the  envelope  S  and  on  a  seal.  ^.  In 
Mrs.  Sidgwick's  letter  a  2 — and  three  words  on  the  paper — 
not  without  hope.  The  question  is  answered.  This  must 
succeed — the  other  is  harder 

July  13th,  1904. 

"  I  have  long  told  you  of  the  contents  of  the  envelope. 
Myers'  sealed  envelope  left  with  Lodge.  You  have  not 
understood.  It  has  in  it  the  words  from  the  Symposium — 
about  Love  bridging  the  chasm.  They  are  written  on  a 
piece  of  single  paper — folded  and  put  in  an  envelope.  That 
is  inside  another  envelope  which  has  my  initial  at  the  bottom, 
left  hand  and  there  is  a  date  on  the  envelope  too,  the  outside 
envelope  not  in  my  writing.  The  whole  thing  has  been  put 
with  other  papers  in  a  box  a  small  box  clamped  with  metal. 


72        COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

July  i^th,  1904. 

"  It  would  be  important  that  Hodgson  should  see  the  box 
opened — with  the  double  envelope.     His  own  may  wait. 
July  18th,  1904. 

"  Let  the  trial  be  made  as  they  desire — this  is  clear — that 
the  passage  from  the  Symposium  which  you  have  found  as 
was  told  you  in  the  book  is  in  an  envelope,  sealed  by  me.  I 
should  like  Hodgson  to  know  this  but  it  is  not  in  his  envelope. 
I  wrote  the  words  some  time  before  the  book  was  ready — 
perhaps  the  test  is  not  very  good,  but  it  should  help. 
August  14th,  1904. 

"  And  in  one  envelope  the  reference  to  Love  in  the  other 
to  Hope.     And  you  will  not  look— Faith  is  not  yours.     Though 
I  speak  with  the  tongue  of  an  angel,  you  have  not  heard  or 
hearing  have  not  done.     Surely  this  is  plain. 
November  2$th,  1904. 

"  Why  will  you  not  look  for  it.  Tell  them  that.  Long 
have  they  waited  we  do  not  know  why — but  can  do  no  more." 

In  the  face  of  such  earnest  appeals — which  Mrs.  Verrall 
did  not  realize  came  from  one  part  of  her  own  self  w^hile 
another  part  was  sceptical — it  seemed  at  last  right  to 
yield.  The  many  contradictory  statements,  nay  mistakes 
of  the  script — among  which  were  the  references  to  an 
envelope  left  with  Dr.  Hodgson  that  continued  in  spite 
of  Mrs.  Verrall's  knowledge  to  the  contrary — were  over- 
looked. The  sealed  envelope  entrusted  by  Frederic  Myers 
to  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  was  opened  in  the  rooms  of  the 
Society  for  Psychical  Research  in  London  on  Decem- 
ber 13th,  1904,  and  proved  to  contain  a  sentence  bearing 
no  resemblance  to  the  phrase  from  the  Symposium  which 
Mrs.  Verrall's  script  had  led  her  to  expect. 

Such  was  the  end  of  this  incident  which  has  presented 
a  unique  opportunity  to  substantiate  the  subHminal  power 
of  construction.  Here  where  circumstances  made  it  possible 
to  compare  the  statements  of  the  script  to  an  actual  fact, 
it  became  evident  that  the  script  was  fiction.  Apart  from 
"  Diotima  "  that  was  doubtless  due  to  latent  memory, 
the  whole  series  of  "  messages  "  proved  to  be  nothing  but 
subconscious  fabrication.  Not  even  Mrs.  Forbes  had 
influenced  the  script  supernormaUy  ;  as  Mrs.  Verrall  read 
her  writings,  the  impulses  due  to  them  were  conveyed  to 


THE  SYMPOSIUM   INCIDENT  73 

her  in  a  wholly  normal  manner.  Judging  by  this  incident, 
Mrs.  Verrall's  automatism  would  seem  to  be  exactly  of 
the  same  type  as  those  mediums  who  were  the  subject  of 
Professor  Flournoy's  studies.  Cryptomnesia  and  imagi- 
nation suffice  to  explain  all. 

From  Dr.  Verrall's  experiment,  however,  it  appeared 
that  she  was  capable  of  receiving  impressions  transmitted 
to  her  by  a  "  wilhng  agent."  In  the  sequel  it  will  be 
proved  that  her  susceptibility  went  further  than  this  ; 
that  faculty  of  obtaining  impressions  without  a  willing 
agent  which  Mrs.  Forbes  displayed  in  the  Symposium 
case,  Mrs.  Verrall  herself  possessed  in  no  less  a  degree. 


CHAPTER   VI 

CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES   WITH   MRS.    FORBES 

The  results  of  a  supernormal  relation  between  two 
sensitives,  or  two  automatists,  like  that  which  was  in  the 
Symposium  case  seen  to  exist  between  Mrs.  Verrall  and 
Mrs.  Forbes,  have  in  psychical  research  obtained  the  name 
of  cross-correspondences.  It  is  used  in  a  narrower  sense 
about  the  appearance  in  the  scripts  of  two  automatists 
of  the  same,  or  similar,  words  or  notions,  and  in  a  wider 
sense  about  all  veridical  impressions  which  one  of  them 
receives  concerning  the  other.  Mrs.  Verrall  employs  it  in 
the  latter  sense  when  speaking  of  her  "  cross-correspon- 
dences with  Mrs.  Forbes."  But  she  reports  also  those 
cases  where  her  script  refers  to  Mrs.  Forbes,  and  vice-versa, 
but  where  the  reference  does  not  correspond  to  any  fact. 
Her  paper,  she  says,  is  a  record,  not  of  successes,  but  of 
incidents. 

A  classification  of  these  incidents  would  show  that  they 
constitute  two  groups  of  about  equal  size  of  which  one 
may  be  called  successes.  On  the  whole,  there  will  here 
be  reason  to  dwell  on  the  latter  group  only  ;  but  I  will 
cite  a  few  failures  which  throw  hght  on  the  entire  process. 
This  for  instance  applies  to  a  number  of  allusions  in 
Mrs.  Verrall's  script  to  the  assistance  she  will  get  from 
Mrs.  Forbes  : 

March  nth,  1903. 

"  Mrs.  Forbes  has  got  the  other  word  and  will  send  it — not 
Symposium  but  it  helps  and  is  clear.  I  don't  think  she  knows 
it  is  for  you  but  you  will  understand. 

March  i^th,  1903. 

"  Mrs.  Forbes  is  slow  but  she  has  something  which  you  have 
not  seen. 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  :   MRS.   FORBES  75 

July  lyth,  1903. 

"  Mrs.  Forbes  has  something  which  should  settle  the  date — 
it  fills  your  gap." 

The  last  phrase,  "  it  fills  your  gap,"  has  many  parallels 
which  will  be  mentioned  later  ;  Mrs.  Verrall  during  the 
growth  of  her  collaboration  with  Mrs.  Forbes  had  con- 
ceived the  not  unnatural  idea  that  the  "  controls  "  gave 
through  one  of  them  what  they  could  not  produce  through 
the  other.  But  in  none  of  the  above  cited  cases  was  the 
assurance  of  the  script  based  on  any  reality  ;  Mrs.  Forbes's 
writings  contained  nothing  that  referred  to  Mrs.  Verrall. 
And  other  incidents  confirm  the  conception  that  it  was 
the  automatists  themselves  who  had  invented  this 
romance  about  their  co-operation  under  extra-terrestrial 
influence.  For  instance,  Mrs.  Forbes  in  the  summer  of 
1904  wrote  the  following  which,  as  Mrs.  Verrall  says, 
"  suggested  that  some  episode  was  now  closed  and  that 
some  distinct  success  had  been  accomplished  "  : 

Jidy  16th,  1904, 

"  Our  dream  of  our  own  home  will  soon  be  realized.  All 
is  written  to  the  end  of  the  first  chapter.  I  was  overjoyed — 
our  friends  were  here  ;  all  I  felt  was  great  joy  ;  all  I  knew 
was  the  end  of  the  first  chapter  seemed  come,  with  the  next 
page  began  the  real  story.  Send  Mrs.  Verrall  this  message. 
The  end  of  the  first  chapter  has  come — all  will  be  ready  for  the 
next  which  begins — over  the  page  .  .  .  great  joy  sympathy." 

It  is  not  impossible  that  this  "  message  "  which  expressly 
mentions  Mrs.  Verrall  is  founded  on  a  supernormal 
impression  of  her  conscious  or  unconscious  sensations. 
She  had  had  a  great  success  when  the  appearance  of 
Human  Personaliiy  confirmed  the  statements  of  her  script 
about  the  Diotima  passage  which  was  to  be  found  there. 
Now  she  was  filled  with  thoughts  of  that  which  seemed  to 
be  the  next  chapter  of  the  same  story,  the  assurances  in 
the  sciipt  that  the  same  passage  from  the  Symposium 
was  contained  in  Myers's  sealed  envelope.  But  even  if 
Mrs.  Forbes's  writing  reflected  the  feelings  of  Mrs.  Verrall, 
it  was,  as  we  know,  anything  but  consistent  with  the  real 
circumstances. 


76        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

Instructive  in  another  way  is  a  case  where  Mrs.  Forbes 
appeared  unable  to  be  influenced  by  Mrs,  Verrall's 
thoughts.  After  the  failure  with  regard  to  the  Myers 
envelope,  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  repeatedly  assuied  her  that 
the  incident  would  be  mentioned  through  Mrs.  Forbes, 
who  normally  knew  nothing  of  the  proposal  to  open  the 
envelope,  nor  of  the  event  of  December  13th,  1904. 
Mrs.  VerraU  wrote  : 

December  21st,  1904. 

"  I  will  send  a  message  about  this  through  Mrs.  Forbes — 
do  not  ask  for  it  it  may  take.  time. 

December  28th,  1904. 

"  Six  days  you  must  wait  from  now  and  other  three — then 
the  message  will  make  things  ^clear.  Let  it  come  then.  I 
want  to  confirm  it  through  Mrs.  Forbes  but  she  has  not  under- 
stood. I  want  her  to  write  and  sympathize  with  the  failure 
and  not  to  know  what  it  is.  I  shall  try  all  this  week — wait 
for  her  letter  and  help.  Think  of  her  often,  send  a  message 
to  her  in  mind  to  write  and  say  she  is  sure  you  are  disappointed. 

January  6th,  1905. 

"  Mrs.  Forbes  has  been  anxious  this  week  but  the  anxiety 
is  less  now.  I  could  not  make  her  hear  what  I  wanted  her 
to  write  to  you — but  ask  to  see  what  she  wrote  on  Monday." 

How  clearly  does  the  script  express  the  desires  of 
Mrs.  Verrall !  How  evident  is  her  need  of  a  word  from 
Myers  which  might  neutralize  the  effect  of  the  envelope 
failure  and  restore  the  certainty  that  they  were  in 
communication  with  him  !  But  when  she  wrote  to 
Mrs.  Forbes,  this  lady  replied  that  she  had  written  no 
script  on  the  preceding  Monday  nor  had  she  had  any 
special  impression  about  Mrs.  Verrall  or  the  opening  of 
an  envelope.  In  vain  had  the  latter,  in  accordance  with 
the  request  in  her  own  script,  tried  to  impress  her  with  a 
sense  of  her  disappointment.  As  has  been  pointed  out 
before,  and  as  will  often  be  seen,  it  seems  more  difficult 
for  a  sensitive  to  catch  those  things  which  an  agent  is 
eagerly  stiiving  to  transmit  than  the  ideas  that  more  or 
less  unconsciously  fill  his  mind. 

The   incidents   that   deserve   the   name   of  successes 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  :   MRS.   FORBES  77 

consist  on  the  whole  in  Mrs.  Forbes  obtaining  during  the 
production  of  her  script  veridical  impressions  about 
Mrs.  Verrall,  and  vice  versa.  In  Mrs.  Forbes's  script 
these  impressions  are  most  often  clothed  in  words  which 
indicate  that  it  is  a  discarnate,  especially  Myers,  who 
tells  her  about  the  situation  which  is  described.  A  case, 
of  February  24th,  1901,  has  been  mentioned  above ; 
Myers  has  seen  Mrs.  Verrall  sitting  in  a  chair  near  the 
fire,  possibly  reading,  though  he  cannot  see  any  book. 
Altogether  more  than  a  dozen  times  things  that  corre- 
spond to  a  real  situation  are  found  in  Mrs.  Forbes's  script. 
I  reproduce  some  of  the  clearest  cases. 

November  2^th,  1901. 

"  [Mrs.  Verrall  was  to  be  told]  that  the  friends  were  with 
her  when  she  was  with  Mrs.  Sidgwick." 

On  November  22nd  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  had  produced 
an  attempt  to  represent  a  communication  from  Mrs. 
Sidgwick's  deceased  brother,  which  attempt  had  impressed 
the  automatist  a  good  deal.  The  phrase  in  Mrs.  Forbes's 
script  seems  to  reflect  her  attitude  of  mind  between  the 
22nd  and  25th. 

December  16th,  1901. 

"  Mrs.  Verrall  to  try  to  see  for  Myers.  Myers  says — to  say 
friends  can  wait  is  far  from  courteous  .  .  .would  it  seem  fair 
for  the  spirits  to  sit  for  work  for  hours  [while  ?]  she  sat  with 
foolish  .  .  ."^ 

Mrs.  Verrall  had  by  arrangement  with  Mrs.  Forbes  for 
some  days  tried  the  experiment  of  writing  every  day  at 
a  fixed  hour.  But  during  a  visit  at  a  friend's  house  she 
was  to  her  annoyance  prevented  from  keeping  the  appoint- 
ment both  on  December  14th  and  15th.  On  the  i6th  she 
wrote  to  Mrs.  Forbes  that  she  must  abandon  the  experi- 
ment. The  latter  had  not  known  that  she  was  away 
from  home,  but  had  felt  convinced  that  she  wrote  every 
day.  The  remark  of  her  script  "  she  sat  with  foolish  " 
closely  represented  Mrs.  Verrall's  own  feeHng  of  annoyance 

1  Dots  in  Mrs.  Forbes's  script  indicate  illegible  words. 


78        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

that  she  had  been  occupied  in  conversation  when  she  ought 
to  have  been  writing. 

November  2nd,  1902. 

"  Tell  Mrs.  Verrall  to  be  sure  I  am  the  writer — the  friend 
was  with  her  when  she  sat  On  the  old  seat  {  ?  )  when  she  felt 
for  {?)...  in  the  dark  she  tried  to  find  the  Old — with 
sympathy,  Myers." 

On  Octqber  27th  and  31st  Mrs.  Verrall  had  before 
writing  sat  for  some  fifteen  minutes  in  the  dark,  concen- 
trating her  thoughts  on  Frederic  Myers.  She  imagined 
him  sitting  on  the  corner  of  the  seat  in  the  drawing-room, 
where  he  always  sat  when  he  called.  There  was  a  moment 
on  the  27th  when  she  had  sa  clear  a  mental  image  of  him 
that  she  found  herself  looking  towards  the  seat  as  if  he 
were  actually  sitting  there.  The  case  recalls  Miss  Miles's 
efforts  to  visualize  when  wanting  to  transmit  an  idea  to 
Miss  Ramsden. 

January  20th,  1903. 

"  Myers  writes  to  say  Verrall  .  .  .  Verrall  saw  with  Myers 
on  Sunday  .  .  .  Mrs.  Verrall  was  with  Myers  on  Sunday 
when  he  (or  she)  sat  with  Mr.  ..." 

Mrs.  Verrall  had  on  Sunday,  January  i8th,  before 
writing  fixed  her  attention  on  talks  with  Frederic  Myers 
on  certain  days -in  1900. 

January  2^th,  1903,  6.30  p.m. 

"  You  can  tell  her  that  Myers  sat  with  her — when  she  sat 
still  in  the  .  .  .  Mr.  Verrall's  room — with  ...  on  her  .  .  . 
Mr.  Verrall  Dr.  Verrall  was  with  own  work — say  work  work  of 
.  .  .  Let  us  see  first  the  Cambridge  writer — on  the  chair  lies 
the  Paper — the  work  is  done  ...  no  word  Myers  will  ever 
see  ...  it  is  too  far  for  you  to  travel." 

Dr.  Verrall  finished  a  paper  on  the  afternoon  of 
January  25th,  and  put  it  when  finished  on  a  chair  beside 
him.  His  wife  by  appointment  had  been  writing  simul- 
taneously with  Mrs.  Forbes,  but  her  script  contained  no 
reference  to  that  lady. 

February  2-^rd,  1903,  6  p.m. 

[Planchetie-wriiing]  "  Tell  Mrs.  Verrall  to  take  care — to 
go — Hove  when  she  is  visiting  Brighton  ALFRED.     Tell 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES:    MRS.   FORBES  79 

Mrs.  Verrall  Myers  sees  with  a  trouble  of  which  he  cannot 
speak — you  will  know — when  he  writes — Hove." 

For  some  days  Mrs.  Verrall  had  been  much  occupied 
with  a  trouble  connected  with  the  illness  of  the  daughter 
of  a  friend  of  hers  whose  Christian  name  was  Alfred,  and 
who  was  living  at  Hove,  near  Brighton.  Neither 
Mrs.  Forbes  nor  another  lady,  Mrs.  Baltimore,  who  assisted 
at  the  planchette-writing,  knew  anything  of  this  friend. 

Mrs.  Verrall  by  arrangement  sat  for  automatic  writing 
simultaneously  with  Mrs.  Forbes  and  Mrs.  Baltimore. 
Towards  6.30  p.m.  she  fell  asleep  for  a  moment ;  when 
she  awoke,  her  script  went  on  :  "It  has  helped  them  and 
you  will  get  a  message  now  plain  to  read.  Send  this  to 
her."  Here  then  the  influence  seems  to  have  been 
reciprocal — i.e.,  Mrs.  Verrall  got  the  veridical  impression 
that  Mrs.  Forbes 's  script  contained  something  referring 
to  her.  But  of  course  the  utterance  is  so  vague,  that  it 
may  be  due  simply  to  a  guess. 

June  30th,  1903. 

"  Mrs.  Verrall  is  trying  to  see  with  Brighton  friends  who 
send  the  letter  to  be  read.     Myers  writes  with  sympathy." 

At  the  end  of  June,  or  quite  early  in  July,  at  least 
before  July  3rd,  Mrs.  Verrall  received  in  Switzerland  news 
from  Brighton  of  a  very  serious  illness  of  a  relative.  If 
it  was  really  not  until  July,  Mrs.  Forbes  may  have  got 
the  impression  from  a  presentiment  or  expectation  in 
Mrs.  Verrall.  But  the  reference  is  too  indefinite  for 
attributing  much  importance  to  the  case. 

The  supernormal  knowledge  about  Mrs.  Forbes  which 
is  displayed  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  was  in  many  cases 
ascribed  to  the  former's  deceased  son  Talbot.  The  first 
veridical  impression  which  she  at  all  obtained  about  her 
collaborator,  seems  connected  with  the  following  script 
which  Mrs.  Forbes  had  written  a  few  hours  earlier  with 
Talbot  as  the  alleged  communicator. 

August  28/^,  .1901, 

"I  am  looking  for  a  sensitive  who  writes  to  tell  Father  to 


8o        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE   DEAD 

believe  I  can  write  through  you  ...  I  have  to  sit  with  our 
friend  Edmund  to  control  the  sensitive." 

It  was  doubtless  a  deep  desire  with  Mrs.  Forbes  which 
had  here  gained  expression  through  her  automatic  script ; 
contrary  to  Mrs.  Verrall  after  the  envelope  failure,  she 
did  not,  however,  make  any  conscious  effort  to  influence 
her  colleague.  In  the  evening  of  the  same  day  Mrs.  Verrall 
wrote  in  Latin  as  follows  : 

"  Sign  with  the  seal.     The  fir-tree  that  has  already  been 
planted  in  the  garden  gives  its  own  portent." 
[signed] 


The  two  drawings  in  the  middle  are  supposed  to 
represent  a  sword  and  a  suspended  bugle.  Now  a 
suspended  bugle,  surmounted  by  a  crown,  was  the  badge 
of  the  regiment  to  which  the  deceased  Talbot  had  belonged. 
Besides,  Mrs.  Forbes  had  in  her  garden  four  or  five  small 
fir  trees  grown  from  seed  sent  from  abroad  by  him  and 
called  by  her  Talbot's  trees.  Both  facts  were  entirely 
unknown  to  Mrs.  Verrall.  Perhaps,  then,  Mrs.  Forbes's 
wish  that  her  son  would  manifest  through  another  sensi- 
tive had  really  left  its  trace  in  these  dim  perceptions  of 
things  which  in  the  mother's  thoughts  were  connected 
with  him. 

From  the  alleged  Talbot  came  also  the  following  com- 
munication, obtained  with  planchette  by  Mrs.  Verrall  and 
her  daughter. 

May  ^th,  1902. 

"  My  mother  has  had  a  wounded  man  to  stay  with  her. 
Will  not  tell  you  his  name.  Want  you  to  tell  my  mother  my 
message." 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES:  MRS.   FORBES  8i 

A  man  who  had  been  very  bad  with  sciatica,  and  was 
still  suffering  and  Hmping,  stayed  with  Mrs.  Forbes  from 
May  3rd  to  5th. 

In  the  summer  of  1902,  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  contained 
veridical  references  to  "  Talbot's  lilies  "  in  Mrs.  Forbes's 
garden.  An  attempt,  however,  which  Mrs.  Forbes  herself 
made  to  impress  her  with  the  idea  of  the  said  lilies,  was  a 
failure. 

The  next  script  with  a  possible  reference  to  Talbot  is 
the  following,  written  in  Latin  : 

January  ()th,  1904. 

"  Nevertheless  consolation  for  the  same  grief  will  concern 
(?)  neither  me  nor  you — you  ought  to  receive  it  from  others  : 
after  the  seventh  day  you  will  be  able  to  understand  every- 
thing." 

On  the  seventh  day,  i.e.,  on  January  i6th,  Mrs.  Verrall 
received  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Forbes  whose  script  had  told 
her  to  ask  for  the  last  week's  writings.  As  the  above  was 
the  only  piece  which  Mrs.  Verrall  had  produced  during 
the  week  in  question,  she  sent  her  a  copy  of  it.  In  reply 
Mrs.  Forbes  told  her  that  January  6th  was  the  anniversary 
of  her  son's  death  and  that  her  own  script  on  January  5tli 
had  begun  a  message  of  consolation  to  her  which  was  left 
incomplete,  and  had  then  suggested  that  Mrs.  Verrall  had 
some  answer  to  send. 

It  seems,  then,  not  improbable  that  Mrs.  Verrall's 
somewhat  mysterious  utterances  on  January  9th  about 
consolation  were  due  to  an  impression  about  the  feelings 
of  Mrs.  Forbes  in  the  preceding  days. 

In  the  following  cases  Mrs.  Verrall's  supernormal 
knowledge  about  things  concerning  Mrs.  Forbes  appears 
without  connection  with  Talbot  or  others : 

February  2nd,  1903. 

"  Harriet  de  Vane  with  another." 

The  two  automatists  had  as  was  often  the  case  sat 
simultaneously  by  arrangement.  Mrs.  Forbes  had  in  her 
room  where  she  was  writing  a  pastel  drawing  of  her  great- 
grandmother  by  Harriet  de  Vim.    - 

CD.  G 


82        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

July  31st,  1903. 

"  The  picture  in  the  picture-frame — upon  the  wall — and 
no  name  upon  it — in  her  room.     Ask  Mrs.  Forbes.     She  has 

thought  lately  of  the  picture,  and  will  remember Go 

into  the  gallery  at  Venice " 

Mrs.  Forbes  had  lately  put  a  tiny  sketch  of  Venice  into 
a  frame.  There  was  no  name  on  the  sketch.  The 
picture  was  not  hung,  but  was  resting  against  the  wall  in 
the  drawing-room.  The  mention  of  Venice,  though,  may 
be  due  to  the  knowledge  of  Mrs.  VerraU  that  Mrs.  Forbes 
was  going  to  Italy  in  August,  and  not  to  any  perception 
of  the  sketch. 

October  6th,  1903.  ^ 

"  Mrs.  Forbes  comes  home  this  week She  has  had  a 

success  while  she  was  away — ask  about  it.     Her  mother  will 
want  her  much  this  winter — she  will  be  in  the  south." 

The  statement  about  the  success  corresponded  to 
Mrs.  Forbes's  own  feeling  ;  at  Venice  there  came  to  her 
an  impression  which  explained  some  things  unintelligible 
hitherto. 

The  last  statement  also  proved  to  be  correct.  On 
November  30th,  1903,  Mrs.  Forbes  told  Mrs.  VerraU  that 
her  mother  was  ill.  Mrs.  VerraU  did  not  mention  her 
script  of  October  6th.  On  December  2nd  Mrs.  Forbes 
was  called  to  her  mother's  house  in  the  south,  whence 
she  wrote  to  Mrs.  VerraU,  saying  that  she  would  have  to 
stay  a  long  time  away  from  home. 

As  regards  Mrs.  VerraU,  the  foUowing  case  is  of  a 
different  type  from  the  others  : 

October  16th,  1904,  10.30  p.m. 

"  Tell  this.  In  the  fire-lighted  room  she  and  the  dog 
alone,  and  the  thought  came  to  her  as  she  held  up  the  screen 
before  the  fire — and  the  dog  stirred  in  his  sleep — he  felt  that 
I  was  there.  It  was  only  for  a  moment — but  the  scene  was 
plain.  Will  this  meet  your  point  ?  It  is  all  that  I  can  do 
to-night." 

As  she  finished  her  script,  Mrs.  VerraU  had  a  mental 
impression  of  Mrs.  Forbes  sitting  in  her  drawing-room. 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES :   MRS.   FORBES  83 

with  the  door  into  the  greenhouse  open ;  through  that 
door  a  shadowy  figure,  which  she  knew  to  be  Talbot, 
came  and  stood  looking  at  Mrs.  Forbes. 

Mrs.  Verrall  had  on  the  same  day  had  a  letter  from 
Mrs.  Forbes  who  told  her  of  a  script  she  had  produced 
on  October  14th,  wherein  was  made  the  suggestion  that 
her  colleague  should  sit  on  Sunday,  October  i6th,  to  obtain 
"  some  story  scene  or  episode."  "  Tell  Mrs.  Verrall,"  it 
continued,  "  we  will  send  the  scene  to  her  .  .  .  write 
this  message  I  will  send  the  scene  to  Mrs.  Verrall  to  be 
read  by  you.  E.  G."  Afterwards,  on  October  i6th, 
^t  545  p.m.,  Mrs.  Forbes  wrote  as  follows  : 

"  Gurney  .  .  .  write  to  you  .  .  .  from  Cambridge  G  .  .  . 
you  will  be  written  to  for  a  test  is  being  given — a  very  strong 
evidence Gurney  will  be  sure  to  give  Mrs.  Verrall  a  .  .  ." 

This,  though,  is  but  a  repetition  of  the  announcement 
in  her  former  script, — that  Gurney  would  give  a  test  which 
Mrs.  Verrall  would  write  to  her  about.  The  super- 
normalness  of  the  case  is  confined  to  Mrs.  Verrall's  per- 
ception of  the  situation  of  Mrs.  Forbes,  not  at  10.30  p.m. 
when  the  script  was  produced,  but  earlier  in  the  afternoon 
when  she  herself  was  writing  automatically.  But 
Mrs.  Forbes's  drawing-room  and  her  usual  place  by  the 
fire  were  known  to  Mrs.  Verrall,  and  her  letter  had  sug- 
gested that  a  scene  would  be  shown  to  her  co-operator. 
Thus  the  whole  might  be  put  down  to  imagination  with 
no  addition  of  clairvoyance.  On  the  other  hand,  how- 
ever, Mrs.  Verrall  used  to  associate  Mrs.  Forbes  not  with 
her  drawing-room  but  with  her  own  sitting-room  where 
she  did  her  automatic  writing.  Moreover,  divers  minor 
circumstances  agreed  with  her  impression.  Mrs.  Forbes 
and  the  dog  were  alone ;  there  had  been  two  dogs  con- 
stantly with  her  when  Mrs.  Verrall  last  stayed  at  the 
house,  but  only  one  was  in  the  room  on  this  occasion. 
She  was  holding  a  piece  of  paper  as  a  screen.  The  door 
to  the  greenhouse  was  open,  the  room  mainly  fire-lighted  ; 
there  was  a  small  lamp  but  little  light  from  it. 

G2 


84        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

Altogether,  Mrs.  Verrall's  impressions  on  this  occasion 
may  thus  be  said  to  be  of  the  same  type  as  those  about 
her  own  surroundings  which  the  script  of  Mrs.  Forbes 
several  times  reflected.  But  more  than  a  proof  of  her 
faculty  of  supernormal  perception  the  incident  does  not 
contain.  Her  romance  about  Talbot  in  his  mother's 
drawing-room  is  quite  another  thing  than  that  which 
Mrs.  Forbe^'s  script  spoke  of ;  there  it  was  Gurney  who 
would  send  some  "  story  scene  or  episode."  On  the 
basis  of  the  impulse  given  by  this  script  Mrs.  Verrall  had 
dreamed  on  in  a  manner  which  under  the  circumstances 
was  very  natural. 


CHAPTER  VII 

PSYCHOMETRY   AND   PREVISION 

Whether  impressions  like  those  of  Mrs.  Verrall  and 
her  fellow-experimenter  are  due  to  mind-reading  or  to 
direct  clairvoyance  is  difficult  to  decide.  It  is  even 
possible  that  they  have  something  to  do  with  psychometry. 
Mrs.  Verrall  constantly  received  letters  from  Mrs.  Forbes 
and  vice  versa  ;  the  acquirement  of  knowledge  super- 
normally  by  means  of  a  written  document  about  the 
writer,  as  well  as  by  means  of  an  object  about  the  person 
who  makes  use  of  it,  is  just  what  psychometric  perform- 
ances are  aiming  at.  The  different  psychic  phenomena 
seem  to  have  a  tendency  to  merge  into  one  another,  and 
Mrs.  Verrall  has  in  other  cases  been  proved  to  possess  an 
unquestionable  power  to  psychometrize. 

A  single  but  interesting  instance  hereof  is  found  within 
the  period  dealt  with  by  Mrs.  Verrall  in  her  own  report. 

It  belongs  to  those  days  when  the  question  of  opening 
Myers's  sealed  envelope,  in  consequence  of  the  statements 
made  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  script,  was  discussed  within  the 
Society  for  Psychical  Research.  A  member  of  the 
Society,  Mr.  Constable,  heard  about  the  proposal  at  the 
council  dinner  on  October  21st,  1904.  It  seemed  to  him 
that  not  even  such  a  test,  if  successful,  i.e.,  if  the  envelope 
contained  the  passage  from  the  Symposium  as  stated  in 
the  script,  would  be  conclusive  proof  of  Myers  being  the 
source  of  the  script.  It  was,  he  argued,  not  inconceivable 
that  the  contents  of  the  letter  might  become  known  to  a 
medium  by  clairvoyance.  So  he  tried  to  devise  a  test  to 
distinguish  between  the  effect  on  a  medium  of  the  actual 
words  written  in  a  letter,  to  be  read  by  clairvoyance,  and 
the  thoughts  of  the  writer,  to  be  learned  b}^  mind-reading. 


86        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

With  regard  to  the  question  here  at  issue  it  is  of  no 
consequence  whether  Mr.  Constable  could  achieve  his 
object  by  such  an  experiment,  which  is  disputable.  He 
knew  himself  the  contents  of  the  sealed  letter  which 
Mrs.  Verrall,  whose  assistance  he  had  asked  for,  was  even- 
tually to  read  by  clairvoyance  ;  thus  the  possibility  was 
not  precluded  that  she  might  learn  them  by  reading  of 
his  mind.    ^Nevertheless  the  experiment  is  instructive. 

Mr.  Constable  had  had  a  psychic  experience  following 
upon  his  mother's  death  in  1867,  in  which  the  word 
"  fuchsia  "  was  the  important  point.  His  sealed  letter 
which,  on  November  9th,  1904,  was  sent  to  Mrs.  Verrall, 
contained  the  sign  O  and  the  word  fuchsia.  Contem- 
poraneously, he  wrote  another  letter  which  was  retained 
in  the  custody  of  his  wife,  and  in  which  he  stated  that  he 
had  been  thinking  of  his  mother. 

On  three  occasions,  Mrs.  Verrall  held  Mr.  Constable's 
sealed  letter  in  her  hand  while  trying  for  automatic  script. 
Contrary  to  her  habit,  however,  after  the  first  attempt, 
on  November  i8th,  she  had  a  strong  impression  about 
the  contents,  while  her  script  had  said  nothing  referring 
to  them.     The  impression  was  as  follows  : 

1.  That  the  contents  of  the  letter  were  less  impojtant  than 
the  circumstances  of  the  experiment ; 

2.  That  the  experiment  was  suggested  to  Mr.  Constable 
by  some  one  else  ; 

3.  That  it  was  connected  with  the  Myers  envelope  ; 

4.  That  the  envelope  sent  to  her  was  one  of  two  and  the 
less  important. 

All  this  may,  on  the  whole,  be  said  to  be  correct. 
Although  in  Mr.  Constable's  opinion  the  experiment  was 
not  suggested  to  him  by  any  one,  it  was  at  least  devised 
as  the  result  of  conversations  with  other  persons.  The 
envelope  sent  to  Mrs.  Verrall  was  one  of  two  and  the  less 
important,  inasmuch  as  it  represented  the  written  word, 
and  not  the  writer's  thoughts.  And,  above  all,  "  the 
contents  of  the  letter  were  less  important  than  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  experiment."    The  connection  with 


PSYCHOMETRY   AND  PREVISION  ^7 

the  Myers  envelope  may  no  doubt  have  been  a  conjec- 
ture, or  due  to  the  great  part  it  played  in  the  thoughts  of 
the  sensitive. 

When  Mrs.  Verrall  held  the  letter  for  the  second  time, 
her  hand  wrote  : 

November  2yd,  1904. 

not  yet  complete 


vi/lr 


someone  has  written  down  a    «'*««atft?     ^^^^'^'^^ 

word  for  you  to  read — a  short 
word  like  what  is  above." 


c* 


"  But  it  was  not  his  own  idea  it  was  an  experiment  suggested 
by  someone  else.  Another  person  holds  the  other  envelope. 
The  word  inside  one  is  mere  nonsense  just  a  test,  but  it  is 
all  connected  with  the  real  test  of  the  sealed  envelope.  But 
what  is  clear  is  this  There  are  2  envelopes  and  the  less  important 
is  the  one  you  hold." 

The  greater  portion  of  this  script  is  a  repetition  of 
Mrs.  Verrall's  impressions  on  November  i8th,  which  she 
had  at  once  noted  down  in  her  diary.  But  it  gives, 
withal,  the  important  information  that  the  envelope 
contained  a  short  word  and  a  drawing,  reproducing  the 
latter  with  approximative  correctness  ;  ©  and  m  are 
rather  similar.  That  "  another  person  holds  the  other 
envelope  "  is  also  correct,  as  it  had  been  given  into  the 
custody  of  Mrs.  Constable.  The  word  itself  is  not  repro- 
duced ;  but  ysis — usis  may  be  due  to  a  vague  perception 
of  fuchsia. 

On  the  third  occasion  when  Mrs.  Verrall  held  the 
envelope,  the  script  ran  : 

November  2^ih,  1904. 

"  rt.^^^  the  sign  is  there — in  this  envelope  as  in  the  other. 
Why  will  you  not  look  for  it.  Tell  them  that.  Long  have  they 
waited  we  do  not  know  why— but  can  do  no  more.^  Don't 
touch   her — let   her   work   alone,     the   touch   confuses.     In 

*  These  sentences  have  been  quoted  above,  p.  73. 


88        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

sleep  to-night  we  will  try.  But  there  is  less  in  the  con- 
tents than  in  the  circumstances — another's  suggestion.  He 
only  carries  out,  and  all  devised  as  a  preliminary  to  the  real 
trial." 

Here  the  idea  of  Myers's  envelope  is  entirely  inter- 
woven with  that  of  Mr.  Constable's.  But  the  relations 
between  them  are  correctly  described,  the  experiment 
was  in  fact  a  "  preliminary  to  the  real  trial."  And  even 
if  the  possibihty  of  guessing  may  detract  from  the  value 
hereof,  this  cannot  be  said  with  regard  to  the  remaining 
details. 

As  a  whole  the  experiment  stands  out  among  the  rest 
of  Mrs.  Verrall's  performances  already  through  the  cir- 
cumstance that  when  she  held  the  letter  in  her  hand  for 
the  first  time  she  obtained  impressions  in  an  apparently 
normal  state.  While  the  words  of  her  automatic  script 
come  to  her  singly  and  are  forgotten  immediately,  those 
impressions  were  coherent,  and  she  could  remember  and 
reproduce  them  in  the  usual  manner  of  psychometrists. 
Moreover,  it  is  noteworthy  that  Mrs.  Verrall  neither 
directly  nor  through  her  script  caught  the  idea  of  Mr.  Con- 
stable's deceased  mother  which  constituted  the  second 
part  of  the  experiment.  All  her  impressions  were  con- 
nected with  the  piece  of  paper  which  she  held  in  her  hand. 
Not  only  the  sign  and  the  word  but  the  circumstances 
that  had  caused  the  production  of  the  letter  were  dimly 
perceived  by  her,  while  Mr.  Constable's  other  thoughts 
remained  unknown  to  her.  This,  of  course,  is  no  con- 
clusive proof  against  mind-reading,  as  Mr.  Constable 
knew  all  that  she  perceived.  But  that  just  those  things 
which  concerned  the  letter,  and  nothing  more,  were 
perceived,  must  nevertheless  confirm  the  conception  that 
"  the  article  "  had  a  share  in  the  result — and  that  a 
special  place  must,  among  Mrs.  Verrall's  psychic  faculties, 
be  assigned  to  psychometry. 

We  have  now  seen  Mrs.  Verrall's  unquestionable 
mediumistic  power  manifest  itself  as  a  faculty  to  receive 


PSYCHOMETRY   AND  PREVISION  89 

impressions  from  a  willing  agent — Dr.  Verrall — to 
"  perceive "  without  intentional  thought-transmission 
from  anybody — in  her  relations  with  Mrs.  Forbes — and 
to  psychometrize.  There  remains  to  state  that  her 
script  also  contains  evidence  for  her  faculty  of  prevision. 

One  instance  of  this  class  has  been  mentioned  before — 
the  prediction  that  Mrs.  Forbes  would  be  obliged  to  stay 
with  her  mother  in  the  south.  In  most  cases  it  was  as 
here  ordinary  occurrences  which  were  foretold.  Mrs. 
Verrall  rightly  prefers  to  speak  of  "  anticipations  "  rather 
than  prophecies.  To  characterize  their  type  the  following 
examples  will  suffice. 

I  begin  with  a  script  which  has  already  been  mentioned 
in  another  connection. 

May  ulh,  190 1. 

"  Do  not  hurry  date  this  hoc  est  quod  volui — tandem 

[this  is  what  I  have  wanted — at  last]. A.  W.  V.  [in  Greek  :] 

and  perhaps  some  one  else.  Calx  pedibus  inhaerens  difficul- 
tatem  superavit  [chalk  sticking  to  the  feet  has  got  over  the 
difficulty] [drawing  of  a  bird].'" 

As  pointed  out  before,  this  script  was  no  doubt  con- 
nected with  Dr.  Verrall's  experiment  ;  "  the  cocky oly 
bird  "  was  the  often  returning  cock  that  symbolized  the 
dawn  of  his  Greek  quotation.  But,  as  the  script  itself 
has  it,  "  perhaps  some  one  else  "  played  a  part  in  the 
case. 

On  May  i6th,  1901,  Mrs.  Verrall  saw  in  the  West- 
minster Gazette  an  account  from  the  Daily  Mail  of  May  13th 
of  an  incident  occurring  in  the  night  between  May  nth 
and  I2th,  which  recalled  to  her  the  script  of  May  nth. 
The  writer  told  how  a  friend  of  his  had  been  compelled 
to  leave  his  rooms  on  account  of  "  uncanny  happenings  "  ; 
so  the  writer  and  another  friend  had  arranged  to  sit 
through  the  night  of  May  nth  in  the  empty  rooms  to 
watch.  Powdered  chalk  had  been  spread  on  the  floor  of 
two  of  the  rooms  to  trace  anybody  or  anything  that  might 
come  or  go.  Several  times  the  two  friends  saw  doors 
opened  or  closed.     The  last  opening  took  place  at  2.9  a.m. 


90        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

and  at  2.30  the  watchers  examined  the  chalk  and  found 
marks  upon  it.  The  marks  were  clearly  defined  bird's 
footprints  ;  they  might  be  compared  to  the  footprints  of 
a  bird  about  the  size  of  a  turkey. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  deny  a  connection  between  this 
event,  or  the  account  of  it,  and  the  statement  in  Mrs. 
Verrall's  script  about  the  sticking  of  chalk  to  the  feet, 
followed  by  tjie  drawing  of  a  bird  with  a  jeer.  But  the 
script  was  produced  at  11. 10  p.m.  on  May  nth  ;  the 
statement  therefore  anticipated  the  event  by  some  three 
hours,  and  its  pubHcation  by  a  still  longer  period.  The 
chalk  may  have  been  spread  before  11. 10,  but  the 
watchers  had  no  expectation -as  to  the  sort  of  marks 
they  might  find  in  it. 

As  Mrs.  Verrall  remarks,  the  question  of  a  connection 
between  the  story  and  the  script  is  not  affected  by  the 
value  of  the  story.  Whether  or  not  a  bird  made  marks 
in  the  chalk  in  the  early  hours  of  May  12th,  it  is  certain 
that  a  story  to  that  effect  was  printed  on  May  13th. 

The  parallel  with  another  incident  makes  it  more  than 
probable  that  it  was  the  newspaper  story,  and  not  the 
event,  that  was  anticipated  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  of 
May  nth,  1901.  During  a  sojourn  in  Switzerland  she 
wrote  as  follows  r 

June  2yth,  1902. 

"  Veni  Creator  were  the  words  exultans  cantavit  apud 
spiritus  sanctos  inter  filios  Dei  [he  (or  she)  triumphantly  sang 
at  the  place  of  the  holy  spirits  among  the  sons  of  God]." 

On  July  4th  she  read  in  the  Giornale  d' Italia  of  July  2nd 
that  at  Coursegoules,  in  the  department  of  Alpes-Mari- 
times,  the  Sisters  of  the  Holy  Spirit  had  been  expelled, 
and  had  left  the  convent  singing  the  Veni  Creator.  Thus 
it  seemed  to  have  been  to  this  expulsion  that  the  script 
had  referred.  But  when  inquiries  were  made,  Mrs.  Verrall 
learned  that  there  was  certainly  a  convent  of  the  Sisters 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  department  of  Alpes-Maritimes 
(though  at  Juan  les  Pins  and  not  at  Coursegoules),  and 
that  on  June  29th,  1902,  in  conformity  with  the  edict  of 


PSYCHOMETRY  AND  PREVISION  91 

June  2yth,  the  Sisters  and  orphans  had  left  the  OrpheHnat 
for  the  Oratory,  but  that  at  no  moment  did  the  Sisters 
sing  the  Veni  Creator.  In  this  case,  therefore,  it  was 
clear  that  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  had  anticipated  the  fiction 
of  a  journalist,  and  not  the  event  itself. 

As  an  example  of  a  very  insignificant  sort  of  prevision 
the  following  may  be  cited  : 

September  4th,  igoi. 

"  Madment  Maidment 

September  yth,  1901. 

"  M  AI  M  E  N  T  I  S  WITHIN,  on  the  right-hand  side 
as  you  look — the  window  is  behind,  so  it  is  not  very  plain  to 
read.     But  he  knows  it." 

From  September  26th  till  October  2nd,  1901,  Mrs.  Verrall 
stayed  with  friends  at  Winchester.  On  September  30th 
she  went  with  her  hostess  to  a  shop  and  noticed  the  name 
Maidment  on  a  paper  bag  hanging  up  inside  the  shop  on 
the  right-hand  wall.  The  shop-window  was,  of  course, 
behind  her  when  she  was  within  the  shop,  but  the  name 
was  quite  plain  to  read.  But  the  script  is  as  usual  vague 
and  groping,  and  at  the  same  time  hinting  at  a  greater 
knowledge  somewhere  {"he  knows  it  "). 

Doubtless  the  most  remarkable  among  Mrs.  VerraU's 
anticipations  were  the  following  two  : 

December  nth,  1901. 

"  Nothing  too  mean  the  trivial  helps,  gives  confidence. 
Hence  this.  Frost  and  a  candle  in  the  dim  light  Marmontel 
he  was  reading  on  a  sofa  or  in  bed — there  was  only  a  candle's 
light.  She  will  surely  remember  this.  The  book  was  lent 
not  his  own — he  talked  about  it. 

December  ijth,  1901. 

"  I  wanted  to  write  Marmontel  is  right.  It  was  a  French 
book,  a  Memoir  I  think.  Passy  may  help.  Souvenirs  de 
Passy  or  Fleury.  Marmontel  was  not  on  the  cover — the  book 
was  bound  and  was  lent — two  volumes  in  old-fashioned 
binding  and  print.  It  is  not  in  any  papers — it  is  an  attempt 
to  make  someone  remember — an  incident." 

Mrs.  Verrall  did  not  know  the  French  author  Marmon- 
tel ;  but  she  had  probably  without  noticing  seen  his 
name  in  a  Ust  of  books  which  she  had  glanced  at  before 


92        COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

December  nth,  and  where  she  afterwards  found  it.  On 
March  ist,  1902,  she  had  a  visit  from  a  friend,  Mr.  Marsh, 
who  mentioned  that  he  had  lately  been  reading  Mar- 
montel's  Memoirs.  Mrs.  Verrall  asked  for  particulars 
about  his  reading,  at  the  same  time  explaining  her 
reasons  for  the  question.  He  then  told  her  that  he  got 
the  work  from  the  London  Library,  and  took  the  first  of 
its  three  volumes  to  Paris  with  him  ;  there  he  read  it  on 
the  evenings  of  February  20th  and  21st,  1902.  On  each 
occasion  he  read  by  the  light  of  a  candle.  On  the  20th 
he  was  in  bed,  on  the  21st  lying  on  two  chairs.  The 
weather  was  cold,  but  there  was  no  frost.  The  book  was 
bound,  and  not  in  modern  binding,  but  the  name  Mar- 
montel  was  on  the  back  of  the  volume.  As  to  "  Passy  " 
and  "  Fleury,"  he  added  in  a  letter  of  March  4th  that  on 
February  21st,  while  lying  on  two  chairs,  he  read  a  chapter 
describing  the  finding  at  Passy  of  a  panel,  etc.,  con- 
nected with  a  story  in  which  Fleury  played  an  important 
part. 

On  comparing  the  divers  particulars,  true  and  false, 
in  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  with  the  actual  facts,  one  gets  the 
impression  that  she  has  clairvoyantly  caught  a  glimpse  of 
the  scene  which  as  yet  belonged  to  the  future — a  winter 
day  and  some  one"  on  something  that  resembled  a  sofa, 
reading  by  candle-light  in  a  book  whose  binding  was  old- 
fashioned,  and  at  the  same  time  suggestive  of  a  public 
library,  and  wherein  the  passage  about  Passy  and  Fleury 
was  visible.  "  He  talked  about  it,"  on  the  other  hand, 
seems  to  anticipate  that  which  took  place  in  March, 
Mr.  Marsh's  mention  of  his  reading  to  herself.  And  the 
whole  of  the  prevision  has  in  the  usual  way  been  put  into 
the  mouth  of  the  alleged  communicator  to  serve  as  a 
test. 

The  second  remarkable  prevision  is  the  following  : 

April  2nd,  1903. 

"  Now  draw  on  five  stone  steps  a  cross  [drawing]  and  on  the 
cross  hangs  a  wreath,  a  fresh  green  wreath.  They  have  come 
to  see  it  there — out  in  the  open  on  the  hill  side  in  the  sound  of 


PSYCHOMETRY   AND   PREVISION  93 

the  sea.  It  is  not  a  personal  thing — but  know  {«).  This  is 
for  evidence.  There  is  an  inscription  fastened  to  the  wreath. 
In  honour  Jj  »  ^i  -  -^^  ^"^P^^  ^'^^  ^^'^  banks  of]  Douern 
I  think  it  Qj^r^/\.  is  for  an  old  heroic  deed.  Grey  sky 
and  sea  and  Z'         the  grey  gulls  cry  in  the  wind. 

February  2^th,  1905.^ 

"  Wait  now  for  this  news.  There  is  a  grey  stone  cross  on 
the  hill  side  close  by  the  spot — a  cross  on  stone  steps.  Volti- 
gern  no  Volternius  ager  is  more  like.  VoUern's  Field.  Some 
one  could  tell  you  of  the  cross. 

March  lyth,  1906. 

"  Stone  I  want  to  say.  Stone  a  white  stone  and  no  inscrip- 
tion but  you  would  recognize  if  you  saw.     Can  you  not  find 

the  cross  on  its  five  steps  and  the  green  wreath  ? On 

the  banks  of  the  stream — the  Derwent  water,  not  a  lake — 
wait  and  see  yourself  what  I  mean." 

About  a  fortnight  after  the  production  of  the  last  script, 
on  April  4th,  Mrs.  Verrall  went  on  a  visit  to  Miss  Curtois, 
in  Westminster,  a  lady  whose  acquaintance  she  had  made 
in  the  preceding  autumn.  In  her  room  she  saw,  hanging 
on  the  wall,  a  photograph  of  a  cross  on  stone  steps  which 
reminded  her  of  the  cross  described  in  her  script.  Asked 
about  it  Miss  Curtois  gave  her  the  following  information. 

In  the  churchyard  of  Washingborough,  a  village  near 
Lincoln,  on  the  river  Witham,  was  an  old  pedestal  of  five 
stone  steps.  On  this  pedestal  a  modern  cross  was  erected 
in  memory  of  Miss  Curtois's  mother,  Ann  Henrietta 
Curtois,  and  dedicated  on  July  5th,  1903.  There  was  no 
inscription  on  the  cross.  A  green  wreath  was  once  placed 
on  it,  most  probably  at  Christmas,  1903,  but  as  it  was 
feared  that  it  might  injure  the  cross,  the  experiment  was 
not  repeated.  Miss  Curtois  did  not  know  whether  any 
inscription  was  attached  to  the  wreath.  The  village  lies 
on  a  little  hill  near  the  top  of  which  stands  the  cross. 
Miss  Curtois  said  that  she  had  seen  the  country  beneath 
it  flooded  and  dotted  with  seagulls,  but  the  sea  is  some 
thirty  miles  away. 

'  In  order  to  complete  this  incident  Mrs.  Verrall  has  made  an  excep- 
tion and  passed  beyond  the  period  (1901 — 1904)  on  which  she  reports. 


94        COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

Mrs.  Verrall's  script  of  April  2nd,  1903,  to  which  the 
two  following  add  nothing  of  importance,  thus  seems  to 
have  anticipated  an  event  which  had  not  yet  occurred. 
As  in  the  Marmontel  case,  the  prevision  seems  to  describe 
a  definite  situation,  viz.,  the  moment  when  they  had 
"  come  to  see  it  {i.e.,  the  cross  with  the  wreath)  there  out 
in  the  open  on  the  hill  side."  Miss  Curtois  said  that 
there  had  been  a  great  deal  of  discussion  about  the  wreath. 
As  the  cross  was  not  dedicated  until  July  5th,  1903,  the 
scene  which  Mrs.  Verrall  perceived  cannot  at  any  rate 
have  taken  place  before  this  date.  The  supposition  that 
it  took  place  at  Christmas  is  supported  by  the  description 
of  the  winter  landscape. 

The  remark  in  the  script  of  February  24th,  1905, 
"  some  one  could  tell  you  of  the  cross,"  makes  an  interest- 
ing parallel  to  the  one  in  the  Marmontel  case,  "  he  talked 
about  it."  Both  contain  the  special  prophecy  that 
Mrs.  Verrall  wiU  meet  some  one  who  will  elucidate  the 
incomprehensible  things  which  her  hand  in  both  cases 
had  produced.  Noteworthy  is  also  the  remark  in  the 
Marmontel  script  of  December  17th,  1901,  "  it  is  not  in 
any  papers  "  ;  it  was  in  the  newspapers  that  the  explana- 
tion of  the  script  with  "  the  cocky oly  bird  "  had  been 
found.  It  seems  as  if  Mrs.  Verrall  subconsciously  knew 
that  she  must  meet  somewhere  in  her  real  life  that  which 
as  yet  only  dawns  in  that  part  of  her  self  that  speaks  in 
her  script. 

One  is  reminded  of  Myers's  words  about  the  possibihty 
that  the  wider  self  with  equal  directness  and  immediacy 
discerns  every  element  of  the  phenomenon  which  we  call 
Life,  and  at  times  calls  to  the  narrower,  waking  self. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES   WITH   MRS.    PIPER 

Mrs.  Verrall's  report  contains  one  thing  more  of  some 
interest,  namely  the  so-called  cross-correspondences  with 
Mrs.  Piper.  Cross-correspondences  with  this  renowned 
medium  got  to  play  a  large  part  later  on  in  the  experiments 
of  the  Society  for  Psychical  Research  ;  it  may  therefore 
be  useful  to  inquire  into  their  character  at  that  time.  It 
was  at  a  period  when  Dr.  Richard  Hodgson  had  the  charge 
of  the  sittings  with  Mrs.  Piper  in  Boston,  and  in  the  few, 
hardly  more  than  two,  cases  where  a  connection  seems  to 
exist  between  these  sittings  and  Mrs.  Verrall's  script,  the 
plan  of  the  "  correspondence  "  was  proposed  by  him.  In 
the  first  case  it  was  suggested  to  him  through  an  un- 
verified assertion  by  Mrs.  Piper's  "  control  "  that  a  vision 
of  a  figure  had  been  seen  by  Mrs.  Verrall's  daughter 
Helen.  This  led  to  the  following  conversation  at  a 
Piper-sitting  : 

January  28th,  1902. 

"  Dr.  Hodgson.  Can  you  try  and  make  Helen  see  you 
holding  a  spear  in  your  hand  ? 

"  Control.     Why  a  sphere  ? 

"  Dr.  Hodgson.    A  spear." 

The  control  promised  to  try,  and  at  the  next  sitting,  on 
February  4th,  claimed  to  have  succeeded  in  making  him- 
self visible  to  Helen  Verrall  with  a  "  sphear  "  [sic]. 

Miss  Verrall  had  no  such  vision,  Mrs.  Verrall,  however, 
three  days  after  the  seance  in  Boston,  having  lunched 
with  Mr.  Piddington  in  London,  felt  suddenly  so  strong 
a  desire  to  write  automatically  that  she  made  an  excuse 
for  not  accompanying  him  and  Sir  OHver  Lodge  to  the 


96        COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

S.P.R.   council  meeting  as  had  been  arranged.     After 
their  departure  she  wrote  as  follows  : 

January  315^,  1902. 

Panopticon  crc^aipSs  dTiTdAXet  crvvBiy/xa  fiva-TLKov,  tl  ovk  eStScos  ; 
volatile  ferrum — pro  telo  impinget  [Universal  seeing  of  a 
sphere  fosters  the  mystic  joint-reception.  Why  did  you  not 
give  it?  the  flying  iron — used  as  a  weapon  will  hit]. " 

She  was  interrupted  by  Mr.  Piddington  returning  to 
fetch  her.  But  in  the  train  on  the  way  home  to  Cam- 
bridge more  script  was  produced.  That  script,  however, 
contained  no  verifiable  statement,  but  was  signed  with 
two  crosses,  one  of  them  being  the  Greek  cross  used  by 
"  Rector,"  one  of  Mrs.  Piper's^chief  controls. 

Mrs.  Verrall  contends  that  there  is  strong  reason  for 
thinking  that  her  script  of  January  31st  was  in  some  way 
affected  by  the  experiment  proposed  in  Boston.  Probably 
she  is  right ;  but  the  question  remains,  in  what  manner  ? 
Mrs.  Piper's  control  claimed  to  have  made  himself  visible 
to  Miss  Helen  Verrall,  and  did  not  seem  to  know  anything 
about  her  mother's  script.  Besides,  the  character  of  the 
latter  speaks  decidedly  against  interpreting  it  as  the 
result  of  intentional  transmission.  The  commingling  of 
"  sphere  "  and  "  spear  "  is  more  indicative  of  a  vague 
impression  like  those  which,  for  instance.  Miss  Ramsden 
got  from  Miss  Miles  without  any  intention  on  the  part  of 
the  latter.  It  is  conceivable  that  it  originated  from 
Dr.  Hodgson,  or  rather  from  the  "  conversation  "  between 
him  and  the  control.  In  view  of  the  interchanging  of 
letters  between  Dr.  Hodgson  and  Mrs.  Verrall,  this  would 
hardly  be  more  singular  than  Miss  Ramsden  obtaining 
impressions  of  conversations  between  Miss  Miles  and  her 
friends.  That  the  notion  of  "  Rector  "  emerged  with  the 
rest  can  only  strengthen  the  supposition  of  such  a  con- 
nection.^ 

In  April,  1902,  Dr.  Hodgson  proposed  an  experiment 

1  Dr.  Joseph  Maxwell  {Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXVI.,  p.  60)  points 
out  that  "  panopticon  <T<paipaf  "  occurs  already  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  script 
from  March,  1901.  That  the  expression  had  been  used  before  might  no 
doubt  facilitate  its  appearance. 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  :    MRS.   PIPER     97 

with  Mrs.  Verrall  as  agent ;  she  should  look  at  a  noticeable 
group  of  flowers  and  try  to  get  them  mentioned  to  him 
in  Mrs.  Piper's  trance.  This,  however,  led  to  nothing 
except  some  allusions  to  flowers  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  own 
script. 

The  next  case  is  more  hke  a  real  cross-correspondence. 
On  March  loth,  1903,  Dr.  Hodgson  gave  to  the  entranced 
Mrs.  Piper  what  is  described  as  "  a  pass- word  for  repro- 
duction by  other  automatists  "  ;  the  intention  being  that 
her  controls  should  reproduce  it  in,  for  instance,  Mrs. 
Verrall's  script.  It  was  not  a  real  word,  but,  as  Mrs. 
Verrall  learned  later,  an  arbitrary  collection  of  letters, 
stabdelta.  Mrs.  Verrall  knew  nothing  about  the  experi- 
ment, but  thinks  that  the  following  scripts  contain 
attempts  to  produce  the  word  : 

March  15th,  1903, 

"  5  is  the  first  to  be  recognized  but  there  are  others.      Write 

yourself   now Camilla  inest   [is  in   it] Camelot  or 

Cameleon — Camus  no  there  is  an  ilia  or  ella  somewhere 

But  Hodgson  would  understand  much  that  you  write — he  must 

see  it 

March  lyth,  1903. 

"  The  word  is  Caldiona  more  like  that.  Capella  Aurigae 
seems  much  nearer.     Find  what  constellation  is  marked  with 

y  Ask  Hodgson  too — 

April  lyth,  1903. 

"  Orotava  or  something  like  that  is  the  pass- word  Life  is 
more  like  the  word  on  the  seal." 

In  the  latter  script  it  is  plainly  said  that  Orotava  or 
something  Hke  that  is  the  pass-word.  It  seems,  in  fact^ 
as  the  automatist  herself  believed  afterwards,  that  this 
evident  seeking  for  a  definite  word  is  connected  with  the 
stabdelta  experiment  in  Boston.  At  the  time,  however, 
Mrs.  Verrall  took  it  to  refer  to  a  Myers  envelope,  and  was, 
as  we  have  seen,  led  to  believe  that  such  a  one  had  been 
committed  to  the  charge  of  Dr.  Hodgson.  Under  these 
circumstances  she  produced  the  following  scripts  : 

August  18th,  1903. 

"  The  box  ~- Hodgson  expects  a  message  about  it  before 

he  will  open  it — you  have  sent  part  of  the  word  to  liim  but 

CD.  H 


98         COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

not  all.     The  word  you  should  send  is  the  name  of  a  ship — 

Orinaria  Orellaria,  like  that.     It  ends  in — ia. Oriana  no 

Oronia  Auronia  no  Orona. 
September  gth,  1903. 

"  Coronaria  Campanile — Coronella  no  but  why  the  star  ? 
Auriga  Capellae  has  the  letters  of  it  but  is  too  long — and  it 
should    be    one    word    not    two.     Auricapella    auricolorata 

Oriflamma     auricomata     goldhaired Oritella     Coronata 

Ariadne's  crown  in  the  sky 

September  lyth,  1903. 

"  You  have  the  key  word  now Hodgson  will  act,  but 

will  not  tell  you  till  it  is  done." 

These  scripts  did  not,  in  the  opinion  of  Mrs.  Verrall, 
refer  to  the  pass-word  experiment.  It  seems,  though, 
that  Orellaria,  Coronella,  Oritella,  are  quite  as  good 
approaches  to  "  Stabdelta  "  as  Camilla,  Orotava,  etc.,  in 
the  writings  from  the  preceding  spring.  "  Auriga 
Capellae  "  appears  both  in  March  and  September,  and  the 
connection  with  Dr.  Hodgson  is  indisputable  in  both 
series. 

But  the  problem  is  not  solved  even  if  it  be  admitted 
that  Mrs.  Verrall  for  a  long  time  worked  persistently  at 
reproducing  the  word  which  Dr.  Hodgson  and  the  control 
of  Mrs.  Piper  had  agreed  to  send  her.  The  case  differs 
very  much  from  that  of  "  sphere."  There  at  any  rate 
she  was  only  pefceiving  something  which  nobody  had 
wanted  to  transmit  ;  what  she  obtained  was  a  vague  and 
dim  impression,  but  it  came  out  without  any  hesitation 
in  that  manner  which  we  have  throughout  found  to  be 
typical  of  spontaneous  perception.  Just  on  the  contrary, 
the  attempts  at  stabdelta  exhibit  all  those  criterions  that 
characterized  Dr.  Verrall's  experiment  with  the  one-horse 
dawn.  It  was  just  as  difficult,  nay  impossible,  for 
Mrs.  Verrall  to  write  stabdelta  as  it  had  been  to  reproduce 
the  Greek  phrase.  But  she  tried  and  struggled,  reverting 
again  and  again  to  the  attempt  ;  it  was  as  if  a  foreign 
will  had  got  hold  of  her  and  would  not  let  go.  As  regards 
the  Greek  words,  we  know  that  such  was  really  the  case. 
But  here  the  parallel  with  the  pass-word  fails  ;  Dr.  Hodg- 
son was  not  a  "  willing  agent."     He  knew  the  word,  but 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES:   MRS.   PIPER     99 

he  did  not  try  to  impress  Mrs.  Verrall  to  write  it.  The 
assertion  that  he,  nevertheless,  was  the  transmittor  cannot 
be  advanced  with  any  show  of  reason. 

For  completeness'  sake  two  more  incidents  that  touch 
upon  Dr.  Hodgson  ought  to  be  mentioned.  As  just  said, 
Mrs.  Verrall  did  not  connect  the  above  scripts  from  the 
autumn  of  1903  with  the  stahdcUa  experiment.  All  the 
same,  she  took  them  to  refer  to  Dr.  Hodgson,  and  thought 
that  the  following  script  was  a  continuation  of  them : 

October  $th,  1903. 

"  Ariadne  stella  coronaria  hoc  est  omen  et  nomen — mitte 
[Ariadne  a  crowned  star  this  is  the  omen  and  the  name — 
send  it].     Seven  stars  in  the  crown  and  Berenice's  hair  too 

fiava  comam  [yellow-haired] lilia  Olympiaca  non  Romana 

[Olympian  lilies  not  Roman] " 

To  obey  the  instruction,  Mrs.  Verrall  sent  the  script  to 
Dr.  Hodgson.  He  rephed  that  the  phrase  about  "  Olym- 
pian lilies  not  Roman  "  had  reminded  him  of  the  name 
syringa,  but  that  he  could  trace  no  connection.  Syringa 
blossoms,  he  added,  had  a  special  significance  for  him. 
He  had  looked  up  syringa  in  a  dictionary  and  found  that 
its  Latin  name  is  Philadelphus  coronarius. 

Mrs.  Verrall  who,  as  must  be  borne  in  mind,  did  not 
connect  the  later  attempts  at  producing  a  word  with  the 
stahdelta  experiment  of  which  she  had  now  been  told,  got 
the  idea  on  reading  Dr.  Hodgson's  letter  that  Oritella 
coronata  perhaps  represented  attempts  at  the  name 
Philadelphus  coronarius.  Moreover,  it  occurred  to  her 
that  the  introduction  of  Berenice  was  accounted  for  if 
what  was  wanted  was  not  only  coronarius  but  Philadelphus 
— because  of  the  relationship  of  Berenice  to  Ptolemy 
Philadelphus. 

The  idea  of  course  falls  to  the  ground  when  Oritella,  etc., 
are  seen  to  be  attempts  at  stahdelta.  As  to  "  Berenice's 
hair,"  that  is  the  name  of  a  constellation,  it  was  probably 
suggested  by  the  mention  of  "  Ariadne's  crown,"  which 
again  was  due,  perhaps,  to  Auriga  Capellae  in  the  script 
of  September  9th  that  contains  both. 

H  2 


100      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

This  incident,  then,  cannot  be  used  as  evidence  of  a 
supernormal  connection  between  Dr.  Hodgson  and 
Mrs.  Verrall's  automatic  writing.  At  a  later  time  her 
script  contained  a  reference  to  "  Hodgson's  constellation," 
after  which  came  the  following : 

July  s^d,  1904. 

"  That  star  is  visible  in  winter  nights  Auriga  Capellae  :  it 
was  one  wintfer  night  that  the  star  and  the  resolve  flashed  out 
together,  &  the  shape  of  his  life  was  thus  determined, 
though  not  carried  out  for  four  more  years." 

Mrs.  Verrall  says  that  "  Hodgson's  constellation  "  and 
"  Auriga  Capellae  "  with  the  subsequent  statement  about 
"  four  more  years  "  were  intelligible  to  Dr.  Hodgson, 
though  meaningless  to  her.  This  might  go  to  show  that 
she  was  capable  of  obtaining  impressions  about  him. 
But  the  account  is  incomplete,  and,  moreover,  the  possi- 
bility of  latent  memory — of  her  having  sometime  without 
remembering  heard  of  the  event  to  which  the  script  is 
presumed  to  refer — is  too  great  to  enable  us  to  build 
anything  on  an  isolated  incident  like  this.  At  any  rate 
it  would  be  impossible  from  this  case  to  draw  a  conclusion 
to  that  of  stabdelta,  which  is  of  quite  another  type.  The 
latter  must  be  left  standing  as  the  sole  incident  that  has 
not  been  fully  elucidated  by  a  comparison  with  those 
phenomena  which  do  not  pretend  to  be  due  to  the  inter- 
vention of  the  dead. 


SECTION    III 
The  Automatic  Writing  of  Mrs.  Holland 

CHAPTER  IX 
spontaneous  writing 

In  the  years  following  the  period  on  which  Mrs.  Verrall 
reports,  her  script  presents  a  new  interest  on  account  of 
its  relation  to  another  automatic  writer  whose  faculties 
in  many  respects  resemble  her  own.  This  was  a  lady  who 
was  introduced  to  the  public  by  the  pseudonym  of 
Mrs.  Holland,  and  whose  productions  are  the  subject  of  a 
series  of  reports  by  the  secretaiy  of  the  Society  for 
Psychical  Research,  Miss  Ahce  Johnson,  together  with 
those  writings  of  Mrs.  Verrall's  which  seem  to  be  in  some 
way  connected  with  them.^ 

The  mediumism  of  Mrs.  Holland  is  doubtless  more 
spontaneous  and  perhaps  more  extensive  than  that  of 
Mrs.  Verrall.  The  disparity  between  them  forms  an 
obvious  parallel  to  that  between  Miss  Miles  and  Miss 
Ramsden.  In  the  year  1893,  Mrs.  Holland  in  the  Review 
of  Reviews,  saw  a  reference  to  automatic  writing,  and  when 
she  afterwards  tried  it  herself,  her  hand  began  to  form 
words  almost  immediately.  Also,  she  is  able  to  see 
pictures  in  a  crystal.  Moreover  "  she  does  see,  hear,  feel 
or  otherwise  become  conscious  of  beings  and  influences 
that  are  not  patent  to  all."  The  same  was  the  case  with 
Miss  Miles,  but  not  with  Miss  Ramsden.  Of  her  visions, 
Mrs.  Holland,  referring  to  one  of  them,  says,  "  By  seeing 

»  Proceedings  S.P.R..  Vol.  XXL,  pp.  166—391  ;  Vol.  XXIV., 
pp.  2 — 10  and  201 — 263  ;   and  Vol.  XXV.,  pp.  218 — 303. 


102      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

I  do  not  mean standing  in  the  room  ;    I  saw  it  '  at 

the  back  of  the  brain  '  in  the  way  that  clairvoyant  sights 
come  to  me." 

When  Mrs.  Holland  writes  automatically,  she  is  always 
fully  conscious,  but  her  hand  moves  so  rapidly  that  she 
seldom  knows  what  words  it  is  forming.  She  is,  however, 
immediately  after  their  production  more  conscious  of 
them  than  IVlrs.  Verrall  is  of  her  script.  She  sometimes 
asks  questions  of  the  writing  power  which  she  puts  down 
with  full  consciousness  among  the  automatically  written 
sentences.  It  happens  too  that  instead  of  writing  auto- 
matically she  notes  down  impressions  that  come  to  her 
when  she  is  trying  for  automatic  script. 

Later  she  displayed  during  her  writing  a  tendency  to 
become  unconscious  that  even  threatened  to  develop  into 
trance.  In  November,  1904,  she  spoke  in  the  presence  of 
a  friend  in  a  trance  condition  for  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour.  She  succeeded,  however,  in  conquering  this  ten- 
dency, which  made  her  very  uncomfortable.  She  had 
never  been  present  at  seances  or  had  to  do  at  all  with 
spirituaHsm.  Neither  had  she  any  first-hand  knowledge 
of  psychical  research  nor  of  the  publications  of  the 
Society.  As  mentioned  above,  she  had  only  read  in 
the  Review  of  Reviews  about  automatic  writing.  Besides, 
she  had  read  some  collections  of  ghost  stories,  and  a 
manuscript  book  of  "  spirit -writings  "  which  she  had 
disliked  very  much. 

Mrs.  Holland  was  very  familiar  with  English  poetry, 
and  wrote  verse  herself.  During  a  long  period  her  script 
was  almost  exclusively  in  verse.  Contrary  to  her  original 
compositions  they  came  with  great  rapidity  as  if  swiftly 
dictated,  and  there  were  never  any  erasures.  In  return 
they  were,  as  she  says  herself,  "  often  childishly  simple  in 
wording  and  jingHng  in  rhyme." 

Generally  the  verses  did  not  deal  with  facts.  As  an 
exception  is  mentioned  a  case  where  a  clairvoyant  per- 
ception seems  to  have  called  forth  the  script.  In  Italy, 
in  the  year  1901,  the  day  after  her  arrival  in  an  old  palazzo 


SPONTANEOUS   WRITING  103 

she  had  never  before  seen,  the  impulse  to  write  came  on 
her,  and  she  wrote  as  follows  : 

"  Under  the  orange  tree 
Who  is  it  lies  ? 
Baby  hair  that  is  flaxen  fair. 
Shines  when  the  dew  on  the  grass  is  wet. 
Under  the  iris  and  violet. 
'Neath  the  orange  tree 
Where  the  dead  leaves  be. 
Look  at  the  dead  child's  eyes  !  " 

On  reading  it  to  a  friend  she  was  told  that  there  was  a 
tradition  that  a  child  was  buried  in  the  garden  of  the 
palace. 

Later  she  experienced  a  new  form  of  automatic  writing. 
On  several  occasions  her  hand  insisted  on  writing  a  letter 
or  message  from  some  dead  person  whom  she  did  not 
know,  to  some  one  among  her  acquaintance.  It  was 
clearly  impressed  upon  her  for  whom  the  letter  was 
intended,  and  she  felt  compelled  to  send  it.  It  was 
always  to  a  person  with  whom  she  had  recently  become 
acquainted. 

In  1903,  Mrs.  Holland,  who  was  then  Uving  in  India, 
read  Frederic  Myers's  recently  published  work.  Human 
Personality  and  its  Survival  of  Bodily  Death.  This  book 
became  for  her  what  the  author's  death  had  been  for 
Mrs.  Verrall,  the  commencement  of  a  new  era  in  her  life. 
She  was  greatly  interested  in  it  and,  on  July  2nd,  wrote 
to  Miss  Johnson,  whom  she  did  not  know  personally,  and 
told  her  of  her  own  experiences.  Miss  Johnson  answered 
her  letter,  and  the  correspondence  was  continued  during 
the  following  winter.  By  agreement  Mrs.  Holland  was 
kept  'gnorant  of  the  secretary's  opinion  about  her  script ; 
on  the  whole  the  latter  was  careful  not  to  mention  any- 
thing that  might  detract  from  the  evidential  value  of  the 
productions.  Mrs.  Holland  met  her  for  the  first  time 
during  a  sojourn  in  England  about  two  years  later. 

But  it  was  not  only  the  acquaintance  with  Miss  Johnson, 
and  the  latter's  interest  in  her  automatic  writing,  which 


104       COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

became  for  Mrs.  Holland  the  important  consequence  of 
her  reading  of  Human  Personality.  In  her  script  itself 
it  left  its  mark  in  a  most  conspicuous  manner.  Hence- 
forward it  was  Myers  who  spoke  through  it,  with  Edmund 
Gurney  to  assist  him  as  he  had  assisted  him  in  their  mutual 
youth  when  both  were  full  of  enthusiasm  for  psychical 
research.  Also  Mrs.  Holland  had  got  to  know  the  third 
confederate,  ^Henry  Sidgwick,  by  means  of  Human  Per- 
sonality, besides  many  of  Myers's  friends  who  were  stiU 
Hving.  What  the  book  might  teach  her  about  Myers 
himself,  of  his  personaHty  as  well  as  of  his  opinions,  every 
reader  of  it  will  know. 

Here,  then,  was  plenty  of  material  for  the  subconscious 
imagination  to  work  upon.  Neither  does  the  editor  of 
the  script  ignore  this  circumstance.  Miss  Johnson 
writes  :  "  Her  first  reading  of  Human  Personality  formed 
an  epoch  in  Mrs.  Holland's  life,  and  thenceforth  her  auto- 
matic writing  was  coloured  largely  by  the  influence  of 
that  book.  The  personaHty  of  the  author  strongly 
appealed  to  her — it  was  not  only  natural  but  almost 
inevitable  that  a  great  part  of  her  writing  should  now 
purport  to  be  inspired  by  him,  or — to  a  less  extent — by 
the  two  friends  to  whom  his  book  is  dedicated,  Mr.  Gurney 
and  Dr.  Sidgwick.'-'  Later  on  she  adds  :  "I  am  bound 
to  emphasize  the  large  part  played  by  Mrs.  Holland's 
normal  knowledge  in  the  construction  of  the  various  roles. 
They  came  into  existence  first  shortly  after  she  had  read 
Human  Personality,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  passages  from 
this  book  are  clearly  to  be  traced  in  the  script ;  there  is 
little  or  nothing  in  the  characterizations  that  could  not 
be  derived  from  it  directly  or  by  inference  by  an  intelli- 
gent and  sympathetic  reader.  There  are,  moreover,  a 
certain  number  of  features  that  an  intimate  friend  of 
Mr.  Myers's  would  see  to  be  uncharacteristic  or  positively 
incorrect.  Further,  the  personaHties  become  suddenly 
more  vivid  and  reaUstic  at  a  later  date,  after  Mrs.  Holland 
had  seen  the  portraits  of  Mr.  Myers,  Mr.  Gurney  and 
Dr.  Sidgwick." 


SPONTANEOUS   WRITING  105 

We  are  then  in  the  presence  of  a  phenomenon  which 
seems  to  have  the  same  origin  as  much  of  Mrs.  Verrall's 
script.  A  more  or  less  conscious  desire  to  come  into 
communication  with  Frederic  Myers  was  the  foundation  of 
the  productions  of  both  automatists — those  of  Mrs.  Verrall 
who  had  lost  a  friend,  and  those  of  Mrs.  Holland  who  too 
late,  through  his  posthumous  work,  had  made  the  acquain- 
tance of  a  congenial  personality.  Also  in  details,  their 
scripts  display  a  psychological  resemblance.  Mrs.  Holland, 
as  well  as  Mrs.  Verrall,  had  a  great  dread  of  being 
imposed  upon  by  her  own  self.  Mrs.  Verrall  had  hesitated 
in  putting  the  names  of  Myers  and  other  alleged  communi- 
cators under  the  script.  Mrs.  Holland  had  a  similar 
struggle  with  the  "  invisible  writer."  The  result  of  it 
was  in  her  case  the  most  singular  arrangements,  numbers 
instead  of  letters,  dates  made  unrecognizable  by  being 
scattered  throughout  the  script,  and  names  that  could 
only  be  read  by  substituting  the  preceding  letters  of  the 
alphabet  for  the  written  ones.  She  had  as  a  child  played 
at  a  secret  language  made  by  using  either  the  letter  before 
or  the  letter  after  the  real  one.  One  is  reminded  of 
Professor  Flournoy's  Helen  Smith  and  the  Martian 
language. 

When  the  script  of  Mrs.  Verrall  made  one  part  of  her 
personality  call  itself  "  I  "  and  address  the  other  part  as 
"  you,"  and  made  the  "  I  "  be  knowing  and  somewhat 
impatient  with  the  other's  want  of  comprehension,  it  was 
implied,  even  when  not  expressly  stated,  that  "  I  "  was 
a  deceased  person.  With  Mrs.  Holland  it  is  as  a  rule 
distinctly  indicated  who  the  writer  is  ;  Myers  is  gentle, 
Gurney  exacting  and  impatient  ;  the  handwriting  is 
different  ;  one  will  only  use  a  pen,  the  other  a  pencil, 
etc.  Often  the  automatist  asks  questions  of  them  in  her 
own  name  and  with  full  consciousness.  But  in  spite  of 
all  this  it  is,  as  with  Mrs.  Verrall,  evident  that  she  holds, 
in  fact,  a  conversation  with  herself.  A  great  portion  of 
the  script  consists  in  admonitions  to  write  more  often 
and  regularly  and  not  to  dread  that  it  is  herself  who 


io6      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

produces  the  script,  regret  that  she  is  alone  with  her 
interest,  advice  with  regard  to  the  writing,  and  the  hke, 
"  It  is  such  a  pity  to  break  the  chain— Since  you  were  out 
in  the  morning  yesterday  why  didn't  you  try  in  the  after- 
noon— a  few  minutes  each  day  are  not  much  to  ask  from 
you."     "  Do  try  to  forget  your  abiding  fear  of  being  made 

a  fool  or  a  dupe It's  a  form  of   restless  vanity  to 

fear  that  your  hand  is  imposing  upon  itself  as  it  were — 
Leave  youtself  out  of  the  matter."  "  I  fear  you  will 
never  be  really  responsive  trying  alone."  "  The  agent 
[sic]  is  all  alone  and  that  makes  it  hard."  "  Try  not  to 
wish  too  much  for  any  particular  topic — or  you  are  more 
likely  to  deceive  yourself  by  supplying  phrases  from  the 
subhminal  self."  The  subject  is  varied  often  and  in  many 
ways  ;  it  is  evident  that  Mrs.  Holland  vacillates  between 
doubt  and  belief. 

In  the  light  hereof  the  lamentations  must  also  be  seen 
which  the  script  puts  into  the  mouth  of  Myers  of  being 
unable  to  reach  his  friends  in  England.  "  I  cannot  reach 
them."  "  I  cannot  get  into  communication  with  those 
who  would  understand  and  beheve  me."  "  Surely  you 
sent  them  what  I  strove  so  to  transmit."  ^  Mrs.  Holland's 
fear  that  the  script  was  not  what  it  pretended  to  be  made 
her  hesitate  in  sending  it  to  Miss  Johnson.  These  exhor- 
tations from  "  Myers  "  thus  seem  to  be  the  means  found 
by  the  automatic  self  to  conquer  her  unwilHngness. 

Miss  Johnson,  as  said  before,  did  not  let  the  automatist 
knov/  anything  about  her  valuation  of  the  script.  It  will 
be  seen  later  that  in  spite  of  her  clear  perception  of  the 
influence  due  to  the  reading  of  Human  Personality  she 
arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  this  could  not  explain 
everything.  The  subconscious  imagination  of  Mrs. 
Holland  was  considerable,  and  her  latent  memory  so 
extensive  that  in  all  cases  where  there  is   the   barest 

1  It  is  clear  that  utterances  like  these  do  not  agree  with  the  belief  in 
Myers's  communications  through  Mrs.  Verrall.  As  there  is,  however, 
no  ground  to  accept  the  latter  as  genuine,  the  contradiction  cannot 
speak  against  the  genuineness  of  his  communications  through  Mrs. 
Holland.     They  must  stand  or  fall  alone. 


SPONTANEOUS  WRITING  107 

possibility  for  an  appeal  to  cryptomnesia  it  is  necessary 
to  make  it  ;  but  interspersed  in  her  productions  things 
occurred  which  could  neither  be  ascribed  to  one  nor  to 
the  other  of  these  quahties.  From  whence  they  came, 
and  how  far  they  can  justify  the  assumption  that  Myers 
or  other  discarnate  communicated  by  means  of  her  hand, 
are  questions  which  an  investigation  of  the  most  impor- 
tant among  her  writings  will  decide. 

The  first  script  of  Mrs.  Holland's  ascribed  to  Myers  was 

the  following  : 

September  16th,  1903. 
"F. 

"  Friend  while  on  earth  with  knowledge  slight 
I  had  the  hving  power  to  write 
Death  tutored  now  in  things  of  might 
I  yearn  to  you  and  cannot  write. 

17  1 
"  It  may  be  that  those  who  die  suddenly  suffer  no  prolonged 
obscuration  of  consciousness  but  for  my  own  experience  the 
unconsciousness  was  exceedingly  prolonged. 

I  I 

"  The  reality  is  infinitely  more  wonderful  than  our  most 
daring  conjectures.  Indeed  no  conjecture  can  be  sufficiently 
daring. 

I  01 

"  But  this  is  like  the  first  stumbling  attempts  at  expression 
in  an  unknown  language  imperfectly  explained  so  far  away 
so  very  far  away  and  yet  longing  and  understanding  poten- 
tialities of  nearness. 

"M." 

One   of   the   traits   that   characterize   Mrs.    Holland's 

script — that  it,  as  it  were,  wants  to  mystify  herself — is 

displayed  here.      The  two  initials  of   course  stand  for 

Frederic   Myers,   and   the  numbers   when  put   together 

make  "  January  17th,  1901,"  which  was  the  day  of  his 

death,  as  stated  in  Human  Personality.     For  the  rest,  in 

this   script  the  tone  is  already  struck  which   for  Mrs. 

Holland  gave  her  productions,  so  to  speak,  their  raison 

d'etre, — Myers's  desire  to  communicate  with  the  living. 

But  although  he  is  represented  as  saying,  "  I  yearn  to 


io8      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

you  and  cannot  write,"  and  speaking  of  "  stumbling 
attempts,"  the  script  is  in  fact  exactly  so  fluent  as  auto- 
matic compositions  generally  are  when  undisturbed  by 
any  outside  influence. 

Later  in  the  same  day  Mrs.  Holland  wrote  another 
piece  of  script  which  like  her  earlier  productions  was 
entirely  in  verse. 

September  i6th,  1903. 

^  "  1888        F.         E.         HS.  [in  monogram] 

"  Believe  in  what  thou  canst  not  see 

Until  the  vision  come  to  thee 

There  were  three  workers  once  upon  the  earth 
Three  that  have  passed  through  Death's  great  second 

birth 
Their  work  remains  and  some  of  lasting  worth 
Long  dead  and  lately  dead  shall  be  as  one. 
"  1888.  1888." 

It  is  the  idea  that  had  impressed  Mrs.  Holland  so 
strongly,  of  the  three  friends,  now  all  dead,  and  their 
work,  which  has  here  gained  expression.  "  F."  is  Myers, 
"  E,"  Gurney,  and  "  H.S."  Professor  Henry  Sidgwick, 
that  is,  the  author  of  Human  Personality  and  the  two 
men  to  whom  it  is  dedicated.  The  early  death  of  Gurney 
seems  to  have  made  a  special  impression  upon  her  ;  it 
took  place  in  the  year  1888  as  intimated  in  the  script — 
and  stated  in  the"  book. 

