CRITICISMS OF PSYCHICAL RESEARCH 



I.— By J. ARTHUR HILL 



Mr. Shelton's paper in Science Progress for January may 

 perhaps give erroneous impressions regarding certain points in 

 psychical research. Without in the least wishing to be cen- 

 sorious, or to adopt anything but the most friendly attitude, I 

 venture to make a few remarks on the paper in question ; follow- 

 ing up those remarks with a review of the main features of 

 the subject, in the hope that the interest of some few hitherto- 

 indifferent men of science may be enlisted in the work upon 

 which we are engaged. In the first and more critical part I will 

 be as brief as possible, and hope that brevity will not be taken 

 as discourtesy. 



Mr. Shelton says, with commendable candour, that about 

 psychical-research evidence he " knows little and cares less." 

 He has read (some years ago) F. W. H. Myers's Human Person- 

 ality, " that monumental volume," which as a matter of fact is 

 two volumes, unless he means the abridged edition, which is 

 not particularly " monumental," if " large " is the meaning in- 

 tended. This, plus "common sense" and "some knowledge 

 of psychology," represents his equipment for attacking a very 

 distinguished man of science who has worked at psychical 

 research — experimentally, and not merely by reading — for the 

 last thirty years. It is usually found, in scientific and all other 

 matters, that those who are ignorant of a subject are not capable 

 of expressing wise opinions on it. 



Mr. Shelton has found nothing in Myers's book or " else- 

 where " which could " carry conviction to, or even merit serious 

 consideration by, any one not naturally predisposed to form the 

 spiritualist conclusions." Well, as to what merits serious con- 

 sideration, that is a matter of individual opinion ; but I wish to 

 say that though I am not a spiritualist, and am not predisposed 

 to form spiritualist conclusions (for I do not want a future life), 

 I have nevertheless found in Myers's book, and elsewhere, very 

 much that seems to me worthy of the most serious considera- 



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