Alfred Russel Wallace 



I have been much pleased and interested lately in read- 

 ing Mark Twain's, Mrs. Oliphant's and Andrew Lang's 

 books about Joan of Arc. The last two are far the best, 

 Mrs. Oliphant's as a genuine sympathetic history, Lang's 

 as a fine realistic story {" A Monk of Fife "). Jeanne was 

 really perhaps the most beautiful character in authentic 

 history, and the one that most conclusively demonstrates 

 spirit-guidance, and both Mrs. Oliphant and A. Lang bring 

 this out admirably. . . . — Yours very faithfully, 



Alfred E. Wallace. 

 To Mrs. Fisher 



Parkstone, Dorset. September 14, 1896. 



My dear Mrs. Fisher, — I have much pleasure in sign- 

 ing your application for the Psychical Research Society, 

 though the majority of the active members are so absurdly 

 and illogically sceptical that you will not find much in- 

 struction in their sayings. Mr. Podmore's report in the 

 last-issued Proceedings is a good illustration. . . . 



We have all been in Switzerland this year. Violet, her 

 mother, and five lady friends all went together to a rather 

 newly-discovered place, Adelboden, a branch valley from 

 that going up to the Gemmi Pass by Kandersteg. I went 

 first for a week to Davos, to give a lecture to Dr. Lunn's 

 party, and enjoyed myself much, chiefly owing to the com- 

 pany of Eev. Hugh Price Hughes, one of the most witty, 

 earnest, advanced, and estimable men I have ever met. 

 Dr. Lunn himself is very jolly, and we had also Mr. Le 

 Gallienne, the poet and critic, and between them we had a 

 very brilliant table-talk. Mr. Haweis was also there, and 

 one afternoon he and I talked for two hours about Spirit- 

 ualism. He is a thorough spiritualist, and preaches it. 

 . . . —Yours very sincerely, Alfred R. Wallace. 



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