xxxvi] TWO INQUIRERS INTO SPIRITUALISM 307 



In an introductory note to "A Lourdes avec Zola," by Felix 

 Lacaze, Dr. Bemheim states that, "We cure at Nancy the 

 same morbid manifestations that Lourdes cures; medical 

 faith acts like religious faith ; that is what I know ! " And 

 M. Lacaze, throughout his book, imputes all the cures to 

 belief, expectation, faith. But the student of psychical re- 

 search and of spiritualism, if he examines the records 

 carefully, will see reason to doubt these general statements. 

 He will meet with cases which are so closely parallel with 

 what every experienced inquirer meets with as to indicate a 

 similarity of cause. I allude to the very common occurrence 

 at seances, when messages are being given, to so word them 

 as to contradict the expectation of every one present. I 

 have often seen this myself. At other times the inquirer 

 expects a message from a particular person, has gone to the 

 seance with the express purpose of obtaining it, but instead 

 gets a message from some one else. All this is clearly for 

 the purpose of answering the common objection — your "ex- 

 pectation" was read by the medium, and produced the 

 wished-for word or message. Now, among the five cases 

 given by M. Lasserre, one of the most striking serves to 

 illustrate this special feature. A paralyzed Abbe of good family, 

 and of the most firm and genuine religious faith, is yet so 

 humble that he does not expect a miracle to be performed 

 in his favour. More to please his family and friends than 

 himself, he goes to Lourdes, and it is so arranged that he 

 shall attend the grand service of the Assumption, when all 

 his clerical friends are convinced he will be cured, and they 

 excite in him the same belief. But though all the ceremonies 

 have been fulfilled, nothing happens, and he resigns himself to 

 the conviction that it is not the will of God that he should 

 be cured. But when attending another service the next day, 

 and not expecting anything, he suddenly feels a conviction 

 that he is well, rises from his couch, kneels down, and prays. 

 From that moment he is perfectly cured. Here we seem to 

 see the time of the cure arranged for the very purpose of 

 demonstrating that it is not expectation or faith that causes 

 the cure, although it may sometimes be a helping condition. 



