The physical basis of all psychic1 belief is that the soul is a complete duplicate of the body, resembling it in the smallest particular, although constructed in some far more tenuous2 material. In ordinary conditions these two bodies are intermingled so that the identity of the finer one is entirely4 obscured. At death, however, and under certain conditions in the course of life, the two divide and can be seen separately. Death differs from the conditions of separation before death in that there is a complete break between the two bodies, and life is carried on entirely by the lighter5 of the two, while the heavier, like a cocoon6 from which the living occupant has escaped, degenerates8 and disappears, the world burying the cocoon with much solemnity by taking little pains to ascertain9 what has become of its nobler contents. It is a vain thing to urge that science has not admitted this contention10, and that the statement is pure dogmatism. The science which has not examined the facts has, it is true, not admitted the contention, but its opinion is manifestly worthless, or at the best of less weight than that of the humblest student of psychic phenomena11. The real science which has examined the facts is the only valid12 authority, and it is practically unanimous. I have made personal appeals to at least one great leader of science to examine the facts, however superficially, without any success, while Sir William Crookes appealed to Sir George Stokes, the Secretary of the Royal Society, one of the most bitter opponents of the movement, to come down to his laboratory and see the psychic force at work, but he took no notice. What weight has science of that sort? It can only be compared to that theological prejudice which caused the Ecclesiastics13 in the days of Galileo to refuse to look through the telescope which he held out to them.
It is possible to write down the names of fifty professors in great seats of learning who have examined and endorsed14 these facts, and the list would include many of the greatest intellects which the world has produced in our time—Flammarion and Lombroso, Charles Richet and Russel Wallace, Willie Reichel, Myers, Zollner, James, Lodge15, and Crookes. Therefore the facts HAVE been endorsed by the only science that has the right to express an opinion. I have never, in my thirty years of experience, known one single scientific man who went thoroughly16 into this matter and did not end by accepting the Spiritual solution. Such may exist, but I repeat that I have never heard of him. Let us, then, with confidence examine this matter of the "spiritual body," to use the term made classical by Saint Paul. There are many signs in his writings that Paul was deeply versed17 in psychic matters, and one of these is his exact definition of the natural and spiritual bodies in the service which is the final farewell to life of every Christian18. Paul picked his words, and if he had meant that man consisted of a natural body and a spirit he would have said so. When he said "a spiritual body" he meant a body which contained the spirit and yet was distinct from the ordinary natural body. That is exactly what psychic science has now shown to be true.
When a man has taken hashish or certain other drugs, he not infrequently has the experience that he is standing19 or floating beside his own body, which he can see stretched senseless upon the couch. So also under anaesthetics, particularly under laughing gas, many people are conscious of a detachment from their bodies, and of experiences at a distance. I have myself seen very clearly my wife and children inside a cab while I was senseless in the dentist's chair. Again, when a man is fainting or dying, and his system in an unstable20 condition, it is asserted in very many definite instances that he can, and does, manifest himself to others at a distance. These phantasms of the living, which have been so carefully explored and docketed by Messrs. Myers and Gurney, ran into hundreds of cases. Some people claim that by an effort of will they can, after going to sleep, propel their own doubles in the direction which they desire, and visit those whom they wish to see. Thus there is a great volume of evidence—how great no man can say who has not spent diligent21 years in exploring it—which vouches22 for the existence of this finer body containing the precious jewels of the mind and spirit, and leaving only gross confused animal functions in its heavier companion.
Mr. Funk, who is a critical student of psychic phenomena, and also the joint23 compiler of the standard American dictionary, narrates24 a story in point which could be matched from other sources. He tells of an American doctor of his acquaintance, and he vouches personally for the truth of the incident. This doctor, in the course of a cataleptic seizure25 in Florida, was aware that he had left his body, which he saw lying beside him. He had none the less preserved his figure and his identity. The thought of some friend at a distance came into his mind, and after an appreciable26 interval27 he found himself in that friend's room, half way across the continent. He saw his friend, and was conscious that his friend saw him. He afterwards returned to his own room, stood beside his own senseless body, argued within himself whether he should re-occupy it or not, and finally, duty overcoming inclination28, he merged29 his two frames together and continued his life. A letter from him to his friend explaining matters crossed a letter from the friend, in which he told how he also had been aware of his presence. The incident is narrated30 in detail in Mr. Funk's "Psychic Riddle31."
