The Shadow World

question of the identity of the "intelligences" that have manifested themselves. The reason for

azzi) that the facts of mediumship exist, it is my purpose to take up definitely the question of identity, wh

t rank who admit the reality of apparitions and voices, there are but few as yet who are willing to assert that the dead manifest themselves. By this I mean that though some of them, like Crookes,

l's term), drawn from the psychic or from myself. Nearly every one of the mediums I have studied has had at least one guide, whose voice and habit of thought were perilously similar to her own. This, in some cases, has been laughable, as when 'Rolling Thunder,' a Sioux chief (Indians are all c

. "Such psychics are on a low plane. I nev

and 'Wilbur' a shrewd and humorous personification of her subconscious self; or, if she does, she probably ascribes it to the process of materialization which 'ta

experience to have made so deep an

any case I had hitherto studied, and seemed a direct attempt at identification on the part o

of day, in the open air, anywhere the psychic happened to be, and that her 'work' was of an exceptionally high character. I was keenly interested, as you may imagine, and asked for a sitting. Mrs. Hartley, as we will call her, fixed a day and hour in her own

d floor, a sunny little den on the east side of the house, which was not in the least suggestive of hocus-pocus. A broad mission table, two bookcases, a few flo

musical friend whom I will call 'Ernest Alexander.' I also wrote the names 'Jessie' and 'David,' folded the sheet once, and retained it under my hand. Upon her return the psychic seated herself at the battered oval table, and, taking up a pair of hinged school slates, began to clean them with a cloth.

"It isn't necessary. I've had messages on slates

that the whispers which I was presently to hear came to her under all conditions, and that her spirit friends talked to her familiarly as she went about her household du

calling to some one through a thick wall. This interested me exceedingly. Generally psychics are very humble and patient with their 'guides.' A few moments later the slates began to slam about so violently beneath the table that h

e from 'Dr. Cooke,' the guide; on the other were these words, written in slate-pencil: 'I would that you could see me as I am now, still occupied, and happy to be busy.' This was followed by four li

talent.' This was signed 'Ernest Alexander.' Both these replies, as you see, were very general in phraseology, but the third message came closer to the individu

artley opened and read your note and, following up the cl

ell, and while she was gone I wrote on another piece of paper: 'Ernest, give me a test of your i

iled me.' This was signed 'Ernest,' and was accompanied by another sketchy bar of music. It all looked like a real attempt to give me what I had asked for, and ye

lent assumption to

came (with every evidence of eager haste) intimate questions concerning Alexander's family: 'Is my wife cared for?' and the like. To these I replied orally. I must tell you that all along the whisper spoke of Alexander's wife as '

or what you have done. I have been told my mind is clear,' which was particularly full of me

njecture rightly, was a well-known man, and the psychic could have re

Dr. Cooke,' her guide. I could catch only a few of the whispered words, and Mrs. Hartley was forced to repeat them. 'Dr. Cooke,' thus interpreted, said: 'Your friend Alexander is present, and overjoyed to tal

e third movement of the '-- Sonata.' This message was accompanied by a curious little device like the letter C with a line drawn through it, and I said to myself: 'If

thing to me. It looked like 'Isinghere.' In answer to oral questioning, the whisper said that these bars of

sked Miller. "Did the writi

ice. In one way or another I varied the conditions, so that I was at last quite convinced of the psychic

e score which 'E. A.' persisted in setting down. I was now eager to secure a complete phrase of the music. I saw myself establishing, at the least, the most beautifu

nce as if to confound us both. Blake received a message written on a slate under his foot, and I got the name 'Jessie,' with the word 'sister' written beneath it; and then suddenly the whispers changed in character.

