120 DR. HAMMOND AND THE [vm. 



a prominent place on the Index Expurgatorius. The 

 marvels countenanced from time to time by the 

 Roman Church fare no better in his hands than the 

 wonderful deeds of the Homes and the Davenports, 

 and of these it is left doubtful whether the most 

 marvellous part is the audacity of the performers 

 or the gullibility of the spectators. 



According to Dr. Hammond, spiritualism is for 

 the most part barefaced imposture, the remainder 

 being innocent delusion. By many persons who 

 adopt this view on the whole, yet are unable to 

 realise how great is the capacity of the human mind 

 for being deceived, a reservation is made in behalf 

 of divers phenomena which are alleged to take place 

 in conformity to some undiscovered " natural law," 

 or to require for their explanation some species of 

 " force " other than those with which scientific men 

 are familiar. Dr. Hammond is not inclined to admit 

 any such reservation as this, which, even if it were 

 allowed, would be of small use to the spiritualists. 

 Even if an event were admitted to be inexplicable 

 save by an appeal to some " force " other than those 

 that have hitherto been studied, we should still have 

 no sort of reason for assuming any connection 

 between this unknown " force " and the "spirits " of 

 deceased persons. Such an assumption could find 