I do not understand how any man can examine the many instances coming from various angles of approach without recognising that there really is a second body of this sort, which incidentally goes far to account for all stories, sacred or profane32, of ghosts, apparitions33 and visions. Now, what is this second body, and how does it fit into modern religious revelation?
What it is, is a difficult question, and yet when science and imagination unite, as Tyndall said they should unite, to throw a searchlight into the unknown, they may produce a beam sufficient to outline vaguely34 what will become clearer with the future advance of our race. Science has demonstrated that while ether pervades35 everything the ether which is actually in a body is different from the ether outside it. "Bound" ether is the name given to this, which Fresnel and others have shown to be denser36. Now, if this fact be applied37 to the human body, the result would be that, if all that is visible of that body were removed, there would still remain a complete and absolute mould of the body, formed in bound ether which would be different from the ether around it. This argument is more solid than mere38 speculation39, and it shows that even the soul may come to be defined in terms of matter and is not altogether "such stuff as dreams are made of."
It has been shown that there is some good evidence for the existence of this second body apart from psychic religion, but to those who have examined that religion it is the centre of the whole system, sufficiently40 real to be recognised by clairvoyants42, to be heard by clairaudients, and even to make an exact impression upon a photographic plate. Of the latter phenomenon, of which I have had some very particular opportunities of judging, I have no more doubt than I have of the ordinary photography of commerce. It had already been shown by the astronomers43 that the sensitized plate is a more delicate recording44 instrument than the human retina, and that it can show stars upon a long exposure which the eye has never seen. It would appear that the spirit world is really so near to us that a very little extra help under correct conditions of mediumship will make all the difference. Thus the plate, instead of the eye, may bring the loved face within the range of vision, while the trumpet45, acting46 as a megaphone, may bring back the familiar voice where the spirit whisper with no mechanical aid was still inaudible. So loud may the latter phenomenon be that in one case, of which I have the record, the dead man's dog was so excited at hearing once more his master's voice that he broke his chain, and deeply scarred the outside of the seance room door in his efforts to force an entrance.
Now, having said so much of the spirit body, and having indicated that its presence is not vouched48 for by only one line of evidence or school of thought, let us turn to what happens at the time of death, according to the observation of clairvoyants on this side and the posthumous49 accounts of the dead upon the other. It is exactly what we should expect to happen, granted the double identity. In a painless and natural process the lighter disengages itself from the heavier, and slowly draws itself off until it stands with the same mind, the same emotions, and an exactly similar body, beside the couch of death, aware of those around and yet unable to make them aware of it, save where that finer spiritual eyesight called clairvoyance50 exists. How, we may well ask, can it see without the natural organs? How did the hashish victim see his own unconscious body? How did the Florida doctor see his friend? There is a power of perception in the spiritual body which does give the power. We can say no more. To the clairvoyant41 the new spirit seems like a filmy outline. To the ordinary man it is invisible. To another spirit it would, no doubt, seem as normal and substantial as we appear to each other. There is some evidence that it refines with time, and is therefore nearer to the material at the moment of death or closely after it, than after a lapse51 of months or years. Hence, it is that apparitions of the dead are most clear and most common about the time of death, and hence also, no doubt, the fact that the cataleptic physician already quoted was seen and recognised by his friend. The meshes52 of his ether, if the phrase be permitted, were still heavy with the matter from which they had only just been disentangled.
