282 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



Several of my friends about this time urged me strongly 

 to make a personal investigation of the subject. Among 

 these were my old companion, H. W. Bates, and Professor 

 E. B. Tylor. I was doing so at the time, but when I 

 published the results a few years later, and about the same 

 time Sir William Crookes published his much more remark- 

 able investigations, both alike were received with silence, 

 incredulity, or contempt. 



Notwithstanding this refusal to accept my offer of a full 

 examination of phenomena which had repeatedly occurred 

 in my presence and had been submitted to varied tests, a year 

 afterwards two of these men of science wrote to the Pall Mall 

 Gazette (May 19, 1868), making various accusations against 

 mediums and spiritualists. Mr. Lewes declared that scientific 

 men are never allowed to investigate, but are put off by an 

 evasion of some kind ; and many other things equally untrue. 

 He then suggested that the whole thing could be tested 

 by allowing Professor Tyndall to have one sitting with any 

 medium, and to propose three questions for the spirits to 

 answer correctly. I thereupon wrote to the editor with a full 

 reply, pointing out that Mr. Cromwell Varley, the eminent 

 electrician, had recently published the statement that he had 

 been permitted to investigate fully by Mr. Home, with satis- 

 factory results. I then related a series of test experiments 

 in my own house, and asked Mr. Lewes how his statement 

 that others have discovered how the tables are turned (and 

 can turn them), how the raps are produced (and can produce 

 them), how the ropes are untied (and can untie them), can 

 apply to such phenomena as I relate, and to such tests and 

 conditions as I gave, or what bearing Professor Tyndall's 

 proposed " three questions " could have upon them. 



This reply was, however, refused publication by the 

 editor, and I wrote to Mr. Lewes suggesting that, for the 

 sake of his own reputation, he should in future, if he wrote 

 publicly on this subject, do so only in such journals as 

 would admit a reply. 



As an example of the strange methods of our opponents 

 at this time, I may refer to Mr. Lewes's statement to me 