In  a  following  script  she  reverts  to  the  same  idea  : 

September  18th,  1903. 

"1873.     30  years  ago.     Cmrde.     A  big.     Youth. 

"  It  has  been  a  long  work — but  the  work  is  not  nearly  over 
yet — It  has  barely  begun — Go  on  with  it — go  on — We  were  the 
torch  bearers — follow  after  us — The  flame  burns  more  steadily 
now — 

"  E.  G.  1888." 

The  mysterious  letters  "Cmrde  Abig"  are  an 
anagram  for  Cambridge.     On  one  of  the  first  pages  of 

Human  Personality  is  the  passage  :    "In  about  1873 

it  became  the  conviction  of  a  small  group  of  Cambridge 
friends  that  the  deep  questions  thus  at  issue  must  be 
fought  out ." 


SPONTANEOUS   WRITING  109 

So  far  everything  must  be  explained  as  owing  to  the 
reading  of  Myers's  book.  But  very  soon  things  appear 
which  cannot  be  so  explained.  By  the  handwriting 
which  is  ascribed  to  Myers,  Mrs.  Holland  writes  as 
follows  : 

September  21  si,  1903. 

"  A  room  that  is  rather  narrow  for  its  length  with  three 
windows  and  a  long  narrow  table  covered  with  a  dull  red 
cloth  rather  faded. 

"  The  walls  need  repapering.  The  ceiling  needs  white- 
washing. There  is  a  portrait  over  the  fire-place  of  a  man  with 
a  high  forehead — the  background  of  it  is  very  dark — A  bust 
on  a  pedestal  stands  in  a  very  shadowed  corner — The  head  is 
not  clear — round  the  shoulders  is  a  kind  of  bath  towel  like 
drapery.     The  pedestal  is  imitation  greenish  marble — 

"  There  are  a  few  good  prints  in  the  room — but  it  is  not  easy 
to  see  them — 

"  Shelves  on  one  side  have  a  few  books  and  a  great  many 
papers  and  pamphlets  on  them — The  room  is  not  in  the  least 
interesting  in  itself  but  very  interesting  things  have  happened 
there  and  some  men  now  dead  still  influence  that  room  very 
strongly — " 

Mrs.  VerraU,  on  reading  this  script  more  than  two 
years  later,  pointed  out  to  Miss  Johnson  that  the  descrip- 
tion applied  closely  to  her  dining-room  ;  only  the  portrait, 
which  represented  Dr.  Verrall,  was  beside  the  fire-place 
and  not  over  it,  and  there  was  no  bust  in  the  room.  In 
a  dark  corner,  however,  stood  a  large  filter  ;  a  friend  of 
Mrs.  VerraU's,  on  being  told  of  the  description,  exclaimed  : 
"  But  there  is  a  bust  in  your  dining-room  "  ;  Mrs.  VerraU 
took  him  into  the  room  and  found  that  what  he  had  taken 
for  a  bust  was  reaUy  this  filter. 

Mrs.  Holland  thus  seems  to  have  had  a  clairvoyant 
perception  of  a  room  that  she  had  never  seen,  and  of  which 
it  was  impossible  that  she  could  have  read  or  heard. 
Here  at  any  rate  we  find  a  supernormal  element  in  her 
script.  And  it  was  not  the  sole  case  where,  while  still  in 
India,  she  saw  a  picture  of  something  that  existed  far 
away  in  England. 

A  few  weeks  later  appeared  the  following  which,  after 


no      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

the  fashion  of  her  earher  productions,  was  formed  as  a 
letter : 

November  'jth,  1903. 

"  My  dear  Mrs.  Verrall 

"  I  am  very  anxious  to  speak  to  some  of  the  old 
friends — Miss  J. — and  to  A.  W. 

"  There  is  so  much  to  say  and  yet  so  very  httle  chance  of 
saying  it.  Communication  is  tremendously  difficult.  The 
brain  of  the  agent  though  indispensable  is  so  hampering  I 
think  it  might  be  better  if  the  agent  wrote  the  thoughts  in  her 
brain  instead  of  keeping  a  vacant  brain  and  a  passive  hand — " 

It  is  difficult  to  imagine  another  than  Mrs.  Holland 
herself  being  the  origin  of  this  letter,  which  is  interrupted 
because  she  prefers  to  write  down  impressions  in  her  own 
name.  Moreover,  she  has  committed  the  mistake  to 
speak  of  herself  as  the  agent  ;  no  doubt  she  conceives  her 
writing  as  an  action ;  in  Myers's  language  she  would  of 
course  have  been  called  the  percipient. 

The  remarkable  point  is,  that  the  letter  is  addressed  to 
Mrs.  Verrall,  and  that  it  refers  to  "  A.  W.,"  the  use  of 
these  initials  being  characteristic  for  the  friends  of 
Dr.  Verrall.  Mrs.  Holland,  however,  knew  of  Mrs.  Verrall 
from  Human  Personality,  where  she  is  mentioned  as 
"  Mrs.  A.  W.  Verrall,  a  lecturer  at  Newnham  College  "  ; 
thus  it  is  probable  that  she  has  from  thence  got  the  idea 
of  her  husband  as  "  A.  W." 

The  script  goes  on,  Mrs.  Holland  having  in  reply  to  the 
last  remark  declared  that  she  wiU  write  down  what  she 
is  thinking  of.     This  is  as  follows  : 

"  I  find  myself  picturing  a  tall  man  who  seems  about  60 
years  of  age — He  is  rather  thin  and  has  bent  shoulders — His 
face  is  pale — not  handsome — very  intelligent — He  has  a 
moustache — dark — with  grey  threads — more  grey  than  his 
hair— which  is  thin — parted  at  one  side  and  pushed  over  the 
top  of  the  head — It  has  receded  a  good  deal  from  the  temples 
— His  eyes  are  grey — he  wears  pince  nez — The  nose  is  rather 
long — the  face  narrow — the  throat  is  long — He  used  to  have 
a  nervous  cough — When  he  is  interested  in  what  he  talks  of 
he  has  a  trick  of  leaning  forward  and  gesticulating  a  good 
deal — He  has  well  shaped  hands  with  long  fingers — There  is 
a  seal  ring  on  the  little  finger  of  the  right  hand — but  I  can't 


SPONTANEOUS   WRITING  in 

see  if  it  has  a  crest  or  a  monogram  on  it — His  tie  is  rather 
loosely  tied — he  wears  no  pin  in  it — It  is  more  like  looking 
at  a  lantern  picture  than  at  a  real  man — I  mean  he  seems  to 
be  summoning  up  the  appearance  of  what  he  used  to  be — 
I  can  feel  that  he  wants  to  say  many  things — but  only  confused 
phrases  reach  me — that  I  can't  note  down — But  what  seems 
to  be  an  address  is  very  clear — 5  Selwyn  Gardens — 
Cambridge." 

Mrs.  Holland — at  any  rate  subconsciously — believed 
that  the  man  she  had  here  described  was  Myers.  There- 
fore she  ascribed  the  dimness  of  the  picture  to  the  circum- 
stance that  it  was  a  deceased  person  she  saw.  "  He 
seems  to  be  summoning  up  the  appearance  of  what  he 
used  to  be,"  she  writes.  And  therefore  she  believed  she 
could  feel  that  he  wanted  to  "  say  many  things."  On 
November  21st,  the  script  makes  Gurney  say  about  Myers  : 
"  It  was  a  tremendous  effort  to  him  to  appear  in  your 
mind's  eye  the  way  that  he  did  a  fortnight  ago — and  it 
has  weakened  the  messages  ever  since."  Here,  at  any 
rate,  is  evidence  of  pure  fiction.  For  it  was  not  Myers 
who  had  "  appeared  in  her  mind's  eye  "  on  November  7th. 
The  description  seems  in  almost  all  particulars  to  fit 
Dr.  Verrall.  Miss  Johnson  writes  :  "  In  1903  Dr.  Verrall 
was  52,  but  looked  older  on  account  of  his  delicate 
health.  He  had  a  beard  as  well  as  moustache — more 
grey  than  his  hair  ;  when  run  down,  he  tended  to  have  a 
nervous  cough.  His  hands  were  well-shaped  with  long 
fingers  which  have  become  crippled  and  much  bent  from 
rheumatism.  He  has  never  worn  a  seal  ring.  The  other 
points  mentioned  are  correct."  Mrs.  Verrall  adds : 
"  The  attitude  strikes  me  as  particularly  good.  The 
trick  of  leaning  forward  and  gesticulating  when  interested 
in  what  he  talks  of  is  very  characteristic." 

Thus  Mrs.  Holland  once  more  seems  to  have  had  a 
veridical  impression,  with  the  deficiencies  that  are  usual 
in  "  clairvoyance."  The  address  that  followed,  as  if 
belonging  to  the  impression,  was  that  of  the  Verralls.  It 
is  not  given  in  Human  Personality.  Of  course  Mrs.  Hol- 
land may  have  seen  it  elsewhere,  in  Who's  Who  ?  for 


112       COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

instance,  as  Miss  Johnson  intimates  ;  but  it  is  at  least 
conceivable  that  it  may  have  been  caught  supernormaUy 
together  with  the  impression  of  Dr.  Verrall ;  we  have 
seen  that  Miss  Ramsden  could  obtain  names  as  well  as 
pictures  which  belonged  to  the  surroundings  of  Miss  Miles, 
and  that  without  any  intention  on  the  part  of  the  latter. 

After  the  description  of  Dr.  Verrall  the  script  went  on 
as  follows  : 

"  I  will  write  down  the  stray  words  and  phrases  that  come 
into  my  mind — 

"  Edmund — the  first  to  come  Henry  I  had  to  wait  some 
time  for — Those  one  most  wants  have  often  their  own  employ- 
ments— S  M  [probably  Stainton  Moses]  has  not  appeared  yet — 
Tell  Miss  J —  that  tlie  compact  is  not  forgotten — 

"  I  knew  the  success  at  once — The  Times — Is  A.  W.  satis- 
fied ?     Pod — how  the  typewriter  ? 

"  Only  a  little  at  a  time — Practice  is  needed  and  sympathy. 
The  agent  is  all  alone  and  that  makes  it  hard. 

"  Eidolon  [attempt  at  Greek  letters'] — Timor  mortis  [fear  of 
death]. 

"  Lucy — Lucy.     Agnes  Lysaght  17  Manchester  Square. 

"  Send  to  5  Selwyn  Gardens  Cambridge. 

" It  is  like  entrusting  a  message  on  which  infinite 

importance  depends  to  a  sleeping  person — Get  a  proof — try 
for  a  proof  if  you  feel  this  is  a  waste  of  time  without.  Send 
this  to  Mrs.  Verrall  5  Selwyn  Gardens  Cambridge," 

Much  of  this  is  pure  imagination.  Not  only  was  there 
no  Agnes  Lysaght  in  Manchester  Square,  nor  had  the  talk 
of  a  compact  and  a  success  any  foundation. 

The  remaining  part  does  not  differ  from  the  preceding 
constructions  based  on  Human  Personality.  An  excep- 
tion is  the  word  eidolon.  Mrs.  Holland,  who  did  not  know 
either  Greek  or  Latin,  did  not  understand  this  Greek 
term  which  if  employed  by  Myers  would  be  specially 
appropriate.  It  returns  in  later  writings  and  wiU  be 
discussed  there. 

The  next  script  of  interest  contains  the  following 
description  given  in  the  "  Myers  handwriting  "  : 

January  $th,  1904. 

"  She  is  not  very  tall — a  slender  figure  often  dressed  in 
green — dark  hair — rather  pushed  from  the  forehead — straying 


SPONTANEOUS  WRITING  113 

a  little  from  the  centre  parting — very  mobile  brows — pince- 
nez  when  she  writes — A  strong  chin — mouth  thin-lipped  but 
sympathetic — a  strong  but  not  a  hard  one — Mind  admirably 
well  balance  [sic] — Hands  with  long  fingers — but  the  palms 
well  developed — No  foolish  impulses — but  no  fear  of  sudden 
actions  which  seem  the  outcome  of  sudden  impulse — Age — 
32 — 33 — I  forget — what  importance  has  age  to  me  now — " 

The  description  appears  to  fit  Mrs.  Verrall.  That  it  is 
due  to  supernormal  perception  seems  clear.  Mrs.  Holland 
ascribes  it  to  Myers — the  phrase  "  what  importance  has 
age  to  me  now,"  marks  it  as  the  product  of  a  discarnate — 
at  the  same  time  reproducing  it  with  a  womanly  sense  for 
particulars  which  was  characteristic,  too,  of  her  description 
of  the  Verralls'  dining-room,  and  which  vviU  reappear  in 
later  cases. 

The  next  writings  refer  to  the  eidolon.  "  Myers " 
says  : 

January  yth,  1904. 

"  I  want  to  make  it  thoroughly  clear  to  you  all  that  the 
eidolon  is  not  the  spirit — only  the  simulachrum  [sic] — If  M 
were  to  see  me  sitting  at  my  table  or  if  any  one  of  you  became 
conscious  of  my  semblance  standing  near  my  chair  that  would 
not  be  me.  My  spirit  would  be  there  invisible  but  perceptive 
but  the  appearance  would  be  merely  to  call  your  attention  to 
identify  me — It  fades  and  grows  less  easily  recognizable  as 
the  years  pass  and  my  remembrance  of  my  earthly  appearance 

grows  weaker the  phantasm  the  so-called  ghost  is  a 

counterfeit  presentment  projected  hy  the  spirit  .  .  . 

January  8ih,  1904. 

"  The  appearance  of  the  simulacre  [sic]  does  not  necessarily 
imply  that  the  spirit  is  consciously  present.  It  may  project 
the  phantasm  from  a  great  distance.  More  usually  however 
it  is  present.  On  two  occasions  only  I  myself  have  been  able 
to  perceive  the  surroundings  I  so  desired  to  see — Once  at  a 
meeting The  next  time  was  a  few  weeks  ago  at  home. 

"  I  wouM  try  so  hard  on  the  anniversary  that  is  only  nine 
days  away  now  if  I  could  be  sure  that  you  really  wished  and 
desired  my  eidolon  without  any  fear  or  reluctance " 

The  starting-point  for  these  writings  seems  to  be  a 
vision  which  Mrs.  Holland  had  on  the  night  of  January  4th, 
of  a  man  sitting  at  a  writing  table.     His  head  was  so  bent 

CD.  I 


114       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

that  she  only  saw  "  a  fine  brow,  grey  hair,  the  points  of 
his  rather  old-fashioned  turned-down  collar,  and  a  loosely 
tied  dark  tie."  If  this  vision  represented  her  subconscious 
conception  of  Myers,  the  disparity  between  it  and  her 
impression  in  November,  which  she  also  took  to  refer  to 
Myers,  may  well  have  caused  her  reflections  about  the 
phantom  not  being  the  spirit  itself.  At  the  same  time, 
as  Miss  Johnson  points  out,  "  the  theory  here  expressed 
as  to  the  true  nature  of  a  ghost  is  no  doubt  derived  from 
the  first  part  of  the  chapter  on  '  Phantasms  of  the  Dead  ' 
in  Human  Personality,  Vol.  II." 

Remarkable,  however,  is  the  correct  use  of  the  words 
eidolon  and  simulacrum,  which  do  not  occur  in  the  said 
chapter.  Eidolon  is  used  in  Odyssey  XL,  v.  6oi,  where  it 
is  told  that  Odysseus  in  Hades  meets  "  great  Herakles, 
his  phantom  {kihoAov)  ;  himself  rejoices  amid  the  im- 
mortals." The  passage  is  alluded  to  by  Plotinus,  and  this 
allusion  is  quoted  in  Human  Personality,  Vol.  II.  (p.  290)  ; 
but  neither  the  Greek  nor  the  Latin  word  is  mentioned 
there.  Myers,  however,  employs  the  term  eidolon  in  a 
paper  in  the  S.P.R.  Proceedings,  Vol.  VI.  (p.  64),  in  the 
same  sense  as  Mrs.  Holland's  script.^  Mrs.  Holland  felt 
sure  of  having  never  seen  any  volume  of  the  Proceedings  ; 
but  she  may  have  seen  extracts  from  them  elsewhere. 
It  is  impossible  to  exclude  the  possibility  of  cryptomnesia 
in  questions  regarding  matter  that  has  appeared  in  print. 
Moreover,  Mrs.  Holland  is  a  great  reader,  and  reads  very 
fast  :  "  I  am,"  she  herself  narrates,  "  a  proverb  in  my 
family  for  '  tearing  the  heart  '  out  of  a  book  or  a  paper  in 
a  few  minutes." 

The  initial  M  in  the  script  of  January  7th  is  supposed 
to  mean  Margaret,  and  to  refer  to  Mrs.  VerraU.  In  later 
scripts  it  is  undoubtedly  used  in  this  sense.  Here,  again,  as 
with  regard  to  the  address,  Selwyn  Gardens,  two  explana- 
tions are  possible  ;  Mrs.  Holland  may  somewhere  have 
seen  Mrs.   Verrall's   Christian  name,   or  she  may  have 

1  See  Miss  Johnson's  second  report  on  Mrs.  Holland's  automatic 
writing.  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXIV.,  p.  3. 


SPONTANEOUS  WRITING  115 

obtained  it  supernormally  together  with  the  impression 
of  her  personality. 

On  January  8th  the  writing  had  alluded  to  the  anniver- 
sary of  Myers's  death,  January  17th.  It  had  played  a 
part  already  in  the  first  script  of  Mrs.  Holland's  that 
purported  to  come  from  him  ;  it  is  on  the  whole  charac- 
teristic of  her  script  to  lay  stress  on  dates.  On  the  said 
anniversary  she  wrote  her  next  important  piece  in  the 
name  of  Myers  : 

"  Thursday,  January  17th,  igoi. 

"  I  have  no  wish  to  return  in  thought  or  memory  to  that 
time  but  let  the  date  stand  for  what  it  stands  for  to  mine  and 
me 

"  The  sealed  envelope  (1899)  is  not  to  be  opened  yet — not 
yet— 

"  I  am  unable  to  make  your  hand  form  Greek  characters 
and  so  I  cannot  give  the  text  as  I  wish — only  the  reference — 
I  Cor.  16-13  ...  Oh  I  am  feeble  with  eagerness — How  can 
I  best  be  identified " 

It  seems  certain  that  Mrs.  Holland  did  not  know  any- 
thing about  the  sealed  envelope  which  Myers  in  1891 — 
not  as  the  script  has  it,  in  1899 — had  given  into  the 
custody  of  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  for  posthumous  reading. 
She  remembered,  however,  that  he  recommends  in  Human 
Personality  such  experiments  to  be  made.  The  Bible 
text  to  which  the  script  gives  the  reference  is  the  following  : 
"  Watch  ye,  stand  fast  in  the  faith,  quit  you  Hke  men,  be 
strong."  This  text,  with  the  omission  of  the  last  two 
words,  is  inscribed  in  Greek  over  the  gateway  of  Selwyn 
College,  Cambridge.  The  road  in  which  Mrs.  Verrall  lives 
is  named  Selwyn  Gardens,  on  account  of  its  proximity  to 
Selwyn  College. 

Mrs.  Holland  had  never  been  in  Cambridge,  but  of 
course  she  might  have  read  about  the  inscription. 
Another  possibihty  is  that  it  was  perceived  by  her  super- 
normally  in  the  same  way  as,  perhaps,  Mrs.  Verrall 's 
address  and  the  initial  of  her  Christian  name.  That  she 
does  not  quote  the  text  but  only  gives  the  reference  is  in 
view  of  the  tendency  of  her  script  to  mysteriousness  not 

I  2 


ii6      COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE  DEAD 

remarkable.  She  read  the  Bible  constantly,^  and  may,  no 
doubt,  have  known  subconsciously  what  the  numbers 
referred  to. 

But  whether  the  reference  to  the  "  Selwyn  text  "  was 
due  to  cryptomnesia  or  to  supernormal  perception,  there 
seemed  at  any  rate  to  be  a  supernormal  connection  between 
the  script  of  January  17th,  1904,  and  Mrs.  VerraU. 

On  the  same  day  the  latter  wrote  as  follows  :  ^ 

"  S  is  the  letter — S  in  the  envelope — S  and  on  a  seal — 2. 

"  In  Mrs.  Sidgwick's  letter  a  2 — and  three  words  on  the 
paper — not  without  hope.  The  question  is  answered.  This 
must  succeed — the  other  is  harder 

"  The  text  and  the  answer  are  one  and  are  given " 


It  was  in  the  period  when  Mrs.  Verrall  was  full  of  the 
thought  of  Myers's  sealed  letter,  and  at  the  same  time  of 
a  test  question  which,  prompted  by  her  script,  she  had 
asked  Mrs.  Sidgwick  to  send  her.  We  have  seen  how  the 
two  things  were  interwoven  in  her  script  in  a  rather  con- 
fusing manner,  and  we  know  how  the  opening  of  the 
envelope  proved  the  statements  concerning  its  contents 
to  be  pure  construction. 

The  test  question  which  Mrs.  Verrall  had  received  from 
Mrs.  Sidgwick  was  this  :  "  What  was  the  last  of  Dr.  Sidg- 
wick's texts,  the  one  that  belonged  to  the  latter  part  of 
his  life  ?  "  Professor  Sidgwick  had  in  the  different  periods 
of  his  life  had  different  "  texts  "  of  this  kind  ;  the  last  one 
was :  "  Gather  up  the  fragments  that  remain,  that 
nothing  be  lost."  Mrs.  VerraU's  script  of  December  25th, 
1903,  had  contained  another  text  of  a  kindred  nature, 
namely  :  "  Use  the  daylight  hours,  for  the  night  cometh 
when  no  man  may  work."  Wliether  its  appearance  was 
due  to  cryptomnesia,  subconscious  guessing,  or  an  impres- 
sion caught  from  Mrs.  Sidgwick,  is  of  minor  interest  in 
the  present  connection  ;  the  point  is,  that  the  automatist 
was  thinking  of  a  text.  Confused  as  her  script  of 
January  17th  was,  it  was  equally  filled  with  that  matter 

1  See  below,  p.  125. 

2  Cf.  above,  p.  71. 


SPONTANEOUS  WRITING  117 

and  with  the  sealed  envelope.  Under  these  circumstances 
it  is  that  it  produces  the  mystic  announcement  that 
"  the  text  and  the  answer  are  one  and  are  given." 

As  may  be  seen,  there  is  no  possibility  of  construing 
this  into  an  allusion  to  Mrs.  Holland's  script.  In  the 
latter,  as  in  that  of  Mrs.  Verrall,  there  is  a  reference  to  a 
sealed  letter  and  to  a  text  ;  but  it  is  not  the  same  text. 
"  Mrs.  Holland's  text,"  Miss  Johnson  writes,  "  has  no 
sort  of  connection  with  the  text  asked  for  by  Mrs.  Sidg- 
wick,  which  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  was  trying  to  produce." 
Moreover,  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  of  January  17th  has  no 
claim  to  be  considered  anything  but  a  subconscious 
production. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  more  than  probable  that 
Mrs.  Holland's  script  is  founded  on  an  impression  from 
Mrs.  Verrall.  It  can  hardly  be  due  to  chance  that  the 
references  to  the  sealed  envelope  and  to  the  text — a  text, 
moreover,  which  is  connected  with  Mrs.  Verrall's  residence 
— appear  at  a  time  when  the  latter  was  engrossed  by  the 
same  subjects.  It  is  a  cross-correspondence — but  a  cross- 
correspondence  that  has  an  entirely  human  foundation. 

Mrs.  Holland's  script  of  January  17th,  1904,  contains 
one  more  remarkable  passage.     She  wrote  : 

"  Dear  old  chap  you  have  done  so  much  in  the  past  three 
years — I  am  cognizant  of  a  great  deal  but  with  strange  gaps 
in  my  knowledge — If  I  could  only  talk  with  you— If  I  could 
only  help  you  with  some  advice — I  tried  more  than  once  did 
it  ever  come — There's  so  much  to  be  learnt  from  the  Diamond 
Island  experiment " 

Neither  Mrs.  Holland  nor  Miss  Johnson  understood  the 
meaning  of  this  "  letter,"  nor  saw  for  whom  it  was 
intended.  More  than  four  years  after  its  production,  in 
1908,  Mrs.  Holland,  however,  got  the  idea  that  it  referred 
to  wireless  telegraphy,  as  there  was  a  wireless  station  on 
Diamond  Island,  in  India.  Mrs.  Verrall  now  pointed  out 
that  the  person  addressed  must  be  Sir  OHver  Lodge  ; 
inquiries  proved  that  the  Lodge-Muirhead  system  was  in 
fact  at  work  between  Burma  and  the  Andaman  Islands, 


ii8      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

with  a  station  on  Diamond  Island.  The  installation  had 
not  begun  until  February,  1904,  but  the  apparatus  had 
come  from  England  in  January.^ 

The  discovery,  however,  lost  most  of  its  interest,  as  it 
turned  out  that  Mrs.  Holland  in  all  probabihty  had  in  the 
winter  1903 — 4  read  in  the  Indian  papers  about  the 
intended  installation.  She  was  interested  in  wireless 
telegraphy,  had  heard  a  lecture  by  Marconi,  and  rather 
regretted  that  an  Itahan  was,  as  she  supposed,  ahead  of 
Englishmen  in  this  matter.  That  she  had  not  on  the 
appearance  of  the  script, connected  it  with  the  subject 
was  natural,  as  it  did  not  contain  anything  that  pointed 
to  it  save  the  name  of  Diamond  Island,  and  that  name  had 
told  her  nothing  ;  in  1908,  when  the  question  was  reverted 
to,  she  confounded  it  with  that  of  Diamond  Harbour,  in 
Bengal. 

The  whole  thing,  then,  is  no  doubt  due  to  subconscious 
memory.  That  Mrs.  Holland  by  reading  about  the 
Lodge-Muirhead  system  and  the  experimenting  going  to 
be  done  on  Diamond  Island  supplied  her  automatic  self 
with  material  for  a  "  letter  "  from  Myers,  is  not  strange. 
"  Lodge "  is  mentioned  by  the  Holland-Myers  on 
November  25th,  1903,  and  the  automatist  had  recently 
been  reminded  of^him  by  reading  in  the  Review  of  Reviews 
a  letter  from  him  to  the  editor  of  that  periodical.  At 
any  rate,  it  is  less  difficult  to  adopt  this  explanation  than 
to  suppose  that  Myers  was  cognizant  of  the  Diamond 
Island  experiment  at  a  time  when  it  still  belonged  to  the 
future. 

After  this — for  nearly  a  year — Mrs.  Holland  fought 
against  her  tendency  to  write  automatically.  She  did 
not  herself  value  her  writings  much.  "  She  was  con- 
scious," Miss  Johnson  says,  "  of  the  superficially  trivial 
and  incoherent  nature  of  her  script,  and  could  not  tell 
whether  there  was  anything  in  it  beyond  a  dream-like 

1  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXV.,  pp.  293  seq. 


SPONTANEOUS   WRITING  119 

rechauffi  of  her  own  thoughts."  Besides,  she  suffered  by 
being  constantly  exposed  to  interruptions  when  writing. 
"  The  shock  of  any  chance  interruption  seemed  to  her 
out  of  all  proportion  to  the  value  of  anything  she  obtained." 
From  April,  1904,  till  June,  1906,  she  was  in  Europe. 
She  did  not,  however,  make  the  personal  acquaintance  of 
Miss  Johnson  and  Mrs.  Verrall  until  the  autumn  of  1905. 
The  correspondence  with  Miss  Johnson  had  also  ceased 
after  Mrs.  Holland  left  India.  But  on  February  15th, 
1905,  she  had  an  unexpected  impulse  to  write  auto- 
matically, and  on  the  same  day  sent  her  script  to  the 
secretary.  It  contained  among  other  things  the  following 
piece  : 

February  iSth,  1905. 

"  '  Oh  good  Oliver  !  Oh  brave  Oliver  ! 
Leave  me  not  behind  thee  !  '  ^ 
"  Is  your  personal  interest  in  me  fading  even  as  the  years 
lengthen  between  your  present  to-day  and  the  January  day 
that  ended  time  for  me — Not  the  affection  that  endures  I 
know — but  the  interest  perhaps — -Have  I  gone  where  the 
failed  experiments  go — 

"  '  And  all  dead  dreams  go  thither 
And  all  disastrous  things  ' 
"  Under  other  conditions  I  should  say  how  much  I  regretted 
the  failure  of  the  envelope  test  and  I  do  regret  it  because  it 
was  a  disappointment  to  you — otherwise  it  is  too  trivial  to 

waste  a  thought  upon 

"  Eternally 

"  F." 

The  sealed  envelope  left  by  Myers  with  Sir  Ohver  Lodge 
had  been  opened  on  December  13th,  1904  ;  an  account  of 
the  event  had  been  printed  in  the  Journal  of  the  Society 
for  January,  1905,  and  had  afterwards  been  referred  to  by 
the  papers,  which  did  not,  however,  mention  Mrs.  Verrall, 
but  only  Sir  Oliver  Lodge.  In  view  hereof  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  help  believing  that  Mrs.  Holland  had  seen 
one  of  the  newspaper  accounts,  and  that  this  was  the  source 
of  her  script  of  February  15th.  She  did  not  herself 
believe  so  ;  she  felt  sure  that  her  interest  in  Myers  would 

'  Cf.  Shakespeare,  As  yon  Like  It,  Act.  III.,  Sc.  iii. 


120      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

have  prevented  her  forgetting  such  an  incident,  if  she  had 
seen  a  reference  to  it.  But  she  may  have  seen  the  para- 
graph without  consciously  noticing.  In  view  of  her 
manner  of  reading  there  is  nothing  unhkely  in  this 
supposition. 

As  regards  this  case,  the  explanation  cryptomnesia 
must,  then,  suffice.  It  may  in  this  connection  be  men- 
tioned that  Mrs.  Holland,  in  the  course  of  the  summer, 
1905,  produced  a  series  of  scripts  that  purported  to  come 
from  the  deceased  author,  Laurence  Oliphant,  but  which 
in  all  particulars  can  be  explained  by  the  circumstance 
that  she  had,  in  1903,  read  a  biography  of  him.  Of 
course  this  and  similar  instances  of  unquestionable 
fabrication  must  not  be  overlooked  when  reviewing  her 
production  as  a  whole. 

We  have  now  reached  a  point  where  such  a  review  ought 
to  take  place  with  regard  to  the  preceding  writings. 
The  performances  that  are  of  interest  in  the  following 
period  are  mostly  of  another  type  ;  they  consist  largely 
in  experiments,  while  the  preceding  ones  were  spon- 
taneous. Besides,  the  personal  acquaintance  with  Miss 
Johnson  and  Mrs.  Verrall  presently  intervenes.  The 
writings  produced  in  India  in  1903 — 4  form  a  separate 
whole  and  must  be  considered  separately.  Outwardly, 
the  script  of  February  15th,  1905,  belongs  to  them  ;  but 
as  it  does  not  seem  to  contain  any  supernormal  element, 
it  may  be  disregarded  in  this  connection.  The  same  will 
apply  to  several  pieces  from  the  earlier  period — for  instance, 
those  of  September  i6th  and  i8th,  1903,  and  of 
January  8th,  1904,  and  many  that  have  not  been 
reproduced  here. 

The  remaining  scripts  are  those  of  September  21st  and 
November  7th,  1903,  and  of  January  5th,  7th,  and  17th, 
1904.  Of  these,  three  pieces  have  been  seen  to  contain  an 
undisputably  supernormal  element,  while  the  same  was 
possibly  the  case  with  the  two  others.  The  supernormal 
element  was  the  description  of  the  Verralls'  dining-room 


SPONTANEOUS  WRITING  121 

on  September  21st,  of  Dr.  Verrall  on  November  7th,  and 
of  Mrs.  Verrall  on  January  5th  ;  possibly  supernormal 
were  the  mention  of  the  latter's  initial  on  January  7th 
and  the  reference  to  the  Selwyn  text  on  January  17th  ; 
besides,  in  the  script  of  November  7th,  the  address  of  the 
Verralls,  The  three  last  statements  may  be  due  to  latent 
memory  ;  but  as  it  is  impossible  to  prove  this,  it  cannot 
be  absolutely  denied  that  they  may  be  of  the  same  origin 
as  the  three  descriptions  which  cannot  be  ascribed  to 
cryptomnesia.  They  are,  moreover,  of  a  nature  that 
makes  it  possible  to  connect  them  with  the  descriptions. 

The  problem,  then,  is  this,  what  is  the  source  of  these 
descriptions  ?  It  is  a  problem  whose  solution  is  greatly 
simplified  through  the  circumstance  that  it  is  one  and  the 
same  phenomenon  that  recurs  ;  a  phenomenon,  more- 
over, which  we  have  met  before.  Such  "  mental  pic- 
tures," or  clairvoyant  impressions,  as  those  which 
Mrs.  Holland  caught  of  Mrs.  Verrall's  dining-room,  her 
husband,  and  herself,  had  Mrs.  Verrall  obtained  from 
Mrs.  Forbes,  and  vice-versa,  or,  to  keep  to  the  experi- 
mental territory.  Miss  Ramsden  from  Miss  Miles,  Those 
of  Mrs.  Holland  were  perhaps  a  little  clearer  and  more 
detailed — although,  as  aU  clairvoyant  perceptions,  not 
whoUy  correct — but  essentially  they  were  of  the  same 
type  as  the  others.  Mrs.  Holland's  visionary  powers 
seemed  altogether  more  developed  than  those  of  the  two 
other  sensitives  ;  she  was  able  to  see  things  in  a  crystal, 
and  had  experienced  several  visions  when  not  writing 
automatically. 

But  why  did  Mrs.  Holland  get  these  impressions  about 
people  and  places  that  she  did  not  know  ?  We  have  here 
to  do  with  a  similar  phenomenon  as  that  to  which  Andrew 
Lang  gave  the  name  of  "  telepathy  a  trois."  The  visions 
which  Lang's  sensitives  saw  in  the  glass  ball  referred 
to  people  whom  the  psychics  did  not  know  but  who  were 
known  to  some  one  among  the  persons  present  at  the 
experiment  ;  but  this  person  might  himself  be  ignorant 
of  the  things  that  were  perceived.     His  part  was  only  to 


122      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

put  the  medium  in  rapport  with  the  absent  person, 
whose  circumstances  were  revealed  by  means  of  the 
picture  seen  in  the  crystal.  It  was  the  necessity  of  such 
an  intermediary  that  gave  the  phenomenon  its  name  ; 
only  it  ought  to  have  been  called  clairvoyance  it  trois — or 
"  clairvoyance  with  rapport  " — rather  than  telepathy  ; 
Lang  himself  did  not  feel  sure  that  the  latter  designation 
hit  the  mark. 

In  the  case  of  Mrs.  Holland  the  intermediary  must  have 
been  Miss  Johnson.  This  supposition  is  not  so  improbable 
as  it  will  perhaps  appear  at  first  sight.  In  a  letter  of 
February  23rd,  1905,  while  Mrs.  Holland  did  not  yet 
know  the  secretary  personally,  she  begged  her  to  send  her 
some  paper  that  had  been  lying  in  her  desk,  and  a  pen- 
holder that  she  had  used  for  some  time.  She  fancied  that 
it  would  help  her  script  to  ur>e  these  things,  and  though 
it  seemed  silly  to  her  to  ask  for  them,  she  felt  that  she 
must  do  so.  Is  it  possible  to  doubt  that  the  sensitive 
was  here  governed  by  an  instinct,  and  that  the  paper 
and  the  penholder  did  play  a  similar  part  for  her  as 
the  "  articles  "  do  for  those  who  practise  psychometry  ? 
On  a  later  occasion  she  contends  that  she  has  get  a  veri- 
dical impression  by  reading  a  letter  from  Miss  Johnson, 
and  says  :  "  The  conviction  came  instantly,  as  an  impres- 
sion gained  from"  a  letter  often  does  come  with  me." 
Thus  letters  too  seem  to  convey  knowledge  to  her  super- 
normally.  Whether  we  shall  call  it  psychometry,  or 
regard  the  objects — paper,  penholder,  letters — as  lines 
that  bring  about  the  connection,  is  unimportant ;  most 
likely  it  is  a  different  mode  of  expressing  the  same  thing. 

At  a  later  time  it  once  happened  that  Mrs.  Holland 
caught  a  veridical  impression  about  Mrs.  Forbes's  sur- 
roundings by  reading  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Verrall. 
Mrs.  Holland  did  not  know  Mrs.  Forbes,  and  Mrs.  Verrall 
was  not  near  her  when  she  wrote  the  letter.  This  is  an 
almost  exact  parallel  to  her  obtaining,  during  the  corre- 
spondence with  Miss  Johnson  in  the  winter  of  1903 — ^4, 
veridical    impressions    about    the  surroundings   of   Mrs. 


SPONTANEOUS   WRITING  123 

Verrall.  That  she  did  not  know  her  correspondent  person- 
ally is  of  no  consequence,  as  it  was  from  the  letters  that 
the  influence  emanated  ;  and  no  more  did  she  know  Miss 
Johnson  when  in  February,  1905,  she  asked  for  her  paper 
and  penholder.  Neither  can  it,  with  regard  to  this  theory, 
be  of  any  consequence  whether  the  distance  between  the 
percipient  and  the  things  perceived  is  great  or  small. 
In  the  moment  when  Mrs.  Holland  holds  the  letter  in 
her  hand,  she  has  obtained  connection  with  the  writer, 
and  it  makes  no  difference  whether  it  has  travelled  all  the 
way  from  England  to  India  or  only  that  from  Cambridge 
to  London. 

Still,  it  might  be  asked  why  it  was  just  Mrs.  Verrall  and 
her  surroundings  that  were  perceived  by  Mrs.  Holland 
through  the  intermediation  of  Miss  Johnson.  Was  it 
because  this  lady  consciously  or  unconsciously  had  her 
in  her  mind  when  writing  to  her  fellow-automatist  ? 
Or  was  it  due  to  the  circumstance  that  Mrs.  Verrall 
herself  was  a  sensitive  ?  The  parallel  with  her  perception 
of  Mrs.  Forbes's  surroundings  cannot  help  us  to  solve 
the  question,  because  both  explanations  are  possible  also 
in  the  latter  case.  When  Mrs.  Verrall  wrote  the  letter 
that  led  to  Mrs.  Holland's  perception,  Mrs.  Forbes  in  all 
probability  was  not  far  from  her  thoughts,  as  she  was  just 
in  the  act  of  leaving  home  for  a  visit  to  her  house  in  the 
north  of  England.  But  on  the  other  hand,  Mrs.  Forbes 
too  was  a  sensitive,  and  the  possibility  of  this  playing  a 
part  in  the  phenomenon  is  not  excluded. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  it  seems  certain  that  Miss  Johnson 
was  the  connecting  link  between  the  two  automatists  in 
the  winter  1903 — 4.  The  script  of  February  15th,  1905, 
which  was  produced  after  the  correspondence  with  the 
secretary  had  been  discontinued  for  about  a  year,  con- 
tained nothing  that  suggests  supernormal  perception. 


CHAPTER   X 

THE   BEGINNING   OF   EXPERIMENTS 

After  the^  renewal  of  the  correspondence  with  Miss 
Johnson  in  February,  1905,  Mrs.  Holland's  automatism 
entered  upon  a  new  phase,  her  correspondent  having 
suggested  a  series  of  experiments  to  take  place  between 
her  and  Mrs.  Verrall.  These  experiments  confirm  what 
has  been  said  above  of  Mrs.  Holland's  faculty  to  obtain 
impressions  about  Mrs.  Verrall,  at  the  same  time  showing 
that  the  latter,  though  in  a  lesser  degree,  possessed  the 
same  faculty  with  regard  to  Mrs.  Holland.  At  this  time 
there  was  no  personal  acquaintance  between  the  two  auto- 
matists,  nor  did  any  of  them  know  who  her  fellow- 
experimenter  was. 

It  was  arranged  that  the  two  ladies  on  Wednesday, 
March  ist,  1905,  and  on  the  following  five  Wednesdays, 
but  at  the  time  of  day  that  was  most  convenient  to  each 
of  them,  ought  to  try  for  automatic  writing.  There  was 
no  attempt  made  to  produce  a  definite  word  or  idea  in 
the  other's  script.  The  experiment  must  be  characterized 
as  "  intentional  perception  without  intentional  trans- 
mission." On  the  first  Wednesday  Mrs.  Holland  wrote 
as  follows  : 

March  1st,  1905,  10.45  a.m. 

"  There  are  cut  flowers  in  the  blue  jar — jonquils  I  think  and 
tulips — growing  tulips  near  the  window — A  dull  day  but  the 
sky  hints  at  Spring  and  one  chirping  bird  is  heard  about  the 
roar  of  the  traffic — 

Watch  ye  stand  fast  in  the  faith — quit  you  like  men 
be  strong ' 

"  Does  Mrs.  V.  own  herself  worsted  for  once  ?  Or  does  she 
wait  for  a  triumph  in  May — The  Banks  in  May  !  Ah  me 
Earth's  glamour  holds — 

"  A  slender  lady  with  dark  hair  drawn  to  a  heavy  knot  at 


THE   BEGINNING   OF  EXPERIMENTS      125 

the  base  of  her  long  throat.  Eyes  hke  dark  jewels  in  a  pale 
pale  face — the  outline  of  it  '  hollowed  a  little  mournfully.' 
A  very  sensitive  mouth — Long  hands — a  signet  ring  on  the 
middle  finger " 

This  is  a  series  of  supernormal  impressions  concerning 
Mrs.  Verrall.  It  begins  with  a  fairly  correct  description 
of  the  flowers  in  her  drawing-room.  On  asking,  Miss  John- 
son received  the  following  reply  from  her  :  "  On  March  ist 
the  only  cut  flowers  in  my  drawing-room  were  in  two 
blue  china  jars  on  the  mantelpiece  ;  the  flowers  were 
large  single  daffodils.  On  the  ledge  of  the  window  looking 
into  the  greenhouse — on  the  greenhouse  side — were  three 

pots  of  growing  yellow  tuhps ."     On  the  other  hand, 

the  writer  cannot  have  had  Mrs.  Verrall's  residence  in 
mind  when  referring  to  the  roar  of  the  traffic  ;  there  is 
no  traffic  in  Selwyn  Gardens,  which  is  not  a  thoroughfare. 

The  described  lady  is  evidently  Mrs.  Verrall  herself. 
The  question,  "  Does  Mrs.  V.  own  herself  worsted  for 
once  ?  "  might  imply  that  the  script  connected  her  with 
the  envelope  failure.  But  it  is  very  unlikely  that  it 
would  speak  with  such  want  of  sympathy  about  anything 
that  concerned  Myers.  The  remark  is  probably  due  to 
a  general  impression  of  failure,  and  to  nothing  more. 
Mrs.  Holland,  then,  has  obtained  impressions  supernor- 
mally  of  the  drawing-room  of  her  unknown  colleague,  of 
her  appearance  and  name,  and  of  some  disappointment 
connected  with  her. 

Besides  this,  the  script  quotes  the  "  Selwyn  text,"  or 
rather  the  whole  of  the  verse  i  Cor.  xvi.  13  ;  the  two 
words  "  be  strong  "  are  not  included  in  the  Greek  inscrip- 
tion over  the  gate  of  Selwyn  College.  Mrs.  Holland  had 
in  the  morning  of  March  ist  read  the  beginning  of  i  Corin- 
thians xvi.  ;  when  she  continued  her  reading  the  next 
morning  she  noticed  that  xvi.  13  had  been  quoted  in  her 
writing  the  day  before.  It  is  highly  probable,  though, 
that  she  had  seen  the  verse  without  knowing  on  March  ist, 
and  that  she  subconsciously  at  least  had  known  that  it 
was  the  same  text  which  had  been  referred  to  formerly. 


126      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

As  the  reference  was  on  that  occasion  associated  with  a 
perception  of  Mrs.  Verrall,  it  is  only  natural  that  the 
verse  was  now  quoted  in  connection  with  her.  That  the 
last  two  words  were  added  was  a  simple  consequence  of 
Mrs.  Holland's  knowledge  of  the  verse.  It  emerged  as 
an  impression  about  Mrs.  Verrall,  not  specially  as  the 
Selwyn  text,  which  the  automatist  hardly  knew. 

As  regards  Mrs.  Verrall,  her  script  of  March  1st,  1905, 
written  at  6  p.m.,  contains  the  following  : 

"  V.  iii  black  letter  text  .... 
Don't  identify  it  might  alarm  her." 

The  first  words  may  be  due  to  a  vague  impression  about 
Mrs.  Holland.  The  latter  thought,  when  told  of  them, 
that  they  must  refer  to  i  Cor.  xvi.  3,  which  she  had  read 
on  the  same  morning  and  which  runs  :  "  For  I  verily, 
as  absent  in  body,  but  present  in  spirit  ..."  If  these 
words  have  consciously  or  unconsciously  impressed  her 
specially,  it  might  possibly  increase  the  chance  of  their 
being  caught  by  Mrs.  Verrall.  But  she  would  hardly 
have  been  impressed  with  the  number  of  the  verse. 
More  likely  it  is  the  quotation  of  the  Bible  text  in 
Mrs.  Holland's  script  that  has  been  reflected— if  a  vague 
correspondence  hke  that  can  be  considered  more  than  an 
accident. 

The  second  phrase  is  in  itself  quite  meaningless,  but  a 
very  natural  outcome  of  Mrs.  Verrall 's  knowledge  of  the 
co-operation  of  another  automatist. 

None  of  the  writings  on  the  two  following  Wednesdays 
contained  anything  intimating  supernormal  connection. 
But  on  the  latter  day  Mrs.  Verrall  had  written  as  follows  : 

March  iSth,  1905. 

"  Send  these  five  notes  [drawing  of  five  notes]. 

"  She  will  send  you  something  like  them — verse  I  think " 

On  March  19th,  her  script  once  more  contained  notes, 
and  on  the  following  Wednesday  Mrs.  Holland  wrote  as 
follows  : 

March  22nd,  1905. 

"  The  ivory  gate  through  which  all  good  dreams  come. 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  EXPERIMENTS      127 

"  Sono  molto  fatigato  e  ammalatto  [sic] — Ho  paura  [I  am 
very  tired  and  ill — I  am  frightened] [drawing  of  six  notes]." 

This  represents  impressions  both  of  Mrs.  Verrall's 
script,  namely  of  the  notes,  and  of  her  occupations. 
She  had  on  March  19th  and  20th  spent  a  great  deal  of 
her  time  in  looking  up  descriptions  by  Virgil  and  Dante 
of  the  "  gate  of  hell,"  and  in  the  course  of  so  doing  read 
the  passage  in  the  sixth  Aeneid  about  the  gates  of  horn 
and  ivory  and  about  the  true  dreams — which,  however, 
came  through  the  former,  not,  as  Mrs.  Holland  has  it, 
through  the  ivory  gate.  On  the  same  two  days  she  was 
reading  Italian  for  the  first  time  for  months.  So  many 
correspondences  cannot  be  due  to  chance. 

Meanwhile  Mrs.  Verrall,  too,  had  caught  an  impression 
about  Mrs.  Holland.  It  was  not  on  a  Wednesday,  but  on 
a  Sunday  : 

March  igth,  1905,  6.50  p.m. 

"  That  lady  has  gone  to  church — go  into  her  house  with  me 
— up  3  stairs  on  the  left  into  a  room — and  over  the  mantel- 
piece hangs  a  picture  a  photograph  Ruskin  has  written  of  it — 
Carpaccio's  Ursula She  does  not  want  us  in  her  room- 
come  away — you  have  seen  the  Ursula  which  I  meant  to  show 
you " 

This  little  story  has  a  supernormal  perception  for  its 
foundation.  On  asking,  Miss  Johnson  was  told  in  a  letter 
from  Mrs.  Holland  that  she  was  not  at  church  on  Sunday 
evening,  March  19th,  and  that  the  Dream  of  St.  Ursula 
did  not  hang  in  her  room..  "  But,"  she  added,  "  on 
Saturday  evening  I  was  going  through  the  portfolio  of 
'  Great  Masters,'  and  the  Carpaccio  Ursula  was  the  picture 
I  looked  at  longest  and  returned  to  most  frequently 
— so  much  so,  indeed,  that  my  father  asked  me  if  I  would 
like  to  have  it  framed  and  hung  in  my  room." 

In  the  same  letter,  dated  March  24th,  Mrs.  Holland 
sent  to  Miss  Johnson  the  description  of  an  impression 
that  had  come  to  her  very  strongly  within  the  last  days. 
It  was  not  automatically  written,  and  she  did  not  know 
why  the  impression  had  come  into  her  mind.     She  did 


128      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

not  seem  to  suspect  that  she  had  twice  before  tried  to 
describe  the  same  lady  in  her  script.  The  impression  was 
as  follows  : 

"  A  thin  woman,  not  very  young  ;  at  least  the  further  side 
of  thirty.  Her  dark  hair  is  slightly  rough  or  naturally  fluffy 
and  begins  to  show  threads  of  grey  over  the  ears.  She  often 
wears  a  pince  nez  with  either  no  frame  or  a  very  slight  one. 
She  has  lost  a  great  many  people  she  loved  both  relatives  and 
friends,  and  the  trinkets  she  habitually  wears  are  more  relics 
than  ornaments.  A  ring,  a  gold  chain,  both  very  full  of 
memories.  Grey  eyes  ;  the  black  lashes  almost  close  when  she 
laughs.  Gre)^  dresses,  green  dresses,  simply  made — often  with 
wide  belts.  Not  a  '  tailor-made  '  woman.  Critical ;  a  little 
too  incisive  in  manner  ;  with  a  warm  heart  and  a  curiously 
unexpected  fund  of  shyness.  Very  well  educated.  Her  college 
career  was  attended  with  a  good  deal  of  distinction.  She  is 
very  highly  strung ;  but  too  self-controlled  to  be  called 
'  nervous.'  The  mouth  has  mobile  lips  and  she  has  a  trick 
of  contracting  the  lower  lip  of  which  she  is  probably  un- 
conscious. Reserved  to  a  fault.  She  is  beginning  to  attain 
to  a  faith  she  once  thought  she  had  outgrown," 

The  fullness  of  this  description  excludes  all  possibility 
of  chance  coincidence.  With  the  exception  of  the  colour 
of  the  eyes  and  lashes  it  seems  in  all  points  to  fit  Mrs. 
Verrall,  even  to  the  trick  of  drawing  in  her  lower  lip,  a 
habit  contracted  on  account  of  a  criticism  made  on  her  in 
her  childhood.  As  for  the  description  of  her  character. 
Miss  Johnson  thinks  that  "  her  friends  would  consider  it 
in  many  points  very  apt." 

This  impression  was  the  last  real  success  occurring 
during  the  period  of  experimenting.  On  the  sixth 
Wednesday,  Mrs,  Verrall's  script  seemed  to  reflect 
vaguely  Mrs.  Holland's  surroundings — a  gate  in  a  hedge 
looking  to  the  western  sky,  and  a  peaceful  landscape. 
That  was  all. 

Mrs.  Holland's  script  of  March  ist  and  22nd,  Mrs. 
Verrall's  of  March  19th,  and  the  former's  impression  about 
her  co-experimenter,  were  thus  the  essential  result  of  the 
experiments  on  these  six  Wednesdays.  Only  two  of  the 
coincidences,  however,  occurred  on  the  appointed  days, 
and  it  must  on  the  whole  be  said  that   the   successes 


THE   BEGINNING   OF   EXPERIMENTS      129 

seemed  due  more  to  the  circumstance  that  the  two 
psychics — as  was  formerly  the  case  with  Mrs.  Verrall 
and  Mrs.  Forbes — had  got  into  touch  with  each  other 
than  to  their  directing  their  thoughts  towards  each  other. 
The  reciprocal  sensitiveness  is  of  the  same  type  as  that 
which  Mrs.  Holland  had  displayed  in  India  with  regard 
to  Mrs.  Verrall.  That  it  was  "  clairvoyance  a  irois," 
and  that  Miss  Johnson  was  the  intermediary,  must 
then  here  as  there  be  the  one  possible  manner  of  inter- 
preting it. 

It  is  worth  noting  that  a  following  series  of  experiments 
of  another  type  was  a  decided  failure.  During  the  next 
six  weeks,  while  Mrs.  Holland  was  travelling  on  the  Con- 
tinent, she  attempted  every  Wednesday  to  convey  an 
impression  and  one  definite  word  to  her  fellow-experi- 
menter ;  but  in  no  case  did  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  show  any 
coincidence  with  the  topics  selected.  After  this,  Mrs. 
Verrall  tried  for  a  few  weeks,  with  no  better  success,  to 
convey  ideas  chosen  by  herself  to  Mrs.  Holland.  This  is  a 
repetition  of  what  we  experienced  in  former  cases — that 
it  is  much  more  difficult  for  a  sensitive  to  grasp  what 
an  agent  strives  to  produce  than  to  "  perceive  "  what 
is  not  intended  for  transmission.  Neither  the  one-horse 
nor  the  stabdelta  experiment  obtained  a  full  success, 
though  the  attempts  left  distinct  traces  in  Mrs.  Verrall's 
script.  But  not  even  a  faint  trace  was  produced  by 
the  latter's  exertions  with  regard  to  Mrs.  Holland,  nor 
the  reverse  ;  evidently  the  rapport  between  them  was 
not  strong  enough  for  that,  though  permitting  them 
to  obtain  supernormal  impressions  about  each  other's 
doings. 

In  the  following  autumn  Mrs.  Holland  became  per- 
sonally acquainted  with  Miss  Johnson.  On  October  6th, 
1905,  the  two  ladies  met  for  the  first  time  in  the  rooms  of 
the  Society  for  Psychical  Research  in  London  and  had  a 
long  conversation.  On  November  i6th,  Mrs.  Holland 
met  Mrs.  Verrall  at  the  same  place  in  the  presence  of  the 

CD.  K 


130      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

secretary  ;  on  November  21st  she  spoke  with  the  latter 
alone.  After  this  she  did  not  see  her  until  February  21st, 
1906,  when  Mrs.  Verrall  and  Mr.  Piddington  were  also 
present. 

To  this  first  period  of  the  personal  acquaintance  with 
Miss  Johnson  belong  some  pieces  of  Mrs.  Holland's  script 
which,  in  the  opinion  of  Miss  Johnson,  strongly  suggest  an 
influence  from  herself. 

In  the  spectator  for  October  7th,  1905,  Mrs.  Holland 
had  read  a  review  of  Dr.  Maxwell's  book  Metapsychical 
Phenomena  ;  it  is,  Miss  Johnson  says,  clearly  responsible 
for  much  of  the  matter  of  the  script  produced  during  this 
period.  But  although  Mrs.  Holland  had  read  the  review 
at  any  rate  before  October  27th,  when  she  spoke  of  it  in 
a  letter  to  Miss  Johnson,  it  was  not  until  several  weeks 
later  that  the  script  touched  on  the  topic. 

On  November  19th,  1905,  Miss  Johnson  had  spent 
most  of  the  morning  in  looking  out  for  Mr.  Everard 
Feilding,  who  was  going  to  Paris  to  attend  some  sittings 
with  Eusapia  Paladino,  her  own  records  of  the  sittings 
at  Cambridge  with  this  medium.  In  the  afternoon 
of  the  same  day  Mr.  Feilding  was  with  her  discussing  the 
matter. 

It  was  on  this  day  that  Mrs.  Holland's  script  commenced 
a  series  of  remarks  about  psychical  phenomena,  put  into 
the  mouth  now  of  Myers  and  now  of  Gurney ;  for  instance, 
the  following  : 

November  iglh,  1905,  11  a.m. 

"  The  phenomena  that  will  shortly  be  induced  are  utterly 
misleading— They  will  not  be  completely  fraudulent — at  least 
not  consciously  so — but  the  influence  will  be  of  the  poltergeist 
type  and  the  lowest  forms  of  physical  magnetism  will  be  called 
upon 

November  20th,  1905. 

"  The  properties  apertaining  [sic]  to  the  deception  will  be 

daringly  simple — the  old  familiar  trickery There  will  be 

a  piece  of  elastic  in  his  shirt  sleeve — No — nothing  so  elaborate 

as  a  pneumatic  glove Of  course  there  is  a  great  substratum 

of  truth  but  those  two  people  won't  help  you  to  arrive  at  it. 


THE  BEGINNING   OF  EXPERIMENTS      131 

The  man  is  a  charlatan — and  the  woman — though  with  a 
good  deal  of  sincerity  at  first  has  lost  it  through  vanity  and 

the  desire  for  effectiveness 

"  [?]  Palladia  —  Mrs.  Eustace  Lucas  —  Annie  Bird  — 
Euphronia — Katie  King — Eustonia — Pallonia — " 

Miss  Johnson  thinks  that  these  descriptions  of  fraudu- 
lent phenomena  may  have  been  partly  due  to  "a 
vague  telepathic  reflection "  of  her  conversation  with 
Mr.  Feilding. 

On  November  21st,  Mrs.  Holland  brought  her  the  script 
in  question  ;  she  asked  her  then  what  she  had  read  about 
physical  phenomena,  but  of  course  told  her  nothing  of 
her  own  views  as  to  these.  The  conversation  seems  to 
have  given  the  impulse  to  some  pieces  of  script  in  the 
beginning  of  December  where  Miss  Johnson  is  introduced, 
nay  where  it  is  said  that  she  "  will  be  the  best  help  in  this 
case." 

This  of  course  involves  nothing  supernormal.  The 
remarkable  point  is  this,  that  when  Mrs.  Holland's  script 
after  a  long  interval  once  more  spoke  of  physical  pheno- 
mena, it  was  again  after  a  conversation  between  Miss 
Johnson  and  Mr.  Feilding  about  the  subject.  On 
March  13th,  1906,  the  secretary  had  received  a  paper 
containing  an  attack  on  the  Algerian  "  materializations  " 
reported  by  Professor  Richet ;  either  on  the  same  or  on 
the  next  day  she  discussed  the  matter  with  Mr.  Feilding. 
Mrs.  Holland's  script  on  this  occasion  contained  among 
other  things  the  following  : 

March  14th,  1906. 

"  It  is  a  pity  R  [ichet]  has  no  sense  of  humour  but  not 
unusual  for  his  nationality.  It  gives  him  a  certain  power  too — 
some  of  us  were  too  whimsical  perhaps  are " 

This  is  followed  by  further  remarks  about  fraudulent 
performances.  In  all  probability  Mrs.  Holland  had  in 
the  course  of  the  winter  read  or  heard  more  of  physical 
phenomena  than  what  she  had  gained  from  the  review  in 
The  Spectator.  The  whole  topic  was,  as  Miss  Johnson 
writes,  very  much  in  the  air  at  that  time.     But  that  her 

K  2 


132      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

script  started  the  subject  just  when  it  was  occupying 
Miss  Johnson's  mind  and  conversation,  and  recurred  to 
it  after  an  interval  of  more  than  three  months,  just  at  the 
moment  when  she  was  once  more  discussing  it,  is  a  double 
coincidence  which  can  hardly  be  due  to  chance,  but  which 
adds  to  the  evidence  for  Mrs.  Holland's  faculty  of  obtaining 
supernormal  impressions  from  other  persons. 


On  December  20th,  1905,  Dr.  Richard  Hodgson,  the 
ardent  psychical  researcher  who  had  for  many  years 
supervised  the  sittings  with  Mrs.  Piper,  died  suddenly  in 
Boston.  Mrs.  Holland  knew  his  name  at  least  from 
Hitman  Personality.  On  January  22nd,  igo6,  she  learned 
through  a  newspaper  paragraph  that  he  had  "  died  at 
Boston  a  month  ago."  This  was  all  that  she,  to  the  best 
of  her  belief,  had  heard  about  it. 

About  this  time  Mrs.  Holland  had  the  feeling  that  her 
mediumism  showed  a  tendency  to  enter  upon  a  new  phase. 
She  told  this  to  Miss  Johnson  in  a  letter  which  she  sent 
her  together  with  a  piece  of  script  of  February  9th, 
printed  below.  For  some  time,  she  said,  a  few  moments 
of  writing  had  made  her  feel  at  once  very  sleepy  and  very 
loquacious.  She  fancied  that  under  favourable  condi- 
tions her  automatic  writing  would  change  into  trance  or 
semi-trance  conditions  with  spoken  words  instead  of 
written  ones.  A  few  times,  just  before  falling  asleep  at 
night,  she  had  heard  fragments  of  speech  which  she  knew 
were  not  real,  and  she  ascribed  them  to  a  possible  new 
attempt  at  communication. 

Whether  this  state — which  did  not  develop  further — 
was  of  any  consequence  with  regard  to  the  script,  can 
hardly  be  determined.  It  has  seemed  natural  to  men- 
tion it  as  the  automatist  herself  laid  so  much  stress 
upon  it. 

Under  these  circumstances  the  following  script  was 
produced  : 


THE  BEGINNING   OF  EXPERIMENTS      133 

-only  one  letter  further  on — 


February  gth, 

1906. 

"  .  .  .  Sjd 

i  bse 

lp( 

18 

9 
3 

8 

I 

18 

4 

3  h  t  p  0- 

— or 

8 

15 

4 

7 

19 

15 

14 

"  They  are  not  haphazard  figures  read  them  as  letters — 

"  The  shortness  of  breath  was  the  worst  part  of  the  illness 
— worse  even  than  the  exhaustion — 

"  K.  57.     Jessie — Grey  paper — 

"  The  (?)  straggler  (?)  returns — a  printed  address  on  the 
sheet  of  paper — Three  small  lines  of  writing — a  wide  margin 
left — I  cannot  make  it  clear  to  you. 

"  Concentrate  hard. 


"  1  3  initials. 

"  Nothing  else  upon  the  sheet — 

"  It's  a  wide  prospect  from  the  windows — 

"  A  gold  watch  chain  with  a  horse-shoe  shaped  cigar  cutter 
attached  to  it — An  old  seal  not  his  own  initials — A  white 
handled  knife  inkstained — 

"  Nitrate  of  amyl — probably  too  late  even  if  it  had  been 
thought  of — 

"  A  corpse  needs  no  shoes — " 

When  the  direction  of  the  script  is  followed,  and  the 
letters  are  replaced  by  those  preceding  them  in  the  alpha- 
bet, they  give  the  name  Richard  Hodgson,  while  the 
numbers  read  as  letters  give  the  same  name.  As  we  know, 
Mrs.  Holland  had  as  a  child  played  at  a  secret  language 
made  by  using  either  the  letter  before  or  the  letter  after 
the  real  one.  Besides,  her  script  had  ajways  shown  a 
tendency  to  mystification.  A  similar  tendency  is  said  to 
have  characterized  Dr.  Hodgson  ;  but  this  coincidence, 
of  course,  loses  all  importance,  as  the  same  quality  is 
displayed  by  the  other  alleged  controls  of  Mrs.  Holland. 

The  whole  script,  however,  seems  less  fabricated  than 
Mrs.  Holland's  productions  used  to  be.     It  appears  to 

1  The  three  lines  represent  writing  which  is  too  vague  for  identifica- 
tion. 


134      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

consist  of  a  series  of  impressions  put  loosely  down.  They 
are  all  of  them  of  a  nature  that  makes  it  possible  to  connect 
them  with  Dr.  Hodgson,  and  they  are  just  as  correct  as 
supernormal  impressions  use  to  be,  i.e.,  there  are  some 
incorrect  things  interspersed  here  and  there.  An  illness 
is  mentioned,  with  shortness  of  breath  ;  Dr.  Hodgson 
died  of  heart-failure  whUe  playing  a  game  of  handball, 
with  no  preceding  illness  ;  but  "  nitrate  of  amyl,"  which 
is  mentioned  with  the  addition  that  it  probably  would 
have  been  too  late  even  if  it  had  been  thought  of,  is  given 
for  heart-failure.  "  The  wide  prospect  from  the  windows  " 
may  refer  to  the  Union  Boat  Club  in  Boston,  where 
Dr.  Hodgson  died  ;  its  window-s  overlook  the  Back  Bay 
to  some  hills  beyond.  Dr.  Hodgson  wore  a  gold  watch 
chain  with  a  gold  cigar-cutter,  but  the  latter  was  not 
horseshoe  shaped.  He  had  an  old  seal  which  had  a  female 
figure  cut  on  it,  but  it  was  not  worn  by  him  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

One  of  these  things,  the  cause  of  death,  Mrs.  Holland 
no  doubt  might  have  heard  or  read  about  without  knowing. 
Most  of  the  remaining  statements  are  too  indefinite  or 
common  to  be  of  much  value.  This,  however,  does  not 
apply  to  the  name  Jessie  or  to  the  mystic  "  K.  57." 
Jessie  ^  was  the  first^name  of  Dr.  Hodgson's  much  beloved 
cousin,  who  died  in  Australia  in  1879.  She  is  mentioned 
in  the  records  of  the  sittings  with  Mrs.  Piper  by  the 
pseudonym  Q ;  Mrs.  Piper's  control  Phinuit  had  once 
remarked  that  the  second  part  of  her  first  name  was  sie  ; 
afterwards  Dr.  Hodgson  had  told  him  her  full  name,  but 
this  had  not  been  published.  And  in  a  still  more  remark- 
able manner  "  K.  57  "  seems  to  point  to  Dr.  Hodgson. 

During  April  and  May,  1906,  Mr.  Piddington  was  in 
Boston  to  assist  in  the  arrangement  of  Dr.  Hodgson's 
affairs  as  the  representative  of  the  Society  for  Psychical 
Research.  Miss  Johnson  sent  him  a  copy  of  the  above 
script,  asking  him  to  make  inquiries  about  the  divers 

1  The  name  is  not  given  in  Miss  Johnson's  report,  but  has  been 
published  later. 


THE  BEGINNING   OF  EXPERIMENTS      135 


particulars  contained  in  it.  After  the  reception  of  her 
letter,  Mr.  Piddington  found  among  Dr.  Hodgson's  papers 
a  dilapidated  note-book,  on  the  front  cover  of  which  was 
written  "  The  Eternal  Life,"  while  inside,  on  two  loose 
sheets,  Dr.  Hodgson  had  made  notes  for  an  article  which 
he  had  probably  intended  to  write  in  answer  to  Professor 
Hugo  Miinsterberg's  book  of  that  name.  On  the  back 
cover  of  this  note-book  he  had  written  in  pencil  as  follows  : 


R.H. 

I 

4 
6 


R.H. 
K-6 
K  52 
K  8 


3  3 

4  K  6 
52  K  6 

K-ii  K  7 

K-52  K  52 

10  K  13 
K-30  7 

3 

"  Mr.  [or  Mrs.]  C. 
8 

14 
2 

7 

7 

10 

Mr.  Piddington  declares  that  he  feels  "  practically 
certain  that  K  followed  by  numerals  refers  to  some  par- 
ticular series  of  Piper  sittings,  or  to  some  particular 
subject  of  the  communications."  At  any  rate,  it  is 
indisputable  that  the  said  combination  had  some  signifi- 
cance for  Dr.  Hodgson.  In  Mrs.  Holland's  script  of 
February  9th,  "  K.  57  "  and  "  Jessie  "  are  followed  by  a 
reference  to  a  grey  paper.  This  would  agree  with  the 
conception  of  "  K.  57  "  as  the  designation  of  some  memo- 
randum. The  passage  about  the  sheet  of  paper,  etc., 
perhaps  points  to  the  same,  but  it  is  too  vague  to  found 
anything  upon. 

But  in  any  case  it  can  hardly  be  denied  that  this  com- 
bination of  references  to  Dr.   Hodgson,   "  K.   57,"  and 


136       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

Jessie,  is  more  than  can  be  ascribed  to  chance.  As 
regards  "  K.  57,"  the  explanation  cryptomnesia,  more- 
over, is  quite  excluded.  But  if  we  must  assume  a  super- 
normal impression  to  be  the  cause,  from  whence  does  it 
originate  ?  Nobody  with  whom  Mrs.  Holland  can  be 
supposed  to  be  in  rapport,  and  perhaps  no  living  person, 
knew  of  the  designations  which  the  cover  of  his  note-book 
shows  Dr.  ^odgson  to  have  used.  That  Mrs.  Holland 
through  direct  clairvoyance  might  read  them  in  Boston, 
nothing  justifies  us  in  asserting.  Thus  it  must  suffice  to 
say  that  we  have  here  met  with  a  phenomenon  which  we 
are  unable  to  place  under  the  categories  which  we  have 
hitherto  acknowledged  ;  ^  as  it  is  so  solitary  and  slender, 
it  would  be  rash  to  make  it  the  base  of  any  theory, 

Mrs.  Holland's  script  held  a  few  more  references  to 
Dr.  Hodgson  in  the  following  period.  But  they  do  not 
contain  anything  that  might  not  be  due  to  cryptomnesia  ; 
besides,  she  had  on  February  21st  talked  of  him  with 
Miss  Johnson,  and  had  no  doubt  got  an  impulse  to  write 
about  him  that  detracts  from  the  significance  of  her  pro- 
ductions ;  her  attitude  of  mind  is  seen  in  a  letter  of 
March  nth  where  she,  referring  to  a  date  given  in  her 
script,  writes  :  "  How  glad  I  should  be  if  the  date  given 
was  a  definite  bit  -of  evidence  from  Dr.  Hodgson."  For 
completeness'  sake,  however,  I  quote  the  pieces  in 
question : 

February  2Sth,  igo6. 

"  Dickon  of  Norfolk — is  that  far  enough  away  from  the 
real  name  ?     I'll  describe  R  H  [in  monogram]. 

"  A  short  man — but  held  himself  well — broad  shoulders — 

1  The  explanation  which  Dr.  Maxwell  [see  his  paper  in  the  Pro- 
ceedings S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXVI.,  pp.  57 — 144]  tries  to  give  of  "  K.  57  "  is 
quite  insufficient.  "  La  lettre  L,"  he  says,  "  est  employee,  suivie  d'un 
numero  pour  designer  une  certaine  catlgorie  d'hallucinations  locales. 
Or,  la  lettre  K  precede  immediatement  la  lettre  L  ;  une  substitution 
analogue  a  celle  qui  dissimule  le  nom  de  M.  Hodgson  au  commencement 
du  texte  I'explique  bien  simplement."  But  there  can  be  no  analogy 
between  a  substitution  that  is  intended  to  mystify,  and  the  exchange 
of  one  indifferent  letter  for  another.  Besides,  there  is  no  reason  why 
Mrs.  Holland  should  use  the  letter  L.  And  to  the  connection  in  which 
"  K.  57  "  occurs,  Dr.  Maxwell  pays  no  attention.  "  K.  37  "  in  a  later 
script  is  probably  an  echo  of  "  K.  57." 


THE  BEGINNING   OF  EXPERIMENTS      137 

thick  grey  white  hair — thick  grey  brows — very  straight — A 
florid  face — reddish  brown — (though  it  was  pale  enough  at 
the  end).     Strong  chin — mobile  mouth. 

"  The  young  wife  died  so  long  ago — that  perhaps  some  people 
forgot  her.     Jessie." 

About   the   description,   if   applied   to   Dr.    Hodgson, 

Mr.  Piddington  says  that  it  is  neither  very  good  nor  very 

bad.     Mrs.  Holland  had  never  seen  a  portrait  of  him  ; 

but   she   may,  no   doubt,  have   heard   him  mentioned. 

"  Jessie  "  is  probably  a  reminiscence  from  the  former 

script.     The  term  "  wife  "  is  incorrect;   she  was  not  the 

wife  of  Dr.  Hodgson,  and  is  not  known  to  have  been 

married. 

March  yth,  1906. 

"  Brittle  worth — Brickeldale.     Britleton — No — not  him  and 
not  James — Brit — Brittle  Brick  Brickleton — Hugo — H.M, — 
Minster  Berg.  Hugo. 
"  Was  he  not  aware  ? 

"R. 
"  Why  are  they  so  brutally  dense. 

"H. 
"  I  always  had  a  quick  temper." 

There  is,  of  course,  nothing  supernormal  in  connecting 
Dr.  Hodgson  with  Professor  James  or  Professor  Miinster- 
berg,  who  were  both  well  known  within  the  pale  of  psychical 
research.  Neither  can  I  agree  with  Miss  Johnson  when 
she  speaks  about  the  "  various  attempts  made  at  the 
name  Hugo  Miinsterberg "  as  a  possible  result  of  a 
"  telepathic  effort,"  comparable  with  Dr.  Verrall's  experi- 
ment. It  is  not  the  name  Miinsterberg  that  is  sought 
for  ;  it  is,  on  the  contrary,  given  without  groping,  and 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  preceding  attempts  at  Brittle- 
worth,  etc. 

May  16th,  igo6. 

"  When  the  deep  red  blood  of  the  maple  leaf 
Burns  on  the  boughs  again. 
"  Spring  on  a  Boston  hillside.     One  clump  of  maples  stands 
alone — they  are  outlined  against  the  sunset  and  the  sunset 
is  no  redder  than  they. — R.  H." 

In  respect  to  this  script,  an  American  friend  of  Dr. 
Hodgson  says  :  "  The  foliage  of  one  of  our  maples  turns 


138      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

a  very  brilliant  red  in  the  autumn,  and  its  minute  flowers 
are  a  most  brilliant  red  in  the  spring."  Miss  Johnson  adds 
that  this  spring  red,  which  is  specially  referred  to  in  the 
script,  is  probably  a  far  less  famihar  fact  to  English  people 
than  the  autumn  red,  and  that  Mrs.  Holland  believed  that 
she  had  never  heard  of  it.  But  this,  of  course,  is  one  of 
the  things  which  it  is  quite  impossible  to  be  sure  of. 
That  she  lyiust  subconsciously  connect  Boston  with 
Dr.  Hodgson  goes  without  saying. 

In  the  spring  of  1906,  Mrs.  Holland  undertook  a  few 
experiments  which  Miss  Johnson  in  her  report  calls 
"  Experiments  on  the  supposed  influence  of  inanimate 
objects."  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  of  March  7th,  1906,  had 
among  other  things  contained  the  sentence :  "  Send 
[Mrs.  Holland]  something  of  yours,  a  ring,  that  would 
help  her."  The  suggestion  interested  Mrs.  Holland,  who 
had  received  from  Miss  Johnson  a  copy  of  the  script,  and 
she  expressed  her  wish  to  borrow  for  a  few  weeks  a  ring 
from  Mrs.  Verrall ;  one  that  she  had  had  a  long  time 
would  be  the  best,  she  added.  Evidently  Mrs.  HoUand, 
just  as  when  at  an  earlier  time  she  asked  for  Miss  Johnson's 
paper  and  penholder,  was  guided  by  an  instinctive  under- 
standing of  the  significance  of  "  articles."  That  Mrs. 
Verrall  subconsciously  had  the  same  understanding,  the 
above  script  of  March  7th  testifies.  A  characteristic 
contrast  to  this  presents  the  non-mediumistic  secretary, 
who  scorns  the  notion  that  objects  might  have  influence. 

The  first  result  of  the  experiment  with  the  ring  has  been 
referred  to  above  ;  ^  only  it  was  probably  due  to  the  letter 
from  Mrs.  Verrall  that  accompanied  the  ring  rather  than 
to  the  object  itself.  Mrs.  Holland  received  it  by  the  first 
post  on  the  morning  of  March  15th,  and  immediately 
afterwards  had  an  impression  which  she  noted  down  at 
once  and  sent  to  Mrs.  Verrall.  The  latter  on  the  same 
day  left  her  home  for  a  round  of  visits  ;  Mrs.  Holland  did 

1  See  p.  122. 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  EXPERIMENTS      139 

not  know  where  she  was  going  ;  she  had  written  that  her 
letters  would  be  forwarded.  The  impression  was  as 
follows  : 

March  iSth,  1906,  8.45  a.m. 

"  A  dining  room,  narrow  for  its  height,  a  long  room.  Dull 
red  paper  on  the  wall ;  brown  wood  dado  or  high  wainscot. 
A  great  deal  of  brass  about  the  fireplace.  Table  laid  for  a 
meal,  bright  fire.  Something  Egyptian  in  the  room,  or  else 
ornaments  of  an  '  Egyptian  pattern.'  Lady  in  brown  dress 
reading  letter.  Is  it  Mrs.  V.  ?  An  elaborate  coffee-making 
machine  and  a  silver  urn.  Green-handled  knives.  Honey- 
comb.    Indian  tree  patterned  china." 

In  her  letter  to  Mrs.  Verrall  she  added  :  "  The  lady  in 
brown  hardly  seemed  to  be  you,  but  the  room  had  to  do 
with  you." 

Mrs.  Verrall  was  on  that  day  going  to  Mrs.  Forbes's 
house,  where  she  arrived  at  about  5.45  p.m.  Mrs.  Holland, 
as  before  said,  was  ignorant  of  this,  and  she  knew  nothing 
whatever  about  Mrs,  Forbes  ;  Mrs.  Verrall's  report  in 
which  the  latter  plays  a  large  part,  had  not  yet  been 
pubHshed.  The  described  room  was,  however,  indis- 
putably the  dining-room  of  that  lady  as  it  looked  on  the 
morning  of  March  15th.  The  greater  part  of  the  par- 
ticulars are  quite  correct;  on  the  other  hand,  a  small 
amount  of  errors  have  slipped  in,  as  is  usually  the  case 
with  clairvoyant  impressions.  As  a  characteristic  instance 
of  their  vagueness  may  be  mentioned  Mrs.  Holland's 
uncertainty  whether  there  was  an  Egyptian  object  in 
the  room,  or  only  ornaments  of  an  Egyptian  pattern. 
In  fact,  there  were  both;  Mrs.  Forbes  states  that  the 
most  conspicuous  and  distinctive  object  in  the  room  is  a 
large  Cairene  screen  which  has  the  regular  Egyptian 
pattern  work  in  dark  wood. 

Mrs.  Verrall,  of  course,  was  not  in  the  room.  There 
were  two  ladies  in  the  house  besides  Mrs.  Forbes  ;  one  of 
them  wore  a  conspicuously  brown  dress — brown  tweed, 
brown  shoes  and  stockings.  They  had  breakfasted  at  a 
little  after  eight. 

Such  was  the  prelude  to  the  real  experiments.     The 


140      COMMUNICATION  WITH   THE  DEAD 

significance  of  Mrs.  Holland  being  able  to  obtain  an 
impression  about  the  surroundings  of  a  stranger  through 
an  "article  " — letter  or  ring — sent  by  an  acquaintance  of 
that  stranger,  has  been  spoken  about.  Moreover,  as 
Mrs.  Verrall  had  never  seen  the  brown  lady  when  Mrs. 
Holland  described  her,  it  can  be  estabhshed  beyond  the 
shade  of  a  doubt  that  the  impression  was  not  due  to 
telepathy, X  but  presents  an  uncommonly  clear  instance  of 
clairvoyance  by  means  of  an  intermediary. 

Mrs.  Holland's  first  script  written  while  holding 
Mrs.  Verrall's  ring  consisted  of  a  series  of  impressions 
more  or  less  veridical,  interspersed  with  reflections.  To 
the  ring  itself  the  following  seems  to  refer  : 

March  lyth,  1906. 

"  It  dates  from  more  than  twenty  years  ago One  of 

the  first  among  the  wedding  gifts." 

Both  statements,  however,  may  be  due  to  subconscious 
guessing.  The  ring  had  been  sent  in  its  original  case, 
marked  with  the  initials  of  Mrs.  Verrall  while  unmarried  ; 
it  had  been  given  to  her  on  her  last  birthday  before  her 
marriage,  partly  as  a  birthday  and  partly  as  a  wedding 
present.  A  description  of  her  character  followed,  but  is 
of  course  of  minor  interest  after  Mrs.  Holland  had  made 
her  acquaintance. 

The  most  interesting  portion  of  this  script,  no  doubt, 
are  some  remarks  which  seem  to  apply  to  the  circumstances 
of  Mrs.  Forbes,  And  in  a  script  produced  some  days 
later  while  Mrs.  Holland  was  wearing  Mrs.  VerraU's  ring, 
there  are  several  things  which  seem  due  to  impressions 
about  Mrs.  Forbes's  house,  where  Mrs.  Verrall  was  now 
staying.     For  instance,  the  following  : 

March  21st,  1906. 

"  Two  windows  in  the  room — one  very  much  smaller  than 
the  other — Yes  you  can  see  the  river. 

"  The  honeysuckle  is  all  right  but  the  Jap  passion  flower 
died  in  the  frost 

"  There  is  gold  inlay  on  the  blade — the  hilt  is  very  worn — 
It's  in  the  hall " 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  EXPERIMENTS      141 

There  are  two  windows  in  Mrs.  Forbes's  drawing-room, 
one  a  large  bow,  the  other  a  small  window.  There  is  a 
stream  in  the  garden  which  can  be  seen  from  one  of  these 
windows.  There  is  honeysuckle  outside  the  window  on 
the  house,  and  there  was  a  Pyrus  Japonica,  but  all  except 
a  small  shoot  had  died.     No  passion  flower. 

On  the  day  when  the  script  was  written,  Mrs.  Verrall 
asked  Mrs.  Forbes  if  she  possessed  an  inlaid  musket. 
Mrs.  Forbes  said  she  had  an  inlaid  weapon  of  another 
kind,  and  brought  it  in  from  the  hall.  It  was  a  dagger, 
part  of  which  was  much  worn. 

But  of  course  these  impressions  are  less  remarkable 
than  the  one  of  March  15th,  when  Mrs.  Verrall  was  not  in 
the  place.  Whether  they  had  anything  to  do  with  the 
ring,  it  is  impossible  to  decide.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  they  were  obtained  by  Mrs.  Holland  when  writing 
automatically,  that  is,  in  a  state  which  in  itself  makes 
the  sensitive  susceptible  of  impressions.  Moreover, 
Mrs.  Holland  was  beforehand  in  touch  with  Mrs.  Verrall, 
who  in  this  case  was  the  owner  of  the  article. 

The  next  experiments,  however,  were  made  with  objects 
that  belonged  to  Mrs,  Forbes,  whom  Mrs,  Holland  did  not 
know.  Through  Miss  Johnson  a  glove  was  sent  her, 
and  while  holding  it  she  wrote  the  following  : 

March  315^,  1906. 

"  The  greenhouse  looks  neglected  now. 

"  There  is  a  dull  sound  like  a  rushing  river  some  distance 
away 

"  God  will  forgive  thee  all  but  thy  despair. 
April  1st,  1906, 

"  Lincoln.  The  bronze  is  out  of  place  it  should  be  on  the 
shelf  again." 

Besides,  she  saw  on  the  first  day  in  a  crystal  among 
other  things  "  a  small  statuette — not  at  all  clear — of  a 
woman  with  outstretched  arms."  She  thought  it  was  a 
Madonna, 

There  is  a  greenhouse  opening  into  Mrs.  Forbes's 
drawing-room.     She  can  hear  the  noise  of  a  stream  at 


142      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

night  when  she  leans  from  her  window.  The  quotation, 
"  God  will  forgive  thee  all  but  thy  despair,"  is  from 
Frederic  Myers's  poem  St.  Paul,  and  Mrs.  Forbes  had 
known  it  since  she  was  twenty  and  "  felt  with  "  it  very 
strongly. 

She  had  taken  a  little  bronze  statuette  of  Washington 
to  be  mended,  so  it  was  missing  from  its  place.  A 
statuette  pi  Victory,  with  outstretched  arms,  stands  on 
her  writing-table. 

As  usual,  impressions  or  remarks  of  a  non-veridical 
kind  were  interwoven.  To  the  errors  that  characterize 
clairvoyance  belongs  "  Lincoln  "  instead  of  Washington. 

On  May  15th,  Mrs.  Holland's  script  contained,  without 
connection  with  any  article,  a  description  of  a  man, 
identified  as  Mr.  Forbes.  Details  like  the  following  were 
given  :     "  His   right   hand   is   holding  his   left   ankle — 

inelegant  but  characteristic His  eyes  have  a  trick  of 

half  shutting  when  he  talks  earnestly."  Mrs.  Verrall 
testifies  to  the  correctness  of  the  description,  saying 
among  other  things  :   "He  almost  closes  his  eyes  when  he 

speaks 1  have  certainly  seen  him  hold  his  left  ankle 

in  his  right  hand." 