Having disengaged itself from grosser matter, what happens to this spirit body, the precious bark which bears our all in all upon this voyage into unknown seas? Very many accounts have come back to us, verbal and written, detailing the experiences of those who have passed on. The verbal are by trance mediums, whose utterances53 appear to be controlled by outside intelligences. The written from automatic writers whose script is produced in the same way. At these words the critic naturally and reasonably shies, with a "What nonsense! How can you control the statement of this medium who is consciously or unconsciously pretending to inspiration?" This is a healthy scepticism, and should animate54 every experimenter who tests a new medium. The proofs must lie in the communication itself. If they are not present, then, as always, we must accept natural rather than unknown explanations. But they are continually present, and in such obvious forms that no one can deny them. There is a certain professional medium to whom I have sent many, mothers who were in need of consolation55. I always ask the applicants56 to report the result to me, and I have their letters of surprise and gratitude57 before me as I write. "Thank you for this beautiful and interesting experience. She did not make a single mistake about their names, and everything she said was correct." In this case there was a rift58 between husband and wife before death, but the medium was able, unaided, to explain and clear up the whole matter, mentioning the correct circumstances, and names of everyone concerned, and showing the reasons for the non-arrival of certain letters, which had been the cause of the misunderstanding. The next case was also one of husband and wife, but it is the husband who is the survivor59. He says: "It was a most successful sitting. Among other things, I addressed a remark in Danish to my wife (who is a Danish girl), and the answer came back in English without the least hesitation60." The next case was again of a man who had lost a very dear male friend. "I have had the most wonderful results with Mrs. —— to-day. I cannot tell you the joy it has been to me. Many grateful thanks for your help." The next one says: "Mrs. —— was simply wonderful. If only more people knew, what agony they would be spared." In this case the wife got in touch with the husband, and the medium mentioned correctly five dead relatives who were in his company. The next is a case of mother and son. "I saw Mrs. —— to-day, and obtained very wonderful results. She told me nearly everything quite correctly—a very few mistakes." The next is similar. "We were quite successful. My boy even reminded me of something that only he and I knew." Says another: "My boy reminded me of the day when he sowed turnip61 seed upon the lawn. Only he could have known of this." These are fair samples of the letters, of which I hold a large number. They are from people who present themselves from among the millions living in London, or the provinces, and about whose affairs the medium had no possible normal way of knowing. Of all the very numerous cases which I have sent to this medium I have only had a few which have been complete failures. On quoting my results to Sir Oliver Lodge, he remarked that his own experience with another medium had been almost identical. It is no exaggeration to say that our British telephone systems would probably give a larger proportion of useless calls. How is any critic to get beyond these facts save by ignoring or misrepresenting them? Healthy, scepticism is the basis of all accurate observation, but there comes a time when incredulity means either culpable62 ignorance or else imbecility, and this time has been long past in the matter of spirit intercourse63.
In my own case, this medium mentioned correctly the first name of a lady who had died in our house, gave several very characteristic messages from her, described the only two dogs which we have ever kept, and ended by saying that a young officer was holding up a gold coin by which I would recognise him. I had lost my brother-in-law, an army doctor, in the war, and I had given him a spade guinea for his first fee, which he always wore on his chain. There were not more than two or three close relatives who knew about this incident, so that the test was a particularly good one. She made no incorrect statements, though some were vague. After I had revealed the identity of this medium several pressmen attempted to have test seances with her—a test seance being, in most cases, a seance which begins by breaking every psychic condition and making success most improbable. One of these gentlemen, Mr. Ulyss Rogers, had very fair results. Another sent from "Truth" had complete failure. It must be understood that these powers do not work from the medium, but through the medium, and that the forces in the beyond have not the least sympathy with a smart young pressman in search of clever copy, while they have a very different feeling to a bereaved64 mother who prays with all her broken heart that some assurance may be given her that the child of her love is not gone from her for ever. When this fact is mastered, and it is understood that "Stand and deliver" methods only excite gentle derision on the other side, we shall find some more intelligent manner of putting things of the spirit to the proof.3
I have dwelt upon these results, which could be matched by other mediums, to show that we have solid and certain reasons to say that the verbal reports are not from the mediums themselves. Readers of Arthur Hill's "Psychical65 Investigations66" will find many even more convincing cases. So in the written communications, I have in a previous paper pointed68 to the "Gate of Remembrance" case, but there is a great mass of material which proves that, in spite of mistakes and failures, there really is a channel of communication, fitful and evasive sometimes, but entirely beyond coincidence or fraud. These, then, are the usual means by which we receive psychic messages, though table tilting69, ouija boards, glasses upon a smooth surface, or anything which can be moved by the vital animal-magnetic force already discussed will equally serve the purpose. Often information is conveyed orally or by writing which could not have been known to anyone concerned. Mr. Wilkinson has given details of the case where his dead son drew attention to the fact that a curio (a coin bent70 by a bullet) had been overlooked among his effects. Sir William Barrett has narrated how a young officer sent a message leaving a pearl tie-pin to a friend. No one knew that such a pin existed, but it was found among his things. The death of Sir Hugh Lane was given at a private seance in Dublin before the details of the Lusitania disaster had been published.4 On that morning we ourselves, in a small seance, got the message "It is terrible, terrible, and will greatly affect the war," at a time when we were convinced that no great loss of life could have occurred. Such examples are very numerous, and are only quoted here to show how impossible it is to invoke71 telepathy as the origin of such messages. There is only one explanation which covers the facts. They are what they say they are, messages from those who have passed on, from the spiritual body which was seen to rise from the deathbed, which has been so often photographed, which pervades all religion in every age, and which has been able, under proper circumstances, to materialise back into a temporary solidity so that it could walk and talk like a mortal, whether in Jerusalem two thousand years ago, or in the laboratory of Mr. Crookes, in Mornington Road, London.
