I Charles Jossel^/n BJOLOGT LIBRARY \ CONTENTS: Psychical PUenomena in Gencral-ExternaUsation of Sensi- bUtty ^spontaneous Phenomena -Multiple Personality and Abnormal Consciousness-Abnormal Faculties in Hypnotic SuS- Abnormal Dreams -Phenomena observed among fh?^rienta1s- Phenomena of Lucidity. Motricity and Pro- cation of the Double observed in Fakirs or Oriental Sorcer- er -P.Stergelst Phenomena- Haunted Houses- Telepathy - crystal Gazing - Mental Audition Typtology - Automatic Wrmng Md Lucidity -Lucidity in Somnambulism -Photo- TaS of the invisible or of Thought-Reports of the London £d Milan Committees on Psychical Phe".ome"a-P^nomena of Motricity- Movement of Objects without Contact-Phe- nom"na7Levitation-Materialisations-Study of the M«d.um sambor- Professor C. Richefs Observations at the ViUa C^men - Expertments made with Eusapia Paladlno - A General Consideration of Psychical Phenomena. PSYCHICAL AND SUPERNORMAL PHENOMENA PSYCHICAL AND SUPERNORMAL PHENOMENA THEIR OBSERVATION AND EXPERIMENTATION BY DR. PAU L JOI RE Professor at the Psycho- Physiological Institute of France President of the Societe Universelle d' Etudes Psychiques TRANSLATED BY DUDLEY WRIGHT ///^ WITH 22 ILLUSTRATIONS NEW YORK FREDERICK A. STOKES CO. BIOLOGT UBRARY t^l PREFACE The thorough study of Hypnotism has drawn attention to phenomena which seem, on the one hand, only to be the continuation of hypnotic phenomena, and, on the other, to be connected with faculties of the human mind hitherto unknown. These phenomena are, first of all, those of mental sug- gestion and thought-transmission, which we have studied in our Traite de VHypnotisme. In other cases, we have witnessed phenomena of lucidity in certain subjects placed in a condition of deep somnam- bulism. In studying lucidity more closely we noticed that certain special circumstances, and in particular a methodical training, develop this faculty in a singular manner in those endowed with it. ^~The investigator is thus led to inquire whether this faculty of lucidity does not sometimes appear spon- taneously, in the same way as we witness spontaneous somnambulism in connection with induced somnambulism. He then finds a certain number of cases of telepathy which seem to be closely connected Avith the instances of lucidity. After embarking upon the study of telepathy it is not long before we become convinced that the phenomena of this category are very complex. In fact, while certain instances of telepathy are only the mental perception of a fact that has occurred at a distance, there are others in which this perception is accompanied by an hallucination, and sometimes this^' hallucination is collective. At other times, hallucination is no longer a sufficient explanation, because the phenomenon has left permanent V ^^15777 vi PREFACE traces — the displacement of objects, impressions, objective and. undeniable traces that a force accompanied the telepathic vision. If we wish to transfer these phenomena we have observed to the domain of experiment, we find, among some subjects, in certain of the hypnotic conditions we have described, phenomena of externalisation — externali- sation of sensibility and of force. We have thus brought under our observation the chain which seems to connect hypnotic and psychical phenomena. On the other hand, in entering upon the study of the whole of psychical phenomena, we easily witness a natural progression from the most simple phenomena up to the most complex. All these phenomena are connected one with another, in a continuous manner, in such a way that we are con- vinced that the phenomena are undoubtedly of the same order, in spite of their apparent diversity and complexity in manifestation. We may take abnormal dreams for our starting-point, dreams with manifestation of lucidity, and premonitory dreams, which lead us to telepathic dreams. We then come to telepathic phenomena with apparitions, telepathic phenomena in a waking state, and to collective telepathic visions. Without going beyond telepathy, we find some instances where telepathic visions have left objective traces of their existence. We are thus forced to ask ourselves if thought is quite as abstract a phenomenon as we have hitherto believed it to be, and if, in certain instances, it is not capable of creating a durable entity possessing indepen- dent force. We are thus led to examine the experiments made in the photography of thought. Beginning with phenomena of the same character, brought into the domain of experiment, we find facts similar to those of telepathy in crystal-gazing, and amongst those of crystal-gazing we find some which present the characteristics of lucidit3^ PREFACE vii Lucidity appears to be a special faculty in certain subjects, and we sec that Ave may search for and experi- ment with it in the somnambulistic condition. Lucidity is also shown in other circumstances, and that, Avithout soumambulism having been induced in the subject, but