The Fringe of Immortality by Monteith, Mary E.

THE FRINGE OF IMMORTALITY

MARY E. MONTEITH

'' In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die and their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter destruction but they are m peace For though they be punished m the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality,”

TJia Wisdom of Solomofi*

LONDON:

JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W

1920

\AU ngkis yeserved]

PREFACE

This book is composed, principally, of a few of the many experiences which have helped to convince the writer of the power of thought and, on this basis, of the power of the spirit independent of matter.

Gratitude is due to the people concerned in the various cases who have most generously allowed the publication of incidents which, by reason of their private and personal nature, may influence the hopeless outlook of those who stand 'twixt faith and knowledge.

The names and initials used are fictitious without exception.

Although care has been taken to ensure privacy, and certain details have been omitted in deference to the wishes of the family when they have been too sacred or too private to give in full, in no case has the addition of fiction been added to replace these omissions. It has been considered advis- able to state only the facts sufiicient to make the necessary point and, in consequence, the evidence for survival is less than would have been the case had equivalent, but fictitious, matter been intro- duced.

1 %

PREFACE

Fuli confidence, however, was peimitted for the late editor of " The Nineteenth Centuiy and After,” who carefully examined the entire docu- mentary evidence before he accepted the articles entitled ” Automatic Wiitmg,” ‘‘ Telepathy as a Natural Means of Communication,” and ” The Survival of Memory After Death ”

Adequate testimony is necessary in the interests of psychical research A great deal of evidence is lost because of the haphazard nature of psychic revelation. A clairaudient communication, for instance, may occur anywhere and at any time ; there is nothing to show for it except the know- ledge of details refernng either to the identity of an unknown communicator or to a prediction which may be confirmed only by subsequent events. When such details are confided, without delay, to responsible and disinterested persons, allowing nothing to depend on the word of a single individual, the matter may then be brought as evidential to the notice of the general public.

As tune goes on and experience increases, opinions on aU subjects are apt to be modified, intensified and, sometimes, completely changed. Prejudice is swept away by the tide of incoming mvention; impossibihties of old become every- day occurrences ; speculative thought, reality. Theories on abstract truths are more influenced by tangible discoveries than credit is allowed " In the middle of the last century as the prestige

PREFACE

of Darwinism increased,” remarks a modern writer, “ it was almost as if the desert and the jungle had begun to voice themselves in human thought.” Cm'rent literature shows that evolution has had a marked influence on nearly all subjects, and especially is this noticeable in the modern writings on matters of Faith, when we read the progressive views on the immediate life hereafter which was once held to be a static sleep.

An old scientist, somewhat opposed to specula- tive thought, once said to me, ” Study facts and you will find each one a rung m the ladder you climb, and as each step will take you higher, so will all fall into a true perspective when seen from the higher point of view.” The advice was sound, but all will agree, and none so readily as the scientist, that the impetus to discovery, the working hypothesis, is always an ideal before it is proved a reality. The hypothesis of survival is necessary for the investigation of much that is a natural, though little understood, faculty of human beings. Survival itself, when indicated, is but the lowest rung in a ladder which out-dis- tances our greatest hope — the rung that touches earth.

Facts, however, do not change, but their position, when observed in relation to others, gives a key which progressively unlocks the doors of our understanding Because of this pro- gression, the theories advanced in these pages

xh PREFACE

are only so far as experience has led and, in this light, the attention is desired of " the worthiest sorte of people that gently can leade and justly can judge ”

Mary E. Montcith

INTRODUCTION

Dear Miss Monteith, —

I am glad that you are going to make public some of your valuable experiences winch I have followed with great interest and some amount of discriminating attention for the past eight years I can testify to having caiefully noted the facts as presented to mo from tune to time, have examined the documents and the evidence pro- duced as confiiming your statements and con- clusions

