35-' MY LIFE 



each one present. The light was just sufficient to see the 

 figures, which were sometimes those of children, at other times 

 of adults. Other phenomena also occurred in the room. 

 Afterwards the medium was found either awake or still 

 entranced, with the tapes, knots, and seals all apparently un- 

 touched. 



But this was not thought sufficient to exclude imposture. 

 The medium might have provided herself with tape, tacks, 

 wax, and a copy of the seal, and by practice and ingenuity 

 be able to restore things to their original state after coming 

 out and personating the figures. To render this impossible 

 (or rather much less credible), at each Seance the width, 

 quality, or colour of the tape was different, the sealing-wax was 

 of another colour, or a different seal was used, so that on no 

 two occasions were the conditions alike. Yet still the phe- 

 nomena went on occurring. Then a hammock was procured 

 for the medium to lie in, and this hammock, by means of 

 pulleys, was connected with a weighing machine, so that the 

 medium could not possibly leave it without instant detection. 

 Yet still the phenomena were produced, and the medium was 

 found afterwards comfortably lying in her hammock. 



Of course such phenomena as these, however well estab- 

 lished, were entirely out of place at so early a period of the 

 inquiries of the persons, who soon afterwards founded the 

 Society for Psychical Research. They wanted to create a 

 science — to make sure of the first steps before they went on to 

 the second; and, above all things, not to go on too fast, so 

 that the educated but sceptical public might be able to follow 

 them. They have now worked in this way for nearly a quarter 

 of a century; they have published a wonderful collection of 

 well-attested evidence, and yet they are only now beginning 

 to approach very carefully and sceptically even the simpler 

 physical phenomena which hundreds of spiritualists, including 

 Sir William Crookes and Professor Zollner, demonstrated 

 more than thirty years ago. As to the more advanced 

 phenomena, such as the disintegration and reproduction of 

 matter, and the various forms of materialization of the human 

 form or its parts, Mr. Myers himself, in his great work, only 