spontaneously exhibited. These facts are connected, by their spontaneity, with the phenomena of lucidity observed by means of crystal-gazing. We noAV come to the phenomena of externalisation, which in hypnology we connect with the mediumistic states. The first of these phenomena is that of exter- nalisation of sensibility. We pass from this to more advanced phenomena — we observe the externaHsation of force, movement of objects Avithout contact, raps and various noises ; finally, the creation of a form having its OAvn objectivity and capable of developing a special force, although ahvays in relation Avith that of the medium. Hence the most complex phenomenon of all, viz. Materialisation. " I confess that I do not see why the very existence of an invisible world may not in part depend on the personal response which any of us may make to the religious appeal. God Himself, in short, may draw vital strength and increase of very being from our fidelity. For my own part I do not know what the sweat and blood and tragedy of this life mean, if they mean anything short of this. If this life be not a real fight, in which something is eternally gained for the universe by success, it is no better than a game of pri- vate theatricals from which one may withdraw at will. But it feels like a real fight — as if there were some- thing really wild in the universe which we, with all our idealities and faithlessness, are needed to redeem ; and first of all to redeem our own hearts from atheisms and fears. ..." William James. CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE 3AP. 1 I. Psychical Phenomena in General . . a II. Externalisation op Sensibility ... 14 III. Spontaneous Phenomena— Multiple Person- ality AND Abnormal Consciousness— Ab- normal Faculties in Hypnotic Subjects IV, Abnormal Dreams V. Phenomena observed among the Orientals VI. Phenomena of Lucidity, Motricity, and Projection of the Double observed in Fakirs or Oriental Sorcerers VII. Poltergeist Phenomena VIII. Haunted Houses . IX. Telepathy . X. Telepathy {continued) . XI. Crystal-Gazing . XII. Crystal-Gazing {continued) XIII. Mental Audition XIV. Crystal Visions combined with Lucidity . 181 196 XV. Typtology XVI. Typtology {continued) . • • • • ^^ XVII. Automatic Writing and Lucidity . . 215 XVIII. Typtology and Lucidity ... 221 XIX. Typtology and Lucidity {continued) XX. Typtology ••.••• 30 44 68 79 92 102 120 136 156 164 175 248 271 X CONTENTS CHAP. PAOB XXI. Lucidity 281 XXII. Lucidity in Spontaneous Somnambulism . 293 XXIII. Lucidity in a State of Light Somnam- bulism Artificially Induced . . . 298 XXIV. Lucidity in Deep Somnambulism . . 309 XXV. Lucidity in the Future . . . .341 XXVI. Photography of the Invisible or of Thought 360 XXVII. Reports of the London and Milan Com- mittees ON Psychical Phenomena . . 382 XXVIII. Phenomena of Motricity .... 414 XXIX. Movement of Objects without Contact . 426 XXX. Phenomena of Lbvitation .... 435 XXXI. Levitation Phenomena observed with the Medium D. D. Home .... 444 XXXII. Levitation Phenomena with Eusapia Pala- dino 451 XXXIII. Materialisations or Phantoms . . . 460 XXXIV. Materialisations 472 XXXV. Study of the Medium Sambor . . .478 XXXVI. Professor C. Richet's Observations at the Villa Carmen 500 XXXVII. Experiments made with Eusapia Paladino AT Genoa by Professor Morselli . . 526 XXXVIII. Method of Experimentation in Psychical Phenomena ...... 548 XXXIX. Method of Experimentation — Induced Phe- nomena ....... 577 XL. Method of Experimenting . . . .610 XLI. A General Consideration of Psychical Phenomena 627 PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA CHAPTER I PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA IN GENERAL Certain strange phenomena, which occur from time to time, have, by reason of their mysterious appearance the power of forcibly impressing the imagination of the multitude. The sphere in which they are produced, and the manner in which they are presented, have the effect of adding, often largely, to their importance, and of causing them to undergo singular transformations. The news- papers seize upon these sensational facts with great avidity, and relate them with a profusion of details, more or less correct, but always skilfully arranged, so as to add further to the effect already produced. Among the people who have come into closer contact with these facts, or have been more or less actively con- cerned with them, there are always to be found a certain number who purposely add to the scenic effect, whether it be to serve well-defined interests, or whether they are led on in spite of themselves to supplement the truth by mirages produced by their own imagination. The facts in themselves are sometimes very simple whether they come within the category of those which we observe spontaneously in unhealthy persons, or whether they are of the class of induced hypnotic phenomena. These are, for example, the phenomena of lethargy and catalepsy