While you have been obliged, for evident reasons, to conceal the identity of most of the individuals concerned, I have been piivileged to become acquainted with some of these, and have questioned them regaiding the facts and the history and precise sequence of the phenomena I therefore willingly beai testimony to the truth 0^ your statements based on the facts presented

" The Fringe of Immortality ” will prove a most valuable contiibution to the literatuie of psychic and metaphysic phenomena , and I congratulate you on the use of exact and, not

introduction

XI V

infiequently, of poetic phraseology suggestive to me, at tunes, of the wiitmgs of my old friend, F W H Myers

I am,

Youis very faithfully,

Abraham Wallace, M D (Member of the Society foi Psychical Research)

Hailey Street, London, W ,

May, 1920

nUPtER

CONTENTS

PAGE

?REFACE - IX

INTRODUCTION XUl

I AUTOMATIC WRITING - - - - I

II PSYCHIC DEVELOPMENT - - - 3I

III TELEPATHY AS A NATURAL MEANS OE

COMMUNICATION - - ' - 57

IV THE SURVIVAL OF MEMORY AFTER DEATH 8l V " THE LANGUAGE OE ANGELS "

1 IN MED1A:VAL TIMES - - 105

U FROM THE PSYCHOLOGICAL

STANDPOINT - - - 122

111, TO-DAY - - - - 140

VI A WELCOME DECREE OP THE ARCH- BISHOP or CANTERBURY - - 169

Vn RELIGION I9I

The chapters entitled “ Automatic Writing,” “ Tele^ pathy as a Natural Means of Communication,” and ” A Welcome Decree of tlxe Archbishop of Canterbury/’ are reprinted by courtesy of The N^neUmth C&ntury and After

AUTOMATIC WRITING

THE FRINGE OF IMMORTALITY

AUTOMATIC WRITING

It is considered that Automatic Writing has played a laige part in converting people to belief in an aftei-life, and, naturally, it luns the gauntlet of severe ciiticism from the sceptics, some of whom do not hesitate to denounce its practice as being hysteiictil and moibid owing to the fact that a similar form of wilting is demonstrated m hysteiical cases m the gieat neive hospitals of Em ope

There aie two sides to eveiy question A distinguished French investigator classes such writing under the heading of intellectual phenomena m both its manifestations, i e , the stnctly automatic, where the hand oi foiearm is tempoianly paralysed and devoid of any feeling, while the power of writing is retained , and the inspirational or intuitional, when the automatist becomes mentally aware of the substance of the communication before the hand moves at all

AUTOMAIIC WRITING

Automatic wiitmg is ceitainly a faculty to be exploited, and many will agiee that fiutlier investigation is necessaiy befoie it can be confined entuely to hospital cases oi lelegated uncon- ditionally to the rubbish heap

In :ny case, the wilting comes to me when in a strictly normal condition, and unless I am in good health it does not asset 1 itself I have never felt that the movements of my hand weie cut oil entirely from iny conscious intelligence, but the sensation is that of anothoi hand ovei mine, guiding it (as a child is taught to wute), varied by a mental peiception which appeal s in some inexplicable way to contiol the physical action

A common cuticism of this automatic writing is, that, considering so much of it is supposed to come thiough the agency of depaited spiiits, mfoimation concerning the conditions of a futuie existence is vague, and the evidence often con- flicting Whethei second-hand cxpeiionces of a state that, logically speaking, may vaiy individu- ally as much m one hfe as anothei, apait from the fact that it applies only to the futuie, would benefit us to any extent duiing oin piescnt life, IS a debatable question We must also take into consideration the fact that thcie is still a gieat deal of honest doubt as to the siuvival of pei- sonality and the conscious existence of the individual aftei bodily death.

