268 
Biology, it says, we see a new brain- 
power acting not through the ordi- 
nary means of speech, but directly 
from brain to brain, so in this case 
we see such a new power acting not 
only upon the muscles or nerve- 
vessels of the body, but upon external 
matter beyond the precise region of 
the body. 
Thus can the theory be stated so 
as to seem not to make very large 
demands upon our tolerance; and 
though it must be admitted that che 
otiose assent which is at present 
given to Elecro-Biology arises chiefly 
frora our ignorance of—or the absence 
of—exacét mental laws, and our com- 
parative indifference to such as we do 
know, nevertheless some force which 
may be compared to Elettricity pro- 
ceeding from the brain, under as yet 
unascertained circumstances, is cer- 
tainly conceivable. But it is obvious 
that the readiness with which we 
assent to such a theorem must depend 
upon——must, in fact, vary inversely 
with—the degree in which these new 
phenomena modify our former expe- 
rience. When it is only a question 
of moving a plank or a human body 
a little way in the air, we might ac- 
cept it; but if asked to believe that 
this Psychic Force had the power of 
attracting a fresh comet (for this is 
not a radiating force, but can, at will 
apparently, be made to act in any 
particular direction and on any parti- 
cular object), we should certainly 
refuse. This may be illogical of us, 
seeing that, if there is a new force 
discovered or come into being for us, 
it is as likely to be a great one as a 
little one; but we should have this 
comfort—that it could not be long 
before we should be obliged to believe 
in this new force, were it so powerful 
as it was said to be. Now, your later 
discoveries seem to point out this 
Psychic Force as the most remarkable 
in Nature. It apparently has the 
power of changing the very character 
of matter. Thus you record the fact 
of a bell having been carried through 
a locked door without any subsequent 
change in the nature of either of these 
material substances. The Psychic 
Force, then, must be accredited with 
the power of suddenly changing en- 
tirely the arrangement of the atoms 
composing bell or door, or both, and 
then as suddenly making them return 
Correspondence. 
‘April, 
tothe status quo. It must beconfessed 
that nothing can be conceived more 
contrary to all our past experience of 
matter and of force than this. All 
other experience teaches us that things 
are kept in their places by a balance 
of opposing forces. During the sud- 
den rarefaction of the atoms of the 
bell or door, it cannot but have been 
that some of them came under the 
influence of quite new attractions, 
and passed into an entirely new state. 
How, then, can we conceive a force 
which should exert on each atom 
such a nicely-adjusted action as to 
bring it back exactly in statum quo, 
and no more? Is it not clear that 
such a force differs, toto cewlo, from all 
others in Nature, with their ‘* equal 
and contrary reactions,” as far as we 
have yet gone ? 
Other instances might be cited if 
necessary; but this alone is, I con- 
ceive, sufficient to show that these 
facts cannot be included under the 
head of ‘‘ natural”? phenomena. For 
it will be most germane to our present 
purpose, as well as most agreeable 
with the facts of Nature, if we draw 
a distinction between ‘“‘ natural ” and 
“spiritual”? at that point which di- 
vides us from external nature, or mind 
from matter. For I hold it to be a 
mere misnomer to speak of the will 
as a ‘‘ natural” force in the sense of 
coming under the analysis of Science. 
Science, indeed, rather professes to 
disbelieve in the existence of this 
force than to correlate it with the 
forces of Nature ; but until any one 
will prophecy what a man is going to 
think or do, and not only safely after 
the event, I shall continue to believe 
init. Yet it certainly lies entirely out- 
side the viewof Science. It has no dis- 
covered correlation with ‘ natural” 
forces. Science has simply nothing to 
say toit whatever. A body falling from 
rest to the earth will reach it ina time 
dependent only on the space through 
which it falls;—but not if I catch it 
and hold it in my hand during a time 
dependent only on my own will. We 
are so used to make these tacit ex- 
ceptions that we scarcely realise that 
the forces of Nature do not act here 
with the same regularity as if there 
were no wilful beings upon our planet. 
Keeping ourselves, however, within 
the limit of a purely scientific method, 
we observe that though this force Will 