and hallucinations, which may become more complicated through collective or repeated hallucinations. A 2. PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA But such facts only now astonish a small number of persons, who are entirely ignorant of modern scientific discoveries : it is not of them we desire to speak. There are sometimes even stranger phenomena, more difficult to explain and to verify, and in which, con- sequently, exaggeration and fraud have free play ; these may be visual phenomena which do not come within the class of hallucinations of which mention has already been made ; or they may be phenomena of a purely psychical character, such as the knowledge of an event happening far away, or even one which has not yet taken place; seeing and describing objects at a distance, or reading the thoughts of another person. It is not difficult to understand the suspicion with which serious-minded persons receive these strange stories, and the unpleasant impression naturally made upon them when they see these facts distorted and turned to profitable account by certain persons with more or less questionable motives. It must also be added that when a man of intelligence and good faith wishes to get to the bottom of matters and devotes himself to serious inquiry, conducted without prejudice, he very often simj)ly ends by discovering fraud ; all the marvels disappear, and all that remains is very easily explained. It even happens sometimes that, when seeking for authentic proofs of an alleged fact, he finds it reduced to nothing, or that it never existed except in the imagination of some practical joker or of a reporter who was short of news. The result of all this is that these facts lose their interest for all except the simple-minded who love marvels and believe that these things are marvellous, and the small number who turn them to profitable account. Scientists and serious-minded persons grow tired of finding at every step facts badly observed and of very doubtful authority, so that they thrust them aside with disdain and refuse even to discuss them. Others, after having heard the accounts, entirely deny all the facts, saying that there is no truth in them, PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA IN GENERAL 3 because they cannot be explained according to the theories of official science, and no demonstration, according to the usual methods of the known sciences, can be obtained that is even moderately satisfactory. This prejudiced rejection is in no way scientific. There are well-attested facts, absolutely authentic, but which we cannot comprehend and which we do not know how to explain in the present state of our knowledge. Is that a reason for denying them ? Experience has shown us that we may be able to explain to-morrow that which to-day is still a mystery. Twenty-five years ago science knew nothing of hypnotism, and obstinately refused to study it. Many denied in toto all these phenomena, of which the public spoke in a whisper, and when sometimes a -'" fact became surrounded with undeniable evidence, they rejected it on the ground of trickery. We ought only to regard as scientifically impossible that which is absurd, that is to say, contrary to mathe- matical or geometrical truths, the only ones which are immutable.. Even opposition to a physical law should not suffice to make us deny a fact. Physical laws may be momentarily suspended or have their effect destroyed by other laws ; whether we know those other laws or whether we do not. ' In the first case, we are able, up to a certain point, to explain the fact, that is to say, to connect it with a law and anticipate the circumstances under which it will be produced. In the second case we observe the phenomenon and its varying conditions, sometimes with- out being able to appreciate its importance, and, in any case, without being able to explain it. Be that as it may, the phenomena which present an apparent opposition to a physical law do not thereby destroy the law in itself. We only need to recognise that the fact in question does not come under the operation of this law, but that it is ruled by another law of superior power, both laws remaining true on the whole and under the normal conditions of their application. Let us take an example: the law of gravitation, by virtue of which all bodies, when left to themselves, fall 4 PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA or travel towards the centre of the earth, is indisputable. And yet, we may see any day a balloon, left to itself, rise in the air, away from the centre of the earth. Is not this an apparent contradiction ? The balloon is subject to a double law : first, to the law of gravitation, which tends to make it fall to the ground ; but, secondly, to the law of Archimedes, which, by causing it to lose an amount of its weight equal to that of the volume of air which it displaces, impels it to the higher regions of the