The  concluding  experiment  consisted  in  Mrs.  Holland 
receiving,  through  Miss  Johnson,  a  glove  that  had  been 
worn  by  Mrs.  Forbes's  deceased  son,  "  Talbot,"  and  a 
Japanese  bronze  bird  which  he  had  kept  on  his  mantel- 
piece at  school.  She  did  not  know  that  the  objects 
came  from  the  same  person  as  the  glove  sent  before. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  she  thought  that  they  belonged  to 
Mr.  Everard  Feilding,  whose  acquaintance  she  had  made 
some  time  before. 

While  holding  these  objects  she  wrote  : 

May  22nd,  1906. 

"  In  my  own  room — where  the  deep  green  colour  predomi- 
nates— and  a  trifle  becomes  a  relic " 

The  small  room  in  which  Mrs.  Forbes  writes  is  papered 
with  a  deep  green  colour.     In  it  she  had  collected  all  the 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  EXPERIMENTS       143 

little  possessions  of  her  son.     The  bronze  bird  came  from 
the  chimney  piece  there. 

On  the  next  day,  at  the  end  of  a  script  which  showed 
no  connection  with  Mrs.  Forbes,  came  the  phrases  : 

May  2yd,  1906. 

"  The  Winged  Victory.  Lime  blossoms  wait  for  June — The 
sleepy  bird  has  waked  its  way." 

The  bronze  bird  had  its  head  turned  round  and  lying 
back,  as  if  asleep  ;  "  the  sleepy  bird  "  thus  seems  to 
indicate  that  the  passage  referred  to  its  owner. 
Mrs.  Forbes  had  given  the  "  winged  Victory  "  of  Pompeii 
to  the  chapel  of  her  son's  school  as  a  memorial  of  him. 

This  last  case  seems  to  indicate  that  the  objects  are  not 
without  influence  ;  the  earlier  references  to  Mrs.  Forbes 
had  had  nothing  to  do  with  her  son,  save  indirectly 
through  allusions  to  her  grief.  Miss  Johnson  suggests 
that  Mrs.  Forbes  may  have  thought  specially  of  him 
after  having  sent  the  articles  to  be  psychometrized  ;  but 
as  her  mind  was  always  full  of  him,  this  does  not  seem  a 
sufficient  explanation  of  the  coincidence.  The  objects 
themselves  could  tell  Mrs.  Holland  nothing  ;  moreover, 
she  fancied  that  they  came  from  Mr.  Feilding. 

This  opinion,  for  the  rest,  had  a  curious  consequence. 
The  script  which  she  produced  on  May  22nd,  while  holding 
Talbot's  glove  and  bird,  began  as  follows  : 

"  But  it  should  not  have  been  cleaned — 

"  It  is  the  wiring — the  electric  lighting  in  the  John  St. 
house  that  is  dangerous — the  terms  of  the  fire  insurance  too 
need  supervising — Denbigh." 

The  first  remark  of  course  refers  to  the  glove.  But 
the  next  sentences  are  connected  with  Mr.  Feilding,  who 
lived  in  John  Street  and  was  the  brother  of  Lord  Denbigh. 
Mrs.  Holland  had  met  him  at  a  dinner,  and  though  she 
was  confident  that  she  had  not  heard  either  the  address 
of  his  house  or  the  name  of  his  brother,  it  is  possible  that 
without  consciously  noticing  she  may  have  heard  both 
things  mentioned.  But  it  is  not  possible  that  she  could 
know  of  a  matter  which  Mr.  F'"dlding  himself    did  not 


144      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

know,  but  discovered  when,  in  view  of  her  statement,  he 
had  the  electric  system  in  his  house  tested — that  there 
was  a  very  serious  leakage  which  might  have  proved 
dangerous.  As  to  the  fire  insurance,  Mr.  Feilding  had 
lately  thought  of  getting  the  policies  supervised. 

In  this  case,  then,  Mrs.  Holland  had  produced  veridical 
statements  referring  to  a  person  whom  she  knew  slightly 
and  had  in  mind  at  the  moment,  but  with  whom  she  was 
not  otherwise  connected — unless  Miss  Johnson's  letter 
that  accompanied  the  objects  was  "  the  line."  One  of 
these  statements,  moreover^  referred  to  something  which 
nobody  knew,  and  must  be  called  clairvoyance  in  a  true 
sense,  if  it  were  permissible  to  disregard  the  possibility 
that  it  was  the  thought  of  the  fire  insurance  which  led  up 
to  it,  and  that  it  was  only  by  chance  that  it  coincided 
with  a  real  fact. 

The  last  incident  has,  of  course,  nothing  to  do  with  the 
possible  influence  of  articles.  But  as  Mrs.  Holland's 
impressions  are  obtained  while  she  is  writing  automatically, 
there  is,  as  intimated  above,  no  reason  why  they  should 
refer  only  to  persons  connected  with  the  objects.  These 
may  be  one  of  the  sources  of  her  impressions,  but  nothing 
more. 

Miss  Johnson,  who  does  not  believe  in  psychometry, 
points  out  that  the  veridical  statements  in  Mrs.  Holland's 
script  "  had  little  or  nothing  to  do  with  the  past  history 
of  the  objects,  but  were  concerned  rather  with  the  past 
or  present  doings  or  surroundings  of  their  owners." 
This  is  true,  but  quite  consistent  with  what  psychome- 
trists  themselves  believe  that  articles  can  effect — namely, 
give  impressions  about  the  owners  and  their  circumstances ; 
they  can  sometimes  tell  whether  the  object  has  had  more 
than  one  owner,  but  that  is  of  course  the  same  thing. 

Furthermore,  Miss  Johnson  insists  that  the  whole  series 
of  experiments  "is  of  just  the  same  character  as  the 
writings  produced  without  any  such  objects,"  and  that 
the  veridical  statements  "  point  far  more  to  telepathy 


THE   BEGINNING   OF   EXPERIMENTS      145 

from  Mrs.  Verrall,  Mrs.  Forbes,  or  Mr.  Feilding  than  to 
any  injEluence  emanating  from  the  objects." 

As  regards  the  first  point,  I  beUeve,  as  said  above,  that 
at  least  Talbot  Forbes 's  objects  had  some  influence.  But 
the  boundary  is  no  doubt  floating  when  the  would-be 
psychometrist  is  beforehand  in  touch  with  the  owners  of 
the  articles,  as  Mrs.  Holland  was  with  Mrs.  Forbes  already 
through  Mrs.  Verrall.  Pure  psychometry  we  cannot 
expect  to  find  unless  the  object  belongs  to  some  one  with 
whom  the  psychic  is  not  otherwise  connected,  and  even 
then  the  statements  ought  not  to  be  given  through 
automatic  writing. 

But  even  if  it  be  in  the  above  cases  unjustifiable  to 
ascribe  the  results  to  the  objects,  it  would  be  whoUy 
misleading  to  ascribe  them  to  telepathy.  The  statements 
point  to  clairvoyant  impressions  about  the  persons 
concerned ;  they  were  not  agents,  but,  no  doubt,  as  passive 
as  the  objects  themselves. 


CD. 


CHAPTER   XI 

CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES 

Meanwhile,  in  February,  1906,  there  had  begun  a 
new  series  of  experiments  of  the  same  type  as  in 
the  preceding  spring  ;  on  a  certain  day  of  the  week, 
Wednesday,  Mrs.  Holland  and  Mrs.  Verrall  were  both  to  try 
to  get  automatic  script.  The  result  was,  as  in  1905,  divers 
supernormal  allusions  to  the  circumstances  of  the  writer's 
co-experimenter.  Besides,  in  a  far  higher  degree  than  in 
the  preceding  year,  the  script  of  one  automatist,  usually 
Mrs.  Holland's,  gave  a  sort  of  reflex  of  something  which 
the  other  had  produced.  The  same  can  in  1905  only  be 
said  with  certainty  to  have  happened  once,  namely  when 
the  notes  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  of  March  15th  and  19th 
were  reflected  in  Mrs.  Holland's  of  March  22nd. 

Miss  Johnson  distinguishes  sharply  between  the  two 
types  :  those  in  which  one  automatist  refers  to  events 
happening  to  the""  other,  or  to  some  feature  in  her  sur- 
roundings, and  those  in  which  references  to  the  same  topic 
occur  in  the  scripts  of  both  writers.  It  is  to  the  latter 
type  only  that  she  applies  the  term  cross-correspon- 
dence. 

I  shall  in  the  following  dwell  exclusively  on  this  type, 
which  got  to  play  a  very  important  part  in  the  later 
experimenting,  and  review  all  cases  from  this  first  period 
of  its  existence. 

In  an  ordinary  sense  it  was  hardly  of  any  consequence 
that  the  two  automatists  now  knew  each  other  ;  nothing 
indicates  that  the  cross-correspondences  were  a  result  of 
their  thoughts  running  along  the  same  lines.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  supernormal  rapport  between  them  had 
no  doubt  grown  stronger  with  their  personal  acquaintance. 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  147 

Perhaps,  also,  the  circumstance  that  they  desired  their 
writings  to  correspond  may  have  strengthened  the  rapport. 
That  they  were  animated  by  such  a  desire  is  seen  from 
Mrs.  Verrall's  script  of  February  19th,  1906  :  "  When 
you  see  the  same  in  the  other  scripts  with  your  own  eyes, 
you  will  have  belief  in  my  words  "  ;  and  from  a  letter 
to  her  of  April  17th  from  Mrs.  Holland,  who  says  that 
she  cannot  help  believing  that  they  will  be  "  tuned  into 
accord  some  day  and  register  the  same  messages."  They 
believed  that  such  a  correspondence  would  testify  to  the 
scripts  originating  from  Myers  or  other  spirits. 

The  first  series  of  experiments  covered  the  seven 
weeks  from  February  28th  to  April  nth.  Of  the  writings 
which  showed  some  correspondence,  those  of  Mrs.  Verrall 
generally  preceded  those  of  Mrs.  Holland,  and  were  not 
always  written  on  a  Wednesday.  This,  on  the  contrary, 
was  always  the  case  with  Mrs.  Holland's  script,  and  on 
all  of  the  seven  Wednesdays  something  occurred  in  it 
which  at  any  rate  might  be  taken  to  refer  to  something 
written  by  Mrs.  Verrall.  Most  often,  however,  the  script 
contained  a  quantity  of  other  matter.  I  quote  only  the 
most  necessary  passages,  beginning  always  with  the  script 
of  Mrs.  Holland. 

I.    Electra. 

February  2Sth,  1906,  2  p.m. 

"  No  not  in  the  Electra.     M.  will  know  better." 

"  M  "   stands  for  Margaret,   i.e.,   Mrs.   Verrall.      The 

latter's   script  of    the   preceding   weeks    contained   the 

following : 

February  gth,  1906. 

"  Tell  her  this  [in  Greek :]  Be  sorrow  sorrow  spoken,  but 
let  the  good  prevail 

February  20th,  1906. 

"  Get  her  to  write  [in  Greek  ;]  sorrow  sorrow 

February  2Sth,  1906,  11. 15  p.m. 

"  [In  Greek :]  Be  sorrow  sorrow  spoken,  but  let  the  good 
prevail." 

The  script  from  the  day  set  off  for  experimenting, 

L  2 


148      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

February  28th,  is  hardly  more  than  a  repetition  of  the 
preceding  ones.  Mrs.  Holland's  remark  about  "  Electra  " 
may  be  due  to  the  other's  Greek  quotation.  This  comes 
from  .^schylus'  Agamemnon,  but  Mrs.  Holland's  impres- 
sion had  evidently  not  got  beyond  "  Greek  tragedy,"  and 
she  could  do  no  more  than  indicate  this  impression  through 
her  rejection  of  the  Electra.  That  just  this  tragedy  was 
mentioned  i^  no  doubt  accounted  for  by  the  circumstance 
that  Euripides'  Electra  was  being  performed  in  London 
at  about  this  time.  The  addition  about  "  M "  who 
would  know  better,  perhaps  points  to  a  subconscious 
recognition  of  the  source  of  the  impression  ;  if  so,  it 
corresponds  to  Mrs.  Verrall's  .former  remarks  about  her 
husband  during  his  experiment.  But  it  may,  of  course, 
be  due  solely  to  Mrs.  Holland's  preoccupation  with  her 
co-experimenter. 

2.  Ave  Roma. 
March  "jth,  1906. 

"  Not  enough  bulbs — and  it's  a  pity  the  quincetree  has 
suffered  so. 

"  Ave  Roma  immortalis  [Hail  immortal  Rome].  How 
could  I  make  it  any  clearer  without  giving  her  the  clue  ? 

"  How  cold  it  was  that  winter — Even  snow  in  Rome — we 
might  have  stayed  at  home  for  that — 

"  The  sunshine  has  brought  out  the  bees  before  the  tulips 
are  ready  for  them — " 

It  is  the  passage  Ave  Roma  immortalis  that  is  important 
in  this  script.  The  context  makes  it  probable  that  it  has 
to  do  with  Mrs.  Verrall ;  on  March  7th  the  latter  went  to 
the  Botanical  Gardens  to  see  the  bulbs,  because  on  that 
morning  her  own  garden  was  full  of  bees,  and  she  knew 
bees  meant  open  bulbs.  About  this  Mrs.  Holland  thus 
seems  to  have  caught  an  impression,  and  "  Ave  Roma  " 
perhaps  has  come  along  with  it.  The  allusion  to  "  snow 
in  Rome  "  is  no  doubt  owing  to  her  knowledge  that  Myers 
died  in  Rome  in  the  month  of  January  ;  it  is  a  memory 
that  emerges  at  the  mention  of  Rome.^ 

1  Dr.  Maxwell,  in  his  above-mentioned  paper,  contends  that  "  Ave 
Roma,"  on  the  contrary,  is  due  to  the  thought  of  Myers's  death  in 
Rome.     But  then  there  is  no  ground  for  the  emergence  of  this  thought. 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  149 

Mrs.  Verrall's  corresponding  writings  are  the  following  : 

March  2nd,  1906. 

"  [In  Latin ;]  Not  with  such  help  will  you  find  what  you 
want ;   not  with  such  help,  nor  with  those  defenders  of  yours 

First  among  his  peers,  himself  not  unmindful  of  his  name  ; 

with  him  a  brother  related  in  feeling,  though  not  in  blood. 
Both  these  will  send  a  word  to  you  through  another  woman. 
After  some  days  you  will  easily  understand  what  I  say. 

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. 
[In  Latin :]  The  cross  has  a  meaning.  The  cross-bearer  who 
one  day  is  borne.  [In  English :]  The  standard-bearer  is  the 
hnk. 

March  ^th,  1906. 

"  [In  Latin :]  The  club-bearer  [or  key-bearer]  with  the 
lion's  skin  already  well  described  before  this  in  the  writings. 
Some  things  are  to  be  corrected.  [In  English  :]  Ask  your  hus- 
band, he  knows  it  well." 

The  script  of  March  2nd,  of  course,  refers  to  Mrs. 
Holland  and  to  the  much  desired  cross-correspondence, 
"  the  word  to  be  sent  through  another  woman."  But 
it  is  not  clear  who  is  meant  by  "  Primus  inter  pares,"  the 
first  among  his  peers,  or  by  the  brother  related  in  feeling 
though  not  in  blood.  If  the  script  had  stood  alone,  it 
would  have  been  natural  to  guess  that  the  expression 
was  due  to  a  conception  of  Myers  and  Gurney  as  the 
brethren  who  would  send  the  word  ;  very  probably 
Mrs.  Verrall  might  subconsciously  take  Primus  inter  pares 
to  mean  Myers.  But  the  waking  Mrs.  Verrall  made  no 
such  conjecture,  and  as  she  did  not  know  to  whom  the 
description  referred,  she  asked  her  husband  about  it. 
Dr.  Verrall  told  her  that  the  Pope  is  thus  described, 
adding,  when  his  wife  had  read  the  script  for  him,  that 
he  saw  what  it  was  driving  at.  It  reminded  him  of — 
what  he  did  not,  however,  mention  until  March  nth — 
Raphael's  famous  picture  of  Attila,  terrified  by  the  vision 
of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  when  meeting  Pope  Leo,  who 
went  out  to  save  Rome  from  the  onslaught  of  the  Huns. 


150      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

The  preceding  quotation  from  the  Mneid,  which  refers 
to  the  defence  of  Troy  against  the  invading  Greeks/  had 
contributed  to  recall  the  picture  to  his  mind,  doubtless, 
he  says,  only  because  he  was  specially  familiar  with  it. 

In  fact,  the  designation  "  Primus  inter  pares,"  in  con- 
nection with  the  phrase  about  the  name  which  might 
suggest  Leo  (lion),  seems  to  be  the  only  thing  that  can 
lead  to  the^  supposition  that  the  script  is  alluding  to 
Raphael's  picture.  It  is,  for  instance,  quite  uncertain  to 
whom  in  that  case  the  talk  about  the  two  brethren  refers. 
When  the  Pope  is  one  of  them,  it  cannot  be  to  the  two 
apostles. 

The  script  of  March  4th,  hpwever,  carried  the  matter 
a  great  step  further.  It  not  only  expressed  the  idea  of 
the  Pope  which  Mrs.  Verrall  might  have  got  normally 
from  the  conversation  with  her  husband,  but  it  had  also 
got  hold  of  the  Pagan.  To  be  sure,  it  is  a  pagan  Emperor 
(the  Stoic  persecutor — Marcus  Aurelius)  it  seems  to  allude 
to;  but  when  it  has  been  reminded  through  him  of  another 
persecutor  (Julian  Apostata),  and  thus  has  reached 
Gregory  (Nazianzen),  it  protests  against  its  own  wan- 
derings, and  with  an  energetic  "  not  Basil's  friend,"  reverts 
to  the  thought  about  the  Pope  :  "  Gregory  ought  to  be  a 
clue,"  Through  all  this  groping  it  arrives  at  something 
which  really  points  to  Raphael's  picture,  the  cross-bearer 
and  the  standard-bearer.  In  the  script  of  March  5th, 
this  leads  to  the  club-bearer  with  the  lion's  skin,  i.e., 
Hercules,  which  seems  to  be  a  confused  result  of  the 
attempt  to  get  hold  of  the  key-bearer  Leo. 

"  Ask  your  husband,  he  knows  it  well,"  the  script 
concludes.  One  thing  with  another  indicates  that  it  is 
his  thoughts  about  the  picture  which  constitute  the  basis 
of  the  writings  of  March  4th  and  5th.  In  this  wise  the 
script  used  to  refer  to  him  in  the  one-horse  dawn  case  ; 
and  his  wife's  faculty  to  obtain  impressions  from  him 

^  The  words  are  used  by  Hecuba  when  she  sees  the  old  Priam  pre- 
paring himself  for  the  defence.  Has  Mrs.  Verrall  subconsciously  made 
a  leap  from  Priamus  to  Primus  .^ 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  151 

which  he  had  not  intended  to  transmit  was  sufficiently 
proved  through  the  same  case. 

The  script  of  March  4th,  which  Mrs.  Holland's  script 
of  March  7th  perhaps  reflects,  has  thus  an  entirely  human 
source.  Of  course,  there  is  also  the  possibility  that  it  is 
Dr.  Verrall's  thought,  and  not  the  script  of  his  wife,  that 
has  influenced  Mrs.  Holland  ;  but  it  is  in  this  connection 
of  less  interest.  The  mysterious  addition  in  Mrs.  Holland's 
script :  "  How  could  I  make  it  any  clearer  without  giving 
her  the  clue  ?  "  is  perhaps  of  the  same  kind  as  the  various 
remarks  about  clues  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  writings,  which 
originally  expressed  her  subconscious  sensation  of  groping 
her  way,  but  which  gradually  became  rather  stereotyped. 
Or  perhaps  it  was  part  of  the  impression  received  from 
Mrs.  Verrall.^  A  tendency  to  mystification  is,  at  any  rate, 
characteristic  of  Mrs.  Holland's  own  automatic  writing  ; 
in  the  script  produced  on  the  next  day  for  experimenting 
she  speaks  of  the  necessity  of  secretiveness  in  a  connection 
where  it  is  absolutely  meaningless. 

3.  RoDEN   Noel. 

Mrs.  Holland's  first  contribution  to  the  next  cross- 
correspondence  was  given  in  a  script  that  was  not 
produced  on  the  day  for  experimenting,  but  on  a 
Sunday : 

March  nth,  1906. 

"  This  is  for  A.W.  [Verrall].  Ask  him  what  the  date 
May  26th  1894  meant  to  him— to  me — and  to  F.W.H. 
[Myers].  I  do  not  think  they  will  find  it  hard  to  recall  but 
if  so — let  them  ask  Nora. 

"  We  no  more  solve  the  riddle  of  Death  by  dying  than  we 

solve  the  problem  of  Life  by  being  born I  seek  still I 

am  not  oppressed  with  the  desire  that  animates  some  of  us 
to  share  our  knowledge  or  optimism  with  you  all  before  the 
time.  You  know  who  feels  like  that  but  I  am  content  that 
you  should  wait " 

1  In  the  middle  of  April,  1906,  Mrs.  Holland  saw  some  proofs  of 
Mrs.  Verrall's  report  on  her  own  script.  Before  this  she  had  seen  a 
few  of  her  writings,  but  hardly  so  much  that  she  can  have  learned  her 
mode  of  speech  in  that  way. 


152      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

On  the  ensuing  Wednesday  she  wrote  : 

March  14th,  1906. 

"  Eighteen  fifteen  four  five  fourteen — Fourteen  fifteen  five 
twelve — Not  to  be  taken  as  they  stand.  See  Rev.  13-18 — 
but  only  the  central  8  words  not  the  whole  passage — It  does 
not  do  to  be  clearer  under  existing  circumstances  .... 

"  H.S.  [in  monogram]  R.N.  [in  monogram]  June  ist  1881  (?) 
Surely  you  will  not  need  to  ask  about  that  .  .  .  ." 

The  script  of  March  nth  purports  to  come  from 
Professor  Sidgwick  ;  "  Nora  "  is  Mrs.  Sidgwick.  The 
date  is  that  of  the  death  of  his  friend,  the  poet  Roden 
Noel.  The  numbers  in  the  script  of  March  14th  con- 
stitute his  name  when  read  as  letters.  The  eight  central 
words  in  Revelation,  xiii.,  18,  are  "  for  it  is  the  number  of 
a  man."  H.S.  and  R.N.,  of  course,  stand  for  Henry 
Sidgwick  and  Roden  Noel.  The  date  has  found  no 
interpretation. 

Mrs.  Holland  had  recently,  before  March  nth,  in  the 
Westminster  Gazette  and  the  Daily  Chronicle,  read  two 
reviews  of  the  Memoir  of  Professor  Sidgwick  ;  one  of 
these  contained  extracts  from  a  letter  by  him  to  Frederic 
Myers,  which,  as  Miss  Johnson  points  out,  is  clearly  the 
basis  of  the  passage  in  the  script  that  the  writer  is  not 
animated  by  a  desire  to  share  his  knowledge  of  life  after 
death  with  the  living.  It  is,  then,  safe  to  assume  that 
the  reading  of  these  reviews  has  given  the  main  impulse 
to  the  script.  But  as  regards  Roden  Noel,  the  cause  must 
be  sought  elsewhere,  as  his  friendship  with  Professor 
Sidgwick,  though  mentioned  in  the  Memoir,  was  not 
alluded  to  in  the  reviews. 

The  Memoir  had  appeared  on  February  27th,  1906,  and 
Mrs.  Verrall  had  been  highly  interested  in  its  mention  of 
two  matters  which  seemed  to  have  been  referred  to  in  her 
own  script.  One  of  these  was  a  conversation  between 
Professor  Sidgwick  and  Sir  George  Trevelyan,  the  other 
was  his  opinion,  expressed  in  a  letter  to  Roden  Noel,  that 
hope  of  life  after  death  is  better  than  certainty.  In 
neither  of  the  two  cases,  however,  were  the  references  in 
her  script  congruent  with  the  facts  ;    in  all  probability 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  153 

they  were  due  to  cryptomnesia  ;  Mrs.  Verrall  might  very 
well  have  heard  the  utterances,  upon  which  her  script  is 
based,  from  the  living  Professor  Sidgwick.  While  her 
thoughts  were  occupied  with  this  matter,  she  automati- 
cally wrote  the  following  verse  : 

March  yth,  1906. 

"  Tintagel  and  the  sea  that  moaned  in  pain 

And  Arthur's  mount  uplifted  from  the  plain 

And  crowding  towers  of  quaint  fantastic  shape 

Ah  !  never  more  to  see 

The  ripples  dance 

Nor  hear  again  the  roar 

On  smitten  shore 

Where  the  huge  wave  rolls  on 

Amid  the  salt  and  savour  of  the  sea." 

The  verse  bears  much  resemblance  to  Roden  Noel's 
poem  Tintagel.  It  was  Miss  Johnson  who,  at  a  much 
later  date,  discovered  this  circumstance.  Mrs.  Verrall 
did  not  think  that  she  had  ever  read  the  poem,  and  Mrs. 
Holland,  who  saw  the  script  before  March  nth,  had  no 
conscious  thought  of  connecting  it  with  Roden  Noel ;  as 
far  as  she  remembered  she  had  only  read  a  few  of  his 
poems  in  a  collection  of  English  verse. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  it  seems  all  but  certain  that  Mrs. 
Holland  has  got  her  impression  about  him  either  from 
Mrs.  Verrall's  script,  by  means  of  subconscious  recognition 
of  his  verse,  or  else  supernormally  owing  to  her  co-experi- 
menter's preoccupation  with  him.  The  date  of  his  death 
is  probably  due  to  latent  memory  ;  it  is  mentioned  in  his 
Collected  Poems,  published  in  1902  ;  a  description  of  him 
in  her  script  of  March  28th,  and  divers  other  particulars, 
point  to  this  book,  which  contains  his  picture  ;  thus  it  is 
impossible  to  disregard  the  possibility  of  her  having  seen 
it  in  passing,  without  consciously  remembering.  That 
she  connects  him  with  Professor  Sidgwick  is,  however,  a 
circumstance  indicative  of  an  impression  received  from 
Mrs.  Verrall.  But  what  her  script  intimates  about 
similar  relations  to  Dr.  Verrall  and  Frederic  Myers  is 
imagination  ;    their  acquaintance  with  Roden  Noel  was 


154      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

slight,  and  the  date  of  his  death  could  not  mean  very 
much  to  them. 

As  regards  the  remark  referring  to  the  cryptogram  on 
March  14th  :  "It  does  not  do  to  be  clearer  under  existing 
circumstances,"  it  looks  as  if  the  automatist  played  at 
hide  and  seek  with  herself.  It  must  be  an  easy  matter  to 
see  what  the  numbers  stood  for.  As  will  be  seen  later, 
Miss  Johnson  took  the  corresponding  remark  in  the  Ave 
Roma  case  to  mean  that  Mrs,  VerraU  must  remain  ignorant 
of  the  meaning  of  her  own  script  to  prevent  her  from 
"  telepathing "  it  to  her  co-experimenter ;  but  it  is 
evident  that  a  similar  reason  cannot  in  this  case  be 
brought  forward  with  regard  to  Mrs.  Holland. 

4,    POSILIPO. 

March  21st,  1906,  10.10  p.m. 

"  M  [argaret]  saw  a  real  place  that  last  time  but  she  has 
never  seen  the  place  itself  and  did  not  describe  it  very  clearly." 

On  the  same  day  at  11  p.m.,  Mrs.  Verrall  wrote  : 

"  Posilippo  [sic]  and  a  terrace  there — blue  sea  beyond  the 
marble  balustrade.     No  I  can  see  no  more  here." 

As  far  as  this  cross-correspondence  is  more  than  a 
chance  coincidence,  it  presents  the  peculiarity  that  Mrs. 
Holland's  script  apparently  reflects  something  which  Mrs. 
Verrall  had  not  yet  written.  It  is  conceivable  that  the 
latter  has  before  the  production  of  her  script  had  a  sub- 
conscious impression  of  the  described  place,  and  that  it 
is  this  impression  which  has  influenced  Mrs.  Holland. 

Mrs.  Verrall  had  never  been  to  Posilipo  or  Naples.  On 
looking  in  a  guide-book,  she  found  that  there  were  views 
from  an  inn  and  a  terrace,  but  could  find  no  marble 
balustrade.  At  any  rate,  her  description  is  too  vague  for 
identification. 

5.  Fawcett. 

The  cross-correspondence  on  the  two  next  Wednesdays, 
on  March  28th  and  April  4th,  is  very  insignificant.  Mrs. 
Holland's  script  contained  on  both  occasions  allusions  to 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  155 

Henry  Fawcett,  the  blind  Postmaster-General,  no  doubt 
in  consequence  of  his  associations  with  Salisbury,  near 
which  town  she  was  then  staying.  Commingled  with 
these  were,  on  April  4th,  some  correct  details  connected 
with  Mrs.  Verrall's  relations  of  the  name  of  Fawcett. 
The  correspondence  with  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  is  confined 
to  the  circumstance  that  the  latter  had  on  March  20th 
obtained  in  planchette-writing  what  she  took  to  be 
allusions  to  members  of  that  family  ;  Mrs.  Holland  knew, 
however,  that  Fawcett  was  the  name  of  her  mother's 
cousin.  The  only  possibly  supernormal  thing  is  therefore 
the  said  details  :  "  F.  a  blue  jewel — set  in  a  ring — or  else 
in  a  brooch ;  "  that  may  refer  to  a  brooch  with  a  blue  stone 
which  Mrs.  Verrall's  sister  Fanny  had  inherited  from  a 
Mrs.  Fawcett.  The  remark  was  followed  by  a  reference 
to  Mrs.  Verrall :  "  Tell  Margaret  not  to  loose  another 
earring." 

6.  Eheu  Fugaces. 

April  nth,  igo6,  11.30  p.m. 

"  A  great  black  shadow  and  the  sound  of  a  wailing  wind — 
Eheu  fugaces." 

Half  an  hour  earlier  Mrs.  Verrall  had  written  : 

"  Bells  and  a  whip,  and  snow  upon  the  ground  bright 
sunshine  and  hard  frost — they  drive  together  over  frozen 
roads.  I  see  their  backs  only,  fair  hair  under  the  cap.  Maloja 
or  near  the  Maloja.  7  years  ago  Something  fluttered  and  was 
gone — and  the  black  bat  night  has  flown 

"  That  has  been  repeated — There  is  an  effort  to  have  the 
same  words  this  time.     On  bat's  wings  rides  Queen  Mab." 

The  few  lines  in  Mrs.  Holland's  script  may  perhaps  be 
said  to  reproduce  the  ideas  from  that  of  Mrs.  Verrall — 
the  black  shadow  corresponds  to  the  latter  part  of  her 
script,  the  famous  Horatian  words  to  the  description  of 
the  flight.  That  there  are  two  coincidences  makes  it 
less  possible  to  ascribe  them  to  chance.  Moreover,  it  is 
perhaps  in  this  case  as  in  that  of  Ave  Roma  the  thought 
of  Mrs.  Verrall  that  makes  Mrs.  Holland,  who  is  no 
Latinist,    quote   familiar   phrases    from    that   language. 


156      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

But  this  cannot  be  ascribed  to  a  supernormal  impression, 
as  Mrs.  Holland  was  at  that  time  no  longer  in  ignorance 
about  her  co-operator. 

In  June,  1906,  Mrs.  Holland  departed  for  India,  but 
continued  by  appointment  as  far  as  possible  to  try  for 
automatic  script  every  Wednesday,  while  Mrs.  Verrall 
on  her  side^did  the  same.  As  regards  Mrs.  Holland,  the 
first  two  cross-correspondences  occurred,  however,  in 
script  that  had  been  produced  on  other  days  of  the  week. 
A  few  times  in  the  period  to  be  dealt  with  in  the  sequel, 
June — October,  1906,  Mrs.  Holland's  script  reflects  as 
in  the  preceding  spring  something  that  had  beforehand 
appeared  in  that  of  Mrs.  Verrall ;  once  it  seems  due  to  an 
impression  from  Miss  Helen  Verrall,  who  also  wrote 
automatically.  But  at  any  rate  in  two  cases  it  was 
Mrs.  Holland's  script  that  came  first.  Here  they  will  be 
quoted  with  her  script  first  in  all  cases : 

7.  Janiculum. 

June  24th,  1906  {Sunday). 

"  The  jagged  outline  of  the  Janiculum  black  against  the 
sunset  sky.     The  final  renouncement  of  the  summit  of  belief 

To  you  the  half  and  .  .  .  tion  of  the  sentence — the  sense 

to  be  revealed."     ^ 

On  Wednesday,  June  20th,  Mrs.  Verrall,  who  was  then 
staying  in  Switzerland,  had  written  as  follows  : 

"  Sun  on  high  summits — mist  veils — then  reveals  the  great 
Eternities.     The  twin  Eternities  afar. 

"  The  upstanding  white  majestic  dome 
On  buttress  borne  on  high 
The  cloudcapped  towers  of  royal  Rome 
Against  the  Italian  sky. 
"  But  I  have  not  made  her  see  the  point  of  union  between 
the  mountain  and  St.  Peter's  rock.     Upon  this  rock  Super 
hanc  petram  Leave  it  now." 

"  The  jagged  outline  of  the  Janiculum  black  against 
the  sunset  sky  "  seems  a  very  clear  reflex  of  Mrs.  Verrall's 
"  cloudcapped  towers  of  royal  Rome  against  the  Italian 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  157 

sky."  That  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  is  influenced  by  her 
surroundings — "  partly  inspired  by  the  scenery  of  her 
surroundings,"  Miss  Johnson  admits — can  hardly  be 
disputed. 

The  peculiar  allusions  in  both  scripts  to  the  co-operation 
of  the  other  are  connected  with  a  theory  of  Miss  Johnson's 
which  will  be  mentioned  below.  There  is  nothing  super- 
normal in  them,  and  nothing  remarkable  in  their  appear- 
ance through  both  automatists,  seeing  that  Miss  Johnson 
had  communicated  her  idea  to  both  before  Mrs.  Holland's 
departure  for  India. 

8.  Yellow. 

August  6th,  1906  {Monday). 
"  y  e  1  o  [scribbles] 
"  yellow  ivory." 

These  words  were  written  towards  the  end  of  a  long 
piece  of  script  and  marked  off  from  the  rest  by  a  space 
and  a  change  in  the  handwriting.  On  Wednesday, 
August  8th,  Mrs.  Verrall  wrote  : 

"  I  have  done  it  to  night  y  yellow  is  the  written  word 
yellow 
yellow 
"  Say  only  yellow  " 

This  case  differs  in  several  points  from  all  earlier  ones. 
Mrs.  Holland's  script  comes  first,  but  is  unconnected 
with  what  goes  before,  and  cannot  be  traced  back  to  her 
surroundings  or  train  of  thought,  as  was  most  often  the 
case  with  that  of  Mrs.  Verrall,  Furthermore,  the  cross- 
correspondence  is  this  time  quite  undeniable.  One 
script  is  not  a  reflex  of  the  other,  but  both  give  exactly 
the  same,  though  not  more  than  a  single  word. 

Simultaneously  with  her  mother,  and  sitting  in  the 
same  room.  Miss  Helen  Verrall  wrote  : 

"  Camomile  and  resin  the  prescription  is  old  on  yellow  paper 
in  a  box  with  a  sweet  scent." 


158       COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

9.  Franz  Joseph. 

September  12th,  igo6. 

"  Franz  Joseph— Sept  13th  to  25th — a  rally  on  the  21st 
followed  by  a  complete  and  unlooked  for  collapse — Hepatic 
complications — ' ' 

This  time  it  was  once  more  Mrs.  Holland's  script  that 
came  first ;  but  the  cause  of  it  was  quite  evidently  the 
circumstance  that  she  had  on  the  same  day  read  in  a 
paper  about  the  illness  of  the  Emperor  Franz  Joseph. 
On  September  20th  Mrs.  Verrall,  who  had  been  unable  to 
write  on  Wednesday,  September  19th,  wrote  with  her 
attention  fixed  upon  Mrs.  Holland  as  follows  : 

"  Now  say  this  Mrs.  [Holland]  had  the  warning  more  than 

a  week  ago  but  may  not  have  understood  what  was  meant 

surely  there  was  a  note  of  the  day  Sept.  21 — or  21st  of  some 
month  was  named. 

"  But  there  is  another  message  now  for  you Hildesheim, 

Klosterli  that  is  not  right  but  it  is  a  German name  that 

is  wanted  .  .  .  Hildesbruder  is  more  like  Sept.  21  is  a  date 
something  has  been  hindered  for  this  day " 

It  can  hardly  be  doubted  that  this  script  is  due  to  a 
supernormal  impression  of  Mrs.  Holland's  script  of 
September  12th  ;  there  are  correspondences  both  with 
regard  to  "  the  warning,"  the  date  September  21st,  and 
the  German  name ;  "  Hildesbruder "  is  perhaps  an 
attempt  at  Hapsburger.  That  Mrs.  Holland  had  the 
warning  "  more  than  a  week  ago  "  {i.e.,  on  the  preceding 
Wednesday  ?)  is  probably  a  subconscious  guess.  It 
turned  out,  however,  to  be  nothing  supernormal  in  this 
warning  ;  September  21st  brought  neither  a  rally  nor  a 
collapse,  nor  anything  remarkable  at  all.  Mrs.  VerralFs 
impression  originated  from  a  fancy  of  Mrs.  Holland's. 

10.  Monks. 

October  8th,  1906  {Monday). 

"  Ask  his  daughter  about  the  dream — Grey  monks  of  long 
ago—" 

In  this  case  it  seems  to  be  from  Miss  Helen  Verrall  that 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  159 

Mrs.  Holland  had  received  an  impression.     The  former 
had  on  October  6th,  away  from  home,  written  as  follows  : 

"  Remember  the  word  and  the  date.  Carthusians  two  and 
two  the  long  black  robes  and  the  candles  and  the  images  the 
bright  sun  and  the  gaping  crowd  she  will  remem.ber " 

It  is  true  that  she  speaks  of  black  robes,  and  of  Car- 
thusians that  are  white  ;  thus  the  correspondence  with 
Mrs.  Holland's  grey  monks  is  not  very  exact.  But  the 
words,  "  Ask  his  daughter,"  by  whom  Mrs.  Holland 
doubtless  means  Dr.  Verrall's  daughter,  indicate  that  she 
subconsciously  feels  that  the  impression  emanates  from 
Miss  Verrall,  Of  course,  Mrs.  Holland  knew  that  she 
was  an  automatic  writer. 

On  Wednesday,  October  loth,  Mrs.  Verrall,  without 
having  seen  her  daughter's  script,  wrote  : 

"  See  Savonarola  all  wrapped  in  black  in  threes  and  threes 
they  entered  till  the  place  was  full " 

This,  too,  seems  a  reflex  from  Miss  Verrall's  description, 
the  original  of  which  is  perhaps  a  procession  with  Savo- 
narola, described  in  Romola. 

II.  Procession. 
October  lyth,  igo6. 

"  The  men  with  staves  head  the  procession — the  lictors — 
About  half  way  comes  the  litter — too  heavy  for  the  slaves 
that  bear  it — Garlands — but  not  of  triumph 

"  The  noonday  sun  has  dimmed  the  torches  flare." 

On  Wednesday,  October  3rd,  Mrs.  Verrall  had  written 
the  following  script,  evidently  owing  to  the  two  circum- 
stances that  the  husband  of  Mrs.  Forbes  was  buried  on 
the  same  day  at  midday,  as  she  knew,  and  that  she  was 
herself  much  occupied  by  the  arrangement  of  the  proces- 
sion in  the  EumenidcB,  which  was  to  be  played  by  students 
in  Cambridge  : 

"  The  sun  shone  in  the  north  at  midday.  [In  Greek  .•]  Sing 
songs  of  good  omen,  all  of  you.  [In  English  ;]  The  propomps 
wave  their  torches 

"  Perishing  Mke  the  grass  which  to-day  is  and  to-morrow 
is  not." 


i6o       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

The  Greek  burden,  as  well  as  the  term  "  propomps," 
are  from  the  EumenidcB. 

It  is  interesting  to  see  that  Mrs.  Holland  in  her  script 
has  caught  both  impressions  from  Mrs.  Verrall  :  her  pro- 
cession seems  a  funeral  procession.  Even  the  allusion  to 
the  time  of  day  has  been  reflected  :  "  the  noonday  sun 
has  dimmed  the  torches  flare." 

12.  Blue  Flower. 

October  24th,  1906. 

"  [Drawing  of  a  flower]  The  Blue  Flower." 

This  was  written  in  a  line  by  itself  and  in  a  rather 
peculiar  hand.     On  the  same  day  Mrs.  Verrall  wrote  : 

"  The  blue  is  to  be  preferred    Blue  is  her  colour 

"  Where  others  see  the  flowers  blue 

"  the  misty  blue  veiled  flower.     Let  him  that  has  eyes  see." 

There  is  some  resemblance  between  this  cross-corre- 
spondence and  that  of  yellow,  and  both  of  them  are  different 
from  all  the  rest.  One  script  is  not  a  vague  reflex  of  the 
other,  but  they  give  both  clearly  the  same  word  or 
words. 

The  above  cross-correspondences  undoubtedly  prove 
that  the  faculty  of  the  two  automatists  to  receive  impres- 
sions from  each  other  had  reached  a  considerable  height. 
There  was  some  difference  between  them  ;  Mrs.  HoUand 
seemed  to  be  the  best  percipient ;  at  any  rate,  the  corre- 
spondences were  more  often  due  to  her  obtaining  an  impres- 
sion from  Mrs.  Verrall  than  the  reverse  ;  but  this  is  only 
a  difference  in  degree,  and  not  in  kind.  The  Franz 
Joseph  case,  for  instance,  proves  that  Mrs.  Verrall  possesses 
the  same  faculty. 

Miss  Johnson,  however,  saw  in  these  correspondences 
something  far  more  important  than  a  proof  of  supernormal 
human  faculty.  In  every  single  case,  to  be  sure,  she  saw 
clearly  what  might  be  alleged  in  favour  of  the  latter 
conception ;  in  the  Ave  Roma  case,  for  instance,  she  did 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  i6i 

not  consider  it  impossible  that  Mrs.  Holland  might  have 
received  the  idea  telepathically  from  Dr.  Verrall,  as  in 
other  cases  from  Mrs.  Verrall  herself.  But  she  rejected 
this  conception  because  she  discerned  behind  the  in- 
dividual cross-correspondences  a  common  plan  which  it 
seemed  impossible  to  ascribe  to  any  of  the  automatists. 
She  had  been  much  struck  by  the  circumstance  that  the 
corresponding  scripts  did  not  simply  reproduce  but,  as  it 
were,  completed  each  other.  When  Mrs.  Verrall  quoted 
from  Agamemnon,  Mrs.  Holland  wrote  :  "  not  in  the 
Electra,"  When  one  alluded  to  Pope  Leo's  meeting  with 
Attila,  the  other  exclaimed  :  "  Ave  Roma  immortalis." 
Mrs.  Verrall  imitates  Roden  Noel's  Tintagel,  Mrs.  Holland 
produces  in  a  cryptogram  the  name  of  the  poet.  Mrs. 
Verrall  describes  a  flight,  Mrs.  Holland  ejaculates : 
"  Eheu  fugaces  !  "  Miss  Johnson  thought  it  possible 
that  she  had  found  the  clue  to  this  phenomenon.  The 
occurrence  of  the  same  word  or  the  same  phrase  in  both 
scripts  might,  she  argued,  be  explained  by  telepathy  from 
one  automatist  to  the  other  ;  but  it  would  be  much  more 
difficult  to  suppose  that  the  perception  of  one  fragment 
could  lead  to  the  production  of  another  fragment  which 
could  only  "  after  careful  comparison  be  seen  to  be  related 
to  the  first."  So  the  plan  of  complementary  correspon- 
dences had  been  invented  ;  by  this  method  the  automa- 
tists were  prevented  from  communicating  telepathically 
with  each  other,  and  the  experimenters  from  thinking 
that  they  did  so.  But  such  a  plan  must  needs  be  an 
element  imported  from  outside  ;  its  existence  proved  that 
of  the  controls. 

Against  this  hypothesis  important  objections  have  long 
ago  been  raised.  Thus  Professor  A.  C,  Pigou,^  pointing 
among  other  things  to  the  parallel  of  Dr.  Verrall's  Greek 
experiment,  has  contended  that  the  apparent  complemen- 
tariness  of  the  cross-correspondences  is  owing,  so  to  speak, 
to  shots  that  have  not  hit  the  mark.     "  If  we  compare 

1  "  Psychical  Research  and  Survival  after  Bodily  DQdith.,"  Proceedings 
S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXIII.,  pp.  286—303. 

CD.  M 


i62      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

the  word  aimed  at  to  the  bull  of  a  target,"  he  says,  "  it  is 
in  a  high  degree  probable  that  attempts  to  hit  the  bull 
would  result  in  shots  scattered  widely  round  it."  Thus 
it  had  fared  with  Dr.  Verrall's  sentence  ;  in  spite  of  the 
many  attempts,  the  "  one-horse  dawn "  was  never 
attained.  Similarly,  Miss  Miles's  thought  of  Sphinx  had 
produced  Luxor  in  Egypt  instead.  "  Mildly  complemen- 
tary correspondences  are  likely  to  result  from  attempts  at 
simple  correspondences." 

Professor  Pigou  is  no  doubt  right  as  regards  his  simile. 
When  Mrs.  Verrall,  under  the  influence  of  her  husband, 
wrote  cock  instead  of  dawn,  or  when  Miss  Ramsden 
obtained  the  impression  of  an  orange,  while  Miss  Miles 
thought  of  a  lamp-globe  like  a  fire-ball,  the  result  may  be 
compared  to  that  of  a  bad  shot.  But  the  application  of 
the  simile  to  the  cross-correspondences  between  Mrs. 
Verrall  and  Mrs.  Holland  is  not  fully  justifiable.  In 
Dr.  Verrall's  experiment  there  was  an  outside  intelligence 
at  work.  The  cross-correspondences  between  his  wife 
and  Mrs.  Holland  could  only  be  compared  to  that  case  if 
one  of  the  automatists  had  purposely  tried  to  influence 
the  other.  Such  attempts  had  been  made  in  1905,  but 
with  no  result  whatever.  In  the  above  quoted  experi- 
ments both  parts^were  without  conscious  influence  on  the 
production  of  the  script  of  her  co-operator.  The  com- 
parison with  the  bad  shot  halts,  because  there  is  no  one 
who  shoots. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  is  an  undeniable  resemblance 
between  the  faculty  of  Mrs.  Verrall  and  Mrs.  Holland  to 
produce  "  complementary  correspondences,"  and  that 
displayed  by  the  former  during  her  husband's  experiment 
to  perceive  things  which  he  had  not  intended  to  transmit. 
No  doubt  his  attempt  to  influence  her  had  created  a 
special  receptiveness  in  her  with  regard  to  him,  and  like- 
wise it  is  probable  that  the  constant  experimenting  made 
Mrs.  Verrall  and  Mrs.  Holland  specially  sensitive  towards 
each  other.  This,  however,  only  means  that  they  were 
in  rapport,  or  touch,  with  each  other.     But  Professor 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  163 

Pigou's  simile  may  apply  to  the  resulting  correspondences 
as  far  as  there  was,  of  course,  a  greater  chance  of  catching 
an  impression  of  something  or  other  in  the  script  of  the  co- 
operator,  or  of  her  doings  and  surroundings,  than  there 
would  be  of  reproducing  a  particular  word,  or  of  mention- 
ing particular  things.  To  obtain  through  the  plan  of 
complementary  correspondences  that  which  Miss  Johnson 
had  in  mind,  its  execution  must  in  fact  hit  some  bull. 
The  correspondence  ought,  for  instance,  to  consist  in  each 
automatist  writing  fragments  of  a  sentence  which  could 
only  be  comprehended  when  brought  together.  The 
relation  of  the  two  scripts  to  each  other  ought  not  to  be  so 
distant  that  it  could  only,  as  Miss  Johnson  writes,  be  seen 
after  careful  comparison.  So  vague  a  correspondence  is 
not  complementary,  but  simply  the  result  of  the  vagueness 
of  the  impression. 

A  concurrent  reason  for  Miss  Johnson,  when  shaping 
her  theory  on  cross-correspondences,  was,  however,  the 
circumstance  that  the  writings  themselves  seemed,  in  her 
opinion,  to  point  to  it.  From  the  beginning  Mrs.  Verrall's 
script  had  contained  allusions  to  its  own  incompleteness 
and  mysteriousness.  Sometimes  it  had  referred  to  Mrs. 
Forbes  as  the  one  who  ought  to  complete  it — "  fill  the 
gaps  "  as  it  was  once  called — and  the  products  of  this  lady 
had  in  fact  contained  things  that  corresponded  to  those 
of  Mrs.  Verrall.  In  Mrs.  Holland's  script,  too,  allusions 
to  the  desirability  of  a  co-operator  occurred  at  an  early 
date.  At  the  same  time  it  says  that  "  thought-trans- 
ference would  make  another  difficulty,"  and  by  so  saying 
"  recognizes  that  what  is  desired  is  to  transcend  telepathy 
between  the  living."  Against  this  background  is,  in  Miss 
Johnson's  opinion,  the  series  of  cross-correspondences 
between  Mrs.  Verrall  and  Mrs.  Holland  to  be  seen.  But, 
above  all,  utterances  that  indicate  a  plan  are  connected 
with  the  correspondences  themselves.  The  necessity  of 
secretiveness  is  alluded  to  when  it  is  said  for  instance  in 
the  Ave  Roma  case  :  "  How  could  I  make  it  any  clearer 
without  giving  her  the  clue  ?  "     And  in  a  great  many 

M  2 


i64       COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

cases  the  cross-correspondence  is  accompanied  by  some 
remark  that  calls  the  attention  to  its  being  a  cross- 
correspondence — so  to  speak  signalizes  it  as  such  a  one. 
It  is  quite  impossible,  Miss  Johnson  argues,  that  the 
automatists  themselves,  while  writing,  could  suspect  this, 
and  she  regards  it  perhaps  as  the  most  decisive  reason  for 
assuming  the  co-operation  ot  an  outside  intelligence. 

On  closer  inspection,  Miss  Johnson's  chain  of  argument 
is,  however,  hardly  strong  enough  to  hold  her  theory. 

The  script  of  Mrs.  Verrall,  no  doubt,  especially  in  the 
beginning,  contained  a  great  many  remarks  about  its  own 
incompleteness ;  there  is  much  talk  about  "  weaving 
together,"  and  "  superposing  one  thing  on  another  to 
make  the  meaning  clear  "  ;  one  piece  of  writing  does  not 
in  itself  suffice.  But  all  these  utterances  refer  to  Mrs. 
Verrall  herself  ;  it  is  her  own  script  which  is  b3^  and  by  to 
supply  what  is  wanting.  "  Oh,  if  you  cannot  weave 
together  pertinaciously,  write  all  you  know,"  it  says  on 
March  2ist,  1901  ;  and  on  March  28th  :  "  What  you  have 
done  is  always  dissociated  ;  improve  it  by  denying  folds, 
weave  together,  weave  together  always "  ;  "to  one 
superposing  certain  things  on  certain  things,  everything 
is  clear  "  (March  31st)  ;  "  why  do  you  not  superpose  all 
in  a  bundle  and  perceive  the  truth  "  (April  4th).  That  it 
is  not  the  co-operation  of  another  person  that  is  meant,  is 
accentuated  when  it  is  said  on  March  8th,  1901  :  "  Some 
day  a  later  part  will  come,  yours  [ulterior  veniet  pars  tua], 
and  the  final  explanation  will  commend  itself  to  you." 
And  far  later  still,  on  July  nth,  1905,  it  runs  :  "  A  broken 
thread  can  you  not  mend  and  the  scattered  fragments 
place  to  perfection  you  ought  to  unite  the  parts."  The 
last  phrase  is  in  Latin,  and  the  singular  number,  debes, 
proves  that  it  is  Mrs.  Verrall  alone  who  is  addressed.  It 
is  the  subconscious  sensation  of  the  fragmentariness  of  the 
productions  that  underlies  all  these  exclamations. 

In  a  similar  manner,  it  is  the  sensation  of  the 
mysteriousness  of  the  script  that  finds  vent  in  the  per- 
petual talk  about  "  clues,"  or  in  utterings  like  the  follow- 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  165 

ing  :  "  Explanation  is  at  hand  for  you  and  some  one 
else  "  (August  i6th,  1901)  ;  "  in  mysteries  I  weave 
riddles  for  you  and  certain  others  for  whom  it  is  right  " 
(September  28th,  igoi).  These  two  phrases  no  doubt 
allude  to  Dr.  Verrall,  and  in  the  latter  at  least  there  is 
nothing  supernormal,  seeing  that  he  had  at  this  point 
given  his  wife  cause  to  believe  that  he  was  at  the  bottom 
of  some  of  the  riddles. 

In  the  meantime,  Mrs.  Verrall  had  very  soon  got  a  co- 
operator  in  Mrs.  Forbes.  The  consequence  hereof  was 
for  one  thing  this,  that  her  script  was  filled  with  allusions 
to  her,  and  amongst  these  were,  as  just  mentioned, 
several  that  foretold  that  her  writings  would  complete 
Mrs.  Verrall's  own  productions.  They  were  often  clear 
enough,  as  when  it  is  said  :  "  It  is  not  wholly  right ;  try 
to  understand.  Mrs.  Forbes  has  the  other  words — piece 
together.  Add  hers  to  yours  "  (October  27th,  1902),  or  : 
"  You  have  not  understood  all — try  further.  She  has 
had  some  words  incomplete  to  be  added  to  and  pieced  and 
make  the  clue  "  (October  31st,  1902).  No  doubt  it  was 
also  here  the  feeling  of  the  script's  own  incompleteness 
that  found  expression.  There  is  nothing  that  indicates 
that  Mrs.  Verrall,  consciously  or  subconsciously,  had 
comprehended  the  advantages  of  a  complementary 
correspondence.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  Mrs.  Forbes's 
writings  did  not  in  the  above  cases  contain  anything 
whatever  of  that  which  the  utterances  in  Mrs.  Verrall's 
script  must  make  her  expect.  And,  as  regards  the 
veridical  allusions  to  her  doings  and  surroundings  which 
Mrs.  Forbes's  writings  did  contain,  we  have  seen,  for 
instance,  through  the  Symposium  case,  that  a  supernormal 
faculty  of  obtaining  impressions  is  the  one  possible 
interpretation  of  the  phenomenon. 

The  next  point  of  support  of  Miss  Johnson's  theory  were 
divers  remarks  in  Mrs.  Holland's  early  script.  They 
referred  mostly  to  the  loneliness  of  the  automatist ;  "  one 
person  alone  does  so  little  "  ;  "  the  agent  [i.e.,  Mrs. 
Holland)  is  all  alone  and  that  makes  it  hard,"  and  the 


i66      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

like.  They  are  easily  explained  by  the  fact  that  Mrs. 
Holland,  during  her  sojourn  in  India,  had  no  one  to  whom 
she  could  or  would  speak  about  her  interest  in  psychical 
subjects.  As  to  the  utterance  about  thought-transference 
quoted  above,  it  is  so  evident  a  result  of  Mrs,  Holland's 
own  reflections,  that  it  cannot  claim  any  consideration 
at  all. 

In  fact,  ^it  is  the  remarks  connected  with  the  cross- 
correspondences  in  the  scripts  of  the  two  automatists  in 
1906  that  have  given  birth  to  the  theory,  and  on  which 
Miss  Johnson  is  really  resting  it.  That  the  cross-corre- 
spondence is  announced  by  a  kind  of  signal,  accompanying 
those  words  of  the  script  that  correspond  to  the  other 
script,  might  indeed  look  like  a  remarkable  circumstance. 
But  a  closer  examination  of  the  signals  will  reduce  their 
importance  very  much. 

There  are,  firstly,  some  cases  where  "  the  signal  "  is  so 
much  a  part  of  the  cross-correspondence  that  there 
would  not  be  any  cross-correspondence  at  all  without  it, 
"  Not  in  the  Electra  "  could  hardly  be  connected  with 
a  quotation  from  ^schylus'  Agamemnon,  if  Mrs.  Holland's 
script  had  not  added  :  "  M.  will  know  better  "  ;  in  the 
Fawcett  case  the  slender  possibility  of  "  F."  representing 
the  sister  of  Mrs.^Verrall  rests  on  the  subsequent  mention 
of  "  Margaret  "  ;  nay,  the  Posilipo  cross-correspondence 
consists  in  Mrs.  Holland  writing  :  "  M.  saw  a  real  place." 
In  these  cases,  then,  Mrs.  Verrall  is,  so  to  speak,  a  part  of 
the  impression  obtained  by  Mrs.  Holland.  The  same 
must  be  said  of  Miss  Helen  Verrall  when  Mrs.  Holland, 
on  October  8th,  1906,  writes  :  "  Ask  his  daughter  about 
the  dream."  As  to  Miss  Verrall  writing  in  the  same 
cross-correspondence  :  "  Remember  the  word  and  the 
date,"  it  is  evidently  the  outcome  of  the  tendency  to 
mysticism  which  is  characteristic  of  the  automatists 
generally ;  in  themselves  these  words  have  not  the 
slightest  meaning.  The  same  applies,  as  shown  above, 
to  the  signal  in  Mrs.  Holland's  script  accompanying  the 
cryptogram  on  Roden  Noel's  name  ;    "It  does  not  do 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  167 

to  be  clearer  under  existing  circumstances  "  ;  as  it  is 
only  during  the  writing  that  the  automatist  need  be 
mystified,  the  remark  is  quite  meaningless.  Moreover, 
Mrs.  Verrall's  Roden  Noel  script  preceded  Mrs.  Holland's  ; 
thus  it  was  wholly  superfluous  to  prevent  the  latter 
from  "  telepathing  "  to  her. 

The  Ave  Roma  case  has  also  been  spoken  of  before.  As 
a  signal,  the  exclamation  in  Mrs.  Holland's  script :  "  How 
could  I  make  it  any  clearer  without  giving  her  the  clue  ?  " 
is  decidedly  the  clearest  among  them  all.  But  as  the 
cross-correspondence  to  which  it  belongs  can  be  shown 
to  have  a  human  source,  that  reason  alone  makes  it 
unfit  for  supporting  Miss  Johnson's  theory. 

In  the  Franz  Joseph  case  the  signal :  "  Mrs.  Holland 
had  the  warning,"  is  part  of  the  impression  itself,  and  the 
source,  as  in  the  preceding  one,  is  demonstrably  human. 

In  the  Procession  case  there  is  no  signal.  There  remain, 
besides  the  Janiciilum  case,  which  will  be  spoken  about 
below,  a  few  cases  that  speak  directly  against  the  theory 
of  complementary  correspondences.  On  April  nth, 
igo6,  Mrs.  Verrall  wrote  :  "  There  is  an  effort  to  have 
the  same  words  this  time."  If  this  is  a  signal,  it  must 
allude  to  Mrs.  Holland's  script ;  but  she  gave  just  on 
this  occasion,  with  the  words  "  Eheu  fugaces,"  what 
Miss  Johnson  characterizes  as  an  "  apt  paraphrase  "  of 
the  idea  expressed  by  Mrs.  Verrall.  To  signalize  a 
complementary  correspondence  by  announcing  that  the 
same  words  would  appear  in  the  script  of  the  co-operator 
would  certainly  be  strange.  But,  moreover,  there  are 
the  two  cases  where  the  same  thing  really  appeared  in 
both  scripts,  viz.,  "yellow"  and  "blue  flower."  Here 
it  would  seem  that  the  signal  was  superfluous,  as  the 
correspondence  is  evident ;  nevertheless  Mrs.  Verrall 
writes  in  one  case  :  "let  him  that  has  eyes  see,"  which 
in  the  opinion  of  Miss  Johnson  must  be  a  very  clear 
announcement  of  a  complementary  correspondence  ;  in 
the  other  case  the  script  even  exclaims,  apparently  with 
a  special  triumph  :   "I  have  done  it  to-night !  " 


i68       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

The  inspection  of  the  signals  thus  shows  that  their 
value  for  Miss  Johnson's  theory  is  somewhat  dubious. 
Besides,  when  judging  them  it  must  not  be  overlooked 
that  Mrs.  Vcrrall  and  Mrs.  Holland  were  themselves 
very  eager  to  produce  cross-correspondences.  Under  the 
experimenting  in  the  spring  of  1906  their  hope  was 
directed  to  obtaining  the  same  words  :  "I  can't  be 
content  till  we  get  the  same  message,"  Mrs.  Holland 
wrote  on  April  12th  to  Miss  Johnson;  and  in  Mrs. 
Verrall's  script  of  February  19th  the  same  hope  had 
found  expression.^  But  after  the  completion  of  the  said 
series  of  experiments,  the  theory  of  complementary 
correspondences  was  shaped  by  Miss  Johnson,  and  soon 
afterwards  she  mentioned  it^  to  both  automatists.  In 
the  following  June  it  is  said  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  script : 
"  I  have  not  made  her  see  the  point  of  union,"  and  in 
that  of  Mrs.  Holland  :  "  To  you  the  half— the  sense  to 
be  revealed."  Is  it  possible  to  doubt  that  this  is  a  result 
of  Miss  Johnson's  communication  ?  Of  course,  it  could 
not  produce  the  "complementary  correspondences" — 
the  cause  of  their  occurrence  has  been  spoken  of  before — 
but  that  it  is  responsible  at  least  for  this  "  signal  " 
seems  indisputable.  And  it  is  surely  legitimate  from 
thence  to  draw  the^  conclusion  that  most  of  these  allusions 
had  an  equally  normal  origin,  namely,  the  desire  of  the 
automatists  that  their  scripts  would  correspond.  The 
only  supernormal  element  was,  now  and  again,  a  sub- 
conscious sensation  in  the  automatist  that  the  impres- 
sion she  had  received  was  connected  with  her  co-operator. 
Seeing  that  they  had  for  a  long  time  been  experimenting 
together,  this  was  hardly  as  remarkable  as  had  been 
Mrs.  Verrall's  subconscious  perception  that  it  was  her 
husband  who  influenced  her. 

Miss  Johnson's  argument,  then,  cannot  invalidate  the 
conception  which  the  examination  of  the  cross-corre- 
spondences themselves  resulted  in.     The  phenomenon  is 

1  Cf.  above,  p.  147. 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  169 

not  so  mysterious  as  it  appeared  to  Miss  Johnson.  She 
thought  it  even  possible  that  the  objection  might  be 
raised  against  her  theory  that  the  plan  might  be  "  a 
subliminal  invention  of  Mrs.  Verrall's,  since  it  is  on  her 
script  that  the  hypothesis  is  chiefly  based."  I  doubt 
that  there  is  any  analogy  for  the  assumption  of  sub- 
liminal plans  ;  but  all  cause  for  such  an  assumption 
vanishes,  of  course,  where  it  is  impossible  to  discover 
any  plan.  One  automatist,  most  often  Mrs.  Holland, 
obtained  impressions  about  the  other,  perhaps  less  about 
her  script  than  about  the  occurrences  which,  with  or 
without  her  knowledge,  had  occasioned  the  script,  just  as 
she  caught  at  the  same  time  or  at  other  times  impressions 
of  circumstances  in  the  other's  life  which  had  not  left  any 
trace  in  her  script.  This  is  the  simple  explanation  of 
the  complementary  correspondences — a  systematized 
"  reading  off "  of  impressions,  which  only  because  it 
took  place  while  the  percipient  was  writing  automatically 
differs  from  that  of  Miss  Ramsden  and  other  sensitives 
experimenting  in  a  conscious  state. 

The  inspection  of  Mrs.  Verrall's  and  Mrs.  Holland's 
performances  until  the  autumn  of  1906  has  shown  that 
both  of  them  in  a  marked  degree  possessed  faculties  that 
must  be  called  supernormal.  As  good  as  all  the  cate- 
gories enumerated  above  as  constituting  "  the  super- 
normal powers  of  man,"  are  represented  by  one  or  the 
other  of  them.  At  the  same  time,  they  illustrate  well 
the  truth  of  an  often  advanced  statement,  that  no  medium 
is  like  another.  In  several  respects  Mrs.  Holland  appears 
to  be  the  most  mediumistic  ;  she  "  sees  "  more  than 
Mrs.  Verrall,  she  seems  more  liable  to  become  entranced, 
and  she  is  indisputably  more  able  to  obtain  impressions 
about  Mrs.  Verrall  than  vice-versa.  In  return,  Mrs. 
Verrall  is  foresighted,  which  at  a  first  glance  seems  to 
indicate  a  very  high  degree  of  supernormal  faculty,  and 
which  Mrs.  Holland,  judging  by  the  reports,  is  not.  On 
the  other  hand,  prevision,  at  least  in  dreams,  is  perhaps 


170       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

just  that  supernormal  power  which  most  often  occurs  in 
people  who  are  not  otherwise  mediumistic. 

The  great  difference  between  the  psychics  whom  we 
heard  of  in  the  chapters  dealing  with  telepathy  and  clair- 
voyance, and  those  with  whom  we  have  become  acquainted 
in  the  two  following  sections,  Mrs,  Verrall,  Mrs,  Holland, 
and  in  a  less  degree  Mrs,  Forbes  and  Miss  Verrall,  is, 
however,  that  the  last  mentioned  are  all  of  them  automatic 
writers.  The  consequences  hereof  are  great.  In  that 
state  of  unconsciousness  with  regard  to  the  things  pro- 
duced which  characterizes  automatism,  imagination  begins 
its  work  ;  what  it  is  able  to  perform,  all  of  us  know  from 
our  dreams,  which  can  be  more  fanciful  than  anything  we 
are  capable  of  creating  in  a  waking  state,  and  at  the  same 
time,  because  the  control  of  reason  is  wanting,  are  in- 
coherent and  nonsensical.  What  the  automatic  writing 
effects  is,  above  all,  to  fix  the  subconscious,  dream-like 
ideas  to  the  paper.  But  the  material  out  of  which  the 
writer  shapes  his  fabrications  is  richer  than  the  conscious 
contents  of  the  same  individual ;  subconscious  memory 
encompasses  a  territory  that  reaches  far  beyond  that  of 
the  waking  self.  On  this  point,  too,  the  automatic  per- 
formances must  needs  differ  from  those  of  the  conscious 
sensitives  ;  cryptomnesia  of  course  presupposes  uncon- 
sciousness. 

Thus  it  is  clear  that  it  is  not  the  possession  of  super- 
normal faculties  that  makes  the  boundary  line  between 
automatists  and  those  sensitives  who  in  a  conscious  state 
obtain  impressions  otherwise  than  by  means  of  their 
senses.  Here,  on  the  contrary,  the  two  groups  join  each 
other,  while  the  automatists  alone  have  imagination  and 
latent  memory  to  work  with.  It  is  the  state  that  makes 
the  boundary.  And  we  have  seen  the  consequences. 
While  the  persons  who  obtain  supernormal  impressions  in 
a  conscious  state  do  not  connect  them  with  spirits,  even  if 
they  write  automatically  at  other  times,  the  conception 
seems  to  make  its  appearance  as  soon  as  the  percipient  is 
acting  automatically.     When,  for  instance,  Mrs.  Holland 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  171 

"  saw  "  Mrs.  Forbes 's  dining-room,  she  wrote  down  her 
impression  in  quite  ordinary  words,  while  Mrs.  Verrall, 
when  she  caught  an  impression  about  Carpaccio's  Ursula 
in  connection  with  Mrs.  Holland,  in  her  script  composed 
a  story  about  Myers  conducting  her  to  that  lady's  room 
where  it  hung  on  the  wall.  The  notion  of  deceased 
communicators  seems  to  be  a  natural  consequence  of 
producing  something  which  the  conscious  self  cannot 
accept  as  its  own  achievement. 

But  when  we  acknowledge  that  a  supernormal  element 
in  the  writings  cannot  prove  the  co-operation  of  the  dead, 
all  reason  for  assuming  such  a  co-operation  fails,  as  regards 
the  scripts  we  have  here  examined.  The  rest  was  easily 
explained,  and  moreover  was  often  so  childish  that  it 
justified  Professor  Flournoy's  contention  that  the  medium- 
istic  state  represents  a  lower  stage  than  that  occupied  by 
the  waking  person.  The  intelligence  and  culture  of  the 
automatic  writers  veiled  the  fact  somewhat  in  the  above 
cases  ;  Mrs.  Verrall's  classical  erudition  and  Mrs.  Holland's 
extensive  reading,  together  with  their  poetical  gifts,  could, 
in  addition  to  the  miracles  worked  by  cryptomnesia,  at 
times  produce  a  result  which  at  first  sight  might  impose 
on  the  reader.  But  the  more  conspicuous  glare  the 
incongruities — the  false  profundity,  the  naive  mysticism, 
the  often  quite  meaningless  speech.  These  things  are  not 
consistent  with  the  automatic  writers'  own  stage  of 
development.  How  then  is  it  possible  to  assign  them  to 
Frederic  Myers  and  his  friends  ? 


SECTION    IV 

The  Mediumism  of  Mrs.  Piper 
X  I.  The  Phinuit  Period 

CHAPTER  XII 

PHINUIT 

At  the  point  at  which  we  have  now  arrived  with  regard 
to  the  EngHsh  automatists,  the  Society  for  Psychical 
Research  commenced  a  series  of  experiments  between 
these  and  Mrs.  Piper,  the  renowned  medium  from  Boston, 
who  by  arrangement  with  the  Society  passed  her  time 
from  November,  1906,  till  June,  1907,  in  England.  Here, 
then,  is  the  moment  for  getting  better  acquainted  with 
this  lady,  whose  mediumism  is  very  different  from  the 
types  we  have  dealt  with  until  now. 

As  just  set  forth,  the  principal  disparity  between  auto- 
matic writers  and  4Dther  sensitives  is  the  circumstance 
that  the  automatists  are  unconscious  of  their  productions, 
though  otherwise  awake.  The  next  stage,  as  regards  the 
state  of  the  sensitive,  is  complete  unconsciousness,  or 
trance.  The  medium  who  is  speaking  or  writing  in  a 
deep  trance,  is  in  all  other  respects,  setting  aside  the 
speaking  or  writing,  like  the  profound  sleeper  ;  his  per- 
formances cannot,  like  those  of  the  waking  automatist, 
take  place  when  he  is  alone  ;  if  he  spoke  in  solitude 
nobody  would  know  it,  and  when  he  is  writing,  someone 
must  be  present  to  take  care  of  the  writing  material. 
Mrs.  Piper  gradually  developed  into  a  writing  medium  ; 
the  proceedings  were  then  as  a  rule  that  she  sat  behind 
a  table  furnished  with  pillows  in  which  her  head  sank 
down  at  the  commencement  of  the  trance,  her  face  turned 


PHINUIT  173 

to  the  left ;  on  another  table  to  the  right  of  her  were 
pencils  and  a  block  of  paper  ;  a  few  minutes  after  the 
trance  had  become  complete,  her  right  hand  seized  a 
pencil  and  began  to  write.  The  experimenter  in  charge 
must  take  care  to  tear  off  the  paper  and  procure  new  pencils 
and  more  paper  when  the  block  was  used  up,  exactly  as 
if  the  medium  was  a  machine  to  be  served.  When 
Mrs.  Piper,  on  awakening,  began  to  speak,  it  was  as  if  she 
returned  from  distant  places,  and  she  knew  nothing 
whatever  of  what  she  had  done  in  her  sleep. 

This  disparity  between  the  state  of  Mrs.  Piper  and  that 
of  the  waking  automatists  coincides  with  a  marked 
difference  in  the  contents  of  their  productions.  As 
we  saw,  the  contents  of  the  automatic  scripts  mainly 
originated  from  three  sources  :  imagination,  cryptom- 
nesia,  and  supernormal  perception  ;  to  which  must  of 
course  be  added  such  matter  as  the  writers  also  remembered 
in  their  normal  state.  Both  the  latter  and  subconscious 
reminiscences  played  a  prominent  part  in  their  case. 
With  Mrs.  Piper  it  is  quite  otherwise.  When  she  is 
entranced,  her  normal  knowledge  scarcely  seems  to  exist. 
Whether  her  statements  are  due  to  latent  memory  is  more 
difficult  to  decide.  Contrary .  to  Mrs.  Verrall  and  Mrs. 
Holland,  she  is  not  much  of  a  reader ;  neither  does  it 
seem  probable  that  much  knowledge  is  conveyed  to  her 
orally  ;  one  of  the  experimenters^  expressly  mentions 
"  the  singularly  limited  range  of  her  conversation." 
Cryptomnesia,  however,  covers  a  wide  territory  ;  hastily 
read  newspaper-stories,  casual  turning-over  of  books, 
scarcely  caught  fragments  of  conversations  between  other 
people,  may  all  become  material  for  it.  It  can  only  be 
said  with  safety  that  the  achievements  of  Mrs.  Piper  do 
not  generally  make  the  impression  of  being  due  to  latent 
memory,  but  that  it  may  no  doubt  sometimes  be  at  the 
bottom  of  them. 

Compared  to  the  automatic  scripts,  and  to  the  possi- 

1  Dr.  Walter  Leaf  {Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  VI.,  p.  559). 


174       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

bilities  set  up  by  Professor  Flournoy  and  Hartmann, 
imagination  and  supernormal  perception  remain.  It  is, 
when  we  exclude,  as  we  must  provisionally,  the  theory  of 
spirits,  mainly  on  these  that  the  performances  of  Mrs. 
Piper  must  be  said  to  rest.  Supernormal  perception 
provides  her  with  the  material,  imagination  gives  this 
material  its  shape.  But  even  as  the  material  is  infinitely 
richer  than  t;hat  which  we  found  in  the  automatic  scripts, 
thus  the  shape  is  of  another  and  more  dramatic  kind. 
This,  no  doubt,  is  partly  a  consequence  of  the  circum- 
stance that  the  communicators  converse  with  the  sitters, 
and  not,  as  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  Verrall  and  Mrs.  Holland, 
with  the  medium  ;  but  still  ijiore  it  is  due  to  the  large 
number  of  communicators  and,  above  all,  to  the  life-like 
characterization  by  which  they  are  distinguished  from 
each  other,  and  in  their  relations  to  their  present  friends, 
to  the  experimenter  in  charge,  and  to  strangers.  The 
reports  on  the  sittings  with  Mrs.  Piper  make  on  the  reader 
the  impression  of  being  scenes  from  a  play. 

Besides  being  an  eminent  medium,  Mrs.  Piper  occupies 
a  unique  position  as  one  who  has  for  a  long  series  of  years, 
and  under  the  most  satisfactory  circumstances,  been  the 
subject  of  scientific  study.  In  the  middle  of  the  eighties 
Professor  William  James  happened  to  make  her  acquain- 
tance ;  she  was  then  twenty  odd  years  old,  and  her 
mediumistic  faculty  had  only  recently  made  itself  known. 
By  arrangement  with  Professor  James,  Dr.  Richard 
Hodgson  came  to  Boston  in  the  spring  of  1887  as  the 
emissary  of  the  Society  for  Psychical  Research  to  investigate 
the  matter,  and  this  investigation  led  to  her  being  tied  to 
the  Society  by  a  sort  of  contract,  while  he  got  the  entire 
charge  of  her  sittings  on  its  behalf .  In  this  position  he  con- 
tinued until  his  death  in  1905.  In  the  winter  of  1889 — 90, 
however,  Mrs.  Piper  had  been  in  England,  where  the 
leaders  of  the  Society  had  held  numerous  seances  with  her. 

A  number  of  reports  on  the  sittings  with  Mrs.  Piper 
during  this  long  period  (1887 — 1905)  are  published  in  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Society,  and  commented  on  by  promi- 


PHINUIT  175 

nent  researchers.  To  these  must  be  added  a  "  Report  on 
Mrs.  Piper's  Hodgson-Control,"  that  is,  on  seances  held 
after  Dr.  Hodgson's  death,  which  belongs  here  as  far  as  it 
deals  with  the  first  half  of  1906,  the  period  before  her 
going  to  England  for  the  second  time.  Of  course,  there 
can  be  no  question  here  of  an  exhaustive  perusal  of  this 
large  material.  A  selection  must  suffice,  and  of  very 
limited  extent ;  I  think,  however,  that  it  ought  to  repre- 
sent the  whole  number  of  reports,  only  in  a  less  degree  Dr. 
Hodgson's  record  for  1887 — 91,^  as  most  accounts  of  the 
sittings  from  this  period  are  written  down  some  time 
after  their  occurrence,  and  are  much  abbreviated.  The 
reports  from  Mrs.  Piper's  sojourn  in  England^  are,  on 
the  contrary,  written  down  during  the  sittings,  and  with 
great  fullness,  some  of  them  even  in  shorthand.  At  that 
time  the  trance  communications  were  as  yet  given  orally, 
and  thus  did  not  register  themselves. 

As  regards  the  method  of  selection,  I  do  not  intend  to 
dwell  on  the  so-called  evidential  statements  specially.  It 
is  no  doubt  very  valuable  to  establish  that  information 
is  produced  in  the  trance  which  the  medium  cannot  possess 
normally,  and  which  is  not,  perhaps,  known  to  any  present 
person  ;  and  many  instances  will  occur  hereof.  But  as 
said  above,  this  is  only  one  remarkable  feature  in  Mrs. 
Piper's  performances.  To  give  an  idea  of  them  in  toto,  it 
is  at  least  equally  necessary  now  and  again  to  make  the 
extracts  so  copious  that  the  dramatic  play  is  done  justice 
to,  even  if  it  involves  the  admission  of  much  that  is  quite 
unevidential. 

In  conformity  with  the  practice  of  the  editors,  the  com- 
municators will  be  called  by  the  names  of  the  persons  who 
they  pretend  to  be.  "This  manner  of  speech,"  Dr.  Hodg- 
son says  in  one  of  his  reports,^  "  is  the  most  convenient  for 
rendering  the  facts  intelligible  ;   to  attempt  to  give  a  full 

1  "  A  Record  of  Observations  of  Certain  Phenomena  of  Trance," 
1887—91  {Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  VIII.,  pp.  i— 167). 

2  "  A  Record  of  Observations  of  Certain  Phenomena  of  Trance," 
1889 — 90  [ibidem,  Vol.  VI.,  pp.  436 — 659). 

»  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XIII.,  p.  287. 


176       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

description  in  each  case  of  what  is  '  claimed  '  or  '  alleged  ' 
or  '  purported '  would  involve  a  tedious  and  useless 
repetition."  Of  course,  the  meaning  hereof  is  not  to 
indicate  any  conception  as  to  their  real  nature.  For  the 
present,  they  must  be  conceived  as  "  trance-personalities," 
and  this,  whether  they  purport  to  be  well-known  deceased 
persons,  or  are  figures  whose  identity  it  seems  impossible 
to  establish,  and  who  therefore  must  be  specially  suspected 
of  being  creations  of  Mrs.  Piper's  subconscious  imagination. 
In  itself,  the  word,  of  course,  means  nothing  more  than 
that  they  are  personalities  who  for  us  exist  only  through 
a  medium  in  trance. 

The  first  personality  of  whom  we  by  means  of  the 
reports  make  the  acquaintance  at  Mrs.  Piper's  sittings, 
and  who  completely  dominates  there  during  a  series  of 
years,  is  of  a  very  peculiar  type.  It  is  an  elderly  man  who 
calls  himself  Dr.  Phinuit,  or  more  explicitly  Dr.  Jean 
Phinuit  Scliville,  and  states  that  he  has  been  a  French 
physician  who  had,  however,  by  associating  with  English- 
men learned  their  language,  and  who  at  any  rate  through 
Mrs.  Piper  only  exceptionally  uses  French  expressions. 
His  life-time  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  half  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  But  in  spite  of  his  rather  detailed  state- 
ments, the  researchers  have  never  been  able  to  identify 
him,  and  it  seems  impossible  to  attain  to  a  satisfactory 
hypothesis  that  accounts  for  his  appearance  in  Mrs. 
Piper's  trance. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  the  image  drawn  of  him  through  the 
long  series  of  seances  is  extremely  living  and  consistent 
with  itself.  He  is  a  good-natured  and  very  obliging  old 
man,  in  fact  amiable,  but  a  little  coarse  ;  he  swears  not 
a  little,  and  is  apt  to  grow  sulky.  He  seemed  to  have 
made  it  his  task  to  answer  the  questions  of  all  the  people 
that  had  sittings  with  Mrs.  Piper,  and  he  went  to  work 
exactly  as  a  medium — a  psychometrizing  or  clairvoyant 
medium  like  Mr.  Vout  Peters,  for  instance,  of  whom  we 
made  the  acquaintance  in  an  earlier  chapter.     That  he 


PHINUIT  177 

was  in  fact  a  medium  of  this  type  appears  from  every 
sitting.  The  remarkable  point  is,  that  Mrs.  Piper  in  her 
ordinary  state  did  not  seem  to  possess  supernormal 
powers,  and  that  there  is  among  her  other  trance  figures 
no  one  who  is  mediumistic  in  the  manner  of  Phinuit. 

A  good  idea  of  Phinuit's  psychometric  faculty  may  be 
got  by  reading  what  is  said  about  it  by  Professor  Hyslop,i 
who  is  himself  unable  to  believe  in  such  a  power  in 
human  beings.  Almost  with  indignation  he  mentions 
the  experiments  in  which  Phinuit  "  would  undertake  to 
furnish  the  names  and  incidents  in  the  lives  of  persons 
intimately  connected  with  some  old  rag  or  trinket  of 
whose  ownership  and  history  the  sitter  might  be  entirely 
ignorant,"  even  without  caring  whether  the  owners 
were  living  or  dead.  If  it  had  at  least  been  confined  to 
the  dead  !  But,  Professor  Hyslop  admits,  there  were 
"  instances  in  which  Phinuit  apparently  read  the  minds 
of  certain  persons  at  a  distance,  merely  by  having  a 
trinket  of  some  sort  in  Mrs.  Piper's  hand  that  belonged 
to  the  person."  This  was  done  in  some  cases  in  which 
the  sitter,  Dr.  Hodgson,  had  no  knowledge  of  the  owner. 
There  was  no  pretence  of  spirit  communication  in  the 
contents  of  the  messages. 

Professor  Hyslop  overcomes  the  difficulty  by  supposing 
Phinuit  to  be  what  he  himself  claims  to  be,  a  discarnate 
spirit,  and  thinks  that  this  circumstance  will  "  unravel 
the  mystery  of  his  performances."  For  us,  however, 
there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  living  people  may  possess 
such  faculties  ;  neither  can  we  accept  the  contention 
that  they  would  obtain  possession  of  them  as  spirits  if 
they  had  not  possessed  them  before.  Phinuit  himself 
held  a  different  opinion  ;  when  a  sitter.  Professor  Newbold, 
asked  him  :  "  Does  a  person  who  has  light  [i.e.,  is  medium- 
istic] in  the  body,  have  in  the  spirit  also  more  light  than 
others  ?  "  he  answered  emphatically  :    "  Yes,  indeed." 

As    regards    the    remark    of    Professor    Hyslop,    that 

1  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XVI.,  p.  251  seq 
CD.  N 


178     COMMUNICATION     WITH     THE   DEAD 

Phinuit  apparently  reads  the  minds  of  people  by  means 
of  the  said  articles,  this  neither  is  Phinuit's  own  opinion. 
He  is  curiously  at  one  with  Mr.  Vout  Peters  as  to  its 
being  not  by  mind-reading,  but  through  an  influence 
emanating  from  the  objects,  that  he  obtains  his  know- 
ledge. Again  and  again  he  asserts  that  he  is  no  thought- 
reader.  "  If  I  could  read  your  head,  I  could  tell  you. 
I  can't,"  he  says.  "I  get  nothing  from  your  mind  ;  I 
cannot  read^  your  mind  any  more  than  I  can  see  through 
a  stone  wall,"  he  answers  a  sitter  who  questions  him. 
However,  he  soon  learned  that  the  investigators  were 
specially  anxious  to  be  told  things  which  they  did  not 
know  beforehand.  "  I  tell  you  this  because  you  don't 
know  it,  and  that  is  the  kind  of  thing  you  like,"  he  says. 
On  another  occasion  he  made  downright  fun  of  their 
eagerness  to  make  out  whether  or  not  his  achievements 
were  due  to  mind-reading.  It  was  during  a  sitting  in 
Liverpool ;  it  was  planned  that  Phinuit,  if  possible, 
should  procure  information  about  the  doings  of  the 
sitter's  mother  in  London.  Sir  Oliver  Lodge — then 
Professor  Lodge— was  the  experimenter  in  charge,  and 
the  conversation  ran  as  follows  : 

"  Sir  0.  Tell  him  about  his  mother  and  what  she's  doing 
now.     It's  very  important. 

