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fabric of materialism as the only possible basis of our existence 
falls to the ground. With it goes much that is deduced from it, 
and beliefs that had been supposed to be laid at rest for ever 
begin to reassert the possibility of their truth. We are, however, 
told by men of science that we are not to believe the evidence of 
credible witnesses in certain cases, and, according to Dr. Carpenter, 
the standard by which they are to be tried, is the standard of 
common sense. Thus, in paragraph 530 of his book on Mental 
Physiology,* we are told that 
‘Every one who accepts as facts, merely on the evidence of his own senses, 
or on the testimony of others who partake of his beliefs, what common sense 
tells him to be much more probably the fiction of his own imagination, even 
though confirmed by the testimony of hundreds with the same epidemic 
delusion, must be regarded as the subject of a diluted insanity.” 
This is all very well, but the testimony of intelligent credible men 
has the same value in all time. Common sense is a constantly 
shifting standard. The common sense as to what is possible of 
the reign of Elizabeth, or of ten years ago, is the common nonsense 
of the reign of Victoria, and the present year. But Dr. Carpenter 
is reasonable compared with Dr. Beard of New York. 
2 
‘‘Other factors,” writes Dr. Beard, ‘‘being the same, a common-place 
man without logic, or imagination, or education, or aspiration, would be less 
likely to be conquered by a delusion than a successful lawyer, or judge, or 
Scientific discoverer ; for logical, well-trained, truth-loving minds, the only 
security against spiritism is in hiding or running away. If they venture a fair 
and open attack, and are true to their convictions and necessities of logic, they 
must unconditionally surrender. If Sir Isaac Newtown were alive to-day, he 
would not unlikely be a convert to spiritism: the amount of human testimony 
in favour of spiritualistic claims is a millionfold greater than that in favour of 
the theory of gravity. The late Judge Edmonds used to say that he sifted the 
evidence of spirit manifestions just as he sifted the evidence in cases of law, and 
in accordance with the same principles, and from the standard of the law books 
and the Universities, his position was impregnable.” + 
I confess this takes my breath away; the only conclusion it seems 
to point to is that ignorance and lack of knowledge are safer guides 
than their opposites. From Dr. Carpenter and Dr. Beard let us 
* Principles of Mental Physiology, by William B. Carpenter, M.D., C.B., 
F.R.S. Kegan, Paul & Co., Paternoster Square, London. 
+ Psychology and Spiritism, North American Review, July, 1879. 
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