es, held as before beneath the table, we began to get bars of music of a character quite outside the knowledge of the psychic and myself; and, more remar

orous; 'he' acknowledged mistakes in the score, calling them 'slips of the pen.' 'He' became highly technical in his conversation with Blake, talking of musical matters that were Greek to me and, I venture to say

slates down to the little parlor; and there, with Blake now holding the slate beneath the table and now playing the notes upon the piano, the score grew into a weird little

iritualism," exulted Fowler. "You are now rec

ith technical subtlety, although simple in appearance. At last a complete phrase was written out and partly harmonized. This, 'E. A.' said, was the beginning of a little piece that he had intended to ca

"And how about your own subconscious self? You are musical,

ile the slates were in Blake's entire control. At times he not merely inserted them himself but withdrew them-the psychic merely clutched one corner of them. Furthermore, throughout all this composition 'Ernest' was master of the situation. 'Dr. Cook

look at the musi

osition, and during the last sitting she appeared to be no more than a mere on-looker. Once as

ll me where?

the places?' 'Once was on Fifth Avenue. The other was-I can't tell the location exactly; but it was where we went down a short flight of steps.' 'That is correct also,' sa

it of clever ventriloquism, how did the psychic secure the information conveyed in this dialogue? It was given as

ed Miller. "I consider thought transfe

e case of spirit communication. You should

rs or my own. Mainly the whispers had to do with 'E. A.,' which, of course, bears out Miller's notion that the psychic could deal only w

ke protested: 'I'm not up to this.' And the whisper came swiftly, 'You're too modest, Blake'; and a moment later it said: 'I hope you're not bored, Garland.' If all this was a little play of the psychic's devising it was very clever, for after a few minutes

"Their field of vision is evidently

ispering voice called, 'Is Garland here?' and once it asked: 'What is Garland doing? I see hi

ittle touch,"

ay, partly because the staves were on different leaves of the slate and partly because the notes, especially some of those put in at the beginning by the composer, were becoming blurred. It was marvellous to see how exactly these dim n

right!' ins

re in that way.' For there was a seeming conf

I permit myself,'

f a figure 2. This meant, as became clear through a subsequent reference to his printed scores, the playi

y.' The figure '2' was cancelled, and the measure was completed by a

anuensis. He was highly technical throughout in both the composition and the playing, and Blake followed his will, for the most part, as if the whispers came from Alexande

ic doing all this t

s which she did not fully understand. It was precisely as if she were catching by wireless telephone the whispered instructions of my friend

ce, when Blake was asking for a correction, t

d the 'control.' Blake did so, and 'E.

s put his finger on the print of a newspaper behind his back, and the 'spirit' spoke the word that w

ch the psychic had never seen and which I had taken from my friend's desk) these words: 'Have Schumann.-E. A.' This writing I had taken to mean that 'Ernest' wanted to hear some of Schumann's music, and in that understanding I had called Blake in to play. This had seemed at the moment perfectly conclusive and entirely satisfactory; yet now, in this final sitting, 'E. A.' suddenly reverted to this message, and whispered: 'Garland,

ant done with this fragment, "Isinghere"?' I pursued. 'Shall

' asked Blake. 'Forty?' 'M

of again suggesting an a

instance, for 'E. A.' was unable to complete his sentence, which should have read: 'Have Schumann return a certain étude which I took.-E. A.' Furthermore, the psychic evidently believed in the truth

both firms. The entire message and the method of its communication were deeply exciting at the time, and completed what seemed like a hi

ld be a good test,' said Blake, 'but to find

agment would be still more

no such étude had ever been in his hands, and Alexander's family reported that

at about the other messages?

turned out to be almost the exact duplicate of Alexander's signature as he used to write it when a youth twenty years ago. As a matter of fact, it closely resembled t

n? Did he put the same valu

seeing Alexander through a pane of crinkly glass,' he put it. And he added: 'I had the sense of being in long-distance contact with the composer himself.' He had no dou

secure more of the

ey. Almost immediately 'Ernest' whispered a greeting and said: 'I want to go on with that music

it, 'Ernest.' It's beyond me.

