MESMERISM TO SPIRITUALISM 31 r 



varied conditions. Yet he was so illogical as to think that a 

 test phenomenon occurring once only under his or Mr. G. H. 

 Lewes's conditions would settle the whole question — that is, 

 would satisfy the scientific world and the general public that 

 the spiritualistic phenomena were genuine, and that what 

 used to be called " miracles " did happen in our midst 

 to-day. Sir William Crookes's experience, a few years later, 

 proves how totally wrong Tyndall was in his opinion, since 

 his careful experiments, continued for several years, are to 

 this day ignored or rejected by the bulk of scientific and public 

 opinion as if they had never been made ! 



In order to show Mr. Varley's liberal spirit towards op- 

 ponents, and also for suggestions of great value, I give here 

 some extracts from a letter I received from him in January, 

 1869— 



" We spiritualists should remember that the way in which 

 science has reached its present brilliant position has been 

 through our philosophers doubting, disbelieving, and testing 

 everything until further disbelief was impossible. 



" We privileged ones owe it to the world to present spirit- 

 ualism to them in a manner so clearly defined and demon- 

 strated, that those who follow us shall be able to make them- 

 selves as much masters of the subject as we are. 



' What is wanted is to bring together a large number 

 of harmonious mediums, to form of these several circles of 

 diiterent characters, and to secure the assistance of several 

 clairvoyants. 



" Each circle should be under the management of a clever 

 man, and each should carry on a continuous and exhaustive 

 examination of the groundwork of the subject. Once estab- 

 lish a clue to the relations existing between the physical forces 

 known to us and those forces by which the spirits are some- 

 times able to call into play the power by which they produce 

 physical phenomena — once establish this clue there will be no 

 lack of investigators, and the whole subject will assume a 

 rational and intelligible shape to the outside world." 



This was written thirty-five years ago, but, though the 

 Society for Psychical Research has done a good deal, the 



