SCIENCE AND SPIRITS. 407 



A species of mental scene-painting, with which my own 

 pursuits had long rendered me familiar, was employed to 

 figure the changes and distribution of spiritual power. 

 The spirits were provided with atmospheres, which com- 

 bined with and interpenetrated each other, considerable 

 ingenuity being shown in demonstrating the necessity of 

 time in effecting the adjustment of the atmospheres. In 

 fact, just as in science, the senses, time, and space, con- 

 stituted the conditions of the phenomena. A rearrange- 

 ment of our positions was proposed and carried out ; and 

 soon afterward 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 permis- 

 sion to touch the medium's hand. " Oh, I know I tremble," 

 was her reply. Throwing one leg across the other, I ac- 

 cidentally nipped a muscle, and produced thereby an in- 

 voluntary vibration of the free leg. This vibration, I knew, 

 must be communicated to the floor, and thence to the 

 chairs of all present. I therefore intentionally promoted it. 

 My attention was promptly drawn to the motion ; and a 

 gentleman beside me, whose value as a witness I was par- 

 ticularly desirous to test, expressed his belief, that it was 

 out of the compass of human power to produce so strange 

 a tremor. " I believe," he added earnestly, " that it is 

 entirely the spirits' work." " So do I," added, with heat, 

 the candid and warm-hearted old gentleman A. " Why, 

 sir," he continued, " I feel them at this moment shaking 

 my chair." I stopped the motion of the leg. " Now, sir," 

 A. exclaimed, " They are gone." I began again, and A. 

 once more ejaculated. I could, however, notice that there 

 were doubters present, who did not quite know what to 

 think of the manifestations. I saw their perplexity ; and, 

 as there was sufficient reason to believe that the disclosure 

 of the secret would simply provoke anger, I kept it to 

 myself. 



