SCIENCE AND THE 'SPIRITS.' 445 



persons. Hence my desire to witness those extra- 

 ordinary phenomena, the existence of which seemed 

 placed beyond a doubt by the known veracity of those 

 who had witnessed and described them. The meeting 

 took place at a private residence in the neighbourhood 

 of London. My host, his intelligent wife, and a gentle- 

 man who may be called X., were in the house when I 

 arrived. I was informed that the ' medium ' had not 

 yet made her appearance ; that she was sensitive, and 

 might resent suspicion. It was therefore requested 

 that the tables and chairs should be examined before 

 her arrival, in order to be assured that there was no 

 trickery in the furniture. This was done ; and I then 

 first learned that my hospitable host had arranged that 

 the seance should be a dinner-party. This was to me 

 an unusual form of investigation ; but I accepted it, 

 as one of the accidents of the occasion. 



The 'medium' arrived a delicate-looking young 

 lady, who appeared to have suffered much from ill- 

 health. I took her to dinner and sat close beside her, 

 Facts were absent for a considerable time, a series of 

 very wonderful narratives supplying their place. The 

 duty of belief on the testimony of witnesses was frequently 

 insisted on. X. appeared to be a chosen spiritual agent, 

 and told us many surprising things. He affirmed that, 

 when he took a pen in his hand, an influence ran from 

 his shoulder downwards, and impelled him to write oracu- 

 lar sentences. I listened for a time, offering no observa- 

 tion. 'And now,' continued X., 'this power has so 

 risen as to reveal to me the thoughts of others. Only 

 this morning I told a friend what he was thinking of, 

 and what he intended to do during the day.' Here, I 

 thought, is something that can be at once tested. I 

 said immediately to X. : * If you wish to win to your 

 cause an apostle, who will proclaim your principles to 



