Glimpses Of The Next State.Pdf - Spiritualists' National Union
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Glimpses Of The Next State.Pdf - Spiritualists' National Union

Glimpses Of The Next State.Pdf - Spiritualists' National Union Glimpses Of The Next State.Pdf - Spiritualists' National Union

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176paper is transferred to my hat in the front drawing-room. Not the least curious incident is thatthe psychic sitting with me in the room is able to tell me consecutively my questions.(69) The profile portrait of my guide. There is nothing to analyse in this phenomenon. Ithappened as I have stated, and, as it was broad daylight, I cannot plead guilty to the possibility ofmy being mistaken in any item of this wonderful instance of spirit power. The “prepared picture”theory and all conjurers’ idle stories fall to pieces. Nobody ever did or ever will duplicate thisepisode under similar conditions.(70) The reader is asked to remark here that I was sitting between the incriminating doorand the table, May Bangs being on the opposite side of the table. Anything that was passed underthe door from, or to, May Bangs would have to go through me.(76) By a piece of good luck, as I now consider it, the boy who took the Bangs Sisters’order for the two panel-shaped canvases omitted to say that they were to be covered with paper.When he returned to the shop to fetch them he corrected his error; the paper was stretched on in ahurry and arrived wet. I received them in my own hands, and had them under my own control untilthey were put up in the window.(79) I have no explanation to offer for this incident. The psychic never once had her handsnear the ink-pot; the incident happened in the full light of noonday. As I have mentioned before,the window has a due south aspect. The ink bubbled away in the pot until it was nearly all gone.(80) Of this incident I can only say that there was plenty of light the whole time, and, withonly one person in the room to watch, it was impossible to make any mistake.(81) The light throughout this sitting was not so good as in (80); but the phenomenon ofthe dematerialisation of the flowers was more remarkable, if such a thing be possible, for they werealmost touching me, and at such a distance from the psychic as to render it impossible for her totouch them or the vase, or to see them.(84) The interest in this sitting lay in the marked difference between the speech of theEnglish and American spirits; the recognition of the fact by the old American gentleman who waswith me; and the trifling incident by which Sir A. G. identified himself.(91) Here we have some very remarkable incidents—(a) The visit of Sir Isaac Newton, who gave much information; (b) Dr. Jenkins (the control), who isignorant of what I had been doing at another house in the morning, tells me what Hudson is aboutand why he is away; (c) he also says that “Hudson is preparing some good tests for the time whenyou sit again at Rochester,” which is perfectly true if I am to judge by results.(94) The principal feature in this seance is the removal of my locket from the watch-chain,its subsequent journey and return to me. Note, my guide possessed in life an exactly similar locket.The size of the hand that took it off my chain was less than half of my own. Dr. Hyslop tried topersuade me that this episode might have been due to hysteria on the part of the psychic. I do notunderstand how any amount of hysteria can reduce the size of a lady’s hand or enable her to reachfour feet.7(95) Here, again, I do not see how any amount of hysteria on the part of Miss Ada couldgive the identity to Mr. Xander which he so much desired and obtained; it could not enable OmaYoant and other spirits to sing. Mrs. Wriedt’s clairvoyance on this occasion must be taken as aseparate incident.(96) I should think this manifestation by Catherine is one of the best materialisations everobtained through any medium in recent times. The head and bust were apparently complete; theface and hair took up most of my attention; they were perfect in every detail. This was the first timeI discovered for certain that forms are not wholly tangible. Viola’s antics on this occasion were veryconvincing proofs of her marvellous activity in taking on and throwing off the appearance ofmortality at will.(99), (100) The descriptions of these tests with the Bangs Sisters are such that I cannot add to themor analyse them with any advantage to the reader.(101) Sitting with P. 0. Keeler for slate-writing. At the end of May, 1911, I asked my guide ifshe was present on this occasion. She said she was, but the alleged letter over her name was not hersat all. All the letters were written by Keeler’s control, as I had thought. “But,” Iola added, “Mr.Keeler is a wonderful psychic.” I cordially agree. The absence of identity in the letters does not take

