SCIENCE AND THE 'SPIRITS.' 449 



table. The promptness of my negative probably satis- 

 fied 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 oc- 

 curred, 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 the table moved when my attention was withdrawn 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 prcfvoked 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, however, 

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

 present moment, this interesting fact is known only to 

 the particular spirit in question and myself. 



A species of mental scene-painting, with which my 

 own pursuits had long rendered me familiar, was em- 

 ployed to figure the changes and distribution of spirit- 

 ual power. The spirits, it was alleged, were provided 

 with atmospheres, which combined with and interpene- 

 trated each other, and considerable ingenuity was 

 shown in demonstrating the necessity of time in effect- 

 ing the adjustment of the atmospheres. A re-arrange- 

 ment of our positions was proposed and carried out; 

 and soon afterwards my attention was drawn to a 

 scarcely sensible vibration on the part of the table. 

 Several persons were leaning on the table at the time, 

 and I asked permission to touch the medium's hand. 

 ' Oh! I know I tremble,' was her reply. Throwing one 

 leg across the other, I accidentally nipped a muscle, 

 and produced thereby an involuntary vibration of the 

 free leg. This vibration, I knew, must be communi- 