"  Ph.  Ha  ha  !  I'll  tell  you  why  it's  important,  because 
he  don't  know  it  himself.  I  read  your  thoughts  then.  I 
can't  generally." 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  many  tokens  of  his  being 
in  earnest  when  speaking  of  an  influence  that  emanates 
from  the  objects.  "  There  is  very  little  influence  in  that," 
he  said  about  a  lock  of  hair  ;  another,  that  was  dyed,  he 
called  "  dead  and  devilish."  Once,  when  he  could  say 
next  to  nothing  about  the  lock  given  him,  he  asked  for  a 
"  better  piece  "  ;  when  he  got  another  piece  of  the  same 
hair,  cut  close  to  the  head,  he  could  teU  a  great  deal.  He 
was  very  anxious  that  the  influences  should  not  get 
mingled.  Once  when  a  letter  was  handed  him  by  Sir 
Oliver  Lodge,  he  reproached  him  that  he  had  kept  it  in 


PHINUIT  179 

the  same  pocket  with  the  portrait  of  another  person  ; 
"  you  mix  things  up  if  you  do  that,"  he  said.  A  curious 
instance  of  the  consequences  of  such  a  commingHng  is 
the  following.  Dr.  Hodgson  had  handed  Phinuit  a  letter 
from  another  person,  but  enclosed  in  an  envelope  addressed 
to  himself  by  Mrs.  Piper.  Phinuit  gave  a  correct  general 
description  of  the  writer  of  the  letter,  giving  the  name 
William  in  connection  with  it.  Then  he  went  on  to 
describe  a  lady — tall,  fair,  etc.  Dr.  Hodgson  now  gave 
him  another  envelope  addressed  by  Mrs.  Piper,  and  after 
handling  it  he  at  once  exclaimed  that  this  was  the  in- 
fluence he  had  described  previously  in  connection  with 
"  the  gentleman  "  ;  that  it  had  nothing  to  do  with  him  ; 
that  Dr.  Hodgson  had  got  them  mixed.  The  description 
of  the  lady  did  suit  Mrs.  Piper. 

At  the  same  time,  it  is  evident  that  the  sitters  had  a 
similar  significance  for  Phinuit  as  a  source  of  knowledge. 
Just  like  the  objects,  they  were  in  possession  of  an 
"  influence "  ;  it  was  from  this,  and  not  from  their 
thoughts,  that  he  obtained  his  information.  A  sitter 
who  asked  him  :  "  How  do  you  get  what  you  tell  me 
about  myself  ?  "  got  the  reply:  "I  get  it  from  your 
astral  light."  It  was,  therefore,  in  their  case,  as  in 
that  of  the  articles,  necessary  that  they  should  be  kept 
away  from  each  other.  Once  he  begged  Sir  Oliver 
Lodge  not  to  admit  two  sitters  at  a  time ;  "  can't  sort 
them  out  properly,"  he  alleged  in  explanation  of  his 
request. 

While  thus  Phinuit,  exactly  like  Mr.  Vout  Peters,  had 
his  decisive  opinion  about  "  the  mystery  of  his  per- 
formances," and  declared  that  it  had  nothing  to  do  with 
mind-reading,  the  experimenters  leaned  to  the  opposite 
view.  The  solid  starting-point  presented  by  experi- 
mental thought-transference  made  them  conceive  mind- 
reading  a  more  likely  explanation  than  the  mysterious 
notion  "  influence."  To  be  sure,  there  were  cases  where 
the  connection  between  a  person  whose  mind  might  be 
read  by  the  medium,  and  the  latter,  was  so  improbable, 

N  2 


i8o       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

that  the  hypothesis  was  fain  to  burst.  But  on  the  other 
hand,  it  might  happen  that  Phinuit  gave  information 
which  was  wrong,  but  agreed  with  the  sitter's  opinion  of 
the  matter.  For  instance,  Phinuit  once  in  Boston  told 
an  EngHsh  sitter  that  a  big  man  with  a  dark  moustache 
was  in  his  house,  and  had  been  put  there  to  watch  the 
place.  There  had,  before  the  sitter  left  home,  been  a 
question  of  hiring  a  policeman  to  guard  his  house  and  live 
there  in  his  absence,  and  the  sitter  thought  that  the  plan 
had  been  realized,  which,  however,  was  not  the  case.  On 
another  occasion,  Phinuit  was  asked  to  describe  what 
Professor  Sidgwick  was  doing,  and  declared  that  he  stood 
on  his  head.  The  Professor  had,  when  the  experiment 
was  arranged,  said  in  joke  that  he  would  do  this.  In  a 
similar  experiment  with  Dr.  Hodgson,  Phinuit  said : 
"  He  has  taken  a  wreath  and  put  it  on  his  head."  Dr. 
Hodgson  had  thought  of  putting  the  wreath  on  his  head, 
but  had  confined  himself  to  holding  it  in  his  hand. 

All  this  does  not,  however,  go  to  show  more  than  that 
the  impressions  which  Phinuit  obtains  are  dim  and  un- 
certain, and  that  the  thoughts  of  the  sitter,  or  of  other 
people  who  are  in  contact  with  him,  enter  into  their 
composition.  There  are  other  cases  where  Phinuit's 
statements  are  correct,  while  the  sitter's  thoughts  are 
wrong.  Thus  a  sitter  asked,  after  Phinuit  had  described 
the  young  lady  to  whom  he  was  engaged,  if  there  was  not 
something  peculiar  about  her  hair.  Phinuit  said  no,  and 
it  turned  out  that  it  had  not,  as  the  sitter  had  been  told 
for  fun,  been  cut  short  since  he  saw  her  last.  Further- 
more, it  was  shown  through  experiments  that  intentional 
thought-transference  did  not  succeed  with  Phinuit. 
This  agrees  with  all  that  we  have  formerly  seen.  The 
percipient  obtains  impressions,  among  these  at  times 
and  by  chance  impressions  of  the  thoughts  of  other 
people  ;  but  he  is  not  especially  susceptible  to  thoughts, 
and  to  force  them  upon  him  is  difficult,  or  even  impossible. 
Phinuit's  conception  of  the  phenomenon  is  not  far  from 
hitting  the  mark. 


PHINUIT  i8i 

But  while  contending  that  "  clairvoyance "  rather 
than  mind-reading  is  in  this  as  in  other  cases  the  rubric 
under  which  supernormal  performances,  generally  speak- 
ing, ought  to  be  placed,  we  must  as  strongly  as  ever 
accentuate  the  limitations  of  this  faculty.  Sir  Oliver 
Lodge  says  pertinently  with  regard  to  Phinuit's  state- 
ments :  "  We  are  evidently  not  in  a  region  of  clear  and 
exact  knowledge.  Events  are  dimly  perceived,  and 
error  is  mixed  with  truth."  This  is  a  description  which 
would  also  fit  Mr.  Vout  Peters's  achievements,  or  Miss 
Ramsden's  characterization  of  her  own  perceptions. 
Phinuit  himself  declares  that  he  does  the  best  he  can, 
but  sometimes  "  everything  seems  dark  to  him,"  and 
then  he  flounders  and  gropes,  and  makes  mistakes. 

The  above  view  is  confirmed  through  some  experi- 
ments which  were  made  with  Phinuit  during  Mrs.  Piper's 
sojourn  in  England,  expressly  with  the  object  of  ascer- 
taining whether  it  was  a  case  of  direct  clairvoyance,  or 
"  only  "  of  mind-reading.  Apparently  their  success  was 
small.  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  handed  Phinuit  a  box  with 
letters  which  were  taken  at  haphazard  from  several 
alphabets  and  had  been  seen  by  no  one  ;  Phinuit  named, 
very  reluctantly,  a  number  of  letters,  but  only  two  were 
correct,  a  result  so  bad  that  chance  might  have  done  it 
better.  Of  a  similar  type  was  an  experiment  which 
Dr.  Walter  Leaf  made  with  a  closed  envelope  that  con- 
tained a  slip  of  paper  with  the  title  of  a  book  on  it ;  it 
was  drawn  from  among  two  thousand  such  slips,  and  no- 
body knew  of  its  contents.  Before  Phinuit  got  the 
envelope,  he  called  it  "  that  book  that  you  have  in  your 
hand,"  and  after  it  had  been  given  him,  he  said  :  "  That's 
only  a  note  ;  it  doesn't  amount  to  anything."  Both 
things  may  of  course  be  conceived  as  a  perception  of  the 
experimenter's  knowledge  of  the  matter.  This  is  more 
doubtful  in  two  other  instances  where  Dr.  Leaf  knew 
the  contents  of  the  envelopes.  In  one  case  the  words 
on  the  enclosed  paper  were  the  following  :  "  Charles  L 
was   beheaded   in    1649 "  ;     Phinuit   said   among   other 


i82      COMMUNICATION    WITH  THE  DEAD 

things  :  "  It  is  written  by  some  one  named  Charles." 
In  the  other  case  the  words  were  :  "  Weep  no  more — for 
Lycidas  is  not  dead  "  ;  Phinuit  said  :  "  That's  a  letter — 
there  is  an  illness  round  that."  In  a  third  case  where 
the  experimenter  did  not  know  the  contents,  which  ran  : 
"  Iliad.  La  France,"  Phinuit  said  that  the  envelope 
contained  a  lock  of  Frank's  hair.  It  is  at  least  singular 
that  however  far  he  may  be  from  the  right,  he  always 
says  something  that  has  some  sort  of  association  with  the 
contents.  If  it  be  due  to  an  impression  from  somebody's 
mind,  it  is  a  highly  distorted  impression.  And  if  it 
have  nothing  to  do  with  minds,  but  be  due  to  a  kind  of 
clairvoyance,  it  testifies  strongly  to  its  vagueness.  Being 
a  faculty  of  clouded,  not  of  clear  vision,  it  evidently  does 
not  suffice  to  read  the  contents  of  closed  envelopes. 

It  would  seem  that  Phinuit  himself  had  a  feeling  of 
the  limitation  of  his  powers.  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  says  that 
he  does  not  much  care  for  this  kind  of  thing,  but  says  it 
strains  him.  After  the  unsuccessful  experiment  with  the 
letters  of  the  alphabet  he  said  in  an  excusatory  manner  : 
"  You  see  this  is  something  new  to  me  ;  I  am  not  accus- 
tomed to  do  these  things  for  people."  Of  course  it  is 
impossible  that  he  in  such  a  case  would  find  any  of  the 
"  influences  "  that  used  to  guide  him. 

With  this  in  mind  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  comprehend 
an  accusation  that  was  directed  towards  Phinuit  by  many 
of  the  sitters,  namely,  that  he  acquired  a  large  portion 
of  his  apparent  knowledge  by  guessing  and  "  fishing  "  ; 
by  the  latter  appellation  was  meant  the  process  that  he 
made  the  sitters  unconsciously  furnish  him  with  informa- 
tion which  he  afterwards  tried  to  pass  off  as  his  own 
knowledge.  When  it  is  recognized  that  his  impressions 
were  dim  and  fragmentary,  that  he  must  often  feel  or 
grope  his  way  towards  them,  and  that  he  must  in  a 
degree  have  the  sitter's  assistance  to  be  able  to  decide 
whether  they  were  right,  his  proceedings,  however,  look 
different.     No  doubt  he  wanted  to  get  as  much  credit  as 


PHINUIT  183 

possible  for  his  performances  ;  he  desired  to  satisfy  the 
sitters,  but  it  was  also  a  personal  satisfaction  to  him  to 
show  off  his  faculties.  Nay,  it  is  certain  that  he  some- 
times supplemented  his  insufficient  knowledge  by  self- 
devised  statements.  But  the  frequent  talk  of  fishing  and 
guessing  is  due  to  a  misapprehension  of  the  whole 
phenomenon.  It  is,  however,  as  shown  above,  not 
shared  by  Sir  Oliver  Lodge,  who  has  clearly  characterized 
the  nature  of  Phinuit's  perceptions. 

There  are,  moreover,  cases  enough  where  Phinuit  does 
just  the  opposite  of  fishing  or  taking  the  hints  of  the 
sitters.  Once  it  is  said  that  he  "  seemed  so  obstinately 
bent  upon  some  erroneous  ideas  of  his  own  that  he  would 
pay  no  attention  to  [the  sitter's]  leading  questions." 
On  another  occasion  he  kept  to  his  own  opinion  in  spite 
of  the  sitter's  denial,  and  it  turned  out  that  it  was  he  who 
was  right.     The  episode  is  as  follows : 

"  Ph.     Who  is  this  uncle  of  yours  named  John  ? 
"  S.     I  have  no  uncle  named  John. 

"  Ph.     Yes  yes  you  have — the  man  that  married  your  aunt. 
"  5.     No  you  are  wrong  ;    the  man  that  married  my  aunt 
was  called  Philip. 

"  Ph.    Well,  I  think  I  know." 

After  this  he,  grumbling,  changed  the  subject.  But 
the  sitter  afterwards  discovered  that  an  aunt  of  his  had 
in  fact  married  a  man  named  John. 

And  even  if  Phinuit  sometimes  invents  things,  he  is 
not  destitute  of  a  certain  honesty.  Often  he  downright 
declares  that  there  is  something  he  cannot  tell.  "  What 
is  his  name  ?  "  he  is  asked.  "  Don't  get  his  name,"  is 
the  curt  answer.  Once  a  lady  has  asked  him  who  it  is 
she  calls  "  Mr.  Man."  Then  he  guesses  openly  on  all  the 
membeis  of  her  family.  "  It  is  not  Harry  ?  nor  George  ? 
nor  your  uncle  ?  do  you  call  your  gentleman  {i.e.,  husband] 
Mr.  Man  ?  Then  the  gentleman's  father  ?  I  give  it  up. 
WTiom  do  you  call  Mr.  Man  ?  "  The  lady  informs  him 
that  it  is  her  dog.  Afterwards  Phinuit  spontaneously 
reverts  to  the  matter.     "  I  could  not  tell  you  who  you 


i84       COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE   DEAD 

call  Mr.  Man,"  he  says  dcprecatingly,  though  he  had  told 
her  a  number  of  other  things. 

The  following  is  an  instance  at  the  same  time  of  his 
honesty,  and  of  the  difficulties  which  he  has  to  overcome. 
Dr.  Walter  Leaf  had  had  the  charge  of  several  seances 
when  one  day  his  brother  appeared  as  sitter.  Phinuit 
said  to  the  latter  :  "  There  is  a  Charles  about  you.  I  get 
the  same  influence  with  both  of  you  ;  why,  you  are 
brothers.  cWles  must  be  your  father."  And  addressing 
himself  to  Dr.  Leaf,  he  continued  :  "  Walter,  I  thought 
that  William  was  your  father  till  I  got  this  other  influence, 
but  now  I  see  that  Charles  is  your  father  and  William  is 
your  grandfather,  your  father's  father."  All  this  was 
absolutely  correct,  and  Phinuit,  who  evidently  felt  sure 
of  what  he  now  said,  had  not  been  obliged  to  confess  his 
former  mistake. 

As  may  be  seen,  Phinuit  could  also  give  the  names  of 
people.  And  it  is  evident  that  he  partly  obtained  them 
in  the  same  manner  as  so  many  other  things,  namely,  as 
an  impression,  now  vague,  and  now  more  distinct.  Here 
also  he  has  therefore  been  accused  of  guessing  and  fishing. 
For  instance,  it  was  pointed  out  that  it  was  generally  the 
most  common  Christian  names,  as  John,  William,  etc., 
that  he  produced.  This,  though,  ought  hardly  to  be 
wondered  at,  especially  as  it  is  admitted  that  they  were 
most  often  the  right  ones.  And  in  the  numerous  cases 
where  the  name  was  not  common,  it  was  only  natural 
that  he  could  not  feel  sure  of  his  impression  being  correct, 
or  could  not  at  all  get  hold  of  the  right  name.  But  the 
approximations  might  be  obvious  enough.  "  Gibbens 
was  announced  first  as  Niblin,  then  as  Giblin,"  Professor 
James  relates ;  "  a  child  Herman  had  his  name  spelt  out 
as  Herrin."  At  a  sitting  with  Mrs.  Verrall,  Phinuit 
asked  :  "  Ellums,  Vellums,  what  is  that  ?  That's  you. 
Mrs.  Vennalls,  Vernils  Verils  Veril."  Even  a  mistake 
as  "  Susan  Mary  "  for  Selma  seems  due  to  a  perception  of 
the  real  name. 

The  names  did  not  always  come  to  him  as  sounds.     At 


PHINUIT  185 

a  seance  he  said  that  the  sitter  would  get  into  intercourse 
with  a  man  whose  name  was  "  something  hke  Atwood." 
"  The  name  is  nearly  right,"  he  continued,  "  an  A-t  and 
then  two  O's  and  a  W.  I  see  this  myself.  There  are  no 
special  spirits.  I  see  it  back  of  you  just  as  plainly  as  if 
it  was  before  your  eyes."  Here,  then,  Phinuit  had  a 
vision  of  the  name.  Exactly  in  the  same  manner,  the 
perceptions  of  Miss  Ramsden  were  now  auditory,  and  now 
visual. 

The  remark  of  Phinuit  on  this  occasion,  "  I  see  this  my 
own  self.  There  are  no  special  spirits,"  alludes  to  another 
way  in  which  he  gained  his  knowledge.  And,  whatever 
may  otherwise  be  thought  of  it,  one  must  for  the  sake  of 
clearness  make  a  keen  distinction  between  it  and  his 
clairvoyant  power. 

In  his  report  on  his  sittings  with  Mrs.  Piper  in  Liverpool 
in  1889 — 90,  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  strongly  accentuates  the 
above-mentioned  difference.  "  While  Phinuit,"  he  writes, 
"  frequently  speaks  in  his  own  person,  relating  things 
which  he  himself  discovers  by  what  I  suppose  we  must 
call  ostensible  clairvoyance,  sometimes  he  represents 
himself  as  in  communication  with  one's  relatives  and 
friends  who  have  departed  this  life.  The  messages  and 
communications  from  these  persons  are  usually  given 
through  Phinuit  as  a  reporter.  And  he  reports  sometimes 
in  the  third  person,  sometimes  in  the  first." 

Thus  we  meet  in  Phinuit  the  same  doubleness  which 
we  found  in  the  medium,  Mr.  Vout  Peters.  On  one  hand 
his  own  performances,  on  the  other  spirits  that  he  sees 
and  tells  about  or  brings  messages  from.  Occasionally 
Phinuit  seems  to  give  up  his  place  altogether  to  these 
spirits  ;  but  then  we  have  exceeded  his  own  territory. 
It  is  not,  however,  always  easy  to  decide  whether  they 
speak  directly,  or  it  is  Phinuit  who  speaks  for  them  in 
the  first  person.  It  is  seldom  that  the  change  of  per- 
sonality is  .announced  with  such  plainness  as  in  the 
following  case,  where  Phinuit  tells  the  sitter  :  "  Here's 


i86       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

Newell,  and  he  wants  to  talk  with  you.  So  I'll  go  about 
my  business  whilst  you  are  talking  with  him,  and  will 
come  back  again  later,"  and  then  addressing  himself 
to  the  spirit,  says  in  his  drastic  manner :  "  Here, 
Newell,  you  come  by  the  hands  while  I  go  out  by  the 
feet." 

As  regards  his  relation  to  the  spirits,  Phinuit  alleged 
that  he  saw  objectively  the  persons  he  spoke  of.  Often 
he  described  their  appearance  ;  once  more  one  is  reminded 
of  Mr.  Vout  Peters  and  his  accurate  descriptions  of  his 
spirit-visions  in  contrast  to  the  more  vague  charac- 
terizations of  the  non-present  owners  of  the  "  articles." 
Also  the  relation  between  the  spirits  and  the  objects 
presents  a  parallel.  At  the  seances  in  Finland  many 
spirits  came  to  their  friends  and  relatives  among  the 
sitters  ;  but  only  in  a  few  cases  it  was  the  owners  of  the 
objects  who  came.  Quite  in  accordance  with  this, 
Phinuit  seems  to  believe  that  the  sitters  have  more  power 
to  attract  the  spirits  than  the  objects  have  ;  for  instance, 
he  says  to  Sir  Oliver  Lodge,  who  doubted  that  the 
owner  of  a  certain  chain  w^ould  appear  as  he  was  a 
stranger  to  himself  :  "  Oh  well,  he  may  recognize  it. 
Your  own  friends  come  to  you.  A  strange  spirit  is 
rather  difficult,  but  they  sometimes  come  to  their 
things." 

A  rather  strange  thing  ought  to  be  mentioned  here, 
namely,  that  Phinuit  sees  at  times  among  the  spirits  that 
surround  him  also  persons  that  are  not  dead.  But  even 
this  has  its  parallel  with  other  clairvoyants  ;  thus  Miss 
Miles  relates  that  she  when  psychometrizing  sees  herself 
surrounded  both  by  living  and  dead  people.  Phinuit,  for 
instance,  says  to  a  sitter  :  "  Now  I  am  trying  to  get  your 
brothers  and  sisters  nearer,"  and  it  turns  out  that  some 
among  these,  as  he  knows  very  well,  are  alive.  In  another 
case  he  says  about  the  sitter's,  Mrs.  H.'s,  mother  :  "  [She 
is]  here  with  me,  right  beside  me.  [She  is]  in  the  body,  but 
I  get  her  spirit  influence,  so  I  can  tell  you  about  her." 
In  itself  it  is  of  course  not  remarkable  that  a  clairvoyant 


PHINUIT  187 

can  see  the  double  of  a  living  person.  A  curious  instance 
is  the  following.  Dr.  Hodgson  handed  Phinuit  an  enve- 
lope addressed  by  Mrs.  Piper,  and  asked  among  other 
things  whether  the  writer  was  in  the  body  or  in  spirit. 
"  In  the  body,"  Phinuit  replied,  but  went  on  :  "  Why 
no — that's  curious.  There  she  is  in  the  spirit  talking  to 
an  old  lady."  Whatever  may  else  be  thought  of  this,  it 
is  correct  from  the  dramatical  point  of  view  that  the 
entranced  medium  speaks  in  this  way  about  her  own 
spirit. 

On  the  other  hand,  Phinuit  did  not  seem  able  to  procure 
information  through  speaking  with  the  living.  To  a 
question  concerning  a  living  lady  he  replied  :  "  How 
can  she  tell  me,  when  she  is  in  the  body  ?  "  About 
such  he  must,  as  seen  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  H.'s  mother, 
procure  his  knowledge  clairvoyantly  by  means  of  their 
influence,  just  as  he  gained  knowledge  by  means  of 
objects. 

Is,  now,  this  division  of  Phinuit's  performances  into 
clairvoyantly  obtained  information  and  communications 
from  spirits  founded  on  any  kind  of  reality,  or  rather,  is 
the  dramatic  effect  of  the  division  supported  by  any 
difference  between  the  two  kinds  ? 

If  there  is  any  sense  in  distinguishing  between  Phinuit's 
own  achievements  and  those  things  which  are  said  to 
originate  from  spirits,  present  or  near  at  hand,  that 
produce  information  which  they  must  be  supposed  to 
have  acquired  in  a  normal  manner,  there  must  be 
an  essential  difference  between  the  two  categories.  The 
knowledge  of  the  departed  may,  of  course,  be  deficient ; 
they  may  have  forgotten  much,  they  may  in  the  unaccus- 
tomed situation  find  it  difficult  to  keep  their  thoughts 
together,  and  so  on.  But  what  they  know  will  both 
positively  and  negatively  differ  from  the  clairvoyant 
knowledge  of  Phinuit.  They  will  not  falter  and  grope  ; 
their  statements  will  not  be  founded  on  vague  and  inaccu- 
rate impressions  ;  and  they  will  not  produce  information 
about  any  one  but  themselves  and  people  they  know,  will 


i88      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

in  other  words  not  speak  about  things  which  they 
could  be  acquainted  with  only  in  a  supernormal  manner. 
Of  course  it  is  conceivable  that  they  may  have  learned 
things  from  Phinuit  or  other  spirits,  and  that  on  the  other 
hand  Phinuit 's  memory  may  fail  him — for  instance,  when 
he  reports  what  he,  presumably,  has  been  told  by  spirits 
before  the  sitting.^  But  this  knowledge  and  these 
deficiencies  ^it  will  be  easy  to  distinguish  from  the  infor- 
mation due  to  supernormal  perception. 

This  thorough  and  important  difference  exists  in  fact 
between  the  two  kinds  of  statements  in  Mrs.  Piper's 
trance.  "  Nothing  ^  la  mode  Phinuit  at  all,"  Dr.  Hodgson 
justly  says  about  a  case  fronv  1889,  referring  to  the  con- 
spicuous change  that  took  place  when  a  spirit  was 
announced.  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  experienced  the  same 
change  at  his  very  first  seance  with  Mrs.  Piper,  and 
describes  it  in  these  words  :  "  Next  follows  the  most 
striking  and  impressive  element  of  the  whole  sitting  ; 
without  which,  indeed,  it  would  have  been  vague  and 
unsatisfactory — too  much  apparent  guessing  and  too 
little  precisely  accurate  ;  but  now  the  manner  became 
more  earnest  and  energetic  and  continuous."  Dr.  Leaf 
writes  in  his  report  that  the  series  of  sittings  held  by 
Sir  Oliver  was  remarkable,  as  compared  with  those 
reported  by  himself,  for  a  high  level  of  success.  Now  a 
perusal  of  the  detailed  record  of  the  seances  by  Dr.  Leaf 
will  soon  show  that  it  is  quite  exceptional  that  spirits 
appear  there.  It  is  in  fact  due  to  their  co-operation  that 
Sir  Oliver's  sittings  look  so  much  more  successful  than 
the  other  ones.  If  only  those  portions,  where  Phinuit  is 
alone,  be  regarded,  the  disparity  between  the  two  series 
will  scarcely  be  perceptible. 

The  following  extracts  aim  at  giving  a  notion  about  the 
whole  phenomenon ;  no  special  stress  will  be  laid  upon  the 

'  Cf.  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  VIII.,  p.  92  :  "  The  best  way  to  get 
a  good  sitting,  Phinuit  said,  was  to  have  him  talk  with  departed 
friends  and  then  see  him  again." 


PHINUIT  189 

so-called  evidential  things  beyond  stating  that  they  belong 
to  that  category. 

The  spirit  that  manifested  at  Sir  Oliver  Lodge's  first 
sitting  was  his  aunt  Anne,  his  mother's  sister,  who  had 
had  the  charge  of  him  after  the  death  of  the  former. 
She  appeared  in  all  at  six  sittings.  Phinuit  gave  the 
following  correct  description  of  her  exterior  :  "  Hair  on 
top  of  head  very  plain,  put  back,  tied  up  at  back — 
not  frizzled,  plain.  Very  neat  in  her  dress,  firm  expression 
about  the  mouth."  At  the  first  seance  her  own  words 
were  : 

"  My  boy,  I  am  with  you.  I  am  Aunt  Anne.  I  tried  to 
help  you.  I  had  little  means,  poor  surroundings  ;  but  I 
did  all  I  could.     I  would  have  done  more  if  I  could." 

At  her  third  manifestation  she  said  : 

"  Isn't  it  curious  that  I  can  talk  to  you  now  ?  You  know  I 
told  you  that  if  ever  I  found  it  possible  to  communicate  with 
you  I  would." 

Sir  Oliver  adds  that  his  aunt  is  the  only  person  who 
ever  said  this  to  him.  The  next  time  she  said  about 
a  ring  which  he  had  put  on  his  hand  just  before  the 
sitting  : 

"  And  Oily  dear,  that's  one  of  the  last  things  I  ever  gave 
you.  It  was  one  of  the  last  things  I  said  to  you  when  I  gave 
it  you  for  Mary  [i.e.,  Lady  Lodge].  I  said  '  For  her,  through 
you.'  " 

Sir  Oliver  writes  :  "  This  is  precisely  accurate.  The 
ring  was  her  most  valuable  trinket,  and  it  was  given  in 
the  way  here  stated  not  long  before  her  death." 

With  another  relative  Sir  Oliver  specially  wanted  to 
enter  into  communication,  because  he  himself  had  hardly 
known  him  and  therefore  thought  it  possible  that  things 
might  be  told  about  him  which  could  not  be  due  to  reading 
of  his  own  mind.  That  a  medium  might  supernormally 
obtain  information  by  means  of  objects  was  at  that  time 
less  heeded  than  the  danger  of  telepathy.  Sir  Oliver's 
father  had  had  a  great  many  brothers,  among  whom  was 


igo       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

Jerry  (Jeremiah),  who  had  died  more  than  twenty  years 
before  the  sittings.  Three  were  still  living  ;  one  of  these, 
Robert,  was  the  twin-brother  of  Jerry  and  lived  in  London. 
From  him  Sir  Oliver  on  asking  received  a  watch  that  had 
belonged  to  Jerry.  In  the  course  of  the  next  sitting  he 
handed  this  watch  to  Phinuit,  who  in  his  usual  groping 
manner  produced  a  quantity  of  information  where  false 
was  mingled  with  true,  mostly  about  Jerry's  family 
relations.  Afterwards,  however,  he  said  :  "I  will  bring 
him  right  up  close  to  me  "  ;  soon  after  he  was  said  to  be 
there.  But  Phinuit  went  on  talking  about  different 
things,  until  Sir  Oliver  asked  whether  his  uncle  was  still 
there,  and  Phinuit  advanced^  the  following  explanation  : 

"  One  difficulty  that  I  have  is  to  make  your  uncle  conscious 

of  this,  and  the  other  is  getting  the  spirit  to  speak  to  you 

Rather  difficult  for  me  to  talk  to  him,  do  you  see  ?  Because 
he  passed  out  when  you  were  young  and  you  do  not  know  so 
much  about  him^  and  at  the  same  time  he  does  not  seem  to 
take  an  interest  in  you." 

When  Sir  Oliver  replied,  "No,  but  he  does  in  Uncle 
Robert,"  and  told  that  the  latter  had  sent  him  the  watch, 
he  succeeded,  however,  in  making  Jerry  speak. 

"  /.  Very  good.  Say  God  bless  Robert  and  I  should  hke 
to  see  him.     You  -are  my  nephew  aren't  you  ? 

"  Sir  0.     Yes. 

"  /.  I  know  you,  seems  to  me  I  do.  Yes.  I  used  to  know 
you,  but  you  were  a  little  shaver  then  ;  a  very  deep  thinker. 
Used  to  think  a  great  deal ;  more  than  the  rest  of  the  boys. 
What  about  Alfred  and  all  those  fellows  ?  " 

Alfred  was  one  of  Sir  Oliver's  many  brothers.  As 
regards  the  term  "  a  little  shaver,"  Mr.  Robert  Lodge 
writes  that  it  "  fits  Jerry's  method  of  expression  to  a  T." 

At  a  seance  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day  Phinuit 
said  to  Sir  Oliver,  whom  he  had  given  the  nickname  of 
"  Captain  "  : 

"  Hulloa,  Captain,  I  have  been  talking  to  your  friends. 

1  This  would  seem  a  very  naive  remark  by  Phinuit ;  it  has  evidently 
escaped  his  attention  that  it  might  be  interpreted  as  if  he  used  to 
obtain  his  information  from  Sir  Oliver  himself,  by  mind-reading. 


PHINUIT  191 

Had  a  long  talk  with  Uncle  Jerry.  He  remembers  you  now, 
as  a  boy  with  Aunt  Anne,  but  you  were  kind  of  small.  He 
knew  you,  but  he  did  not  know  me  very  well  ;  wondered  what 
the  devil  I  wanted  trying  to  talk  to  him  and  how  I  got  here." 

"  This  is  exactly  how  he  would  remember  me,"  is  Sir 
Oliver's  comment  on  the  remark  about  Aunt  Anne. 

Meanwhile,  Sir  Oliver  had  already  in  his  first  con- 
versation with  Uncle  Jerry  asked  him  if  he  could  recall 
something  about  his  youth.  He  had  at  once  said  yes,  he 
remembered  that  he  "  pretty  nigh  got  drowned,"  trying 
to  "  swim  the  creek."  He  quite  caught  the  idea,  Sir 
Oliver  writes,  namely,  that  the  point  was  to  produce 
something  which  the  nephew  ignored,  and  at  the  following 
sittings  he  related  a  number  of  experiences,  trivial  in 
themselves,  but  well  suited  to  identify  him.  Already  the 
day  after  his  first  appearance  Phinuit  said  : 

"  Jerry  says.  Do  you  know  Bob's  got  a  long  skin — a  skin 
like  a  snake's  skin — upstairs,  that  Jerry  got  for  him  ?  It's 
one  of  the  funniest  things  you  ever  saw.  Ask  him  to  show  it 
you." 

Mr.  Robert  Lodge  replied  to  Sir  Oliver's  inquiry : 
"  Yes,  a  crinkly,  thin  skin,  a  curious  thing  ;  I  had  it  in  a 
box,  I  remember  it  well.  Oh,  as  distinct  as  possible. 
Haven't  seen  it  for  years,  but  it  was  in  a  box,  with  his 
name  cut  in  it." 

Sir  Oliver  lays  much  stress  on  this  and  other  par- 
ticulars which  he  did  not  know  himself.  Jerry's  twin- 
brother,  Robert,  did  not  remember  many  of  them,  but 
some,  as  for  instance  the  dangerous  swimming  of  the 
creek,  were  affirmed  by  a  third  brother,  Frank.  A  story 
about  the  killing  of  a  cat  in  "  Smith's  field  "  was  reduced 
to  the  cat  being  killed  in  another  place,  but  it  was  verified 
that  there  had  been  a  field  of  the  above  name  at  Barking, 
the  scene  of  the  youthful  exploits  of  the  brothers.  Several 
things  from  this  distant  past  it  was  impossible  to  elucidate ; 
but  just  the  circumstance,  that  the  trance-utterances 
referred  to  matters  so  remote  and  so  insignificant 
that  it  proved  next  to  impossible  to  verify  them,  gave 


192       COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

them,  when  they  turned  out  to  be  correct,  an  increased 
significance  as  regards  the  theory  of  telepathy  which  Sir 
Oliver  wished  to  eliminate.  At  the  same  time,  these 
reminiscences  about  trifles  which  were  in  themselves 
trivial,  are  no  doubt  characteristic  of  what  an  old  man 
might  light  upon  when  thinking  of  his  childhood.  The 
objection  that  they  are  not  very  peculiar  may  be  answered 
in  the  same  way  as  that  respecting  the  names  given  by 
Phinuit ;  the  chances  are  that  the  common  things  are 
the  right  ones. 

A  communicator  who  holds  a  place  somewhat  apart 
was  Edmund  Gurney,  who  had  died  the  year  before  the 
sittings.  He  was  one  of  the  Very  few  who  seemed  to  use 
the  organism  of  Mrs.  Piper  instead  of  the  intermediation 
of  Phinuit.  When  the  latter  had  once  said  about  a 
spirit :  "  She  can't  come  and  speak  herself,"  and  Sir 
Oliver  objected  :  "  Mr.  Gurney  does,"  Phinuit  exclaimed 
with  some  indignation  :  "  You  are  greedy.  Yes,  Mr, 
Gurney  does,  but  Mr.  Gurney  is  a  scientific  man, 
who  has  gone  into  these  things.  He  comes  and  turns 
me  out  sometimes.  It  would  be  a  very  narrow  place 
into  which  Mr.  Gurney  couldn't  get." 

Edmund  Gurney  appeared  for  the  first  time  at  a  sitting 
where  Sir  Oliver  had  handed  in  a  letter  from  him.  This 
circumstance,  of  course,  detracts  very  much  from  the 
evidentialness  of  the  case.  In  return,  it  is  rather  dra- 
matic. Sir  Oliver  writes  :  "  The  personality  seemed  to 
change — the  speaker  called  me  '  Lodge  '  in  his  natural 
manner  (a  name  which  Phinuit  himself  never  once  used), 
and  we  had  a  long  conversation,  mainly  non-evidential, 
but  with  a  reference  to  some  private  matters  which  were 
said  to  be  referred  to  as  proof  of  identity,  and  which  are 
well  adapted  to  the  purpose.  They  were  absolutely  un- 
known to  me,  but  have  been  verified  through  a  common 
friend." 

Here,  as  is  often  the  case  in  the  reports  on  Mrs.  Piper's 
sittings,  the  most  personal  and,  perhaps,  most  convincing 


PHINUIT  193 

things  are  left  out.  But  some  little  scenes  are  dramatic. 
Gurney  appears,  but  has  scarcely  commenced  speaking, 
when  he  discovers  that  Sir  Oliver  is  not  alone.  The 
dialogue  is  as  follows  : 

"  G.     Don't  give  up  a  good  thing,  Lodge  .  .  .  who  is  here  ? 

"  Sir  0.    This  is  my  wife. 

"  G.  How  do  you  do,  Mrs.  Lodge  ?  I  remember  having 
tea  with  you  once. 

"  Sir  0.     [introducing]  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson. 

"  G.  Yes,  I  remember  you,  I  think.  Good-bye,  Lodge  ; 
don't  divulge  my  secrets." 

On  another  occasion,  Sir  Oliver,  after  a  long  conversa- 
tion, which  his  sister  had  attended,  said  to  Gurney  : 

"  Sir  0.  The  Thompsons  are  waiting  in  the  next  room. 
Shall  I  call  them  in  ? 

"  G.  The  Thompsons  ?  Oh  I  know.  I  met  them  at  your 
house  once  at  dinner,  I  think. 

"  Sir  0.     Yes. 

"  G.  No,  I  don't  especially  want  to  see  them.  Well, 
Lodge,  I  must  be  going.     Good-bye " 

Afterwards  the  medium  seemed  to  sleep  for  a  few 
minutes,  until  Phinuit,  who  had  been  absent  during  the 
preceding  conversation,  which  had  partly  concerned 
himself,  returned  and  began  in  the  following  manner  : 

"  Eh  !  what !  Oh,  yes.  All  right.  Look  here,  Mr.  Gurney 
has  been  here.  He  told  me  to  express  his  regret  that  he  had 
not  said  Good-bye  to  Miss  Lodge." 

The  remarks  of  Gurney  agreed  with  the  actual  circum- 
stances ;  he  had  had  tea  with  Lady  Lodge,  and  he 
had  once  met  the  Thompsons  at  her  house.  But  no 
less  remarkable  is  the  mise-en-sctne.  Sir  Oliver  calls 
attention  to  his  characteristic  demeanour — the  natural 
unwillingness  of  the  man  of  sensitive  temperament  to  be 
thrown  with  strangers  needlessly,  and  his  friendliness 
towards  Miss  Lodge.  It  is  also  dramatically  correct 
that  a  few  minutes  elapse  before  the  return  of  Phinuit ; 
they  are  necessary  to  permit  him  to  talk  with  Gurney 
"  behind  the  scenes." 

CD.  o 


194      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

One  of  the  subjects  of  Sir  Oliver's  conversations  with 
Gurney  was,  as  intimated,  the  personality  of  Phinuit. 
Although  the  statements  about  him  are,  of  course,  non- 
evidential,  and  may  be  pure  fabrication  on  the  part  of 
the  medium,  they  present  at  least  the  interest  that  they 
agree  with  the  impression  which  the  sittings  themselves 
produce  of  his  activity,  especially  with  regard  to  other 
spirits. 

In  his  first  conversation  with  Sir  Oliver,  Gurney  had 
already  spoken  of  the  doctor.  "  Very  few,"  he  said, 
"  you  will  get  like  Dr.  Phinuit.  He  is  not  all  one  could 
wish,  but  he  is  all  right."  At  their  next  meeting,  he 
described  him  at  great  length  in  reply  to  a  question 
from  Sir  Oliver,  saying  : 

"  Dr.  Phinuit  is  a  peculiar  type  of  man.  He  goes  about 
continually,  and  is  thrown  in  with  everybody.  He  is  eccentric 
and  quaint,  but  good-hearted.  I  wouldn't  do  the  things  he 
does  for  anything.  He  lowers  himself  sometimes — it's  a 
great  pity.  He  has  very  curious  ideas  about  things  and  people  ; 
he  receives  a  great  deal  about  people  from  themselves  (?) 
And  he  gets  expressions  and  phrases  that  one  doesn't  care  for, 
vulgar  phrases  he  picks  up  by  meeting  uncanny  people 
through  the  medium.  These  things  tickle  him,  and  he  goes 
about  repeating  them.  He  has  to  interview  a  great  number 
of  people,  and  has  no  easy  berth  of  it.  A  high  type  of  man 
couldn't  do  the  work  he  does.  But  he  is  a  good-hearted  old 
fellow.     Good-bye",  Lodge.     Here's  the  Doctor  coming." 

At  a  later  seance  Sir  Oliver  asked  whether  Phinuit  was 
reliable.     Gurney  replied  : 

"  Not  perfectly.  He  is  not  a  bit  infalhble.  He  mixes 
things  terribly  sometimes.  He  does  his  best.  He's  a  good 
old  man  ;  but  he  does  get  confused,  and  when  he  can't  hear 
he  fills  it  up  himself.  He  does  invent  things  occasionally, 
he  certainly  does.  He's  a  shrewd  doctor.  He  knows  his 
business  thoroughly.     He  can  see  into  people " 

Sir  Oliver  asked  :  "  Can  he  see  ahead  at  all  ?  Can 
anybody  ?  "     Gurney  answered  : 

"  I  can't.  I  haven't  got  into  that.  I  think  Phinuit  can  a 
little  sometimes.  He  has  studied  these  things  a  good  deal. 
He  can  do  many  things  that  I  can't  do.     He  can  look  up 


PHINUIT  195 

people's  friends  and  say  what  they  are  doing  sometimes  in 
an  extraordinary  way.     But  he  is  far  from  being  infaUible." 

It  is  worth  noting  that  Gurney  did  not  seem  to  have  an 
eye  for  Phinuit's  mediumism.  He  believes  that  he  is 
fore-sighted,  and  that  he  has  "  studied  these  things  a 
good  deal,"  but  else  he  only  refers  to  the  information 
Phinuit  gets  from  spirits,  and  his  extraordinary  faculty 
to  look  up  people's  (living)  friends  and  say  what  they  are 
doing.  Sir  Oliver's  report  contains  an  interesting  in- 
stance of  the  latter,  namely,  the  above-mentioned 
experiment  of  making  Phinuit  say  in  Liverpool  what  the 
sitter's  mother  was  doing  in  London.  For  the  rest,  it 
tallies  with  the  facts  that  Gurney,  who  died  in  1888,  did 
not  understand  psychometry  ;  the  non-spiritistic  inter- 
pretation of  mediumistic  performances  had  until  then 
been  telepathy  ;  it  appeared  in  an  earlier  instance,  that 
of  Mrs.  Stella's  Italian  psychic,  that  it  was  just  Edmund 
Gurney  who  could  not  accept  any  other  explanation. 

How  much  or  how  little  influence,  with  regard  to  the 
appearance  of  spirits,  ought  to  be  ascribed  to  the 
"  articles,"  they  at  any  rate  do  not  seem  an  indispensable 
condition.  At  a  seance  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson, 
Sir  Oliver  Lodge's  friends  and  neighbours  in  Liverpool, 
were  present  for  the  first  time,  besides  Sir  Oliver  himself 
and  his  brother  Alfred,  Phinuit  said  :  "Do  you  know 
Richard,  Rich,  Mr.  Rich  ?  "  Mrs.  Thompson  replied  : 
"  Not  well,  I  knew  a  Dr.  Rich."  "  That's  him,"  said 
Phinuit.  "  He's  passed  out.  He  sends  kindest  regards 
to  his  father."  A  Dr.  Rich  had  some  time  previously 
died  suddenly  ;  he  was  the  son  of  the  head  of  the  Liver- 
pool post  office.  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  had  never  seen  him, 
but  Mr.  Thompson  had,  it  seems,  once  or  twice  spoken  to 
him.  His  Christian  name  was  not  Richard  ;  but  this 
was  hardly  the  opinion  of  Phinuit ;  Richard  is  doubtless 
a  result  of  his  seeking  for  Rich. 

Some  six  weeks  later,  towards  the  end  of  a  sitting  with 
the  same  Thompsons,  Phinuit  said  suddenly  :    "  Here's 

o  2 


196      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

Dr.  Rich/'  after  which  the  latter  himself  commenced 
speaking. 

"  Dr.  R.  It  is  very  kind  of  this  gentleman  [i.e.,  Phinuit]  to 
let  me  speak  to  you.  Mr.  Thompson,  I  want  to  give  you  a 
message  to  father. 

"  Mr.  T.     I  will  give  it. 

"  Dr.  R.  Thank  you  a  thousand  times,  it  is  very  good  of  you. 
You  see  I  passed  out  rather  suddenly.  Father  was  very  much 
troubled  about  it,  and  he  is  troubled  yet.  He  hasn't  got  over 
it.    Tell  hinj  I  am  alive — that  I  send  my  love  to  him." 

Some  little  facts  were  mentioned  of  an  identifying 
character,  and  admitted  afterwards  to  be  accurate.  The 
father,  though  inclined  to  be  sceptical,  confessed  that  he 
had  indeed  been  more  than  ordinarily  troubled  by  the 
sudden  death  of  his  son,  because  of  a  recent  estrangement 
between  them  which  would  otherwise  no  doubt  have  been 
removed. 

From  among  the  sittings  reported  by  Sir  Oliver  Lodge 
may  finally  be  chosen  one  which  the  sitter,  a  chaplain  of 
Liverpool,  Mr.  Lund,  describes  in  anything  but  apprecia- 
tory  words.  "  Altogether,"  he  writes,  "  there  was  such 
a  mixture  of  the  true  and  false,  the  absurd  and  rational, 
the  vulgar  commonplace  of  the  crafty  fortune-teller  with 

startling  reality,  that  I  have  no  theory  to  offer What 

impressed  me  most  was  the  way  in  which  she  [Mrs. 
Piper]  seemed  to  feel  for  information,  rarely  telling  me 
anything  of  importance  right  off  the  reel,  but  carefully 
fishing,  and  then  following  up  a  lead."  This  is  an  un- 
sympathetic, but  on  the  surface  not  incorrect,  description 
of  Phinuit's  method.  There  was,  however,  one  thing 
that  impressed  Mr.  Lund.  In  the  midst  of  his  pro- 
miscuous talk  of  the  sitter's  family  and  their  troubles, 
of  an  upset  carriage  (\vrong),  and  a  burned  carpet  (right), 
Phinuit  asked  :  "Do  you  know  Thomas  ?  "  "  I  am 
Thomas,"  replied  Mr.  Lund.^     And  now  came  the  words  : 

"  He'll  know  me — Thomas — Lon — Lund — Tom  Lund. 
That's  your  sister  that's  saying  it." 

1  Mrs.  Piper  did  not  know  the  sitter's  name.  Strangers  were  always 
introduced  anonymously. 


PHINUIT  197 

Afterwards  Phinuit  told  that  the  brother  had  been 
absent  when  she  died,  and  described  her  appearance. 
Her  name  he  tried  in  vain  to  grasp,  and  went  through  a 
long  list ;  it  had  "  ag  "  in  the  middle,  he  said.  At  last 
he  succeeded. 

"  But  it's  your  sister — Maggie — that's  it — she  says  you  are 
brother  Tom — no,  her  name's  '  Margie. '  Too  bad  you  were  not 
at  home — it  was  one  of  the  sorrows  that  followed  Tom  all  his 
life.     He'll  never  forget  it." 

Mr.  Lund's  sister  Maggie  had  died  of  diphtheria  in  his 
absence  quite  thirty  years  before  this,  and  her  death  was 
a  heart-aching  sorrow  of  many  years.  Margie  had  been 
her  pet  name,  which  he  had  quite  forgotten. 

Thus  it  is  here  also,  in  the  case  of  a  specially  unsuccess- 
ful seance,  seen  that  the  statements  connected  with  the 
manifestation  of  a  spirit  were  of  another  and  more 
impressive  kind  than  Phinuit's  own  performances. 

Of  the  sittings  reported  by  Dr.  Leaf  it  has  already  been 
said  that  they  were,  on  the  whole,  less  satisfactory  than 
the  Lodge  series,  and  that  spirits  very  seldom  appeared 
in  them.  An  exception  in  both  respects  makes  a  seance 
with  a  Mr.  Clarke  and  his  wife,  "  perhaps  the  most 
remarkable  of  the  series,"  Dr.  Leaf  writes.  During  this 
sitting  Phinuit  mentioned  as  present  two  spirits,  both 
relatives  of  Mrs.  Clarke,  who  was  a  German  by  birth. 
The  names  indicated  in  the  report  by  initials  were  given 
correctly. 

"  Ph.  I  want  to  talk  to  you  about  your  uncle  C.  There 
is  someone  with  him — E.  He  is  your  cousin.  Well,  he  sends 
his  love  to  you. 

"  Mrs.  C.     How  did  he  die  ? 

"  Ph.  There  was  something  the  matter  with  his  heart,  and 
with  his  head.  He  says  it  was  an  accident.  He  wants  me 
to  tell  you  that  it  was  an  accident.  He  wants  you  to  tell  his 
sisters.     There's  M.  and  E.  ;  they  are  sisters  of  E.     And  there 

is  their  mother He  begs  you,  for  God's  sake,  to  tell  them 

that  it  was  an  accident — that  it  was  his  head ;  that  he  was 
hurt  there  [makes  motion  of  stabbing  heart]  ;    that  he  had 


198      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

inherited  it  from  his  father.  His  father  was  off  his  head ; 
you  know  what  I  mean — crazy.  But  the  others  are  all  right, 
and  will  be." 

Mrs.  Clarke  calls  this  "  a  most  striking  account  "  of  her 
uncle's  family  in  Germany.  The  father  was  disturbed  in 
his  mind  for  the  last  three  years  of  his  life  in  consequence 
of  a  fall  from  his  horse.  The  son  committed  suicide  in  a 
fit  of  melancholia,  by  stabbing  his  heart  as  described.  It 
is  true  that  Phinuit  spoke  as  if  the  son  had  inherited  the 
insanity  from  his  father  ;  nor  did  he  seem  to  understand 
the  double  cause  of  his  death— both  head  and  heart. 
But  as  he  is  represented  as  reporting  what  E.  says, 
without  personal  knowledge  o^  the  matter,  his  want  of 
comprehension  rather  enhances  the  dramatic  effect. 
Later  he  continued  the  conversation  with  Mrs.  Clarke  in 
the  following  manner : 

"  Ph.  Here's  M.  —  She  is  your  aunt  —  she  is  here,  and 
wants  to  speak  to  you. 

"  Mrs.  C.    What  does  she  say  about  her  husband  ? 

"  Ph.  She  says  he  has  changed  his  life  since.  She  does  not 
like  it  that  he  married  again. 

"  Mrs.  C.     Does  she  like  the  one  whom  he  has  married  ? 

"  Ph.  Oh,  she  loves  her  dearly.  But  she  does  not  like 
him  to  have  married  so  soon.  He  married  her  sister.  Two 
brothers  married  two  sisters.  Her  husband  has  children 
now "  ^ 

This  was  an  accurate  description  of  the  family  of 
another  uncle  of  Mrs.  Clarke's.  His  wife  died  childless, 
and  he  soon  after  married  her  sister,  by  whom  he  had 
children.  His  brother  had  previously  married  a  third 
sister.  It  is  true  that  the  sitter  knew  all  these  things, 
and  the  facts  connected  with  her  cousin  E.'s  death  came 
to  her  mind  as  soon  as  Phinuit  mentioned  his  name.  But 
that  the  assurance  and  fluency  with  which  the  German 
names  and  peculiar  circumstances  are  reported  here, 
where  spirits  are  referred  to  as  the  source,  differ  essen- 
tially from  the  vagueness  that  characterizes  the  clairvoyant 
impressions,  is  at  any  rate  indisputable. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

GEORGE   PELHAM 

On  March  22nd,  1892,  Mr.  John  Hart  (pseudonym) 
had  a  sitting  with  Mrs.  Piper  in  Boston,  which  was  as 
usual  conducted  by  Dr.  Hodgson.^  Mr.  Hart  had  brought 
some  objects  that  had  belonged  to  deceased  relatives  of 
his,  and  Phinuit  tried  in  his  ordinary  manner  to  dis- 
entangle their  relations.  There  were  two  Georges  among 
them.  Suddenly  Phinuit  said  to  the  sitter  :  "  There  is 
another  George,  who  wants  to  speak  to  you.  How  many 
Georges  are  there  about  you  any  way  ?  " 

This  was  the  commencement,  so  to  speak,  of  a  new  era 
in  the  history  of  the  Piper-trance.  Mr.  Hart  had,  a 
month  previously,  through  an  accident  in  New  York, 
lost  his  friend  George,  in  the  reports  called  George  Pelham, 
or  more  commonly  G.  P.  Mr.  Pelham  was  at  his  death 
thirty-two  years  old  ;  he  was  a  lawyer  by  training,  but 
had  devoted  himself  chiefly  to  literature  and  philosophy. 
He  was  an  Associate  of  the  Society  for  Psychical  Re- 
search, and,  four  years  before  his  death,  had  had  a  single 
sitting  with  Mrs.  Piper,  one  of  a  series  arranged  by  the 
Committee  on  Mediumistic  Phenomena  connected  with 
the  Society.  But  neither  the  medium  nor  the  Rev. 
Minot  J.  Savage,  who  was  on  that  occasion  present 
officially  on  behalf  of  the  Committee,  had  learned  his 
name.  A  couple  of  years  afterwards  he  had  had  a  dis- 
cussion Nvith  Dr.  Hodgson  on  the  possibility  of  a  future 
life,  and  on  this  occasion  vowed  that  if  he  died  before 
him  and  found  himself  still  existing,  he  would  "  make 
things  lively  "  in  the  effort  to  reveal  the  fact  of  his  con- 

1  "  A  Further  Record  of  Observations  of  Certain  Phenomena  of 
Trance,"  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XIII.,  pp.  284 — 582. 


200       COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

tinued  existence.  The  seance  on  March  22nd,  1892,  was 
the  first  at  which  any  friend  of  his  was  present.  His 
relations  with  Dr.  Hodgson  had  not  been  of  an  emotional 
nature. 

With  Phinuit  acting  as  intermediary,  George  Pelham 
in  the  first  sitting  already  gave  a  number  of  correct 
statements,  among  other  things  his  own  name  and  the 
names,  bot^  Christian  and  surname,  of  several  of  his 
intimate  friends.  Among  these  were  Mr.  James  Howard, 
his  wife  Mary,  and  their  daughter  Katharine.  Referring 
to  the  latter,  G.  P.  said  :  "  Tell  her,  she'll  know.  '  I'll 
solve  the  problems,  Katharine.'  "  Mr.  Hart  was  aware 
that  Pelham  had  known  the  H^owards,  but  did  not  under- 
stand what  this  remark  referred  to.  Mr.  Howard, 
however,  to  whom  Mr.  Hart  gave  an  account  of  the  sitting, 
was  very  much  impressed  by  the  words.  George  Pelham, 
when  he  had  last  stayed  with  them,  had  talked  frequently 
with  Katharine,  a  girl  of  fifteen  years  of  age,  about  the 
great  problems  of  existence,  adding  that  sometime  he 
would  solve  them,  and  let  her  know. 

This  first  manifestation  was  followed  by  a  great  many 
others,  nay  it  may  be  said  that  G.  P.  never  entirely 
disappeared  from  Mrs.  Piper's  trance.  It  is  unnecessary 
to  repeat  here  much  from  the  numerous  sittings  where  he 
tried  to  prove  his  identity,  and  in  fact  convinced  most 
people  of  it.  The  interest  he  presents  reaches  beyond 
the  question  of  identity.  Besides,  in  this  as  in  other 
cases,  the  references  that  are  said  to  be  the  most  con- 
vincing are  omitted  in  the  report  as  too  personal  for  pub- 
lication. But  an  idea  about  the  strength  of  his  claim  to 
be  believed  one  gets  on  hearing  that,  out  of  at  least  one 
hundred  and  fifty  sitters  whom  in  the  following  six  years 
he  "  met  "  at  Mrs.  Piper's,  he  recognized  thirty  whom 
Pelham  had  known  living,  and  never  claimed  acquaintance 
with  a  sitter  to  whom  Pelham  was  unknown.  One  of  the 
recognized  persons,  the  Rev.  Minot  J.  Savage,  did  not 
himself  know  that  he  had  ever  met  the  deceased  author  ; 
as  mentioned  above,  the  latter  was  not  introduced  under 


GEORGE   PELHAM  201 

his  real  name  when  he,  in  March,  1888,  attended  a  sitting 
together  with  Mr.  Savage.  Once  only  a  sitter  appeared 
at  Mrs.  Piper's  who  was  not  identified  by  G.  P.,  though 
Pelham  had  known  her  ;  it  was  a  young  girl  who  had  been 
a  child  when  he  died  five  years  previously.  Phinuit  could 
tell  a  great  deal  about  her ;  but  this  was  not  the  way  in 
which  G.  P.  knew  people.  When  he  was  told  her  name, 
however,  he  remembered  her  well. 

There  is,  on  the  whole,  in  this  remarkable  case,  where 
for  the  first  time  the  same  personality  manifested  beside 
Phinuit  through  a  long  period,  abundant  opportunity  to 
observe  the  difference  between  an  "  ordinary  "  spirit  and 
the  medium  Phinuit.  What  a  contrast  there  is  between 
George's  correct  use  of  the  Christian  and  surname  of  his 
friends,  or  of  the  surname  only  where  this  would  have 
been  natural  to  Pelham  when  living,  and  Phinuit's  groping 
for  names  and  his  tendency  to  let  the  Christian  name 
suffice.  Or  between  Phinuit's  errors  when  speaking  of 
all  these  things  which  he  had  not  himself  experienced,  or 
heard  of,  but  only  got  an  impression  of  then  and  there, 
and  George's  mistakes,  which  are  most  often  slips  of  the 
memory,  and  easily  accounted  for.  How  natural  is,  for 
instance,  his  misrecollection  when  he  says  :  "  Lent  a  book 
to  Meredith.  Tell  him  to  keep  it  for  me,"  while  the  rights 
of  the  case  were  that  Pelham  had  during  a  visit  from  his 
friend  Meredith,  some  months  before  his  death,  wanted 
him  to  take  away  some  of  his  books,  but  that  he  had  not 
done  so.  And  how  different  is  it  from  the  manner  of 
Phinuit  when  G.  P.,  after  recognizing  a  picture  of  the 
Howards'  summer-house  in  D.,  which  they  had  left  eight 
years  before  Pelham's  death,  said  :  "  But  I  have  for- 
gotten the  name  of  the  town,"  adding  afterwards : 
"  Then  you  bought  a  place  at  some  ville  "  ;  they  had,  in 
fact,  bought  a  place  at  Xville  in  1886. 

In  spite  of  the  great  mass  of  verifiable  statements — of 
which  many  were  unknown  to  the  actual  sitters — 
presented  in  the  G.  P.  case,  it  is,  therefore,  not  these  that 
have  given  it  its  greatest  import.     The  dramatic  realism 


202      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

which  from  the  very  first  stamped  the  manifestations  of 
this  personahty,  the  consistence  of  character  maintained 
through  all  the  following  years,  did  much  more  to  con- 
vince his  friends  and  relatives  who  had  originally  all  been 
sceptical,  not  to  speak  of  Dr.  Hodgson  himself.  His 
attitude  towards  the  varying  sitters,  varying  in  accord- 
ance with  Pelham's  relations  with  them  when  living,  his 
clear  understanding  of  what  was  expected  from  him,  his 
intelligence  and  his  v^nllingness  to  sacrifice  himself  to  the 
cause  he  had  espoused,  this  and  much  more  made  of  G.  P. 
a  figure  worthy  of  representing  the  once  living  Pelham 
in  an  altered  situation.  What  change  has  been  discernible 
in  this  continuous  living  and  persistent  personality,  says 
Dr.  Hodgson,  is  a  change  "  not  of  any  process  of  disinte- 
gration, but  rather  of  integration  and  evolution." 

George  Pelham's  utterances  in  the  first  seance  had 
referred  to  his  friends  and  his  own  affairs,  which  on  account 
of  the  suddenness  of  his  death  had  been  left  in  a  certain 
disorder.  Though  the  most  personal  references  are  not 
quoted,  the  reader  gets  a  clear  picture  of  the  whole 
situation.  Above  all  he  wished  to  speak  with  Mr.  Howard. 
"  Tell  Jim  I  want  to  see  him,"  he  said  to  Mr.  Hart.  Three 
weeks  passed  befdre  his  wish  could  be  gratified,  as  the 
interval  was  occupied  by  sitters  for  whom  appointment 
had  been  made  previously  ;  but  at  each  of  these  sittings 
Phinuit  represented  G.  P.  as  anxious  to  see  him  or  other 
friends,  saying  :  "  George  says,  when  are  you  going  to 
bring  Jim  ?  "  or  "  George  says  he  wants  to  tell  you  of 
the  philosophy  of  this  life."  At  the  Howards'  first 
seance,  on  April  nth,  he  talked  in  a  pertinent  manner  of 
his  sudden  decease,  and  what  happened  afterwards,  as 
one  who  speaks  to  friends  after  a  separation.  Besides, 
he  besought  them  to  bring  his  father.  His  mother  was 
not  living. 

But  at  this  meeting  the  sitters  had  already,  by  request 
of  Dr.  Hodgson,  begun  to  put  test  questions  to  G.  P. 
These  questions,  which  from  the  point  of  view  of  identifi- 


GEORGE  PELHAM  203 

cation  it  was  thought  specially  valuable  to  get  answered, 
but  which  referred  to  subjects  he  did  not  spontaneously 
allude  to,  strained  and  worried  him  in  no  small  degree. 
Dr.  Hodgson  himself  thought  afterwards  that  the  method 
of  proceeding  had  often  been  objectionable  ;  the  com- 
municator was  interrupted  instead  of  allowed  to  say 
what  he  wanted,  and  confusion  was  created  by  a  continual 
change  of  subject.  For  instance,  he  was  one  day  while 
other  things  were  discussed  asked  about  a  sitter's  name  ; 
it  was  Professor  Peirce,  who  had  been  known  to  Pelham. 
The  question  was  not  answered,  but  when  Mrs.  Piper  was 
just  coming  out  of  trance,  she  whispered  among  some 
incomprehensible  words  twice  the  name  Peirce,  and 
on  the  next  day  G.  P.  said  that  he  had  "  tried  to  tell  the 
medium  just  as  she  was  coming  into  her  body  again." 
Here  then  it  became  clear  that  he  had  not  postponed  the 
reply  because  he  did  not  know  the  name.  But,  of  course, 
the  experimenters  must  be  on  their  guard  to  avoid 
deceiving  themselves.  The  following  case  illustrates  well 
the  difficulty  of  the  situation  for  both  parts.  At  a  sitting 
in  May,  G.  P.  acted  as  amanuensis  for  the  sitter's  deceased 
sister.  The  Christian  name  of  this  lady  had  been  given, 
and  G.  P.  went  on  to  write  some  more  statements  at  her 
dictation.  Dr.  Hodgson  interrupted  him  by  a  demand 
for  her  surname,  to  which  G.  P.  answered  with  some 
impatience  : 

"  Don't  bother  me  while  her  sister  [i.e.,  the  spirit]  is 
speaking  to  me  please,  for  I  have  quite  enough  to  do  without 
this." 

Dr.  Hodgson  writes  hereof :  "  This,  thought  I,  is  an 
evasion  ;  it  would  have  been  much  easier  to  have  written 
the  name,  if  it  were  known,  than  to  spend  so  many  words 
in  telling  me  not  to  interrupt."  His  suspicion  seemed  to 
receive  confirmation  when  the  writing  ended  without 
any  reply  to  his  question.  But  afterwards  Phinuit,  who 
came  to  speak  a  few  words  about  other  matters,  stopping 
suddenly,     spelled     out     the     letters     of     the     name, 


204      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

MANNORS  (pseudonym),  adding  that  George  was 
"  yelling  at  "  him  to  say  that ! 

In  a  single  case,  however,  a  similar  suspicion  seemed 
well  founded.  G.  P.  was  asked  about  the  names  of  two 
ladies  who  had  formed  a  society  together  with  Pelham 
two  years  before  his  death,  and  said  that  he  would  put 
off  answering  until  he  was  alone  with  Dr.  Hodgson,  who 
did  not  know  the  names,  in  order  that  the  answer  might 
not  be  considered  thought-transference.  But  the  names 
which  he  gave  later  were  not  correct ;  thus  the  alleged 
reason  for  not  answering  at  once  had  probably  been  a 
pretext  to  get  delay.  In  view  of  the  severity  with  which 
he  was  treated,  we  ought  perhaps  to  forgive  him  that  he 
tried  to  conceal  his  ignorance — what  the  researchers, 
however,  have  not  been  willing  to  do. 

G.  P.  once  says  about  himself  and  the  other  spirits  : 
"  Like  as  when  in  the  body  sometimes,  we  can't  always 
recall  everything  in  a  moment."  But  the  experimenters 
seem  to  have  been  prone  to  suppose  that  he  possessed  a 
similar  memory  as  that  which  is  ascribed  to  the  sub- 
conscious mind.  As  an  instance  may  be  quoted  that  a 
sitter  more  than  two  years  after  Pelham's  death  asked 
G.  P.  a  series  of  questions  concerning  the  number  of 
pages  of  a  manuscript  of  Pelham's  on  a  philosophical 
subject,  the  paper  on  which  it  was  written,  its  division 
into  chapters,  its  external  title  page,  and  its  first  sentence 
and  dedication.  It  is  characterized  as  a  failure  that  G.  P. 
was  unable  to  answer  these  questions. 

But  also  in  another  respect  strange  achievements 
were  exacted  from  George  Pelham.  Dr.  Hodgson  counts 
as  failures  divers  unsuccessful  attempts  on  his  part  to 
answer  questions  about  lost  objects,  and  a  few  pro- 
phecies. He  adds  about  the  former  category,  that 
correct  answers  would  have  strengthened  the  evidence 
for  the  possession  of  supernormal  faculty,  but  that  the 
failures  do  not  directly  affect  the  question  of  identity. 
The  same  applies  in  his  opinion  to  G.  P.'s  prophecies, 
"  which  were  not  many  and  were  chiefly  personal,"  and 


GEORGE   PELHAM  205 

where  Dr.  Hodgson  thinks  his  "  success  would  outweigh 
his  failure."  The  remarkable  thing  is,  that  Dr.  Hodgson 
apparently  would  have  found  it  natural,  if  supernormal 
faculty  had  been  the  privilege  of  all  departed.  He  does 
not  seem  to  have  realized  how  different  Phinuit  is  in  this 
respect  from  the  other  communicators  in  Mrs.  Piper's 
trance.  As  regards  George  Pelham,  there  is  not  much 
reason  to  believe  that  he  had  mediumistic  powers.  But, 
of  course,  it  is  not  excluded  that  he  may  have  been  some- 
thing of  a  psychic,  though  in  a  far  less  degree  than 
Phinuit.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  conceivable  that 
Phinuit  has  helped  him  with  this  kind  of  task.  The 
exact  circumstances  cannot  be  learned  from  the  report, 
where  the  cases  in  question  are  not  recorded. 

Of  a  wholly  different  type  is  a  series  of  attempts  to 
make  G.  P.  give  information  about  the  doings  of  some  of 
his  friends  or  relatives  ;  this,  of  course,  does  not  imply 
any  supernormal  powers  in  a  spirit.  G.  P.  himself  dis- 
played a  great  interest  in  these  experiments  after  they 
had  been  suggested  to  him,  and  here  he  was  several  times 
very  successful.  On  April  13th,  1892,  it  was  arranged 
that  he  should  watch  his  father,  who  lived  in  Washington, 
and  see  him  do  something  which  the  sitters  (the  Howards) 
could  not  know  about,  and  tell  them  at  their  next  seance. 
This  came  off  on  April  22nd,  and  G.  P.  said  : 

"  I  saw  father  and  he  took  my  photograph  and  took  it  to 
the  artist's  to  have  it  copied  ...  I  went  to  Washington  ; 
my  father  will  be  hard  to  convince ;  my  mother  [i.e.,  step- 
mother] not  so  hard." 

Asked  about  this,  Mrs.  Pelham  wrote  from  Washington  : 
"  His  father  did,  without  my  knowledge,  take  a  photo- 
graph of  him  to  a  photographer  here  to  copy — not  enlarge. 
The  negative  had  been  broken.  Mrs.  L.  was  going  to 
have  it  copied  in  New  York,  and  Mr.  Pelham  thought  he 
would  see  what  they  could  do  here." 

With  the  parents  themselves  it  was  at  a  sitting  in  New 
York  on  Saturday,  May  14th,  arranged  that  George 
should  follow  them  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day. 


2o6       COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

during  which  they  should  do  something  special  having 
relation  to  him.  At  a  seance  on  the  following  Monday, 
where  they  would  not  be  present,  he  should  then  describe 
what  he  had  seen.     On  this  occasion  he  said  as  follows  : 

"  I  saw  him  take  some  notepaper  and  write  an  explanatory 
letter  to  Frank  about  what  I  had  said  to  him  in  or  on  that 
day  [i.e.,  Saturday]  .  .  ,  The  flowers  which  I  saw  mother 
put  before  ^my  photo,  she  and  father  will  understand  ,  . 
In  connection  with  this  I  saw  them  open  my  book  and  place 
therein  a  picture  of  X.  Y.  That  is  all  of  importance  that  I 
saw  them  do." 

All  these  details  were  correct,  only  Mr.  Pelham  had  not 
written  the  explanatory  letter  to  Frank,  the  brother  of 
George.  He  had  intended  writing  such  a  letter  on  the 
said  afternoon,  and  had  consulted  his  wife  about  the 
proposed  contents,  but  had  not  found  time  to  do  it.  It  is 
conceivable  that  George  had  heard  their  conversation, 
and  so  thought  that  the  plan  had  been  executed.  There 
are  several  instances  where  he  claims  to  have  heard 
something  which  had  really  been  spoken  ;  thus.  Pro- 
fessor Newbold  ^  relates  that  G.  P.  once  told  him  that  he 
had  heard  him  and  Dr.  Hodgson  speak  about  "  the 
memoriam  Rogers,"  i.e.,  Mr.  Rogers's  preface  to  Pelham's 
poems  ;  "I  caught  it  as  you  were  telling  him  and  it 
attracted  me,"  G.  P.  had  said.  They  had  in  fact  con- 
versed with  each  other  on  this  subject. 

Another  successful  experiment  of  this  kind  referred  to 
Mr.  Howard.  Phinuit  had  in  the  beginning  of  a  seance, 
in  December,  1892,  said  that  George  had  gone  to  find 
Jim  and  would  come  back  and  tell  Hodgson  what  he  was 
doing.  Afterwards  G.  P.  himself  appeared  and  wrote 
through  the  medium's  hand,  while  Phinuit  simultaneously 
spoke  with  another  person,  as  follows  : 

"  Hello,  I  am  with  you  now  and,  Hodgson,  Jim  has  seen 
Fenton  — —  Jim  is  reading,  or  was  a  short  few  minutes  ago." 

Both  these  statements  were  correct.  Mr,  Howard  had 
gone  into  the  country  to  visit  a  friend  named  Fenton. 

1  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XIV,,  p.  48. 


GEORGE   PELHAM  207 

Later  in  the  sitting  G.  P.  said  in  reply  to  a  question  from 
Mrs.  Howard,  this  time  using  the  voice  : 

"  G.  P.  He  has  gone  to  see  his  friend  Fenton,  saw  him 
not  three  quarters  of  an  hour  ago,  as  near  as  I  can  go  by  the 
time. 

"  Dr.  H.    It  was  more. 

"  G.  P.     That  I  can't  specify." 

Mrs.  Howard  asked  what  Fenton  and  Jim  talked 
about,  and  G.  P.  gave  what  proved  to  be  a  correct 
answer : 

"  About  this  very  subject  and  about  me.  They  have  been 
discussing  it,  but  Fenton  is  as  hard-headed  as  Orenberg  [a 
friend  of  Pelham's] " 

Further  must  be  mentioned  an  experiment,  the  result 
of  which  was  very  curious.  In  the  commencement  of  a 
seance,  on  April  28th,  1892,  Dr.  Hodgson  asked  G.  P. 
to  visit  the  Howards  and  return  to  inform  him  what  they 
were  doing.  Towards  the  end  of  the  sitting,  Phinuit 
interrupted  his  talk  with  the  sitter.  Professor  Peirce,^  to 
give  a  number  of  statements  about  things  which  G.  P. 
had  seen  Mrs.  Howard  do.     He  spoke  as  follows  : 

"  She  is  writing,  and  [has]  taken  some  violets  and  put  them 
in  a  book.  And  it  looks  as  if  she's  writing  to  my  mother  .  .  . 
Who's  Tyson  .  .  .  Davis  ...  I  saw  her  sitting  in  the  chair 

sitting  before  a  little  desk  or  table.     Took  httle  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  hers.     Sent 

a  letter  toTASON    TYSON.     Mrs. She  hunted  a 

little  while  for  her  picture,  sketching.  He's  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  some  thing  from  a 
drawer,  cume  back  again,  sat  down  to  the  desk,  and  then 
finished  the  letter." 

It  turned  out  that  Mrs.   Howard  had  done  none  of 
these  things  that  day,  but  all  of  them  on  the  evening  of 

1  It  was  at  this  sitting  that  G.  P.  would  not  give  his  name  at  once  ; 
see  above,  p.  203. 


2o8      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

the  26th  and  the  afternoon  of  the  27th  April.  On  both 
days  she  had  written  to  Mrs.  Pelham.  On  the  26th  she 
had  had  George's  photograph  before  her  while  she  wrote, 
and  had  afterwards  put  it  in  an  envelope  with  the  letter 
and  another  photo  of  him.  It  was  also  correct  that  she 
had  hunted  a  little  for  her  picture,  namely,  one  she  had 
painted  of  George,  All  that  was  said  about  her  taking 
George's  b6ok,  etc.,  was  true,  but  she  could  not  tell  at 
what  time  she  did  that.  While  writing  to  his  mother  she 
went  and  took  some  things  from  a  drawer,  and  came  back 
again  and  finished  the  letter.  On  the  27th,  in  the  after- 
noon, she  wrote  to  Mrs,  Tyson,  a  lady  she  had  not  written 
to  for  weeks,  perhaps  for  months,  declining  an  invitation. 
Later  she  wrote  to  Mrs.  Pelham,  and  seeing  "  George's 
violets  "  by  her  in  an  envelope  gave  them  to  her  daughter 
to  put  in  a  drawer.     They  were  not  put  into  a  book. 

As  may  be  seen,  Phinuit's  representation,  though 
precise  in  most  details,  interweaves  two  series  of  doings 
in  a  perplexing  manner,  beginning  by  the  latest.  Con- 
cerning this  Dr.  Hodgson  writes  that  G.  P.  seemed  to 
have  a  very  obscure  perception  generally  of  our  physical 
world,  and  to  have  mistaken  for  contemporary  physical 
events  a  series  of  recent  scenes  in  Mrs.  Howard's  subcon- 
scious mind.  But  the  latter  explanation  does  not  agree 
with  George  Pelham's  other  achievements.  In  no  other 
instance  has  he  proved  himself  able  to  see,  by  a  sort  of 
retrospective  clairvoyance,  or  by  mind-reading,  something 
that  has  actually  occurred,  but  at  an  earlier  time.  Either 
he  sees  the  events  contemporaneously  with  their  taking 
place,  though  with  varying  clearness,  or  he  cannot  see 
them  at  all.  It  is  conceivable  that  he  had  seen  those 
events  when  they  occurred,  and  reproduced  his  recollec- 
tions of  them,  perhaps  without  a  clear  understanding  as 
to  the  time  of  their  occurrence.  They  might  have 
"  attracted "  him,  as  he  states  that  the  conversation 
between  Dr.  Hodgson  and  Professor  Newbold  about  the 
preface  to  his  book  did,  because  they  concerned  himself, 
while  Mrs.  Howard,  perhaps,  at  the  time  of  the  sitting  on 


GEORGE  PELHAM  209 

April  28th,  did  not  perform  anything  that  could  do  this. 
Likewise,  all  that  he  reported  about  his  father's  doings 
had  been  things  that  had  some  relation  to  himself  ;  on  the 
first  occasion  he  had  seen  his  father  take  his  photograph  to 
the  photographer,  in  the  second  case  he  had  observed  a 
series  of  doings  which  were  purposely  performed  by  the 
parents  as  related  to  him.  The  same  connection  between 
the  events  which  a  communicator  appears  to  have  seen, 
and  their  relation  to  the  deceased  person  whom  he  purports 
to  be,  is  found  in  other  cases,  and  was  regarded  by 
Dr.  Hodgson  as  one  of  the  circumstances  that  testified 
to  the  identity  of  the  spirits.  That  Phinuit  can  see  things 
which  do  not  concern  himself  is,  of  course,  another  matter. 
It  might  also,  perhaps,  be  conceived  that  it  was  Phinuit 
who  clairvoyantly  saw  Mrs.  Howard's  past  doings,  and 
reported  them  to  help  G.  P.,  but  it  is  hardly  so  probable 
an  interpretation  as  the  other  one.  But  in  any  case,  it 
is  evidently  Phinuit  who  is  responsible  for  the  form  in 
which  they  are  presented  ;  it  is  thoroughly  Phinuit-ese 
to  say  :  "  Who's  Tyson  ?  "  and  to  call  an  envelope  "  a 
little  bag."  It  is  as  if  he  got  the  description  from  G.  P. 
through  impressions,  and  not  by  means  of  words. 

Dr.  Hodgson's  report  contains  several  more  contribu- 
tions to  the  elucidation  of  the  manner  in  which  G.  P.  saw 
things.  At  a  sitting  on  December  22nd,  1892,  the  following 
conversation  took  place  between  them  on  account  of  an 
experiment  performed  by  the  latter : 

"  G.  P.  I  followed  you  on  a  railway  train  for  some  distance, 
and  then  I  thought  you  were  in  New  York  [correct],  but  am 
not  sure  ...  I  could  not  be  too  positive,  as  things  look 
differently  to  me  now  from  what  they  did  when  I  was  in  my 
material  body. 

"  Dr.  H.  I  suppose  that  you  don't  see  the  physical  universe 
directly,  but  come  into  relation  with  our  perception  of  the 
physical  universe  ? 

"  G.  P.  Yes,  absolutely  in  a  spiritual  sense  ;  in  fact  it  is, 
and  must  necessarily  be,  through  the  spiritual  that  I  see  you, 
and  can  follow,  and  tell  about  what  you  are  doing  from  time 
to  time." 

CD.  P 


210      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

What  G.  P.  says  here  is  not,  perhaps,  very  clear.  But 
he  seems  to  take  no  notice  whatever  of  Dr.  Hodgson's 
speech  about  our  perception  o/the  universe.  His  explana- 
tion has  nothing  to  do  with  seeing  by  means  of  other 
people's  minds  ;  in  this  respect  he  seems  to  agree  with 
Phinuit,  who  always  denied  being  a  mind-reader.  And 
at  a  sitting  on  January  24th,  1893,  his  words  were  clearer. 
The  dialogue  on  this  occasion  is  the  following  : 

"  Dr.  H.  Well,  George,  I  want  to  go  away  very  shortly 
while  you  arc  still  here,  and  I  want  you  to  either  go  yourself 
or  to  get  Phinuit  to  go,  and  if  possible  tell  them  here  where  I 
am  going  and  what  I  am  doing. 

"  G.  P.  Yes,  I  will  try  my  best,  but  it  will  depend  wholly 
on  my  seeing  your  spiritual  bo^y,  so  please  send  out  your 
spiritual  body  to  me  as  much  as  you  possibly  can  while  you 
are  doing  the  trick." 

Nothing  of  what  G.  P.  on  this  occasion  reported  about 
Dr.  Hodgson's  doings  was  correct ;  thus  it  must  be 
supposed  that  the  latter  has  not  understood  the  art  of 
"  sending  out  his  spiritual  body."  An  experiment  with 
an  acquaintance  of  Pelham's,  Miss  M.,  failed  likewise  ; 
Dr.  Hodgson  himself  connected  these  two  failures  with  the 
circumstance  that  neither  his  own  nor  Miss  M.'s  relations 
to  Pelham  had  been  of  an  emotional  nature  such  as  those 
of  his  parents  and  the  Howards.  G.  P.'s  words,  perhaps, 
expressed  a  similar  thing  ;  if  he  could  only  see  people 
in  the  moments  when  they  sent  out  their  "  spiritual  body  " 
to  him,  i.e.,  were  filled  with  thoughts  of  him,  his  nearest 
friends  and  relatives  must  of  course  be  those  he  most 
often  saw. 

Perhaps  this  too  is  the  explanation  of  the  following  case 
from  a  sitting  with  Mr.  Howard  on  December  9th,  1892  : 

"  G.  P.     I  saw  you  in  Marte's  library  a  few  days  since. 

''^  Mr.  H.     All  three  of  us  ? 

"  G.  P.     No,  simply  you,  Jim." 

Mr.  Howard  had  been  in  Mr.  Marte's  library  on  Decem- 
ber ist,  but  all  the  time  with  the  latter  ;  besides.  Dr. 
Hodgson  had  been  there  part  of  the  time.     Has  G.  P. 


GEORGE   PELHAM  211 

been  able  to  see  his  friend,  but  not  his  more  remote 
acquaintance,  Mr.  Marte  ? 

A  few  experiments  aimed  at  making  G.  P.  read  letters, 
of  course  to  the  exclusion  of  Mrs.  Piper  seeing  the  con- 
tents. On  December  7th,  1892,  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Pelham 
to  Mrs.  Howard,  who  was  present,  was  put  into  the  hand 
of  the  medium.     After  handling  it  G.  P.  said  : 

"  G.  P.     Oh  I  see  father  is  not  well Where  is  it  that  she 

says  in  that  letter  she  is  going  ? 

"  Mrs.  H.     First  to  New  York and  then  perhaps  to  come 

here,  George,  to  see  you.  Now  what  is  the  place  that  they 
are  going  to  dispose  of,  what  does  it  say  in  the  letter, 
George  ?   Tell  me  the  name. 

"  G.  P.    The  house  and  property  in  New  York " 

All  this  was  correct  and  written  in  the  letter.  But  the 
name  of  the  place  in  New  York,  a  very  peculiar  one,  G.  P. 
was  unable  to  give,  though  it  was  also  written  in  the  letter, 
and  though  he  had  given  it  correctly  in  the  spring. 

If  G.  P.  could  see  the  contents  of  the  letter,  it  seems 
then  to  be  in  a  similar  imperfect  manner  as  that  in  which 
he  on  the  whole  saw  the  physical  universe.  At  the  next 
experiment,  a  fortnight  later,  he  evidently  saw  nothing 
at  all.  Mrs.  Howard  had  intended  to  bring  a  letter  from 
his  father  discussing  "  George's  reappearance  at  the 
sittings."  By  mistake,  and  without  knowing  it,  she  had 
instead  of  this  letter  brought  a  business  letter  from 
Mr.  Pelham,  which  she  handed  to  Mrs.  Piper.  The 
following  conversation  ensued  : 

"  Mrs.  H.  I  want  you  to  see  your  father's  letter,  because 
there  is  something  in  it  that  will  please  you. 

"  G.  P.  This  does  not  sound  as  father  would  talk  when  I 
was  in  the  body  .  .  He  believes  that  I  exist  [calls  for 
Dr.  Hodgson,  complains  of  being  '  muddled  '].  He  was  pained 
but  he  is  no  longer  pained,  because  he  feels  that  I  exist. 

"  Mrs.  H.     That's  right ;   I  have  read  it. 

"  G.  P.     That  brings  me  nearer  to  my  father  ;    now 

tell  him  that  I  am  very  near  him and  I  see  him  and  hear 

him  when  he  is  talking  of  me,  hear  him  discussing  with  mother 
certain  things  about  my  life,  some  things  that  perhaps  pained 

him,  and  some  things  that  perhaps  pleased  him " 

P  2 


212      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

G.  P.  did  not  here  say  more  than  what  he  knew  pre- 
viously, and  what  Mrs.  Howard's  remark,  that  the  letter 
would  please  him,  might  lead  up  to.  Possibly  the  letter, 
which  was  at  any  rate  coming  from  the  father,  had  given 
him  an  impression  of  the  latter's  mood  ;  he  says  of  it  that 
it  "  brings  him  nearer  to  his  father."  In  that  case  the 
performance  must  be  classed  with  psychometry.  That 
he  got  no  suspicion  of  the  real  contents  of  the  letter 
agrees  with  the  hypothesis  that  the  non-emotional  was 
inaccessible  to  him. 

