SPIRITUALISTIC EXPERIENCES 353 



alludes to them and indicates their possibility, without laying 

 special stress on the fact of their occurrence. The equally 

 well-attested phenomena of psychic photography are entirely 

 unnoticed, though they would easily be fitted into the great 

 structure he has erected based upon phenomena which he con- 

 sidered to be demonstrated facts. 



This method of very slow advance was, no doubt, neces- 

 sary for the purpose of establishing what is really a new 

 science, and in the establishment of this science a foremost 

 place will always be given to Frederic Myers. He was the 

 first English writer to attempt to educe order out of the vast 

 chaos of psychic phenomena, to connect them with admitted 

 physical and physiological laws, and to formulate certain hy- 

 potheses which would serve to connect and explain a consider- 

 able portion of them. 1 Yet there are indications that even 

 his careful examination of evidence and tentative suggestions 

 are still in advance of most of his fellow researchers; as 

 shown by the fact that since his greatly lamented death the 

 publications of the society have become retrograde rather than 

 progressive, by devoting space to the publication of mere in- 

 conclusive or suspicious phenomena which are absolutely 

 worthless, and by needlessly pointing out that certain facts 

 may possibly be explained by imposture or delusion. Never- 

 theless, for the advanced " Researcher," Myers's great work 

 will long serve as a vast reservoir of classified information and 

 a guide to further scientific research ; while the spiritualist will 

 equally value it, and by its light will be able to interpret the 

 more advanced and more marvellous phenomena with which 

 he is acquainted. 



When talking to me about the remarkable seances with the 

 two Newcastle mediums, the entire series of which he attended 

 and recorded very carefully in the notebooks he showed me, 

 he laid great stress upon the extremely rigid precautions that 

 were taken against the possibility of imposture, and conveyed 

 to me the impression that he himself was quite convinced of 

 the genuineness of the whole series. He also told me that 



1 Robert Dale Owen's works, at a much earlier period, attempted the 

 same thing with more limited materials, but with remarkable success. 