to try for the completion of this score through another psychic. If I can get that eighth bar

ommunications' present. It typifies in little the elusive problem of spirit identification which many a veteran investigator is still at work upon, after years of study

autiful communication," declared Fowler. "You admit that many of the messag

dictated all the messages except those that related to the publishing matter; but there

emendously hampered in their attempts to manifest themselves. Furthermore, you say you could not hear all that 'E. A.'

en Blake played the first bar of that thrilling little mel

der's family thi

ne or Omaha love-song than like a m

mental process," objected Miller. "That

he musical part of it, and I can't persua

t musical fragment, would it have conv

t lay in some other mind, no matter where and no matter how deeply buried in the subconscious, that knowled

ntom form resembling 'E. A.' had spoken th

have believed

hy

not a matter of the will; it is n

for the writing? As I understand it, the psychic did not, in some instanc

rocess. I have seen them dart forth from another medium precisely as described by Scarpa. I have seen them lift a glass of water, and I have had them touch my knees beneath a table while slate-writing was going on-so that, given the power to read my mind, there is nothing impossible (having regard to Bottazzi's definite experiments) in the idea of the etheric hand's setting down the music and reproducing the signature of 'E. A.'

e this hand?"

he supernumerary arm and hand dart forth and seize a pencil. I saw a hand very plainly cross my knee and grasp me by the forearm. All of this

questioned Fowler-"that he disputed certain passages with Blake, and tha

s opposition may have been more apparent than real. It may have concerned our conscious

omniscient, nothing can be proved. It seems to me an evasion. However, let me ask how you would

tized subject to exteriorize her astral self, but to mould this vapory substance as a sculptor models wax. So I can

licated and incredible than the sp

re discussing. The sitting took place in a small private house here in the city. The psychic in the case was a young business man who is careful not to advertise his power. For four years he has been holding secret developing circles whereto a few of his friends only are invited. I was present last Sunday, and shared in the marvels. The place of the séance was the parlor of his apartment, his young wife and little daughter being present. There was, in addition

y fallen between him and our group when the spirit voices began. The first one to speak was 'Evan,' t

like illuminated vapor. At length came one that spoke in a deep voice, using a foreign language. Jacob, the young Pole, sprang up in joyous excitement, saying that he had sat many times in this little circle, but that this was the first time a spirit had sp

you mean

, and the phantom sang with him. Now this seemed like a clear case of identification, and was perfectly satisfactory to Jacob, but I had observed this fact: the Pole was an indifferent singer-having hard work to keep the key-and the 'Count' was troubled in the same way. His deep, a

nse!" excla

a double out of yo

wife said was 'Evan,' and requested me to shake his hand. This I did. The hand felt as if it were covered with some gauzy veiling. My belief is that it was the psychic himself who stood before me, proba

fraud, for the mind and vocal organs of the psy

hic advanced from the cabinet and in a dazed way ordered the lamp to be lit. This was done. He then asked that it be turned

, in which I detected a note of entreaty, I saw a luminous form, taller than himself, suddenly appear before the curtain and stand bowing in silence. I could perceive neither face, eyes, nor feet, but I could make out the arms under th

hantom, his left was held near his heart; his knees seemed to tremble, and his body appeared to be irresistibly drawn toward the cabinet. Slowly, watchfully, fearfully, he approached the phantom. The f

iller. "Do you mean that the man and

the psychic's fall seemed inevitable-a collapse from utter exhaustion. I was at the moment convinced that I had seen a vaporous entity born of the medium. It seemed a clear case of projection of the astral body. In

couldn't get my breath. I felt as if all my substance, my strength, was being drawn out of me. My legs seemed about to give way. It is always hard to produce a form so far away from me when I am on the outside o

e always clothed in that lum

More often they come in the cloth

at one of their meetings a naked Hercules suddenly appeared before the curtain. The Pole declared: 'He was of giant size and strength. I felt of his muscles (he was clothed only in a loincloth), and I closely studied his tremendous arms and shoulders. The mediu

thing like that, di

nd fluctuating about a foot above the carpet. It was neither steam nor flame. It seemed compounded of both luminous vapor and puffing clouds of drapery. It rose and fell in quivering impuls

disappearance of 'B. B.,' in Algiers. I know this sounds like the veriest dreaming, but you must remember that materializations much more wonderful have been seen and analyzed in the clinical laboratories of Turin and Naples. Morselli, Bottazzi, Lombroso, Porro, and Foà hav

