406 FRAGMENTS OF SCIENCE. 



self back against my chair, and gazed listlessly out of the 

 window. While thus engaged, the table was rudely pushed. 

 Attention was drawn to the wine, still oscillating in the 

 glasses, and I was asked whether that was not convincing. 

 I readily granted the fact of motion, and began to feel the 

 delicacy of my position. There were several pairs of arms 

 upon the table, and several pairs of legs under it ; but how 

 was I, without offence, to express the conviction which I 

 really entertained? To ward off the difficulty, I again 

 turned a wine-glass upside down and rested my ear upon it. 

 The rim of the glass was not level, and the hair on touch 

 ing it caused it to vibrate and produce a peculiar buzzing 

 sound. A perfectly candid and warm-hearted old gentle 

 man at the opposite side of the table, whom I may call A., 

 drew attention to the sound, and expressed his entire belief 

 that it was spiritual. I, however, informed him that it was 

 the moving hair acting on the glass. The explanation was 

 not well received, and X., in a tone of severe pleasantry, 

 demanded whether it was the hair that had moved the 

 table. The promptness of my negative probably satisfied 

 him that my notion was a very different one. 



The superhuman power of the spirits was next dwelt 

 upon. The strength of man, it was stated, was unavailing 

 in opposition to theirs. No human power could prevent 

 the table from moving when they pulled it. During the 

 evening this pulling of the table occurred, or rather was 

 attempted, three times. Twice the table moved when my 

 attention was withdrawn from it ; on a third occasion, I 

 tried whether the act could be provoked by an assumed air 

 of inattention. Grasping the table firmly between my 

 knees, I threw myself back in the chair, and waited, with 

 eyes fixed on vacancy, for the pull. It came. For some 

 seconds it was pull spirit, hold muscle ; the muscle, how 

 ever, prevailed, and the table remained at rest. Up to the 

 present moment, this interesting fact is known only to the 

 partirular spirit in (|iirstion and myself. 



