POSSESSION AND MEDIUMSHIP. 229 



these irrational and disagreeable things were imposed upon liim 

 to test his obedience or to punish him for his sins. He was en- 

 tirely unable to resist them. This patient gave himself into cus- 

 tody at an insane asylum at Burgholzi, in Switzerland, and was 

 cured by suggestion in one hypnotic sitting. 



It is not surprising that phenomena of this kind are common 

 among spiritists. It would seem that the most favorable condi- 

 tion for the development of automatism would be a state of 

 passivity on the part of the patient or " medium/' in which he 

 simply watches the impulses and thoughts that arise within him 

 without attempting to repress any of them. Now, this condition 

 finds its ideal fulfillment in the " developing seance " of the spirit- 

 ist. A group of credulous folk gather in the dusk or darkness, 

 and sing invocations to the spirits whom they believe to be hover- 

 ing above them and watching for an opportunity to " impress " 

 them. Their sole practical principle is " not to resist the spirits," 

 and consequently the least tendency to spontaneous automatism 

 is fostered and allowed to develop to the utmost. Furthermore, 

 its development is favored by the complex suggestions of the en- 

 vironment and by the direct exhortations of believers. I remem- 

 ber one such "developing seance" which I attended some years 

 ago, at which a stout woman rose and delivered an " inspirational " 

 address, purporting to proceed from the spirit of a Methodist 

 minister who had recently died in the neighborhood. As soon as 

 it was concluded she fell heavily on the floor in hysterical convul- 

 sions. Three or four excited women at once ran to her, crying, 

 " Don't resist, dear," " Let him take possession of you," " He won't 

 hurt you, don't be afraid," etc., while the victim struggled and 

 moaned : " Oh, I can't, I can't let him ! Take him away ! " In a few 

 minutes another woman began to speak in the name of the spirit 

 supposed to be controlling the first " medium," and immediately 

 the struggles of the latter ceased. At that time I knew little of 

 these phenomena, and the incident puzzled me a good deal. I 

 never supposed, of course, that it was due to spirits, but I did not 

 see any way of ascribing it to fraud either. With the exception 

 of myself, all present were ardent " spiritualists," and I had every 

 reason to believe them sincere in their efforts to reach the other 

 world. It was not a paid sitting, and most of those present were 

 personal friends of one another. From my present point of view 

 it seems intelligible enough, and is quite analogous to that last 

 described. 



But t e best case of this kind that I have yet seen described is 

 that of Mr. Charles H. Tout, of which he has himself written a 

 very acute analysis.* He had become interested in these ques- 



* Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, vol. xi, pp. 309-316. 



