Mrs. Piper & the Society for Psychical Research

ties-Unexpected communications from unknown persons-The respect d

d, it would be needful to ask why earnest men, after long hesitation, have finally given the preference to this hypothesis. But psychic phenomena, and

ent persons, however far off they may be. And what Phinuit calls "the influence" must be added. This mysterious "influence" might be the traces of vibrations left on objects by our thoughts and feelings. Evidently this hypothesis plunges us int

you the contents of the paper," can easily be explained by telepathy. Mrs Blodgett was in the presence of a medium. Now some medium was to reveal to her the mysterious tex

ufficiently. I shall try to show this by repeating some of the arguments put forward by Dr Hodgson in his r

ng period before their deaths. A long series of concordant observations inspired Dr Hodgson with this argument. It is as follows:-"If we had to do with telep

al trouble preceding death was graver. It disappears slowly, but sometimes traces of it appear years after. Telepathy does not explain this. If there is madness in the mind of the dead person, there is none in the minds of the living who remember him. On the other hand, if we introduce the

r were really what he says he is, we should expect this, for three reasons-the violent shock of disincarnation must trouble the mind; the arrival in an entirely new environment, where he must at first be unable

orge Pelham case, which we shall examine later on, the first communications were also incoherent. Yet George Pelham was soon to become one of the most clear and lucid, if not the most clear and lucid, of all the d

. But doubtless many more observations are neede

aken, these facts are contrary to what we should expec

s full of incoherence and confusion. Finally he gave it up on the advice of George Pelham, who said that A.'s spirit would not be clear for some time yet. This A. had suffered from violent headaches and nervous exhaustion for some years before his death, though the troubles had not amounted to insanity. Now, just at the time when A. was incapable of manifesting cle

med to be ignorant of events which he had known well in his lifetime and which were quite clear in the inquirer's mind. More th

exactly what it was worth. But on December 11[46] M. Bourget had another sitting, and this time Dr Hodgson accompanied him and took notes. The artist seemed to make desperate efforts to communicate and to write herself, but she could only produce two or three French words, amongst which apparently was the exclamation, "Mo

e," that is, from the vibrations which our thoughts and feelings may have left recorded on these objects, the imperfections of the earlier communications of persons whose minds have been disturbed might be explained by the theory that the "influence" left by an insane pe

ssage to their surviving relatives. Mrs Piper cannot have produced these communications by means of the "influence" left on objects, unless we suppose that the presence of these objects is not necessary and that any "influence" may strike the medium

ngs with Messrs Oliver and Alfred Lodge

other in the body-she had sore throat and passed out. He is very bad and has gone away very unhappy. She's clinging to me and begging me to tell you that she's little Mannie Stevenson, an

"Can she send her

and when she was ill they called

-"Well, I wi

have restored the despairing parents to a little hope and calm; and secondly, because cavillers could not have attributed the incident to the

Oliver and Alfred Lodge and Mr and Mrs Thom

Richard Ric

"Not well; I k

nds kindest regards to his father." And Phin

nd Mrs Thompson were again pre

upon which Dr Rich

.e., Dr Phinuit) "to let me speak to you. Mr Th

n.-"I will

im that I am alive-that I send my love to him. Where are my glasses" (the medium passes her hands over her eyes)? "I used to wear glasses" (true). "I think he has them, and some of my books.

does your

appeared to write on it, and pr

Thompson, if you will give this message I wi

since been to see him and given him the message. He (Mr Rich, senior) considers the episode very extraordinary and inexplicable, except by fraud of some kind. The phrase, 'Thank you a thousand times,' he asserts to be characteristic, and he admits a recent

ignorant of all the details here given. Whence did the medium take them? Not from

Mr Howard, when those present were Mr and Mrs Howard, their

is Fa

ard.-"

pronounce it. It is F-a-r-n-s

n.-"What

He wants t

wants to

ot you, but

he want to say to me?

leman; and do you reme

s; which A

s gentleman." (I.e., this

s interrupt me greatly and when I go to explain it to you, you can't understand it. But sometimes when I am talking to you, I am suddenly interrupted by somebody who don't realise w

her more. Phinuit was right: a gardener named Farnsworth had worked for her uncle and then

related are evidently difficult t

predictions. The medium could not read events which have not yet occurred, either in the minds of the livi

lived a long time in France and spoke French well, and who offered to help t

ou will be very sick: you will have great weakness in the stomach and head. A sandy complexioned gentleman will attend you while you are ill beyond the sea." In consequence of this, Mrs Pitman asked Phinuit what the end

ded by a Dr Herbert, who was very fair; he diagnosed inflammation of the stomach. Then Mrs Pitman began to believe in Phinuit's prediction; but interpreting his last words wrongly, she

oys they liked. All these details are evidently to be found in the minds of the parents. But when these children communicate long years after their death, it is as if they had grown in the other world; they only rarely allude to the impressions of their babyhood, even when these im

S.P.R., vol.

S.P.R., vol.

bid.,

f S.P.R., vo

f S.P.R., vo

S.P.R., vol.

S.P.R., vol.

S.P.R., vol.