Let us for a moment examine the facts in this Crookes' episode. A small book exists which describes them, though it is not as accessible as it should be. In these wonderful experiments, which extended over several years, Miss Florrie Cook, who was a young lady of from 16 to 18 years of age, was repeatedly confined in Prof. Crookes' study, the door being locked on the inside. Here she lay unconscious upon a couch. The spectators assembled in the laboratory, which was separated by a curtained opening from the study. After a short interval, through this opening there emerged a lady who was in all ways different from Miss Cook. She gave her earth name as Katie King, and she proclaimed herself to be a materialised spirit, whose mission it was to carry the knowledge of immortality72 to mortals.
She was of great beauty of face, figure, and manner. She was four and a half inches taller than Miss Cook, fair, whereas the latter was dark, and as different from her as one woman could be from another. Her pulse rate was markedly slower. She became for the time entirely one of the company, walking about, addressing each person present, and taking delight in the children. She made no objection to photography or any other test. Forty-eight photographs of different degrees of excellence73 were made of her. She was seen at the same time as the medium on several occasions. Finally she departed, saying that her mission was over and that she had other work to do. When she vanished materialism74 should have vanished also, if mankind had taken adequate notice of the facts.
Now, what can the fair-minded inquirer say to such a story as that—one of many, but for the moment we are concentrating upon it? Was Mr. Crookes a blasphemous75 liar47? But there were very many witnesses, as many sometimes as eight at a single sitting. And there are the photographs which include Miss Cook and show that the two women were quite different. Was he honestly mistaken? But that is inconceivable. Read the original narrative76 and see if you can find any solution save that it is true. If a man can read that sober, cautious statement and not be convinced, then assuredly his brain, is out of gear. Finally, ask yourself whether any religious manifestation77 in the world has had anything like the absolute proof which lies in this one. Cannot the orthodox see that instead of combating such a story, or talking nonsense about devils, they should hail that which is indeed the final answer to that materialism which is their really dangerous enemy. Even as I write, my eye falls upon a letter on my desk from an officer who had lost all faith in immortality and become an absolute materialist78. "I came to dread79 my return home, for I cannot stand hypocrisy80, and I knew well my attitude would cause some members of my family deep grief. Your book has now brought me untold81 comfort, and I can face the future cheerfully." Are these fruits from the Devil's tree, you timid orthodox critic?
Having then got in touch with our dead, we proceed, naturally, to ask them how it is with them, and under what conditions they exist. It is a very vital question, since what has befallen them yesterday will surely befall us to-morrow. But the answer is tidings of great joy. Of the new vital message to humanity nothing is more important than that. It rolls away all those horrible man-bred fears and fancies, founded upon morbid82 imaginations and the wild phrases of the oriental. We come upon what is sane83, what is moderate, what is reasonable, what is consistent with gradual evolution and with the benevolence84 of God. Were there ever any conscious blasphemers upon earth who have insulted the Deity85 so deeply as those extremists, be they Calvinist, Roman Catholic, Anglican, or Jew, who pictured with their distorted minds an implacable torturer as the Ruler of the Universe!
The truth of what is told us as to the life beyond can in its very nature never be absolutely established. It is far nearer to complete proof, however, than any religious revelation which has ever preceded it. We have the fact that these accounts are mixed up with others concerning our present life which are often absolutely true. If a spirit can tell the truth about our sphere, it is difficult to suppose that he is entirely false about his own. Then, again, there is a very great similarity about such accounts, though their origin may be from people very far apart. Thus though "non-veridical," to use the modern jargon86, they do conform to all our canons of evidence. A series of books which have attracted far less attention than they deserve have drawn87 the coming life in very close detail. These books are not found on railway bookstalls or in popular libraries, but the successive editions through which they pass show that there is a deeper public which gets what it wants in spite of artificial obstacles.