atmos- phere. Two forces are thus in opposition, the greater of which preponderates over the less. The same law of gravitation would cause a piece of steel to fall to the ground : if, however, it is suitably placed beneath a magnet, it can be made to remain sus- pended in the air. Has the law of gravitation been destroyed thereby, or are we warranted in denying the reality of the phenomenon ? Obviously, no. What is here said of physical laws is equally true of physiological laAvs : we must therefore deny only what is absurd. This is not a reason for accepting too readily, as real, phenomena which depart from known laws ; on the con- trary, we must proceed with great circumspection and re- quire indisputable proofs as to their authenticity. When the facts are fully verified, they must be classed by ana- logy and grouped together in as large numbers as possible ; then examined to see if they can be compared with other similar analogous facts which are better understood. The study of psychical phenomena seems to us to present all the greater interest, because, up to the present, with the exception of a very small number, they have not been subjected to sufficiently serious observation and truly scientific analysis. Serious-minded persons, and, particularly, men of science, have taken far too little interest, up to now, in these phenomena. The scientific attitude, in regard to facts of this character, can only be cither to study them conscientiously or to preserve an open mind in regard to them. PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA IN GENERAL 5 If a man should say : " I only occupy myself with astronomy or botany, I have not the time to study psychical phenomena, I do not know anything about them and cannot adjudicate upon them " ; there is nothing to be said against this : such an attitude is serious and correct — it does not depart from the scientific spirit. But it must be recognised that the language of the majority of men, and even of scientists, is quite different from this. They despise psychical phenomena, not because they cannot study them, but because they do not believe in their existence, and declare them impos- sible, without having studied or even seriously examined them. Now this negation, a priori, is altogether contrary to the scientific spirit. It is just as unreasonable as would be the complete acceptance, without verification or examination, of facts which had not been proved. The methodical study of these phenomena is, on the contrary, forced upon scientists, because it is impossible for them to ignore them, and, to be in a position to judge them, they must submit them to a rigorous investigation and analyse them with scientific method. The verification of psychical phenomena is extremely difficult, but it is not impossible. A number of serious spiritists, and even men of science of the first rank, are already engaged in collecting and studying them. It was in England, first of all, that the study of these phenomena, known by the name of psychical, commenced. In 1867, the Dialectical Society of London formed a com- mittee of thirty-three members to study and experi- ment on them. Later, from 1871 to 1874, Sir William Crookes made a number of laboratory experiments, which he subjected to a rigorous scientific control by means of registering apparatus. Later still, there was founded in London the Society for Psychical Research, among whose members are a number of very distinguished persons. Finally, in France, Dr. Dariex founded the Annales 6 PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA des Sciences Psychiques, intended to record observations and experiments which offered serious and scientific guarantees of authenticity. Shortly afterwards La SocUte Universelle d'^^tudes Psychiques was founded in France, which, under the patronage and with the collaboration of savants of the highest repute and world-wide standing, established a union between all the scientific groups which devoted themselves to observation and experiment as to these phenomena, in order to centralise the results of all their labours, and thus to be able to compare and class them methodically. Professor Charles Richet, member of the Academy of Medicine and Honorary President of the Soci4U Uni- verselle d'Mudes Psychiques, has exactly expressed what ought to be thought of these studies by every man of science, in the following lines, Avhich are taken from an important article published in The Annals of Psychical Science : — " Undoubtedly the experimental sciences of physics, chemistry, and physiology, are quite as positive as mathe- matics; but there is this difference between them, that they do not involve a negation. They furnish us with facts; but they can never prove that another fact non- contradictory is impossible. " For instance, oxygen combines with hydrogen to form water. This is a fact which no other fact can upset ; but it is quite admissible that oxygen, which