With  the  greatest  possible  eagerness,  and  with  a 
touching  gratitude  towards  D>,  Hodgson,  G.  P.  had 
undertaken  all  these  tasks.  "  Words  can  never  express 
what  I  feel  towards  you  for  trying  to  get  me  to  do  things, 
to  explain  to  you  where  I  am,  and  all  for  your  all,"  he 
said  to  Dr.  Hodgson  in  the  spring  of  1892.  But,  as  said 
above,  the  method  of  the  experimenters  was  not  always 
rational.  G.  P.  must  often  beg  them  to  pay  more  regard 
to  himself,  and  he  could  sometimes  feel  a  little  annoyed 
with  them.  "  You  all  want  me  to  work  for  you,  but  you 
don't  care  a  straw  about  helping  me,"  he  exclaimed  at  a 
seance  in  December^,  1892,  when  two  sitters  overwhelmed 
him  with  questions  without  giving  him  time  to  answer. 
"It  is  hard  work,  Hodgson,  but  I  have  got  courage  to 
brave  it  out,"  he  said  a  few  days  afterwards  to  Dr.  Hodg- 
son. Seven  years  later  he  still  remembered  this  period 
with  a  certain  bitterness.  "  I  know  how  you  confused 
me,  by  Jove,  and  I  don't  want  any  more  of  it,"  he  said  to 
Dr.  Hodgson  in  the  summer  of  1899  at  a  sitting  where  he 
acted  as  the  helper  of  other  spirits.^ 

What  was  really  amiss,  however,  was  no  doubt  the 
circumstance  that  George  Pelham,  in  spite  of  all  their 
demands  for  "  tests,"  did  not  understand  that  it  could 
be  seriously  doubted  who  he  was.  This  appears  clearly 
at  two  sittings  in  December,  1892,  of  which  the  former 

•  See  below,  p.  248. 


GEORGE  PELHAM  213 

contains,  so  to  speak,  a  making-up  with  Dr.  Hodgson, 
and  the  latter  the  same  with  Pelham's  dearest  friend, 
Mr.  Howard.  The  conversation  between  Dr.  Hodgson 
and  G.  P.  took  place  in  the  presence  of  Mrs.  Howard  on 
December  19th,  and  ran  as  follows  : 

"  G.  P.  I  want  Hodgson  to  speak  his  mind  fully  to  me 
personally  now. 

"  Dr.  H.  Well,  I  have  not  got  anything  specially  on  my 
mind  now,  George. 

"  G.  P.  Have  I  said  anything  to  trouble  you  ?  Be  frank, 
please. 

"  Dr.  H.  No,  you  have  not  said  anything  to  trouble  me, 
except  the  things  that  make  it  difficult  to  reconcile  to  your 
identity.     You  said  things  that  easily  contradict,  George 

"  G.  P.  I  think  you  will  find  my  statements  contradictory 
only  when  you  confuse  me  by  all  talking  at  once,  or  when  I 
do  not  fully  understand  your  questions. 

"  Dr.  H.  Well,  George,  I  am  going  to  go  over  all  the 
things  that  appear  to  be  contradictory,  and  ask  you  about 
them 

"  G.  P.  That  is  what  I  want.  It  has  worried  me  far  more 
than  it  has  you,  my  dear  fellow. 

"  Dr.  H.  Well,  I  suppose  it  must  have,  George.  I  can 
understand  that. 

"  G.  P.  Now  just  let  me  illustrate.  When  I  began  to 
speak  about  my  existence  here  and  was  ready  to  quote  it 
philosophically,  you  interrupted  me  continually. 

"  Dr.  H.  Well,  we  are  very  sorry,  George  ;  we  would  like 
you  to  go  straight  on  without  our  saying  a  word  for  an  hour, 
if  you  could. 

"  G.  P.    Don't  you  know  you  did  it  ?  Please  be  frank. 

"  Dr.  H.  No,  I  am  not  aware  that  we  did,  George,  except 
you  seemed  as  though  you  needed  us  to  speak  to  5^ou 
occasionally. 

"  G.  P.     Have  you  not  got  the  things  written  ? 

"  Dr.  H.     Yes. 

"  Mrs.  H.  [to  Dr.  H.].  Yes,  I  think  he  was  interrupted  a 
good  deal  by  Marte  at  the  last  sitting. 

"  G.  P.  Well,  please  read  them  carefully  .  .  .  and  see  if  I 
am  not  right. 

"  Dr.  H.  Well,  we  will  take  care,  I  think,  George,  not  to  do 
an  injustice. 

"  G.  P.    Thank  you." 

Dr.  Hodgson,  on  examining  the  records,  arrived  at  the 
conclusion  that  the  statements  made  by  G.  P.  were  fully 


214      COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE  DEAD 

justified,  though  he  had  not  thought  so  at  the  time  of 
their  conversation. 

The  scene  between  G.  P.  and  Mr.  Howard  took  place 
three  days  later ;  Dr.  Hodgson  was  present,  and  had,  as 
will  be  seen  from  his  very  first  remark,  learned  something 
from  the  sitting  on  the  19th : 

"  G.  P.     No^w,  what  will  I  do  for  you  ? 

"  Dr.  H.  Well,  George,  is  there  anything  that  you  would 
like  to  give  us,  any  special  message  that  you  thought  it  would 
be  desirable  for  us  to  have,  or  anything  about  philosophy,  we 
should  be  glad  to  have  that ! 

"  Mr.  H.  Well,  George,  before  you  go  to  philosophy — you 
know  my  opinion  of  philosophy — 

"  G.  P.     It  is  rather  crude,  to  be  sure. 

"  Mr.  H.  Tell  me  something,  you  must  be  able  to  recall 
certain  things  that  you  and  I  know  ;  now,  it  makes  no 
difference  what  the  thing  is  ;  tell  me  something  that  you  and 
I  alone  know.  I  ask  you  because  several  things  I  have  asked 
you,  you  have  failed  to  get  hold  of. 

"  G.  P.     Why  did  you  not  ask  me  this  before  ? 

"  Mr.  H.    Because  I  did  not  have  occasion  to. 

"  G.  P.     What  do  you  mean,  Jim  ? 

"  Mr.  H.  I  mean,  tell  me  something  that  you  and  I  alone 
know,  something  in  our  past  that  you  and  I  alone  know. 

"  G.  P.     Do  you  doubt  me,  dear  old  fellow  ? 

"  Mr.  H.  I  simply  want  something — you  have  failed  to 
answer  certain  questions  that  I  have  asked — now  I  want  you 
to  give  me  the  equivalent  of  the  answers  to  those  questions 
in  your  own  terms. 

"  G.  P.     What  were  they  ? 

"  Mr.  H.  The  questions  were  about  where  we  dined,  and 
that  you  did  not  remember ;  now  tell  me  something  you  do 
remember. 

"  G.  P.     Oh,  you  mean  now." 

Mr.  Howard  had  in  the  beginning  of  the  seance  asked 
G.  P.  where  they  on  a  certain  occasion  had  dined  together 
in  New  York  ;  G.  P.  had  given  the  names  of  two  common 
friends,  but  not  that  of  the  friend  with  whom  they  had 
dined.  It  is  evident  that  it  is  only  at  this  point  of  the 
conversation  that  it  dawns  upon  him.  that  this  is  the 
failure  to  which  "  Jim  "  is  referring  ;  until  then  he  had 
believed  that  he  spoke  of  former  sittings.  Mr.  Howard 
continues  : 


GEORGE   PELHAM  215 

"  Mr.  H.  Tell  me  something  now  that  you  remember  that 
happened  before. 

"  G.  P.  Well,  I  will.  About  Arthur  [one  of  the  friends 
mentioned]  ought  to  be  a  test.  How  absurd  .  .  .  what 
does  Jim  mean  ?  Do  you  mean  our  conversation  on  different 
things,  or  do  you  mean  something  else  ? 

"  Mr.  H.    I  mean  that  we  spent  a  great  many  summers 

and  winters  together,  and  talked  on  a  great  many  things  and 
had  a  great  many  views  in  common,  went  through  a  great 
many  experiences  together 

"  G.  P.     You  used  to  talk  to  me  about  ..." 

What  G.  P.  afterwards  said  has  not  been  published. 
"  Several  statements  were  read  by  me,"  Dr.  Hodgson 
writes,  "  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  circumstances  narrated, 
Mr.  Howard  informed  me,  contained  precisely  the  kind 
of  test  for  which  he  had  asked." 

For  the  readers  who  are  not  made  acquainted  with  the 
test,  the  dramatic  character  of  the  incident  must  suffice. 
There  is  something  pathetic  in  G.  P.'s  dawning  compre- 
hension of  his  friend's  doubt  about  his  identity — and 
something  tragi-comic  in  his  surprise  when  he  begins  to 
realize  that  the  difficulty  is  that  he  cannot  remember 
where  they  dined  together  some  time  in  New  York  1 
And  it  is  touching  that  he  after  he  has  given  all  the 
desired  tests  reverts  to  this  forgetfulness,  and  says 
deprecatingly  : 

"  Jim,  I  am  dull  in  this  sphere  about  some  things,  but  you 
will  forgive  me,  won't  you  ?  .  .  .  but  like  as  when  in  the 
body  sometimes  we  can't  always  recall  everything  in  a 
moment,  can  we,  Jim,  dear  old  fellow  ?  " 

There  has  in  the  preceding  pages  almost  exclusively 
been  talked  about  George  Pelham's  communications  on 
his  own  behalf,  and  about  his  attempts  to  prove  his  own 
identity.     He  was,  however,  going  to  play  a  greater  part 


2i6      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

than  this  merely  personal  one.  He  became  in  the  following 
years  Phinuit's  co-operator  and,  partly,  his  successor  as 
the  one  who  assisted  other  spirits  in  communicating. 
With  the  clairvoyant  part  of  Phinuit's  activity  he  had 
nothing  to  do  ;  but  as  a  helper  of  others  he  displayed  an 
ability  which  soon  threw  Phinuit  into  the  shade. 

About  the  time  of  George  Pelham's  first  manifestation 
a  development  had  taken  place  in  the  trance-phenomena 
which  was  in  itself  of  great  importance,  and,  moreover, 
enhanced  the  value  of  G.  P.'s  assistance.  Hitherto  the 
communications  had  been  oral,  both  when  Phinuit  spoke 
on  his  own  account  or  in  the  name  of  some  other  spirit, 
and  when  occasionally  another  spirit  was  himself  "  con- 
trolling "  the  medium.  This  happened  also  in  the  case 
of  G.  P.  ;  in  the  beginning  Phinuit  was  intermediary, 
i.e.,  the  medium  spoke  with  the  voice  which  characterized 
Phinuit,  either  in  the  first  person  representing  G.  P.  or 
in  the  third  person  about  him  ;  but  gradually  G.  P. 
himself  learned  to  use  the  voice.  Phinuit,  however,  had 
been  wont  to  write  down  now  and  again  something  by 
the  hand  of  the  medium  ;  this  was  also  done  at  the  first 
sittings  where  G.  P.  manifested.  A  short  time  previously 
it  had  occurred  that  some  other  spirit  made  use  of  the 
hand  simultaneousfy  with  Phinuit  speaking  through  the 
mouth  of  Mrs.  Piper.  Dr.  Hodgson  experienced  this 
phenomenon  for  the  first  time  on  March  12th,  1892,  ten 
days  before  the  manifestation  of  G.  P.  ;  a  private  sitter 
had  been  a  witness  to  it  already  in  1891. 

By  degrees  this  led  to  Phinuit  using  the  voice  and  the 
other  communicators  the  hand.  An  instance  of  its  taking 
place  simultaneously  has  been  mentioned  above.  But 
even  apart  from  this  double  utilization  of  the  medium, 
it  was  no  doubt  the  increased  use  of  writing  that  made  it 
possible  for  G.  P.  to  co-operate  in  a  satisfactory  way  with 
Phinuit.  The  latter  continued  as  a  rule  to  be  the  inter- 
mediary when  the  voice  was  employed,  while  G.  P.  acted 
as  amanuensis  by  the  use  of  the  hand.  Already  at  some 
sittings  in  May  and  June,  1892,  he  rendered  assistance  by 


GEORGE   PELHAM  217 

writing  for  other  communicators  ;  a  case  has  been  quoted 
above.  From  the  autumn  of  1893  until  a  new  change 
occurred  in  1896,  he  assisted  almost  constantly  in  the 
Piper-trance,  either  by  writing  for  other  communicators  or 
by  advising  those  who  tried  to  communicate  directly 
themselves. 

Also  in  other  respects,  namely,  the  exchanging  of  the 
trance-speech  for  trance-writing  had  proved  an  improve- 
ment. Not  only  it  secured  without  intervention  of 
stenographer  or  note-taker  an  exact  rendering  of  the 
communications,  but  it  appeared  to  be  a  means  of 
communication  of  which  the  spirits  could  more  easily 
make  use  than  of  the  voice.  It  would  seem,  however, 
that  until  instructed  in  some  way  they  were  unaware  that 
they  were  writing.  The  hand  was  like  a  machine  which 
registered  automatically  their  speech — if  it  were  speech  ; 
several  expressions  intimate  that  the  communicators 
were  only  thinking.  On  the  other  hand,  it  was  of  course 
far  more  difficult  for  the  experimenters  to  hold  a  con- 
versation with  the  hand  than  with  the  voice,  and  this 
might  occasion  some  confusion.  At  the  same  time,  the 
communicators  suffered  from  the  slow  manner  of  pro- 
ceeding, and  from  the  constant  interruptions  when  the 
writing  was  difficult  to  decipher.  A  helper  on  their  side 
like  George  Pelham  was  almost  indispensable. 

Meanwhile,  Phinuit  went  on  in  his  old  way,  especially 
when  alone,  mingling  false  statements  with  true,  and 
often  incurring  the  old  accusations  of  fishing  and  guessing. 
Upon  much  of  what  had  formerly  been  conceived  in 
this  manner,  George  Pelham's  intervention  had,  however, 
thrown  a  new  light.  When  spirits  were  present,  he 
seemed  far  better  able  to  manage  matters  than  Phinuit 
had  been.  It  is  a  curious  thing  that  Phinuit  seemed  to 
be  far  less  self-confident  after  G.  P.'s  appearance  on  the 
stage.  He  seemed  better  able  to  understand  the  im- 
portance of  the  cause,  and  to  see  his  own  deficiencies  ;  he 
might  be  quite  downcast  when  G.  P.  was  absent.  Such 
was,  for  instance,  the  case  at  a  sitting  on  January  30th, 


2i8      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

1893,  where,  besides  Dr.  Hodgson,  the  Howards  and  a 
stranger  were  present.  Phinuit  spoke  a  Uttle  of  the 
stranger's  character,  and  said  there  was  a  young  man 
and  an  older  one  who  wished  to  communicate  with  him. 
The  latter  tried  to  write  a  few  words,  but  they  were 
almost  illegible,  and  Phinuit  said  he  would  go  and  try  to 
get  George  to  help  him.  There  were  further  vain  attempts 
at  writing",  accompanied  by  much  violent  movement  in 
the  hand.     At  last  Phinuit  exclaimed  : 

"  Ph.  What  is  the  matter  ?  I  don't  know  what  they  are 
doing  with  me,  any  way. 

"  Dr.  H.     Seems  to  be  a  regular  stream  of  them  now. 

"  Ph.  I  can't  help  it ;  they  say  these  things,  and  they  will 
say  them,  Hodgson.     I  can't  help  it." 

The  scene  ended  by  Mrs,  Howard  asking  for  George, 
who  then  made  his  appearance. 

The  usefulness  of  the  writing  and  its  advantages  over 
his  own  proceedings  were  also  humbly  acknowledged  by 
Phinuit.  Thus,  in  a  dilemma  at  a  sitting  in  April,  1893, 
he  said  : 

"It  is  hard  for  me  to  understand.  If  you  can  get  him 
[the  communicator]  to  use  the  hand,  you  can  get  the  messages 
more  direct.     They  often  get  confused,  coming  through  me." 

On  the  whole,  it  became  under  the  new  cirtumstances 
easier  to  distinguish  between  the  different  causes  that 
might  lead  to  confusion.  It  became  evident  that  it  was 
in  a  degree  due  to  the  communicators  themselves.  Dr. 
Hodgson  lays  much  stress  on  the  fact  that  the  success  of 
a  sitting  seemed  to  depend  on  the  communicating  spirit, 
and  not  on  the  sitter.  If  the  performances  varied  with 
the  sitters,  it  would,  he  argued,  tell  in  favour  of  the 
explanation  telepathy  ;  that,  on  the  contrary,  the  indi- 
vidual communicator  displays  the  same  clearness,  or 
want  of  clearness,  in  the  presence  of  all  sitters,  seemed  to 
his  mind  an  important  argument  against  the  said  explana- 
tion. And  such  is  what  his  experience  had  told  him. 
There  were,  he  says,  mainly  three  causes  that  might 
occasion  confusion  in  the  communicators  :  the  difficulty, 


GEORGE   PELHAM  219 

or  impossibility,  of  using  the  organism  of  Mrs.  Piper,  the 
contact  with  earthly  conditions,  and  circumstances  con- 
cerning their  death.     But  all  this  was  more  or  less  indi- 
vidual, i.e.,  characteristic  of  the  individual  spirit.     Some 
persons  would  begin  to  understand  "  the  machine  "  at 
once,  others  never  attained  to  the  direct  use  of  it.     The 
contact  with  the  human  sphere — "  your  sphere,"  G.  P. 
calls  it — was  a  more  general  cause  of  a  certain  confusion  ; 
even  habitual  communicators  often  allude  to  their  feeling 
muddled   or   weak   during    the    sitting.      Finally,   there 
was   the   confusion   due   to   quite  special   conditions  in 
the   individual   communicator.     Dr.   Hodgson  mentions, 
among  others,  a  case  where  a  gentleman  who  committed 
suicide  in  a  moment  of  temporary  aberration,  due  to  a 
trouble  from  which  he  had  suffered  for  a  year  before  his 
death,  tried  in  vain  to  communicate  coherently,  though 
the  information  he  gave  sufficed  to  indicate  who  he  was  ; 
in   the   course   of  some  years,   however,   this   confusion 
cleared  away  and  the  sittings  with  him  became  excellent. 
In  the  case  of  a  friend  of  Dr.  Hodgson's,  who  also  took  his 
own  life,  there  was  much  confusion  when  he  first  came 
into  communication,  which  was  a  year  after  his  death, 
but  later  on  he  gave  information,  unknown  to  the  sitters, 
of  a  private  and  personal  kind,  well  suited  as  a  proof  of 
identity.     Dr.  Hodgson  asserts  that  there  are  a  number 
of  such  cases,  and  concludes  as  follows  :    "In  all  these 
cases  the  confusion  persisted  through  varying  conditions 
of  Mrs.  Piper's  trance,  and  whUe  clear  communications 
were  received  from  other  persons  ;   and  yet,  so  far  as  the 
sitters'  minds  were  concerned,  there  seemed  no  assignable 
reason  why  the  communications  were  not  clear  originally, 
or  did  not  soon  become  clear,  if  dependent  upon  living 
persons."     A    similar    relation    he    finds    between    the 
confusion  and  a  too  short  distance  from  the  moment  of 
death ;    but  this  kind  of  derangement,  presumably  due 
to  the  shock  of  death,  disappeared  as  a  rule  in  the  course 
of  a  short  time. 

Dr.  Hodgson's  observation  on  this  point  is  of  some 


220      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

interest  even  apart  from  its  importance  as  an  argument 
against  the  explanation  mind-reading — which  cannot,  at 
any  rate,  be  an  argument  against  that  of  clairvoyance. 
If  it  be  not  based  on  such  reality  as  Dr.  Hodgson  beUeved, 
there  seems  to  be  one  alternative  only — that  the  dramatic 
sense  of  the  entranced  Mrs.  Piper  is  so  eminent  that  she, 
when  it  serves  the  characterization,  does  not  even  hesitate 
to  make  the  communicators  confused  and  ignorant,  con- 
cealing the  knowledge  which  it  is  otherwise  the  most 
important  object  of  the  sittings  to  display. 

The  last  report  from  the  Phinuit  period  is  due  to 
Professor  William  Newbold,  and  embraces  sittings  from 
the  years  1894 — 96.^  Professor  Newbold  is  an  acute 
critic,  and  is  of  opinion  that  a  large  portion  of  the  pheno- 
mena may  be  explained  as  a  "  weaving  together  by  Mrs. 
Piper's  nervous  mechanism  of  all  the  complex  suggestions 
of  the  seance  room,  supplemented  by  telepathic  and  clair- 
voyant impressions  got  in  connection  with  the  sitter  and 
with  the  articles  which  he  brings."  But  he  does  not 
think  that  they,  taken  as  a  whole,  can  be  so  explained. 
It  is  evidently  Phinuit's  performances  that  he  has  in 
mind  above  ;  the  description  does  not  fit  all  the  pheno- 
mena. It  does  not,  above  all,  fit  the  cases  where  a  distinct 
personality  comes  forward  with  proofs  of  his  identity  and 
in  a  manner  that  must  seem  characteristic  just  of  his  or 
her  individuality. 

Such  a  communicator  whose  manifestation  made  a 
strong  impression  on  Professor  Newbold,  was  for  instance 
his  "  Aunt  Sallie,"  his  mother's  sister  who  had  died  when 
he  was  not  ten  years  old,  and  had  been  dead  twenty  years. 
She  showed  her  knowledge  of  his  rather  peculiar  family 
relations  by  alluding  to  a  lady  who  was  at  the  same  time 
his  aunt  and  his  grandmother.  This  was  quite  correct ; 
a  sister  of  his  mother  and  of  Sallie  had  been  the  wife  of 
his  paternal  grandfather  after  the  death  of  his  grand- 

1  "  A   Further  Record   of  Observations  of  Certain  Phenomena  of 
Trance,"  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XIV.,  pp.  6 — 78. 


GEORGE  PELHAM  221 

mother.  A  curious  trait  was,  that  the  communicator 
wanted  that  he  should  himself  explain  the  relation  so 
that  she  might  feel  sure  of  his  being  really  her  nephew — 
entirely  the  reverse  of  the  usual  process.  "  Evidence  of 
this  sort,"  Professor  Newbold  concludes,  "  suggests  the 
actual  presence  of  the  alleged  communicators."  Nor  was 
he  able  to  reconcile  to  a  telepathic  theory  the  circumstance 
that  just  this  half-forgotten  aunt,  whom  he  had  not  thought 
of  during  the  sittings,  would  manifest,  while  he  vainly 
desired  to  get  into  communication  with  a  very  near  friend 
who  had  died  a  few  years  previously,  nay  even  applied  to 
George  Pelham  about  this  without  result. 

Professor  Newbold's  report  further  deals  with  the 
transition  to  a  group  of  new  controls  that  definitely 
supplanted  Phinuit.  They  appeared  in  the  end  of  1896, 
and  after  January,  1897,  no  more  is  heard  about  the 
mysterious  doctor  who  had  been  a  thorn  in  the  side  of 
many  people,  also  among  those  who  believed  in  the 
genuineness  of  the  other  spirits.  To  conceive  him  as  a 
sub-personality  of  Mrs.  Piper's  was  prevented,  for  one 
thing,  by  the  other  communicators,  so  to  speak,  vouching 
for  his  independent  existence.  This  applies,  as  has  been 
seen,  for  instance,  to  Edmund  Gurney  ;  and  it  applies  to 
George  Pelham,  who  from  the  first  mentions  him  with 
much  respect  and  a  ceremonious  use  of  his  surname, 
"  Dr.  Schville."  Thus  it  seems  necessary  to  accept  or 
reject  them  together  ;  either  they  are  all  of  them  fancy 
creations — sub-personalities  if  that  name  be  preferred — or 
they  are  all  of  them  real,  and  the  difference  is  only  that 
Phinuit  has  not  been  able  to  prove  his  identity.  That 
he  was  a  medium  is  hardly  sufficient  to  establish  his  being 
Mrs.  Piper's  second  self. 

Though  they  are  of  course  quite  unevidential,  I  shall 
finish  by  quoting  some  utterances  about  Phinuit  which 
occurred  in  the  Piper-trance  ten  years  later.  Sir  Oliver 
Lodge,  who  had  always  felt  more  friendly  towards  Phinuit 
than  the  other  experimenters,  one  day  during  Mrs.  Piper's 


222       COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

sojourn  in  England  in  igo6  directed  a  question  concerning 
him  to  his  successor  "  Rector."  The  conversation  was 
the  following  : 

"  Sir  0.     Does  '  Phinuit '  mean  anything  to  you  ? 

"  R.  You  mean  Dr.  Phinuit  ?  Oh  yes,  we  see  him 
occasionally  ;  he  is  in  another  sphere  of  this  life,  no  longer 
earth-bound,  very  well  and  very  happy. 

"  Sir  0.     He  was  a  friend  of  mine. 

"  R.  Cpuld  you  by  any  possibihty  be  the  friend  whom  he 
called  '  Captain  '  ? 

"  Sir  0.     Yes  indeed — 

"  R.    Would  you  like  to  see  and  speak  with  him  ? 

"  Sir  0.     If  it  did  him  no  harm — 

"  R.  Oh  no  harm  in  the  least ;  he  is  beyond  harm,  friend. 
He  has  so  progressed " 

Such  was  the  not  undramatic  end  of  Phinuit's  history. 
Sir  Ohver  desisted  from  "  seeing  "  him,  as  he  feared  it 
might  injure  the  medium  whose  trance  had  been  of  a  less 
agreeable  kind  in  the  time  of  Phinuit  than  it  had  after- 
wards become. 


SECTION    V 

The  Mediumism  of  Mrs.  Piper 
II.  The  New  Regime 

CHAPTER  XIV 

the  hyslop  sittings 

The  old  doctor's  disappearance  in  one  respect  did  not 
improve  the  situation  ;  he  was  succeeded  by  some  at 
least  equally  mystic  personalities.  George  Pelham  was 
evidently  incapable  of  undertaking  the  management 
alone  ;  it  looks  almost  as  if  it  was  necessary  to  employ 
more  extraordinary  spirits  for  that  task.  The  introduc- 
tion of  "  the  band,"  as  the  new  managers  are  often  called, 
was,  however,  apparently  due  to  chance.  Besides,  it 
took  place  under  circumstances  which  in  the  beginning 
threw  a  somewhat  singular  light  on  its  members. 

At  a  sitting  in  1895,  Professor  Newbold  had  by  the  help 
of  George  Pelham  got  hold  of  Stainton  Moses,  the  well- 
known  English  medium,  who  had  died  in  1892.  In  a 
manuscript  left  with  Frederic  Myers,  and  which  nobody 
else  had  been  allowed  to  see,  Stainton  Moses  had  given 
what  purported  to  be  the  real  names  of  his  controls,  or 
guides,  who  were  in  his  automatic  writings  called  Impera- 
tor,  Rector,  Doctor,  etc.  The  alleged  Moses  was  now  at 
divers  sittings  with  Professor  Newbold  and  Dr.  Hodgson 
questioned  about  these  names,  and  replied,  though  reluc- 
tantly and  with  difficulty,  to  their  questions ;  but  the 
names  turned  out  not  to  be  identical  with  those  found  in 
the  manuscript.  In  other  respects,  however,  the  com- 
municator had,  in  the  opinion  of  Professor  Newbold,  "  an 
air  of  verisimilitude  "  ;   Dr.  Hodgson  states  that  he  later 


224      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

"  did  furnish  some  private  information  unknown  to  the 
sitters,  and  afterwards  identified  in  England."  Besides, 
George  Pelham  vouches  for  him  ;  the  same  argument 
appHes  to  him  as  to  Phinuit  and  the  new  controls — they 
must  stand  or  fall  together. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  appears  that  George  Pelham  had 
no  great  regard  for  the  performances  of  the  alleged  Moses 
when  aUve.  "  He  had  light,"  G.  P.  said,  "  but  deceived 
himself ;  he  was  not  far  progressed."  Stainton  Moses 
himself  admitted  at  a  Piper-sitting  that  much  of  his 
teachings  were  his  own  theories  ;  "  as  I  thought  this  very 
strongly,  I  felt  sure  of  having  been  told  this,"  he  said. 
In  reality,  his  productions  can  hardly  bear  a  critical 
examination,  and  the  names  left  by  him  may  like  other 
things  be  fabricated  by  his  automatic  self.  The  names 
that  were  given  by  the  Piper-Moses  were  those  of  ordinary 
people,  and  seem  due  to  a  confusion  which  characterized 
his  first  manifestations. 

There  remains,  however,  the  fact  that  the  Imperator- 
band  emerged  at  Mrs.  Piper's  in  consequence  of  Dr. 
Hodgson  having,  in  1896,  pointed  out  to  George  Pelham 
the  importance  of  making  Stainton  Moses  "  clear,"  and 
getting  the  answers  to  his  questions.  "  The  final  result," 
Dr.  Hodgson  writes,  "  was  that  Moses  professed  to  get 
the  assistance  of  his  former  '  controls,'  who  after  com- 
municating on  various  occasions  directly  in  November 
and  December,  1896,  and  January,  1897,  demanded  that 
the  control  of  Mrs.  Piper's  '  light '  should  be  placed  in 
their  hands."  That  they  were  not  really  the  controls  of 
Stainton  Moses  seems,  however,  quite  certain  ;  they  were 
wholly  ignorant  about  the  automatist  himself  and  what 
they  were  supposed  to  have  written  through  him  ;  this 
was  not  the  case  with  the  Piper-Moses  himself,  and  cannot, 
therefore,  be  ascribed  to  the  ignorance  of  the  medium. 
As  regards  their  real  identity,  the  more  secondary  members 
of  the  band  seem  to  have  given  varying  and  quite  impos- 
sible names,  while  Rector  and  Imperator  did  not  even 
try  to  satisfy  the  curiosity  of  the  experimenters.    In  the 


THE  HYSLOP  SITTINGS  225 

opinion  of  the  researchers,  they  did  not  seriously  claim  to 
be  identical  with  the  controls  of  Stainton  Moses  whose 
names  they  had  adopted. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  the  consequences  of  the  innovation 
were  at  any  rate  beneficial.  Imperator  claimed  that  the 
indiscriminate  experimenting  with  Mrs.  Piper's  organism 
should  stop,  and  promised  that  he  and  his  assistants 
would  repair  it  as  far  as  possible.  Dr.  Hodgson  then  for 
the  first  time  explained  to  the  normal  Mrs.  Piper  about 
Stainton  Moses  and  his  alleged  relation  to  Imperator,  and 
got  her  sanction  to  the  change.  This  led  to  ever  happier 
results  ;  the  new  managers  were  able  to  keep  foreign 
"  influences  "  away  ;  Mrs.  Piper's  trance  became  more 
agreeable  for  herself,  and  former  sitters  were  all  struck  by 
the  improvement  in  the  clearness  and  coherence  of  the 
communications. 

The  first  fruits  of  the  new  reign  are,  as  regards  the 
published  records,  to  be  found  in  Professor  James  Hyslop's 
report  on  three  series  of  sittings  which  he,  or  Dr.  Hodgson 
on  his  behalf,  had  with  Mrs.  Piper  in  1898 — 99.^  They 
are  described  with  a  greater  completeness  than  any  earlier. 
All  remarks  by  the  sitter  himself  or  by  Dr.  Hodgson  are 
entered,  and  nothing  that  occurred  during  the  trance  is 
omitted.  All  arrangements  with  the  managers,  all  their 
introductory  or  concluding  speeches,  are  given  unabridged, 
and  the  reader  is  thus  able  to  judge  fully  of  the  character 
and  proceedings  of  the  new  controls. 

There  is,  undeniably,  a  great  difference  between  these 
and  their  honest  but  uncouth  antecessor,  Phinuit.  Impe- 
rator is  exalted  and  majestic ;  Rector  gentle,  old-fashioned 
in  his  speech,  helpful  and  kind.  Rector  has  got  the  real 
work,  having  succeeded  George  Pelham  as  amanuensis  at 
the  writing  ;  as  a  rule  the  communicators  were  no  more 
allowed  to  write  themselves.  The  confusion  which  the 
contact   with   earthly   conditions   produced,    Imperator 

*  "  A  Further  Record  of  Observations  of  Certain  Trance  Phenomena," 
Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XVI.,  pp.  46 — 49, 

CD.  Q 


226       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

seemed  specially  able  to  remove.  "  I  am  all  right,  when 
Imperator  is  near,"  says  Professor  Hyslop's  father  at  one 
of  the  sittings.  "  Doctor  "  is  the  medical  member  of 
the  band,  who  diagnoses  diseases  and  offers  advice  as 
Phinuit  did  formerly.  Another  member  is  "  Prudens  "  ; 
he  seems  to  have  got  the  special  task  of  "  bringing  light," 
like  a  kind  of  medium  on  the  other  side.  At  Professor 
Hyslop's  second  sitting  Rector  says  :  "  We  bring  Prudens 
and  more  light  will  be  given,"  and  during  the  third  one 
he  appears  after  a  pause,  saying  :  "  I  am  Prudens,  and  I 
give  light." 

In  one  respect,  however,  the  new  order  was  inferior  to 
the  period  when  George  Pelham  acted  as  secretary.     It 
was  often  hard  for  Rector  to  understand  the  things  he 
was  to  write  down  ;  especially  he  had  difficulty  in  grasping 
names,   and  this  easily  led   to  misunderstandings.     In 
many  cases,  therefore,  G.  P.  must  step  in  and  help.     His 
free  and  easy  mode  of  address  makes  an  interesting  con 
trast  to  Rector's  dignified  tone  of  language,  and  adds  to 
the  dramatic  effect.     When  Professor  Hyslop  arranged 
with  Dr.  Hodgson  that  he  was  to  have  sittings  in  December, 
1898,  to  the  number  of  four,  all  precautions  were  taken 
to  conceal  who  he  was,  and  Rector,  for  want  of  another 
name,  called  him,  in  his  discussions  with  Dr.  Hodgson, 
"  the  four  times  friend."     G.  P.'s  opinion  about  all  this 
secretiveness    resounds    in    a    half-sarcastic    remark    to 
Dr.  Hodgson  at  a  seance  in  November  :   "  How  are  you, 

H.  ? Imperator  asked  me  to  ask  you  whether  I  could 

help  you  out  a  bit  when  your  almighty  friend  arrives." 
His  occasional  irritability,  too,  makes  an  effective  con- 
trast to  the  unchanging  patience  and  gentleness  of 
Rector. 

For  the  rest,  the  habits  of  the  Phinuit  period  were  not 
entirely  broken.  It  was  still  the  practice  that  the  sitter 
brought  articles  which  had  belonged  to  the  person  with 
whom  he  hoped  to  get  into  communication.  But  at  the 
same  time  the  part  played  by  these  articles  seemed  to 
have  changed  somewhat.     Phinuit  had  been  able  to  tell 


THE  HYSLOP  SITTINGS  227 

a  great  deal  about  their  deceased  owners,  but  as  often  as 
not  they  did  not  seem  to  be  present.  On  the  other  hand, 
spirits  might  manifest  without  being  attracted  by  objects, 
nay,  even  without  being  much  acquainted  with  the  sitters ; 
an  instance  hereof  was  Dr.  Rich's  manifestation  at  one 
of  Sir  Oliver  Lodge's  sittings  with  the  Thompsons.  It 
may  therefore  be  said  that  the  articles  at  that  time  served 
mostly  to  procure  information  about  people,  deceased  or 
living,  who  were  not  present. 

Under  the  new  reign  they  were  valued  for  another 
reason,  namely,  as  a  means  of  supplying  their  former 
owners  with  strength  to  communicate.  The  Hyslop 
sittings  contain  many  instances  hereof.  "  Can't  you 
give  me  something  belonging  to  him  ?  "  Rector  asks  at 
the  second  seance,  after  the  manifestation  of  Professor 
Hyslop's  father.  At  the  fourth  sitting  the  son  will  read 
something  to  the  father  which  occasions  Rector  to  say  : 
"  Give  me  something  of  his,  that  I  may  hold  him  quite 
clearly."  And  when  Rector,  in  January,  1899,  is  going 
to  make  an  appointment  with  Dr.  Hodgson  about  future 
sittings  for  Professor  Hyslop,  the  following  conversation 
takes  place  between  them  : 

"  R.  Canst  thou  not  let  us  know  at  this  point  whether  he 
can  meet  us  or  thee  .  .  either  him  or  thee,  as  we  desire  to 
prepare  his  father  or  friends  for  this 

"  Dr.  H.  Yes.  It  will  be  most  convenient  that  I  should 
have  the  days  on  his  behalf  in  his  absence. 

"  R.     Yes,     Well,  friend,  then  we  would  have  thee  arrange 

at  once  for articles We  would  like  some  articles  if 

possible  worn  by  his  father  when  in  the  body,  also  some  one 

object  handled  a  good  deal  by  him we  are  desirous  of 

keeping  him  as  clear  as  possible,  friend." 

On  a  later  occasion  Rector  says  to  Dr.  Hodgson  that 
Professor  Hyslop's  father  will  be  "  better  able  to  recollect 
his  earthly  experiences,  through  coming  into  contact 
with  his  objects."  This,  no  doubt,  is  only  another  mode 
of  expression  for  his  "  getting  clearer."  But  of  course 
the  demand  for  objects  must  create  the  suspicion  that  it 
is  the  medium  who  wants  them,  in  order  to  procure  by 

Q2 


228      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

psychometrizing  the  information  that  is  passed  off  as  the 
"  recollections  "  of  the  communicators  to  prove  their 
identity.  As  regards  Mrs.  Piper,  it  ought,  though,  to  be 
pointed  out  that  there  are  a  number  of  cases  where  there 
are  no  articles,  but  where  the  communicator  is  both 
unexpected  and  uncalled  for  ;— such  were,  for  instance, 
Dr.  Rich  and  "  Aunt  Sallie,"  not  to  speak  of  the  large 
number  of ^  spirits  that  only  appear  for  a  moment  to 
disappear  again.  As  a  case  where  there  was  not  even  an 
attraction  to  the  sitters,  may  from  a  later  period  be 
mentioned  that  of  Isaac  Thompson,^  who  had  had  sittings 
with  Mrs.  Piper  in  Liverpool  in  1889-go.  He  had  died 
in  1903,  and  his  son,  during  a  stay  in  Boston  in 
December,  1905,  had  a  single  seance  where  messages 
purported  to  come  from  his  father,  but  which  was  on 
the  whole  unsatisfactory.  He  was,  however,  obliged  to 
leave  America  immediately  afterwards  ;  the  medium,  of 
course,  had  not  been  told  who  he  was.  Two  days  later 
Rector  asked  Dr.  Hodgson  :  "  Have  you  the  influences 
[i.e.,  articles]  of  the  young  man's  father  ?  "  There  were 
no  articles,  and  Dr.  Hodgson  had  never  met  Mr.  Thompson 
living.  Nevertheless,  the  latter  appeared,  and  succeeded 
in  identifying  himself.  But  previously  George  Pelham 
begged  Dr.  Hodgson  to  encourage  him  :  "If  he  says 
anything  clearly,  congratulate  him,  help  him  by  words  of 
encouragement  only,  remember  he  has  nothing  or  no  one 
except  yourself  to  attract  him  here."  Here  it  is  plainly 
stated  what  significance  the  objects  and  the  sitters  are 
considered  to  have  for  the  communication,  but  at  the 
same  time,  it  is  seen  that  everything  does  not  depend  on 
them. 

The  chief  communicator  at  Professor  Hyslop's  sittings 
was  his  father,  Robert  Hyslop,  He  was  born  in  1821, 
and  had  lived  on  a  farm  in  Ohio  until  1889,  when  he  moved 
west  into  a  neighbouring  State.     He  returned  to  his  old 

1  Sir  Oliver  Lodge,  The  Survival  of  Man,  pp.  267  seqq. 


THE  HYSLOP  SITTINGS  229 

home,  and  died  in  the  house  of  his  brother-in-law,  James 
Carruthers,  in  August,  1896.  He  had  lost  his  first  wife, 
Martha  Ann,  in  1869,  and  was  married  a  second  time,  in 
1872,  to  Margaret,  usually  called  Maggie,  who  outlived 
him.  His  children  were  by  his  first  marriage  Professor 
James  Hyslop  and  four  more  sons,  and  a  daughter,  and 
by  his  second  marriage  one  daughter.  Besides,  three 
daughters  and  a  son  had  died  as  children,  the  daughters 
respectively  four  months,  two  years,  and  three  years  old, 
the  son  four  and  a  half  years  old.  The  two  last  men- 
tioned, Anna  and  Charles,  died  at  about  the  same  time  in 
1864,  when  their  brother  James  was  ten  years  old.  These 
two  are  among  the  communicators.  Other  relatives  who 
communicated  were  Professor  Hyslop's  uncle  by  marriage, 
James  McClellan,  who  died  in  1876,  and  the  husband  of 
his  father's  sister  Eliza,  James  Carruthers,  who  died  in 
December,  1898.  The  husband  of  another  aunt  had  also 
died  a  short  time  before  the  sittings,  but  did  not  manifest. 
James  McClellan's  son  Robert,  who  died  in  1897,  made 
his  appearance  at  several  sittings.  Of  Professor  Hyslop's 
mother,  who  had  been  dead  for  thirty  years,  only  a  few 
glimpses  are  caught. 

Regarded  from  an  evidential  point  of  view,  the  mani- 
festation of  all  these  persons,  each  of  them  in  an  identi- 
fying manner,  no  doubt  presents  a  great  interest.  But 
the  strongest  impression  left  upon  the  reader  by  these 
sittings,  which  made  Professor  Hyslop  himself  a  believer 
in  the  communication  of  the  dead,  is  due  to  the  image 
presented  of  his  father  there.  In  the  extracts  of  the 
dialogues  given  below  it  will,  therefore,  above  all,  be 
attempted  to  produce  an  idea  of  this  image,  while  with 
regard  to  the  remaining  communicators,  only  a  few 
suggestive  points  will  be  indicated.  That  at  the  same 
time  many  evidential  statements  will  get  in,  goes  without 
saying.  Mrs.  Piper  did  not  suspect  who  the  sitter  was  ; 
she  did  not  even  see  him  in  her  normal  state.  So  small 
a  thing,  say,  as  his  being  addressed  as  "  James,"  is 
evidential. 


230      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

It  is  not  until  the  second  sitting,  on  December  24th, 
1898,  that  we  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  old  farmer. 
The  first  seance  had  taken  place  on  the  day  before,  and 
had  made  a  very  confused  impression.  Of  the  Hyslop 
family,  nobody  but  perhaps  the  brother  Charles  seemed 
able  to  get  in  a  word.  Professor  Hyslop  said  during  the 
sitting  to  Dr.  Hodgson :  "  There's  nothing  with  any 
possibility  in  the  whole  thing  except  Charles."  It 
turned  out  ^at  a  later  time,  after  the  report  had  been 
published,  that  it  was  the  communicators  from  the 
seances  of  an  earlier  sitter  who  had  put  in  an  appearance.^ 
Not  even  George  Pelham  could  master  the  situation  on 
this  occasion. 

But  the  next  day  brought  a  change.  "  It  was," 
Professor  Hyslop  writes,  "as  if  the  trance  personalities 
had  consulted  over  the  situation,  and  had  become  assured 
of  the  right  communicators."  After  some  introductory 
remarks  by  Rector,  etc.,  the  hand  wrote  as  follows  : 

"  James,  James.     Speak  James.     James,  speak  to  me- 


I  am  not  ill.     Oh,  oh,  I  want  you  so  much 1  want  to 

see  you.     I  want  to  tell  you  everything They  tell  me  I 

will  soon  be  all  right  and  able  to  help  you I  heard  you, 

James,  and  I  am  glad.     I  heard  you  say  something." 

During  the  whole  of  the  sitting  Professor  Hyslop  kept 
silent  as  far  as  possible,  for  fear  of  advancing  statements 
that  might  detract  from  the  evidentialness  of  what 
occurred  in  the  trance.  By  degrees,  as  the  sittings  pro- 
gressed, this  caution,  no  doubt,  grew  less  necessary  ; 
but  quite  openly  he  did  not  speak  until  the  very  last  of 
his  twelve  seances,  in  June,  1899.  His  taciturnity 
makes  a  strange  contrast  to  the  father's  yearning  to 
speak  with  him  and  difficulty  in  understanding  his 
silence.  Not  less  oddly  does  the  son's  suspiciousness 
and  constant  desire  to  obtain  "  tests  "  contrast  with  the 
father's  longing  to  talk  of  things  which  seem  more  im- 
portant to  him,  above  all  of  the  opinions  he  held  before 
his  death  about  a  future  life,  and  their  relation  to  his 

*  Proceedings  Am.  S.P.R.,  Vol.  IV.,  pp.  3  seqq. 


THE   HYSLOP   SITTINGS  231 

present  knowledge.  This  disparity  between  the  feelings 
of  the  communicator  and  the  sitter's  object  in  experi- 
menting is  the  tone  which  pervades  both  Professor 
Hyslop's  and  many  other  sittings.  Even  if  the  com- 
municator has  fully  grasped  the  aim  of  the  sitter,  it  is 
often  difficult  for  him  to  conceive  that  it  is,  above  aU, 
proofs  of  his  identity  that  are  wanted.  But  it  enhances, 
no  doubt,  the  dramatic  effect  that  such  is  the  case. 

Especially  in  the  beginning,  Mr.  Hyslop  was  unable  to 
communicate  for  any  length  of  time.  He  was  replaced 
for  a  moment  by  his  son  Charles. 

"  Ch.     I  will  ask  you  if  you  remember  brother  Charles. 

"  Dr.  H.     Is  that  brother  Charles  ? 

"  Ch.  I  say  yes.  I  do  not  want  to  be  put  out,  because  I 
can  help  the  rest  to  come.  Don't  send  me  away.  Don't.  I 
want  to  tell  you  about  father." 

Charles  seems  to  have  been  present  already  at  the  first 
sitting  ;  and  on  a  later  occasion  his  father  said  :  "  Charles 
saw  the  light  and  spoke  of  it  before  he  came  here,  James." 
Thus  he  really  seemed  to  be  justified  in  demanding  that 
they  should  not  send  him  away. 

After  Charles  the  recently  departed  uncle  Carruthers 
appeared.  He  was  sufficiently  identified  through  his 
mention  of  his  wife  Eliza,  etc.,  but  did  not  give  his  own 
name.  When  Mr.  Hyslop  returned,  he  asked  :  "  Do  you 
know  Uncle  Charles  ?  He  is  here."  Professor  Hyslop 
did  not  understand  whom  he  referred  to  ;  but  it  turned 
out  at  later  sittings  that  it  was  the  name  Carruthers, 
pronounced  "  Crothers,"  which  Rector  had  been  unable 
to  reproduce.  He  persisted  in  calling  this  uncle  Charles, 
or  else  Clarke  ;  only  by  degrees  it  dawned  upon  Professor 
Hyslop  who  was  meant  when  these  names  were  given. 

In  the  following  part  of  the  sitting  Mr.  Carruthers 
discovered  Dr.  Hodgson  and  asked  : 

"  Mr.  C.  You  are  not  Robert's  son  ?  You  are  not  George 
[Professor  Hyslop's  brother],  are  you  ? 

"  Prof.  H.     No,  I  am  not  George. 

"  Mr.  C.  _  No,  James,  I  know  you  very  well,  but  this  one 
.  .  did  you  know  the  boys  ?  Do  you  know  me  ?  " 


232      COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

Dr.  Hodgson  conceived  it  to  be  Mr.  Hyslop  speaking  ; 
so  he  explained  who  he  himself  was,  and  profiting  by  the 
occasion  introduced  the  question  of  tests.  He  asked  the 
communicator  to  think  over  some  striking  incidents  so 
that  his  son  might  feel  his  presence  by  his  recalling  old 
memories.     Mr.  Hyslop  understood  him  very  well : 

"  Mr.  H.  I  thank  you  for  helping  me.  I  see  better  now, 
and  I  will  help  him  in  every  possible  way  to  know  all  that  we 
both  know.  I  could  not  hear  very  well  before,  but  I  under- 
stand better  now. 

"  Do  you  recall  your  lectures,  and,  if  so,  to  whom  do  you 

recite  now  ?   I  often  hear  them  in  my  own  mind Do  you 

remember  what  my  feeling  was  about  this  life  ? 

"  Prof.  H.     Yes,  I  do. 

"  Mr.  H.  Well,  I  was  not  so  far  wrong  after  all.  I  felt 
sure  that  there  would  be  some  knowledge  of  this  life,  but  you 
were  doubtful,  remember. 

"  Prof.  H.     Yes,  I  remember. 

"  Mr.  H.  You  had  3'our  own  ideas  which  were  only  yours, 
James. 

"  Prof.  H.     Yes,  I  know. 

"  Mr.  H.     Well,  it  is  not  a  fault " 

After  a  short  absence  Mr.  Hyslop  returned,  and  Rector 
said  : 

"  R.     We  see  thy  father  returning  to  thee He  will 

recall  every  fact  he  ever  knew.  He  says  he  thought  even 
more,  if  possible,  of^ou  than  all  the  rest.  Do  you  think  so  ? 
he  asks. 

"  Prof  H.     Yes,  I  do  think  so. 

"  Mr.  H.  It  is  my  feeling,  James,  and  why  not  express 
it? 

"  Prof.  H.     That  is  right,  father. 

"  Mr.  H.     Do  you  recall  the  fact  of  my  being  frank  ? 

"  Prof  H.     Yes,  I  do. 

"  Mr.  H.  Sincerity  of  purpose  .  .  .  my  sincerity.  I 
recall  the  struggles  you  had  over  your  work  well,  very  well. 
Everything  in  life  should  be  done  with  sincerity  of  purpose. 
I  know  well  all  the  difficulties  which  you  encounter.  But 
keep  on  as  you  have  been  and  you  will  master  them  ere  long. 
So  many  different  ideas  are  not  easily  managed.  But  never 
mind,  do  not  be  troubled  about  it,  it  will  not  last  for  ever,  and 
I  am  getting  stronger. 

"  Prof.  H.     No,  I  will  not  trouble  any  more  about  it. 

"  Mr.  H.  Well,  do  you  really  think  you  understand  ? 
And  I  will  come  again  with  more  clearness  with  the  help  of 


THE   HYSLOP  SITTINGS  233 

this  man  who  wears  the  cross  [i.e.  Imperator].  James,  my 
son,  James  my  son,  speak  to  me,  I  am  going  far  away. 

"  Prof.  H.  Yes,  father,  I  shall  be  pleased  to  see  you  again. 
I  shall  have  to  go  now. 

"Mr.H.  I  am  too  far  off  to  think  more  for  you.  J.  H.  H. 
{R.}" 

The  initials  are  those  of  Professor  Hyslop.  In  the 
waking  stage  the  medium  whispered  "  Hyslop." 

Professor  Hyslop  states  that  many  of  the  expressions 
used  by  the  communicator  were  characteristic  of  his 
father,  for  instance  :  recite,  "  I  was  not  so  far  wrong," 
"  you  had  your  own  ideas,"  "it  is  my  feeling,  and  why 
not  express  it."  Mr.  Hyslop  had  given  his  son  James  an 
education  in  the  hope  of  seeing  him  as  a  minister ;  his 
apostasy  nearly  broke  his  heart,  but  what  reconciled  him 
to  it  was  that  he  saw  how  "  terribly  in  earnest  "  the  son 
was  about  his  opinions.  When  discussing  them  the  father 
would  always  insist  that  the  great  thing  was  the  "  sin- 
cerity of  purpose."  He  had  himself,  Professor  Hyslop 
says,  a  remarkably  clear  insight,  and  saw  well  the  intellec- 
tual difficulties  of  his  own  faith. 

The  third  sitting,  two  days  later,  waslongandimportant. 
Mr.  Hyslop  soon  appeared. 

"  Mr.  H.     James,  James,  James,  speak  my  son,  to  me.     I 

am  coming,  coming  to  you,  hear  .  .  hear Where  are  you, 

James  ? 

"  Prof.  H.     I  am  here,  father,  is  that  you  ? 

"  Mr.  H.  Yes,  it  is  I,  James,  I  who  is  speaking  to  you.  It 
is  I  who  is  speaking  to  you. 

"  Prof.  H.     Yes,  I  am  glad  to  see  you  or  hear  from  you. 

"  Mr.  H.  I  wanted  to  ask  you  before  I  got  too  weak  of  the 
story  I  used  to  tell  of  a  fire 

"  Where  are  my  books,  James  ?  I  want  something  to  think 
over  and  I  will  keep  quite  near  you." 

This  was  taken  to  mean  that  he  wanted  an  "  article," 
and  such  a  one  was  produced. 

"  Mr.  H.  I  see  clearly  now,  and  oh  if  I  could  only  tell  you 
all  that  is  in  vay  mind.  It  was  not  an  hallucination,  but  a 
reality,  but  I  felt  it  would  be  possible  for  me  to  reach  you. 

"  Prof.  H.     Do  you  remember  more  about  that  fire  ? 


234      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

"  Mr.  H.  Oh  yes,  the  fire.  Strange  I  was  forgetting  to  go 
on.     Yes. Were  the  books  destroyed  ? 

"Prof.H.     No 

"  Mr.  H.  1  wish  you  had  them.  I  remember  all.  I  am 
thinking  ..." 

Here  he  was  interrupted  by  Dr.  Hodgson  saying  some- 
thing to  Rector,  which  led  to  the  following  remark  by  the 
latter  about  the  communicator : 

"  R.  He4s  a  very  intelhgent  spirit  and  will  do  a  great  deal 
for  us  when  he  realizes  where  he  is  now  and  what  we  are 
requesting  him  to  do. 

"  Mr.  H.  James,  are  you  here  still  ?  If  so  I  want  very 
much  to  know  if  you  remember  what  I  promised  you.  I  told 
you  if  it  would  be  possible  for  me  to  return  to  you  I  would. 

"  Prof.  H.     Yes,  I  remember, 

"  Mr.  H.    1  remember  well  our  talks  about  this  life 

and  its  conditions,  and  there  was  a  great  question  of  doubt 
as  to  the  possibility  of  communication  ;  that,  if  I  remem.ber 
rightly,  was  the  one  question  which  we  talked  over.  Will 
return  soon.     Wait  for  me." 

Professor  Hyslop  had  visited  his  father  in  the  beginning 
of  1895,  having  been  lecturing  on  psychical  research  in 
Indianapolis  a  few  days  before.  He  had  talked  much 
with  the  father  on  the  subject,  and  found  his  attitude 
towards  it  more  receptive  than  he  had  expected.  After- 
wards he  had  written  to  him  on  his  deathbed,  and  begged 
him  "  to  come  to  him  after  it  was  all  over."  His  step- 
mother, on  reading  the  letter,  had  asked  her  husband 
what  was  meant  by  this,  and  he  had  answered  :  "  Oh,  I 
don't  know,"  an  expression,  Mrs.  Hyslop  says,  which  he 
always  used  when  he  did  not  want  to  tell  what  was  on  his 
mind.  In  the  reply  which  was  dictated  to  his  wife  and 
written  by  her,  he  did  not  refer  to  it.  A  promise,  then,  he 
had  not  made. 

At  this  point  of  the  sitting,  Pnidens,  as  alluded  to  above, 
made  his  appearance  to  improve  upon  the  conditions  for 
communicating : 

"P.     I  am  Prudens,  and  I  give  light     I  am  thy  friend  and 
thou  will  call  for  me  when  thou  dost  need  help.  P. 
"  Prof.  H.     Thank  you. 
"P.'  Mr.  H.  [sic]  returns. 


THE   HYSLOP  SITTINGS  235 

"  Mr.  H.  I  feel  better  now,  James.  I  felt  very  much 
confused  when  I  first  came  here.     I  could  not  seem  to  make 

out  why  I  could  not  make  you  hear  me  at  first I  would 

like  to  hear  you  speak. 

"  Prof.  H.  Yes,  father,  free  your  mind.  I  shall  hsten  and 
understand. 

"  Mr.  H.  I  will  leave  nothing  undone,  but  will  reach  you 
clearly  and  talk  as  we  used,  when  I  could  speak  independently 
of  thought.  I  have  not  yet  found  out  why  it  is  that  I  have 
difficulty  in  speech." 

This  made  Professor  Hyslop  think  of  his  father's  last 
illness,  which  was  probably  cancer  of  the  larynx  but 
thought  to  be  catarrh  only.  He  asked  a  question  which 
was  misinterpreted  by  the  father,  and  led  to  a  touching 
remark  on  his  part : 

"  Prof.  H.  Do  you  know  what  the  trouble  was  when  you 
passed  out  ? 

"  Mr.  H.  No,  I  did  not  realize  that  we  had  any  trouble, 
James,  ever.  I  thought  we  were  always  most  congenial  to 
each  other.  I  do  not  remember  any  trouble,  tell  me  what  was 
it  about,  you  do  not  mean  with  me,  do  you  ..." 

Professor  Hyslop  explained  that  he  meant  his  sickness, 
and  the  communicator  now  made  an  attempt  to  state 
what  had  been  his  sufferings  immediately  before  his 
death.  There  is  a  noteworthy  difference  between  this 
subjective  mode  of  characterizing  illness,  and  Phinuit's 
medical  diagnoses  in  former  days.  But  Professor  Hyslop 
wanted  the  reply  "  catarrh,"  or  "  throat-trouble,"  and 
continued  his  questioning  until  the  communicator  grew 
tired  and  must  leave.  Rector  now  said  :  "  Friend,  they 
have  sent  thy  brother  here  for  a  few  moments  to  wait 
thy  father's  return."  Both  Charles,  and  afterwards  the 
sister,  Annie,  spoke.  Then  the  father  returned.  After 
an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  give  the  name  of  a  medicine, 
he  replied  to  a  remark  by  Professor  Hyslop  about  Annie 
as  follows  : 

"  Yes.  She  has  been  here  longer  than  I  have,  James,  and 
is  clearer  in  her  thoughts  when  she  is  trying  to  speak,  but  do 
not  feel  troubled  about  it.  I  will  in  time  be  able  to  tell  you 
all.  I  want  you  to  know  that  I  am  at  this  moment  trying  to 
think  of  anything  but  sickness " 


236      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

Afterwards  he  began  to  speak  of  the  conversations  they 
had  held  about  the  work  of  the  son,  but  was  interrupted. 
A  httle  later  "  Uncle  Charles  "  (Carruthers)  put  in  some 
words,  and  when  it  was  once  more  the  turn  of  the  father, 
he  began  by  an  introduction  of  himself  which  seems  to 
contain  a  jesting  allusion  to  the  fact  that  not  all  com- 
municators were  so  clear  as  he  was.  Here  for  the  first 
time  his  natoe  was  fully  given.  Prudens,  as  has  been 
seen,  confined  himself  to  the  abbreviation  "  Mr.  H  : " 

"  Mr.  H.     Yes,  Hyslop.     I  know  who  I  am And  long 

before  the  Sun  shall  set  for  you  I  will  give  you  a  full  and 
complete  account  of  your  old  father,  James.  Keep  quiet, 
do  not  worry  about  anything,  as  I  used  to  say.  It  does  not 
pay.     Remember  this  ? 

"  Prnf.  H.     Yes,  father,  I  remember  that  well. 

"  Mr.  H.     That,  James,  wa:>  my  advice  always You 

are  not  the  strongest  man,  you  know Remember,  it  does 

not  pay,  and  life  is  too  short  there  for  you  to  spend  it  in 
worrying.  You  will  come  out  all  safe  and  well,  and  will  one 
day  be  reunited  with  us,  and  we  shall  meet  face  to  face,  and 
you  will  know  me  well.     What  you  cannot  have,  be  content 

without. 1   am  a  little  weary,  James,  but   I  will  return 

and  recall  if  possible,  my  medicine.     He  is  taking  me  away. 

"  Dr.  H.  Yes,  you  will  have  one  day  more  now  with  your 
son. 

"  Mr.  H.  Oh,  let  me  refresh  myself  and  return  to  him. 
Seek  and  ye  shall  find. 

"  Prof.  H.  Father,  good-bye  until  to-morrow  and  I  will  see 
you  then. 

"  Mr.  H.  Come  in  to-morrow  and  see  how  I  am  getting 
along.     Do  you  remember  my  saying  this  to  you  ?  " 

All  that  Mr.  Hyslop  here  claimed  to  have  said  while 
living,  was  correct.  He  used  to  say  :  "  Do  not  worry, 
it  does  not  pay,"  "  Ufe  is  too  short,"  etc.  It  is  curious  to 
see  that  now  he  says  :  "  Life  is  too  short  there  "  ;  just  so 
it  behoved  one  who  had  survived  death  to  speak  about 
life  on  earth.  "  Come  in  to-morrow  and  see  how  I  am 
getting  along,"  were  the  words  which  he  used  to  say  to 
his  son  when  he  visited  him  during  his  last  illness. 

Before  the  third  sitting  concluded,  Dr.  Hodgson  had 
given  Rector  to  understand  that  it  would  be  useful  to 


THE   HYSLOP   SITTINGS  237 

get  Mr.  Hyslop  to  think  over  some  incidents  to  tell  his 
son  on  the  morrow.  The  consequences  of  this  intimation 
appeared  at  the  sitting  of  that  day,  where  the  communi- 
cator took  great  pains  to  recall  triviahties  instead  of 
speaking  only  of  those  things  that  interested  himself : 

"  Mr.   H.     James,   James   I   am  here.     My  thoughts  are 

clearer  now 1  can  see  and  hear  better  than  ever.     Your 

voice  to  me  does  not  seem  so  far  away.     I  will  come  nearer 

day  by  day and  all  that  transpired  between  us  whilst  in 

the  body  I  will  refer  to,  that  you  may  be  sure  it  is  I.  I 
remember  very  well  indeed  and  what  I  said.  I  was  most 
emphatic  in  my  desire  to  know  the  truth  and  make  you  know 
it  if  possible.     [To  Dr.  Hodgson  :]   Are  you  with  James  ? 

"Dr.H.     Yes 

"  Mr.  H.  Well,  will  you  help  me  to  return  later  if  I  wish 
to  return  ?   If  so,  I  will  try  and  free  my  mind  now. 

"  Dr.  H.  I  shall  be  very  pleased  to  take  messages  to  your 
son. 

"  Mr.  H.  Well,  I  will  not  feel  troubled  then,  because  I 
have  no  further  talks  with  him  now.  James,  do  you  remember 
the  things  I  took  out  West  ?  " 

After  this  followed  divers  tests.  "  I  remember  Himi 
[i.e.,  Hyomei],"  said  Mr.  Hyslop.  This  was  the  reply  to 
a  question  that  had  been  put  to  him  about  his  medicine 
at  the  preceding  sitting.  He  added  :  "I  will  give  him 
all  of  them."  "  All  of  them  ?  "  Dr.  Hodgson  asked, 
greatly  surprised.  Mr.  Hyslop  had  taken  a  variety  of 
patent  medicines,  and  he  succeeded  at  this  and  later 
seances  in  giving  the  names  of  a  number  of  them.  With 
regard  to  many  of  them  it  required  a  careful  investigation 
on  the  part  of  Professor  Hyslop  to  ascertain  that  his 
father  had  in  fact  used  them.     "  Do  you  remember  the 

little   knife — the   httle    brown    handle [d]    one  ? Ask 

Willie  [his  son]  about  the  knife,"  and  so  forth.  But  he 
soon  reverted  to  the  things  which  he  had  most  at  heart : 

"  Mr.  H.  I  wish  I  could  step  in  and  hear  you  at  college 
and  see  all  that  disturbs  you.  I  would  soon  right  things  there 
for  you.  I  had  a  will  of  my  own  .  .  .  perhaps  you  will 
remember. 

"  Prof.  H.  Yes,  father,  I  remember,  but  it  was  not  a  bad 
will. 


238      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

"  Mr.  H.  I  am  glad  you  think  so.  But  if  the  rest  had 
been  hke  you,  perhaps  I  should  not  have  refused  them  any- 
thing." 

Professor  Hyslop  writes  that  all  this  is  very  pertinent. 
Afterwards  he  read  aloud  a  series  of  utterances  explaining 
to  the  communicator  the  aim  of  the  sittings.  He  said 
among  other  things  that  he  had  not  asked  many  questions 
nor  reminded  him  of  any  important  facts,  because  doing 
so  would  be  interpreted  here  on  earth  as  suggesting  the 
answers  themselves.  "  Ah,  yes  ;  I  remember  the  diffi- 
culties," Mr,  Hyslop  put  in,  and  the  son  continued  : 
"  You  know  it  is  the  work  of  Christ,  and  you  will  re- 
member that  I  always  said  that  I  wished  to  live  the  life 
of  Christ,  even  if  I  was  not  a  believer,"  "  Perfectly, 
Yes.  That  is  surely  James,"  exclaimed  the  father.  He 
had  not  until  now  heard  many  words  that  could  convince 
him  that  he  was  really  speaking  to  his  son. 

It  was  the  object  of  Professor  Hyslop  to  impart  to  his 
father,  by  means  of  this  statement,  a  more  complete 
understanding  of  the  importance  of  the  work  that  was 
performed  through  the  sittings.  He  understood  it 
entirely.  The  conversation  went  on  in  the  following 
manner  : 

"  Mr.  H.  I  will  push  from  this  side  whilst  you  call  from 
yours,  and  from  my  boyhood  to  now  I  will  recall  everything 
for  you.     Go  on  I  am  waiting. 

"  Prof.  H.  Yes,  father,  I  have  read  all  that  I  wished  to 
read,  and  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  can  recall  and  tell  anything 
about  a  railroad  collision. 

"  Mr.  H.  Yes,  I  think  I  will,  all  about  it,  but  do  not  ask 
me  just  yet,  James,  .  ,  just  yet." 

One  cannot  help  sympathizing  with  the  communicator, 
if  he  was  not  at  that  moment  disposed  to  think  of  an  old 
story  about  a  railroad  collision.  Professor  Hyslop  him- 
self acknowledges  in  his  report  that  his  remark  "  shows 
as  much  incoherence  and  irrelevancy  as  could  ever  be 
charged  to  a  discarnate  spirit," 

His  next  question  :  "  Do  you  remember  much  about 
your  religious  life  ?  "  fell  into  better  ground,  and  resulted 


THE  HYSLOP   SITTINGS  239 

for  one  thing  in  the  communicator  asking  :  "  What  do 
you  remember,  James,  of  our  talks  about  Swedenborg  ?  " 

This  was  interesting  also  for  the  reason  that  Professor 
Hyslop  himself  did  not  remember  that  he  had  talked  with 
his  father  about  Swedenborg,  and  did  not  even  believe 
that  he  had  known  anything  of  him.  But  when  he  wrote 
to  his  stepmother  about  it,  he  got  the  following  reply  : 
"  He  did  talk  with  me  about  Swedenborg  after  you  had 

been    there 1    remember    the    conversation   on   the 

Sabbath  day  you  were  at  our  house  at  Delphi  about 
psychical  research,  and  your  father  was  the  first  to  speak 
of  Swedenborg.  In  answer  to  something  you  said  he 
repKed  :  '  that  was  Swedenborg 's  behef.'  I  cannot 
remember  much  of  the  conversation." 

A  little  later  the  father  said  : 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  not  given  me  any  suggestions  for  your 
sake,  but  it  has  perplexed  me  a  little,  and  at  times  seemed 
unlike  yourself.  I  faintly  recall  the  trouble  on  the  subject  of 
spirit-return,  and  I  see  and  understand  now." 

The  conversation  was  broken  off  before  he  had  a  mind 
to  leave.  "  He  longs  to  remain  with  him,"  said  Rector, 
"  but  Imperator  is  taking  him  away."  Afterwards, 
Rector  said  to  Dr.  Hodgson  :  "  Friend,  thou  knowest  not 
the  food  which  lieth  in  store  for  thee  regarding  this  new 
communicator.     He  is  all  that  is  good  and  true." 

In  February,  1899,  Dr.  Hodgson  had  five  sittings  with 
Mrs.  Piper  on  behalf  of  Professor  Hyslop,  who  was  in  New 
York.  In  the  interval  Rector  had  several  times  talked 
of  Mr.  Hyslop  and  of  the  desirability  of  giving  him  an 
opportunity  of  communicating.  "  Our  friend  Hyslop  is 
anxious  to  see  you  many  more  times  if  you  think  that  is 
desirable,"  he  said  on  January  i8th,  and  a  week  later  : 
"  We  have  a  great  and  good  work  to  do  with  this  dear 

spirit  Hyslop a  very  high  and  intelligent  spirit  is  he, 

and  no  barrier  between  them,  viz.,  himself  and  son." 
When  he  at  last  got  permission  to  come,  he  seemed,  how- 
ever, a  little  disappointed  that  it  was  not  "  James."     It 


240      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

happens  sometimes  that  "  the  machine  "  does  register 
fragments  of  conversations  which  are  held  apparently 
among  the  spirits  themselves,  and  which  would  not  seem 
destined  to  be  reported  ;  it  belongs  to  the  mysteries  of 
the  trance  drama,  and  has  not  found  any  explanation. 
Thus,  the  following  speech  by  Rector  must  be  conceived 
to  be  addressed  to  Mr.  Hyslop  : 

"  R,  N(J>  he  is  not  .  .  but  it  is  his  friend  .  .  very  well. 
No,  not  James  but  Hodgson.     Yes  .  .  come. 

"  Mr.  H.  Yes,  friend,  I  am  pleased  to  meet  you.  I  wish 
to  speak  to  James,  but  I  understand  he  is  not  here,  but  sends 
you  in  his  place  " 

Professor  Hyslop  had  in  January  communicated  the 
result  of  his  inquiry  about  Swedenborg  to  Dr.  Hodgson. 
The  latter  had  told  it  to  Rector,  by  whom  Mr.  Hyslop 
had  apparently  been  informed  of  it.  His  first  words  to 
Dr.  Hodgson  referred  to  this  subject : 

"  Mr.  H.  I  am  thinking  at  the  moment  of  what  I  referred 
to  concerning  Emanuel  Swedenborg.  I  am  glad  to  know  that 
he  understood  my  meaning. 

"  Dr.  H.     Yes. 

"  Mr.  H.  Yes,  now  I  wish  to  tell  him  about  another 
subject " 

Mr.  Hyslop  had  thought  of  divers  incidents,  and  a 
great  portion  of  the  sittings  was  employed  in  speaking  of 
them.  On  the  whole  his  recollections  seemed  correct,  but 
in  several  cases  it  at  first  looked  otherwise  ;  sometimes  he 
was  only  after  long  investigations  proved  to  be  right. 

In  the  midst  of  his  attempts  to  recall  railway  accidents 
and  fires,  he  reverted  to  his  dearest  memories.  "  I 
often  think  of  the  long  talks  we  used  to  have  during  my 
last  years  in  earth  life  of  the  possibilities  of  communication 

with  each  other ."     It  is  curious  to  see  that  it  was 

Rector,  and  not  Dr.  Hodgson,  who  would  not  tolerate 
this.  During  a  momentary  absence  of  the  communicator 
he  enforced  on  Dr.  Hodgson  the  necessity  of  making  him 
recall  his  experiences,  whereupon  the  latter  told  Mr, 
Hyslop  that  "  James  would  be  very  pleased  "if  he  would 


THE   HYSLOP   SITTINGS  241 

do  so.  "  Yes,  well  then  I  may  as  well  tell  you  all  I  can 
remember,"  answered  the  father,  almost  as  with  a  sigh. 
"  I  begin  to  see  what  James  is  wishing  me  to  do,"  he 
added  a  little  later. 

Afterwards,  however.  Dr.  Hodgson  explained  about  the 
trance  and  the  writing,  and  this  interested  him  highly. 
"  Indeed,"  he  says.  "Then,  well  then  what  I  say  is  written 
out  for  you  ?  "  "  Yes,"  Dr.  Hodgson  answered,  and  told 
about  Rector.  "  Oh  yes,  I  begin  to  see,"  he  interrupted 
him,  "  but  I  can  see  Rector  and  hear  him  speak  to  me." 
Dr.  Hodgson  went  on  explaining,  and  said  at  last : 

"  Dr.  H.  Well  now,  if  James  had  said  to  you  when  you 
were  in  the  body,  '  come  with  me  and  see  a  lady  in  trance. 
Her  hand  is  controlled  by  a  spirit,'  you  probably  would  not 
have  believed  it. 

"  Mr.  H.    No  probably  not. 

"  Dr.  H.  And  if  James  had  passed  out  of  the  body  and 
you  were  left  behind,  and  if  I  came  to  you  and  said,  '  Your 
son  James  wishes  to  see  you  and  talk  to  you,'  and  if  I  prevailed 
upon  you  to  come  here,  we  will  suppose,  and  you  were  in  the 
body  with  me  and  James  where  you  are,  talking  to  Rector — 
what  do  you  think  James  would  try  to  remind  you  of  ? 

"  Mr.  H.  Why  everything  that  we  used  to  do  together  of 
course,  friend,  or  in  other  words  all.  I  say  all,  about  his 
earthly  experiences,  because  he  would  like  me  to  make  sure  it 
was  he. 

"  Dr.  H.  Exactly.  Now  that  is  just  what  he  wants.  He 
wants  .  .  . 

"  Mr.  H.  Well,  it  is  just  what  he  will  get,  then,  because  I 
know  perfectly  well  who  and  what  I  am,  and  I  know  what 
would  please  my  son  James,  and  I  will  do  all  in  my  power  to 
prove  that  I  am  his  father " 

That  Dr.  Hodgson's  explanation  impressed  the  com- 
municator appears  from  an  utterance  of  his  four  months 
later  at  a  sitting  by  Professor  Hyslop : 

"I  had  no  idea  at  first  what  you  really  wished  of  me,  but 
it  all  came  to  me  when  you  [hand  indicating  Dr.  Hodgson] 
said  '  Well  how  would  you  have  James  know  it  was  you.'  " 

He  had  on  this  occasion  endeavoured  to  recall  the  life 
in  their  little  family  circle  in  the  distant  period  when  his 
eldest  son  was  one  of  them.  He  had  not  yet  fully  com- 
prehended that  knowledge  of  their  joint  experiences  was 

CD.  R 


242      COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

not  considered  a  conclusive  proof  of  his  being  the  one  he 
purported  to  be,  because  they  might  be  conceived  to  be 
read  from  his  son's  own  mind. 

The  following  sittings  by  Dr.  Hodgson  were  mostly 
devoted  to  test  questions,  as  before,  under  a  faint  protest 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Hyslop.  "  I  have  so  many  things  to 
say  of  far  greater  importance  in  a  way,"  he  once  replied 
when  Dr.  Hodgson  thanked  him  for  having  told  him 
about  "  the  medicine  and  gown  and  reading  the  paper 
and  so  on."  Not  until  the  last  of  the  five  sittings,  on 
February  22nd,  1899,  where  Dr.  Hodgson  read  aloud  a 
letter  which  he  had  received  from  Professor  Hyslop,  but 
which  was  directed  to  the  father,  did  he  become  fully 
interested.  His  eagerness  was  so  great  that  he  interrupted 
the  reading  and  replied  to  the  contents  as  if  the  son  had 
himself  been  present  and  talked  to  him  : 

"  Dr.  H.  [reading]  I  remember  when  you  took  me  to  the 
station  to  start  to  college.  Do  you  remember  how  you  felt 
then? 

"  Mr.  H.  Yes  I  do,  well.  At  the  parting.  It  was  one  of 
the  most  hopeful  of  my  life.  And  do  you  remember  what  I 
said  to  you  then  ?  Write,  as  I  cannot  see  you  often.  Write 
often  as  I  shall  be  with  you  constantly  in  thought,  James. 
This  is  the  starting  point  in  your  hfe.  Take  advantage  of  it, 
improve  your  time,  let  me  know  how  you  are  getting  on  daily 
and  keep  up  a  stout  heart.  Want  for  nothing.  Keep  to  the 
right,  be  just  in  all  things.  I  shall  be  lonely  enough,  but  I 
look  forward  to  the  future." 

Professor  Hyslop  writes  that  this  is  a  very  good  repro- 
duction of  what  his  father  said  when  parting  from  him. 
The  statement  "want  for  nothing"  is  literally  what  he 
did  say,  though  his  pecuniary  circumstances  did  not 
justify  him  in  saying  so. 

When  Dr.  Hodgson  had  finished  reading,  the  com- 
municator said  : 

"  God  bless  you,  my  son.  Do  3'ou  remember  this  expres- 
sion ?  [To  Dr.  Hodgson]  I  wish  you  to  know  that  to  me  James 
was  all  I  could  ask  for  a  son,  and  when  I  left  him  or  he  left  me 
I  was  heart-broken  in  one  sense,  but  I  felt  that  I  had  much 
to  look  forward  to " 


THE  HYSLOP  SITTINGS  243 

This  was  the  only  occasion,  Professor  Hyslop  adds,  on 
which  he  ever  saw  his  father  shed  tears. 

On  May  29th,  1899,  began  the  second  series  of  Professor 
Hyslop's  personal  sittings,  of  which  there  were  eight. 
They  are  of  much  the  same  character  as  the  first  series  ; 
only  the  test  questions  played  a  still  larger  part  than  they 
had  done  in  the  beginning. 

Dramatically  correct  it  is  that  while  in  Dr.  Hodgson's 
sittings  the  father  had  been  the  sole  communicator,  now 
when  Professor  Hyslop  was  himself  present  a  large  number 
of  his  relatives  appeared.  "  I  have  not  seen  so  many 
here  around  the  light  for  a  long  time,"  Rector  remarked 
already  at  the  first  seance.  Perhaps  this  was  the  reason 
why  George  Pelham  turned  up  as  assistant  at  the  second 
sitting  ;  he  had  not  been  present  at  any  Hyslop  sitting 
since  the  very  first.  "  Look  out,  H[odgson],  I  am  here. 
G.  P.,"  he  announced  himself ;  "  Imperator  sent  me 
some  moments  ago."  He  began  at  once  to  make  himself 
useful  by  improving  Rector's  reproduction,  viz., 
"  McAllen,"  of  the  name  of  Professor  Hyslop's  cousin, 
McClellan.  "  Sounds  like  McLellen,  G.  P.,"  he  inserts 
in  the  midst  of  the  writing.  He  did  good  service  on 
several  occasions. 

For  the  rest  the  seances  went  on  in  the  former  manner  ; 
recollections  were  mixed  with  references  to  matters  which 
more  naturally  filled  the  thoughts  of  the  communicator. 
Professor  Hyslop  obtained  much  evidence  for  the  identity 
of  his  father ;  not  the  least  valuable  were  his  many 
remarks  about  the  dead  and  living  members  of  his  family. 
More,  perhaps,  than  anything,  the  manner  in  which  they 
were  put  forth  served  to  convince  him  ;  the  selection 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  father  and  of  nobody  else  ; 
the  faculty  to  distinguish  between  what  the  son  must 
know  from  personal  experience,  and  what  he  could  only 
have  been  told  about  by  others,  etc.,  etc.  The  same 
applies  to  the  other  communicators  ;  each  of  them  speaks 
from  his  own  point  of  view;    the  different  facts — for 

R2 


244      COMMUNICATION    WITH  THE  DEAD 

instance,  their  mutual  relationship,  or  the  length  of  time 
that  had  elapsed  since  their  death,  are  made  use  of  with 
a  never  failing  precision ;  they  deal  with  names  in 
accordance  with  their  habit  in  life,  etc.  Professor 
Hyslop's  cousin,  Robert  McClellan,  turns  up  and  alludes 
to  "  Uncle  Hyslop,"  viz.,  the  father  of  the  professor  ; 
or  inquires  after  "  Robert,"  and  replies  to  the  question 
which  Robert  it  is  :  "  Rob  Hyslop  of  course,  which  other 
could  I  mean  ?  "  Professor  Hyslop's  brother  Robert 
was  always  called  Rob.  The  long  deceased  brother 
Charles  talks  about  the  "  new  sister  Hettie,"  i.e.,  his 
half-sister.  The  sister  Annie  says  :  "I  want  to  help 
father — because  I  came  here^rst  and  long  ago."  There 
are  examples  ad  libitum.  Here  is  no  confusion,  no  con- 
founding of  the  numerous  members  of  the  large  family. 
What  confusion  there  is,  is  of  a  different  type,  and  most 
often  explicable  by  the  existing  conditions — Rector's  not 
always  correct  perception  of  names,  etc.,  the  indisposition 
of  the  communicators  in  the  earthly  sphere — or  as  failing 
memory.  As  good  as  always  the  statements  contained  a 
core  of  truth  that  pointed  to  misrecoUection  and  not 
ignorance  being  the  cause  of  the  error.  Very  often,  too, 
the  confusion  wa.s  due  to  the  sitter's  deficient  memory,  or 
to  his  misapprehension  of  what  was  alluded  to. 

With  regard  to  the  theories  which  eventually  ought  to 
explain  away  his  own  existence,  Mr.  Hyslop  continued  to 
display  a  certain  impatience.  At  the  third  sitting  he  said 
to  the  son  : 

"  Shut  out  the  thought  theory  and  do  not  let  it  trouble  you. 
I  went  on  theorizing  all  my  earthly  life  and  what  did  I  gain 
by  it  ?  My  thoughts  only  became  more  subtle  and 
unsatisfactory " 

And  he  continued,  with  an  allusion  to  the  topic  which, 
as  seen  above,  had  been  discussed  between  Professor 
Hyslop  and  his  father  during  the  visit  in  1895,  at  which 
time  "  the  thought  theory  "  had  also  been  the  subject  of 
their  conversation  : 

"  Now  speaking  of  Swedenborg.    What   does  it   matter 


THE   HYSLOP  SITTINGS  245 

whether  his  teachings  were  right  or  wrong  so  long  as  we  are 
individually  and  ourselves  here  ?  " 

George  Pelham,  too,  is  a  little  sarcastic  on  this  point. 
At  the  sixth  sitting  he  made  his  appearance  and  got  a 
short  conversation  with  Dr.  Hodgson  : 

"  G.  P.  H[odgson],  how  are  you  ?  I  have  just  been  called 
upon  to  lend  a  helping  hand.  You  see  I  am  not  wholly 
isolated  from  you. 

"  Dr.  H.     Good,  George,  were  you  here  last  time  ? 

"  G.  P.  For  a  few  moments.  I  helped  a  man  named 
Charles  [i.e.,  Professor  Hyslop's  brother]  but  I  did  not  get  a 
chance  to  say,  How  de  do,  H. 

"  Dr.  H.     AH  right,  George. 

"  G.  P.  I  am  going  after  the  elderly  gentleman,  look  out 
for  me. 

"  Dr.  H.    We  will. 

"  G.  P.     Got  those  theories  all  straightened  out  yet,  H.  ? 

"  Dr.  H.     Pretty  fairly. 

"  G.  P.     I  am  going.     Auf  Wiedersehen.     G.P." 

At  this  sitting  Professor  Hyslop  asked  his  father  to 
tell  something  that  had  occurred  before  his  own  birth, 
but  which  his  two  aunts  might  possibly  remember.  That 
Mr.  Hyslop  understood  well  that  the  object  was  to  exclude 
the  interpretation  of  telepathy  from  the  son,  appears 
from  his  instantaneous  attempt  to  comply  with  the 
request : 

"  Mr.  H.  Will  you  kindly  ask  Aunt  Eliza  if  she  remembers 
a  young  man  named  Baker,  and  if  she  recall  going  to  a  prayer 
meeting  one  evening  with  him,  and  if  she  remembers  who 
teased  her  about  him.  And  ask  them  both  if  they  remember 
Jerry. 

"  Prof.  H.     [to  Dr.  Hodgson]  That's  right. 

"  Mr.  H.  Perhaps  you  may  know  of  this.  If  you  do,  say 
so,  James,  and  I  will  think  of  something  which  you  do  not 
know." 

Professor  Hyslop  had  heard  about  Jerry,  and  his  remark 
to  Dr.  Hodgson  referred  to  the  latter's  reading  of  the  name. 
One  cannot  help  acknowledging  the  intelligence  and  quick- 
ness of  reasoning  of  the  communicator,  first  in  devising 
something  which  could  hardly  be  known  to  the  son,  and 
then  in  comprehending  the  intimation  of  his  knowing  it 


246      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE   DEAD 

which  the  remark  "That's  right"  implied.  The  story 
about  the  yoimg  man  Professor  Hyslop  had  never  heard, 
and  his  Aimt  Eliza  was  disposed  to  deny  it,  but  finished 
by  admitting  its  correctness,  perhaps  with  the  exception 
of  the  name  Baker.  Several  statements  from  the  following 
sittings  were  likewise  verified  by  the  aunts. 