Looking over the list of my reading I find, besides nearly a dozen very interesting and detailed88 manuscript accounts, such published narratives89 as "Claude's Book," purporting90 to come from a young British aviator91; "Thy Son Liveth," from an American soldier, "Private Dowding"; "Raymond," from a British soldier; "Do Thoughts Perish?" which contains accounts from several British soldiers and others; "I Heard a Voice," where a well-known K.C., through the mediumship of his two young daughters, has a very full revelation of the life beyond; "After Death," with the alleged92 experiences of the famous Miss Julia Ames; "The Seven Purposes," from an American pressman, and many others. They differ much in literary skill and are not all equally impressive, but the point which must strike any impartial93 mind is the general agreement of these various accounts as to the conditions of spirit life. An examination would show that some of them must have been in the press at the same time, so that they could not have each inspired the other. "Claude's Book" and "Thy Son Liveth" appeared at nearly the same time on different sides of the Atlantic, but they agree very closely. "Raymond" and "Do Thoughts Perish?" must also have been in the press together, but the scheme of things is exactly the same. Surely the agreement of witnesses must here, as in all cases, be accounted as a test of truth. They differ mainly, as it seems to me, when they deal with their own future including speculations94 as to reincarnation, etc., which may well be as foggy to them as it is to us, or systems of philosophy where again individual opinion is apparent.
Of all these accounts the one which is most deserving of study is "Raymond." This is so because it has been compiled from several famous mediums working independently of each other, and has been checked and chronicled by a man who is not only one of the foremost scientists of the world, and probably the leading intellectual force in Europe, but one who has also had a unique experience of the precautions necessary for the observation of psychic phenomena. The bright and sweet nature of the young soldier upon the other side, and his eagerness to tell of his experience is also a factor which will appeal to those who are already satisfied as to the truth of the communications. For all these reasons it is a most important document—indeed it would be no exaggeration to say that it is one of the most important in recent literature. It is, as I believe, an authentic95 account of the life in the beyond, and it is often more interesting from its sidelights and reservations than for its actual assertions, though the latter bear the stamp of absolute frankness and sincerity96. The compilation97 is in some ways faulty. Sir Oliver has not always the art of writing so as to be understanded of the people, and his deeper and more weighty thoughts get in the way of the clear utterances of his son. Then again, in his anxiety to be absolutely accurate, Sir Oliver has reproduced the fact that sometimes Raymond is speaking direct, and sometimes the control is reporting what Raymond is saying, so that the same paragraph may turn several times from the first person to the third in a manner which must be utterly98 unintelligible99 to those who are not versed in the subject. Sir Oliver will, I am sure, not be offended if I say that, having satisfied his conscience by the present edition, he should now leave it for reference, and put forth100 a new one which should contain nothing but the words of Raymond and his spirit friends. Such a book, published at a low price, would, I think, have an amazing effect, and get all this new teaching to the spot that God has marked for it—the minds and hearts of the people.
So much has been said here about mediumship that perhaps it would be well to consider this curious condition a little more closely. The question of mediumship, what it is and how it acts, is one of the most mysterious in the whole range of science. It is a common objection to say if our dead are there why should we only hear of them through people by no means remarkable101 for moral or mental gifts, who are often paid for their ministration. It is a plausible102 argument, and yet when we receive a telegram from a brother in Australia we do not say: "It is strange that Tom should not communicate with me direct, but that the presence of that half-educated fellow in the telegraph office should be necessary." The medium is in truth a mere passive machine, clerk and telegraph in one. Nothing comes FROM him. Every message is THROUGH him. Why he or she should have the power more than anyone else is a very interesting problem. This power may best be defined as the capacity for allowing the bodily powers, physical or mental, to be used by an outside influence. In its higher forms there is temporary extinction103 of personality and the substitution of some other controlling spirit. At such times the medium may entirely lose consciousness, or he may retain it and be aware of some external experience which has been enjoyed by his own entity3 while his bodily house has been filled by the temporary tenant104. Or the medium may retain consciousness, and with eyes and ears attuned105 to a higher key than the normal man can attain106, he may see and hear what is beyond our senses. Or in writing mediumship, a motor centre of the brain regulating the nerves and muscles of the arm may be controlled while all else seems to be normal. Or it may take the more material form of the exudation107 of a strange white evanescent dough-like substance called the ectoplasm, which has been frequently photographed by scientific enquirers in different stages of its evolution, and which seems to possess an inherent quality of shaping itself into parts or the whole of a body, beginning in a putty-like mould and ending in a resemblance to perfect human members. Or the ectoplasm, which seems to be an emanation of the medium to the extent that whatever it may weigh is so much subtracted from his substance, may be used as projections108 or rods which can convey objects or lift weights. A friend, in whose judgment109 and veracity110 I have absolute confidence, was present at one of Dr. Crawford's experiments with Kathleen Goligher, who is, it may be remarked, an unpaid111 medium. My friend touched the column of force, and found it could be felt by the hand though invisible to the eye. It is clear that we are in touch with some entirely new form both of matter and of energy. We know little of the properties of this extraordinary substance save that in its materialising form it seems extremely sensitive to the action of light. A figure built up in it and detached from the medium dissolves in light quicker than a snow image under a tropical sun, so that two successive flash-light photographs would show the one a perfect figure, and the next an amorphous112 mass. When still attached to the medium the ectoplasm flies back with great force on exposure to light, and, in spite of the laughter of the scoffers, there is none the less good evidence that several mediums have been badly injured by the recoil114 after a light has suddenly been struck by some amateur detective. Professor Geley has, in his recent experiments, described the ectoplasm as appearing outside the black dress of his medium as if a hoar frost had descended115 upon her, then coalescing116 into a continuous sheet of white substance, and oozing117 down until it formed a sort of apron118 in front of her.5 This process he has illustrated119 by a very complete series of photographs.