A HUMAN CAUSE

Automatic wilting is not always supernormal — that is to say, does not always originate fiom excarnate individuals It has been proved that sensible and accurate messages have been received through the means of automatic wilting from the living, iiiespective of space, and this system of human telegraphy may be carried to a veiy line point when it is piearranged by two suitable people who aie mentally attuned This has the advantage of testimony by word of mouth from the expenmenteis on both sides, without the disadvantage of disbelief on the part of the sceptics as to the existence of one, oi the possi- bility of a striking proof of identity placed to the credit of anothei’s subconscious self But the opening up of the resources of the mental powers claims inquiry, especially as almost daily events show they aie far fiom being exhausted, and automatic writing should be judged by its results (exclusive of its oiigin), whethei it be ghostly or human Anything proven has a certain value, and if mental anguish be relieved m the smallest degree in these times of almost universal suffering, the media through which this has been achieved are woithy of consideiation It IS some years ago since I became interested in the subject, and my inteiest was aroused entirely by imperative messages given for me by one who had passed over, and whom I had known during his lifetime These messages were

AUTOMATIC WRITING

unsolicited, and, if he had not spontaneously given very decided pioofs of his personality, some of which were unknown to me tlien, but since pioved to be correct, I doubt if I should have earned out Ins wish to be allowed to develop my latent faculty in ordei to enable him to wnte directly through my hand My personal knowledge of psychic expel iments was then ml, and those I had heard of weie limited to a few primitive and extremely silly attempts to find out futuie events of no importance The writing developed and as it became coheicnt I found this “ personahty,” Dr Nell, was very particular that I should take a critical attitude and be caieful to sift all matter given to me, as well as to substantiate everything, so fai as possible, looking for practical lesults to justify his object

Before very long I was able to verify a message The story is trivial, but the fact of my informa- tion being coirect enabled me to give practical help in a very deseiving case, and decided me once for all to continue the study of a subject which has led me on to other and more inteiesting developments, under the same guidance

The first part of the message was written through the hand of a fiiend, whose sistei and I were present at the time The message was as follows " There are people in distress at 3, Smith Street m this town Tell Miss M to go and see what she can do foi them ” We could get no

A USEFUL COMMUNICATION 7

name and no nioie particulars weie foithcoming until the evening, when I was alone, and then I was told, m writing of course, that the people at 3, Smith Street had recently lost then parents and were in need of woik I was asked, in the event of not finding them at the addiess given, to make inquiries as to their whereabouts Ihe next morning I went on my mission m a dubious frame of mind, to discover, after a httle diflicully, that Smith Street was in a poor part of the town, and that No 3 was standing empty, with " To Let ” in the window A woman next door told me the name of the people who had lived there, and where they had gone, volunteenng the in- formation that two deaths had occurred in the family in the last three months, and that she had heard they were left in very poor arcumstances On my calling at the new address, a sad-lookrng young woman opened the door I explained that a friend had told me they were in trouble, and I had come to help them She invited me in without question, and I had no difficulty in gaining her confidence It was a sad case Both she and her sister were veiy delicate and unable to get work One had been trained for a pi ofession, but she had lost hei posts successively through ill-health, which prevented her going out regu- larly, and she was not in a position to make a private connection, which was then only hope of earning a living Poor as they were, they weie

8 A.U10MA1IC WRiriNG

obvioussly not the class to beg, and then natuial reticence had brought them to a veiy low pass , as a matter of fact I know now that a great deal of the Ill-health was due to lack of sufficient food There was no difficulty in helping them , now ciicuinstances are changed, they are well, happy and piospeious In addition to a lettei fiom one of the persons living at 3, Smith Stieet, the evidence includes letters fiom the fiicnd who wrote the first part of the message and hei sister who testifies as witness

Concentration necessaiy for the practice of automatic writing will sometimes lead to the development of a keener sense of the intuitive faculty In the course of time the actual writing becomes unnecessaiy in order to convey informa- tion unknown to the sensitive, which can be distinctly impressed on the mind But it is wise not to reject such a simple method as the use of a pencil, foi wilting is visible evidence also, when a prophecy so given takes time to work out completely, the mvestigatoi will find it moie satisfactoiy to turn to a page wheie the details are inscribed than to trust entuely to memory

