278 MY LIFE [Chap. 



described in my " Notes of Personal Evidence," I felt sure 

 that if any of my scientific friends could witness them they 

 would be satisfied that they were not due to trickery, and 

 were worthy of a careful examination. I therefore first 

 invited Dr. W. B. Carpenter to attend some of our sittings, 

 telling him that I could not guarantee anything without a 

 series of, say, half a dozen visits. He came one evening, the 

 only other persons present being the medium — Miss Nichol — 

 my sister, and myself. After a short time a few raps were 

 heard on the table, and these were repeated, sometimes in 

 different tones, and sounding, at request, in any part of the 

 table. They were not, however, strong, and soon came to 

 an end. Dr. Carpenter sat quite still, and made hardly any 

 remark. He knew from my statements that this was a mere 

 nothing to what often occurred, and though I strongly urged 

 him to come at least two or three times more, I never could 

 prevail upon him to come again. 



I then tried to get Professor Tyndall to take up the 

 subject seriously, giving him an account of the results I had 

 obtained, the tests I had applied, and the general conditions 

 that seemed favourable or unfavourable. He replied in a 

 letter which I now have before me, and as it shows how 

 difficult it then was to get any man of eminence to keep an 

 open mind on this subject, I think it worth reproducing. 



'My dear Wallace, 



" Your sincerity and desire for the pure truth are 

 perfectly manifest. If I know myself, I am in the same vein. 

 I would ask one question. 



" Supposing I join you, will you undertake to make the 

 effects evident to my senses ? Will you allow me to reject 

 all testimony, no matter how solemn or respectable? Will 

 you allow me to touch the effects with my own hands, see 

 them with my own eyes, and hear them with my own ears ? 

 Will you, in short, permit me to act towards your phenomena 

 as I act, and successfully act, in other departments of 

 nature ? 



" I really wish to see the things able to produce this 



