ESSAY-REVIEWS 139 



biological sphere, to provide thought with a definite inductive datum to build 

 upon. Philosophies must still continue to decide from their own general nature 

 whether they will follow the mechanistic or the vitalistic lead. Biology must still 

 leave their claims unsettled. 



MODERN SPIRITUALISM, by W. Arnison Slater: on 



Psychical Investigations, by J. Arthur Hill. [Pp. 288.] (Cassell 



& Co., Ltd., 1917. Price 6s. net.) 

 On the Threshold of the Unseen, by Sir William F. Barrett, F.R.S. 



[Pp. xx + 336.] (Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., Ltd. Price 6*. 6d. 



net.) 

 The Reality of Psychic Phenomena: Raps, Levitations, etc., by 



W. J. Crawford, D.Sc. [Pp. 246.] (London : John M. Watkins, 



1916. Price $s. net.) 

 Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research. Part LXXIII. 



Vol. XXIX. March 191 7. Price is. 6d. net. "The Ear of 



Dionysius," by The Right Hon. G. W. Balfour. (Printed for 



the Society by Robert Maclehose & Co., Ltd., University Press, 



Glasgow.) 



Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, speaking recently of spiritualism, referred to "the 

 wonderful literature which had sprung up around: it during the last few years. 

 If no other spiritual books were in existence than five which had appeared in the 

 last year — Sir Oliver Lodge's Raymond, Mr. Arthur Hill's Psychical Investigations, 

 Prof. Crawford's Reality of Psychic Phenomena, Sir William Barrett's Threshold 

 of the Unseen, and Mr. Gerald Balfour's Ear of Dionysius— those five alone would 

 in his opinion be sufficient to establish the facts for any reasonable inquirer." 

 Raymond was noticed in this review last July, and the names of the other four 

 books stand at the head of this article. If we cannot all agree that they are 

 sufficient to establish the facts, that may be because we are more impressed by 

 the complexity of the subject than Sir Arthur appears to be ; but we can readily 

 admit that together they give a very good idea of the position of modern 

 spiritualism. Nor can a#y one, without a careful study of some of them, claim a 

 right to express an opinion on the subjects with which they deal. 



Mr. Arthur Hill's book is interesting chiefly as an account of his own meetings 

 with mediums, though incidentally it gives a pleasant picture of local spiritualism 

 in the North and Midlands, among industrious and honest people for whom it 

 supplies the place of a religion. From the speculative point of view the book is 

 notable as a record of cases in which a medium gave information about matters 

 apparently outside his own normal knowledge, and not at the time known to the 

 sitter, but afterwards found to be correct. There are other chapters on various 

 aspects of the subject, not without value in themselves, but as an introduction to 

 the history and claims of spiritualism most people will find the book next on our 

 list to be more generally useful. 



Sir William Barrett gives us a well-written survey of the whole ground, treating 

 it by a method which is a quite successful blend of the historical and the logical. 

 We have accounts of the most celebrated mediums and their feats, with all the 

 controversies that raged round them. And there are clear descriptions of all 

 the types of phenomena commonly called occult, from planchette-writing and the 



