1907II Psychical Research 



ported a journal called The Harbinger of Light, his 

 office being used at intervals for "psychic" or spirit- 

 ualistic manifestations. A firm believer in the im- 

 mortality of the human soul, his attitude in this mat- 

 ter was essentially scientific. "Whatever is true," he 

 asserted, "can be proved by the methods of science," 

 and he therefore hoped to be of some service in bring- 

 ing about a demonstration of the fact of immortality. 



He was deeply interested in the institution founded 

 by his brother, and repeatedly assured me that he 

 expected to leave the bulk of his estate to it. This he Endow- 

 did, and in 19 18 Stanford University received by his "^^"'/"^ 

 will the sum of about one million dollars, the interest ogy''°' 

 on which is to be devoted to research and instruction 

 in Psychology and related branches. This disposition 

 was in partial conformity with a suggestion of mine 

 that he should make his bequest an endowment for 

 scientific investigation. 



In 1912 he provided a special fund of ^50,000 Coover and 

 for a fellowship in Psychic Research, of which the ^^ 

 original appointee, John Edgar Coover, Stanford '04, wTton 

 still remains the incumbent. Dr. Coover's first pub- ^tanjord 

 lication, a large volume entitled "Experiments l^^'^^"""'^'^ 

 Psychical Research," gives the results of elaborate 

 and painstaking investigations with all known safe- 

 guards against error, and marks a decided advance in 

 the knowledge of obscure problems. That most of 

 its conclusions are negative detracts nothing from 

 their value. The elimination of untruth in this field, 

 at least, advances science as much as the addition of 

 positive facts, and is especially useful because it 

 clears away half truth, the worst encumbrance of real 

 truth. In the words of Professor de Hovre of Louvain, 

 "Truth is so mighty that a half truth is more danger- 



C 219 J 