From  first  to  last  Mr.  Hyslop  was  interested  in  the 
son's  work  as  a  psychical  researcher.  This  interest  had 
at  the  first  sitting  of  the  new  series  led  to  a  curious 
remark : 

"  Mr.  H.  Do  not  go  more  to  that  place.  I  am  not  there. 
I  am  not  there  and  you  cannot  find  me  if  you  go. 

"  Prof.  H.     What  place  is  that,  father  ? 

"  Mr.  H.  With  the  younger  men  trying  to  find  me.  They 
are  not  light  and  I  cannot  reach  you  there." 

Immediately  after  his  first  sittings,  Professor  Hyslop 
had  instituted  a  system  of  experiments  with  some  young 
men  in  New  York  to  imitate  the  Piper  phenomenon.  The 
object  was  only  to  demonstrate  it ;  there  was  no  medium 
present.  It  seems  to  be  to  these  experiments  that  Mr. 
Hyslop  alluded.  Now,  at  the  sixth  sitting,  he  reverted 
to  the  subject  of  psychical  research: 

"  Mr.  H.  Do  you  remember  our  conversation  on  this 
subject  ?  Do  you  remember  your  last  visit  with  me  ? 

"  Prof.  H.     Yes. 

"  Mr.  H.  It  was  more  particularly  on  this  occasion  than 
before. 

"  Prof.  H.  Yes,  that  is  right.  Do  3^ou  know  what  I  was 
doing  just  before  I  made  the  visit  ? 

"  Mr.  H.  Yes,  I  believe  you  had  been  experimenting  on 
the  subject  and  I  remember  of  your  telling  me  something 
about  Hypnotism. 

"  Prof.  H.     Yes,  I  remember  that  well. 

"  Mr.  H.  And  what  did  you  tell  me  about  some  kind  of 
manifestation  which  you  were  in  doubt  about  ? 

"  Prof.  H.  It  was  about  apparitions  near  the  point  of 
death. 

"  Mr.  H.  Oh,  yes,  indeed,  I  recall  it  very  well,  and  you  told 
me  about  a  young  woman  who  had  had  some  experiments 
[i.e.,  experiences]  and  dreams. 

"  Prof  H.     Yes,  that  is  right. 


THE  HYSLOP  SITTINGS  247 

"  Mr.  H.  Which  interested  me  very  much,  but  yet  you 
were  doubtful  about  hfe  after  so-called  death.  Remember 
the  long  talks  we  had  together  on  this,  James  ?  " 

The  last  sitting  but  one  contains  an  interesting  attempt 
to  elucidate  a  former  misunderstanding.  Just  as  the 
uncle  Carruthers  had  all  the  time  gone  by  the  name  of 
Charles,  or  of  Clarke,  thus  Professor  Hyslop's  stepmother 
had  always  been  spoken  of  by  a  wrong  name,  viz.,  Nannie, 
instead  of  Maggie  (Margaret) .  The  error  had  not  been  dis- 
covered at  once,  because  there  was  an  aunt  Nannie  who  was 
often  mentioned.  But  gradually  it  dawned  upon  Professor 
Hyslop  that  the  latter  was  always  called  "  Aunt  Nannie," 
while  all  that  was  said  about  "  Nannie  "  without  prefix 
did  fit  the  stepmother.  It  was  George  Pelham  to  whom 
it  fell  to  clear  up  the  matter,  and  his  demeanour  is 
very  characteristic.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that  he 
alluded,  with  some  bitterness,  to  the  treatment  he  had 
himself  formerly  been  subjected  to  by  the  experimenters. 
His  reproaches,  however,  were  undeserved  as  regards 
Professor  Hyslop,  who  had  purposely  abstained  from 
asking  for  the  name.  But  Dr.  Hodgson  did  not  under- 
stand this,  and  of  his  own  accord  introduced  the 
question : 

"  Dr.  H.  The  name  of  the  mother  in  the  body  has  never 
yet  been  rightly  given. 

"  R.     Has  it  been  asked  for  ? 

"  Dr.  H.  The  stepmother  has  been  referred  to  in  various 
ways,  for  example  as  Hettie's  mother.  She  has  also  been 
called  Nannie,  but  her  name  is  not  Nannie. 

"  R.     I  cannot  understand  it. 

"  Dr.  H.  There  have  been  several  references  to  incidents 
which  were  true  about  the  stepmother,  but  in  referring  to 
these  things,  the  name  Nannie  .  .  . 

"  G.  P.  Well,  why  do  you  not  come  and  say  give  me  my 
stepmother's  name  and  not  confuse  him  [Mr.  Hyslop]  about 
anything  except  what  you  really  want  ? 

"  Dr.  H.  I  think  that  it  has  been  asked  for  directly  but 
cannot  be  sure. 

"  G.  P.  Has  it  ?  Very  well,  if  she  has  a  name  you  shall 
have  it. 

"  Dr.  H.     I  have  drawn  special  attention  to  it  because  I 


248      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

thought  it  might  help  you  to  know  that  there  seems  to  be 
some  pecuHar  difficulty  about  getting  her  name. 

"  G.  P.  I  do  not  think  so,  H.  ;  but  I  do  think  he  would 
refer  to  it  in  his  own  way  if  let  alone.  I  know  how  you 
confused  me,  by  Jove,  and  I  don't  want  any  more  of  it.  I  am 
going  to  help  him  and  he  is  going  to  tell  all  he  knows  from 
A  to  Z.  No  doubt  about  it,  H.,  no  one  could  be  more  desirous 
of  doing  so  than  he  is." 

Towards  the  end  of  the  sitting  George  Pelham  re- 
appeared : 

"  G.  P.  I  will  speak  for  a  moment,  and  say  I  do  not  see 
any  reason  for  anxiety  about  Margaret.  He  said  I  suppose 
I  might  just  as  well  tell  you  first  as  last  and  have  done  with  it, 
as  James  may  think  I  do  not  really  know.  Go  tell  him  this 
for  me.  You  see  I  got  it  out  of  him  for  you,  H.,  but  you  no 
need  to  get  nervous  about  it,  old  chap. 

"  Dr.  H.     All  right,  George,  thanks, 

"  G.  P.  Well,  1  cannot  hold  him  any  longer,  and  you  will 
get  more  later.  I  am  glad  to  meet  your  friend  even  though 
you  fail  to  say  anything  about  him.  [To  Professor  Hyslop]  I 
am  George  Pelham,  and  glad  to  see  you.  I  will  stand  by  you 
at  all  costs. 

"  Prof.  H.  I  am  glad  to  meet  you,  especially  as  I  know 
your  brother  in  Columbia  University. 

"  G.  P.    Yes,  Charles. 

"  Prof.  H.     That  is  right. 

"  G.  P.    Good,  I'll  see  you  again.     Auf  Wiedersehen." 

As  may  be  seen,  George  has  still  some  difficulty  in 
reconciling  himself  to  the  distrust  shown  towards  him, 
but  has  withal  preserved  the  same  combination  of 
geniality  and  humour  which  was  characteristic  of  him 
from  the  very  first. 

At  the  next  sitting  it  was  Rector  who  took  occasion 
to  reproach  the  experimenters  for  their  not  always 
rational  proceedings.  He  had  asked  them  already  two 
days  earlier  to  give  the  communicator  time  to  grasp  the 
meaning  of  their  questions  fully,  and  if  he  failed  to  answer 
that  day  let  him  think  it  over  and  reply  at  the  next 
sitting.  It  was  after  this  that  Professor  Hyslop  asked 
for  some  memories  from  the  time  before  his  own  birth, 
and  that  the  father  told  of  his  sister  Eliza,  and  promised 


THE   HYSLOP   SITTINGS  249 

to  recall  other  incidents.  At  the  ensuing  sitting  there 
had  been  some  confusion  which  Rector  now  explained  in 
the  following  manner  :  "  He  came  with  his  thoughts 
full  of  things  concerning  his  last  memories  at  the  meeting 
before,  and  could  not  be  made  to  understand  that  he 
should  speak  of  other  things."  It  can  hardly  be  denied 
that  Rector  is  right  in  his  criticism,  and  that  the  investi- 
gators, in  fact,  made  things  difficult  for  the  communi- 
cators. Their  silence  and  distrust  were  a  necessity  ;  but 
the  same  hardly  applies  to  their  tendency  to  mix  too 
many  things  together,  and  to  pass  too  quickly  from  one 
matter  to  another,  which  Dr.  Hodgson  admits  to  have 
been  a  fault  already  at  George  Pelham's  first  manifesta- 
tions. It  is  true,  however,  as  Mr.  Hyslop  once  said  in 
another  connection,  that  "  what  was  their  loss  is  our 
gain  "  ;  if  it  made  it  more  difficult  for  the  communicators 
to  solve  their  task,  it  has  in  return  increased  the  value  of 
its  solution  for  the  research. 

The  above  sitting  was  the  last  which  Professor  Hyslop 
held.  But  the  interest  of  the  trance  personalities  in 
procuring  evidence  did  not  stop  there.  A  month  later, 
on  July  6th,  1899,  Rector  reminded  Dr.  Hodgson  that 
there  was  much  for  Mr.  Hyslop's  son  to  do  and  look  up 
yet.  "  There  must  not,"  he  said,  "  be  any  neglect  of 
duty  in  regard  to  this,  viz.,  the  broken  wheel,  the  visit  of 
the  sister  to  church,  the  prayer  meeting  in  the  barn, 
the  sunstroke  of  one  of  the  McLellan  family."  Mr. 
Hyslop  himself  put  in  :  "I  would  say  one  word  more 
only.  Some  of  the  things  date  back  many  years. 
Adieu." 

It  was  mostly  the  incidents  from  the  time  before  his 
son's  birth  he  alluded  to.  The  event  of  the  sunstroke 
was  not  quite  as  old  as  that.  But  Professor  Hyslop  had 
known  nothing  about  the  existence  of  the  uncle  of  James 
McClellan,  David  Elder  by  name,  who  had  been  afflicted 
in  that  manner  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  and  he  had 
great  difficulty  in  finding  the  persons  to  confirm  the  fact. 
The  communicators  seemed  at  last  to  have  fully  com- 


250      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

prehended  what  kind   of  evidence  was   best  suited  to 
refute  "  the  thought  theory." 

The  EngUsh  Proceedings  contain  nothing  more  about 
Robert  Hyslop.  But  his  ardour  to  assist  in  the  work 
of  his  son  did  not  cool,  and  it  is  possible  to  renew  the 
acquaintance  with  his  sympathetic  personality  else- 
where.^ 

1  See  below,  p.  341. 


CHAPTER   XV 

THE    JUNOT   SITTINGS  ^ 

Immediately  after  the  Hyslop  sittings  a  new  series 
began,  which  covers  a  period  of  more  than  six  years, 
and  in  several  respects  makes  a  singular  contrast  to  the 
former.  Mr,  Hyslop  was  at  his  death  an  old  man  who 
had  suffered  m.uch  ;  who  had  lived  his  life  to  its  end  and 
gained  its  wisdom.  Bennie  Junot,  the  happy  child  of 
rich  and  loving  parents,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  finished 
his  earthly  existence,  to  their  deep  grief,  just  at  the 
moment  when  he  was  leaving  his  boyhood  behind  him. 
His  father,  Mr.  Junot  (pseudonym),  who  was  a  lawyer 
and  lived  a  thousand  miles  west  of  Boston,  had  heard  of 
Mrs.  Piper,  and  applied  to  Dr.  Hodgson,  by  whose  inter- 
vention he  obtained  about  a  5/ear  after  his  son's  death 
his  first  sittings  with  the  famous  medium.  From  thence 
and  until  the  death  of  Dr.  Hodgson  he  came  to  Boston 
once  a  year  to  find  Bennie,  most  often  accompanied  by 
his  wife  ;  sometimes  Bennie's  brother  Roble  or  sister 
Helen  were  also  present.  In  the  intervals  there  were 
sittings  where  Bennie  came  to  Dr.  Hodgson  alone. 

A  great  number  of  evidential  statements  are  given  in 
this  series,  which  contains  altogether  sixty-five  sittings,*^ 
and  where  several  deceased  relations  of  the  Junots 
appeared.  With  a  few  exceptions,  however,  no  informa- 
tion was  given  that  had  not  been  known  at  some  time  to 
some  members  of  the  family.  But  many  of  the  clearest 
and  most  correct  statements  were  made  when  Dr.  Hodgson 
was  alone,  so  that  they,  at  any  rate,  cannot  be  explained 

1  Report  on  the  Junot  Sittings,  by  Helen  de  G.  Verrall,  Proceedings 
S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXIV.,  pp.  351—664. 

2  The  Junots  had  seances  also  after  Dr.  Hodgson's  death,  but  these 
are  not  included  in  the  report  in  the  Proceedings. 


252      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

as  reading  off  the  mind  of  a  present  person.  The  sittings 
were  commented  on  at  the  time  by  Mr.  Junot  with  a 
care  that  makes  it  easy  to  judge  of  the  value  of  the 
statements. 

Mr.  Junot  was  introduced  to  Mrs.  Piper  anonymously, 
according  to  Dr.  Hodgson's  usual  practice.  A  certain 
amount  of  information  was,  however,  deliberately  given 
to  the  communicator  by  the  sitters.  Bennie  was  not  for 
the  sake  of  evidence  worried  by  far  so  much  as  George 
Pelham  and  Mr.  Hyslop  had  been,  although  at  a  later 
point  he  learned  to  comprehend  the  importance  of  giving 
tests.  Still  less  was  he  tormented  through  an  unnatural 
attitude  of  the  sitters  Hke  that  which  had  in  the  beginning 
troubled  Professor  Hyslop's  father.  The  outcome  of 
this  was  a  greater  naturalness  of  the  dialogue,  and  a 
greater  joy  in  the  conversations  on  the  part  of  the  com- 
municator. This  no  doubt  contributes  to  impart  to 
the  reader  of  the  report  a  picture  of  a  happy  boy  who 
exults  in  being  able  to  communicate  with  his  dear  ones  ; 
this  is,  perhaps,  the  strongest  impression  left  from  this 
series  of  sittings — a  boy,  though,  who  seems  to  grow 
before  the  eyes  of  the  reader  during  the  six  years  of  the 
acquaintance. 

With  regard  to  the  question  of  "  articles,"  the  situation 
seems  to  be  the  same  as  at  the  Hyslop  sittings.  They 
were  considered  to  be  of  a  certain  usefulness,  but  were 
not  indispensable.  Mr.  Junot  had  for  his  first  sitting 
brought  some  objects  that  had  belonged  to  his  son,  but 
they  were  wrapped  in  thick  paper  and  lay  until  far  into 
the  seance  on  a  table  on  the  other  side  of  the  room. 
Later  they  were  unwrapped  and  handed  to  the  medium. 
Several  times  in  the  course  of  the  sittings  Bennie  alludes 
to  the  import  of  such  objects  ;  for  instance  :  "I  would 
like  something  at  this  moment,  dear,  and  it  will  help  me 
to  keep  clear "  ;  "I  only  wish  to  get  help  so  I  can 
remain  "  ;  "  my  things  help  me  very  much." 

The  proceedings  at  the  seances  were  the  same  as  at  the 
Hyslop  sittings  ;    Rector  was  acting  as  amanuensis  at 


THE  JUxNOT  SITTINGS  253 

the  writing,  while  George  Pelham  now  and  again  assisted 
in  other  ways.  In  the  deep  trance  the  communication 
took  place  exclusively  by  means  of  the  hand,  but  in  the 
so-called  waking-stage  Mrs.  Piper  might,  among  her  own 
utterances,  sometimes  put  forth  something  that  seemed 
to  be  a  rendering  of  the  words  of  a  communicator. 

Mr.  Junot's  first  sitting  took  place  on  June  i6th,  1899, 
and  commenced  in  the  following  manner  : 

"  R.  We  see  among  our  friends  here  a  young  man  who 
seems  dazed  and  puzzled.  He  is  not  near  enough  to  us  for 
us  to  give  him  much  help  at  the  moment  but  will  be  presently. 
George  is  here  with  him  and  trying  to  urge  him  to  come 
closer 

"  B.  I  hear  .  .  .  I  hear  something.  Where  is  my  mother. 
I  want  very  much  to  see  her.  I  can  breathe  easier  now.  I 
want  to  go  home  now  .  .  .  And  take  up  my  studies  and  go 
on,  I  see  some  one  who  is  very  hke  my  father.  I  want  to 
see  him  very  much. 

"  Mr.  J.     Speak,  Bennie 

"  B.  I  .  .  I  want  to  see  you  awfully  .  .  I  Father 
papa  papa  Pa  Pa  father  I  hear  something  strange  .  .  can  it 
be  your  voice 

"  Mr.  J.     Yes,  Bennie. 

"  B.  I  .  .  You  hear  me  .  .  do  you  hear  me  I  .  . 
wonder  how  I  can  reach  you  as  I  long  to  do.  I  heard  all  you 
said  .  .  .  And  I  want  to  tell  you  where  I  am.  [To  Dr. 
Hodgson]  You  are  not  my  father  ?  " 

Dr.  Hodgson  now  explained  that  he  had  brought  his 
father  for  him  that  he  could  free  his  mind  to  him : 

"  B.     And  can  I  do  so  now  ? 

"  Dr.  H.     Yes. 

"  B.  Do  you  [know  ?]  the  boys  (?)  and  if  they  wiU  be  glad 
to  see  me.  I  want  to  see  father  more  than  any  one  except 
mama." 

This  was  the  introduction  which  was  followed  by 
inquiries  on  the  part  of  both.  It  appeared  that  Bennie 
knew  a  great  deal  about  things  that  had  happened  after 
his  death.  He  had  apparently,  as  he  continued  to  do, 
watched  the  doings  of  those  he  loved  on  earth.  Alluding 
to  a  cow-boy  named  Harry,  who  had  been  his   friend 


254      COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

on  the  farm  where  the  family  passed  the  summer,  he 
said  : 

"  B.     I  want  to  know  about  Harry. 

"  Mr.  J,     He  wrote  your  mother  lately. 

"  B.     I  thought  he  sent  the  photograph  to  her. 

"  My.  J.     He  did,  yes. 

"  B.     I  heard  her  say  it  looked  like  him Did  Harry  say 

he  would  send  me  any  message  ? 

"  Mr.  J .  ^  Mamma  wrote  and  told  Harry  that  you  had  gone 
away  and  left  us. 

"  B.  I  wonder  what  he  thought  when  he  heard  that.  Give 
him  my  love  and  tell  him  I  will  never  forget  the  good 
times  we  had  together." 

It  is  funny  that  Bennie  thinks  it  likely  that  Harry 
would  send  him  a  message^  and  very  boyish  that  he 
wonders  what  the  cow-boy  thought  when  he  heard  of  his 
death.  Evidently  he  feels  himself  to  be  an  interesting 
person  on  account  of  that  circumstance. 

The  next  sitting  took  place  on  the  morrow,  and  was 
full  of  eager  inquiries  from  Bennie,  both  about  people 
and  about  the  things  he  had  left.  There  were,  however, 
also  put  questions  to  him  ;  for  quite  exempt  from  the 
desire  of  tests  the  father  was  not.  But  Bennie's  way  of 
replying  differs  in  a  characteristic  manner  from  that  of 
other  communicators.  For  instance,  Mr.  Junot  asked 
him  about  a  gold  scarf-pin  with  which  he  had  formerly 
presented  his  son,  and  which  he  had  now  brought  to  the 
sitting : 

"  Mr.  J.  What  did  I  tell  you  about  the  pin  ?  Where  did 
I  say  the  gold  came  from  ? 

"  B.  This  came  from  .  .  Oh  I  never  can  say  it.  Co  .  . 
Who  was  the  man  who  went  out  there  with  you  and  .  .  I 
had  so  many  pieces  of  it. 

"  Mr.  J.     Do  you  mean  the  miner  man  ? 

"  B.     Yes  I  do,  but  his  name  has  gone  from  me  completely." 

The  scarf-pin  was  made  of  a  Colorado  nugget  presented 
to  Mr.  Junot  with  a  number  of  other  nuggets  from  a 
miner  friend. 

One  of  the  matters  that  Bennie  had  most  at  heart  was 
his  horse,  which  he  wanted  his  sister  to  have. 


THE  JUNOT   SITTINGS  255 

"  B.  I  want  her  to  have  my  horse,  want  her  to  have  my 
horse  .  .  I  do  very  much. 

"  Mr.  J.     She's  got  a  nice  new  horse  of  her  own. 

"  B.     I  know  it.     I  know  it,  and  .  . 

"  Mr.  J.  And  your  horse  has  been  sent  to  be  sold.  I  think 
it  has  been  sold. 

"  B.  Has  it  .  .  I  don't  think  so.  I  wanted  her  to  have 
it." 

The  horse  had  been  sold  but  not  delivered,  and  was 
recovered  by  telegram.  Mr.  Junot  had  no  more  sittings 
that  time,  but  on  July  6th,  1899,  Dr.  Hodgson  asked 
George  Pelham  whether  there  was  any  message  from 
Bennie.     The  latter  now  appeared  himself,  saying  : 

"  B.  Oh  give  my  love,  my  dearest  love  to  papa,  mama 
Roble  and  Helen. 

"  Dr.  H.     I  will. 

"  B.  Oh  tell  them  I  love  them  oh  so  much  and  I  will  do  all 
I  can  to  help  them  know  I  live.  I  am  so  glad  about  the 
horse.     I  do  not  know  what  to  say." 

It  was  only  in  a  letter  of  July  12th  that  Dr.  Hodgson 
learned  that  Mr.  Junot  had  stopped  the  sale  of  Bennie's 
horse. 

In  the  month  of  March  in  the  following  year  Mr,  Junot 
returned,  this  time  accompanied  by  Bennie's  mother. 
Bennie's  joy  was  excessive  : 

"  B.    Dad  Dad  Dad  yes  I  am  coming  dear It  is  I, 

Bennie  don't  you  know  me. 

"  Mr.  J.     Yes  Bennie,  we  hear  you. 

"  B.  I  see  mamma  I  am  so  glad  so  glad  .  .  Oh  do  you 
know  all  I  feel  for  you 

"  Mrs.  J.  Bennie,  I  often  think  you  come  to  me.  Do 
you? 

"  B.  Come  to  you  .  .  Yes  indeed  I  do  and  mama  there 
is  no  doubt  about  it.  I  do  see  and  know  a  great  deal  about 
you  and  the  things  you  do.  I  see  all  the  pictures  of  myself 
and  all  my  own  work." 

Mr.  Junot  writes  that  they  had  a  great  many  pictures 
of  Bennie  lately  placed  in  their  rooms,  also  various 
pieces  of  his  handiwork.  As  to  Bennie's  mode  of  address 
to  himself,  he  states  that  he  used  to  call  him  both  "  Dad  " 
and  "  Pa  "  and  "  Papa." 


256      COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE  DEAD 

Later  Bennie  asked  to  be  left  alone  with  his  mother  for 
a  little  time.  "  I  want  to  see  you.  Mamma,  as  I  did 
before  I  came  here,  and  he  [Dr.  Hodgson]  confuses  me," 
he  said  to  the  mother,  and  a  long  conversation  ensued. 
Then  the  father  returned,  asking  :  "  Do  you  want  me, 
Bennie?"  and  Bennie  answered:  "Yes  I  do.  Oh  I  am 
so  glad.     There  never  was  a  boy  so  glad." 

And  thus  he  goes  on  chattering,  about  "  Grandpa 
Junot,"  and  the  farm,  his  much  beloved  summer  home, 
and  concludes  with  a  gracious  permission  for  Dr.  Hodgson 
to  return  :  "  Call  him  back  once  more  and  let  him  help 
me."  Bennie  seems  somewhat  prone  to  regard  this 
stranger  as  a  subordinate  person.  "  Hello,  dear  dad,  is 
that  you  dear,"  he  says  a  few  days  later  ;  "  just  you  talk 
to  me  and  don't  mind  that  man.  Rector  knows  him." 
In  a  short  time,  however,  they  became  the  best  of  friends. 

Towards  his  parents  Bennie  was  unceasingly  grateful 
and  loving.  At  the  next  sitting  he  said,  among  other 
things : 

"  I  almost  never  see  you  but  that  you  do  not  speak  of  me 

and  it  makes  me  very  happy But  the  one  thing  that  has 

troubled  me  more  than  anything  since  I  came  to  this  life  is 
the  thought  of  dear  mamma's  feeling  that  she  could  do  more 
for  me.  I  tell  you  now  that  she  did  all  she  could  and  nothing 
could  have  kept  me  in  the  body.     Do  you  hear  me  dear  ..." 

Before  the  parents  left  Boston,  Bennie  had  got  informed 
of  the  import  of  the  evidence  he  might  be  able  to  furnish. 
He  commenced  their  last  sitting  by  clearing  up  something 
that  had  become  confused  in  the  preceding  one,  and 
afterwards  turned  to  new  statements,  interposing  :  "I 
know  perfectly  well  what  you  want  of  me  now,  because 
Rector  told  me."  And  he  displayed  certainly  in  the 
subsequent  part  of  the  seance  a  remarkable  energy  to 
satisfy  their  demands. 

In  the  midst  of  the  sitting  the  communication  was, 
however,  on  the  point  of  being  cut  off  too  early.  Bennie 
ceased  to  speak,  and  Rector  said  to  Dr.  Hodgson  : 

"  Friend,  I  think  —  if  we  could  ask  thee  to  go  a  little  way 
off  for  a  time  it  might  help  us  to  keep  him." 


THE  JUNOT  SITTINGS  257 

Dr.  Hodgson  now  left  the  room,  and  Bennie  returned  : 

"  B.     Yes  dad  here  I  am  again I  begin  to  think  again. 

And  my  head  is  getting  clear  since  that  man  called  George 
went  away  with  his  father. 

"  R.  [to  Dr.  Hodgson  who  had  returned]  That  is  thy  father, 
friend." 

The  little  episode  shows  how  George  Pelham  helped  to 
keep  other  communicators  away.  Apparently,  Dr.  Hodg- 
son's father  had  come  to  speak  to  his  son,  and  G.  P.  took 
him  away  because  his  presence  confused  Bennie,  who  at 
the  time  was  the  principal  person.  "  What  is  it,  H.  ? 
Want  my  help  }  "  G.  P.  interposed  on  another  occasion; 
"  I  am  here  on  Deck." 

A  few  weeks  after  the  Junots  had  left,  Bennie  had  some 
conversations  with  Dr.  Hodgson.  He  learned  to  under- 
stand what  part  the  latter  played  as  intermediary  between 
his  parents  and  himself,  and  displayed  now  towards  him 
also  the  geniality  of  his  nature.  They  talked  together 
about  all  sorts  of  things,  memories  of  the  past  and  the 
actual  situation.  Bennie  told  about  Rector  and  the  band, 
saying : 

"  You  should  see  the  kindly  men  who  are  teaching  me  how 
to  find  the  way  to  speak  clearly.  You  would  be  as  glad  as  I 
am  to  do  just  what  I  am  doing." 

The  friendship  developed  through  the  natural  talk  of 
Dr.  Hodgson  to  such  a  degree  that  Bennie  even  forgot 
that  they  were  not  "  on  the  same  side  :  " 

"  B.     Such  fun  as  Roble  and  I  used  to  have  you  never  saw. 

"  Dr.  H.  Yes,  I  used  to  have  jolly  times  myself,  Bennie, 
when  I  was  a  young  fellow. 

"  B.     Did  you,  did  you  have  a  brother  like  mine  ? 

"  Dr.  H.  I  have  a  brother  about  seven  years  younger  than 
myself.  One  of  my  chums  when  I  was  your  age  was  my 
cousin  Fred.  Ask  Rector  to  introduce  him  to  you,  and  he 
can  tell  you  about  some  of  the  fun  we  used  to  have. 

"  B.  Well  I  will,  that  will  be  fine  for  me.  He  perhaps  can 
help  me.  Well  I  am  awfully  glad  I  know  you.  1  love  music 
dearly,  do  you  ? 

CD.  S 


258       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

"  Dr.  H.    Yes,  I  used  to  play  the  violin. 

"  B.     Oh  yes  jolly.     King  of  instruments. 

"  Dr.  H.     Yes. 

"  B.  Well,  we  have  great  music  here  I  tell  you,  can  you 
hear  it  at  all  ? 

"  Dr.  H.     No,  my  senses  are  too  shut  in. 

"  B.    Well,  that  is  too  bad,  can  I  do  anything  for  you  ? 

"  Dr.  H.  I  fear  not,  thank  you.  I  must  wait  till  I  get  to 
your  side. 

"  B.  Oh  yes  well  that  will  be  all  right  then  won't  it.  Yes. 
Well,  I  begin  to  understand  better,  I  think.  You  are  in  the 
body.  That  is  it.  All  right.  Now  let  me  tell  you  all  I  can 
before  I  get  too  weak." 

At  the  close  of  the  sitting  Bennie  asked  :  "  What  is 
your  real  name  if  you  do  not  jnind  telling  me  before  I  get 
too  far  away."  It  appeared  a  little  difficult  for  him  to 
catch  it,  but  at  last  he  succeeded.  "HODGSON," 
he  spelt  out.  "  Good,  I  won't  forget  it,"  he  finished  the 
sitting. 

At  a  later  seance  Dr.  Hodgson  read  aloud  to  Bennie 
letters  from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Junot.  His  excitement  was 
touching.  "  Do  you  wonder  I  am  happy  ?  "  he  asked 
when  Dr.  Hodgson  finished  reading  the  letter  from  the 
father.  "  A  most  worthy  lad,"  Rector  said  about  him  a 
little  afterwards  when  he  had  gone  away.  Later  he 
returned  and  explained  some  matter  to  Dr.  Hodgson,  to 
which  the  latter  replied  :  "  Yes,  I  understand."  This 
gained  him  the  most  unfeigned  appreciation  on  the  part 
of  Bennie : 

"  B.    Well  that  is  good.     You  must  be  pretty  bright,  I 
think.     Did  you  ever  teach  school  ? 
"  Dr.  H.     Yes,  I  have  taught. 
"  B.     I  thought  so.     Did  you  hke  Algebra  ? 
"  Dr.  H.    Yes,  I  did. 
"  B.     I  am  glad  to  know  it.     I  didn't." 

It  is  really  as  if  it  were  a  boy  fresh  from  college 
speaking. 

Neither  did  Bennie  forget  Dr.  Hodgson's  recommenda- 
tion of  the  cousin  Fred  with  whom  he  used  to  have  so 
much  fun.    At  a  seance  by  another  sitter  a  fortnight 


THE  JUNOT   SITTINGS  259 

later  he  appeared  for  a  moment,  George  Pelham  acting 
as  secretary,  and  said  among  other  things  : 

"  B.  I  saw  Mr.  Hyde  and  I  Uke  him  mighty  well  .  .  he 
is  a  very  bright  fellow  and  has  been  helping  me  in  many  ways. 

"  Dr.  H.     Oh,  you  mean  my  cousin  Fred. 

"  B.  Yes  he  is  your  cousin  Fred  and  the  gentleman  who  is 
speaking  for  me  [G.  P.]  helped  me  to  find  him." 

Noteworthy  is  Bennie's  correct  mention  of  Dr.  Hodg- 
son's cousin  as  "  Mr.  Hyde  "  ;  he  does  not  call  strangers 
by  their  Christian  names.  George  Pelham's  name,  how- 
ever, appears  to  confuse  him  a  little  ;  he  says  "  Mr. 
George,"  and  once  "  George  somebody  "  ("  George  some- 
body is  very  good  to  us  here").  One  might  conceive 
that  it  was  the  circumstance  of  his  having  the  pseudonym 
Pelham  besides  his  real  name  which  embarrassed  him. 
About  Rector  he  once  says  :  "  the  man  they  call  Rector, 
but  he  isn't  Rector  at  all,  he  is  somebody  else."  On 
asking  for  Dr.  Hodgson's  name  he  said  :  "  What  is  your 
real  name  if  you  do  not  mind  telling  me,"  as  if  he  were 
accustomed  to  people  being  called  by  pseudonyms. 
There  is  an  inner  unity  in  all  this  which  is  very  realistic. 

At  the  parents'  sittings  in  the  third  year,  1901,  it  is  as 
if  it  were  a  somewhat  more  serious  and  grown-up  Bennie 
speaking.  He  is  very  anxious  to  reply  to  their  questions 
in  a  satisfactory  manner,  and  altogether  thinks  more 
about  others  than  about  himself.  When  the  father  on 
being  asked  had  admitted  that  they  felt  it  was  difficult 
for  him  to  remember  names,  he  answered  very  earnestly  : 

"  Well  that  is  so.  But  I  have  hunted  for  you  ever  since  I 
left  the  body  and  I  said  if  I  could  reach  you  in  any  way  I 
would  do  so,  and  here  I  am  if  I  am  imperfect." 

And  on  the  morrow  he  said  to  his  mother  : 

"  B.  Several  times  I  was  too  weak  to  answer  for  you 
before. 

"  Mrs.  J.     Yes. 

"  B.  Will  you  forgive  my  blunders  and  see  me  as  I  am 
when  I  am  not  trying  to  whisper  to  you  dear. 

s  2 


26o      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

"  Mrs.  J.     Yes,  Bennie,  I  think  you  do  very  well. 
"  B.     But  I  try  and  that  is  all  I  can  do  dear " 


As  Mrs.  Junot  had  asked  why  his  grandmother  never 
came  to  them  at  the  sittings,  he  answered  penitently  : 

"  But  she  has  dear,  only  I  fear  I  am  a  little  greedy  and  take 
up  all  the  Hght  dear  mother,  but  I  do  not  mean  to." 

At  a  later  point,  in  1902,  Bennie  had  conquered  this 
selfishness.  His  uncle  Frank  Clarke  had  during  an 
absence  of  his  spoken  with  Mr.  Junot,  and  when  Bennie 
returned,  he  said  : 

"  Father,  you  realize  I  know  the  desire  on  the  part  of 
Uncle  F  to  meet  you  again.     That  is  why  I  left  so  suddenly." 

Immediately  afterwards  he  gave  his  place  up  to  another 
communicator, 

A  kind  of  test  that  played  a  great  part  at  the  sittings 
consisted  in  Bennie  displaying  his  knowledge  of  the 
doings  of  his  family.  Among  other  things  he  had  several 
times  given  veridical  statements  respecting  their  visits  to 
his  grave — "  the  place  where  they  laid  my  body,"  he 
once  called  it.  At  a  sitting  in  1902  he  said  that  he  had 
seen  his  father  there,  and  Mr.  Junot  asked  if  he  also 
heard  what  he  said.     Bennie  replied  : 

"  Bennie,  these  are  for  you  dear,  and  something  else I 

heard  it  quite  clearly,  tell  Mr.  H[odgson]  you  said,  something 
about  Doctor,  I  think  tell  Doctor  this." 

The  father  had,  standing  by  the  grave,  said  aloud  : 
"  Dear  Bennie,  these  flowers  are  for  you.  We  have  not 
forgotten  you.  Go  and  tell  Dr.  Hodgson  this."  Bennie 
did  not  seem  to  realize  that  Hodgson  and  "  Doctor  " 
was  the  same  person.  He  mentions  him  also  later  as 
Mr.  Hodgson. 

At  the  same  sitting,  in  February,  1902,  Mr.  Junot  asked 
a  question  that  led  to  a  most  interesting  result.  He  had 
had  a  negro  coachman  named  Hugh  Irving,  who  lived  with 
the  family  through  the  whole  of  Bennie's  life.  He  was 
discharged  on  account  of  drinking  in  August,  1901,  and 
died  two  months  later  of  an  unsuspected  cancer,  which 


THE  JUNOT  SITTINGS  261 

appears  to  have  been  the  cause  of  his  taking  to  drink. 
When  he  left  the  Junots  he  took  with  him  a  dog  named 
Rounder,  the  loss  of  which  worried  Mr,  Junot  very  much. 
So,  when  he  came  to  Boston  next  time,  he  asked  Bennie 
about  him : 

"  Mr.  J.     Bennie,  do  you  know  where  Hugh  is  now  ? 

"  B.  Oh  yes  I  have  seen  him  several  times.  What  did  he 
go  for  ? 

"  Mr.  J.  Bennie,  tell  Hugh  that  we  want  the  dog  Rounder 
back. 

"  B.  1  will  sure  and  if  you  will  wait  for  me  a  moment  I  will 
attend  to  it  now  and  you  shall  have  him  sure. 

"  Mr.  J.     Good 

"  B.  See  if  I  don't.  Wait  a  moment  and  in  a  few  days 
you  shall  have  him.     I'll  prove  it  dad." 

Later  Rector  said  that  Bennie  had  gone  away  for  a 
moment.     When  he  returned,  he  said  : 

"  B.     Yes,  father  are  you  still  here  ? 

"  Mr.  J.    Yes. 

"  B.    You  shall  have  him  right  away They  will  give 

him  back  to  you,  he  told  me  so  and  when  I  go  out  again  I'll 

ask  him  all  about  where  he  is You  wiU  have  him  sure. 

This  is  my  test  to  you  dear  father." 

Afterwards  Hugh  himself  appeared.  He  told  that  he 
had  lost  Rounder,  but  promised  to  find  him  and  send  him 
back.  The  next  day  the  Junots  had  their  last  sitting  for 
that  time,  and  then  returned  to  their  home.  But  on 
April  2nd,  1902,  Dr.  Hodgson  being  alone,  the  following 
scene  occurred  while  Mrs.  Piper  was  in  the  waking- 
stage  : 

"Mrs.  P.     John  Welsh  has  Rounder. 

"  Dr.  H.     John  Welsh  was  round  her  ? 

"Mrs.  P.  John  Welsh  has  Rounder  Tell  this  .  .  tell 
.  .  tell  .  .  tell  .  .  John  Welsh  has  Rounder. 

"  Dr.  H.     John  Welsh  is  round  her  ? 

"  Mrs.  P.  has  .  .  has  .  ,  It's  I,  Bennie,  don't  you  see 
me  ?    I,  Bennie. 

"  Dr.  H.     John  Welsh  has  Rounder.     Yes,  I  understand. 

"  B.    Tell  Dad." 

When  Mr.  Junot  got  this  message,  he  set  about  finding 
John  Welsh,  but  without  success.     In  the  process,  how- 


262       COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

ever,  he  found  the  dog  in  the  hands  of  another  man  and 
recovered  him.  John  Welsh  he  could  not  trace,  but  at 
last,  in  June,  1902,  it  occurred  to  him  to  ask  the  deputy 
sheriff,  and  from  him  he  learned  that  a  neighbouring 
working  man,  a  great  friend  of  Hugh  Irving 's  and  com- 
monly known  as  "  Old  Happy,"  was  registered  to  vote  as 
John  Walsh.  At  Mr.  Junot's  request  the  sheriff  visited 
this  man  and  asked  him  about  the  dog.  He  quickly 
became  suspicious  and  would  not  answer,  saying  :  "  What 
are  you  asking  about  the  dog  for  ?  They  have  got  him 
back."  Thus,  it  is  very  probable  that  he  had  really  had 
something  to  do  with  Rounder.  The  mention  of  him  in 
Mrs.  Piper's  trance  by  a  name  which  was  almost  known 
to  nobody,  in  connection  with  the  dog  that  had  been 
taken  away  by  his  friend,  is  one  of  the  circumstances  that 
it  is  most  difficult  to  account  for,  either  by  mind-reading 
or  by  clairvoyance. 

The  remaining  sittings  occupy  as  much  space  in  the 
report  as  the  preceding  ones,  but  it  must  suffice  to  quote 
a  fragment  here  and  there  in  order  to  follow  Bennie  as 
far  as  the  editor  has  made  it  possible. 

November,  1902. 

Bennie  arrives  to  beg  Dr.  Hodgson  to  take  a  message  to 
his  father,  and  says  afterwards  : 

"  B.  You  have  been  so  kind  to  me  always  I  feel  as  though 
I  had  always  known  you. 

"  Dr.  H.     I  feel  as  if  you  were  an  old  friend. 
"  B.     Well,  I  think  I  am." 

February,   1903. 

Bennie  had  talked  to  his  father  about  his  friend  Dwight, 
and  asks  :  "  Does  he  know  I  am  alive,  or  any  [of]  the 
rest  of  the  boys  ?  "  It  was  not  the  first  time  that  he 
showed  his  anxiety  to  make  his  friends  know  that  he  was 
not  really  dead.  Above  all,  however,  he  thought  of  his 
brother  and  sister,  in  whose  progress  and  welfare  he  took 
a  deep  interest : 


THE  JUNOT   SITTINGS  263 

"  B.     Dad  Roble  is  doing  finely  again he  takes  to  his 

work  Hke  a  soldier  and  is  looking  forward  to  getting  through. 
Father  he  appreciates  all  only  you  give  him  time  dear  he  is  all 
right. 

"  Mr.  J.     Bennie,  tell  me  about  yourself. 

"  B.  About  myself  dear.  Well  dad  I  am  progressing  all 
the  time.  I  am  very  happy  helping  others,  learning  all  I  can 
about  this  life  and  the  philosophy  of  life  in  the  body  before  we 
enter  this.  I  look  over  my  life  in  the  body  and  wonder  what 
I  could  have  done  more  for  you  and  mother  dear.  I  wonder 
if  you  understand  all  I  feel  for  you  both. 

"  Dad  do  you  want  me  to  give  you  some  more  tests  ? 

"  Mr.  J.     Surely,  if  you  can. 

"  B.    I'll  think  up  some  things  and  tell  you  next 

time. Now  let  me  tell  you  one  thing.     Don't  question  the 

right  and  wrong  of  my  returning  because  there  are  no  wrongs 
in  it. 

"  Mrs.  J.  Yes  Bennie,  it  gave  us  a  little  anxiety  as  to 
whether  we  were  doing  right  in  calhng  you  to  us. 

"  B.  I  heard  it  all  and  it  made  me  uneasy  dear  so  thought 
I  would  settle  it  for  you." 

His  parents  had  on  the  evening  before  held  a  long 
conversation  on  this  subject. 

In  the  following  winter  Bennie  told  Dr.  Hodgson 
several  things  about  the  doings  of  his  brother  and  sister. 
He  had  seen  Roble  try  on  a  new  suit,  and  to  his  great 
amusement  seen  him  paint  his  straw-hat  green.  Helen 
photographed  the  pony,  and  she  had  got  a  red  coat 
which  did  not  quite  please  Bennie.  All  this  turned  out 
to  be  correct,  except  that  Helen's  coat  was  not  red,  but 
blue  with  red  lining.  Bennie,  however,  knew  well  that 
he  was  not  infallible.  "  I  may  make  some  few  mistakes, 
I  do  not  claim  to  do  otherwise  when  I  see  so  much." 
On  an  earlier  occasion  he  had  said  :  "  Objects  sometimes 
seem  quite  clear,  then  again  they  seem  to  lose  their 
shape  completely." 

February,   1904. 

"  Roble.  Bennie,  do  you  remember  now  how  your  old 
runabout  was  broken  ? 

"  B.  Surely  I  do  &  told  you  I  would  come  here  some  day 
and  tell  him  [hand  points  to  Dr.  Hodgson]  just  how  it  happened. 
Then  you  can't  say  I  got  it  out  of  your  mind  see  .  .  . 


264      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

"  R.     Yes,  I  understand. 

"  B.     George  is  always  talking  about  this  to  me." 

That  George  Pelham  is  very  kind  to  the  boy  Bennie 
appears  from  a  little  conversation  with  Dr.  Hodgson  at 
a  time  when  the  latter  was  alone  : 

"  B.  Here  is  George  perhaps  you  would  better  greet  him 
too. 

"  Dr.  H.     Yes,  George,  very  grateful  for  all  your  help. 

"  G.  P.  Ju^t  say  good  morning,  that  will  do.  You  know 
I  understand.     It  is  only  to  please  the  boy." 

June,    1904. 
On  this  occasion  both  Helen  and  Roble  had  come  to 
Boston  with  their  mother.     B^ennie  talked  to  his  sister 
about  his  old  horse  that  had  "  kicked  up  a  good  deal "  : 

"  H.     Yes  he  was  very  mean  last  summer. 

"  B.     Very  what  Helen  ? 

"  H.     Mean. 

"  B.     Do  you  mean  that  .  .  , 

"  H.     He  was  ugly,  and  my  driving  worried  him. 

"  B.     Oh  yes.     I  understand  what  you  mean.     But  he  is 

getting  old When  I  saw  Helen  it  brought  it  all  back  to  my 

mind  because  I  wanted  her  to  have  my  horse." 

The  few  sentences  convey  a  vivid  impression  of  Bennie's 
affectionate  mind,  which  even  embraces  his  old  horse 
that  five  years  previously  he  had  been  so  anxious  to  leave 
with  his  sister  and  not  with  strangers. 

October,  1904. 

"  B.  Dear  Mr.  Hodgson.  I  am  glad  to  greet  you.  Please 
tell  my  dear  ones  in  the  earthly  world  that  I  am  still  with  and 
watching  over  them.  When  I  can  conveniently  do  so  I  shall 
tell  about  some  of  their  doings  since  we  last  met.  Do  you 
hear  me  ? 

"  Dr.  H.  Yes,  Bennie.  I  have  a  letter  from  your  father 
[reads  it  aloud]. 

"  B.  I  am  delighted.  Thank  you.  Now  cannot  you 
help  me  by  corroborating  all  that  I  have  previously  mentioned 
that  was  clear  ?   it  will  enable  me  to  avoid  repetition." 

Bennie  speaks  in  a  very  grown-up  manner  on  this 
occasion.  Likewise,  he  talked  most  seriously  with  his 
parents  when  he  met  them  the  next  time. 


THE  JUNOT  SITTINGS  265 

February,  1905. 

"  B.  I  heard  you  talking  about  my  going  a  long  way  from 
you,  not  so  dad,  I  am  growing  all  the  time  in  knowledge  of  this 
new  life,  but  not  that  I  shall  leave  you  .  .  . 

"  Mrs.  J .  No,  but,  Bennie,  in  your  thought  to  care  for  us, 
you  must  not  do  anything  to  prevent  your  own  progress. 

"  B.  No,  how  could  I,  dear  mother  ?  there  are  laws 
connected  with  this  life  and  its  conditions  which  enable  me  to 
progress  constantly,  yet  while  progressing  I  am  better  able  to, 
if  possible,  to  help  you  than  otherwise." 

But  he  can  also  speak  of  things  that  amuse  him.  The 
following  episode  is  rather  curious  : 

"  B.  Tell  me  who  the  fellow  was  in  Roble's  room  last 
night. 

"  Mrs.  J.     I  shall  ask. 

"  B.  Such  fun  I  never  heard.  He  was  playing  on  a  banjo. 
He  and  another  fellow  were  there  together  playing  and  one 
sang  something  like  Dellia. 

"  Dr.  H.     Deha  ?    Deha  ? 

"  Mrs.  J.  Bennie,  perhaps  you  mean  Burdelia,  Budelia  ? 
It  is  a  song  that  the  boys  sing. 

"  B.  Yes  I  think  so.  Say  it  again  it  sounded  so  queer  to 
me. 

"  Mr.  J.     It's  Obedeha. 

"  B.  I  heard  O  I  heard  steel  ing  I  heard  Delia  I  heard 
Roble  laughing  merrily.     He  and  .  .  do  you  know  Bert  ?  " 

A  few  months  afterwards  Bennie  was  alone  with  Dr. 
Hodgson  and  reverted  to  the  funny  song. 

May,  1905. 

"  B.  Good  morning  Mr.  Hodgson  will  you  give  my  love  to 
all  at  my  home  and  ask  about  the  evening  I  heard  that 
song. 

"  Dr.  H.  The  boy  or  young  fellow  with  Roble  did  sing  that 
song  about  Bedelia,  and  so  on.     I  forget  just  how  it  goes. 

"  B.  Well  I  heard  him  and  I  heard  him  say  something 
about  stealing  her  .  .  . 

"  Dr.  H.     Yes,  I  think  that's  right. 

"  B.  Well  it  was  so  queer  to  me  I  laughed  and  laughed  to 
hear  him  say  it " 

Roble  Junot  states  that  he  and  his  friend  Bert  had 
very  often  sung  the  song  "  O,  Bedelia,  I've  made  up  my 
mind  to  steal  you,"  together,  but  not  on  the  evening 


266      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

mentioned  by  Bennie.  On  that  night  he  was  with  a 
party  of  young  people,  and  they  played  the  piano  and 
sang,  but  did  not  sing  Bedelia.  Bennie  thus  appears  to 
have  confounded  different  recollections,  or  rather  to 
have  been  mistaken  with  regard  to  the  time  when  he  said 
"  last  night." 

In  November,  1905,  the  Junots  for  the  last  time  met 
Bennie  in  the  presence  of  Dr.  Hodgson.  One  of  the  last 
things  he  said  to  them  was  the  following  :  "  When  you 
are  called  to  this  beautiful  world  I  shall  be  the  first  to 
greet  and  help  you — I  can  only  give  you  glimpses  of 
what  it  really  is,  but  I  am  glad  to  do  even  this."  Bennie 
is  right  when  he  says  that  it  is  only  glimpses  he  has  been 
able  to  give  of  the  world  in  which  he  appears  to  live  ; 
it  does  not  seem  possible  to  make  it  conceivable  to  earthly 
people.  When  once  Mr.  Junot  replied  to  a  statement  by 
the  son  about  something  referring  to  the  latter's  own  life  : 
"  AH  right,  I  understand,"  Bennie  answered,  no  doubt 
with  good  reason  :  "  Well,  I  am  not  sure  that  you  do." 
As,  moreover,  everything  of  that  kind  is  unverifiable,  I 
have  left  it  out  as  far  as  possible.  In  one  respect  only  it 
is  possible  to  test  the  value  of  statements  about  "  the 
beyond,"  namely,  when  Bennie  speaks  of  the  departed 
whom  he  meets,  either  those  who  have  preceded  him,  or 
those  who  have  died  after  his  own  demise.  Of  this  may 
the  same  be  said  as  of  his  statements  about  his  own 
earthly  existence,  or  about  the  things  he  pretends  to  see 
occurring  on  earth  after  his  death.  On  the  whole,  they 
agree  with  facts,  and  the  occasional  mistakes  are  easily 
accounted  for  through  the  circumstances  attending  the 
communications. 

To  Bennie  himself  the  words  seem  to  fit  which  Dr. 
Hodgson  wrote  about  George  Pelham  ;  what  there  was  of 
change  was  not  a  change  of  disintegration,  but  of  evolu- 
tion and  growth. 


CHAPTER   XVI 


THE   HODGSON-CONTROL 


As  fate  would  have  it,  the  next  communicator  of  con- 
sequence who  purported  to  communicate  in  the  Piper- 
trance  was  Dr.  Hodgson  himself.^  As  previously  men- 
tioned, he  died  suddenly  in  Boston  on  December  20th, 
1905.  On  December  28th  a  Hodgson-control  already 
manifested  through  Mrs.  Piper,  and  in  the  next  time 
hardly  any  sitting  passed  entirely  without  him.  In  the 
beginning  he  spoke  only  a  few  words  every  time,  but 
by  degrees  he  seemed  to  grow  stronger,  and  made,  as 
formerly  George  Pelham,  a  convincing  impression  upon 
most  of  his  surviving  friends. 

But  among  these  were  also  some  of  the  most  sceptical 
psychic  researchers,  as  Professor  James  and  Professor 
Newbold.  And  there  was  with  regard  to  the  Hodgson- 
control  the  special  ground  for  scepticism  that  the  medium 
had  known  the  living  Hodgson,  and  during  a  long  series 
of  years  seen  him  constantly.  It  would  therefore  seem 
that  she  had  special  qualifications  for  personifying  him  ; 
one  could  never  with  regard  to  the  evidential  information 
produced  by  him  feel  entirely  secured  against  the  possi- 
bility that  he  might  have  told  it  to  her  during  their  inter- 
course. It  is  true  that  the  latter  thing  was  thought  very 
improbable  ;  the  medium  and  the  experimenter  had  only 
used  to  pass  a  few  moments  together  before  the  trance 
began,  and  Dr.  Hodgson  had  not  at  all  been  on  terms  of 
intimacy  with  Mrs.  Piper  ;  on  the  contrary,  he  seems  to 
have  adopted  a  purely  business  tone  with  her.  More  to 
the  point,  perhaps,  was  the  contention  that  she  might 

>  Report  on  Mrs.  Piper's  Hodgson-control,  by  Professor  William 
James,  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXIII.,  pp.  2 — 121. 


268      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

know  him  subconsciously  from  his  demeanour  during  the 
trance  and  from  his  numerous  conversations  with  the 
communicators.  The  possibihties  of  this  were  wide- 
ranging.  To  quote  Professor  Hyslop  ^ :  "  The  scientific 
man  will  attach  less  value  to  what  purports  to  come  from 
Dr.  Hodgson  through  Mrs.  Piper  than  if  it  came  from 
some  one  else." 

But  how;  right  this  may  be  in  the  abstract,  it  will  hardly 
in  the  individual  cases  be  difficult  to  decide  whether  there 
is  any  probability  of  the  normal  Mrs.  Piper  having  been 
told  about  the  matter  in  question  by  Dr.  Hodgson.  The 
same,  of  course,  applies  to  his  utterances  to  the  trance- 
personalities.  A  few  things,  he  is  known  to  have  talked 
about  to  Rector,  etc.,  but  with  regard  to  the  greater  part 
of  the  statements  given  after  his  death  this  must  be  con- 
sidered quite  out  of  the  question.  Besides,  such  an 
application  of  casual  knowledge  would  not  at  all  agree 
with  the  usual  proceedings  in  the  Piper-trance,  where 
there  is  rarely  made  use  of  anything  but  what  the  drama 
requires.  Nay,  matters  which  are  well  known  to  Mrs. 
Piper,  the  trance-personalities  may  seem  ignorant  of. 
For  instance,  the  Hodgson-control  made  a  mistake  with 
regard  to  the  name  of  the  lady  who  assisted  Dr.  Hodgson 
in  his  office,  and  did  not,  when  some  time  had  elapsed, 
remember  that  of  the  street  where  he  had  lived,  though 
Mrs.  Piper  knew  both  things  very  well. 

As  to  the  characterization  given  of  Dr.  Hodgson  through 
the  trance-communications,  the  medium's  knowledge  of 
his  personality  might  sooner  be  considered  a  ground  for 
scepticism.  At  the  same  time,  it  must  be  questioned 
whether  a  knowledge  of  him  as  manager  of  the  sittings 
could  be  of  much  use  when  he  ought  to  be  presented  in 
his  relations  with  his  friends.  Towards  these  he  had  been 
both  gay  and  full  of  feeling,  and  had  in  return  been  much 
valued  and  loved  by  them.  That  his  relations  with  Mrs. 
Piper  were  not  very  cordial  appears  from  the  circumstance 
that  she  was  at  one  time  disposed  to  break  off  the  connec- 

*  Journal  Am.  S.P.R.,  Vol.  I.,  p.  io6. 


THE  HODGSON-CONTROL  269 

tion  altogether.  After  all,  the  art  of  transforming 
Dr.  Hodgson  as  she  knew  him  was  perhaps — if  it  were  art 
— not  smaller  than  to  create  Bennie  and  Mr.  Hyslop  and 
George  Pelham  on  the  basis  not  of  her  own  but  of  other 
people's  knowledge  about  them. 

The  first  persons  who  had  sittings  with  Mrs.  Piper  in 
the  hope  of  finding  Dr.  Hodgson  were  some  of  his  women 
friends.  One  of  them  was  so  overcome  by  the  first 
meeting  with  him  that  she  fainted  after  the  sitting  had 
finished.  Professor  James  says  about  his  first  appear- 
ances that  they  were  "  characteristic  enough  in  manner, 
however  incomplete."  Hodgson  was  very  lively,  though 
somewhat  worried  by  the  difficulties  of  communication, 
which  were  greater  than  he  had  expected.  Respecting 
this  he  says  in  January,  1906  : 

"  I  am  Hodgson  ...  I  heard  you  call  —  I  know  you  — 
you  are  Miss  Pope.  Piper  instrument.  I  am  happ}^  exceed- 
ingly dif&cult  to  come,  very.  I  understand  why  Myers  came 
seldom.     I  must  leave " 

And  on  another  occasion  : 

"  Remember,  every  communication  must  have  the  human 
element.  I  understand  better  now  why  I  had  so  little  from 
Myers." 

As  an  instance  of  his  conversation  may  be  quoted  the 
following  from  a  sitting  on  January  30th,  The  sitter, 
Mrs.  M.,  said  : 

"  Mrs.  M.  Do  you  remember  our  last  talk  together,  at  N., 
and  how  in  coming  home  we  talked  about  the  work  ? 

"  R.  H.    Yes,  yes. 

"  Mrs.  M.  And  I  said  if  we  had  a  hundred  thousand 
dollars — 

■'  R.  H.     Buying  Billy  !  ! 

"  Mrs.  M.     Yes,  Dick,  that  was  it  —  '  buying  Billy.' 

"  R.  H.     Buying  only  Billy  ? 

"  Mrs.  M.  Oh  no — I  wanted  Schiller  too.  How  well  you 
remember." 

Mrs.  M.,  before  Dr.  Hodgson's  death,  had  had  dreams 
of  extending  the  operations  of  the  American  branch  of 
the  Society  for  Psychical  Research  by  getting  an  endow- 


270       COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

ment  and  possibly  inducing  Professor  Newbold  (Billy) 
and  Dr.  Schiller  to  co-operate. 

A  few  months  later  Professor  Hyslop  had  sittings,  where 
Hodgson  manifested  and  at  great  length  discussed  their 
common  work  and  the  plans  that  were  cut  short  by  his 
death.  As  an  instance,  the  following  conversation  on 
April  25th^  may  serve ;  it  has  a  special  interest  because 
Professor  X Hyslop  knew  nothing  about  the  matter  which 
the  communicator  alluded  to  : 

"  R,  H.  Do  you  remember  a  man  we  heard  of  in — No,  in 
Washington,  and  what  I  said  about  trying  to  see  him  ? 

"  Prof.  H.     What  man  was  that  ? 

"  R.  H.     A  light. 

"  Prof.  H.     A  real  light  ?   " 

"  R.  H.  Yes,  I  heard  of  him  just  before  I  came  over. 
Perhaps  I  did  not  write  you  about  this." 

Dr.  Hodgson  had  not  written  about  any  such  discovery. 
But  in  June,  1906,  Professor  Hyslop  was  in  Washington, 
and  accidentally  met  a  gentleman  who  mentioned  that 
he  had  written  to  Dr.  Hodgson  a  short  time  before  his 
death  about  a  man  there  who  showed  signs  of  mediumistic 
powers. 

From  a  sitting  that  Professor  James  held  on  May  21st, 
1906,  may  be  chosen  the  following  small  episode  which 
at  the  time  impressed  the  sitter  much,  though  he  adds 
that  Mrs.  Piper  might  have  heard  the  anecdote : 

"  R.  H.  Do  you  remember — what  is  that  name,  Eliza- 
beth Putnam  ?  She  came  and  put  her  hands  over  my 
eyes  and  said '  who  is  it  ?  '  I  said  '  well  it  feels  like  El.  Putnam, 
but  it  sounds  like —  ' 

"  Prof.  J.     I  know  who  you  mean. 

"  R.  H.    Do  you  realize  how  difficult  it  is  ? 

"  Prof.  J.     Yet  you  were  just  at  the  point  of  saying  it. 

'  R.  H.     Dr.  —  not  Putnam  —  Dr.  Bowditch  ! 

"  Prof  /.     That  is  it. 

"  R.  H.    Sounds  like  Dr.  Bowditch." 

Dr.  Hodgson,  though,  had  of  course  said  the  reverse 
of  what  is  told  here,  namely  "  it  feels  like  Dr.  Bowditch," 
a  gentleman  who  weighed  nearly  20olbs.     Besides,  the 

1  Reported  in  Journal  Am.  S.P.R.,  Vol.  I.,  p.  106. 


THE  HODGSON-CONTROL  271 

little  girl's  name  was  not  Elizabeth,  but  Martha  Putnam  ; 
when  Professor  James  objected  that  the  first  name  was 
wrong,  Hodgson  attempted  "  Annie — Mary — Mamie," 
and  finished  by  saying  :  "  Well,  it  has  gone  from  me  at 
the  moment.  That  is  less  important  than  the  thing 
itself,"  a  remark  which  it  is  not  difficult  to  subscribe  to. 

In  a  series  of  sittings  by  Mr.  George  B.  Dorr,  Hodgson 
gave  a  detailed  and  in  every  respect  characteristic  de- 
scription of  his  visits  at  the  sitter's  place,  "  Oldfarm." 
Here  Mrs.  Piper's  possible  knowledge  of  Dr.  Hodgson's 
experiences  seemed  a  too  extravagant  assumption,  and 
the  reporter  can  as  alternative  to  the  spirit  theory  only 
suggest  that  of  reading  of  Mr.  Dorr's  mind. 

But  the  most  interesting  sittings  from  Professor 
James's  report  are  probably  those  by  Professor  Newbold. 
Here  Hodgson,  among  other  things,  reverts  to  his  favourite 
subject,  psychical  research,  and  his  former  discussions  on 
it  with  the  sitter.     For  instance,  on  July  7th,  1906  ; 

"  R.  H.  You  said  you  could  not  understand  why  so  many 
mistakes  were  made,  and  I  talked  you  blind,  trying  to  explain 

my  ideas  of  it You  laughed  about  the  ungrammatical 

expressions  and  said,  why  in  the  world  do  they  use  bad 
grammar  ? 

"  Prof.  N.     Yes  Dick,  I  said  that. 

"  R.  H.  I  went  into  a  long  explanation  and  attributed  it 
to  the  registering  of  the  machine.     You  were  rather  amused 

1   find   now   difficulties   such   as   a   blind   man   would 

experience  in  trying  to  find  his  hat.  And  I  am  not  wholly 
conscious   of   my   own   utterances  because   they  come   out 

automatically,  impressed  upon  the  machine I  impress  my 

thoughts  on  the  machine  which  registers  them  at  random 

I  understand  so  much  better  the  modus  operandi  than  I  did 
when  I  was  in  your  world." 

Later  in  the  same  sitting  Hodgson  reminded  Professor 
Newbold  of  some  experiences  which  the  latter,  however, 
did  not  recollect.  Which  of  them  was  right  can  hardly 
be  decided.  The  characteristic  point  is  that  Hodgson, 
in  spite  of  all  denials  on  the  part  of  the  other,  clung  to  his 
opinion.     At  last  he  said  : 

"  I  find  my  memory  no  worse  than  yours  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  I  have  passed  through  the  transition  stage — state. 


272      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

You  would  be  a  pretty  poor  philosopher  if  you  were  to  forget 
your  subject  as  you  seem  to  forget  some  of  those  little  memories 
which  I  recall,  Billy  !  " 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  deportment  of  this  com- 
municator is  somewhat  more  superior  when  the  sitter 
will  not  bow  to  his  opinion  than  that  of  poor  Phinuit 
when  he  was  unable  to  satisfy  the  inquirers.  In  a  cor- 
responding tone  of  language  he  spoke  later,  after  Mrs, 
Piper's  sojurn  in  England,  about  the  English  investi- 
gators, Sir  Oliver  Lodge  and  Mr.  Piddington.  A  friend 
of  Dr,  Hodgson's,  Miss  Bergman,  had  a  sitting  on 
January  ist,  1908,  at  which,  among  other  things,  she 
asked  Hodgson  whether  he  knew  that  she  had  been  at  his 
lodgings.  It  was  after  the  death  of  Dr.  Hodgson  that 
she  had  been  there,  but  the  communicator  naturally 
believed  that  she  referred  to  a  visit  during  his  life-time. 
So  he  asked  whether  they  had  had  tea  together  or  whether 
she  had  visited  him  to  read  something  ?  When  he  at 
last  was  informed  of  the  real  facts,  he  exclaimed :  "  Capital, 
that  is  good.  Lodge  and  Piddington  consider  it  good 
when  I  don't  remember  what  did  not  happen  !  "  The 
irony  of  this  is  not  bad. 

That  Hodgson,  like  Bennie  and  other  communicators, 
is  represented  with  the  faculty  of  peering  down  to  the 
living  appears,  for  instance,  from  a  passage  from  the 
conversation  with  Professor  Newbold : 

"  R.  H.  I  heard  you  and  William  discussing  me,  and  I 
stood  not  one  inch  behind  you, 

"  Prof.  N.     William  who  ? 

"  R.  H.  James,  He  said  he  was  baffled  but  he  felt  it  was 
I  talking  —  at  one  moment  —  then  at  another  he  did 
not  know  what  to  think.  He  said  I  was  very  secretive  and 
careful, 

"  Prof.  N.     I  don't  remember  his  saying  so." 

Professor  James  writes,  "  I  remember  it,"  and  states 
that  the  above  is  a  perfectly  true  description  of  his  con- 
versation with  Professor  Newbold  after  his  sitting  with 
Mrs.  Piper  on  June  27th,  1906. 


THE   HODGSON-CONTROL  273 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  quote  more  from  the  com- 
munications from  Hodgson  to  obtain  an  impression  of 
Mrs.  Piper's  reproduction  of  him.  There  were  things 
that  disappointed  the  experimenters ;  the  communicator 
did  not  try  to  give  them  the  key  of  a  cypher  employed  by 
Dr.  Hodgson,  and  he  did  not  seem  to  recognize  some 
English  friends  who  were  introduced  at  sittings  while 
Mrs.  Piper  was  in  London.  But  these  and  similar  defi- 
ciencies can  hardly  alter  the  value  of  the  positive  results 
that  were  obtained.  The  latter  are  in  his  case,  as  in  that 
of  the  other  communicators,  a  phenomenon  which, 
explicable  or  inexplicable,  does  not  cease  to  exist  because 
other  things  call  for  criticism.  Hence,  I  have  in  the 
preceding  review  dwelt  especially  on  the  positive  matter. 
Only  if  it  be  possible  to  make  the  whole  fall  into  unity  by 
elucidating  the  good  results  through  the  bad  ones,  it 
becomes  a  necessity  to  omit  nothing.  Such  was  the  case 
with  regard  to  the  automatic  writings  of  Mrs.  Verrall 
and  Mrs.  Holland,  which  when  they  were  looked  at  as  a 
whole  proved  to  be  wholly  due  to  the  automatists  them- 
selves, or  to  their  supernormal  impressions  about  living 
people.  A  similar  unity  of  conception  is  unattainable  in 
the  Piper  case.  In  whatever  way  the  deficiencies  and 
the  improbabilities  of  the  communications  be  conceived, 
there  will  always  remain  large  quantities  which  cannot 
be  explained  away  by  referring  to  them.  To  present  an 
idea  of  the  nature  of  those  quantities  has  been  the  object 
of  the  preceding  extracts. 


CD. 


SECTION   VI 

Mrs.  Piper's  Mediumism.     III.  Experiments 

CHAPTER  XVII 

cross-correspondences 

In  the  autumn  of  1906  Mrs.  Piper,  by  arrangement 
with  the  Society  for  Psychical  Research,  for  the  second 
time  set  out  for  England.  In  November  and  in  the 
beginning  of  December  a  series  of  sittings  were  held  at 
the  house  of  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  at  Edgbaston,  near 
Birmingham,  under  his  own  direction.  Afterwards  the 
medium  came  to  London,  where  the  experiments  were 
directed  by  Mr.  Piddington  during  three  months,  and 
afterwards  by  Mrs.  Sidgwick  until  May  8th,  1907.  A 
few  sittings  by  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  ended  the  medium's 
sojourn  in  England. 

The  sittings  which  will  be  mentioned  below  were 
devoted  to  experiments,  and  are  for  the  greater  part 
reported  by  Mr.  Piddington  in  his  paper,  "  A  Series  of 
Concordant  Automatisms."^  They  are,  apart  from  the 
results  of  the  experiments,  of  a  special  interest  because  a 
principal  part  in  them  was  played  by  Myers,  who  had 
otherwise  very  seldom  manifested  through  Mrs.  Piper. 
According  to  Hodgson's  statements  in  January,  1906,  it 
seems  to  have  been  the  difficulties  of  communication  that 
kept  him  back.  It  has,  at  any  rate,  a  dramatic  fitness 
that  it  was  the  death  of  Dr.  Hodgson  which  apparently 
caused  a  change,  so  that  he  was  henceforth  eager  enough 
to  assist  in  the  work.  Hodgson's  own  anxiety  to  secure 
his  co-operation  appears  from  the  following  utterance  to 

1  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXII.,  pp.  19 — 416. 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  275 

Sir  Oliver  Lodge  at  the  latter's  last  sitting  before  Mrs. 
Piper  went  up  to  London  ^ : 

"  Myers  has  had  very  Httle  opportunity  or  encouragement 

to  prove  his  identity it  should  be  given  him  in  any  case, 

as  he  is  intelligent,  clear,  and  understands  the  necessity  of  so 
doing." 

Sir  Oliver  Lodge  had  been  much  taken  up  with  other 
communicators,  especially  his  late  friend  and  neighbour, 
Isaac  Thompson,  whose  family  was  anxious  to  communi- 
cate with  him.  He  himself  admits  that  he  had  neglected 
Myers.  Any  great  respect  for  the  alleged  discarnate  the 
experimenters  cannot  be  said  to  display.  At  a  later 
sitting  Mr.  Piddington  interrupted  Myers  in  an  important 
matter  to  inform  him  that  a  sitter— who  had  nothing  to 
do  with  their  experiment — had  arrived.  "  Do  I  under- 
stand that  I  am  to  go  ?  "  Myers  asked,  with  evident  sur- 
prise, though  with  his  usual  gentleness.  In  a  very 
different  tone  had  George  Pelham  on  a  similar  occasion 
exclaimed  :  "  Sorry  to  be  put  out  in  that  way,  Vance, 
but  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  swallow  it."  The  informal 
way  in  which  the  communicators  were  treated  affords 
us  at  any  rate  an  opportunity  to  admire  the  manner  in 
which  their  reaction  by  the  treatment  is  characterized. 

In  London,  however,  Myers  got  plenty  to  do  ;  the 
experimenters  here  were,  if  anything,  prone  to  overwork 
him.  The  main  object  they  had  proposed  to  themselves 
was  to  obtain  cross-correspondences,  or  mutually  corre- 
sponding things,  through  the  different  psychics.  They 
were,  as  we  know,  inclined  to  believe  that  Frederic  Myers 
had  for  a  long  time  produced  such  correspondences  in  the 
automatic  writings  of  Mrs.  Verrall  and  Mrs.  Holland. 
They  intended  now  to  make  the  Piper-Myers  undertake 
definite  tasks  in  the  same  direction,  and  then  to  watch 
the  eventual  results  in  the  different  scripts. 

Both  Myers  and  Hodgson  were  very  willing  to  try  such 
experiments.     But    nothing   indicates    that    Myers    had 

1  "  Report  on  Some  Trance  Communications,"  by  Sir  Oliver  Lodge, 
Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXIII..  pp.  246  seq. 

T  2 


276      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

tried  them  before.  On  a  certain  occasion,  on  the  contrary, 
he  expressed  some  distrust  with  respect  to  their  evidential 
value.  Mr.  Piddington  had  spoken  of  the  importance 
the  investigators  attached  to  them.  Myers  could  not 
understand  why  they  did  so;  for,  said  he,  "if  you  estab- 
lish telepathic  messages,  you  wUl  doubtless  attribute  all 
such  [i.e.,  cross-correspondences]  to  thoughts  from  those 
living  in  the  mortal  body."  Mr.  Piddington,  however, 
had  a  special  reason  for  praising  the  cross-correspon- 
dences ;  he  had  in  a  "  message,"  composed  in  Latin, 
asked  Myers  to  produce  a  kind  of  complementary  corre- 
spondence, and  intended  by  his  utterances  in  favour  of 
the  simple  ones  to  protect  t-he  contents  of  this  message 
which  Myers  had  not  yet  shown  symptoms  of  under- 
standing. Myers  seems  to  have  accepted  his  opinion  ; 
at  any  rate,  he  displayed  immediately  afterwards  an 
increased  eagerness  to  produce  cross-correspondences. 
"  Myers  is  specially  interested  in  taking  messages,"  said 
Rector  a  few  days  after  his  above  conversation  with 
Mr.  Piddington.  But  his  very  rational  remark  during 
that  conversation  proves  both  that  the  cross-correspon- 
dences were  no  invention  of  his,  and  that  he  had  no 
notion  of  the  complementary  ones.  Rightly  it  has  been 
argued  that  the  Myers  who  spoke  in  such  a  way  could 
not  be  identical  with  the  personality  that  had  inspired 
Mrs.  Verrall's  and  Mrs.  Holland's  writings  during  the 
preceding  years. 

This,  however,  cannot  influence  our  conception  of  the 
Piper-Myers,  as  we  found  no  cause  to  assume  that  the 
so-called  cross-correspondences  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  and  Mrs. 
Holland's  scripts  were  other  than  impressions  which  one 
of  them  obtained  about  the  other.  Apart  from  Dr.  Hodg- 
son's attempt  with  the  "pass- word"  stahdelta  which,  at 
any  rate,  left  traces  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  script,  the  pheno- 
menon in  fact  did  not  begin  until  Mrs.  Piper's  sojourn  in 
England  in  1906 — 7.  It  is  on  the  performances  from 
that  time  that  the  judgment  of  its  signification  must  be 
based. 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  277 

The  first  attempt  at  these  experiments  was  made 
at  one  of  Sir  Oliver  Lodge's  earliest  sittings,  on 
November  15th,  1906.^  Mr.  Piddington  had,  as  said 
before,  been  in  Boston  in  the  spring  of  that  year  in  con- 
sequence of  Dr.  Hodgson's  death.  He  had  then  had 
sittings  with  Mrs.  Piper,  and  among  other  things  to  the 
Hodgson-control  mentioned  Mrs.  Holland,  about  whom 
Dr.  Hodgson,  living,  never  knew  anything.  Thus  it  is 
natural  that  Hodgson  immediately  thought  of  this  lady 
as  the  recipient  of  a  cross-correspondence,  while  Myers 
chose  Mrs.  Verrall. 

I  quote  the  dialogue  with  only  a  few  omissions.  After 
an  introduction  by  Rector  first  Myers  and  afterwards 
Hodgson  appeared : 

"  M.     Well  well  Lodge.     I  am  Myers. 

"  Sir  0.     Glad  to  see  you 

"  M.     I  wish  you  to  remind  me  of  something. 

"  Sir  0.  What  we  are  anxious  to  get  is  correspondence 
messages  between  this  medium  and  others. 

"  M.     Good.     I  understand. 

"  Sir  0.     Well,  will  you  now  give  one  to  some  one. 

"  M.     Very  well,  give  me  a  message. 

"  Sir  0.  Suppose  you  say  '  Julius  Caesar.'  Can  you  send 
that? 

"  M.     Yes spell  it  [Sir  Oliver  spells.] I  will  give 

it  her  within  five  minutes. 

"  Rector.     He  has  gone. 


"  M.     Here  I  am  I  have  given  your  message  to  Mrs.  Verrall, 
and  she  will  record  it  in  black  and  white  within  a  few  hours. 


"  R.  H.  Hello  Lodge.  I  am  not  dead  as  some  might 
suppose.     I  am  very  much  alive.     Speak  to  me. 

"  Sir  0.  Are  you  interested  in  the  cross-correspondences  ? 
Could  you  send  something  to  other  communicators  [i.e., 
automatists]  ? 

"  R.  H.     I  am  very,  and  think  it  the  very  best  thing. 

"  Sir  0.     Could  you  send  one  now  to  one  of  the  mediums  ? 

"  R.  H.     I  will  go  to  Mrs.  Holland. 

"  Sir  0.     What  will  you  send  ? 

"  R.  H.     St.  Paul I  will  give  it  to  her  at  once." 

Afterwards  he  said  :  "  Give  my  love  to  Piddington  and 

1  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXIII.,  p.  227  seq. 


278      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

tell  him  I  shall  try  cross  messages."     On  the  morrow  he 
announced  that  "  St.  Paul  "  had  been  given. 

Such  was  the  commencement ;  the  result  was  not  very 
satisfactory.  "  Julius  Csesar "  did  not  appear  in  any 
automatic  script.  As  to  "  St.  Paul,"  Mrs.  Holland 
wrote  : 

December  '^ist,  1906. 

"II  Peter^I  15  [Moreover  I  wUl  endeavour  that  ye  may  be 
able  after  my  decease  to  have  these  things  always  in 
remembrance]." 

This  was  followed  by  quotations  from  St.  John  and 
St.  James,  without  references,  and  finally  the  words  : 
"  This  is  a  faithful  saying,"  a^phrase  which  occurs  several 
times  in  St.  Paul's  epistles. 

Miss  Helen  Verrall  wrote  : 

January  12th,  1907. 

"  The  name  is  not  right  robbing  Peter  to  pay — Paul  ?  " 

February  26th,  1907. 
"  You  have  not  understood  about  Paul  ask  Lodge." 

If  all  this  be  due  to  anything  but  chance,  it  seems  to 
mean  that  Mrs.  Holland  had  written  Peter  instead  of 
Paul,  and  that  an  attempt  to  correct  the  mistake  was 
given  through  Miss  Verrall's  script. 

The  fate  of  these  first  two  cross-correspondences  was 
shared  by  many  in  the  following  period.  The  Julius 
CcEsar  experiment  is  an  instance  of  the  numerous  cases 
where  a  cross-correspondence  was  agreed  upon,  nay  in 
the  opinion  of  the  communicators  accomplished,  but 
where  no  result  appeared  in  the  automatic  writings. 
St.  Paul  is  a  case  where  it  is  impossible  to  feel  sure  that 
the  productions  are  really  connected  with  the  announced 
message.  The  difficulty  of  decision  is  in  this  and  similar 
cases  increased  through  the  long  space  of  time  that  may 
elapse  between  the  announcement  and  the  production  of 
the  cross-correspondence.  That  a  certain  time  must  pass 
before  a  delivered  message  could  be  written  down,  the 
communicators  no  doubt  seemed  to  expect.     For  instance, 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  279 

Myers  said  above  that  he  had  given  "  Julius  Caesar  "  to 
Mrs.  Verrall,  and  that  she  would  record  it  within  a  few 
hours.  This,  however,  was  his  first  sanguine  conception 
of  the  matter.  On  the  next  day  he  added  :  "  I  have  not 
succeeded  in  getting  it  through  to  Mrs.  Verrall,  but  I  will 
persist."  On  a  later  occasion,  on  June  2nd,  1907,  he 
said,  also  to  Sir  Oliver  Lodge,  about  some  cross-corre- 
spondences :  "  These  I  propose  to  work  on  until  they 
appear  through  Mrs.  V."  It  is  a  mode  of  expression 
that  recalls  Dr.  Verrall's  experiment,  where  it  had 
certainly  been  necessary  to  work  assiduously  before  any- 
thing akin  to  a  result  appeared  in  the  script  of  his  wife. 
The  faculty  of  the  communicators  to  impress  the  auto- 
matists  does  not  seem  to  differ  much  from  that  of  the 
living. 

Besides  the  unsuccessful  and  the  doubtful  cross-corre- 
spondences there  are,  however,  a  number  of  cases  which 
may  be  characterized  as  successful,  great  enough  to  make 
it  impossible  to  ascribe  the  whole  phenomenon  to  chance. 
From  these  I  propose  to  reproduce  the  clearest  and  most 
instructive.  The  extracts  will  be  made  as  short  as  possible, 
but  accessories  of  special  interest  must  sometimes  be 
cited  at  length.  The  cases  are  given  in  the  chronological 
order  of  the  first  appearance  of  the  cross-word  at  the 
Piper-sittings. 

Laurel  Wreath. 

On  January  2nd,  1907,  Myers  said  through  Mrs.  Piper  : 

"  I  said  wreath  to  Mrs.  Verrall.     Wreaths." 

Rector  added  that  he  felt  that  the  word  wreath  had 
been  received  by  Mrs.  Verrall.  On  January  21st  this 
lady  was  herself  present  at  the  sitting  with  Mrs.  Piper, 
and  Rector  asked  her  :  "  Did  you  understand  about  the 
wreath  ?  "  She  answered  in  the  negative,  and  Rector 
perceived  his  indiscretion  and  said  two  days  later  to 
Mr.  Piddington  :  "  We  are  rather  sorry  we  mentioned 
wreath  before  her,  but  we  did  so  inadvertently." 


28o      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

On  February  6th  Mrs.  Verrall  wrote  automatically  as 
follows  : 

"  Laura 


"  Apollo's  laurel  bough 

"  Laureatus  a  laurel  wreath 

"  perhaps  no  more  than  that  [drawing  of  laurel  wreath] 

"  Corona  laureata  has  some  meaning  here 

"  with  laureate  wreath  his  brow  serene  was  crowned— 


On  Febriiary  27th  Myers  said  through  Mrs.  Piper  : 

"  I  gave  Mrs.  Verrall  Laurel  wreath." 

On  March  4th  he  added  : 

"  When  I  gave  Mrs.  V.  the  message  about  Laurel  wreath  I 
purposely  said  Laurel  so  as  to  make  the  message  clear.  After 
having  mentioned  wreath  here,  i  thought  it  wiser  to  add  more 
to  it." 

A  script  by  Miss  Helen  Verrall  of  March  17th  is  possibly 

a  reflex  from  that  of  her  mother  which  she  had  not  seen  : 

"  .    .     laurel  leaves  are  emblem  laurel  for  the  victor's  brow." 

Arrow. 
On  February  12th,  1907,  the  following  occurred  at  the 
Piper  sitting  : 
"  R.  H.     Arrow 


HODGSON 
"  Mr.  P.     Will  you  explain  that  ? 
"  R.  H.     I  said  to  Mrs.  V " 

On  February  i8th  Rector  said  :  "  Hodgson  says  do  not 
forget  arrow.     Watch  for  it  if  it  comes  out." 

Mrs.  Verrall's  script  of  February  nth  had  contained 
the  following  : 


tria  convergentia  in  unum  [three  converging  to  one]. 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  281 

Perhaps  the  arrows  are  a  first  outcome  of  Hodgson's 
attempt,  but  their  number  and  position  as  well  as  the 
Latin  phrase  are  probably  a  result  of  Mrs.  Verrall's 
thoughts  being  in  this  period  occupied  by  another  experi- 
ment, aiming  at  the  co-operation  of  three  mediums.^ 
But,  at  any  rate,  the  follo\\dng  script,  of  February  i8th, 
seems  connected  with  Hodgson's  exertions  : 

"  Do  ew.     No  nor  any  other 
"  Can't  you  take  the  message  ? 


"  [drawing]  it  seems  to  be  carvings  in  stone 

"  Church  architecture  or  some  such  thing 

"  Architectonic  Architrave 

"  [drawing]  a  pointed  arch 

"  I  can't  get  rid  of  the  idea  A  R  C  H  it  obsesses  me 

"  There  has  been  great  confusion  here  and  I  do  not  think 
anything  has  been  accurately  said 

"  accurate  dicta  adcuranda  sunt  [things  said  accurately 
should  be  attended  to] 

"  But  the  white  arch  should  give  a  clue." 

On  February  19th  the  following  conversation  was  held 
at  the  Piper-sitting  between  Mr.  Piddington  and  Hodgson : 

"  Mr.  P.  You  said  you  were  going  to  give  arrow  to  Mrs, 
Verrall. 

"  R.  H.  I  did  certainly  say  so  and  I  have  been  there  three 
days  trying  to  impress  it  upon  her,  hard.  She  did  get  ar  I 
think  and  stopped  there  ;  after  that  I  saw  w  written  I  know. 

"  Mr.  P.  It  did  seem  to  me  that  she  was  getting  near  the 
idea  of  arrow.     Do  you  know  what  she  did  get  ? 

"  R.  H.  Not  exactly,  but  Piercing,  swift  and  Piercing 
came  into  my  own  mind  while  impressing  her,  and  I  tried  in 
several  ways  to  make  her  understand  my  real  meaning.  She 
is  the  very  best  subject  we  have  to  work  with  and  I  believe 
she  can  become  much  more  important  to  us." 

The  conversation  was  continued  on  the  morrow  in  this 
manner : 

"  R.  H.     I  should  like  to  know  if  Mrs.  V understood 

my  message  ? 