These are a few of the properties of mediumship. There are also the beautiful phenomena of the production of lights, and the rarer, but for evidential purposes even more valuable, manifestations120 of spirit photography. The fact that the photograph does not correspond in many cases with any which existed in life, must surely silence the scoffer113, though there is a class of bigoted121 sceptic who would still be sneering122 if an Archangel alighted in Trafalgar Square. Mr. Hope and Mrs. Buxton, of Crewe, have brought this phase of mediumship to great perfection, though others have powers in that direction. Indeed, in some cases it is difficult to say who the medium may have been, for in one collective family group which was taken in the ordinary way, and was sent me by a master in a well known public school, the young son who died has appeared in the plate seated between his two little brothers.
As to the personality of mediums, they have seemed to me to be very average specimens123 of the community, neither markedly better nor markedly worse. I know many, and I have never met anything in the least like "Sludge," a poem which Browning might be excused for writing in some crisis of domestic disagreement, but which it was inexcusable to republish since it is admitted to be a concoction124, and the exposure described to have been imaginary. The critic often uses the term medium as if it necessarily meant a professional, whereas every investigator125 has found some of his best results among amateurs. In the two finest seances I ever attended, the psychic, in each case a man of moderate means, was resolutely126 determined127 never directly or indirectly128 to profit by his gift, though it entailed129 very exhausting physical conditions. I have not heard of a clergyman of any denomination130 who has attained131 such a pitch of altruism—nor is it reasonable to expect it. As to professional mediums, Mr. Vout Peters, one of the most famous, is a diligent collector of old books and an authority upon the Elizabethan drama; while Mr. Dickinson, another very remarkable discerner of spirits, who named twenty-four correctly during two meetings held on the same day, is employed in loading canal barges132. This man is one gifted clairvoyants in England, though Tom Tyrrell the weaver133, Aaron Wilkinson, and others are very marvellous. Tyrrell, who is a man of the Anthony of Padua type, a walking saint, beloved of animals and children, is a figure who might have stepped out of some legend of the church. Thomas, the powerful physical medium, is a working coal miner. Most mediums take their responsibilities very seriously and view their work in a religious light. There is no denying that they are exposed to very particular temptations, for the gift is, as I have explained elsewhere, an intermittent134 one, and to admit its temporary absence, and so discourage one's clients, needs greater moral principle than all men possess. Another temptation to which several great mediums have succumbed135 is that of drink. This comes about in a very natural way, for overworking the power leaves them in a state of physical prostration136, and the stimulus137 of alcohol affords a welcome relief, and may tend at last to become a custom and finally a curse. Alcoholism always weakens the moral sense, so that these degenerate7 mediums yield themselves more readily to fraud, with the result that several who had deservedly won honoured names and met all hostile criticism have, in their later years, been detected in the most contemptible138 tricks. It is a thousand pities that it should be so, but if the Court of Arches were to give up its secrets, it would be found that tippling and moral degeneration were by no means confined to psychics139. At the same time, a psychic is so peculiarly sensitive that I think he or she would always be well advised to be a life long abstainer—as many actually are.
As to the method by which they attain their results they have, when in the trance state, no recollection. In the case of normal clairvoyants and clairaudients, the information comes in different ways. Sometimes it is no more than a strong mental impression which gives a name or an address. Sometimes they say that they see it written up before them. Sometimes the spirit figures seem to call it to them. "They yell it at me," said one.