seems at present to be a simple body, may some day be resolved into other simple bodies. It is very possible, it is even probable, that our theories concerning the exact nature of the chemical phenomenon of combination will be completely overthrown. But that will not matter at all. It will not be less absolutely true that, under present conditions, the gas which we call oxygen when combined with a different gas, the gas we call hydrogen, produces a liquid body, which is water. " But in the proposition I have just put forth there is a phrase which is fundamental. Under present con- PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA IN GENERAL 7 ditions oxygen combines with hydrogen ; but conditions might exist in which the combination would be no longer possible. " For instance, let us suppose that there is an ex- trem-ely feeble pressure, other gases massed together, a very low temperature — it is quite conceivable in these circumstances that a combination between oxygen and hydrogen would become impossible. So that it would be inexcusable for a chemist to refuse to examine experi- ments in which it might be alleged that, in certain conditions, it would be impossible for oxygen to combine with hydrogen. " Hence when we say that oxygen combines with hydrogen, we are not proving the negative side of the question, for under changed conditions it might happen that the combination could not be effected. The important point would be to discover these new conditions, which differ from the conditions already known, already described and determined. An unknown force may always modify a phenomenon, so that the negation of an experimental possibility would lead to the following absurd conse- quence : No force, known or unknown, can suspend or accelerate the combination of oxygen with hydrogen. "Let us take another example. It has been pro- fessed, and is still professed, that bodies which are not the seat of any chemical change do not produce heat. This appears to be a universally classical, absolute, and positive law, one of the immovable bases of general physics. Now, the discovery of radium has destroyed the absolute generality of the fact, since radium, without any appre- ciable chemical change, emits perpetually considerable quantities of heat. " This phenomenon does not contradict antecedent experiments. It is a new phenomenon, that is all. And the scientist who refuses to examine facts because they are new, because they present an appearance of contra- diction to classical facts, would be rather a poor specimen of a man. " Nevertheless, when, a priori, Spiritism is attacked. 8 PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA it is, in reality, for no other reason than that of its new- ness. yThere is nothing to be found in the facts of Spiritism which formally contradicts data established by science.} " Let us select for consideration the most extraordinary among the innumerable facts alleged by spiritists ; for example, an apparition, the materialisation of a being. A classical illustration of this is that of Katie King, observed by Sir William Crookes. " Certainly, this is a strange phenomenon, extraordi- nary and improbable. It is difficult to find language which adequately expresses the astounding character of this phenomenon : the apparition of a phantom, a being who has weight, circulation, intelligence and will; the lYiediiiin being present at the same time as this new being; — the medunn preserving her weight, circulation, intelligence and will. But, unheard of as may be the existence of this phantom, it is not absurd ; it does not contradict established science. Can any one adduce an experiment which proves that a human form cannot appear ? " It is the same with ra^ys or intelligible knockings on inert objects; with thought-transference or lucidity; and with movements of objects at a distance. The negation of these facts has not been made by science, and, indeed, it cannot be made. " I absolutely refuse to admit the validity of that I simplifying argument : ' It is impossible, because common- ' sense tells us it is impossible.' Why impossible ? Who has fixed the limit of what is possible and what is not p possible ? Let this consideration be carefully weighed ; " all the conquests of science and of industry were formerly looked upon as impossibilities. " We live indeed under the illusion of time : those idola temporis against which Bacon protested. We are so made that the future seems to us as thouyh it ougfht to resemble the present ; and this is a psychological law governing our mentality. The navigator who is under shelter in some little haven protected against the waves PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA IN GENERAL 9 and winds, finds it difficult to realise, in spite of experi- ence, that beyond the headland which closes in the bay, the sea is let loose and tossed about by the wmd in its fury. In the same way, we men of 1904, we cannot