The following prediction is one which was fulfilled so many years after it was first given that the original writing was destroyed in mistake, much to my legiet Happily I had taken the precaution of confiding its purport to several

PREDICTIONS

“ iigliteous souls,” making suie of adequate testimony in the event of a correct prediction

Dr Neil takes a gieat inteiest in my cucle of friends, and asked me to make a point of knowing a ceitain Mrs Bui ton He wished me specially to interest her in the subject of spirit communica- tion and to give her the benefit of all I had been able to prove, a course of action which was then central y to my lule of keeping the'^o matters strictly to myself

We had interests in common and I came to know her and her husband. Major Burton, very well, and many weie the discussions we had on all branches of psychology It was an advantage to me, for Mrs Burton had mixed in scientific society and had the subject at her finger-tips , moreovei, she was piofoundly sceptical legarding all psychic matteis, critical to a degree, and openly acknowledged that only proofs of meinoiy surviving death from a peisonal friend could convince her of any sort of existence beyond the giave So far, she had nevei come acioss anybody with practical expeiiences of this kind, and she became much inteiested in the vaiious messages I received, for like many othei sceptical souls she dreaded the apparent finality of death

Later, I received fuither messages by the medium of automatic writing fiom Di Neil, showing the need for convincing hei of a happier belief It was an emphatic statement that

AUTOMAHC WRITING

Major Burton would die suddenly abioad m a hot, unhealthy climate at no very distant date He was starting foi India almost immediately, and I begged foi pei mission to tell them, hoping it might prevent him fiom taking a possible appointment in an unhealthy district and so avoid the danger This was lefiised, on the grounds that nothing could altei Ins fate

When the war with Geimany broke out Majoi Bui ton was again in India, and at fiist it seemed unlikely that he would be involved in it, as his regiment was not amongst those sent to Flandeis . but latei he leceived orders for Mesopotamia, where he was hit by a bullet in a vital part and killed instantaneously

The sequel to this will be best explained in a letter I have just received from Mrs Burton in answer to one I iviotc asking for her appioval and coiioboidtion of the above

“ De\r M —I have read your account One important point you do not mention, the fact that Jack gave such good proofs of his identity so soon after Ins death, so quickly putting an end to one's misery and uncertainty — proofs so convincing and so many, they would take too long to enumerate Some of them perhaps could be explained by telepathy, but it is unlikely that you could have told me things long forgotten by myself and persisted la

FULFILMENT OF PREDICTION ii

even in spite of my flat contradictions With regard to the silvei cup, telepathy was impos- sible in that case don’t you lemember it dis- appeared when Jack’s things were sent home ? We weie sure it had been stolen, it seemed the only possible explanation, but Jack's message (which we wrote down at the time) was that he ' knew it was safe and would arrive ’ Now, after sixteen months it has done so without a woid of explanation and no clue as to who sent it " In case you would like to publish this I will sign it

“ Eleanor Burton "

Tlie silvei cup alluded to by Mrs Burton was one which Major Burton had deposited in a safe place befoie he went into action This fact, which he purported to state most emphatically, was unknown to anyone in England at the time the communication was received A few lines from another coiiespondent will complete the evidence, which consists fuithei of other correspondence confiiming fuller details

" As regards the prediction of Major Bui ton’s death, you told me of it as far back as 191X, all of which came true to the smallest detail “ Mrs Bui ton has been a friend of mine for some years, and of course I knew him too, and

AUroMAriC WRITING

can realise how much all this means to them both— M "

Anothei prediction, buef and veiy much to the point, uas not only tme but successful in its pumaiy object, namely, to leheve unnecessary suffeimg It was given to me foi a Mis Wood, and was wondex fully helpful, owing to her faith in Dr Nul's messages aftei yeais of personal investigation