"  Mr.  P.  I  find  she  did  write  '  ar.'  I  can't  say  anything 
about  the  '  w  '  ;  it  isn't  certain. 

"  R.  H.  I  am  not  absolutely  sure  myself  about  this,  but 
she  wrote  what  appeared  an  M  or  a  W. 

See  below,  p.  315. 


282      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

''  Mr.  P.     Is  the  first  letter  an  M  ? 

"  R.  H.  Yes  but  my  point  was  to  bring  out  the  W.  I 
beheve  she  made  it  distinct  enough  to  be  recognized  as  a  W. 

"  My.  P.     I  am  going  to  ask  you  a  question,  Hodgson. 

When  Mrs,  Verrall  got  the  letters  '  ar  '  she  wrote  several  words 
beginning  with  the  letters  ar. 

"  R.  H.  That  makes  no  special  difference  to  me.  My 
special  word  to  her  was  arrow  A  R. 

"  Mr.  P.  I  quite  understand,  but  what  I  want  to  know  is 
this  :  In  yoyr  attempt  to  impress  '  arrow  '  did  you  try  to 
get  at  it  by  impressing  the  actual  words  which  she  wrote 
beginning  with  ar ;  or  are  these  words  the  result  of  Mrs. 
Verrall's  own  mind  ? 

"  R.  H.  That  is  what  it  is.  The  actual  word  or  point  was 
to  make  her  write  arrow. 

"  Mr.    P.     I'll   tell   you   the   words   in    '  ar '    which 

Mrs.  Verrall  wrote.  They  were  '  arch,'  '  architecture,' 
'  architrave  '  and  '  pointed  arch.' 

"  R.  H.     Pointed  was  my  own  word  to  suggest  arrow 

Well  suppose  I  go  to  her  again  as  soon  as'  I  finish  here  and  give 
her  the  suggestion  again." 

On  February  25th  the  subject  was  once  more  discussed 
at  the  Piper-sitting : 

"  R.  H.     Got  arrow  yet  ? 

"  Mr.  P.  Well,  Hodgson,  I  don't  think  the  word  '  arrow  ' 
has  been  written,  but  it  has  certainly  been  drawn. 

"  R.  H.  Amen.  I  spent  hours  of  earthly  time  trying  to 
make  her  understand." 

The  drawing  which  Mr.  Piddington  alluded  to  was 
that  of  the  three  arrows  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  script  of 
February  nth.  On  March  i8th,  however,  her  script 
contained  four  drawings,  of  which  the  last  three  repre- 
sent a  bow  and  arrow,  an  arrow,  and  a  target.  They 
seem  to  have  no  connection  with  the  rest  of  the  script, 
and  may  then,  perhaps,  be  considered  a  late  result  of 
Hodgson's  renewed  exertions.  Mrs.  Verrall  knew  nothing 
about  his  utterances  respecting  "  arrow  "  in  the  Piper- 
trance, 

Miss  Verrall's  script  of  February  17th  had  contained 
the  following  : 


many  together. 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  283 

As  she,  like  her  mother,  on  February  nth,  speaks  of 
many  arrows,  the  script  in  all  probabihty  is  a  reflex  of 
that  of  Mrs.  Verrall. 

Violets. 

On  March  nth,  1907,  at  one  o'clock,  Mrs.  Piper  said 
in  the  waking  stage  : 

"  Violets.     Dr.  Hodgson  [said]  violets." 

According  to  the  experience  of  Mr.  Piddington  such  an 
utterance  alludes  to  a  cross-correspondence.  On  the 
same  day  at  eleven  a.m.  Mrs.  Verrall  had  automatically 
written  as  follows  : 

"  With  violet  buds  their  heads  were  crowned 
"  violaceae  odores  [scents  of  violet] 
"  Violet  and  olive  leaf  purple  and  hoary 
"  The  city  of  the  violet " 

Diana. 

After  Mrs.  Sidgwick  had  undertaken  the  charge  of  the 
Piper-sittings,  the  following  conversation  took  place  on 
March  19th,  1907  : 

"  Rector.  Mr.  Hodgson wishes  to  ask  if  you  under- 
stand that  Mrs.  V —  has  written  Dianna. 

"  R.  H.  Good  morning  Mrs.  Sidgwick  I  said  DIANNA 
I  tried  to  impress  it  on  her  mind. 

"  Mrs.  S.     Yes,  I  will  inquire. 

"  R.  H.  ...  Why  don't  you  get  her  to  send  you  what 
she  does  get  each  day  so  you  can  compare  it  with  what  I  tell 
you  here  ?    Would  not  that  be  wise  ? 

"  Mrs.  S.  She  sends  it  every  day  to  Mr.  Piddington,  and  I 
tell  Mr.  Piddington  what  you  say. 

"  R.  H.     Oh  yes,  very  good." 

On  April  4th  it  was  Myers  who  spoke  to  Mrs.  Sidgwick 
about  the  cross-correspondence  : 

"  M.  I  should  be  glad  if  you  could  tell  me  if  she  wrote 
about  Diana. 

"  Mrs.  S.  I  will  inquire.  I  think  she  wrote  something  like 
it,  but  not  quite  Diana. 

"  M.     It  was  that  that  I  was  impressing  upon  her  mind." 

Mrs.  Sidgwick  had  in  mind  a  script  of  Mrs.  Verrall's  of 
March   13th  which  spoke  about  Bacchic  revellers  and 


284      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

"  Diva  the  goddess,"  and,  probably  as  an  attempt  at  the 
latter,  contained  the  meaningless  "  Dina."  But  Mrs. 
Verrall  had  in  fact  produced  a  script  about  Diana  already 
on  February  27th  where  she,  utilizing  reminiscences 
from  Horace,  wrote  among  other  things  : 

"  Nemorum  custos  [guardian  of  the  woods] 


"  Montium  custos  [guardian  of  the  mountains] 
"  Dianam  tenerae   dicite   virgines    [sing   Diana   youthful 
maids] 

"  I  cannot  get  the  meaning  clear.     I  will  try  again." 

Besides,  she  had  on  January  ist  written  the  name 
Diana,  but  in  a  connection  which  made  it  evident  that 
it  was  the  Christian  name  of  Mrs.  Forbes  that  was  meant. 
On  April  29th  Mrs.  Verrall  had  herself  a  sitting  with  Mrs. 
Piper,  where  she  referred  both  to  the  latter  script  and  to 
that  of  February  27th,  but  not  to  that  about  "  Diva," 
which  Mrs.  Sidgwick  had  mentioned.  Mrs.  Sidgwick  was 
not  present  on  this  occasion  : 

"  M.     I  referred to  the  word  Dianna I  thought 

you  wrote  it.     Look  that  up  also. 

"  Mrs.  V.     I've  written  the  word  Diana,  I  am  quite  sure. 

"  M.    Recently  ? 

"  Mrs.  V.     Some  time  ago. 

"  M.     Yes,  I  told  her  [Mrs.  Sidgwick]  so,  but  she  said  no. 

"  Mrs.  V.  Then  she  was  wrong  ;  twice  I  had  a  reference  to 
her — once  a  longish  time  ago  to  her  name  and  another  time  to 
a  Latin  poem  of  Diana. 

"  M.  Yes  I  was  sure  you  had  understood  me  and  that  you 
had  registered  it.  We  must  try  to  do  better  and  she  must  be 
sure  of  what  you  do  write.  It  is  so  much  easier  for  me  when 
I  say  I  know  that  you  did  get  a  word  for  her  to  understand. 
Otherwise  I  keep  on  trying  at  the  same  word  again.  Therefore 
you  must  make  it  clear  to  her  and  vice  versa." 

It  is  curious  to  see  the  communicator  instruct  the 
experimenters  as  to  the  best  manner  of  proceeding. 
Rector,  too,  had  endeavoured  to  teach  Mrs.  Sidgwick.  At 
the  sitting  on  April  4th  he  said  to  her  : 

"  Will  you  note  friend  our  messages  to  and  about  Mrs.  V. 
and  reply  to  us  when  we  think  we  have  succeeded  in  getting 

messages  through  ? We  do  not  wish  to  make  the  same 

things  when  once  they  have  been  received." 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  285 

The  trance-personalities  do  not  seem  quite  unjustified 
in  their  criticism.  If  the  unpractical  proceedings  were 
due  to  the  desire  of  excluding  the  explanation  "  telepathy 
from  the  sitters,"  they,  at  any  rate,  were  not  carried 
through.  Mrs.  Sidgwick  knew  Mrs.  Verrall's  script 
about  "  Diva,"  and  Mr.  Piddington  had,  as  the  experi- 
menter in  charge,  constantly  made  himself  acquainted 
with  the  productions. 

Euripides.    Spirit  and  Angel. 

On  April  8th,  1907,  Myers  said  to  Mrs.  Sidgwick 
through  Mrs.  Piper  : 

"  Do  you  remember  Euripides  ? Do  you  remember 

Spirit  and  Angel  ?    I  gave  both Nearly  all  the  words  I 

have  written  to-day  are  with  reference  to  messages  I  am  trying 
to  give  through  Mrs.  V." 

Mrs.  Verrall  had  on  March  7th  produced  a  long  script, 
containing  among  other  things  the  words  "  Hercules 
Furens  "  and  "  Euripides."     On  March  25th  she  wrote  : 

"  The  Hercules  play  comes  in  there  and  the  clue  is  in  the 
Euripides  play,  if  you  could  only  see  it " 

Furthermore,  she  wrote  on  the  same  day  a  piece 
wherein  words  like  shadow  were  constantly  repeated  : 

"  Let  Piddington  know  when  you  get  a  message  about 
shadow. 


"  The  shadow  of  a  shade.  That  is  better  umbrarum 
umbras  [shadows  of  shadows]  o-kiS?  ItSwXov  [shadow  of  a  shade] 
was  what  I  wanted  to  get  written." 

The  word  "  Spirit,"  however,  did  not  appear.  On 
April  3rd  she  obviously  strove  for  a  definite  goal,  but 
without  obtaining  the  word  "  Angel": 

"  Flaming  swords wings  or  feathered  wings  come  in 

somewhere Try  pinions  of  desire  The  wings  of  Icarus 

Lost  Paradise  regained his  flame  clad  messengers 

{drawing  of  angel  with  witigs] 
that  is  better  F  W  H  M  has  sent  the  message  through — at 
last !  " 


286      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

On  April  i6th  Mrs.  Holland  produced  a  piece  that 
seems  to  reflect  Mrs.  Verrall's  Euripides  script,  what  is 
moreover  indicated  by  the  mention  of  her  name  Margaret  : 
"  Lucus  Margaret  To  fly  to  find  Euripides  Philemon." 
The  names  Lucus  and  Philemon  come  from  Browning's 
version  of  Euripides'  Hercules  Furens.  On  inquiry 
Mrs.  Holland  answered  that  she  had  not  read  this  play  ; 
but  she  ov^ned  the  book,  and  Mr.  Piddington  points  out 
that  she  may  easily  have  seen  the  names  by  turning  over 
the  leaves. 

Mrs.  Holland's  script  on  March  27th,  which  was 
written  on  the  day  of  the  week  chosen  for  experimenting 
with  Mrs.  Verrall,  is  perhap§  in  a  similar  way  related  to 
the  script  about  Shadow  : 

tenebrae  [darkness] obscura  [dark] Sorrow 


and  love  —  as  inevitably  as  Light  and  Shadow  —  Shadow 
and  light " 

Shadow,  at  any  rate,  does  not  here  mean  Spirit  but, 
like  fenebrae,  darkness,  and  so  cannot  have  anything  to  do 
with  the  Piper  cross-correspondence. 

What  must  above  all  strike  the  student  on  contemplat- 
ing these  cross-correspondences,  and  provisionally  grant- 
ing that  they  are  what  they  pretend  to  be,  viz.,  attempts 
on  the  part  of  the  Piper-personalities  to  produce  certain 
words  in  the  script  of  Mrs.  Verrall,  is  the  extreme  difficulty 
which  the  task  presents.  As  pointed  out  before,  it  is  a 
difficulty  comparable  with  that  which  Dr.  Verrall  ex- 
perienced when  he  tried  to  impress  his  Greek  phrase. 
That  the  success  of  the  trance-personalities  is  greater 
than  Dr.  Verrall's  can  at  any  rate  only  be  said  of  a 
number  which  is  small  in  comparison  with  that  of  the 
attempts  ;  many  more  "  messages  "  were  planned  with 
apparently  no  result  at  all.  Besides,  the  tasks  which 
they  proposed  to  themselves  were  far  easier  than  Dr. 
Verrall's.  They  were  aiming  at  simple  words  like 
"  Diana  "  or  "  Arrow,"  and  generally  at  one  word  at  a 
time;     even   Laurel   wreath    was    only    chosen    because 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  287 

"  wreath  "  alone  had  been  spoiled  by  Rector's  thoughtless 
mention  of  it  to  Mrs.  Verrall.  In  return,  it  was  the 
identical  word  they  wanted  to  produce,  not  a  similar  one. 
Hodgson's  remarks  on  the  attempts  at  Arrow  are  in  this 
respect  very  instructive.  "  That  makes  no  special 
difference  to  me.  My  special  word  to  her  was  arrow," 
he  said  to  Mr.  Piddington  when  the  latter  alluded  to  the 
other  words  which  Mrs.  Verrall  had  written.  There  was 
no  question  here  of  anything  but  "  hitting  the  bull." 

This,  however,  was  not  always  achieved  even  in  the 
cases  where  a  correspondence  is  undeniable.  In  the  case 
of  "  Spirit  "  the  word  was  not  obtained,  in  those  of 
"  Angel  "  and  "  Arrow  "  it  was  only  the  drawings  that 
really  expressed  the  idea.  And  almost  always  the  word 
in  question  was  wrapped  up  in  the  automatist's  own 
productions  in  the  same  manner  as  Dr.  Verrall's  Greek 
words  had  been.  It  is  interesting  to  see  how  a  foreign 
impulse  appears  to  struggle  with  the  matter  in  the  writer's 
own  mind,  and  how  now  one  and  now  the  other  part 
predominates.  "  I  can't  get  rid  of  the  idea  arch,  it 
obsesses  me,"  Mrs.  Verrall  writes  during  her  exertions  to 
produce  arrow.  Often  it  is  possible  to  trace  the  auto- 
matist's subconscious  thoughts,  which  form  a  chain  of 
more  or  less  evident  associations  of  ideas,  and  to  see  how 
the  foreign  element  intrudes  between  them.  The  latter 
is  not  linked  to  the  contents  of  the  writer's  mind  by  any 
association,  but  may  of  course  become  the  starting-point 
for  new  ideas.  At  times  it  is  as  if  the  automatist  had  a 
feeling  of  having  reached  her  goal.  "  Perhaps  no  more 
than  that,"  Mrs.  Verrall  writes  after  having  put  down  the 
words  Laurel  wreath;  and  after  the  angel  has  been  drawn, 
the  script  exclaims  triumphantly  :  "  F  W  H  M  has  sent 
the  message  through — at  last  !  " 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  clear  from  what  has  just  been 
said  that  most  of  the  automatic  script  is  at  any  rate  due 
to  the  writers  themselves.  To  this  obviously  belong  the 
divers  remarks  about  "  the  clue  "  ("  the  clue  is  in  the 
Euripides  play,"  "  the  white  arch  should  give  a  clue  "), 


288      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

which  we  know  from  Mrs.  Verrall's  earlier  productions ; 
and  the  conversations  which  she  frequently  holds  with 
herself :  "I  cannot  get  the  meaning  clear";  "Can't  you 
take  the  message  "  ;  "  There  has  been  great  confusion 
here  and  I  do  not  think  anything  has  been  accurately 
said."  All  this  confirms  with  regard  to  the  greater 
portion  of  the  script  that  conception  of  its  character 
which  we  ^  had  previously  attained  to.  The  question 
that  remains  is,  whether  we  ought  to  add  the  contention 
that  the  isolated  words  which  constitute  the  cross- 
correspondences  originate  from  an  external  source  that 
may  in  a  degree  be  compared  to  Dr.  Verrall  in  his  oft- 
mentioned  experiment. 

Before  entering  into  the  discussion  of  this  problem 
there  are,  however,  a  few  more  cross-correspondences  to 
take  into  account.  The  experiments  were  continued 
after  Mrs.  Piper's  return  to  Boston  by  Mr.  George  B.  Dorr, 
who,  in  March — May,  1908,  held  a  large  number  of  sittings 
with  her/  and  devoted  a  portion  of  them  to  cross-cor- 
respondences. The  English  investigators  knew  nothing 
of  this  while  it  took  place  ;  afterwards  the  records  were 
sent  to  England,  where  Mrs,  Verrall  read  them  in  October, 
1908.  Mr.  Dorr,  on  the  other  hand,  did  not  know  the 
details  of  the  English  experiments  ;  he  only  knew  that 
such  had  been  undertaken.  Having,  therefore,  no 
model  to  guide  him,  he  often  set  the  communicators 
more  difficult  tasks  than  they  had  performed  in  England. 
He  himself  most  often  proposed  the  subjects. 

The  cases  are,  as  before,  quoted  in  the  chronological 
order  of  the  Piper-sittings. 

Troy,  Joy,  and  Wreath. 

The  following  conversations  took  place  in  March,  1908, 
between  Mr.  Dorr  and  the  Piper-personalities : 

1  "  Further  Experiments  with  Mrs.  Piper  in  1908,"  Proceedings 
S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXIV.,  pp.  31—200. 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  289 

March  gth,  1908. 

"  R.  H.  He  [Myers]  says  Say  to  our  good  friend,  Troy. 
Troy.     I'll  go  give  that  to  Mrs.  Verrall. 

"  Mr.  D.  Will  you  give  her  the  words  Exile  and  Troy  ? 
Take  as  synonym  for  Troy  '  the  city  in  flames  ' " 

March  1.6th,  1908. 

"  M.     I  have  given  Mrs.  V.  Troy,  Joy. 

"  Mr,  D.     Why  did  you  write  '  joy  '  ? 

"  M.  In  making  her  understand  TROY  she  misunder- 
stood and  wrote  Joy. 

"  Mr.  D.     Did  you  get  '  Troy  '  through  too  ? 

"  M.     Yes  she  finally  got  it  right,  and  wrote  Troy, She 

understood  flames  ...  I  gave  her  my  first  initials  F.M.  so 
she  would  understand  who  was  writing." 

March  2'^rd,  1908. 

"  R.  H,     We  wrote  wreath  and  Joy,  also  Joy  of  the  Gods. 

"  Mr,  D.  Did  you  do  this  in  any  allusive  fashion,  so  far  as 
you  can  tell  ? 

"  R,  H.  No.  That  is  good  and  by  itself,  as  we  wrote 
archway  for  P  [iddington]  in  England.     Joy  was  written  in 

the  same  way We  wrote  it  straight  out  as  we  did  archway 

long  ago." 

"  Archway  "  is  evidently  a  mistake  for  Arrow,  which 
cross-correspondence  was  more  than  a  year  old  now. 

Myers  had  on  March  9th  said  to  Mr.  Dorr  :  "  I  can't 
take  more  to  Mrs.  Verrall,  but  I  will  take  a  message  to 
Helen  Verrall."  Later  in  the  same  sitting  he  said  : 
"  I  shall  go  and  give  my  messages  to  Mrs.  V.  and  Helen." 
Mrs.  Verrall's  script  contained  no  trace  of  the  above 
cross-correspondence,  but  Miss  Verrall  wrote  on  April  ist, 
1908,  the  following  : 

"  The  pillars  of  converging  fire 
The  ministers  of  joy  divine " 

and  on  April  20th,  1908  : 

" A  holly  leave  or  something  like  that  green  and 

prickly  a  holly  wreath  Troy  Laodamia  ^ " 

'  Cf.  Wordsworth,  Laodamia :  "  The  Beach  of  Troy,"  etc. 
CD.  U 


290      COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

Exile. 

On  March  23rd,  1908,  Mr.  Dorr  spoke  to  Hodgson 
about  the  other  messages  that  had  been  proposed  on 
March  9th. 

"  Mr.  D.    Did  you  write  '  Exile  '  ? 

"  R.  H.  Yes,  long  ago.  It  came  out  with  Moore. 
MOORE." 

More  than  a  month  later,  on  April  27th,  Miss  Verrall's 
script  contained  the  following  quotation  from  Moore  : 

"  A  golden  harp — the  harp  that  once  through  Tara's 
halls " 

and  on  May  i6th  she  wrote  ^ 

"  By  the  waters  of  Babylon,  The  song  of  exile  in  a  strange 
land The  harp  that  once  through  Tara's  halls " 

On  February  loth,  1909,  Mrs.  Holland  wrote  in  India 
a  script  where  allusions  to  Ireland  and  to  exile  appeared 
together,  among  several  other  things  ^ : 

"  St.  Bridget's  Day— St.  Bride Oh  Bay  of  Dublin  my 

heart  you're  troubhng  —  Leave  your  home  behind  lad " 

Prometheus. 

On  March  31st,  1908,  Mr.  Dorr  suggested  "  Prome- 
theus "  as  a  message  to  be  taken  to  the  other  automatists. 
On  April  7th  in  the  waking  stage  came  the  words  : 

"  Fire — from  careless  man —  he  taught  them  all  his  wiles  and 
wisdom. 

"  Shelley  !  he  taught  them  all  he  knew.  And  they  were 
envious  of  him — 

"  Poor  Prometheus  !  What  would  we  have  known  but  for 
him," 

Prometheus  was  afterwards  referred  to  as  a  message  to 
be  taken  with  Fire  and  Art  in  several  sittings  in  April 
and  May. 

On  September  23rd,  1908,  Mrs.  Verrall,  who  at  that 

1  "  Third  Report  on  Mrs.  Holland's  Script,"  Proceedings  S.P.R., 
Vol.  XXV.,  pp.  218—303. 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  291 

time  had  not  seen  the  records  of  Mr,  Dorr's  sittings, 
wrote  in  Greek  as  follows  : 

"  In  a  narthex  was  hidden  the  fire  by  which  Prometheus 
made  men  Hke  unto  gods." 

This  was  followed  by  English  verse  containing  remi- 
niscences from  iEschylus'  Prometheus.  This,  the  editor 
adds,  is  the  only  mention  of  Prometheus  in  282  scripts 
by  Mrs.  Verrall,  covering  a  period  of  nearly  four  years. 

On  December  30th,  igo8,  Mrs.  Holland  quoted,  with 
a  few  alterations,  a  verse  from  Shelley's  Prometheus 
Unbound  : 

"  Here  oh  here 
We  bear  the  bier 

Of  the  Spectres  of  many  a  vanished  year 
Spectres  we 
Of  the  dead  time  be 
We  bear  Time  to  his  tomb  in  Eternity." 

Meanwhile,  Miss  Helen  Verrall  had  on  November  19th, 
1908,  written  as  follows  : 

"  Time's  hour  glass  whose  sands  never  run  out — Time  and 

Eternity " 

Possibly  Mrs.  Holland's  script,  which  began,  "  The 
solemn  beat  of  time  swinging  through  the  spheres  to 
Eternity,"  is  a  reflex  of  Miss  Verrall's— if  it  be  more  than 
a  result  of  her  new-year's  sentiments. 

Turkey?. 

On  April  6th,  1908,  the  following  conversation  occurred 
between  Mr.  Dorr  and  Hodgson  : 

"  Mr.  D.  Now  shall  I  give  you  a  new  message  ?  It  refers 
to  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  — 

'  The  breaking  waves  dashed  high 
On  a  stern  and  rock-bound  coast.* 
Do  you  understand  what  '  Pilgrim  Fathers  '  means  ? 

"  R.  H.     Something  about  birds  or  turkeys." 

Mr,  Dorr  did  not  at  once  understand  this  association 
of  ideas.  Not  until  after  the  sitting  it  dawned  upon  him 
that  Hodgson  had  thought  of  Thanksgiving  Day,  which 

u  2 


292      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

commemorates  the  Pilgrim  Fathers'  first  harvest  in 
America,  and  is  always  celebrated  with  turkeys  for  dinner. 
He  explained,  however,  what  he  had  in  mind,  and  finished 
by  saying  : 

"  Mr.    D.    Now    you   understand    about    the    '  breaking 

waves  '  and  the  '  rock-bound  coast ' ? 

"  R.  H.     Good.     I  understand  well.     Breaking  waves  ?  " 

On  April  22nd  Mr.  Dorr  told  Hodgson  that  he  had 
discovered  the  association  between  turkeys  and  pilgrims  : 

"  R.  H.     I  could  not  think  of  the  word  [Thanksgiving]. 
"  Mr.  D.     You  might  add  it  and  turkeys  to  the  message." 

On   May   4th,    Hodgson,    on    "  Thanksgiving "   being 
mentioned,  said  : 

"  I  said  Turkeys  and  Birds  to  Mrs.  Holland,  and  Mrs.  V. 
also." 

On  December  9th,  1908,  Mrs.  Holland's  script  contained 
the  following  words  and  drawing  : 

"  Mallard 


and  a  path  between  — " 

Mrs.  Holland  took  this  to  be  a  reminiscence  from  a 
drinking  song  which  is  sung  at  the  celebration  of  All 
Souls'  Day  in  All  Souls'  College  in  Oxford.  Its  first 
verse  runs  as  follows  : 

"  Griffin,  Turkey,  Bustard,  Capon, 
Let  other  hungry  mortals  gape  on, 
And  on  their  bones  with  stomachs  fall  hard. 
But  let  All  Souls  men  have  the  mallard." 

A  connection  there  must  needs  be  between  the  script 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  293 

and  Mr.  Dorr's  experiment ;  to  that  the  fullness  of  the 
impression  testifies.  In  whatever  way  Mrs.  Holland  had 
obtained  it,  it  had  called  forth  not  only  the  "  birds  and 
turkeys,"  but  withal  the  notion  of  a  feast  where  such 
creatures  were  eaten,  nay  even  the  picture  of  the  voyage 
across  the  waves  which  Mr.  Dorr  had  associated  with  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers. 

Medusa's  Head. 

There  had  at  the  sitting  with  Mrs.  Piper  on  April  13th, 
1908,  been  talked  about  Medusa,  and  Perseus  who  cut  off 
her  head,  and  Mr.  Dorr  had  suggested  that  "  Medusa's 
head  "  would  be  a  good  message  to  take  to  the  other 
lights,  adding  :  "  Describe  it  if  you  can  as  you  have  to 
me,  carried  through  the  air  and  dropping  blood."  On 
May  12th  the  trance-personality  wrote  that  the  message 
had  been  received  by  Mrs.  Holland,  who  had  written 
"  Blood — Horse — Head,  etc."  However,  it  was  not  until 
a  year  later,  on  May  19th,  1909,  that  Mrs.  Holland  wrote 
the  following  : 

"  Pershore — pericarp — Persia — Persens — The  Fateful  Head 
— Medusa — The  mirrored  shield  and  the  winged  sandals  of 
swiftness " 

Shelley's  Skylark. 

On  May  4th,  1908,  Mr.  Dorr  spoke  with  Myers  as 
follows  : 

"  Mr.  D.  You  spoke  of  Shelley's  poem  the  Skylark  the 
other  day  ;  perhaps  you  could  get  one  of  them  to  quote  for 
you  some  lines  from  it. 

"  M.     We  will  impress  her  [sic]  to  write  it." 

On  May  8th,  Mr.  Dorr  reverted  to  the  question,  saying  : 

"  We  agreed  the  other  day  upon  Shelley's  poem  the  Skylark 
as  a  message.  And  you  were  going  to  try  and  make  one  of 
the  other  Lights  write  some  lines  from  that " 


In  the  waking  stage  on  the  same  day  Mrs.  Piper  said  : 

"  We  said  Ode,  and  we  said  Skylark,  and  we  wrote  them. 
And  she  drew  a  bird." 

At  Mr.  Dorr's  sittings  no  more  was  said  about  this 


294      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

experiment.     But  on  December  9th,  1908,  Miss  Pope  had 
a  seance  with  Mrs.  Piper,  and  asked  the  communicators 
to  give  "  a  message  for  England." 
Hodgson  wrote  : 

"  G.P.  has  one  which  I  think  good.  The  nightingale  has 
a  lyre  of  gold.  Myers  and  Hodgson  with  the  help  and  encour- 
agement  of\  G.P.     The  lark  is  on  the  wing.     No  more,  too 

many  may  lead  to  confusion We  shall  get  on  famously 

after  a  while.     I  saw  and  helped  Mrs.  Holland." 

Hodgson's  humorous  announcement  of  "  the  lark  " 
seemed  to  be  verified  on  February  loth,  1909,  when  Mrs. 
Holland  wrote  the  lines  of  Shelley's  Ode  to  a  Skylark  : 

"  Hail  to  thee  blythe  Spirit 
Bird  thou  never  wert." 


COMUS. 

On  May  12th,  1908,  Mr.  Dorr  said  to  Myers,  referring 
to  something  he  had  read  to  him  on  May  4th,  from 

Milton's  Comus  : 

"  I  read  you  '  Sabrina  fair,  listen  where  thou  art  sitting, 
Under  the  glassy  cool  translucent  wave.'  Perhaps  this,  as  a 
quotation,  may  help  you  to  give  it  to  the  other  Lights." 

On  December  i6th,  1908,  Mrs.  Holland  wrote  : 

"  The  glassy  cool  translucent  wave —  .  .  . 
I  want  her  to  draw  a  recumbent  figure  [Sabrina  ?] " 


Lux,   Clouds,   Arrow. 

This  case  and  the  following  are  from  the  beginning  of 
1909,  when  now  Miss  Pope,  and  now  Mr.  Dorr,  held  sittings 
with  Mrs.  Piper.  On  January  13th  Myers,  among  other 
things,  said  to  Miss  Pope  : 

"  Helen  wrote  gathering  clouds,  clouds  are  gathering  in  the 

west  and  she  also  wrote  Lux  [light] Then  another  thing 

was  written.     Arrow,  light  and  swift  as  an  arrow Then 

Mrs.  Verrall  wrote  as  did  Mrs.  Holland  also  clouds  before 
dawn." 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  295 

Miss  Helen  Verrall  had  on  November  5th,  1908, 
written  : 

"  Mist  on  the  high  peaks  of  the  mountains  at  sunrise  when 
the  clouds  in  the  valley  grow  rosy  in  the  growing  light. 
Lucifero  radio  Phoebus  iam  diffugat  umbras  et  sub  luce  nova 
nova  lucent  omnia  [now  Phoebus  with  hght-bearing  ray  puts 
to  flight  the  shadows,  and  beneath  the  new  light  all  things 
shine  anew]." 

And  on  November  loth  : 

"  The  two  horns  of  the  moon  and  between  them  a  cord — 
thus  Diana's  shafts  speed  swiftly — the  arrow  by  day." 

Trailing,  Rolling  Waves.    The  Voyage. 

On  March  ist,  1909,  the  following  conversation  was 
held  at  the  Piper-sitting  : 

"  R.  H.     Helen.     Traihng  Trail  Trellis 
"  Mr.  D.     Is  that  word  traihng  ? 

"  R.   H.     Yes,   very   good Sea    Season    RoUing   Roll 

Waves.     I  got  these  through  Helen  V." 

Later  in  the  sitting  Mr.  Dorr  read  to  Myers  the  verse 
from  Tennyson's  The  Voyage,  beginning,  "  For  one  fair 
vision,"  when  the  hand  wrote  : 

"  Wait  for  this.  I  have  already  referred  to  this  particular 
verse  with  Helen  V." 

Miss  Verrall  had  in  her  script  from  the  preceding 
months  the  following  : 

November  24th,  1908. 

" a  sloping  hiUside  with  traihng  vines, 

December  12th,  1908. 

"  From  the  deep  the  waihng  of  the  waters thalassa, 

thalassa  [the  sea,  the  sea]. 
December  i^th,  1908. 

"  [In  Greek  .*]  Of  the  sounding  sea. 
January  22nd,  1909. 

"  On  the  face  of  the  waters — when  the  deeps  are  stirred 
February  1st,  1909. 

" The  sound  of  great  waters  when  the  bed  of  ocean 

rocks 

"  We  know  the  merry  world  is  round 

"  And  we  may  sail  for  evermore." 


296      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

The  two  last  lines  are  a  quotation  from  Tennyson's 
The  Voyage. 

A  retrospective  glance  at  the  above  cross-correspon- 
dences in  their  entirety  will  show  that  they  may  be  divided 
into  two  groups — those  that  had  appeared  in  the  script 
of  other  automatists  before  they  were  mentioned  by  the 
Piper-personalities,  and  those  that  did  not  appear  in  the 
automatic  scripts  until  a  shorter  or  longer  time  after  they 
had  been  mentioned  at  Mrs.  Piper's.  To  the  former 
group  belong  almost  all  experiments  performed  in  England, 
besides  the  two  last-described  correspondences  referred  to 
at  the  sittings  in  Boston  in  igog  ;  Myers  or  Hodgson 
asked  whether  some  word  had  been  written,  or  declared 
that  it  had  been  so,  and  it  turned  out  that  it  had  in  fact 
appeared  in  some  script.  Mr.  Dorr's  experiments  in 
igo8,  on  the  contrary,  fall  under  the  other  category. 
Generally  it  was  himself  who  proposed  the  messages  ; 
thus,  as  far  as  they  did  appear  at  all,  it  must  needs  be 
after  the  mention  of  them  in  the  Piper-trance. 

In  judging  of  the  value  of  the  cross-correspondences,  it  is 
not,  however,  without  import  whether  they  belong  to  the 
former  or  the  latter  of  these  categories.  The  possibility 
that  the  correspondence  between  a  subject  talked  of  at  the 
Piper-sittings,  and  the  script  of  one  of  the  non-entranced 
automatists,  might  be  due  to  supernormal  perception  on 
the  part  of  the  mediums,  is  no  doubt  greater  when  the 
mention  at  the  Piper-sittings  precedes  the  script  than 
when  it  is  the  reverse.  It  is  especially  great  in  the  four 
cases  where  it  is  in  Mrs.  Holland's  script  that  the  corre- 
spondence appears.  This  lady  returned  to  England  in 
the  autumn  of  igo8  ;  in  the  period  of  Mr.  Dorr's  experi- 
menting with  Mrs.  Piper  she  had  not  produced  any  auto- 
matic writing,  and  during  the  summer  only  a  single  piece. 
But  after  a  conversation  with  Miss  Johnson  on  Novem- 
ber 24th,  igo8,  she  began  once  more  to  write.  The  result 
was  among  other  things  the  four  cross-correspondences 
mentioned  above,  the  two  of  which  were  produced  in 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  297 

December,  while  the  next  appeared  in  February  and  the 
last  one  as  late  as  in  May,  1909.  To  all  of  them  it  applies 
that  they  did  not  appear  until  Miss  Johnson  and  Mrs. 
Verrall  had  seen  the  records  of  Mr.  Dorr's  experiments. 
Under  these  circumstances,  much  speaks  in  favour  of 
conceiving  Mrs.  Holland's  script  as  a  reflex  only  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  other  ladies. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  difficult  to  acquiesce  in  this  concep- 
tion. The  four  cases  are  very  different  from  the  so-called 
cross-correspondences  between  Mrs.  Verrall  and  Mrs. 
Holland  in  former  years.  There  is  here  nothing  of  the 
vague  similarity  which  formerly  made  the  researchers 
believe  that  it  was  not  the  same  thing  which  was  impressed 
on  the  two  automatists,  but  complementary  ones.  We 
have  seen  how  jeast,  birds  and  "  breaking  waves  " 
were  transmitted  in  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  experiment ; 
the  message  Medusa's  Head  was  likewise  reproduced 
with  great  completeness.  From  Shelley's  Skylark, 
Mr.  Dorr  had  wanted  some  lines  to  be  quoted,  without 
specifying  which  ones  ;  Mrs.  Holland  quoted  two.  As 
regards  Comus,  Mr.  Dorr  had  himself  chosen  the  lines  ; 
one  of  these  "  Sabrina  fair,  listen  where  thou  art  sitting," 
was  indicated  through  the  words  "  a  recumbent  figure," 
while  the  other,  "  Under  the  glassy  cool  translucent  wave," 
appeared  with  the  exception  of  the  first  word.  Neither 
ought  it  to  be  overlooked  that  it  had  in  three  of  the  said 
cases — Turkeys,  Medusa,  and  Skylark — been  expressly 
told  in  the  Piper-trance  that  it  was  to  Mrs.  Holland  that 
the  message  was  sent. 

The  two  cases  from  1908,  in  which  the  correspondence 
appears  in  Miss  Helen  Verrall's  script,  present  difficulties 
of  another  kind.  In  the  former,  at  any  rate,  the  plan  seems 
to  have  been  that  it  should  appear  through  Mrs.  Verrall, 
which  it  did  not.  More  perplexing,  however,  is  the 
circumstance  that  the  Piper-personalities  in  both  cases 
seemed  to  know  in  what  form  the  message  would  appear, 
long  before  it  was  produced  in  any  script.  "  In  making 
her  understand  Troy  she  [Mrs.  Verrall]  misunderstood 


298      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

and  wrote  Joy — she  finally  got  it  right  and  wrote  Troy," 
Myers  says  on  March  i6th,  1908  ;  both  Joy  and  Troy 
appeared  through  Miss  Verrall  not  long  afterwards. 
About  Exile,  Hodgson  says  :  "It  came  out  with  Moore," 
two  months  before  Miss  Verrall  wrote  :  "  The  song  of 
exile,"  at  the  same  time  quoting  Moore's  line  :  "  The 
harp  that  ^once  through  Tara's  halls."  Here  again  one 
would  be  justified  in  contending  that  it  is  on  a  supernormal 
perception  of  what  has  occurred  at  the  Piper-sitting  that 
Miss  Verrall's  script  is  based.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
correspondence  is  in  this  case,  as  in  that  of  Mrs.  Holland, 
much  greater  than  is  usual  when  it  is  due  to  such  impres- 
sions. If  it  be  in  itself  difficult  to  "  hit  the  bull,"  it  is  of 
course  more  improbable  still  that  it  will  happen  with  two 
shots  at  a  time,  as  is  here  the  case  both  with  Joy-Troy  and 
with  Exile-Moore.  One  feels  tempted  to  appeal  to  the 
"  explanation  "  prevision. 

With  regard  to  the  category  of  cross-correspondences 
where  the  Piper-personalities  refer  to  a  message  that 
turns  out  to  have  already  appeared,  the  matter  stands 
somewhat  differently.  Theoretically,  it  is  no  doubt 
possible  to  urge  that  Mrs.  Piper  might  as  well  obtain 
impressions  about  the  other  automatists  as  vice-versa, 
and  in  very  simple  cases  like  Violets  and  Euripides  this 
possibility  could  hardly  be  dismissed.  But  there  are 
cross-correspondences  within  this  category  where  the 
case  is  too  complicate  to  make  the  explanation  satis- 
factory. Such  a  one  is,  for  instance,  the  Arrow  corre- 
spondence. Hodgson  contends  that  he  has  said  "  arrow  " 
to  Mrs.  Verrall,  and  that  at  least  "  ar  "  has  appeared. 
In  reality,  Mrs.  Verrall  has  drawn  three  arrows  and, 
moreover,  groped  for  a  word  beginning  with  ar.  About 
this  Mrs.  Piper  ought  to  have  obtained  not  a  vague  im- 
pression, but  as  clear  a  knowledge  as  that  which  the 
reader  of  the  records  obtains,  to  be  able  to  utilize  it  for 
the  fiction  that  it  is  Hodgson  who  has  produced  it.  The 
Laurel  Wreath  case  is  no  less  remarkable.  The  Piper- 
personalities  tell  that  they  have  endeavoured  to  make 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  299 

Mrs.  Verrall  write  "  wreath  "  ;  at  that  time  she  has  not 
yet  done  so,  but  later  slie  writes  "  laurel  wreath,"  and 
they  pretend  now  to  have  added  laurel,  because  they 
had  inadvertently  mentioned  wreath.  It  can  hardly 
be  denied  that  Mrs.  Piper,  if  it  be  she,  understands 
how  to  produce  exactly  the  right  impression  of  Mrs. 
Verrall's  script  being  influenced  by  the  alleged  com- 
municators. 

But  even  if  the  cross-correspondences  do  not  furnish 
conclusive  evidence  for  the  reality  of  the  trance-personali- 
ties, but  must  rank  with  the  other  mysteries  of  Mrs. 
Piper's  trance,  they  have  at  least  proved  very  different 
from  those  we  got  to  know  earlier  by  the  same  name. 
There  we  found  only  a  reflex  from  one  automatist  to 
the  other ;  apart,  perhaps,  from  stahdelta,  Dr.  Verrall's 
sentence  was  the  only  thing  that  looked  like  a  result  of 
intentional  transmission.  But  that  there  had  not  pre- 
viously been  made  any  attempt  at  influencing  the  auto- 
matists  from  outside  does  not,  of  course,  preclude  the 
possibility  of  such  attempts  being  made  now.  Hodgson 
says  at  one  of  the  Piper-sittings  in  London  in  1907  about 
Mrs.  Verrall :  "  She  is  the  very  best  subject  we  have  to 
work  with,  and  I  believe  she  can  become  much  more 
important  to  us."  The  Piper-personalities  thus  seem  to 
conceive  the  present  experiments  as  a  beginning,  and  in 
that  at  any  rate  they  are  right.  Whatever  they  are, 
they  must  be  judged  by  themselves,  without  regard  to 
that  which  had  preceded  them  in  the  writings  of  the 
English  automatists. 

Before  leaving  the  cross-correspondences,  it  is  necessary 
to  mention  one  which  has  gained  a  special  reputation, 
and  which  perhaps,  if  it  were  all  that  the  English  re- 
searchers have  assumed,  would  be  of  no  small  value  for 
the  conception  of  the  whole  problem.  For  in  that  case 
six  different  mediums  would  have  been  co-operating  in 
one  and  the  same  cross-correspondence,  aiming  at  the 
production  of  the  number  seven.     The  assumption,  how- 


300      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

ever,  has  been  sharply  attacked  by  the  critics,  and  no 
doubt  they  are  right. 

The  incident  is  long  when  all  that  belongs  to  it  in  the 
opinion  of  the  investigators  is  included,  and  without 
doing  this  the  argument  can  hardly  become  satisfactory. 
The  real  cross-correspondence  occurred  in  the  year  1908, 
but  in  1904  an  event  had  already  taken  place  which  is 
thought  to  constitute  the  introduction.  I  shall  begin 
by  this  event,  and  relate  the  whole  case  in  chronological 
order. 

On  July  13th,  1904,  Mr.  Piddington  wrote  in  the  rooms 
of  the  Society  for  Psychical  Research  in  London  a  letter 
which  he  sealed  and  gave  into  the  custody  of  Miss  Johnson, 
who  without  knowing  its  contents  placed  it  in  one  of  the 
drawers  of  the  ofhce.  The  plan  was  that  it  should 
remain  unopened  till  after  his  death  ;  circumstances, 
however,  led  to  its  being  opened  in  the  autumn  of  1908. 
The  contents  of  it  were,  slightly  abridged,  the  following  : 

"  If  I  ever  am  a  spirit,  and  if  I  can  communicate,  I  shall 
endeavour  to  remember  to  transmit  in  some  form  or  other  the 

number   SEVEN. I    should   try   to   communicate   such 

things  as  :  '  The  seven  lamps  of  architecture,'  '  The  seven 
sleepers  of  Ephesus,'  '  unto  seventy  times  seven,'  '  we  are 
seven,'  and  so  forth.  The  reason  why  I  select  the  word  seven 
is  because  seven  has  been  a  kind  of  tic  with  me  ever  since  my 
early  boyhood.     I  would  walk  along  the  street  to  a  rhytm 

formed  by  counting  i,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7 I  have  purposely 

cultivated   this   tic as   I   think   it   likely that   the 

memory  of  it  having  by  practice  been  frequently  revived  in 
my  Ufetime,  may  survive  the  shock  of  death." 

On  the  same  day  when  Mr.  Piddington  composed  this 
"  posthumous  letter  "  in  London,  Mrs.  Verrall  produced 
in  Cambridge  a  script  that  among  other  things  contained 
the  following  lines  : 

"  It  is  something  contemporary  that  you  are  to  record — 
note  the  hour — in  London  half  the  message  has  come." 

This  was  followed  by  remarks  about  the  contents  of 
Myers's  sealed  envelope  left  with  Sir  Oliver  Lodge,  and  a 
statement   about   a   sealed   envelope   left   by   Professor 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  301 

Sidgwick,  We  have  previously  seen  to  what  extent 
Mrs.  Verrall's  mind  was  at  this  period  occupied  with  the 
thought  of  Myers's  letter,  and  how  this  preoccupation 
led  to  statements  in  her  script  which  turned  out  to  dis- 
agree with  the  facts.  That  under  these  circumstances 
she  may  have  got  a  clairvoyant  impression  about  Mr. 
Piddington's  performance  on  the  same  day  is  not  im- 
probable ;  this  kind  of  supernormal  faculty  she  was 
often  proved  to  possess.  The  phrase  "  half  the  message  " 
is  no  doubt  due  to  her  usual  tendency  to  ex:pect  a  com- 
plement to  her  own  writing.^ 

Three  years  after  this  prelude  another  episode  followed, 
which  the  editor  includes  in  the  report  about  the  Sevens. 
It  seems,  however,  to  get  its  natural  explanation  from 
the  circumstance  that  the  automatists,  who  in  this  case 
were  Mrs.  Verrall  and  her  daughter,  had  been  much 
occupied  with  the  before-mentioned  "  Latin  message  " 
experiment  that  was  completed  in  May,  1907,  and  that 
aimed  at  making  the  Piper-Myers  establish  a  cross- 
correspondence  between  three  mediums.  It  was  in  a 
special  degree  Mr.  Piddington's  experiment,  and  it  is 
probably  to  him  Miss  Verrall  alludes  in  the  following 
script  of  August  6th,  1907  : 

"  A  rainbow  in  the  sky 

"  fit  emblem  of  our  thought 

"  the  sevenfold  radiance  from  a  single  light 

"  many  in  one  and  one  in  many 

"  [In  Latin  :]  Doubtless  he  himself  will  seem  to  have 
transferred  this  to  his  own  rule.  Wherefore  whatever  is  set 
forth  must  be  co-ordinated,  lest,  being  scattered,  it  should 
escape  notice " 

At  any  rate,  it  seems  certain  that  the  script  alludes 
to  cross-correspondences  between  several  mediums.  The 
rainbow  is  such  a  familiar  symbol  of  fusion  that  its  choice 

1  Miss  Johnson  ("  Second  Report  on  Mrs.  Holland's  Script,"  Proceed- 
ings S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXIV.)  assigns  a  deeper  meaning  to  the  said  phrase. 
The  real  cross-correspondence  which  took  place  in  1908  embraced,  in 
her  opinion,  besides  the  sevens  also  allusions  to  Dante  ;  Mr.  Piddington's 
sealed  letter,  therefore,  was  only  "  half  the  message."  According  to 
this  conception,  the  cross-correspondence  must  have  been  planned  four 
years  before  its  execution  ! 


302       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

hardly  requires  to  be  explained  as  an  impression  from 

Mr.  Piddington,  even  if  his  constant  occupation  with 

sevens  might  be  considered  to  influence  the  ladies  of  his 

acquaintance  who  wrote  automatically. 

Mrs.  Verrall  read  her  daughter's  script  on  August  28th, 

1907,  and  on  the  same  day  wrote  as  follows  : 

"  Significatio  patet ;  symbolum  tetigisti  [the  meaning  is 
obvious;  yoh  have  touched  the  symbol].  Test  the  weakest 
link  [drawing  of  three  links  of  a  chain]  the  chain  still  holds. 
Not  ours  to  teach.  You  learn  alone  Place  the  question  in  the 
midst  and  let  each  have  his  test.  The  same  should  be  said  to 
each — Try  this  new  experiment — Say  the  same  sentence  to 
each  of  them  and  see  what  completion  each  gives  to  it.  Let 
Piddington  choose  a  sentence  -that  they  do  not  know  and 
send  part  to  each  Then  see  whether  they  can  complete  Or 
he  might  give  different  parts  of  the  same  sentence  to  each  of 
them  if  the  sentence  is  long  enough " 

It  is  evident  that  Mrs.  Verrall,  at  least  subconsciously, 
has  taken  her  daughter's  script  to  refer  to  Mr.  Piddington's 
experiment ;  the  drawing  of  three  links  further  indicates 
that  she  has  the  Latin  message  in  mind.  The  memory 
of  it  has  set  her  imagination  in  motion,  and  made  it  in  a 
somewhat  confused  manner  devise  plans  for  similar 
experiments.  To  his  sealed  envelope  or  the  sevens 
nothing  is  pointing. 

In  the  spring  of  1908,  however,  began  what  the  inves- 
tigators consider  the  real  cross-correspondence.  Mrs. 
Verrall's  script  of  April  20th  referred  to  "  the  seven  hills  " 
of  Rome  ;  according  to  an  entry  in  her  diary  she  herself 
thought  that  the  reference  was  due  to  the  circumstance 
that  April  21st  is  the  date  of  the  founding  of  Rome,  a  date 
which  had  been  very  familiar  to  her  from  her  girlhood. 

On  April  27th  her  script  referred  to  numbers,  though 
more  to  threes  than  to  sevens.     She  wrote  as  follows  : 

"  [Scrawl]  and  later  too — Do  not  try  to  attend 

37603 

7 
6 

72 


Try  again 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  303 


6  41 

17 


13  +  3  361 


16  495 

"  I  can't  do  anything  but  these  figures.  They  seem  to  be 
wanted  but  I  can't  tell  why." 

Miss  Helen  Verrall's  script  of  April  29th  appears  to 
reflect  that  of  her  mother  : 

"  The  figure  3  that  seems  wanted  " 

On  May  4th  she  wrote  : 

"  8  eight  .... 
A  a  triangle  " 

On  May  8th  occurred  what  is  considered  to  be  Mrs. 
Piper's  contribution  to  the  cross-correspondence.  At  a 
sitting  by  Mr.  Dorr  in  Boston  she  said  in  the  waking  stage 
the  following  : 

"  We  are  seven 


"  I  said  Clock  !  Tick,  tick,  tick  !   Stairs, " 

Some  days  afterwards  Mr.  Dorr  asked  the  communicator 
about  the  meaning  of  this  : 

"  Mr.  D.     The  first  thing  she  said  was  '  We  are  seven.' 
"  C.    That  is  Wordsworth,  but  we  were  seven  in  the  distance 
as  a  matter  of  fact." 

Miss  Johnson  writes  that  this  "  rather  enigmatic 
phrase  "  she  takes  to  mean  that  seven  persons  were 
concerned  in  the  cross-correspondence.  I  cannot  see 
that  it  says  anything  more  than  that  the  group  of  commu- 
nicators Wvire  seven  at  the  particular  moment.  Together 
with  the  remark  that  the  quotation  "  we  are  seven  " 
comes  from  Wordsworth,  this  statement  destroys  every 
foundation  for  believing  that  seven  referred  to  a  cross- 
correspondence,  let  alone  that  it  alluded  to  its  being 
performed  by  seven  persons. 

Further,  Miss  Johnson  laid  great  stress  on  Mrs.  Piper 


304        COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

having  said  "  Tick,  tick,  tick  !  "  In  Mr.  Piddington's 
sealed  letter  the  word  tic  occurred  in  the  sense  of  habit. 
But,  as  Professor  Hyslop  ^  has  afterwards  made  clear, 
Mrs.  Piper's  tick,  followed  by  stairs,  refers  to  a  clock  on 
the  stairs  of  Dr.  Hodgson's  "  taverna,"  which  had  been 
the  subject  of  the  preceding  conversation  between  the 
communica|:or  and  Mr.  Dorr. 

Meanwhile,  Mrs.  Verrall  had  in  the  days  from  May  5th 
— 8th,  been  occupied  in  reading  the  last  cantos  of  Dante's 
Purgaforio  ;  on  May  8th  she  composed  automatically  a 
poem  that  was  evidently  prompted  by  this  reading.  On 
May  loth  she  wrote  the  following  script,  which  was  after- 
wards thought  to  refer  to  the  Sevens  cross-correspondence : 

"  I  have  wanted  for  some  time  to  tell  you  of  something  that 
will  interest  you  greatly,  but  it  is  very  important  that  Helen 
should  know  nothing  of  it.  It  concerns  her  more  closely  than 
it  does  you  but  you  will  have  to  wait  some  time  to  hear  of  it. 
She  has  got  quite  a  new  type  of  thing  in  her  writing — it  is  she 
who  will  lead  this  time  not  you — you  only  fill  in  her  gaps " 

But  there  is  in  fact  nothing  in  it  that  points  beyond 
subconscious  fabrication.  Miss  Verrall  believed  that  the 
"  new  type  of  thing  "  referred  to  the  figures  that  had 
appeared  in  her  script ;  but  Mrs.  Verrall  had  herself 
written  figures,  even  more  than  her  daughter.  If  the 
allusion  were  to  the  sevens,  it  was  neither  correct  that 
Mrs.  Verrall  would  "  fill  in  her  gaps,"  nor  that  Miss 
Verrall's  script  would  tarry  in  appearing.  Mrs.  Verrall 
has  no  share  whatever  in  the  following  part  of  the  cross- 
correspondence,  and  Miss  Verrall's  script  about  the 
sevens  appeared  already  on  the  day  after  that  of  her 
mother. 

The  facts  of  the  case  seem  to  be  that  Mrs.  Verrall's 
reading  of  Purgatorio,  especially  of  Canto  XXIX.,  where 
the  number  seven  is  constantly  repeated,  has  been  reflected 
in  the  automatic  script  of  her  daughter.  Miss  Verrall,  on 
May  nth,  wrote  : 

"  A  branching  tree  not  a  real  tree  but  emblematical. 
Scrolls  in  place  of  leaves. 

■1  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXV.,  p.  298. 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  305 

"  Jacob's  ladder  and  the  angels  upon  it.  What  does  that 
mean  — 

"  A  spinning  top  many  colours  but  as  it  spins  they  are 
blended  into  one  — 
"  Mark  the  simile 

"  [drawing  of  branch  with  seven  leaves]  a  leaf  that  hangs 
down  like  that  and  a  flower  small  and  white  I  think  and  a  sweet 
scent,  it  is  a  scrub — foreign — not  English — Sciola  a  name  like 
that. 

"  The  seven  branched  candlestick  it  is  an  image — the  seven 
churches  but  these  not  churches 
"  seven  candles  united  in  one  light 
"  and  seven  colours  in  the  rainbow  too. 
"  Many  mystic  sevens 
"  all  will  serve 
"  we  are  seven 

"  Who  (?)  F.  W.  H.  Myers." 

Jacob's  ladder  is  mentioned  in  the  part  of  Purgatorio 
read  by  Mrs.  Verrall,  and  appears  in  her  automatic  verses 
of  May  8th.  But  there  is  also  a  flower  called  "  Jacob's 
ladder  "  which  is  described  in  Bentham's  British  Flora,  a 
book  familiar  to  Miss  Verrall ;  in  the  illustration  of  it  the 
number  of  leaflets  shown  hanging  down  is  seven.  The 
allusion  to  it,  then,  evidently  originates  from  Miss  Verrall's 
own  subconscious  mind  ;  neither  does  the  script  contain 
any  other  thing  which  she  did  not  know  ;  the  angels  upon 
the  ladder,  the  seven-branched  candlestick,  and  the  seven 
colours  in  the  rainbow,  are  everyday  knowledge.  Besides, 
there  is  an  echo  of  the  preceding  year's  script  about  the 
sevenfold  radiance  and  the  rainbow. 

Miss  Johnson  herself  leans  towards  the  above  opinion, 
viz.,  that  Miss  Verrall's  script  is  due  to  her  mother's  pre- 
occupation with  Dante.  The  same  explanation,  however, 
may  doubtless  be  extended  to  the  next  link  of  the  cross- 
correspondence.  Mrs.  Verrall  had  a  friend,  Mrs.  Frith, 
who  wrote  automatically,  and  who  beHeved  herself  to 
receive  communications  from  Hodgson  ;  there  had  been 
a  few  indications  of  supernormal  connection  between  her 
script  and  Mrs.  Verrall's.  Immediately  before  his  death 
in  1905,  Dr.  Hodgson  had  mailed  a  Christmas  card  to 
Mrs.   Verrall,   containing   a  quotation  from  Tennyson's 

CD.  X 


3o6      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

Ancient  Sage,  "  Climb  the  Mount  of  Blessing."  In 
February,  1908,  Mrs.  Verrall  addressed  the  following 
question  to  Mrs.  Frith  in  the  hope  of  getting  an  answer 
through  her  script :  "  Can  R.  H.  say  what  are  his  associa- 
tions with  the  words  '  Chmb  the  Mount  of  Blessing  '  ?  " 
No  reply  was  obtained,  but  on  June  nth,  a  few  days 
after  Mrs.  Yerrall  had  read  her  daughter's  script  about 
the  sevens,  and  the  day  after  she  had  told  Mr.  Piddington 
about  it  in  a  letter,  Mrs.  Frith  automatically  wrote  a 
poem,  the  first  and  last  lines  of  which  run  as  follows  : 

"  Then  you  are  drawing  nearer  to  the  plane 
The  plane  of  blessing  and  the  promised  land 


Pisgah  is  scaled  the  fair  and  dewy  lawn 
Invites  my  footsteps  till  the  mystic  seven 
Lights  up  the  golden  candlestick  of  dawn." 

The  first  lines  are  evidently  prompted  by  Mrs.  Verrall's 
question,  which  was  normally  known  to  Mrs.  Frith,  while 
she  did  not  know  the  answer.  As  she  both  through  this 
question,  and  otherwise,  was  in  rapport  with  Mrs.  Verrall, 
it  is  quite  likely  that  she  may  have  obtained  an  impression 
about  the  sevens  which  just  at  that  moment  filled  Mrs. 
Verrall's  thoughts.  That  her  verse  contains  allusions  to 
Dante,  as  Miss  Johnson  contends,  I  am  unable  to  see. 
Both  Pisgah — the  mountain  from  whose  top  Moses  saw 
the  Promised  Land — and  the  seven-branched  candlestick 
are  well-known  Biblical  references. 

The  next  contributor  to  the  cross-correspondence  was 
Mrs.  Holland.  Anterior,  however,  to  her  real  contribu- 
tion to  it,  the  following  occurred.  She  was  on  her  way 
home  to  England  from  India,  when  she,  in  the  night 
between  the  14th  and  15th  of  July,  1908,  had  a  dream, 
which  in  a  letter  to  Miss  Johnson  she  described  as  follows  : 

"  Last  night  I  dreamt  that  I  was  in  a  large  bare  room — 
rather  like  a  studio.  .  .  . 

"  Some  one  showed  me  an  old  note  book — or  diary — in 
which  was  written  in  a  small  neat  hand  : 

"  *  Since  in  1872  a  dear  friend  chose  as  a  sign  by  wliich  to 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  307 

communicate  with  me  the  figure  6,  I,  in  my  turn,  will  try, 
in  the  time  to  come,  to  send  the  figure  6, — simply  the  sign 
of  6.'  " 

There  is  a  very  curious  resemblance  between  the  note- 
book and  its  contents  in  the  room  like  a  studio  and 
Mr.  Piddington's  sealed  envelope  in  the  office  of  the 
Society,  distorted  just  in  the  manner  in  which  dreams 
use  to  distort  things.  Possibly  the  dream  was  really  due 
to  an  impression  from  Mr.  Piddington,  who  on  account  of 
Mrs,  Verrall's  communication  about  her  daughter's 
sevens,  must  needs  have  been  led  to  think  more  than 
usually  of  his  "  posthumous  letter." 

On  July  23rd  Mrs.  Holland,  who  was  still  at  sea, 
automatically  wrote  the  following  script : 

"  There  should  be  three  at  least  in  accord  and  if  possible 
Seven — The  lady  and  the  learned  lady  and  the  maiden  of 
the  crystal  and  the  scribe  and  the  professed  scribe — and  the 
two  new  comers — what  could  be  better  than  that  ?  Take  this 

for  token  '  Green  beyond  belief.' Not  only  on  the  ocean 

may  the  Green  Ray  appear " 

A  few  days  previously,  on  July  i8th,  Mrs.  Verrall  had 
read  Mrs.  Frith's  script  of  June  nth,  and  had  been 
impressed  by  the  similitude  between  it  and  her  daughter's 
sevens.  Thus  it  is  also  in  this  case  probable  that  the 
automatist  has  received  a  supernormal  impression  from 
her ;  Mrs.  Holland,  as  we  know,  had  on  numerous 
occasions  demonstrated  her  sensitiveness  with  regard  to 
such.  The  plan  of  an  experiment  with  seven  contributors 
had  been  intimated  already  in  Miss  Verrall's  script  of 
1907,  and  must,  at  any  rate  subconsciously,  have  existed 
in  her  mother's  mind.  Mrs.  Holland  took  the  five  of  the 
mediums  mentioned  by  her  to  be  Mrs.  Forbes,  Mrs. 
Verrall,  Miss  Verrall,  herself  and  Mrs.  Piper.  In  the 
opinion  of  the  investigators,  however,  there  were  only 
six  mediums.  The  seventh  contributor  to  the  cross- 
correspondence  was  Mr.  Piddington. 

"  Green  beyond  belief  "  was,  in  Mrs.  Holland's  opinion, 
due  to  a  phenomenon  on  the  sea  which  she  had  been  told 

X  2 


3o8      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

of.  Miss  Johnson  interpreted  it  as  an  allusion  to  Dante — 
the  eyes  of  Beatrice  are  in  Purgatorio  compared  to 
emeralds. 

The  last  contribution  to  the  Sevens  cross-correspondence 
was  due  to  a  non-professional  trance-medium,  Mrs.  Home, 
through  whom  a  "  Myers-control  "  had  often  purported 
to  speak.  Through  her  the  following  conversation  was  on 
July  24th,  1908,  held  with  Colonel  Taylor  and  one  Miss  H. : 

"  M.  Seven  times  seven  and  seventy-seven.  Send  the 
burden  of  my  words  to  others. 

"  Miss  H.     To  whom  shall  we  send  ? 

"  M.  Souls  that  labour  fof  your  earthly  wisdom  send  no 
names. 

"  Aliss  H.     May  we  say  the  message  is  from  a  teacher  ? 

"  M.  No  .  .  Several  wait  to  hear.  Some  say  they  do 
not  mind  the  name  ;   others  seek  only.     Omnia  vincit. 

"  Col.  T.  Shall  I  send  this  to  ^Iiss  Johnson,  or  to  Mrs. 
Verrall  ? 

"  M.  Miss  Johnson  likes  it  better  ;  you  can  help  better 
through  her." 

The  puerility  of  all  this  no  doubt  suffices  to  characterize 
it  as  subconscious  fabrication.  But  the  phrase  "  seven 
times  seven  and  seventy-seven  "  just  at  this  point  can 
hardly  be  dismissed  as  a  casualty.  Miss  Johnson  states 
that  there  had  been  a  slight  coincidence  between  an  earlier 
trance-utterance  of  Mrs.  Home's  and  one  of  Mrs.  VerraU's 
scripts.  Thus  it  is  not  improbable  that  this  medium  too 
has  received  a  supernormal  impression  from  the  latter, 
who  was  at  that  time  so  engrossed  by  the  sevens. 

From  the  above  representation  it  appears,  among 
other  things,  that  the  contributors  to  this  curious  cross- 
correspondence  really  were  but  four.  Mrs.  Piper  has 
nothing  at  all  to  do  with  the  case  ;  but  neither  does 
Llrs.  Yerrall,  strictly  speaking,  belong  to  it ;  her  script 
about  the  seven  hiUs  of  Rome  has  no  relation  to  the  rest. 
On  the  other  hand,  she  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  whole 
affair  as  the  involuntary  cause  of  the  productions  of  the 
other  ladies.  Her  reading  of  Purgatorio  is  reflected  in  her 
daughter's  script  of  May  nth,  and  as  soon  as  she  has 
seen  this  and  told  Mr.  Piddington  of  it,  Mrs.  Frith  too 


CROSS-CORRESPONDENCES  309 

receives  an  impression  about  the  sev'cns  that  emerges  in 
her  script  of  June  nth.  This  script  is  read  by  Mrs. 
Verrall  on  July  iSth,  and  on  July  23rd  and  24th  the 
impression  is  transmitted  to  Mrs.  Holland  and  Mrs.  Home. 
Thus,  at  any  rate,  it  may  have  happened.  Mr.  Podmore, 
who  has  criticized  the  Sevens  case  from  a  similar  point  of 
view,^  assigns  a  share  in  the  result  to  Mr.  Piddington  ; 
on  my  part  I  incline  to  confine  his  influence  to  the  dream 
of  Mrs.  Holland. 

The  chief  reason  why  the  researchers,  in  spite  of 
numerous  improbabilities,  ascribed  the  Sevens  cross- 
correspondence  to  extra-terrestrial  influences,  was  that 
it  seemed  too  preposterous  to  assign  to  a  sub-personality, 
for  instance,  that  of  Mrs.  Verrall,  a  plan  like  that  which 
apparently  was  at  the  bottom  of  it.  We  have  seen,  how- 
ever, that  there  is  no  reason  whatever  to  speak  about  a 
plan  or  a  design  on  the  part  of  her  nor  any  other.  The 
marvel  of  this  cross-correspondence  is  reduced  to  four 
separate  sensitives  having  obtained  an  impression  from 
her  in  the  same  supernormal  manner  in  which  a  single 
one — Mrs.  Forbes,  Mrs.  Holland,  Miss  Verrall — had  so 
often  done  it.  With  regard  to  the  percipients,  the  case 
was  of  exactly  the  same  nature  as  otherwise  ;  and  as 
regards  "  the  agent,"  she  was  no  more  a  party  to  it  than, 
for  instance,  in  a  former  case  the  friend  in  Copenhagen 
from  whom  Miss  Ramsden  received  an  impression. 
Probably  that  kind  of  thing  often  takes  place  when 
people  experiment  with  automatic  script  and  the  like, 
and  the  special  point  here  is  only  the  circumstances 
that  brought  to  light  the  different  elements  of  the  incident. 

The  Sevens  cross-correspondence  had  yet  an  after-play 
which  the  recorder  interprets  in  favour  of  her  own  con- 
ception, but  which,  if  anything,  speaks  against  it.  In  the 
middle  of  January,  1909,  Mr.  Piddington  said  half  in  jest 
to  Mrs.  Verrall  that  "  a  recent  case  told  rather  against 
spirits."     He  had  in  mind  his  "  posthumous  letter  "  and 

•  The  Newer  Spiritualism,  pp.  268 — 76. 


310      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE   DEAD 

its  possible  influence  on  the  Sevens  scripts,  but  did  not 
tell  Mrs.  Verrall  anything  about  it.  He  had  in  the 
autumn  opened  the  letter  and  shown  its  contents  to 
Miss  Johnson,  but  Mrs.  Verrall  had  not  been  made 
acquainted  with  its  existence.  About  a  week  after  her 
conversation  with  Mr.  Piddington,  on  January  27th,  she 
automatically  wrote  as  follows  : 

" Nothing   is   swifter   that   Thought,    nothing   more 

sure — swifter  than  arrow  or .  than  bullet  thought  flies  from 
mind  to  mind,  instantaneous.  It  is  a  now  and  a  now,  at 
once,  no  pause,  no  then.     Don't  you  understand  ? 

"  And  ask  what  has  been  the  success  of  Piddington's  last 
experiment  ?  Has  he  found  the  bits  of  his  famous  sentence 
scattered  among  you  all  and  does  he  think  that  is  accident, 
or  started  by  one  of  you  ?  Tell  him  to  look  carefully  and  he 
will  see  a  great  difference  between  the  scripts  in  this  experi- 
ment and  in  the  others.  That  ought  to  help  the  theory.  One 
language  only  has  been  used  this  time.  But  even  if  the 
source  is  human,  who  carries  the  thoughts  to  the  receivers  ? 
Ask  him  that. 

"  F.  W.  H.  M." 

It  is  evident  that  Mrs.  Verrall,  who  knew  nothing  about 
Mr.  Piddington's  sevens,  had  through  the  conversation 
with  him  been  led  into  a  wTong  track.  His  remark  about 
the  case  that  "  told  rather  against  spirits  "  had  set  her 
mind  in  motion,  and  it  was  now  by  her  automatic  self 
interwoven  with  the  idea  in  her  former  script  of  his 
dividing  a  sentence  among  different  mediums.  To  be 
sure,  the  whole  is  rather  meaningless.  Formerly  it  was 
he  who  ought  to  distribute  the  sentence,  now  it  is  asked 
whether  he  has  found  it  scattered  among  them.  But  this 
is  only  one  of  many  instances  of  the  looseness  of  the  sub- 
conscious fabrication,  which  so  much  resembles  that  of 
dreams,  and  so  little  satisfies  the  logical  exigencies  of  the 
waking  reason.  With  the  sevens  the  script  has  no  con- 
nection whatever.  The  one  thing  that  might  apply  to 
that  cross-correspondence  is  the  remark  that  only  one 
language  had  been  used  ;  but  of  course  it  would  no  less 
apply  to  an  experiment,  like  that  mentioned  in  the  script, 
where  a  single  sentence  had  been  parcelled  out  in  bits. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

OTHER  EXPERIMENTS 

During  Mrs.  Piper's  sojourn  in  England  in  1906 — 7 
the  English  researchers  had,  besides  the  cross-correspon- 
dences, performed  a  number  of  other  experiments.  On 
the  whole,  it  must  be  said  that  they  demanded  a  great 
deal  of  the  trance-personaHties.  Perhaps  more  had  been 
attained  through  less  exacting  proceedings  ;  but  in  return 
that  which  was  attained  is  no  doubt  the  more  valuable  as 
regards  the  solution  of  the  question  of  its  origin. 

In  one  respect,  however,  the  proceedings  seem  due  to 
an  erroneous  conception  on  the  part  of  the  experimenters. 
As  formerly  in  the  case  of  George  Pelham,  they  appeared 
to  think  that  people  after  death  could  remember  all  that 
they  had  ever  experienced.  Perhaps  it  was  the,  if  not 
unlimited,  yet  considerable  subliminal  faculty  of  remem- 
brance that  was  transferred  to  the  discarnate ;  but 
nothing,  in  fact,  justified  the  conception.  Supposing 
that  the  Piper-communicators  were  what  they  claimed  to 
be,  their  memory  was  on  an  average  like  that  of  the  living. 
George  Pelham  could  not  remember  with  whom  Mr. 
Howard  and  himself  had  once  dined  in  New  York,  still 
less  how  many  pages  his  manuscript  contained,  but  he 
recollected  other  and  more  important  things  ;  the  same 
was  the  case  with  Hodgson  and  others.  In  England 
Myers  was  worried  with  divers  inquiries  which  while 
living  he  would  hardly  have  been  expected  to  answer 
after  the  lapse  of  many  years.  Thus,  Mrs.  Verrall  had 
come  across  a  letter  from  Frederic  Myers  to  Dr.  Verrall, 
in  which,  on  account  of  the  latter  having  called  the 
"  Archytas "    ode    by    Horace^    "positively    bad,"    he 

1  Carminum,  I.,  28. 


312      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

exclaims  :  "  The  first  six  lines  of  Archytas  have  entered 
as  deeply  as  almost  any  Horatian  passage  into  my  own 
inner  history."  This  caused  Mrs.  Verrall  to  ask  the  Piper- 
Myers  the  following  question  through  Mr.  Piddington  : 
"  Which  ode  of  Horace  entered  deeply  into  your  inner 
life  ?  "  The  letter  was  written  in  1884.  Is  it  to  be 
wondered  at  that  Myers,  if  it  were  he,  found  it  difficult 
to  answer  the  question  twenty-three  years  later  ? 

Another  incident  where  much  was  exacted  of  his 
memory  is  of  a  special  import  because  it  shows  that  the 
Piper-Myers  in  1907  pretended  to  influence  Mrs.  Verrall's 
script  also  in  a  case  where  there  was  no  question  of  a 
cross-correspondence.  Mrs.  Sidgwick  ^  had  through  Mrs. 
Verrall  put  the  question  to  him  whether  he  could 
remember  what  the  last  conversation  she  had  had  with 
him  before  the  death  of  her  husband  referred  to.  Pro- 
fessor Sidgwick  died  in  the  summer  of  1900,  Frederic 
Myers  half  a  year  later.  The  conversation  had  had 
reference  to  matters  of  great  interest  for  the  widow,  but 
hardly  of  so  much  importance  for  Myers,  who  was  then 
drawing  near  to  the  end  of  his  own  life.  Besides,  they 
had  had  more  than  one  conversation,  and  there  was  no 
reason  for  his  remembering,  after  the  lapse  of  six  years, 
what  they  had  spoken  of  in  this  particular  case.  At  any 
rate,  the  Piper-Myers  committed  several  mistakes,  though 
by-and-bye  he  recollected  many  things.  At  one  time  he 
thought  it  possible  that  they  had  discussed  a  library 
matter,  probably  the  library  of  Edmund  Gurney.  It 
was  at  this  point  that  he  alluded  to  Mrs.  Verrall's  script 
in  a  manner  that  is  more  interesting  than  the  question 
whether  or  no  he  had  in  1900  talked  with  Mrs.  Sidgwick 
about  a  library.  On  February  nth,  1907,  the  following 
conversation  took  place  between  him  and  Mr.  Piddington  : 

"  Mr.  P.  You  will  remember  that  at  our  last  meeting  you 
said  that  one  of  the  subjects  of  the  conversation  between  you 
and  Mrs.  Sidgwick  was  connected  with  a  library. 

•  See  her  paper,  "  An  Incident  in  Mrs.  Piper's  Trance,"  Proceedings 
S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXII.,  pp.  417 — 40  ;   and  ibidem,  pp.  46 — 59. 


OTHER   EXPERIMENTS 


^^6 


"  M.     Yes  as  I  recall. 

"  Mr.  P.  Well,  the  day  after  our  last  meeting  here  Mrs. 
Verrall  wrote  a  message  and  in  it  there  was  a  reference  to  a 
library.  There  was  no  obvious  connection  between  what 
Mrs.  Verrall  wrote  and  what  you  said  except  for  the  bare 
mention  of  a  library.  Still  it  seems  possible  to  me  that  you 
tried  to  repeat  through  Mrs.  Verrall  what  you  had  already 
said  here. 

"  M.  This  is  quite  true.  Did  I  not  tell  you  that  I  would  go 
to  Mrs.  Verrall  ? 

"  Mr.  P.    Yes. I  want  you  to  tell  me  if  you  can  how 

your  message  came  out. 

"  M.  Just  how  much  she  understood  I  am  not  sure,  but 
what  I  do  wish  her  to  understand  is  that  during  my  conversa- 
tion with  Mrs.  S.  the  library  was  referred  to  as  an  important 

transaction What  I  said  to  her  was,  write  for  Mrs.  Sidg- 

wick  that  we  talked  about  librar}'. 

"  Mr.  P.  That  is  exactly  what  I  wanted  to  get  at.  But 
as  a  matter  of  fact  there  is  no  reference  to  Mrs.  Sidgwick  in 
what  Mrs.  Verrall  wrote  ;  only  a  quite  disconnected  reference 
to  a  library. 

"  M.     What  a  pity I  persistently  repeated  the  word 

to  her,  also  my  own  name  and  Mrs.  Sidgwick's." 

The  interesting  point  is  this  that  the  script  which 
Mr.  Piddington  had  in  mind  was  not  at  all  the  one  which 
Myers  spoke  about.  Mrs.  Verrall  had  on  February  6th 
produced  a  script  mentioned  above  and  containing  the 
cross-correspondence  Laurel  Wreaih.'^  It  began  with 
Laura,  but  afterwards  passed  on  to  other  things,  among 
them  "  The  great  Library  has  already  gone  before. 
Hugh  Le  Despenser,"  after  which  it  went  on  with 
"  Apollo's  laurel  bough,"  etc.  It  was  this  script  with  its 
*'  quite  disconnected  reference  to  a  library "  which 
Mr.  Piddington  referred  to  ;  and  he  himself  points  out 
that  the  above  passage  is  no  doubt  partly  due  to  the 
circumstance  that  Mrs.  Verrall  had  recently  heard  that 
Lord  Spencer  would  retire  as  Chancellor  of  the  University 
in  Manchester ;  "  the  great  library "  alludes  to  the 
Althorp  Library  in  Manchester,  and  "  Hugh  Le  Des- 
penser "  to  Lord  Spencer.  So  there  would  have  been 
almost  nothing  evidential  about  the  case  if  it  were  this 

1  See  above,  p.  280. 


314      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

script  that  represented  Myers's  attempt  to  produce 
"  library "  ;  moreover,  it  was  Mr.  Piddington  who 
mentioned  it  to  him,  and  not  the  reverse.  But,  on 
February  4th,  Mrs.  Verrall  had  written  another  script 
which  Mr.  Piddington  had  wholly  forgotten,  though  he 
had  seen  i^  immediately  after  its  production.  With  this 
script  the  description  by  Myers  corresponds.  It  ran  as 
follows  : 

"  On  the  Council  I  asked  and  she  said  Yes.  Tell  Mrs.  Sidg- 
wick  that.  And  something  about  the  Gurney  library  which 
I  think  she  will  remember  or  a  Gurney  memorial  which  she 

was  to  take  over The  signature  might  help.     H.  Sidgwick. 

We  have  tried  for  that  to  day,  wait  for  their  answer. 
F.  W.  H.  M." 

Though  evidently  interspersed  with  subconscious  fabri- 
cation, it  contains  all  that  Myers  had  assured  at  the  sitting 
on  February  nth.  After  this  sitting  Mr.  Piddington, 
who  had  been  much  struck  with  the  way  in  which  the 
communicator  "  stuck  to  his  point,"  looked  again  at  the 
recent  pieces  of  script  sent  him  by  Mrs.  Verrall,  At  the 
next  meeting  he  was  able  to  tell  Myers  that  he  had  been 
right  in  every  point.  "  You  did  mention  Mrs.  Sidgwick's 
name,  you  did  mention  a  library,  and  you  did  sign  the 
message  with  your  name,"  he  said,  and  Myers  replied  : 
"  I  did  certainly,  and  am  very  pleased  to  hear  that  she 
fully  registered  the  thoughts  which  I  indubitably  gave 
her." 

Of  course  it  may  here,  as  elsewhere,  be  urged  that 
the  entranced  medium  has  had  a  supernormal  knowledge 
of  Mrs,  Verrall's  script,  which  she  utilized  in  her  usual 
dramatic  manner. 

The  longest  and  most  remarkable  among  the  experi- 
ments with  Mrs.  Piper  is  the  one  called  The  Latin  message, 
which  has  been  alluded  to  above.^  It  became  remarkable 
for  quite  a  special  reason,  namely  in  consequence  of  the 
misunderstandings    it    occasioned    between    the    experi- 

1  See  p.  276  and  p.  301. 


OTHER  EXPERIMENTS  315 

menters  and  the  communicator,  and  there  is  doubtless 
much  to  learn  from  the  manner  in  which  the  latter  bore 
himself  under  these  circumstances. 

The  researchers  were,  as  we  know,  inclined  to  think  that 
it  was  Myers  who  had  invented  the  cross-correspondences, 
nay,  that  he  had  devised  the  plan  of  making  them  comple- 
mentary in  order  to  exclude  the  explanation  telepathy 
between  the  living.  To  test  this  theory  it  was  determined 
to  ask  the  Piper-Myers  to  arrange  a  cross-correspondence 
of  the  following  type  :  to  two  automatists  should  be  given 
two  different  messages,  between  which  no  connection 
was  discernible,  and  then  as  soon  as  possible  to  a  third 
automatist  a  third  message,  which  would  reveal  the 
hidden  connection.  To  obtain  the  more  security  for  the 
success  being  eventually  due  to  Myers  and  not  to  Mrs. 
Piper,  the  request  was  translated  into  Latin,  and  more- 
over into  an  intricate  and  difficult  language.  The  message, 
as  it  was  called,  was  dictated  to  the  Piper-personalities 
in  small  portions  in  several  sittings,  and  it  appeared  to 
be  a  laborious  task  for  them  to  get  hold  of  it  through  an 
intermediary  like  Rector,  whose  ignorance  of  Latin  was 
often  accentuated.  On  January  2nd,  1907,  the  whole  of 
it  had  been  transmitted,  but  in  February  they  still  had 
only  attained  to  a  vague  conception  of  the  meaning  of  the 
first  lines. 

How  hard  it  was  for  them  to  grasp  the  Latin  words  is 
illustrated  by  the  following  episode.  Mr.  Piddington 
had  at  a  sitting  read  aloud  a  piece  of  the  message  to 
Hodgson,  who  acted  as  Myers's  helper,  Hodgson  asked 
for  a  repetition  of  "  the  next  to  the  last  word,"  which  was 
jamdudum.  Mr.  Piddington  now  told  him  that  the  first 
syllable  was  "  spelt  like  the  English  word  jam — preserves." 
"  Oh  yes,  I  understand.  Marmalade,"  Hodgson  exclaimed  ; 
"  that  has  been  the  most  difficult  word  for  him  to  under- 
stand." More  was  not  said  about  it ;  but  jamdudum 
was  rightly  translated  "  long  since  "  when  Myers  shortly 
afterwards  tried  to  give  a  version  of  the  beginning  of  the 
message.     Thus  one  cannot  deny  the  possibility  of  the 


3i6      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

request  being  understood  if  all  of  its  words  had  been 
caught  clearly. 

Mr.  Piddington's  ardour,  however,  did  not  allow  him 
to  await  this  possible  result.  Something  had  occurred 
which  had  impressed  him  strongly,  and  made  him  suspect 
that  Myers  had  already  comprehended  the  message. 

On  February  nth  the  following  conversation  had 
taken  place  at  the  Piper-sitting  : 

"  M.     Did  she  [Mrs.  Verrall]  receive  the  word  Evangelical  ? 

"  Mr.  P.     I  don't  know,  but  I  will  inquire. 

"  M.     I  referred  also  to  Browning  again. 

"  Mr.  P.  Do  you  remember- what  your  exact  reference  to 
Browning  was  ? 

"  M.  Yes.  I  referred  to  Hope  and  Browning.  I  also  said 
Star." 

It  turned  out  later  that  Rector,  who  evidently  had  no 
knowledge  of  Browning,  must  have  been  very  unfortunate 
in  transmitting  the  principal  words  on  this  occasion. 
"  Evangelical  "  proved  to  be  a  mistake  for  Evelyn  ;  it 
was  Browning's  poems  Evelyn  Hope  and  My  Star  which 
Myers  claimed  to  have  given  to  Mrs.  Verrall.  But  of  course 
it  was  impossible  for  Mr.  Piddington  to  guess  this.  On 
looking  through  Mrs.  Verrall's  recent  scripts,  he  found  one 
from  January  28th  that  contained  the  words  Aster  [star] 
and  hope,  besides  divers  quotations  from  Browning  ;  so  he 
assured  Myers  that  "  the  message  he  said  he  gave  to  Mrs. 
Verrall  about  Browning,  Star  and  Hope  "  had  come  out 
clearly.  Myers  thus  had  every  reason  to  believe  that  this 
attempt  at  a  cross-correspondence  was  a  decisive  success. 

But  Mr.  Piddington  had,  on  reading  Mrs.  Verrall's 
script  of  January  28th,  been  struck  by  an  idea  which 
made  him  consider  Myers's  "  Hope  Star  Browning " 
much  more  than  an  ordinary  cross-correspondence. 
Mrs.  Verrall's  script  in  extenso  runs  as  follows  : 

"  Aster  [star] 

"  repas  [wonder  or  sign] 

"  The  world's  wonder 

"  And  all  a  wonder  and  a  wild  desire  — 

"  The  very  wings  of  her 

"A   WINGED   DESIRE 


OTHER  EXPERIMENTS  317 

"  vTTOTTTepos  cpws  [wingccl  love] 

"  Then  there  is  Blake 

"  and  mocked  my  loss  of  liberty. 

"  But  it  is  all  the  same  thing — the  winged  desire 

"  tpws  TTo^eivds  [passion]  the  hope  that  leaves 

"  the  earth  for  the  sky— Abt  Vogler  for  earth 

"  too  hard  that  found  itself  or  lost  itself— in  the  sky. 

"  That  is  what  I  want 

"  On  the  earth  the  broken  sounds 

threads 
"  In  the  sky  the  perfect  arc 
"  The  C  major  of  this  life 
"  But  your  recollection  is  at  fault." 


"  A  D  B  is  the  part  that  unseen  completes  the  arc." 