persuade ourselves that in 2004, and, more certainly, in 3004— a future which defies the anticipations of our most audacious speculations — the scientific data will be ab- solutely different from those of the present. We have not the courage to tell ourselves that not a particle will remain standing of those theories which we look upon to-day as conclusive. Nevertheless the demolition of all our scientific scaffolding, so laboriously constructed, is not a probability : it is a certainty. " The history of the past makes me very confident concerning the marvels of the future. The immense future lies before us. It is possible that some day science may pause ; that, after the prodigious and rapid extension which we are now witnessing w^ith too little astonishment, she may pause in her conquests. But that moment has not yet arrived ; for, in spite of her triumphant appear- ance, our science is, after all, but the study of phenomena, and she has not yet got to the root of things. " We need not go any further than this, namely, that in certain conditions, certain phenomena are produced. Hence come what we call laws : in reality, laws are only facts generalised. Let a magnet be turned rapidly round an electric wire and currents will be produced which will cause the production of sparks between the two extremi- ties of the wire. We know this much ; and we have been able to determine some of the effects of these currents, the best conditions to produce them, the relation between speed and rotation, the diameter of the wires, the number of revolutions, &c. &c. But have we gained a more inti- mate comprehension of the nature of the phenomenon itself because we have been able to determine the conditions under which that phenomenon is produced ? It is as if we were to suppose that we have adequately understood the laws of the development of living beings, because we 10 PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA know empirically that the egg of a fecundated hen kept in an incubator for forty days produces a chicken. " We behold facts and their results ; we are able to determine their conditions ; this is well, but it is only a first step towards the knowledge of things themselves ; for, if we desire to go further and understand — i.e. understand the raison d'etre, the efficient cause, the intimate mechanism, a fortiori the primary cause — we must own that of these we know nothing. " Even scientists, who, rising above appearances, look upon all the phenomena of this material world as vibrations of one and the same force, vibrations differing in form and speed, capable of becoming at one time light, at another heat, attraction, electricity, even these have not advanced much further towards the solution of great problems, for a vibration is still only a phenomenon. Vibrations in the ether produce light, but why? Why should the combina- tion of carbon with oxygen produce an undulatory vibration in the ether which is luminous ? It is impossible to name any phenomenon whatsoever — however well it may be de- scribed as to its form — which is accessible as to its cause ; and it will continue to be so, if not always, at least for a long time to come, for an adequate and completely satis- factory notion of anyone phenomenon, in its ultimate causes, would entail the satisfactory notion of all other phenomena. " The universe would be known in its integrity, if a single point in the universe, the mirror of the mighty All, were absolutely and completely known. " Therefore, since it must be frankly acknowledged that we only witness phenomena, we have no right to make our fallacious theories a reason for assigning limits to science. Very strange, very wonderful, seemingly very improbable phenomena may yet appear, which, when once established, will not astonish us more than we are now astonished at all that science has tausrht us during the last century. It is assumed that the pheno- mena which we now accept without surprise, do not excite our astonishment because they are understood. But this is not the case. If they do not surprise us, it is not because PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA IN GENERAL 11 they are understood, it is because they are familiar; for if that which is not understood ought to surprise us, we should be surprised at everything — the fall of a stone thrown into the air, the acorn which becomes an oak, mercury which expands when it is heated, iron attracted by a magnet, phosphorus which burns when it is rubbed. These are all so many mysteries, which too often we pass by without pausing to consider, for a mystery which is seen daily soon ceases, because of our intellectual triviality, to appear mysterious. " There is then nothing unscientific in the admission that at a moment of intellectual evolution of Humanity, other forces may be generated. Why should they not be ? One or other alternative is true, either we do already know all the forces of