People connected with the Royal Navy will remembei how the declaiation of war was instantly followed by the news that out Fleet had sailed, destination unknown, bringing home to them the leahsation of what wai might mean befoie otheis could take in the stupendous possibilities A false report at the end of August of a naval engagement with loss of certain ships, caused many needless feais Mis Wood's appiehcnsion for the safety of hei son, an ofificei in one of His Majesty’s ships, aioused Di Neil's inteiest and sympathy foi hei evident distiess and its undoubtedly luimful effect on hei health

“ Tell her fiom me," he wrote, " to put anxiety out of her mind The boy will be m veiy gioat danger, but he will come out of it all right and with distinction If she is calm it is better for him He may be wounded, but there need be no anxiety— he will be all light ” Subsequently

ANOTHER PREDICTION

he told me to make hci lealise that there was something to face m the near future (it was better for a woman of hei tempei ament to be prepared, he said) and to leraind hei when the time came that theie need be no anviety — pro- motion being the outcome of the engagement

Shortly after this, the boy’s ship was in action I was natiually a little anxious, but Di Neil again assured me that Fiank Wood was safe, and that a telegram was on its way to his mother It arrived about thiee hours after I leceived this message, and stated briefly that he was wounded

Mrs Wood wrote to me, hoping that Di Neil would give hei more paiticulais, but all he would say was “ the danger is over There is no suffering — ^no limbs lost,” and I believe she settled down quietly to wait for further news It came, after a little delay, from the doctor who was attending the case, and was satisfactory m corroborating out message

When we heard the description of the terrible injuries inflicted on those at the boy’s side, we realised that the great danger predicted was not a mere de parley, apart from the fact that the wound he received so nanowly missed a vital spot Convalescence took many tedious months, but the distinction gained was gieat, and the experience was not haimful in its after - effects.

AUrOMAHC WRITING

A second message legaiding this young officei was given, saying he would emeige safely and unwounded from liis next and inevitable naval engagement " Nothing to feai this time,” wrote Di Neil

Mis Wood was out of town when anothei brush with the enemy was lepoited, and my only information was fiom the newspapci icpoits, which gave no news of hei son’s ship having been in action Immediately I leceived the following message for Mrs Wood — " The boy is unhurt, write to his mother and tell her ” It was quite correct The ship had been stiuck in the thick of the fighting and, although there weie many casualties on board, he was not wounded When I wrote to Mrs Wood she had had no woid of her son, but my lettei was supplemented by a line from him the same day, saying “ All well ” I submitted this account to Mis Wood and have received the following answei

" Having read the manuscript of my son’s case carefully I can coiioborate all "The whole subject is of gieat inteiest to me as I have had the advantage of seeing so much of the automatic wilting, and watching the wonderfully accurate developments foi so many years, and it has been a happiness to me to help you in difficult cases of need which were bi ought to our knowledge in this way

DOCUMENIARY EVIDENCE

"To me the greatest proofs of peisonabty surviving death are not so wondeiful as the desire to care for the suffeiing ones left behind invariably shown in the messages

" Mary Wood ”

Fuller paiticulais in the case of the naval officer consist of the opinion given to his mothei by the medical adviser that on the day of Di Ned’s message " the danger was over," he found the boy in such a pitiable condition that he could not tell how it would go with him , a letter fiom the surgeon himself saying he could see no reason why I should not publish his letter of diagnosis — a semi-professional letter — which an unfortunate circumstance rendered impossible , a copy of the telegram confirming the piediction stated , odd correspondence and newspaper cuttings confirming " the distinction " predicted and the danger of the second experience, the details of which were not Xnown to us until some time after the message was given saying " the hoy is unhurt ”

When once a channel is opened tiuough which thoughts outside the medium’s conscious men- tality entei, it is astonishing how much auto- matic writing can be traced to the subconscious influence of the living This is so potent a factoi that one hesitates to ascribe messages to the dead, howevei genuine they may appear, befoic