The  first  quotation,  "  And  all  a  wonder  and  a  wild 
desire,"  comes  from  Browning's  The  Ring  and  the  Book  ; 
the  later  quotations  are  from  his  poem  AU  Vogler. 
Correctly  it  ought  to  be  :  "  The  passion  that  left  the 
ground  to  lose  itself  in  the  sky,"  and  "  On  the  earth 
the  broken  arcs  ;   in  the  heaven  a  perfect  round." 

But  it  was  some  other  lines  from  AU  Vogler  that  gave 
birth  to  Mr.  Piddington's  idea.  In  Stanza  VII.  is  the 
passage  : 

"  I  know  not  if  save  in  this  [i.e.,  music]  such  gift  be  allowed 
to  man, 
That  out  of  three  sounds  he  frame  not  a  fourth  sound,  but 
a  star." 


3i8      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

The  three  sounds  that  form  a  star  he  conceived  to  be 
an  ingenious  symbol  of  the  co-operation  of  three  mediums 
which  in  the  Latin  message  he  had  asked  Myers  to  bring 
about.  The  mention  of  "  Hope  Star  Browning,"  then, 
through  Mrs.  Piper,  he  took  to  refer  to  AM  Vogler,  and 
the  quotation  from  this  poem,  through  Mrs.  Verrall,  to 
indicate  his"  comprehension  of  the  message.  To  be  sure, 
it  was  not  the  actual  verse  that  Mrs.  Verrall  had  quoted. 
Neither  did  the  utterances  in  the  Piper-trance  suggest 
that  Myers  had  at  that  time  grasped  the  Latin.  But 
Mr.  Piddington  was,  to  use  his  own  expression,  too 
"  obsessed  "  by  his  idea  to  catch  sight  of  its  deficiencies. 

It  was  under  these  circumstances  that  Myers  should 
deliver  his  reply  to  the  message.  The  first  sentence  of 
this  was  the  following  : 

"  Diversis  internuntiis  quod  invicem  inter  se  respondentia 
jamdudum  committis,  id  nee  fallit  nos  consilium,  et  vehementer 
probamus  [As  to  the  fact  that  you  have  for  a  long  time  been 
entrusting  to  different  intermediaries  things  which  correspond 
mutually  between  themselves,  we  have  not  failed  to  notice 
it,  and  cordially  approve  it]." 

On  February  20th  Myers  said  to  Mr.  Piddington : 
"  The  idea  I  got  was  that  I  should  be  a  messenger  and 
hand  through  coherent  messages  to  you."  At  the  next 
sitting  a  week  later,  he  said  : 

"  I  felt  a  little  perturbed  over  your  message  to  me  when  you 

said  I  [failed  ?]  in  replying  sufficiently  to  convince  you  

What  you  said  [was  this]  Although  you  as  intermediary  have 
long  since  united  mutually  ideas,  you  have  or  do  not  reply 
or  respond  sufficiently  to  our  questions  as  to  convince  us  of 
your  existence  etc." 

It  will  be  seen  that  Myers  endeavoured  to  translate  the 
Latin  ;  he  knew  only  the  beginning  of  the  message,  and 
was  therefore  ignorant  of  what  was  really  demanded  of 
him.  But  he  had  misheard  the  word  internuntiis  as  inter- 
nuntius,  and  so  made  it  the  subject  of  the  sentence.  He 
believed  it  was  himself  it  applied  to — that  he  himself 
was  called  an  intermediary,  as  the  one  who  had  given 
"  things  which  correspond  mutually  between  themselves." 


OTHER  EXPERIMENTS  319 

He  appears  to  have  been  glad  to  be  characterized  as  a 
messenger ;  at  least  Rector,  on  December  31st,  1906,  said 
that  he  had  been  delighted  with  the  message,  as  far  as  he 
had  been  able  to  receive  it.  As  for  the  rest  of  the  Latin, 
he  at  any  rate  displayed  more  knowledge  than  it  seems 
possible  to  ascribe  to  Mrs.  Piper.  Only  the  conception 
that  the  message  contained  a  criticism  on  himself  must 
be  due  to  a  strange  misunderstanding  {oi  fallitP),  if  it 
were  not  a  conclusion  drawn  from  the  word  "  although," 
by  which  he  translated  quod.  Something,  he  may  have 
argued,  must  be  wrong  with  his  exertions,  as  Mr.  Pidding- 
ton  said  :  "  Although  you  have  long  since,"  etc.  Later 
he  expressed  the  same  thought  in  a  somewhat  altered 
manner  :  "  you  have  long  since  been  trying  to  assimilate 
ideas,"  he  says,  when  after  the  close  of  the  experiment  he 
attempted  to  reproduce  the  message  for  Sir  Oliver  Lodge. 
The  mistake  that  the  message  contained  a  censure 
was,  however,  destined  to  influence  the  experiment 
greatly.  It  led  Myers  to  mention  a  few  of  his  perform- 
ances, and  among  them  Browning's  poems  Evelyn  Hope 
and  My  Star.  The  import  of  this  will  appear  from  an 
extract  of  the  conversation  held  on  February  27th : 

"  M.  Now  I  believe  that  since  you  sent  this  message  to 
me  I  have  sufficiently  replied  to  your  various  questions  to 
convince  the  ordinary  scientific  mind  that  I  am  at  least  a 
fragment  of  the  once  incarnate  individual  whom  you  called 
Myers. 

"  Mr.  P.  You  say  you  have  replied.  Tell  me  in  what 
messages  your  reply  is  given. 

"  M.  In  my  messages  reported  here  and  through  Mrs. 
Verrall.     The  poems,  the  Halcyon  days.  Evangelic 

"  Mr.  P.     Tell  me  what  poems. 

"  M.     Chiefly  Browning's  lines  given  through  Mrs.  Verrall. 

"  Mr.  P.  Thank  you  very  much.  I  think  you  are  making 
it  clear ;  but  I  want  you  to  make  it  completely  clear.  I  think 
if  you  can  get  through  a  clear  and  complete  answer  to  my 
Latin  message  you  will  have  forged  a  new  and  strong  link  in 
the  claim  of  evidence  for  survival  of  bodily  death. 

"  M.  I  understood  that  you  asked  me  to  reply  referring  to 
my  utterances  through  Mrs.  Verrall. 

"  Mr.  P.  Now  I  think  you  have  done  enough  for  to-day 
in  the  matter  of  replying  to  the  Latin  message." 


320      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

Myers  then  asked  for  the  last  sentence  of  the  Latin  to 
be  repeated,  which  was  done.  Afterwards  the  conversa- 
tion went  on  as  follows  : 

"  Mr.  P.  I  want  to  say  that  you  have,  I  believe,  given  an 
answer  worthy  of  your  intelligence — not  to-day,  I  mean,  but 
some  time  ^back — but  the  interpretation  must  not  be  mine. 
You  must  explain  your  answer  at  this  light. 

"  M.     Yes. 

"  Mr.  P.     You  could  do  it  in  two  words. 

"  M.     Yes,  I  understand. 

"  Mr.  P.     Well  ? 

"  M.     Hope  Star. 

"  Mr.  P.     Well  ?   Yes  ? 

"  M.     Browning. 

"  Mr.  P.    Exactly.     It  couldn't  be  better. 

"  M.     That  is  my  answer. 

"  Mr.  P.  I  can't  thank  you  enough.  That  is  what  I  have 
been  waiting  for. 

"  M.  Well  what  I  wished  was  to  translate  the  whole 
message  for  you  into  Enghsh 

"  Mr.  P.     Translate  into  English  certainly,  if  you  like. 

In  telling  me  that  '  Browning,  Hope  and  a  Star  '  contains 
your  answer  to  the  Latin  message  you  have  given  an  answer 
which  to  me  is  both  intelligible  and  clear  ;  but  still  I  should 
like  you  to  bring  out  one  more  point  still,  so  as  to  leave  no 
doubt  in  any  one's  mind  of  your  meaning. 

"  M.  My  Star.  Evely  ...  I  am  too  [weak]  to  tell  it 
to-day.     My  thoughts  wander  ..." 

It  is  clear  that  Myers  and  Mr.  Piddington  had  talked 
about  quite  different  things.  Myers  did  not  intend  to  say 
that  he  had  answered  the  Latin  message,  but  mentioned 
his  rephes  to  Mr.  Piddington's  various  questions,  and  the 
cross-correspondences  between  Mrs.  Piper  and  Mrs. 
Verrall,  as  performances  that  were  not  quite  despicable. 
When  in  the  midst  of  this  Mr.  Piddington  reverted  to  the 
Latin  message,  he  did  not  comprehend  why  the  conversa- 
tion had  been  turned  that  way,  but  said  with  some 
astonishment  :  "I  understood  that  you  asked  me  to 
reply,  referring  to  my  utterances  through  Mrs.  Verrall," 
i.e.,  to  the  cross-correspondences.  And  beginning  now  to 
suspect  that  Mr.  Piddington  had  spoken  of  something 
other  than  he  had  himself  done,  he  asked  for  a  repetition 


OTHER   EXPERIMENTS  321 

of  the  last  sentence  of  the  message.  Afterwards  Mr. 
Piddington  praised  him  for  the  reply  already  given,  but 
begged  him  to  explain  it  through  Mrs.  Piper.  Unable  to 
comprehend  him,  Myers  tried  to  escape  with  a  vague 
"  Yes,"  but  Mr.  Piddington  continued  :  "  You  could  do  it 
in  two  words."  It  was  fatal,  but  hardly  to  be  wondered 
at,  that  Myers  believed  that  Mr.  Piddington  had  in  mind 
the  two  words  of  the  cross-correspondence  which  had 
recently  been  spoken  of  as  a  great  success — Hope  and 
Star.  Evidently  he  did  not  understand  his  enthusiasm 
on  receiving  them,  and  was  quite  at  a  loss  when  asked  to 
"  bring  out  one  more  point."  He  made  a  feeble  attempt 
to  explain,  faltering  out  at  last  the  real  titles  of  the  two 
poems,  and  left  the  matter  there  for  the  time  being. 

Very  dramatic  is  the  next  sitting,  on  March  6th,  where 
George  Pelham,  who  had  together  with  Hodgson  acted 
all  the  time  as  Myers's  assistant,  but  mostly  behind  the 
scenes,  appeared  and  tried  to  unravel  the  misunder- 
standings. He  did  not  succeed  with  regard  to  Mr. 
Piddington,  but  for  the  reader  the  following  conversation 
is  instructive  : 

"  G.P.     Did  he  [Myers]  tell  you  about  My  Star  ? 

"  Mr.  P.     He  did.     Can  you  explain  about  My  Star  ? 

"  G.P.     Yes  it  was  a  poem  he  had  on  his  mind  of  Browning's. 

"  Mr.  P.     And  why  had  he  this  poem  on  his  mind  ? 

"  G.  P.  He  said  because  it  was  one  of  his  test  experi- 
ments with  a  lady  in  the  body  to  whom  he  refers  as  V.  He 
also  had  another  :  Evelyn — Evelyn  Hope. 

"  Mr.  P.  Is  that  the  explanation  of  the  word  which  came 
out  as  '  Evangehcal '  ? 

"  G.  P.  Yes.  It  was  very  stupid  of  Rector  I  must  say  as 
Hodgson  and  Myers  both  kept  repeating  it  over  and  over 
again  to  him.     I  understand  your  Latin  message  very  well. 

"  Mr.  P.     Well,  will  you  show  me  that  you  understand  it  ? 

"  G.  P.  Yes  certainly.  You  said  in  order  to  convince  you 
he  should  repeat  a  message  not  only  through  this  lady  Mrs.  V. 
but  it  should  be  reproduced  here " 

George  Pelham's  utterings  are  just  as  clear  in  them- 
selves as  they  are  erroneous  with  regard  to  the  contents 
of  the  Latin  message  ;   but  he  v/as  considerably  less  sure 

CD.  Y 


322       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

when  after  some  explanations  on  the  part  of  Mr. 
Piddington  he  left  the  scene.  His  remarks,  however, 
teach  us  how  the  Piper-personalities  at  this  time  appre- 
hended the  message.  In  reality,  the  opinion  expressed 
by  G.  P.  was  the  only  natural  one  after  the  sitting  on 
February  ^yth,  where  Mr.  Piddington  had  incessantly 
asked  Myers  to  repeat  something  that  had  appeared  in 
Mrs.  Verrall's  script.  How  was  it,  after  this,  possible 
to  doubt  that  the  Latin  did  refer  to  some  new  cross- 
correspondence  ?  The  more  because  the  communicators 
had  conceived  the  idea  that  their  former  achievements 
were  thought  to  be  unsatisfactory. 

From  this  point  there  was  not  any  question  of  the  real 
contents  of  the  Latin  message,  but  only  of  the  title  of 
the  Browning  poem  which  Mrs.  Verrall  had  quoted  in  her 
script  of  January  28th.  Myers  had  comprehended  that 
this  was  what  Mr.  Piddington  demanded,  and  the  latter 
formulated  his  demand  very  clearly  in  a  note  which  was 
read  to  Myers  on  April  2nd  by  the  new  experimenter  in 
charge,  Mrs.  Sidgwick  :  "  You  promised  to  try  to  tell  us 
what  particular  poem  of  Browning's  you  meant  to  refer 
to  by  the  words  Browning,  Hope  and  Star." 

There  are  several  things  that  indicate  that  Myers  had  a 
certain  knowledge  of  Mrs.  Verrall's  Abt  Vogler  script. 
For  instance,  he  referred  in  a  connection  as  if  he  endea- 
voured to  recall  it,  at  the  first  sitting  after  February  27th, 
to  the  circle  and  the  triangle  which  are  found  there. 
And  from  the  very  first  he  appeared  to  know  that  its 
subject  was  survival — that  "  Hope  "  meant  hope  of  a  life 
after  death.  This  was  quite  another  conception  than 
that  which  had  suggested  itself  to  Mr.  Piddington  after 
he  had  read  the  script.  But  it  was  in  fact  the  right  one. 
If  an  external  agent  had  a  share  in  it,  his  object  must 
have  been  to  impress  the  idea  of  another  world  on  the 
automatist.  It  is  already  this  thought  that  underlies 
the  "  winged  desire  "  ;  but  it  appears  to  have  fought 
with  other  thoughts  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  mind.  "  Winged  " 
has  led  her  to  write  "  winged  Eros,"  and  Eros  again 


OTHER  EXPERIMENTS  323 

leads,  as  Mr.  Piddington  points  out,  to  the  meaningless 
interpolation  :  "  Then  there  is  Blake  and  mocked  my  loss 
of  liberty  "  ;  the  quotation  comes  from  Blake's  Prince  of 
Love,  who  "  mocks  at  the  lover's  loss  of  liberty."  But 
she  reverts  to  that  which  is  "  all  the  same  thing  "  :  the 
hope  that  leaves  the  earth  for  the  sky,  the  unseen  arc. 
It  is  for  the  sake  of  these  thoughts  that  Browning  is 
quoted. 

Furthermore,  it  would  by  no  means  be  unnatural  if 
the  Latin  message  had  filled  Myers's  mind  with  recollec- 
tions of  words  and  lines  from  Browning  that  speak  of 
earth  and  heaven  and  the  intercourse  between  them, 
seeing  that  it  had  made  him  realize  his  own  position  as  an 
intermediary  between  two  worlds.  But  even  if  he  had 
attempted  to  impress  them  upon  Mrs.  Verrall,  this,  of 
course,  is  quite  another  thing  than  if  he  had  intended  to 
answer  the  message  by  means  of  them,  and  there  was  no 
reason  why  they  should  have  remained  in  his  memory, 
as  they  must  have  done  in  the  latter  case.  On  the  other 
hand,  he  could  not  know  how  far  Mrs.  Verrall  caught  his 
thoughts  ;  "  just  how  much  she  understood  I  am  not 
sure,"  he  says  in  the  Library  case,  and  later  :  "I  am  glad 
she  registered  the  thoughts  I  indubitably  gave  her."  For 
one  reason  and  another  his  conception  of  her  script 
must  be  vague.  Besides,  the  incident  was  many  weeks 
old  now,  and  the  interval  had  been  filled  with  cross- 
correspondences  and  experiments  in  great  abundance. 

Such  being  the  case,  it  would  agree  with  the  situation 
if  Myers  must  ponder  somewhat  over  the  matter  before 
he  named  a  poem — and  if  he  were  mistaken.  And  this 
was  just  what  happened.  On  April  8th  he  reluctantly 
told  Mrs.  Sidgwick  that  the  poem  he  had  "  specially 
thought  of  "  was  La  Saisiaz.  But  this  mistake  is  very 
important.  This  long  poem  by  Browning  has  for  its  sole 
subject  the  possibility  of  a  future  life,  ending  with  a 
vision  of  Hope,  whose  arrow  pierces  the  cloud  of  doubt. 
If  the  trance-personality  had  not  so  much  remembered  it, 
as  devised  that  it  might  be  this  poem  that  had  appeared 

y  2 


324       COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

in  Mrs.  Verrall's  script,  he  must  not  only  have  known  the 
tendency  of  her  Browning  quotations,  but  must  withal  be 
very  familiar  with  that  poet.  He  could  obtain  it  by 
mind-reading  as  little  as  by  clairvoyance,  as  it  was 
neither  found  in  the  thoughts  of  the  experimenters  nor  in 
the  script^of  Mrs.  Verrall. 

Myers,  however,  was  far  from  being  sure  of  having 
found  the  right  poem,  and  of  course  Mrs.  Sidgwick's 
surprise  at  the  mention  of  it  must  add  to  his  doubts.  At 
the  following  sitting  it  became  evident  that  he  had 
abandoned  La  Saisiaz,  and"  the  next  time  he  named  the 
right  one — Aht  Vogler. 

His  joy  and  triumph  after  he  had  succeeded  in  getting 
through  the  difficult  and,  to  Rector,  incomprehensible 
German  name  seem  in  fact  to  indicate  that  he  now  felt 
sure  of  having  found  the  right  poem.  His  assurance  was 
like  that  of  a  person  who  remembers,  and  not  of  one  who 
guesses.  And  with  a  deep  emotion  he  explained  what 
just  this  poem  meant  to  him,  adding  :  "  The  thing  which 
impressed  me  most  was  the  lines  beyond  the  grave." 
He  would  have  said  more,  but,  as  impUed  by  Rector  and 
confirmed  at  a  later  sitting,  some  words  were  left  out  here 
by  mistake.  It  turned  out  afterwards  that  he  had  had 
in  mind  the  lines  about  the  return  of  the  dead  from  Abt 
Vogler,  Stanza  V.  : 

"  The  wonderful  Dead  who  have  passed  through  the  body 
and  gone 
But  were  back  once  more  to  breathe  in  an  old  world  worth 
their  new." 

Thus  it  is  evident  that  Abt  Vogler' s  significance  to  him 
was  the  same  as  that  of  La  Saisiaz.  It  was  a  poem  that 
touched  on  the  problem  of  a  future  life.  For  this  reason 
had  he — if  it  were  he — mentioned  it  through  Mrs.  Verrall ; 
for  this  reason  he  at  any  rate  was  now  sure  of  its  being 
the  poem  that  expressed  what  was  for  him  the  meaning 
of  the  Latin  message— that  he  should  be  a  messenger  to 
the  living  from  the  dead.  Afterwards,  as  Rector  says, 
he  tried  "  to  explain  a  little  about  the  poem,"  speaking 


OTHER   EXPERIMENTS  325 

of  the  resemblance  between  his  own  experience  and  Abt 
Vogler's  "  doubts  and  fears,  then  his  acceptance  of  God  and 
faith  in  Him."  But  Mrs.  Sidgwick  had  expected  a  wholly 
different  explanation  of  his  choice  of  Abt  Vogler.  To  her 
his  speech  was  quite  irrelevant  as  long  as  he  did  not 
mention  the  line  about  the  three  sounds.  But  she  must 
wait  a  long  time  for  that.  That  Myers  considered  his 
answer  satisfactory  may  be  seen  from  the  conversations 
at  the  close  of  the  sitting  on  April  24th  and  at  the  next 
two  : 

"  M.  Now  can  I  do  more  to  help  you  than  give  other 
messages  ? 

"  Mrs.  S.  I  should  like  you  to  say  exactly  why  that  poem 
was  so  appropriate  as  an  answer  to  the  Latin  message. 

"  M.  Because  of  the  appropriate  conditions  mentioned  in 
it  which  applied  to  my  own  life  ;  and  nothing  I  could  think 
of  so  completely  answered  it  to  my  mind  as  those  special 
words." 

Mrs.  Sidgwick  got  no  other  reply  that  time.  But 
Myers  did  not  forget  that  at  the  end  of  the  sitting  she  had 
seemed  less  content  than  when  he  had  first  mentioned 
Aht  Vogler.  So  when  he  met  her  again,  he  himself  intro- 
duced the  subject : 

"  M.  I  am  anxious  to-day  to  clear  one  or  two  things.  Do 
you  remember  my  reference  to  the  poem  ?  Did  you  wish  to 
ask  anything  more  ?  Do  you  remember  when  I  said  I  had 
passed  through  my  body  and  returned  ?  I  tried  to  give  it 
clearly,  but  was  not  sure  you  understood. 

"  Mrs.  S.     Do  you  mean  you  gave  the  name  of  the  poem  ? 

"  M.  Oh  ycb.  I  mean  I  tried  to  give  another  part  also 
which  referred  to  completed  happiness  in  this  life  and  the 
possibility  of  returning  to  the  old  world  again  to  prove  the 
truth  of  survival  of  bodily  death." 

All  that  the  message  had  meant  to  him  is  given  in  this 
single  sentence.  But  he  felt  the  want  of  sympathy,  and 
said  urgently  : 

"  M.  Mrs.  Sidgwick,  dear  old  friend,  do  you  hear  me  at 
all? 

"Mrs.   S.     Yes   I   hear and    I   think   that    I   shall 

understand. 


326      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

"  M.  I  believe  you  will  when  I  tell  you  I  have  returned  to 
breathe  in  the  old  world  which  is  not  however  better  than  our 
new." 

This  time  he  had  succeeded  in  getting  the  important 
lines  through,  and  no  lack  of  enthusiasm  on  the  part  of 
the  experimenters  could  make  him  doubt  the  sufficiency 
of  this  response.  At  the  next  meeting  it  was  not  he  who 
reverted  to  the  message.  Nay,  he  had  even  ceased  to 
think  of  it,  and  was  unprepared  to  return  to  it.  He  had 
spoken  about  another  question,  and  occasioned  by  a 
passing  remark  Mrs.  Sidgwick's  mention  of  it : 

"  M.  And  the  Latin  [message]  I  have  previously  answered 
through  both  lights  sufficiently  for  you  to  understand  that  I 
have  really  answered  at  last. 

"  Mrs.  S.  The  Latin  message,  as  you  know,  refers  to 
cross-correspondences,  but  also  to  something  more,  and  there 
is  a  line  in  Abt  Vogler  which  we  think  you  had  in  mind  as 
describing  that  something  more. 

"  M.  Did  you  say  line  ?  [of  the]  poem  ?  I  remember  the 
message  as  referring  to  my  giving  proofs  of  survival  of  bodily 

death  through  cross  correspondence  messages 1  could 

not  help  thinking  of  Browning " 

Only  after  a  time  was  he  able  to  repeat  his  former  reply 
— that  the  point  where  the  poem  suggested  itself  to  him 
was  this  :  "  Those  who  passed  beyond  do  return,  those 
beyond  mortal  vision."  In  return  it  is  here  confirmed 
that  this  was  what  he  wanted  to  add  when  he  immediately 
after  his  first  mention  of  Abt  Vogler  said  that  the  thing 
which  impressed  him  most  was  the  lines  "  beyond  the 
grave."  This  time,  however,  Myers  had  understood  that 
he  had  not  achieved  all  that  was  wanted  of  him.  And 
there  was  in  fact  one  thing  which  in  his  eagerness  to  explain 
his  choice  of  A  bt  Vogler  he  had  in  the  later  sittings  quite 
lost  sight  of :  the  star.  Of  course  it  had  been  clear  to  him 
that  the  Hope-Star  poem  must  in  some  way  be  connected 
with  stars.  At  the  first  sittings  by  Mrs.  Sidgwick  he  had 
said  that  the  poem  referred  to  "  life  after  death  and  stars." 
La  Saisiaz  he  had  among  other  things  described  as  a 
"  poem  which  Browning  wrote  to  a  friend  about  star  and 


OTHER   EXPERIMENTS  327 

hope,"  where  "  star  "  is  wholly  misplaced.  Even  into 
AM  Vogler  he  had  introduced  the  star,  talking  about  "  his 
questioning  and  the  answer  through  his  seeing  a  star,"  a 
mistake  which  is  no  doubt  due  to  the  idea  of  a  star  being 
indispensable  in  "  the  poem."  At  the  same  time,  how- 
ever, the  star  had  had  another  significance  for  him. 
But  to  understand  this  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  some 
months. 

At  a  Piper-sitting  on  January  i6th,  1907,  Mr.  Pidding- 
ton  had  proposed  that  Myers  should  mark  his  cross- 
correspondences  with  some  sign,  "  say  a  triangle  within 
a  circle."     Myers's  reply  had  shown  that  he  understood 
his  meaning  :   "  You  wish  me  to  make  a  sign  when  giving 
a  word  at  Mrs.  Verrall's  also  at  Mrs.  Holland's,  the  same 
sign."     On  January  28th,  as  seen  above,  a  triangle  within 
a  circle  had  been  drawn  beneath  the  script  of  Mrs.  Verrall. 
It  is  true  that  it  was  used  to  illustrate  the  quotation  from 
Abt  Vogler  about  the  perfect  arc,  but  it  may  on  the  part 
of  Myers  have  been  a  result  of  Mr.  Piddington's  sugges- 
tion, or  may  have  served  two  ends  ;    at  any  rate  Myers 
when  on  March  6th  he  told  the  experimenter  that  he  had 
endeavoured  to  draw  it,  interposed  the  remark,  "  As  you 
suggested."     There  are,  however,  several  tokens  of  his 
having  preferred  to  use  another  sign,  viz.,  a  star.     And 
though  he  first  mentioned  the  circle  in  connection  with 
Mrs.  Verrall's  script  of  January  28th,  he  seems  afterwards 
to  have  thought  that  he  had  marked  it  with  a  star.     When 
on  alluding  to  La  Saisiaz  he  wanted  to  explain  that  he 
spoke  about  the  poem  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  script,  he  said 
first  :    "I  made  a  circle,"  but  immediately  added  :    "I 
then  drevv  or  tried  to  draw  a  star."     In  fact  on  that 
occasion  no  star  was  drawn,  but  only  the  word  aster 
written  ;   but  Mrs.  Sidgwick  confounded  it  with  another 
script   and  replied :    "  Yes,   there   was   a   star   drawn." 
From   thence   Myers   unhesitatingly   connects   the   star 
with  the  script  of  "  the  poem  "  ;    on  April  24th,  imme- 
diately preceding  his  efforts  to  give  the  name  Aht  Vogler, 
a  star  was  drawn,  and  he  exclaimed  :    "I  remembered 


328       COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   DEAD 

Vol  [Vogler]  as  it  came  to  my  memory."  But  it  was  as 
the  sig7i  that  the  star  made  him  recollect  the  poem. 
When  he  quoted  from  it,  it  was  other  thoughts  that  filled 
his  mind. 

Seen  on  this  background,  the  sequel  becomes  clear. 
From  April.  24th  till  May  6th,  Myers  had  repeatedly 
vindicated  his  choice  of  Abt  Vogler.  But  Mrs.  Sidgwick 
had  not  been  satisfied  with  his  quotations  ;  she  had  asked 
for  a  line  which  was  not  among  them.  He  then  remem- 
bered the  star,  which  of  course  must  not  be  absent  from 
the  Hope-Star  poem.  And  he  succeeded  in  recalling  a 
line  about  a  star.  It  was  not  among  those  which  had 
impressed  him  specially  ;  indeed  his  recollection  of  it 
was  faint.  But  its  significance,  he  believed,  lay  in  its 
referring  to  the  sign.  So  at  the  very  next  sitting,  on 
May  7th,  a  star  was  drawn,  and  with  some  difficulty,  and 
alluding  to  another  line  of  Abt  Vogler,  he  wrote  the 
following  : 

"  In  my  passion  to  reach  you  as  clear  as  the  sky  I  quote : 
if  instead  of  a  fourth  [sound]  framed  a  star — came  a  star. 
And  to  make  it  clearer  I  drew  a  star.  This  completes  my 
answer  to  the  Latin  message,  if  you  have  received  all  my 
words  clearly.  In  my  passion  to  reach  you  clearly  I  have 
made  Rector  try  to  draw  a  star  for  me  so  there  can  be  no 
jnistake.  When  I  quoted  to  Mrs.  Verrall  I  drew  the  star  so 
as  to  make  it  clearer  and  I  wished  Rector  to  reproduce  it  in 
connection  with  the  words  in  the  line." 

Thus  at  last  Myers  had  completed  his  answer.  That 
he  conceived  the  meaning  of  the  star  as  he  did  was  only 
natural ;  it  ought  to  be  drawn  by  two  mediums  "  so 
there  could  be  no  mistake."  That  at  the  same  time  a 
line  about  a  star  ought  to  be  quoted  was  certainly  a 
strange  device.  But  as  the  experimenters  with  great 
urgency  demanded  a  line,  and  Myers  of  course  could  not 
suspect  the  real  reason  for  this  demand,  it  was  very  sen- 
sible on  his  part  to  conjecture  that  it  must  refer  to  the 
sign.  When  on  a  later  occasion  he  wanted  to  explain  the 
experiment  to  Sir  Oliver  Lodge,  he  must  no  doubt  have 
felt  that  this  was  not  done  easily.     But  at  this  point  he 


OTHER  EXPERIMENTS  329 

had  received  so  many  assurances  of  his  success  that  he 
could  not  doubt  that  it  was  all  right.  Though  with  some 
difficulty,  he  succeeded  in  fact  in  presenting  a  short 
review  of  its  last  stages  regarded  from  his  own  point  of 
view.  What  preceded  the  moment  when  he  understood 
that  it  was  a  question  of  reproducing  som.ething  which 
had  appeared  in  Mrs.  Verrall's  script,  he  must  give  up 
explaining.     What  he  said  was  the  following  : 

"  Remember  when  Piddington  gave  me  his  message  the 
special  point  in  it  was  for  me  to  give  definite  proof  through 
both  lights.  The  first  thought  I  had  was  to  repeat  a  few 
words  or  lines  of  Browning's  poem,  but  in  order  to  make  it 
still  more  definite  I  registered  a  star,  and  the  lines  I  quoted 
to  you  before  [i.e.,  '  Instead  of  a  fourth  sound  came  a  star  '] 
were  the  most  appropriate  I  could  find." 

"  To  repeat  or  give  more  words  of  Browning's  poem," 
he  had  in  his  last  conversation  with  Mr.  Piddington, 
on  March  13th,  understood  to  be  the  task  before  him. 
Ever  since  he  had  tried  to  do  this.  With  the  words 
from  Abt  Vogler  about  the  returning  dead  he  had 
believed  himself  to  have  performed  his  task.  Per- 
ceiving that  more  was  wanted,  he  had  drawn  the  star 
and  quoted  "  the  line  " — not  knowing  what  it  meant 
to  Mr.  Piddington,  and  not  having  thought  of  it  before. 
As  may  be  seen,  his  recollection  of  it  was  imperfect  to 
the  last. 

The  experimenters  looked  upon  the  reference  to  Abt 
Vogler  and  the  quotation  of  the  line  about  the  three 
sounds  as  a  proof  of  Myers  having  comprehended  the 
Latin  message  and  shown  his  comprehension  through 
Mrs-  Verrall's  script  of  January  28th.  As  regards  the 
critics,  some  explained  the  quotation  by  mind-reading, 
while  others  were  of  opinion  that  the  experimenters  in 
charge  had  given  the  Piper-Myers  sufficient  hints  to 
obtain  Aht  Vogler  and  the  line  in  reply.  I  on  my  part 
cannot  subscribe  to  any  of  these  contentions.  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  the  Piper-personalities  never  dis- 
played a  greater  independence  or  a   clearer   intelligence 


330        COMMUNICATION    WITH  THE  DEAD 

than  when  they  made  their  way  out  of  the  confusion 
which  Mr.  Piddington's  idea  had  wrought.^ 

Mr.  Dorr's  experiments  were  no  more  than  those  of 
Mr.  Piddington  confined  to  cross-correspondences  alone. 
He  had  conceived  the  good  plan  of  reading  aloud  to  the 
Piper-personalities,  especially  to  Myers,  divers  classic 
things  in  English  translation,  fragments  from  Myers's 
autobiography,  and  the  like,  with  the  intention  of  observ- 
ing how  they  would  react  upon  it.  This  mode  of  pro- 
ceeding produced  many  interesting  results,  though  it 
perhaps,  as  accentuated  by  Mrs.  Verrall,  who  reports 
some  of  the  experiments,  suffered  from  several  faults — 
too  many  topics  being  presented  at  a  time,  etc.  As  in 
the  case  of  Mr.  Piddington,  the  trance-personalities  must 
often  ask  the  experimenter  not  to  overwork  them.  It  is 
fair  to  state  this,  as  the  performances  of  course  required 
the  greater  intelligence — whether  that  of  Mrs.  Piper  or 
of  the  alleged  communicators — the  more  severe  the 
conditions  were. 

There  cannot  here  be  a  question  of  reviewing  many  of 
the  experiments,  and  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  decide  which 
ones  ought  to  be  preferred.  I  choose  a  few  of  the  most 
simple  where  Myers  is  the  communicator.  Often  both 
he  and  Hodgson  appeared  to  be  present,  at  other  times 
only  one  of  them.  It  is  interesting  to  see  that  while 
Mr.  Dorr  might  forget  which  of  them  had  been  his  inter- 
locutor, the  communicators  themselves  were  never  mis- 
taken as  to  what  they  had  taken  part  in.  On  May  8th, 
Mr.  Dorr  had  read  some  lines  aloud  to  Hodgson,  and  men- 
tioned them  on  May  12th  to  Myers.  "  Did  you  recite  it 
to  me  before,  friend?  "  asked  the  latter.  "  If  so,  I  did 
not  fully  understand."  The  dramatic  form  is  as  usual 
right  at  Mrs.  Piper's. 

One  of  the  cases  in  which  Myers  displayed  the  greatest 

'  For  further  particulars  about  this  incident  see  my  paper,  "  The 
Latin  Message  Experiment/'  Proceedings  S.P.R.,  Vol.  XXVI.,  pp.  147 
— J  70. 


OTHER  EXPERIMENTS  331 

classical  erudition  is  doubtless  the  following.  At  the 
sitting  on  March  12th,  1908,  Mr.  Dorr  read  aloud  the  first 
ten  lines  from  Dry  den's  version  of  the  Mneid.  The  last 
of  them  run  as  follows  : 

"  For  what  offence  the  queen  of  Heaven  began 
To  prosecute  so  brave,  so  just  a  man  ; 
Involved  his  anxious  life  in  endless  cares, 
Exposed  to  wants,  and  hurried  into  wars," 

When  Mr.  Dorr  had  read  these  lines  Myers  interposed  : 

"  Is  there  such  anger  in  celestial  minds  ? 
A  hero  for  piety  renowned — should  suffer  and  toil." 

The  first  sentence  translates  the  line  that  was  to  come 
(verse  11),  tantcBue  animis  ccBlestibus  iycb,  which  Dryden 
renders,  "  Can  heavenly  minds  such  high  resentment 
show  ?  "  but  which  Mr.  Dorr  had  not  yet  read  aloud. 
The  ensuing  sentence  is  a  perfectly  accurate  rendering 
of  the  immediately  preceding  lines  {Mneid  v.  9 — 10), 
which  are  given  a  little  more  freely  by  Dryden.  "It  is 
certain,"  Mrs.  Verrall  writes,  "  that  a  Virgilian  scholar, 
hearing  a  translation  of  insignem  pietate  virum  tot  adire 
labores  impulerit,  would  expect  the  words  tantcBne  animis 
ccelestihus  ircB  ;  and  it  is  a  remarkable  proof  of  familiarity 
with  the  opening  lines  of  the  first  Mneid  to  combine 
phrases  which  translate  both  what  has,  and  what  has  not, 
been  read  in  Dry  den's  version."  It  can  hardly  be  denied 
that  she  is  right  in  this. 

A  small,  but  interesting  proof  of  a  thoroughgoing 
literary  culture  is  the  following.  At  the  sitting  on 
April  22nd,  1908,  Mr.  Dorr  read  to  Myers  ten  lines  from 
Shelley's  translation  of  The  Cyclops  of  Euripides,  pur- 
posely so  chosen  that  they  neither  contained  names  nor 
any  other  thing  that  might  serve  as  a  clue  : 

"  Mr.  D.     '  One  with  eyes  the  fairest 
Cometh  from  his  dwelling, 
Some  one  loves  thee,  rarest. 
Bright  beyond  my  telling. 
In  thy  grace  thou  shinest 
Like  some  nymph  divinest 


332      COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

In  her  caverns  dewy  : — 

All  delights  pursue  thee, 

Soon  pied  flowers,  sweet-breathing, 

Shall  thy  head  be  wreathing.' 
"  M.     You  read  well. 

"  Mr.  D.     Now  see  if  you  can  tell  me  whose  verses  these 
are.     It's  a  translation  from  the  Greek. 
"  M.     Did  he  write  Ode  to  the  Skylark  ? 
"  Mr.  D.     Yes,  that  is  splendid,  quite  wonderful  I  think. 
"  M.     Thank  you.     If  I  am  not  Myers,  who  am  I  ?  " 

To  complete  the  characterization  of  the  Piper-Myers 
may  finally  be  adduced  an  incident  from  one  of  Mr.  Dorr's 
first  sittings.  The  latter  was^reading  aloud  passages  from 
Frederic  Myers's  Fragments  of  Prose  and  Poetry,  which  is 
partly  an  autobiography.     Among  other  things  he  read  : 

"  From  ten  to  sixteen  I  lived  much  in  the  inward  recital  of 
Homer,  iFschylus,  Lucretius,  Horace,  and  Ovid.  It  was  the 
life  of  about  the  sixth  century  before  Christ,  on  the  isles  of 
the  ^gean,  which  drew  me  most." 

As  these  words  were  spoken,  Myers  wrote  : 

"  A  life  incomplete.  Oh  !  it  is  all  so  clear.  I  recall  so  well 
my  feelings,  my  emotions,  my  joys,  my  pain  and  much  pain. 
Oh  !  I  am  transported  back  to  Greece.  I  recall  it  all.  1  am 
transported — I  remember  before  my  marriage  all  my  imagina- 
tions, my  pain,  my  longing,  my  unrest.  I  lived  it  all  out  as 
few  men  did.  I  drank,  as  Omar  K[hay]yam,  life  and  all  its 
joys  and  griefs.  And  never  was  it  complete.  A  disappointing 
— long,  dreary  longing  for  a  fulfilment  of  my  dreamed  of  joys. 
I  found  it  here  and  only  here.  '  Men  may  come  and  men  may 
go,  but  I  go  on  for  ever.'  ^  I  shall  be  delighted  to  complete  my 
memories  of  Homer,  Horace  and  Vergil  until  you  are  satisfied 
that  I  am  still  one  among  you,  not  a  fantasy  but  a  reality." 

There  is  perhaps  nothing  "  evidential  "  in  this.  But 
wonderfully  well  it  fits  the  personality  that  has  been 
depicted  at  the  Piper-sittings — the  wise  and  gentle  scholar, 
the  unpretending  and  untiring  champion  of  the  cause 
which  had  filled  the  life  of  Frederic  Myers. 

'  Tennyson. 


SECTION    VII 

Conclusion.     New  Mediums 

CHAPTER   XIX 

CONCLUSION 

In  the  preceding  sections  I  have  presented  as  much  of 
the  materials  gathered  by  the  researchers  as  seemed 
sufficient  to  yield  a  basis  for  the  judgment  of  the  question 
which  is  the  subject  of  this  book.  It  has  been  my  aim 
to  present  "  the  evidence  "  in  such  fullness  that  it  might 
speak  for  itself.     My  own  words  can  be  few. 

What,  then,  has  this  evidence  told  us  ?  It  told  us  in 
the  first  place  that  Professor  Flournoy  was  right  when  he 
pictured  mediums  whose  statements  originated  from  their 
own  dream-world,  whose  non-normal  faculties  at  best 
consisted  in  their  being  able  to  remember  in  a  trance- 
condition  things  that  had  long  ago  been  obliterated  from 
their  waking  consciousness,  or  had  perhaps  scarcely 
reached  it.  It  told  us  in  the  second  place  that  Hartmann 
was  right  when  he  assigned  to  certain  people  a  super- 
normal power  of  perceiving  things  which  were  not  only 
distant  with  regard  to  space  but  might  also  be  with  regard 
to  time,  and  which  in  the  latter  case  might  belong  not 
only  to  the  past  but  even  to  the  future.  We  found 
mediums,  or  automatists,  who  possessed  this  power,  and 
we  saw  that  it  was,  like  cryptomnesia,  utilized  for  the 
fabrication  of  romances  in  which  their  waking  conscious- 
ness had  no  share,  but  considered  the  products  of  foreign 
beings.  All  this  made  us  ask  :  Is  there,  then,  no  limit 
to  what  may  be  perceived  clairvoyantly  and  fabricated 
unconsciously  ?     Is  it  possible  that  the  whole  difference 


334       COMMUNICATION  WITH  THE  DEAD 

is,  that  in  the  case  of  those  who  are  only  a  little  medium- 
istic,  or  a  little  entranced,  we  may  trace  the  cause  of  their 
performances,  discover  the  sources  of  their  knowledge, 
the  motives  for  their  fabricating,  while  in  a  highly 
mediumistic  and  deeply  entranced  individual  like  Mrs. 
Piper  we  are  unable  to  do  this  ?  Is  it  only  a  difference 
in  degree  ?  Do  all  of  them  on  a  small  scale  achieve  what 
Mrs.  Piper  and  similar  mediums  do  on  a  large  one  ? 

Let  us  remember  what  Professor  Flournoy  relates. 
"  There  was  hardly,"  he  writes,  "  a  prominent  or  well- 
known  man  in  Geneva  who  had  departed  this  life  who  did 
not  soon  afterwards  manifest  to  me  through  some  medium, 
but  invariably  these  manifestations  corresponded  to  the 
medium's  idea  of  the  deceased  persons  rather  than  to  my 
own  relations  with  them."  He  adduces  divers  ridiculous 
instances  of  the  platitudes  assigned  to  the  departed. 
Here,  then,  pure  imagination  sufficed  to  explain  the 
phenomenon  ;  clairvoyance  did  not  play  a  part.  In  the 
same  way  the  great  men  of  the  past  were  re-constructed  ; 
Calvin  recommended  spiritualism  in  the  tritest  phrases, 
and  through  a  medium,  too,  who  was  the  intelligent 
authoress  of  philosophical  and  moral  writings.  Finally 
we  ought  to  recall  the  most  famous  among  the  Genevese 
mediums,  Helen  Smith,  who  composed  in  trance  romances 
about  the  conditions  on  the  planet  Mars,  and  for  one  thing 
invented  for  the  use  of  the  inhabitants  a  language  that  in 
the  most  naive  manner  imitated  her  own  mother-tongue. 
With  good  reason.  Professor  Flournoy's  experiments  with 
these  mediums  resulted  in  his  talking  of  silliness,  childish 
joy  in  self -invented  comedies,  and  relapse  to  a  lower  stage 
of  development  than  that  occupied  by  the  sensitives  in 
their  waking  condition. 

It  is  a  tremendous  leap  Professor  Flournoy  must  make 
when  proceeding  to  speak  about  Mrs.  Piper.  The  possi- 
bility of  mind-reading  he  had  beforehand  granted.  "  A 
good  medium,"  he  says,  "  is  able  to  mirror,  or  transmit, 
the  unconscious  ideas  of  the  sitters."  Here  already  he 
had  by  far  exceeded  the  standpoint  of  his  own  mediums. 


CONCLUSION  335 

But  as  regards  Mrs.  Piper's  performances,  he  saw  that  it 
was  necessary  to  go  further  and  to  admit  "  an  active 
and  selective  telepathy,"  by  the  aid  of  which  the  medium 
could  choose  from  the  minds  of  many  living — present  or 
absent — the  elements  from  which  the  images  of  the  dead 
were  reconstructed.  Or  else,  he  suggested,  the  incom- 
plete image  of  the  defunct  which  one  of  the  sitters  had 
transmitted  telepathically  to  Mrs.  Piper  might  attract 
to  itself  other  fragmentary  images  possessed  by  other 
persons,  and  thus  give  birth  to  a  complete  whole.  In 
extension,  if  not  in  principle,  this  does  not  much  differ 
from  clairvoyance.  And  even  so  the  cases  where  the 
sitter  does  not  know  the  communicator  are  not  taken  into 
account.  In  fact,  there  is  nothing  for  it  but  to  grant  her 
clairvoyance,  and  that  a  wholly  unlimited  clairvoyance. 

Well,  clairvoyance  is  a  fact,  I  shall  not  here  dwell  on 
its  limitations.  Possibly  the  entranced  medium  possesses 
it  in  a  higher  degree  than  the  waking  psychometrists  or 
the  semi-waking  automatists.  That  question  cannot  be 
decided,  as  the  problem  at  issue  is  just  whence  the 
entranced  medium  obtains  her  knowledge— whether  from 
the  discarnate  or  by  means  of  clairvoyance.  For  the  sake 
of  the  argument  it  is  necessary  to  grant  Mrs.  Piper  this 
supernormal  faculty  in  the  farthest  possible  dimension. 

Mrs.  Piper,  then,  is  clairvoyant.  There  is  nothing  so 
distant  nor  so  forgotten  that  she  cannot  get  hold  of  it. 
She  does  not  always  get  it,  but  this  is  not  because  it  is  a 
question  of  a  specially  distant  or  wholly  forgotten  matter  ; 
it  may  be  quite  simple  and  obvious  things  she  fails  in, 
while  more  difficult  tasks  are  performed.  But  having 
admitted  all  this,  having  admitted  that  her  knowledge 
may  be  due  to  clairvoyance,  because  clairvoyance  exists, 
we  proceed  to  something  else — namely  to  her  utilization 
of  the  material  to  which  she,  maybe  through  clairvoyance, 
has  access. 

Her  command  of  it  is  wonderful,  her  use  of  it  that  of  a 
master.  What  she  makes  of  it  we  have  seen  ;  here  it 
can  only  be  hinted  at.     She  creates  a  figure,  Phinuit, 


336       COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

whom  she  endows  with  mediiimistic  powers,  with  clair- 
voyance and  the  faculty  of  psychometrizing,  with  medical 
knowledge  and  prevision  ;  a  medium,  though  an  imperfect 
one — as  mediums  mostly  are.  Beside  him,  she  creates 
figures  in  the  likeness  of  deceased  persons.  These  she 
does  not  piake  mediumistic — they  know  no  more  than 
their  human  prototypes  might  be  supposed  to  know.  In 
return,  their  knowledge  is  not  dim  and  groping  like  that 
of  Phinuit,  but  certain  enough  within  their  limited 
territory,  apart  from  the  slips  of  memory  that  are  natural 
for  human  beings. 

And  she  goes  further.  She  creates  George  Pelham,  who 
also  represents  an  individual  who  has  died,  but  who  lives 
on  in  new  activity,  the  old  George  whom  friends  and  rela- 
tives recognize,  and  yet  quite  a  new  George.  The  same 
applies  to  Professor  Hyslop's  father,  Bennie  Junot,  Hodgson 
and  Myers — in  short,  to  all  the  prominent  portraits  in 
Mrs.  Piper's  gallery.  It  is  not  only  a  question  of  attract- 
ing, as  Professor  Flournoy  suggested,  other  people's 
images  of  the  persons  represented  ;  when  Mrs.  Piper  has 
subliminally  created  her  figures,  they  live,  talk,  and  act, 
not  as  they  have  talked  and  acted  in  the  past,  but  as  they 
might  be  conceived  to  do  if  they  still  existed  under  new 
conditions.  It  is  no  historical  novel  about  bygone  times 
that  Mrs.  Piper  composes  on  the  basis  of  her  mysterious 
knowledge.  The  latter  is  the  material  of  which  she  may 
have  fabricated  her  persons  ;  but  her  ability  does  not 
end  here  ;  she  presents  them  in  their  relations  with  the 
survivors,  she  shows  us  their  reciprocal  relations.  Together 
with  the  sitters  and  the  researchers,  she  acts  an  extempora- 
neous drama  with  a  never-failing  faculty  of  carrying 
out  the  characterization  of  the  countless  personalities, 
and  making  each  of  them  play  just  the  part  claimed  by 
the  situation.  She  even  ventures  to  depict  them  con- 
fused or  momentarily  incapable  of  replying  to  the  proffered 
questions,  if  the  characterization  demands  it.  For  this 
is  not  a  way  of  covering  her  own  possible  lack  of  know- 
ledge.    It  is  part  of  the  drama  that  the  personalities 


CONCLUSION  337 

differ  from  each  other  with  regard  to  clearness  and  faculty 
of  communicating.  If  the  actual  communicator  cannot 
answer  what  he  is  asked  about,  George  Pelham  may 
perhaps  learn  it  from  him  afterwards.  Or,  on  the  other 
hand,  what  Phinuit  could  not  obtain  by  psychome- 
trizing, the  spirit  might  tell  when  he  himself  appeared. 
Mrs.  Piper  draws  from  an  inexhaustible  well,  and  distri- 
butes her  riches  with  the  eye  of  a  dramatic  genius. 

She  does  not  flinch  at  any  task.  She  has  created 
Myers,  and  she  is  so  little  afraid  of  the  consequences 
that  she  makes  Hodgson  ask  the  experimenters  to  give 
him  more  opportunities  to  prove  his  identity  ;  she  has 
access  to  English  literature  and  classic  learning  as  to  all 
other  knowledge,  and  need  not  fear  to  lack  material  for 
his  figure,  the  most  exquisite  she  has  produced.  That 
she  can  manage  the  cross-correspondences,  and  in  a 
highly  intelligent  manner  make  her  way  out  of  the  mazes 
of  the  Latin  message  experiment,  is  scarcely  more  remark- 
able than  the  rest. 

The  question  is  then  whether  a  person  is  subliminally 
capable  of  all  tliis.  We  have  heard  Professor  Flournoy's 
opinion.  On  reading  about  his  MUe.  X.  one  is  reminded 
of  Mrs.  Verrall  and  the  other  English  automatists. 
Intelligent,  cultivated — nay,  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  Verrall 
and  her  daughter,  possessed  of  classical  erudition — as  they 
were,  their  automatic  productions  might  assume  a  form 
which  might  deceive.  But,  in  fact,  it  became  for  this 
reason  the  more  noticeable  that  their  writings  were  so 
incoherent  and  puerile  as  on  a  closer  examination  they 
most  often  turned  out  to  be.  The  automatists  themselves 
had  an  open  eye  for  these  qualities.  It  required  many 
exhortations  to  make  Mrs.  Holland  continue  her  writing, 
and  Mrs.  Verrall,  who  has  herself  reported  her  first  pro- 
ductions, mentions  them  in  more  than  one  place  in  a  very 
ironical  manner.  One  faculty  certainly  seems  to  dis- 
tinguish the  subconsciousness  in  preference  to  the  waking 
man — memory.  No  doubt  it  is  this  phenomenon,  cryp- 
tomnesia,  the  faculty  of  drawing  in  trance  or  semi-trance 

CD.  Z 


338       COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE   DEAD 

things  from  a  hidden  store  which  the  conscious  self  ignores, 
that  has  contributed  the  most  to  assign  importance  to 
the  automatic  productions.  It  is  the  same  faculty  that 
distinguishes  the  hypnotized  person  ;  it  may  in  this 
connection  be  worth  noting  that  a  renowned  physiologist  ^ 
says  that  though  such  a  person  may  remember  many 
details  which  the  waking  self  has  forgotten,  the  accumu- 
lated store  of  learning  is  not  made  use  of  by  him  as  it  is 
by  the  unmutilated  consciousness  of  the  waking  man, 
and,  above  all,  "  the  accumulated  knowledge  of  the  past 
is  not  at  the  command  of  the  hypnotic  self  for  deliberate 
judgment,  for  the  determination  of  conduct  and  the 
expression  of  the  will." 

This,  then,  is  how  matters  stand  with  regard  to  the 
evidence  for  communication  with  the  dead.  Everything 
depends  on  the  possibility  of  Mrs.  Piper's  automatic 
productions  being  ingenious  while  those  of  other  people 
are  infantile  and  foolish.  To  me  it  has  appeared  impos- 
sible. 

Of  course,  within  the  boundary  of  a  single  book  it  has 
been  infeasible  to  draw  any  but  the  roughest  outlines  of 
the  reply  to  the  question.  Above  all,  it  must  be  accen- 
tuated that  there  has  not  been  any  question  of  explaining 
the  phenomena,  but  only  of  their  classification.  It  ought 
however  to  be  emphasized,  that  in  spite  of  all  disparity 
they  constitute  a  unity.  Nature  makes  no  bounds.  It 
is  only  apparently  that  there  is  a  chasm  even  between  the 
silliest  dream-fabrications  and  the  manifestations  through 
Mrs.  Piper.  All  of  them  grow  in  the  same  soil — the 
mediumistic  state  of  dissociation,  that  state  where,  to 
use  an  expression  which  must  only  be  taken  as  a  symbol, 
the  spirit  appears  to  have  more  or  less  completely  left 
the  body.  The  effect  of  this  state  may  be  that  there  are 
as  in  sleep  born  fancies  for  which  the  waking  reason  is 
not   responsible.      But   the   same  state,   when   the  dis- 

*  Morton  Prince,  The  Dissociation  of  a  Personality ,  pp.  86 — 87. 


CONCLUSION  339 

sociation  is  more  complete  or  the  individual  more  fit  for  it, 
may  make  it  possible  for  other  intelligences  to  make  use 
of  the  organism,  A  small  quantity  of  mediumism  pro- 
duces the  former  result,  a  large  one  the  latter.  But  it  is 
the  same  principle  that  underlies  both  phenomena.^ 

There  are  a  quantity  of  minor  questions  which  it  has 
been   impossible   to   consider   here.     One   of    the   most 
important   is    the   question    of   the   interference    of   the 
medium's  subconsciousness  in  those  cases  where  it  is  not 
the  sole  factor.     Even  in  the  case  of  a  medium  of  the 
type  of  Mrs.  Piper,  and  as  deeply  entranced  as  she  is,  it 
seems  to  play  a  certain  part.     When  Hodgson  ^  once  said 
through  her  that  "  every  communication  must  have  the 
human    element,"    he     no     doubt     spoke    the     truth. 
Suggestibility  and  other  subliminal  qualities  appear  at 
times  to  influence  the  communicators  when  they  make  use 
of  a  medium's  organism  ;   in  the  strangest  way  they  are 
now  and  again  seen  to  protrude.     Sometimes  it  is  as  if  the 
communicators  must  forcibly  suppress  a  foreign  tendency. 
There  might  be  quoted  a  number  of  cases  where  a  com- 
municator is  on  the  point  of  accepting  a  suggestion,  but 
in  due  time  succeeds  in  rejecting  it.     Thus,   Professor 
James  had  at  a  sitting  on  May  21st,  1906,  proposed  that 
Hodgson  should  undertake  Rector's  part  as  intermediary. 
"  Yes,"  was  the  answer,  "  that  is  a  very  good  suggestion, 
very  good."     But  immediately  after  he  said  :    "  But  he 
repeats  for  me  very  cleverly  and  he  understands  the 
management  of  the  light."     And  on  a  later  occasion  he 
expressed  in  the  strongest  words  the  necessity  of  Rector's 
intervention  :  "  It  is  Rector  who  is  speaking  and  he  speaks 
for  me.     I  have  no  desire  to  take  his  place.     He  under- 
stands the  conditions  better  than  any  individual  spirit. 
When  I  finished  with  the  conditions  in  the  earthly  life 
I  finished  with  my  control  over  the  light." 

Another  instance  of  suggestibility  presents  an  incident 

'  Dissociation  may  withal  produce  pathological  states  ;  but  this  does 
not  involve  that  mediumism  is  in  itself  pathological,  which  is  not 
indicated  by  anything  else. 

2  See  above,  p.  269. 

Z2 


340      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

from  the  Horace  Ode  case.^  Myers  had  not  answered 
Mrs.  Verrall's  question  :  "  Which  ode  of  Horace  entered 
deeply  into  your  inner  Hfe  ?  "  But  when  during  the  Latin 
message  experiment  he  had  cited  the  hnes  from  Aht 
Vogler  about  the  dead  who  return  to  breathe  in  the  old 
world,  the  experimenters,  who  did  not  recognize  the 
quotation,  thought  that  it  was  possibly  due  to  an  attempt 
to  answer  the  former  question  ;  the  Archytas  ode  which 
Mrs.  Verrall  had  in  mind  alludes  to  the  unsatisfactoriness 
of  our  single  and  short  earthly  existence.  In  spite  of 
Myers  having,  as  has  been  seen  above,  quoted  the  lines 
about  the  returning  dead  for  quite  a  different  reason,  he 
accepted  at  the  moment  Mrs.  Sidgwick's  suggestion  about 
connecting  them  with  the  Horace  question.  On  the  next 
day  he  tried  to  retract  his  answer,  and  acknowledged  that 
he  only  remembered  the  ode  "  in  a  sense." 

Of  the  same  kind  it  is  when  Myers,  to  Mrs.  Sidgwick's 
question  about  Abt  Vogler,  "Do  you  mean  that  you 
gave  the  name  of  the  poem  ?  "  replies  :  "  Oh  yes.  I 
mean  that  I  tried  to  give  another  part  also,"  etc.^  The 
communicators  are  obliging  in  a  somewhat  unnatural 
manner  that  recalls  the  forced  obedience  of  the  hypno- 
tized person.  It  is  a  task  of  no  small  import  to  elucidate 
how  far  they  are  influenced  by  the  subliminal  qualities. 
And  in  the  sam.e  way  divers  problems  might  be  pointed 
out  whose  solution  must  be  the  next  step  for  those  who 
had  attained  to  the  conviction  that  the  principal  question 
was  answered. 

1  Cf.  above,  pp.  311 — 12. 

2  See  above,  p.  325. 


CHAPTER  XX 

NEW  MEDIUMS 

It  is  by  means  of  the  manifestations  at  the  Piper- 
sittings  that  I  have  attempted  to  prove  the  communica- 
tion with  the  dead.  Mrs.  Piper  was  for  a  long  time  the 
only  medium  with  whom  experiments  were  conducted 
in  a  large  number  under  scientific  supervision,  and  the 
material  collected  in  this  wise  is  of  a  copiousness  that  has 
not  yet  been  equalled.  In  later  years,  however,  Professor 
Hyslop  has  experimented  with  other  mediums  of  a  similar 
type,  and  a  series  of  reports  on  these  experiments  has  been 
published  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Society  for 
Psychical  Research. ^ 

In  itself  there  is  no  reason  for  discussing  this  material 
here.  But  it  is  interesting  to  find  again  through  these 
new  mediums  "  the  group,"  as  Myers-Hodgson-Pelham 
call  themselves ;  with  them  also  Professor  Hyslop's 
father,  who  has  become  one  of  the  most  ardent  collabora- 
tors in  the  work  of  enlightening  humanity  about  the  truth 
of  the  survival  of  bodily  death.  When  Mrs.  Chenoweth 
(pseudonym),  who  is  one  of  Professor  Hyslop's  best 
mediums,  presents,  for  instance,  George  Pelham  to  us,  it 
is  like  meeting  a  good  friend  once  more.  It  is  precisely 
the  old  G.  P.  who  talks,  for  instance,  in  the  autumn  of 
1910  with  Professor  Hyslop  about  the  first  attempts  at 
communicating  made  by  Professor  William  James,  who 
had  died  in  the  preceding  August  and  seems  to  have  joined 
the  group  immediately  : 

"  G.  P.  James  is  very  particular  and  anxious  to  have 
everything  just  right.  He  is  improving,  we  think.  Do  not 
you  ? 

"  Prof.  H.     Yes,  I  do. 

'  The  extracts  below  are  from  Vol.  VI. 


342       COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

"  G.  P.  When  he  can  push  the  pad  around  to  suit  himself 
he  will  be  getting  pretty  near  into  my  class,  but  not  yet.  I 
still  hold  the  pennant  and  I  don't  intend  to  let  any  emigrant 
from  little  Cambridge  get  in  ahead  of  me.  You  see  there  are 
some  of  us  who  still  have  a  streak  of  human  cussedness  in 
us " 

On  another  occasion  George  Pelham  reverts  to  the 
period  when  we  first  became  acquainted  with  him,  the 
time  of  his  earliest  manifestations  through  Mrs.  Piper : 

"  G.  P.  I  am  always  tempted  to  recall  some  of  my  own 
past  every  time  I  return  for  I  never  can  quite  recover  from 
the  awful  grilling  which  Hodgson  gave  me  after  my  most 
respectable  and  sudden  departure.  You  are  not  such  a  fiend 
as  he  was  or  we  would  all  be  in  the  deep  deep  sea. 

"  Prof.  H.     Thank  you. 

"  G.  P.  You  get  the  evidence  just  the  same  and  we  are 
not  so  distressed.  The  sittings  with  you  are  so  much 
pleasanter,  so  much  more  social.  Hodgson  says  that  will  do, 
he  wants  to  hear  no  more  of  such  soft  compliments " 

Professor  Hyslop  asserts  that  the  medium  had  not  read 
the  records  of  the  Piper-sittings.  But  even  if  she  had 
done  so,  it  would  require  no  small  amount  of  intelligence 
to  produce  on  the  basis  thereof  the  above  pieces  of  charac- 
terization. 

A  new  communicator  was,  besides  Professor  James, 
Mr.  Frank  Podmore.  This  well  known  critic  of  the 
results  of  psychical  research  had,  like  James,  died  in 
August,  1910 ;  he  appeared  already  in  the  following 
October  through  Mrs.  Chenoweth,  who,  being  an  American, 
had  never  heard  the  name  of  the  English  author.  Pod- 
more  had  in  his  lifetime  disputed,  not  exactly  the  possi- 
bility of  a  future  life,  but  the  probability  of  getting  into 
communication  with  the  departed.  Above  all,  he  had 
contended  that  no  proof  had  been  produced  of  it.  His 
method  had  been  that  of  attacking  aU  weak  points  in 
the  communications  without  regard  to  the  totality,  and 
without  attempting  any  attack  where  the  position  was 
strongest.  No  doubt  he  did  good  service  by  pointing 
out  the  weaknesses,  and  by  demanding  that  all  possi- 
bilities for  a  human  explanation  ought  to  be  faced  ;  but 


NEW  MEDIUMS  343 

he  generally  reckoned  only  with  explanations  like  fraud, 
self-deception,  cryptomnesia,  and  at  most  telepathy. 
Clairvoyance  he  was  rather  unwilling  to  admit,  and  to 
psychometry  he  does  not  seem  to  have  paid  much  atten- 
tion. That  he  had  not  believed  in  it  was  affirmed  by 
Miss  Johnson  in  reply  to  an  inquiry  by  Professor  Hyslop. 
For  those  who  know  Mr.  Podmore  as  an  author  it  is 
curious  to  read  a  conversation  that  took  place  in  May, 
1911,  through  Mrs.  Smead  (pseudonym),  another  medium 
of  Professor  Hyslop's,  between  him  and  the  latter.  Pod- 
more  had,  as  stated  afterwards  by  Hodgson,  made  the 
acquaintance  of  a  recently  deceased  lady  who  in  Hodg- 
son's lifetime  had  had  sittings  with  Mrs.  Piper,  and  who 
had  herself  practised  psychometry.  He  had  thus  been 
converted  into  a  belief  in  this  phenomenon,  a  belief  which 
Professor  Hyslop  did  not  share.  The  unwillingness  of 
the  latter  to  accept  his  opinion  made  the  conversation 
rather  long  but  at  the  same  time  so  instructive  that  I 
propose  to  reproduce  it  with  only  a  few  omissions : 

"  P.  Different  objects  do  carry  their  influence,  Hyslop, 
more  than  you  know. 

"  Prof.  H.     All  right,  I  am  glad  to  hear  that. 

"  P.  Yes  and  in  some  cases  it  is  all  from  your  side.  Do 
you  know  I  wish  to  convey  the  meaning  [of]  Psychometry  ?  ^ 

"  Prof.  H.     Yes. 

"  P.  Yes.  But  only  when  objects  are  used  continually  ^ 
does  it  come  Hke  second  nature  to  the  '  Medium.' 

"  Prof.  H.     I  understand. 

"P.  A  case  of  Practice  makes  perfect.  Yes  that  was  how 
I  find  it  was  with  some  of  those  I  experimented  with  since  I 
have  been  here. 

"Prof.  H.    Good. 

"P.     All  of  the  earth  side.     Do  you  know  that  ? 

"  Prof.  H.     No,  I  do  not,  but  I  am  glad  to  hear  it. 

"  P.  Yes,  these  workers  of  whom  I  speak  did  much  in  this 
way  ;  believed  it  was  from  here  but  only  of  the  psy[chometry]. 

Yes,   of  earth  life. Impressions  of    ours    are    left  more 

distinctly  on  those  things  we  have  kept  about  our  person 
continually.     Yes  do  you  not  find  it  so  ? 

"  Prof.  H.     I  do  not  know,  unless  you  mean  .  .  . 

"  P.     You  get  best  results  as  you  term  it,  H.,  from  such. 

1  Here  and  elsewhere  the  medium  spells  "  Scicometry." 

2  I.e.,  by  the  medium. 


344      COMMUNICATION   WITH    THE  DEAD 

But  sometimes  the  owner  of  it  is  not  present  and  yet  you  get 
information  from  them. 

"  Prof.  H.  Can  you  get  Httle  incidents  of  their  Hves,  that 
is,  of  the  owners  from  the  objects  alone  ? 

"  P.  Not  I,  but  some  on  your  side,  H.,  can.  Can  you 
understand  me  ? 

"  Prof.  H.^  Not  quite  fully  because  that  must  be  long 
investigated. 

"  P.     Fact  yes 

"  Prof  H.     All  right. 

"  P.  positively  so  too.  Yes  it  does  not  of  necessity  need 
be  that  we  are  with  them  to  get  the  earth  memories. 

"  Prof.  H.     Do  you  mean  that  the  associations  .  .  . 

"  P.     remain  with  them. 

"  Prof.  H.     affect  the  mind  of  the  .  .  . 

"  P.  Yes  yes  yes,  H.,  that  is  it  exactly,  H.,  that  is  why  so 
much  is  taken  for  Spirits  that  is  not  really  so. 

"  Prof  H.     But  .  .  .  " 

It  was  a  mistake  on  the  part  of  Podmore  to  conclude 
from  Professor  Hyslop's  utterances,  which  he  himself  cut 
short,  that  he  agreed  with  him.  Professor  Hyslop,  how- 
ever, in  the  sequel  set  forth  his  opinion  so  plainly  that 
the  mistake  was  cleared  up : 

"  P.  Psychomeiry  stops  there.  And  if  you  keep  the  object 
from  their  personal  touch,  H.,  you  do  not  get  much.  Can  you 
understand  my  expression  ? 

"  Prof.  H.  If  you  mean  that  many  thoughts  from  the 
spirit  world  are  conveyed  to  the  mind  of  the  psychic  and  then 
are  recalled  by  association  with  the  objects. 

"  P.  No.  No.  I  mean  that  those  objects  hold  for  a 
while  the  impressions  our  Spirits  left  with  them. 

"  Prof.  H.  Do  you  mean  that  thoughts  are  left  on  the 
objects  and  can  .  .  . 

"  P.  Certainly,  be  picked  up,  if  you  please,  by  the  ones 
having  the  gift  to  do  so.     Not  tel[epathy]. 

"  Prof.  H.     I  understand  that. 

"  P.  They,  H.,  could  not  get  them  if  the  objects  were  not 
brought  into  contact  with  them. 

"  Prof.  H.     I  understand,  but  it  is  incredible  to  me. 

"  P.  No,  but  if  you  keep  the  object  from  their  touch  and 
your  own,  as  it  has  been  suggested,  we  can  keep  more  in  touch 
with  our  earth  friend,  as  it  is  then  a  case  of  our  personality 
and  kept  out  of  reach  of  the  other's  touch,  the  psychic  touch, 
if  you  like.  You  know  I  did  not  believe  in  Psy[chometry] 
having  any  hold,  when  there,  but  when  I  came  to  try  those 
I  had  experimented  with  I  found  the  new  difficulty. 


NEW  MEDIUMS  345 

"  Prof.  H.  Then  would  it  be  better  always  not  to  have 
objects  near  at  hand  when  experimenting  ? 

"  P.  Not  to  let  the  psychic  come  in  touch  personally  with 
them.     Do  you  now  get  my  thought  ? 

"  Prof.  H.     Yes. 

"P.  If  you  desire  a  perfect  set  of  facts  and  clear  ones 
never  let  them  see  or  touch  them,  as  they  will  always  get 
impressions  if  personal  contact  exists. 

"  Prof.  H.     I  understand. 

"  P.  Keep  them  as  H[odgson]  was  told  to  do.  I  ridiculed 
the  idea  when  there,  but  it  is  true  nevertheless. 

"  Prof.  H.     Then  you  simply  read  off  the  object  your  own 

"  P.     life  history,  yes. 

"  Prof.  H.  Then  it  might  be  difficult  to  prove  spirits 
at  all. 

"  P.  If  as  I  said,  H.,  you  let  the  psychic  touch  them.  Can 
you  not  understand  yet  ? 

"  Prof.  H.     Yes go  on. 

"  P.  It  is  only,  H.,  when  no  other  comes  in  contact  with 
our  earth  memories  can  they  be  proven  as  of  Personal  Identity. 
Cannot  you  see  that  if  another  comes  in  contact  it  takes  away 
the  proof  ? 

"  Prof.  H.     That  may  be,  but  go  on 

"  P.     It  was  hard  for  me  to  believe  it. 
"  Prof.  H.     Yes,  and  it  is  hard  for  me  to  believe  it  now,  in 
spite  of  your  statement. 
"  P.    Fact  just  the  same. 
''  Prof  H.     All  right. 
"P.     I  never  did  give  in. 

"  Prof.  H.  No,  and  I  shall  have  to  get  much  more  evidence 
to  make  me  give  in. 

"  P.  Try  it  for  yourself  with  my  thoughts  in  view.  See  if 
some  of  those  you  experiment  with  do  not  find  it  difficult  to 
get  information  without  personal  touch  of  objects,  H." 

As  may  be  seen,  Podmore's  statement  on  the  whole 
agrees  with  the  results  we  have  previously  attained  to 
with  regard  to  "  articles."  But  it  is  interesting  to  see 
that  it  is  he  who  advocates  them,  and  advocates  them 
just  in  the  way  he  does.  Now  he  knows  that  communi- 
cation is  a  fact,  but  he  has  also  become  convinced  that 
psychometry  is  so  ;  and  he  immediately  discerns  the 
possibilities  involved  in  this.  He  has  made  himself  very 
familiar  with  the  subject.  He  knows  that  it  can  be 
useful  to  bring  objects,  as  it  helps  the  communicators 


346      COMMUNICATION   WITH  THE  DEAD 

to  keep  in  touch  with  the  sitters.  That  was  just  what 
the  utterances  of  Rector  and  others  at  the  Piper-sittings 
went  to  show.  But  the  objects  must  be  kept  as  Hodgson 
was  told  to  do — they  must  not  come  into  contact  with 
the  mediuni^ ;  the  reverse  may,  even  if  the  deceased  owners 
are  present,  occasion  an  intermingling  of  the  psychic's 
own  impressions,  and,  what  is  the  most  important,  it 
takes  away  the  proof.  How  characteristic  that  this  sceptic 
par  excellence  above  all  thinks  about  the  proof  ! 

And  not  only  does  he  want  to  teach  the  experimenter 
how  to  avert  the  objectionable  influence  of  the  articles  ; 
he  points  out,  moreover,  that  the  psychometric  faculty 
of  certain  mediums  may  become  a  means  of  deciding 
whether  the  communications  coming  through  them  are 
genuine  or  not.  "  Try  yourself  and  see  if  some  of  those 
you  experiment  with  do  not  find  it  difficult  to  get  infor- 
mation without  personal  touch  of  objects."  This  is  the 
difference  between  those  who  can  only  psychometrize 
and  those  who  are  really  in  communication  with  the  dead  ; 
only  the  latter  can  procure  information  without  touching 
the  objects. 

Professor  Flournoy  in  his  book  Spirits  and  Mediums 
expresses  half  in  jest  the  wish  that  "  Myers  or  the  other 
spirits — if  they  really  come  into  play  at  all — will  reveal 
to  us  a  means  of  eliminating  from  mediumistic  manifes- 
tations the  combined  action  of  the  subliminal  imagination, 
and  of  telepathy  from  the  living."  If  the  misleading 
term  telepathy  be  replaced  by  the  more  real  notion 
psychometry,  Podmore  has  in  a  degree  fulfilled  this  wish. 
The  danger  of  the  sitters  themselves  being  psychome- 
trized no  doubt  remains,  but  it  is  of  less  consequence, 
as  in  that  way  information  may  perhaps  be  obtained 
about  the  living,  but  in  a  very  small  measure  about  the 
dead.  As  for  the  action  of  imagination.  Professor 
Flournoy  has  himself  indicated  the  means  of  discrimina- 
tion by  his  accentuation  of  the  inferiority  of  the  subliminal 
products. 

So  much  for  generalities.     In  the  concrete,  however, 


NEW  MEDIUMS  347 

the  difficulties  are  great.  Between  a  medium  like  Mrs. 
Piper  and  those  described  by  Professor  Flournoy  there 
are  many  grades  ;  nay,  even  among  the  apparently 
genuine  communications  are  interspersed  things  that  do 
not  bear  the  stamp  of  genuineness.  Beforehand  only 
one  thing  is  certain — that  an  immense  quantity  of  what 
believing  spiritualists  accept  as  messages  from  beyond 
must  fall  beneath  a  scientific  criticism.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  may  be  danger  of  overlooking  some  golden 
grain  in  the  big  heaps  of  chaff.  But  worse  would  it 
be  to  call  anything  gold  which  was  not  gold.  And 
however  hard  it  might  be  for  many  to  see  what  they 
believed  in  weighed  and  found  wanting,  the  loss  might 
be  made  up  by  a  more  perfect  assurance  that  not  every- 
thing was  false — that  through  some  mediums  at  least, 
with  regard  to  some  of  their  performances,  the  reality 
was  proved  of  that  communication  with  the  dead  which 
tells  us  that  they  are  living,  and  that  we  too  shall  pass 
through  the  gate  of  death  into  a  new  life. 


\ 


INDEX 


Anne,  "  Aunt  Anne,"  control,  li 


Baltimore,  Mrs.,  79 
Bergmann,  Miss,  272 


Calvin,  control,  3,  12,  334 
Carruthers,  Eliza,  229,  231,  245- 

246,    248.      — ,    James,    229 ; 

control,  231,  236,  247 
Chenoweth     (pseudonym),     Mrs., 

341-342 
Clarke,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  197-198 
Clarke,  Frank,  control,  260 
Constable,  Mr.,  85-88 
Coventry,  Mrs.,  25 
Curtois,  Miss,  93-94 


Dandiran,  Mme.,  9-10 

"  Doctor,"  control,  223,  226 

Dobeln,  von,  36-37 

Dorr,    George   B.,    271,    288-297, 

303-304.  330-332 
Dupond,  Mme.,  4-6 


Elder,  David,  249 


Fawcett,  Henry,  155.     — ,  Mrs., 

155 

Feilding,  Everard,  130-131,  142- 

145 
Flournoy,  Professor,  1-17,  42,  46, 

73,  171,  17/,  333-337.  346-347 
Forbes  (pseudonym),  Mrs.  Diana, 

59-85,   89,   121-123,   129,   139- 

145,    159,    163,    165,    170,   284, 

307,    309.     — ,    Mr.,    142,    159. 

— ,  Talbot,  control,  59,  66,  79- 

81,  83-84,  142-145 
Frith,  Mrs.,  305-308 

Conner,  Mrs.,  40 

Gurney,  Edmund,  32,  50,  195, 
312,  314  ;  control,  59,  61,  66, 
80,  83-84,  104-105,  108,  III- 
112,  130,  149,  192-195,  221 


Hart,  John  (pseudonym),  199- 
202 

Hartmann,  Eduard  von,  16-31, 
41-46,  174,  333 

Hodgson,  Dr.  Richard,  69-72,  95- 
100, 132,  134-138,  174-175.  177. 
179-180,  187-188,  199-200,  202 
-216,  218-220,  223-234,  236- 
237.    239-245,    247,    249,    251- 

267,  270,  272,  276-277,  305, 
311  ;  control,  133-138,  175. 
267-275,  277,  280-283,  287- 
299.  304-306,  311,  315,  321, 
330,  336-339,  341-346 

Holland  (pseudonym),  Mrs.,  loi- 
171,  173-174,  273,  275-278, 
286,  290-298,  306-309,  327,  337 

Home,  Mrs.,  308-309 

Howard,  James,  200-202,  205- 
207,  210-211,  213-215,  2X8, 
311.  — ,  Miss  Katharine,  200. 
— ,  Mrs.  Mary,  200,  207-209, 
211-213,  218 

Hyde,  Fred,  259 

Hyslop,  family,  229.  — ,  Anna 
(Annie),  229;  control,  235,  244. 
— ,  Charles,  229  ;  control,  230- 
231,  235,  244-245.  — ,  Pro- 
fessor James,  43,  177,  235-250, 

268,  270,  304,  341-345.  — , 
Mrs.  Margaret  (Maggie),  229, 
234,  239,  247-248.  — ,  Mrs. 
Martha  Ann,  229.  — ,  Robert, 
229;  control,  226-252,336,  341. 
— ,  Robert  (jr.),  244 


"  Imperator,"  control,  223-226, 

243 
Irving,  Hugh,  control,  260-262 


James,  Professor  William,  137, 
174,  184,  267,  269-272,  339 ; 
control,  341 

"  Jessie,"  134-137 

Johnson,  Miss  Alice,  101-104, 
106,  109-112,  114,  117-125, 
127-132,  134-138,  141-144,  146, 
152-154,     157,     160-161,     163- 


350 


INDEX 


169,   296-297,   300-301,   303, 
305-310,  343 

Junot  (pseudonym),  family,  250- 
266.  — ,  Bennie,  control,  250- 
266,  272,  336 

Lang,  Andrew,  30,  32,  121-122 

Leaf,  Dr.  Walter,  69-70,  173,  181, 
184,  188,  197 

Leblanc,  Mme.,  7-8 

Lodge,  Alfred,  190.  — ,  Fred,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.,  29.  — ,  Frank,  191.. 
— ,  Jerry,  control,  190-191.  — , 
Miss,  193.  — ,  Sir  Oliver,  29,  38, 
41.  43.  45.58,68,70-72,95,115, 
117-119,  178-179,  181-183,  185 
-186,  188-196,  221-222,  227, 
272,  274-277,  279,  300,  319, 
328  ;  Lady  L.,  i8g,  193.  — , 
Robert,  190-191 

Lund,  Mr.,  196-197.  — ,  Maggie, 
control,  196-197 

Mackensie,  Mrs.,  40-41 

Marsh,  Mr.,  92 

Maxwell,  Dr.  Joseph,  96,  130,  136, 

148 
McClellan,    James,    control,    229. 

— ,   Robert,  control,  229,  243- 

244 
Miles,  Miss  Clanssa,  17-27,  31,  42- 

44,  49,  57,  60,  78,  96,  loi,  112, 

121,  162,  186 
Moses,    Staynton,    control,     112, 

223-225 
Miinsterberg,  Professor  Hugo,  135, 

137 
Myers,  Dr.  A.  T.,  50.  — ,  Frederic, 
38-39,  41,  48,  61-63,  67-68,  70- 
72,  75-76,  85-88,  94,  97,  103- 
104,  114-116,  119,  142,  223, 
300-301,  312,  332  ;  control,  48- 
49,  56,  58-59,  64-72,  76-79, 
104-120,  125,  130,  147-152,  171, 
269, 274-280,  283-285,  287,  289, 
293-296,  298,  301,  305,  308, 
310-332,  336-337,  340-341.  346. 
— ,  Mrs.,  62-63 

Newbold,  Professor  William,  177, 
206,  208,  220-223,  267,  269-272 

Noel,  Roden,  152-154,  161,  166- 
167 

Oliphant,  Laurence,  120 

Paladino,  Eusapia,  130 
Peirce,  Professor,  203,  207 


Pelham  (pseudonym),  Mr.  and 
Mrs.,  205-209,  211.  — ,  Frank, 
206.  — ,  George,  control,  198- 
230,243,245,247-249,  252-253, 
255.  257,  259-267,  275,  294, 
311,  321-322,  336-337.  341-342 

Peters,  Vout,  33-38,  42,  45-46, 
176,  178-179,  181,  185-186 

Phinuit  (Dr.  Jean  Ph.  Scliville), 
control,  134,  176-222,  225-227, 
235. 272,  335-337 

Piddington,  Mr.,  69-70,  95-96, 
130.  134-137.  272,  274-277, 
279,  281-283,  285-287,  300- 
302,  304,  306-310,  312-324, 
327-330 

Pigou,  Professor,  161-163 

Piper,  Mrs.,  14,  95-99,  132,  134- 
135.  172-177.  179.  185.  187- 
188,  192,  196,  199-201,  203, 
211,  216- — 221,  225,  228-229, 
233.  239,  252-253,  261-262, 
267-269,  271,  273-275,  283, 
288,  293-294,  296,  298-299, 
303-304,  308,  311,  314-315, 
319.  330,  334-339.  341-343.  347 

Podmore,  Frank,  309 ;  control, 
342-346 

Pope,  Miss,  269,  294 

Prince,  Morton,  338 

"  Prudens,"  control,  226,  234,  236 


Ramsden,  Miss  Hermione,  17-27, 
31-32,  42-47,  49,  56-57,  60-61, 
78,  96,  loi,  112,  121,  162,  181, 
185,  309 

"  Rector,"  control,  96,  222-228, 
230,  232,  234-236,  239-241, 
243-244.  247-249,  252-253,  256 
-261,  268,  276-277,  279-280, 
284,  287,  315-316,  319,  321, 
324,  328,  339,  346 

Rich,  Dr.,  control,  195-196,  227- 
228 

Richet,  Professor,  131 


Sallie,  "  Aunt  Sallie,"  220-221, 
228 

Savage,  Minot  J.,  199-201 

Schifi,  Professor,  4 

Schiller,  Dr.,  269-270 

Schweizer,  Mrs.,  39 

Scliville.     See  Phinnit. 

Sidgwick,  Professor  Henry,  116, 
153,  180,  301,  312-314;  con- 
trol, 71,  104,  108,  112,  152,  314. 
— ,   Mrs.,   39-42,   71,    77,    116- 


INDEX 


351 


117,  152,  274,  283-285,  312- 
314,  322-328, 340 

Smead  (pseudonym),  Mrs.,  343 
Smith,  Helen  (pseudonym),   2-3, 

9-13,  105,  334 
Stella,  Mrs.,  32-33,  45,  195 
Swedenborg,    Emanuel,    239-240, 

244 

Taylor,  Colonel,  308 

Thompson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  193, 
195-196.  227.  — ,  Isaac,  con- 
trol, 228,  275 

Trevelyan,  Sir  George,  152 

Verrall,  Dr.,  21-22,  48,  50-58, 
60-61,  63,  67,   73,   78,   89,   98, 


iog-ii2,  121,  137,  149-153, 
161-162,  165,  279,  286-288, 
299,  311.  — ,  Mrs.,  21,  46-105, 
109-130,  138-142,  145-171,  173 
-174,  184,  273,  275-277,  279- 
291,  294,  297-314,  316-324, 
327-331,  337.  340-  — .  ^liss 
Helen,  95-96,  156-159,  166, 
170,  278,  280,  282,  289-291, 
294-295.  297-298,  301-309,  337 
Vogt,  Carl,  4 


Walsh  (Welsh),  John,  261-262 


ZoRA,  Mme.,  6-8 
Zschokke,  Heinrich,  28 


BRADBURY,   AGNEW,    &   CO.    LD.,    PRINTERS,    LONDON    AND    TONBRIDGE. 


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