nature, or we do not know them all. There is no way out of this dilemma. The first alternative, that we know all the forces of nature, is so absurd that the mere mention of it is sufficient to show how foolish it is : it is evident that our feeble intelligence, endowed with five senses of limited range, does not penetrate into all the forces of nature (the force of the magnet, for instance). '^ Hence, necessarily and undoubtedly, there are forces which escape us. Therefore, the future may reveal these to us (not all, but some of them). "It is certain, indeed, that we can foresee nothing concerning that vast future ; but we can nevertheless assert that the science of to-day is but a slight matter, and that the revolutions and evolutions which it will experience in a hundred thousand years will far exceed the most daring anticipations, f The truths — those sur- prising, amazing, unforeseen truths — which our descend- ants will discover, are even now all round about us, staring us in the eyes, so to speak, and yet we do not see them.''^ " But It is not enough to say that we do not see them ; we do not wish to see them ; for as soon as an unexpected and unfamiliar fact appears, we try to fit it into the framework of the commonplaces of acquired knowledge, 12 PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA and we arc indignant that any one should dare to experiment further." It is strange to notice that men of the most sober minds in regard to all other matters usually approach the study of psychical phenomena with an obvious prejudice and foregone conclusion which tends to falsify their judgment. It seems that when they study these phenomena their object is not to obtain enlighten- ment and ascertain the truth, but to combat them as though they had an interest in proving that they do not exist. (They rightly call for the opinion of scientific men, but should a scientist of universally recognised authority and whose testimony they themselves have appealed to tell them that he has assured himself of the reality of psychical phenomena, he seems, ij^so facto, to have lost all credit in their eyes, and they no longer put faith in his wordT) They accept the observations which a cele- brated astronomer may make on the stars ; but if he says that he has closely observed and verified some of these phenomena, which, I do not know for what reason, are opposed to their pro-conceived ideas, they say that he is the victim of hallucination, or assert that he has been deceived. They believe in experiments made in a laboratory by a physiologist of universally recognised scientific attain- ments, and admit, just as though they had themselves seen it, all that he describes under the field of his micro- scope. But, let the same physiologist tell them that he has seen in a room a few square yards in extent, pheno- mena which they have not seen for themselves, and they claim that he has been duped by a coachman hidden in the room, whom he was not able to discover after a strin- gent examination. In fact, if similar arguments had not really been brought forward, we should not dare seriously to state them, so greatly do they exceed the limits of common sense. With regard to those who wish to devote themselves to the study of psychical phenomena, while recognising PSYCHICAL PHENOMENA IN GENERAL 13 the necessity of submitting these phenomena to a metho- dical and strictly scientific investigation, they should take into consideration that each science has its peculiar method, and that each science uses, for the study of its own phenomena, different instruments, specially adapted to the nature of the phenomena which are to be observed and the conditions in which they present themselves. Would it not be absurd to observe the stars with a microscope and examine microbes with a telescope ? What should we say of one who tried to study the course of the stars with a balance and the method of successive weighings ? And yet, among those who wish to devote themselves to the study of these psychical phenomena, there are many who make claims which are not less unreasonable than these. Psychical phenomena are of a very special character, and account must be taken of this character in any serious and profitable study of them. The first work ought to be that of methodical clas- sification, commencing at the most simple and rising progressively to the most complex, comparing together, as far as possible, those which seem to be mutually dependent. We shall then see what experimental method ought to be adopted. Doubtless, in many instances, we may be able to make use of processes and instruments which we have employed for other purposes; photography and weighing machines ought certainly to render some ser- vice ; but it is very probable that it will be necessary to design new instruments, such as the sthenometer, specially adapted to the nature and conditions of the new phenomena which form the subject of research. '/