SCIENCE AND THE UNKNOWN 363 



deliberately stating what is false. Another and often 

 the least probable answer is that the witnesses or 

 reporters state what they do because it is the simple 

 truth. The statements made have to be accounted for 

 by one or other of these hypotheses or suggestions, and 

 each suggestion as to the origin of the statements must 

 be tested by reference to independent facts in order 

 to dismiss or to confirm it. 



The whole of what is called " modern occultism," 

 including spiritualism, second-sight, thought transfer- 

 ence (so-called telepathy), crystal-gazing, astrology, 

 and such mysteries, can only be treated reasonably 

 in the way I have mentioned. We ask for a demon- 

 stration of the occurrence of the mysterious com- 

 munications or prophecies, or " raps " or " levitations," 

 or whatever it may be. Lovers of science have never 

 been unwilling to investigate such marvels if fairly 

 and squarely brought before them. In the very few 

 cases which have been submitted in this way to 

 scientific examination, the marvel has been shown to 

 be either childish fraud or a mere conjurer's trick, or 

 else the facts adduced in evidence have proved to be 

 entirely insufficient to support the conclusion that there 

 is anything unusual at work, or beyond the experience 

 of scientific investigators. 



It is unfortunately true that most persons are quite 

 unprepared to admit the deficiencies of their own powers 

 of observation and of memory, and are also unaware of 

 their own ignorance of perfectly natural occurrences 

 which continually lead to self-deception and illusion. 

 Moreover, the capacity for logical inference and argu- 

 ment is not common. The whole past and present 

 history of what is called " the occult " is enveloped in 



