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of heavy objects； the visible materialisation of spirits； miracles of healing；
and messages from the dead； such as that which converted the hard…headed
Scot； Robert Chambers； when Home repeated to him the actual dying
words of his young daughter。 All this came from a man of so sweet a
nature and of so charitable a disposition； that the union of all qualities
would seem almost to justify those who； to Home's great embarrassment；
were prepared to place him upon a pedestal above humanity。 The
genuineness of his psychic powers has never been seriously questioned；
and was as well recognised in Rome and Paris as in London。 One incident
only darkened his career； and it； was one in which he was blameless； as
anyone who carefully weighs the evidence must admit。 I allude to the
action taken against him by Mrs。 Lyon； who； after adopting him as her son
and settling a large sum of money upon him； endeavoured to regain； and
did regain； this money by her unsupported assertion that he had persuaded
her illicitly to make him the allowance。 The facts of his life are； in my
judgment； ample proof of the truth of the Spiritualist position； if no other
proof at all had been available。 It is to be remarked in the career of this
entirely honest and unvenal medium that he had periods in his life when
his powers deserted him completely； that he could foresee these lapses；
and that； being honest and unvenal； he simply abstained from all attempts
until the power returned。 It is this intermittent character of the gift which is；
in my opinion； responsible for cases when a medium who has passed the
most rigid tests upon certain occasions is afterwards detected in simulating；
very clumsily； the results which he had once successfully accomplished。
The real power having failed； he has not the moral courage to admit it； nor
the self…denial to forego his fee which he endeavours to earn by a travesty
of what was once genuine。 Such an explanation would cover some facts
which otherwise are hard to reconcile。 We must also admit that some
mediums are extremely irresponsible and feather…headed people。 A friend
of mine； who sat with Eusapia Palladino； assured me that he saw her cheat
in the most childish and bare…faced fashion； and yet immediately
afterwards incidents occurred which were absolutely beyond any； normal
powers to produce。 Apart from Home； another episode which marks a
stage in the advance of this movement was the investigation and report by
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THE VITAL MESSAGE
the Dialectical Society in the year 1869。 This body was composed of men
of various learned professions who gathered together to investigate the
alleged facts； and ended by reporting that they really WERE facts。 They
were unbiased； and their conclusions were founded upon results which
were very soberly set forth in their report； a most convincing document
which； even now in 1919； after the lapse of fifty years； is far more
intelligent than the greater part of current opinion upon this subject。 None
the less； it was greeted by a chorus of ridicule by the ignorant Press of that
day； who； if the same men had come to the opposite conclusion in spite of
the evidence； would have been ready to hail their verdict as the undoubted
end of a pernicious movement。 In the early days； about 1863； a book was
written by Mrs。 de Morgan； the wife of the well…known mathematician
Professor de Morgan； entitled 〃From Matter to Spirit。〃 There is a
sympathetic preface by the husband。 The book is still well worth reading；
for it is a question whether anyone has shown greater brain power in
treating the subject。 In it the prophecy is made that as the movement
develops the more material phenomena will decrease and their place be
taken by the more spiritual； such as automatic writing。 This forecast has
been fulfilled； for though physical mediums still exist the other more
subtle forms greatly predominate； and call for far more discriminating
criticism in judging their value and their truth。 Two very convincing forms
of mediumship； the direct voice and spirit photography； have also become
prominent。 Each of these presents such proof that it is impossible for the
sceptic to face them； and he can only avoid them by ignoring them。 In the
case of the direct voice one of the leading exponents is Mrs。 French； an
amateur medium in America； whose work is described both by Mr。 Funk
and Mr。 Randall。 She is a frail elderly lady； yet in her presence the most
masculine and robust voices make communications； even when her own
mouth is covered。 I have myself investigated the direct voice in the case of
four different mediums； two of them amateurs； and can have no doubt of
the reality of the voices； and that they are not the effect of ventriloquism。 I
was more struck by the failures than by the successes； and cannot easily
forget the passionate pantings with which some entity strove hard to reveal
his identity to me； but without success。 One of these mediums was tested
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afterwards by having the mouth filled with coloured water； but the voice
continued as before。 As to spirit photography； the most successful results
are obtained by the Crewe circle in England； under the mediumship of Mr。
Hope and Mrs。 Buxton。＇2＇ I have seen scores of these photographs； which
in several cases reproduce exact images of the dead which do not
correspond with any pictures of them taken during life。 I have seen father；
mother； and dead soldier son； all taken together with the dead son looking
far the happier and not the least substantial of the three。 It is in these
varied forms of proof that the impregnable strength of the evidence lies；
for how absurd do explanations of telepathy； unconscious cerebration or
cosmic memory become when faced by such phenomena as spirit
photography； materialisation； or the direct voice。 Only one hypothesis can
cover every branch of these manifestations； and that is the system of
extraneous life and action which has always； for seventy years； held the
field for any reasonable mind which had impartially considered the facts。
＇2＇ See Appendix。
I have spoken of the need for careful and cool…headed analysis in
judging the evidence where automatic writing is concerned。 One is bound
to exclude spirit explanations until all natural ones have been exhausted；
though I do not include among natural ones the extreme claims of far…
fetched telepathy such as that another person can read in your thoughts
things of which you were never yourself aware。 Such explanations are not
explanations； but mystifications and absurdities； though they seem to have
a special attraction for a certain sort of psychical researcher； who is
obviously destined to go on researching to the end of time； without ever
reaching any conclusion save that of the patience of those who try to