1885.] 
4 6 3 
Spiritualism and Science. 
over her person, “ and in five minutes she arose perfectly 
eured. A confirmed lunatic was brought before him ; “ in 
two days he returned to his home perfectly cured.” 
I he Sheik “maintains his intercourse with spiritual 
agents to be real and effective.” “ The belief in Magic, 
and in the interposition of an order of unseen creatures in 
worldly affairs, at the bidding of those who choose to 
devote themselves earnestly to such intercourse is universal 
roughout the entire population of every religion and 
oCC l • 
Instances could be multiplied in which most extra- 
ordinary and unaccountable results have been brought 
about, by the intervention of individuals who make this 
communion the subject of their study and contemplation.” 
R. M. N. demands the same mode of investigation for 
spuitual fadts as for phenomenal fadts. He says Science is 
based on law, Spiritualism on will: supposing this to be the 
fadt, is he in a position to state that this will is not restrained 
by law ? Exactly what he claims for phenomenal manipu- 
lations the Spiritualists claim for their manifestations. He 
states that under certain circumstances Science can “ foretell 
phenomena, and that wherever the experiment is made 
the lesult comes out the same,” and “ that under the same 
conditions the same results will follow .” We have then a 
qualification “ There are of course numbers of cases in 
which the causes and conditions of phenomena have not 
been traced out.” Now this is, as I understand it, exadtly 
the Spiritualist’s position : they have numberless fadts, phe- 
nomena if you will, but know of no law or mode for the 
classification of them, nor has ever the attempt been made 
to find a law or apply a classification. It has never been 
presented as a Science, but merely as a succession of mani- 
festations which appear to evade all scientific rules. Being 
so, it seems scarcely fair, except so far as the evidences of 
the fadts, for Science to demand that the manifestations— 
which appear to subvert all scientific principles and to obey 
no scientific law — should be subjedted to an exadt formula. 
It should be remembered that the manifestations cannot be 
produced at will, as physical or chemical combinations may 
be, but are the result of peculiar conditions. Some of 
these conditions are widely spread, others but rarely oc- 
curring. 
All Science has the right to demand is that the evi- 
dences of the fadts are unimpeachable, and ought not to 
be greater — and ought not to be required to be greater — 
than those which would establish a case if presented 
