instance, the wax with which the envelope was sealed had been broken. But now, on the other hand, it is equally true that certain scientific men of the highest rank found themselves face to face with another group of phenomena, wholly free from fraud, and of such a nature as to warrant their acceptance of the spiritistic hypothesis. To these scientists and the phenomena in question we shall return in the next chapter. Suffice it now if we simply note that no number of communications from a world beyond could possibly prove the universality of survival. We cannot infer that if any individuals survive, then all must do so.

So far, then, as popular objections to the claim of spiritualism are concerned, it is clear that they have no weight.

And while there are eminent scientists who have been so impressed by the highest types of psychic phenomena as to see in spiritism the only satisfying explanation of them, it should be noted that over against these scientists stand others of equal repute and ability who have declared themselves not yet convinced, not yet prepared to indorse the claim of spiritualism. And the grounds of their refusal to commit themselves are chiefly the following: (1) that

psychology is still in its infancy, or at most, in its childhood; (2) that the whole field of psychic operations needs to be more fully explored; (3) that all the resources which might serve as explanations have not yet been exhausted; and (4) that we should never fall back on any supramundane means of explanation until we have absolutely done with terrestrial sources. Certainly, no one ought to accept a theory that is not in itself convincing or just, because it has no rival. No one ought to accept a theory merely because it is the only one available, for that would be to make of the theory an opiate for the uneasiness of suspended judgment. Alas, that in these days of widespread liking for precipitancy, for short cuts, and quick results, the difficulty of suspending judgment is enormously increased. The American "promoter" has for his motto, "Get rich quick." I know Christian Scientists whose motto is, "Get health quick," and Socialists whose cry is, "Get social health quick." So there are people who have espoused occultism, hoping thereby to get knowledge of the hereafter, quick. Strange as it may seem, even the realm of science is not free from men with a passion for settling upon an explanation rather than suspending judg

ment till all the evidence is in. When Kepler discovered that the planets moved not in circles but in ellipses, he had no means of accounting for that strange phenomenon. Yet he felt bound to furnish an explanation for it. Accordingly he broached the belief that each of the planets is attended by an angel, who personally conducts the planet round in its elliptical orbit! Soon, however, the law of gravitation became more thoroughly understood and when it was found equal to accounting for the elliptical movement, the guiding angels were dismissed. Similarly in the field of psychic phenomena, it may yet be possible, through increased knowledge, to dismiss the spiritistic hypothesis in favor of terrene agencies adequate to explain them. But here we come to the threshold of our next subject, the Counter-claim of Psychical Research.

VI

THE COUNTERCLAIM OF PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

The claim of spiritualism to have demonstrated the reality of life after death rests on a number and variety of psychic phenomena. Included among these are clairvoyance and clairaudience, i. e., the seeing and hearing of what is not discernible by the senses, apparitions, ghosts, the hauntings of houses and placesabove all, the phenomena of mediumship. A medium may be defined as a person who seems to lend himself (or herself) to some other being or beings, imperceptible to our senses, in order that they may manifest themselves to us. We have seen that the attitude toward these phenomena has been anything but uniform. Some persons have accepted them all at their face value; others have entertained doubt as to their genuineness; others, again, have rejected them in toto as products of a diseased imagination. Yet, notwithstanding the doubts and the denials, the phenomena continued to occur

and also the disputes as to their reality, until, in the last quarter of the last century, it was felt to be a crying shame, a "scandal of the age," that no systematic, organized effort was anywhere being made, either to determine the validity of the phenomena or to settle the disputes. Certain eminent scientists felt themselves challenged to recognize and explain the phenomena or forever after hold their peace. And so it came about that in February, 1882, in London, England, there was formed the Society for Psychical Research, the first organized attempt to undertake systematic investigation of these mysterious phenomena. Three years later an American branch of the parent society was formed. Each organization has published, annually, a volume of Proceedings.

The popular notion of the personnel of these societies is expressed in such phrases as the following: "a soft-headed, easily-duped lot"; "harebrained searchers," "miracle-lovers," "novelty-cravers."

But a mere glance at the names of the men who have officered the societies proves how mistaken that popular notion is. I doubt if there is another organization in the world that can boast of so many hard-headed, cautious, critical