SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALISM. . 239 



being afraid of an eel, and when taken to the tub boldly 

 plunged iu both hands to seize the fish. A hideous roar 

 followed this attempt. Wren had experienced a demonstra- 

 tion of the "psychic force" of the electrical eel, and his 

 terror so largely exaggerated the actual violence of the 

 shock, that he believed for the remainder of his life that he 

 was permanently injured by it. He had periodical spasms 

 across the chest, which could only be removed by taking a 

 half-quartern of gin. As he was continually narrating his 

 adventure to public-house audiences, and always had a spasm 

 on concluding, which his hearers usually contributed to re- 

 lieve, the poor fellow's life was actually shortened by the 

 shock from the gymnotus. 



The experiments which Mr. Crookes relates in support 

 of his psychic force hypothesis are as follows: In the first 

 place he contrived an apparatus for testing Mr. Home's 

 alleged power of modifying the gravitation of bodies. As 

 Mr. Home requires to lay his hands, or at least his finger- 

 ends, upon the body to be influenced, Mr. Crookes attached 

 one end of a long board to a suspended spring steelyard of 

 delicate construction; the other end of the board rested on 

 a fulcrum in such a manner that one half of the weight of 

 the board was supported by the fulcrum and the other half 

 by the steelyard. The weight of the board thus suspended 

 was carefully noted, and then Mr. Home put his fingers 

 upon that end of the board immediately resting on the ful- 

 crum in such a manner that he could not by simple pressure 

 affect the dependent end of the board. 



Dr. Huggins, the eminent astronomer, was present, and 

 also Serjeant Cox, besides Mr. Crookes. They all watched 

 Mr. Home, the board, and the steelyard ; they observed first 

 a vibration and fluctuation of the index, and finally that 

 the steelyard indicated an increase of weight amounting to 

 about three pounds. . Mr. Crookes tried to produce the same 

 effect by mechanical pressure exerted in a similar manner, 

 but failed to do so. The details of the experiment are fully 

 described and illustrated by an engraving. 



Another and still more striking experiment is described. 

 Mr. Crookes purchased a new accordion from Messrs. 

 Wheatstone, and himself constructed a wire cage open at 