AUlOMATIC WRITING

exhausting the possibility of a living soince Ihe authoi, whethci living oi dead, can occasion- ally be identified by the handwuting ilio stylo of a Icttei in eithei ease will also help to give a clue to hta ideiUity, but, apait fiom that, judging by piactical cxpeiicncos, I think a critical inediuni can dislingiiish between messages from the living and a disembodied spuit de- liberately using tlie biain oi band ncccssaiy to convey the information “ it ” desiies to give iii readable foim In the formci case, although it IS evtiaordmaiy how sliongly the hand can be controlled by the powei of thought at any dis- tance (mateiially speaking), geneially the wiitmg IS feeble and not very convincing , while in the lattei I find thcie is a consciousness of anothei’s personality over and above my own — some one else using my hand with a considerable amount of force, whilst I am standing by and obsoi vmg, with keen infeiest, points of cJiaiactci, and experiencing sensations of physical ailments or suffeiing, especially those manifested at the lime of death by the commuiucatoi Iheosophibts tell us the appeal ance of the spirit of the individual in what is called the " Astial ” Body is by no means confined to the dead There aie well-authenticated stones of apparently substantial ghosts appealing and being mistaken by sevcial independent witnesses for the leal person, the leal peisou being alive

A SLEEPING COMMUNICATOR i/

at the time some distance away, awake, in good health, and innocent of any attempt at expeii- ments of such a natme

But I have only on two occasions distinguished a living personality at my side in the way I have just desciibed- — one being in the middle of the mght, when I was awakened by a sense of an old lad)/ of my acquaintance (whose regulai habits would imply that at that time she was sound asleep) calling me to get up and wute I found a pencil and paper and received a letter wiittcn rapidly in hei handwiiling, needless to say with my hand She had been lost, she said, and brought to me by a friend she had met unex- pectedly This friend was dead, she knew, and she had come to the conclusion that she must be dead too She wanted to say good-bye, and told me all her affaiis weie in ordei, with the ex- ception of a slight matter to which I piomised to attend She mentioned one or two of hci tieasuies, and finished by telling me she had left a certain prot^gie a legacy ensuiing hci £45 a year

As she was veiy leserved and had a gieat dis- like to anything of an uncann)/ natme, I was unable, when we next met, to bioach the subject to hei beyond leading hei on to talk of hei curios , but I found she did jiossess some she had desciibed to me that night, and others, strangely enough, she bought subsequently

i8 AU rOMA I IC WRI TING

Several years latci she died It was disroveied that she had left the pci son mentioned an annual income of £54 (not £45) > f^ict I have leason to believe was only knoiyn to hci and hci sohtitoi

fills noctuinal cvpciKiice of the old lady who thought slic was dead was fully ilobcabed in a letter I wrote to a tucncl abioad on the lollowmg daVj befoic the death could lie conlumcd I'liis fneud was an intoiestcd listener to the conveisa- tion the old lady and I liad ytais lalci, wlicn she spoke of ccitain cuiios noimally unknown to us

The othei case was the appeal ance of an un- known peisonality whose influence was stiong enough foi me to feel and doset ibe details ot past ill-health, physical suffenngs, .ind the liiste of a drug it had been necessaiy lo give hm, the lady in question being out of hei mind and in an asylum It is sigmficanl tlial I w.is not sensible of atiythmg .ipplicalde to hei picscat iiliysical 01 mental condition Altiiongli theie aio maikcd ehaiacleiistics that have developed since it became neccosaiy to place hei undei eontiol, I have only been able to desrubo those pievious to hei ment.il dciangcincnt Both she and liei

Imsband (Mi and Mrs D ) were complete

sti angers to me I practically knew not] ting of them apart fiom the fact that they existed and were connections of a lady of my acquaintance who gave rre Mr B addiess and advised