It has been stated in a previous book by the author, but it will bear repetition, that the use of the seance should, in his opinion, be carefully regulated as well as reverently141 conducted. Having once satisfied himself of the absolute existence of the unseen world, and of its proximity142 to our own, the inquirer has got the great gift which psychical investigation67 can give him, and thenceforth he can regulate his life upon the lines which the teaching from beyond has shown to be the best. There is much force in the criticism that too constant intercourse with the affairs of another world may distract our attention and weaken our powers in dealing143 with our obvious duties in this one. A seance, with the object of satisfying curiosity or of rousing interest, cannot be an elevating influence, and the mere sensation-monger can make this holy and wonderful thing as base as the over-indulgence in a stimulant144. On the other hand, where the seance is used for the purpose of satisfying ourselves as to the condition of those whom we have lost, or of giving comfort to others who crave145 for a word from beyond, then it is, indeed, a blessed gift from God to be used with moderation and with thankfulness. Our loved ones have their own pleasant tasks in their new surroundings, and though they assure us that they love to clasp the hands which we stretch out to them, we should still have some hesitation in intruding146 to an unreasonable147 extent upon the routine of their lives.
A word should be said as to that fear of fiends and evil spirits which appears to have so much weight with some of the critics of this subject. When one looks more closely at this emotion it seems somewhat selfish and cowardly. These creatures are in truth our own backward brothers, bound for the same ultimate destination as ourselves, but retarded148 by causes for which our earth conditions may have been partly responsible. Our pity and sympathy should go out to them, and if they do indeed manifest at a seance, the proper Christian attitude is, as it seems to me, that we should reason with them and pray for them in order to help them upon their difficult way. Those who have treated them in this way have found a very marked difference in the subsequent communications. In Admiral Usborne Moore's "Glimpses of the Next State" there will be found some records of an American circle which devoted149 itself entirely to missionary150 work of this sort. There is some reason to believe that there are forms of imperfect development which can be helped more by earthly than by purely151 spiritual influences, for the reason, perhaps, that they are closer to the material.
In a recent case I was called in to endeavour to check a very noisy entity which frequented an old house in which there were strong reasons to believe that crime had been committed, and also that the criminal was earth-bound. Names were given by the unhappy spirit which proved to be correct, and a cupboard was described, which was duly found, though it had never before been suspected. On getting into touch with the spirit I endeavoured to reason with it and to explain how selfish it was to cause misery152 to others in order to satisfy any feelings of revenge which it might have carried over from earth life. We then prayed for its welfare, exhorted153 it to rise higher, and received a very solemn assurance, tilted154 out at the table, that it would mend its ways. I have very gratifying reports that it has done so, and that all is now quiet in the old house.
Let us now consider the life in the Beyond as it is shown to us by the new revelation.
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1
psychic
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| n.对超自然力敏感的人；adj.有超自然力的 | |
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tenuous
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| adj.细薄的，稀薄的，空洞的 | |
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3
entity
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| n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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5
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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6
cocoon
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| n.茧 | |
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degenerate
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| v.退步，堕落；adj.退步的，堕落的；n.堕落者 | |
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degenerates
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| 衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的第三人称单数 ) | |
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ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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contention
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| n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张 | |
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phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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valid
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| adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的 | |
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ecclesiastics
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| n.神职者，教会，牧师( ecclesiastic的名词复数 ) | |
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endorsed
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| vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品 | |
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15
lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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versed
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| adj. 精通，熟练 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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unstable
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| adj.不稳定的，易变的 | |
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diligent
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| adj.勤勉的，勤奋的 | |
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vouches
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| v.保证( vouch的第三人称单数 )；担保；确定；确定地说 | |
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joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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narrates
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| v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 ) | |
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25
seizure
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| n.没收；占有；抵押 | |
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appreciable
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| adj.明显的，可见的，可估量的，可觉察的 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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merged
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| （使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中 | |
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narrated
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| v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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apparitions
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| n.特异景象( apparition的名词复数 )；幽灵；鬼；（特异景象等的）出现 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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pervades
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的第三人称单数 ) | |
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denser
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| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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clairvoyant
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| adj.有预见的；n.有预见的人 | |
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clairvoyants
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| n.透视者，千里眼的人( clairvoyant的名词复数 ) | |
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astronomers
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| n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 ) | |
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recording
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| n.录音，记录 | |
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45
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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liar
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| n.说谎的人 | |
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vouched
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| v.保证( vouch的过去式和过去分词 )；担保；确定；确定地说 | |
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49
posthumous
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| adj.遗腹的；父亡后出生的；死后的，身后的 | |
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50
clairvoyance
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| n.超人的洞察力 | |
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51
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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52
meshes
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| 网孔( mesh的名词复数 )； 网状物； 陷阱； 困境 | |
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utterances
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| n.发声( utterance的名词复数 )；说话方式；语调；言论 | |
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animate
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| v.赋于生命，鼓励；adj.有生命的，有生气的 | |
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consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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applicants
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| 申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 ) | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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rift
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| n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入 | |
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survivor
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| n.生存者，残存者，幸存者 | |
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60
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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61
turnip
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| n.萝卜，芜菁 | |
