1871.] on Psychic Force. 483 



inquiries into "interatomic atmospheres" and "gyrating 

 interatomic atoms." Professor Huxley has observed, " If 

 there is one thing clear about the progress of modern 

 science, it is the tendency to reduce all' scientific pro- 

 blems, except those that are purely mathematical, to 

 problems in molecular physics — that is to say, to attrac- 

 tions, repulsions, motions, and co-ordination of the ulti- 

 mate particles of matter ! Yet these ultimate particles, 

 molecules, or atoms, are creatures of the imagination, and 

 as pure assumptions as the spirits of the spiritualist." But 

 perhaps Dr. Allen Thomson's respect for mathematics is so 

 great that he is blind to actuality. It does not speak well 

 for modern scientific philosophy that, after the startling 

 revelations of the spectroscope during the last decade, inves- 

 tigations should be scouted because they pertain to an 

 ulterior state of things of which at present we have little idea. 

 That I have furnished no dynamic equivalent of psychic force, 

 or given no formulae for the variable intensity of Mr. Home's 

 power, is certainly no argument whatever against the 

 existence of such a force. Men thought before the syllogism 

 was invented, and, strange as it may seem to some minds, 

 force existed before its demonstration in mathematical for- 

 mulae. 



As an answer to Professor Balfour Stewart's rather bold 

 conjecture, that Mr. Home possesses great electro-biological 

 power (whatever that may mean), by which he influences 

 those present, I point to the curves illustrating this paper; 

 however susceptible the persons in the room might have been 

 to that assumed influence, it will hardly be contended that 

 Mr. Home biologised the recording instruments. 



I will not occupy more time with personal matters, or 

 with explanations forced from me in self-defence against 

 uncourteous commentaries based on unjust misrepresenta- 

 tions ; but I will proceed to describe the experiments, most of 

 which, I may remark, might have been witnessed by Pro- 

 fessor Stokes and Professor Sharpey, had they accepted the 

 invitations I gave them. 



On trying these experiments for the first time, I thought 

 that actual contact between Mr. Home's hands and the 

 suspended body whose weight was to be altered was essen- 

 tial to the exhibition of the force ; but I found afterwards 

 that this was not a necessary condition, and I therefore 

 arranged my apparatus in the following manner : — ■ 



The accompanying cuts (Figs. 2, 3, 4) explain the 

 arrangement. Fig. 2 is a general view, and Figs. 3 and 4 

 show the essential parts more in detail. The reference 



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