700 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



mediately the original harmony was renewed. 

 It now occurred to me that the gas must pro- 

 duce some vibratory effect upon the strings 

 of the piano and therefore was the cause of 

 these extraordinary sounds. In support of 

 this the sounds were heard only in the even- 

 ing, which gave the whole affair an addition- 

 al strangeness. 



This proved to be the key that unlocked 

 the whole mystery. I soon found the piano 

 had nothing to do with it, notwithstanding 

 myself and friends had repeatedly listened at 

 the piano when the cover was both open and 

 shut, and it seemed to proceed direct from 

 the instrument. On further investigation 

 the sounds were traced to the gas-meter 



which was in the cellar, nearly under the 

 piano. The sound, though diffused some- 

 what, had seemed to be in the piano. 



After a short time my family became 

 tired of these sounds, and I had the gas 

 meter changed for another, and have never 

 heard them since. 



I could have made a great sensation of 

 this matter, but did not. I have no doubt that 

 many mysterious things have taken place 

 which have been ascribed to some supernat- 

 ural cause, when persistent intelligent inves- 

 tigation would have solved the whole affair 

 in a rational way. Truly, 



John Clough. 

 Wobuen, Massachusetts, July 15, 1879. 



EDITOR'S TABLE. 



SPIRITUALISM AGAIN. 



WE print a translation of Professor 

 Wundt's letter to Ulrici, which 

 has attracted a good deal of attention 

 in Germany, and is quite as applicable 

 here as there. The view taken is one 

 that needs enforcing, and it is satis- 

 factory to find that it completely agrees 

 with what has been repeatedly urged 

 upon the subject in our pages. 



We print also a communication from 

 Dr. Child, of Nebraska, complaining of 

 our partisanship in publishing upon 

 only one side of this subject. He asks 

 that we give audience to the spiritual- 

 ists because it is our habit to accord "a 

 fair hearing to all views, pro or con, on 

 any subject of general scientific inter- 

 est." But he here overlooks a very 

 important distinction. We give the 

 pros and cons only of subjects that are 

 within the legitimate sphere of science. 

 We give the pros and cons of discussion 

 only where imperfect knowledge leads 

 to diverse views, and where both sides 

 recognize the canons of evidence by 

 which all science has been created. But. 

 though admitting of controversy under 

 this limitation, our journal is devoted 

 to the interests of science, and it can 

 not be denied that we are partisans 

 partisans of the multiplication-table, 

 partisans of the law of gravity, parti- 



sans of science generally. Our maga- 

 zine was started expressly to represent 

 this side of things, and we have no 

 right to publish the other side that 

 is, anti-scientific papers ; it would be a 

 breach of contract with subscribers. 



Our correspondent offers as a reason 

 why we should open our columns to 

 spiritualism, the fact that millions of 

 people are becoming affected by its 

 teachings, while it is spreading with 

 unsuspected rapidity. That is a reason 

 which might be addressed to ambitious 

 politicians, who are always powerfully 

 impressed by numbers, or to sectarian 

 adventurers looking out for recruits ; 

 but it can not weigh in the court of 

 science, where there is but one interest, 

 the establishment of scientific truth. 

 To the scientific mind, spiritualism is 

 much the same whatever its magnitude. 

 Science is satisfied to operate on small 

 quantities, so they are fair samples, 

 and for its purposes, one roomful of 

 mediums is as good as a hundred. The 

 believers in the power of ghosts and 

 spirits have always been in the major- 

 ity, and will no doubt long continue to 

 be so. Does not our correspondent see 

 that this rapid extension of spiritualism 

 links it on to popular ignorance and 

 credulity, and cuts it off from intelli- 

 gence? Does he not see that he is 



