ESSAY-REVIEWS 335 



evidence and pervert argument in order to convince themselves ; and even main- 

 tain that it is true because it is pleasant. 



But there are no grounds for supposing that what is pleasant must therefore be 

 true. It is quite possible that truth may sometimes be dangerous and untruth 

 beneficial. The Ghost-Hypothesis may have been useful in the past; but, now 

 that men are beginning to emerge from barbarism, it is, we think, becoming less 

 and less useful to us. As we grow up we should try to face facts more firmly. 

 Every adult ought to see this quite clearly ; and we do not admire those who still 

 try to force the superstitions of the Middle Ages upon us. 



Curiously enough, nearly the whole of this modern form of superstition 

 emanates from the Anglo-Saxon Conglomerate — we find little of it among the 

 older civilisations of the Latin Races, or even among the Germans. Now, the 

 nature of the Puddingstone is that it is good in places but utterly soft in between ; 

 and we therefore see many people among us who are thoroughly sound and 

 reasonable in the ordinary affairs of life, but who may break down in a minute 

 into spiritualism, theosophy, telepathy, anti-vivisection, or a hundred other similar 

 weaknesses ! We understand that most of our " mediums " come from the 

 United States— and thank Heaven for that, at least ! Probably no other race but 

 ourselves would be so gullible as to believe in anything they may see done at 

 seances in darkened rooms, previously prepared for their deception. Probably, 

 then, this superstition is based, not on any body of ascertained fact or reasoned 

 argument, but on a widespread racial mental weakness, due to nature or to bad 

 education. 



As fact, the Ghost-Hypothesis is nothing ; as allegory, it is everything. It 

 has been associated in the past (for good reasons) with the greatest Teachings 

 and the wisest Philosophies ; but these can now stand by themselves. The 

 Moral Law is based, not on any form of fabulism, but upon the broadest Common 

 Sense. Our ghosts are our deeds, which for good or evil live after us ; and our 

 heaven and hell are those which we make for ourselves. Spiritualism is a 

 debased version of these high truths. It is debased because it ascribes actuality 

 to what are really parables invented by the Fathers of Humanity to guide us in 

 our conduct, and because it does so in order to please its pupils by attempting 

 to assuage the fear of death. We shall do well to follow in this matter the wise 

 and beautiful mind of Matthew Arnold. Men are not divine by nature, but may 

 become so by wisdom. So long as they continue to believe themselves divine 

 by nature they will fail to become divine by wisdom. Why ? Because they will 

 then continue to lie to themselves. That is why spiritualism is not of Good, but 

 of Evil. 



THE WEIGHING OP WITS, by Geraldine E. Hodgson, Litt.D., on 



The Measurement of Intelligence. An Explanation of and a Complete 



Guide for the use of the Stanford Revision and Extension of the 



Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale, by Lewis M. Terman, Professor of 



Education in Leland Stanford Junior University. [Pp. xvii + 362.] 



(London: G. G. Harrap, 1919. Price 6s. net.) 



Test Material for Measurement of Intelligence, by Lewis M. Terman. 



18 cardboard sheets (London : G. G. Harrap, 1919. Price $s. 6d. 



net.) 



Recently, Pedagogic Journals have been richly furnished with articles bristling 



with diagrams and statistics. Novelty-lovers buzzed round them ; older stagers 