177away from their value as proofs of spirit action. It was certain (a) that the slates were clean; (b)that he had nothing to do with the writing; (c) that a quantity of writing was accomplished in ashort time, all audibly to me, without any pressure being brought upon the slates in my hands.(102) There was a wealth of incident in this sitting with Mrs. Wriedt. I draw attention to themanifestation of Professor James, Captain Alexander Usborne, Sir Richard Burton, and theunhappy suicide.(104) Sitting with a stranger, Dr. John. We each get our personal friends, and also anhistorical character equally interesting to both. Two voices speak simultaneously in differentlanguages twice.(105) Ada Newton communicates a fact unknown to either the psychic, or to Dr. John, ormyself. Dr. Graham (a physician well remembered in Toronto today) comes and comments upon anoperation he had witnessed a few hours before at the hospital. In these cases Mrs. Wriedt waswholly out of it as a possible agent; and supposing, for a moment, she knew all the circumstances,whence the different voices?(108) Iola answers a question which was in my mind before the sitting. The deaf farmerheavily drawn upon. Two voices speaking at once. My niece visits me. The visit of Professor E. J.Stone, F.R. S., formerly Astronomer Royal at the Cape of Good Hope. These incidents require agreat deal of explaining away if fraud on either side of life is to be the basis of inquiry.(110) The visit of Grayfeather to me at Mrs. Wriedt’s and his warning about his medium,Jonson. This was totally unexpected, and, from every point of view, most interesting. As will be seenin the epilogue to the last chapter, Grayfeather came over to England in May, 1911, and showedaccurate knowledge of what was going on here. He manifested three times in one day at Mr. Stead’scountry house.(112) This is an extraordinary instance of spirit power, (a) because Mrs. Wriedt was in awholly new environment; (b) the room was small and not magnetised; and (c) there had been nophenomena the night before, when she sat for her kind host and hostess.(113), (115) Visits of Sir Isaac Newton, who confirmed what he had said before, and talkedof his experiments on the problem of anti-gravitation. It remains to be proved if there is any soundpurpose in these communications. It seems probable that, until we have discovered some means ofopposing gravity locally, aeroplanes will never succeed. Whether I was really honoured with a visitfrom Sir Isaac Newton or not, one thing is certain: the hints he gave respecting a musical noteopposing the vibrations of gravity did not emanate from me nor from the medium.CORRELATIONSBy correlation I mean the inter-connection between different seances, proving that spiritsare aware, when functioning through one medium, that they have manifested on former occasions,and through other psychics. This is a very important support to the spiritistic hypothesis if it can beshown that the psychics did not communicate their knowledge of a sitter from one to the other byletter or telegram.I must here observe that I am not ignorant of the alleged fact that in the United States thereis a secret volume called the “Dope Book,” by some called the “Blue Book,” kept by all mediums,which is said to contain the names of residents of different cities and their various degrees ofgullibility. I have not yet come across any reliable person who has seen this book, and I am doubtfulif it really exists. It seems to me that, if such a record were in print, it would very soon come to lightand be public property. All investigators know that professional mediums are not the kind ofpeople who could conceal anything of the kind; its existence would leak out, if not through them,through the printers. Such records imply an extensive organisation and considerable expense,which mediums can ill afford. But it is the duty of all those who claim to have received evidence ofthe supernormal to examine with care every alleged contrivance by which their testimony may beweakened. Therefore, we cannot safely ignore the repeated statements of arm-chair critics, thatthere is a source of information which is the common property of all mediums respecting possibleclients.