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culpable
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| adj.有罪的，该受谴责的 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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bereaved
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| adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去（希望、生命等）( bereave的过去式和过去分词)；（尤指死亡）使丧失（亲人、朋友等）；使孤寂；抢走（财物） | |
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psychical
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| adj.有关特异功能现象的；有关特异功能官能的；灵魂的；心灵的 | |
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investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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tilting
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| 倾斜，倾卸 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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invoke
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| v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求 | |
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immortality
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| n.不死，不朽 | |
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73
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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74
materialism
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| n.［哲］唯物主义，唯物论；物质至上 | |
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blasphemous
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| adj.亵渎神明的，不敬神的 | |
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76
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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manifestation
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| n.表现形式；表明；现象 | |
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materialist
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| n. 唯物主义者 | |
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79
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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80
hypocrisy
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| n.伪善，虚伪 | |
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81
untold
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| adj.数不清的，无数的 | |
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82
morbid
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| adj.病的；致病的；病态的；可怕的 | |
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83
sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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85
deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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86
jargon
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| n.术语，行话 | |
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87
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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narratives
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| 记叙文( narrative的名词复数 )； 故事； 叙述； 叙述部分 | |
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purporting
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| v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的现在分词 ) | |
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aviator
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| n.飞行家，飞行员 | |
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92
alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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impartial
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| adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的 | |
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speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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96
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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compilation
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| n.编译，编辑 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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102
plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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103
extinction
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| n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种 | |
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104
tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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105
attuned
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| v.使协调( attune的过去式和过去分词 )；调音 | |
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106
attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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exudation
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| n.渗出，渗出物，分泌；溢泌 | |
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108
projections
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| 预测( projection的名词复数 )； 投影； 投掷； 突起物 | |
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109
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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veracity
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| n.诚实 | |
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111
unpaid
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| adj.未付款的，无报酬的 | |
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amorphous
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| adj.无定形的 | |
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113
scoffer
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| 嘲笑者 | |
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114
recoil
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| vi.退却，退缩，畏缩 | |
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115
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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116
coalescing
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| v.联合，合并( coalesce的现在分词 ) | |
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117
oozing
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| v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的现在分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出 | |
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118
apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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119
illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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120
manifestations
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| n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式） | |
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121
bigoted
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| adj.固执己见的，心胸狭窄的 | |
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122
sneering
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| 嘲笑的，轻蔑的 | |
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specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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concoction
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| n.调配(物)；谎言 | |
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investigator
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| n.研究者，调查者，审查者 | |
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resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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indirectly
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| adv.间接地，不直接了当地 | |
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entailed
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| 使…成为必要( entail的过去式和过去分词 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需 | |
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denomination
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| n.命名，取名，(度量衡、货币等的)单位 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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barges
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| 驳船( barge的名词复数 ) | |
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weaver
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| n.织布工；编织者 | |
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intermittent
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| adj.间歇的，断断续续的 | |
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succumbed
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| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
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prostration
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| n. 平伏, 跪倒, 疲劳 | |
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stimulus
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| n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物 | |
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contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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psychics
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| 心理学，心灵学； （自称）通灵的或有特异功能的人，巫师( psychic的名词复数 ) | |
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formulate
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| v.用公式表示；规划；设计；系统地阐述 | |
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reverently
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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stimulant
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| n.刺激物，兴奋剂 | |
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crave
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| vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求 | |
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intruding
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| v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的现在分词)；把…强加于 | |
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unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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retarded
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| a.智力迟钝的，智力发育迟缓的 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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exhorted
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| v.劝告，劝说( exhort的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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