. If, for example, this psychic had known me well enough to have had a very definite picture of 'E. A.,' he might have been able to model from the mind-stuff that he or

iller. "It's all too destr

rit hypothesis is simp

fact. If the observations of scientific experimentalists are of any

is capable of explaining all the phenomena; and in a recent issue of the Annals of Psychic Science Lombroso writes a paper making several very strong points against the biologic theory. One of these is the simultaneous occurrence of phenomena. 'Can the subconscious self act in several places at once?' he asks. A second objection lies in the fact that movements occur in

the psychic does not consciously will to do a certain thing is no proof that the action does not

ainly an opposing will, for the psychic was lending herself to the experiment, and the spectators were eager for its success. Notwithstanding which co-operation this phantom bitterly opposed the wishes of every one present, and

enzano observed that the forms occurred in several places at once, that they appeared in many shapes and many guises. Some were like children, some had curly hair, some had beards. In one case identification was made by introducing the finger of one of the sitters within the phantom mou

proceeds to raise the psychic herself against her will-as Mrs. Smiley testifies happened again and again in her youth-is to do violence to all that we know of natural law. And yet it may be that the etheric double is able to take on part of the forces resident in the circle of sitters, and so become immensely more potent than the psychic himself, as in the case of the 'Man from Mars'-the Hercules I have just been telling you about. Then, as to the content of these messages, they may be

s are emanations of the medium's physical substance, moul

hing that I have experienced seems capable

the mind of the ghost is not a separate entity from that of the psychic. I grant that the only difference between the psycho-dynamic theory and the spiritualistic theory lies in the question of

s no final explanation to say 'a man did it' or 'an intelligence did it.' I have often been told that things cannot move in certain ways or certain things cannot be done

ple stones," exclaimed Fowler. "They ask for

tter how unpalatable it may be. If these phenomena exist, they are in the domain of natural law and can be weighed

some years ago, that these materialized bodies belong to the radiant state of matter, which has now a sure foothold in science. This is the only hypothesis that can reconcile the ancient and universal belief in the persistence of some manifestation of life after death with the results

experiments, but I believe with Venzano that the physical phenomena of mediumship cannot be, and ought not to be, considered trivial. It was the spasmodic movement of a de

eason for that?

ans, who approach the subject, not as bereaved persons, but as biologists. I am ready to go wherever science leads, and I should be very glad to know that our life here is but a link in the chain of existence. Ot

if the soul or 'astral' or 'etheric double' can act outside the living body, it can live and think and manifest after the dissolution of its material shell? Does not the experimental work of Bottazzi, Morselli, and De Rochas all make for a spiritual interpretation of life rather than for

perimental science. Certainly I would welcome a physical proof that my mother still thinks and lives, and that Ernest and other of my dearest friends are at work on other plane

physical about it. No one has explained the first cause of the development of an embryo. No one knows what goes on in an active nerve, or why atoms are selective in their

ent his way, to be met by questions of business and politics, a

TNO

e. He says: "One evening, while sitting at the table, I began to feel as if I were swelling up. My thumb felt as big as my arm, and my arm as big as my leg. While I was perfectly aware that I was at the dinner-tabl