“ I AM NOT IN THE BODY "

me to send the mtoimation diiect to him as re- quested The following aie quotations fiom the

letter I sent to Mi D , together with a

message referring to some piivate affairs that wcie causing hei anxiety

"T want you to wiile, I am alive My fiiend has spoken to you of me Her name is

A I am not m the body that was mine

It IS only at times I am able to use it If

you could settle my husband’s mind about me I should be grateful It is misery to him to think that I am out of niy mind My mind is quite cleai and strong, but I cannot use that body any more It huits me that I cannot speak to him and tell him I am not theie, and I want to care foi my little child ”

I refused to send the message without some proof of identity, and leceivcd the lollowing communication from Dr Neil, refeiring to Mrs

D " I want you to do all you can to enable

her to give full information It is not an un- common case, but it is seldom possible to give the position fiom the spint side We are helping to piove her identity ” A few days later she gave me nine pi oofs The first was memory of some aiticlc she possessed in the shape of a rose , the olheis, desciiptions of a foreign country where they stayed, her favouute colour, one of hei dresses, and so on, personal details only of

AUTOMATIC WRIIING

incUviclual inleiest , and la'^lly blio showed me herself sitting gating into the distance and neivoubly biting at hei little iingci With this I leceivcd moie auluinalic widiiig Iioin Di Neil " She is vciy unpatient of hci husband thinking the ' peison ’ is heiself— cannot undci- stand how it is he is not able to see it is some one entiiely diffcicnt Ihis must bo sent to Mi D — — at once We must go step by step

Fust Mis D must be pacified, and tbo only

way IS to convince him she is noi iii that body — to make hei feel sine he h.is got liei message and believes it is ically fiom bci, and to make her sure she tan send him moie when nccessaiy” I sent all this to Mi B— — , and leccived the following reply

"Dear Miss Montliui,—! have leccived your lettci and the cnclosinc, which I have read with much intciest I have long been of the opinion that my wite’s ical self W'as absent fiom her body, oi that some pail of lioi was absent, for, though something .ilive lemains which letains some of Ihe chaiactciistics, it IS veiy unlike hei ical self As to the pi oofs of identity given, I lecognisc all except the ninth I don’t lemeinbei hci habit of biting hei fmgei

" Yours sinceiely,

"W D"

PROOFS OF IDENTITY

And anotUei lettei followed shortly

" I told you in my last letter that I did not lemenibei ray wife having a habit of biting hei fingei A sister of mine tells me that

she. reinembeis the habit perfectly, also the way my wife’s eyes would light up when she smiled ”

When I met him, Mr D gave me paiticulars

of his wife’s illness, aftei which she gradually got more delicate , ultimately sinking into a cata- leptic state, lying peifectly stiff with hei eyes closed for seveial days Aftei this it was necessaty to place her in an asylum He showed me “ the lose ” It is an ingenious silver orna- ment which, on being unsciewed, changes into the foim of a full-blown rose, a unique possession

These letters that Mi D kindly allowed

me to publish aie, of couise, in existence The leason that impelled the commumcalion was extieme anxiety foi the child and a desiie to explain a gieat deal that, although interesting, cannot, owing to the piesent lack of knowledge of certain foims of insanity, be verified Telepathy that takes the form of automatic wilting is remarkably intciesting and accuiate when piearianged by two suitable expciimenters The sense of the communication is leceived with- out much difficulty, but the vocabulaiy is that of the medium lathei than that of the conliol,

AUlOMATiC WRIimCt

unless the contiol be an exceptionally stiong personality and the medium cxcocclingly sub- servient Theic aic so many well-known ex- amples of tint, that I pioposc to give one only, foi the leason that the development was entnely cliffeicnt fiom wdiat wc intended, and llurman, Ml Innes. who was at the Inne " soinewlieie on active SCI vice,” was totally ignoiant on the subject of psychical lescaich, apait fioni what I wrote to him The expenment was pmely precdutionaiy, suggested to relieve Ins sistei’s mind, if possible, in the event of Ins being taken piisonei I knew him vciy little, and was not m the habit of wilting to him at all, until I sent a letter explaining how to communicate with me should, he at any tunc be imablo to wiite to lus people, and I auanged that if he weic icpoitocl missing I would look foi a message every evening at nine o'clock Di Nulwiote '' You will have no difficulty m establishing a line of communica- tion between you ” No Icttcis passed between us aftei this, and no attempt to lonvey infoima- tioti was made until iicaily live months laid, when, on the 4th of May, at 9 40 a m , the follow- ing came thiough " My senses seem to be leaving me — ■Ihcit IS only time to send you woid I was wounded and was taken by the enemy ”

