1874.] Phenomena called Spiritual. 89 
Crass X. 
Direct Writing. 
This is the term employed to express writing which is not 
produced by any person present. I have had words and 
messages repeatedly written on privately-marked paper, 
under the most rigid test conditions, and have heard the 
pencil moving over the paper in thedark. The conditions— 
pre-arranged ‘by myself—have been so strict as to be equally 
convincing to my mind as if I had seen the written 
characters formed. But as space will not allow me to enter 
into full particulars, I will merely sele¢t two instances in 
which my eyes as well as ears were witnesses to the opera- 
tion. 
The first instance which I shall give took place, it is true, 
at a dark séance, but the result was not less satisfactory on 
that account. I was sitting next to the medium, Miss Fox, 
the only other persons present being my wife and a lady rela- 
tive,and I was holding the medium’s two hands in one of mine, 
whilst her feet were resting on my feet. Paper was on the 
table before us, and my disengaged hand was holding a 
pencil. 
A luminous hand came down from the upper part of the 
room, and after hovering near me for a few seconds, took the 
pencil from my hand, rapidly wrote on a sheet of paper, 
threw the pencil down, and then rose up over our heads, 
gradually fading into darkness. 
My second instance may be considered the record of a 
failure. ‘‘ A good failure often teaches more than the most 
successful experiment.”” It took place in the light, in my 
own room, with only a few private friends and Mr. Home 
present. Several circumstances, to which I need not further 
allude, had shown that the power that evening was strong. 
I therefore expressed a wish to witness the actual production 
of a written message such as I had heard described a short 
time before by a friend. Immediately an alphabetic com- 
munication was made as follows—‘‘ We will try.” A pencil 
and some sheets of paper had been lying on the centre of the 
table ; presently the pencil rose up on its point, and after 
advancing by hesitating jerks to the paper fell down. It 
then rose and again fell. A third time it tried, but with no 
better result. After three unsuccessful attempts, a small 
wooden lath, which was lying near upon the table, slid towards 
the pencil, and rose a few inches from the table; the pencil 
rose again, and propping itself against the lath, the two 
together made an effort tomark the paper. It fell, and then 
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