DE

ICAL PHENOMENA, INVOLVING THE PRODUCTION OF A

eet of ordinary character. They began in a second-story front room, and were transferred to a parlor just below, where there was a piano. The room, in either case, was fairly light; now and then the window-shades were lowered

e when, with a certain emphasis, she undertook to hasten the pace of her lagging "controls." The three sittings were attended by little

heard by Mr. Garland. It may be added that on at least two occasions, however, the writer heard and understood replies which the psychic declared had not been audible to her. During the latter portion of these sittings, especiall

r these sittings com

which Mr. Garland himself had assisted i

e were six pages-the insides of the covers and a double le

of an inch to three-eighths of an inch in length

d lead-pencil, for genera

ape-fruit. These met the psychic's needs or fancies, and were brought into c

he p

they had consisted of less than half a dozen notes placed upon staves consisting of but three or four lines, instead of five. The most successful of these earlier efforts had been produced on a double school-slate, with a wooden, list-bound frame: two measures on a treble staff had been sprinkled with vague indications of musical script. No attempts had yet been made to bring even the best of these vario

new staves to be drawn on the silicon slate should run lengthwise and should cover every page of it. T

enclosed) rested on his knee; the upper cover was pressed against the frame of the table. The editor's thumb rested rather lightly on the middle of the nearer half of the upper cover, and his fingers assisted in supporting the nearer half of the under cover. The psychic herself had surrendered the control of the slate to the editor, and could have had no contact with it beyond touching the

down. The notes were placed but approximately as regarded lines and spaces. No stems, save in one or two instances, united the chords, the notes of which were written more or less above one another, yet detached. A few unsatisfactory attempts we

chanical difficulties occasioned by the distribution of the matter on the slate and the multiplicity of corrections, and partly from lack of skill in the performer. However, two or three very brief passages were given by both hands and pronounced correct by the Composer, who showed surprise that anything so "simple"-as he characterized it-should give so much trouble. In one instance he noted that, while the two parts, treble and bass, were correct separately, they were not played in correct time together. The Composer, throughout, was most patient, persevering, courteous, and encouraging, though toward the end-in the closing measures of th

es where corrections were made by the writer, the Composer often watched the progress of the slate-pencil (a longer one than that which was used between the leaves) and gave directions: "Not there"; "Yes, here," and the lik

peared, none of them quite satisfactory. The Composer seemed to acquiesce in our attempts to relate his title to different

in its production fall under one of three heads. There are, first, the passages that seem to have been produced in co-operation with the sitters. There are, second, the passages that seem to have been produced in independence

harp. The following colloquy ensued: Editor: "Does the piece begin with the tonic chord of A?" Composer: "Yes." Editor: "Is the

the Composer as being a grace-note. The editor pointed out that this left only five eighth-notes to fil

Composer's attention was drawn to this blemish. He requested

ich might be related, are not without

tinct and separate effort, for which the pencil was put in the slate and the slate placed beneath the table. The time was set down before the notes themselves were secured. The six-eight sign was clearly and neatly written on the proper staff, in correct relation to the G-clef and to the signature; and the two figures were also in c

eighth-notes in the bass. In making his revision the Composer directed that each of these three pairs of notes should be joined by stems. This took the treble notes down to the bass, and left

leger-lines and gave them to the succeeding measure. Another little colloquy: Editor: "Shall I draw the bar where it

cross-purposes between the Composer and the circle develope

otes. This left the first third of the measure vacant; and the Composer, interrogated, directed the insertion of a quarter-rest. The editor objecte

the right of the note, thus lengthening its value by one-half. "No, no," objected the Composer; "put it on top

ionally placed the last sharp a third below its proper position. He was at once brought to

enough through a subsequent reference to his published scores, that he wished two quarter-notes to receive the value of three eighth-notes, but was not understood a

ditor ventured to object, and the passage was tried on the piano, at the Composer's request. The double sharp was fel

ike, while the Composer indicated their position by specifying lines and spaces-as, third space, second line, and so on. The

of a mental picture in the Composer's mind. The "picture," as secured by us, was not, it must be admitted, without distortion. The Composer himself used the word "scattered" in such a way as to impl

spered "Dr. Cooke"; and the

TNO

ever before sat for psychic phenomena, and to whom