594 The Outline of Science 



to a brain centre, but arrive in the mind by some more direct 

 route. 



Such persons are the mediums; and their faculty exhibits 

 itself most readily when ordinary disturbances, and the lights and 

 sounds of every day, are shut off, and when they enter into the 

 quiet. 



Something of the same sort has been known to the saints of 

 all time, and also to men of genius. The conditions for medita- 

 tion, or for high and fruitful production, are similar. But 

 whereas, in the case of lofty minds, things of value are received 

 into the consciousness, and are skilfully worked upon and con- 

 verted into great discoveries, or immortal poems or pictures, the 

 lowly class of more nearly ordinary people called mediums are as 

 a rule not particularly able or highly educated folk though there 

 are exceptions and are only privileged to get inspiration into 

 their subconsciousness in a temporary and easily forgotten man- 

 ner. They have to let the inspiration, such as it is, be utilised by 

 others, who take the trouble to obey the conditions and to make 

 and study the record of what is given, through their subconscious 

 utterance. Such utterance, whether by speech or by writing, 

 often takes the form of ecstatic description of occurrences and 

 conditions "on the other side," and on the joys and occupations 

 of future existence. Many books recording this kind of in- 

 formation have been published, both in America and England. 

 But, though they may be considered edifying, statements of this 

 kind are not verifiable, and therefore are not yet attended to by 

 psychic science; though, in the case of Swedenborg, they have 

 been made a foundation for religion. 



The utterances in which science at present is most interested 

 are concerned with more mundane affairs ; they may not seem at 

 all important or edifying to superficial observation, and are often 

 said to be trivial and unworthy of the dignity of the subject- 

 whatever that may mean. One gets tired of pointing out that the 

 triviality of these personal and domestic tests adds to their value 



