i 9 8 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ing it, perhaps for a nefarious purpose. You write a document of the 

 most private character ; you shut it up in a locked drawer ; it affects 

 the character of many persons ; it would be treason to morality to 

 publish that document in the newspapers. There is nothing to hinder, 

 so far as we know the laws of this newly invented spirit world * 

 there is nothing to hinder any disembodied spirits who are about from 

 getting access to the paper, and having it published in the newspa- 

 pers. But here I say on the other hand and this is the result of ex- 

 perience it has been shown that this can not be done. 



Having alluded to the incident of a 100 note being left in a sealed 

 envelope in the Bank of England, the owner having promised to give 

 it up to any spiritualist who could tell the number, but for which no 

 application was received, Professor Gairdner proceeded : It was in 

 some way or other impossible, apparently, for the spirits, greater or 

 less, although it was asserted that they were able to reveal the secrets 

 of one man's heart to another, to read the number of that note in these 

 circumstances. I say that it was not only in fact impossible, but I say 

 this, that, had it in fact been possible, it would have shown a state of 

 matters which, humanly speaking, would have been subversive of the 

 divine order. It would have entirely destroyed that system of law 

 by which we know that, in a way which is absolutely wonderful and 

 absolutely inscrutable, spirit does communicate with matter, .as we 

 know, every day of our lives in this world. The state of mind of the 

 persons who come prepared to believe these things who come to the 

 investigation of them with previously established ideas, who regard 

 doubt or hesitation as I would say, a sin, but let us rather say an 

 error, and a sure way of keeping manifestations back, while open- 

 mouthed credulity is the only frame of mind in which to come to the 

 investigation ; the state of mind of such persons who, I believe, may 

 be numbered in thousands, and possibly in millions, in this country 

 and in America is, to my idea, a diseased state of mind. I admit 

 fully that many of these persons are apparently able to conduct their 

 own affairs. I freely admit that many of them are very moral and 

 well-intentioned persons. I am equally inclined to believe that this 

 Mr. Allan Kardec, within certain limits which I can not attempt to 

 define, was a truthful man. But that does not hinder me from be- 

 lieving that there is disease at the bottom of these things, and it is a 

 disease of the faculty of wonder, by which that faculty, intended for 

 the noblest purposes in the organization of the human mind, is per- 

 verted to some of the lowest of all purposes, and even to the abetting 



* The preceding portion of the lecture shows by extracts from the works of spiritual- 

 ists, and especially of Allan Kardec, that according to these authorities lying, mischiev- 

 ous, and impish spirits everywhere abound, and are permitted to play their pranks freely 

 for the delusion of those who are willing to 1>c deluded ; whereby the thorough going 

 'spiritualist finds no difficulty in explaining, according to his theory, proved instances of 

 absurdity or imposture. 