176paper is transferred to my hat in the front drawing-room. Not the least curious incident is thatthe psychic sitting with me in the room is able to tell me consecutively my questions.(69) <strong>The</strong> profile portrait of my guide. <strong>The</strong>re is nothing to analyse in this phenomenon. Ithappened as I have stated, and, as it was broad daylight, I cannot plead guilty to the possibility ofmy being mistaken in any item of this wonderful instance of spirit power. <strong>The</strong> “prepared picture”theory and all conjurers’ idle stories fall to pieces. Nobody ever did or ever will duplicate thisepisode under similar conditions.(70) <strong>The</strong> reader is asked to remark here that I was sitting between the incriminating doorand the table, May Bangs being on the opposite side of the table. Anything that was passed underthe door from, or to, May Bangs would have to go through me.(76) By a piece of good luck, as I now consider it, the boy who took the Bangs Sisters’order for the two panel-shaped canvases omitted to say that they were to be covered with paper.When he returned to the shop to fetch them he corrected his error; the paper was stretched on in ahurry and arrived wet. I received them in my own hands, and had them under my own control untilthey were put up in the window.(79) I have no explanation to offer for this incident. <strong>The</strong> psychic never once had her handsnear the ink-pot; the incident happened in the full light of noonday. As I have mentioned before,the window has a due south aspect. <strong>The</strong> ink bubbled away in the pot until it was nearly all gone.(80) <strong>Of</strong> this incident I can only say that there was plenty of light the whole time, and, withonly one person in the room to watch, it was impossible to make any mistake.(81) <strong>The</strong> light throughout this sitting was not so good as in (80); but the phenomenon ofthe dematerialisation of the flowers was more remarkable, if such a thing be possible, for they werealmost touching me, and at such a distance from the psychic as to render it impossible for her totouch them or the vase, or to see them.(84) <strong>The</strong> interest in this sitting lay in the marked difference between the speech of theEnglish and American spirits; the recognition of the fact by the old American gentleman who waswith me; and the trifling incident by which Sir A. G. identified himself.(91) Here we have some very remarkable incidents—(a) <strong>The</strong> visit of Sir Isaac Newton, who gave much information; (b) Dr. Jenkins (the control), who isignorant of what I had been doing at another house in the morning, tells me what Hudson is aboutand why he is away; (c) he also says that “Hudson is preparing some good tests for the time whenyou sit again at Rochester,” which is perfectly true if I am to judge by results.(94) <strong>The</strong> principal feature in this seance is the removal of my locket from the watch-chain,its subsequent journey and return to me. Note, my guide possessed in life an exactly similar locket.<strong>The</strong> size of the hand that took it off my chain was less than half of my own. Dr. Hyslop tried topersuade me that this episode might have been due to hysteria on the part of the psychic. I do notunderstand how any amount of hysteria can reduce the size of a lady’s hand or enable her to reachfour feet.7(95) Here, again, I do not see how any amount of hysteria on the part of Miss Ada couldgive the identity to Mr. Xander which he so much desired and obtained; it could not enable OmaYoant and other spirits to sing. Mrs. Wriedt’s clairvoyance on this occasion must be taken as aseparate incident.(96) I should think this manifestation by Catherine is one of the best materialisations everobtained through any medium in recent times. <strong>The</strong> head and bust were apparently complete; theface and hair took up most of my attention; they were perfect in every detail. This was the first timeI discovered for certain that forms are not wholly tangible. Viola’s antics on this occasion were veryconvincing proofs of her marvellous activity in taking on and throwing off the appearance ofmortality at will.(99), (100) <strong>The</strong> descriptions of these tests with the Bangs Sisters are such that I cannot add to themor analyse them with any advantage to the reader.(101) Sitting with P. 0. Keeler for slate-writing. At the end of May, 1911, I asked my guide ifshe was present on this occasion. She said she was, but the alleged letter over her name was not hersat all. All the letters were written by Keeler’s control, as I had thought. “But,” Iola added, “Mr.Keeler is a wonderful psychic.” I cordially agree. <strong>The</strong> absence of identity in the letters does not take

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