It seemed to me too feeble to be at all con- vincing, and as I had him veiy much on my mind I felt the message might be imagination, due to

SIGNATURE REPRODUCED

my anxiety As I was Lhinlving this, there was a quick vibiation which shook my hand it wiote a capital D and scribbled something un- lecogmsable, and then a stiong feeling came over me that he was in distress I asked Di Neil to go to-.him

A week latei a post caid was sent to me, wiitten by Ml innes to his sistci It was signed by a nickname which I am not awaie of having seen befoie, and, compaung it vath the scnbblc I had written automatically, it was identical , it is considered so by all those who have seen it

I wrote to him saying that I had leccned a message from him on the 4th of May and had answeied it immediately, giving no clue as to the nature of the answci A lettci came to me fiom lum at the end of the month signed, as usual, Donald Innes, saying he had sent a message on the 4th of May and had leceived an answei m this way His nerve was badly affected by the incessant shelling — but aftei sending a call for help to me, in a shoit tune he felt that I had got it all light, and instead ol leai, he began to feel calm, stiong and quite happy, and when it came to chaiging thiough a village amongst shells and " cuitain fire ” the excitement he expenenced was tremendous, and he thoroughly enjoyed it i

He told me, when home on leave a shoit time ago, that the message I got on the 4th, " My senses seem to be leaving me , thoie is only time

AUTOMAHC WRITING

to send you word I was wounded and was taken by the pneiny,” lie did not consciously sc'iid All he could manage in the noise and confusion was d ciy lo me, and he sent it between 9 30 and 10 that veiy inoining, and what he look to be the answei— Ins uplifted slate of mind and ealnied ncives — came about ten

He gave me an account of some incidents of a few days bcfoie, winch may thiow a little light on the siibconstioiis message that i cached me On the 1st of May they had oideib to hold a foit at any cost, foi no suppot tb could be sent , had they failed, the whole company must have been killed 01 taken piiboneis They held it On the 2nd there was a heavy bonibcUdniont, which was so deadly in its effects that it caused gicat con- fusion and diove the men inside the foit foi safety One big shell clashed tluough the concicte dpi on, and Mi innes, with othcis, fainted fiom the shock and concussion In a Icttei that I leceived fiom him he wiole " Befoie losing consciousness my last unpicssion fiom the shouts and confusion was that we had been cut off and sill rounded ”

We aie still continuing oiu " wiielcss," and he is successful in sending me information which, although biief, is accurate

One moie point that I think woitli lecoiding IS this when Mr Innes regained his neive on the 4th of May, and in times of dangei since, he has

CORROBORATION

been conscious of a strong peisonality near guiding him heie and theie, making him do things " on the jump,” as he expressed it m the course of ronveisation at a futuie time, when he gave me a faiily accuiate desciiption of Di Neil, adding that the impiession he leceived was that of an athlete Now, Mi Innes knew nothing of Di Neil and his co-operation with me , he had no idea of our theorji- that much can be done by people on '' the othei side ” to allay pam oi fear, noi of his effoits to help in neivous cases where a stronger mmd may control the patient with a beneficial lesull, many of which results can be classed undei the name of coincidences, incidents coinciding with written promises , and the descuption of an athlete was not applicable to the docloi as I knew him in hfe, but I remem- beied later I had heaid fiom one of Ins old friends that in early days he had achieved gicat dis- tinction and played a leading part in various foims of spoi I

In regal d to the telepathy between Mi Innes and myself, besides ins letters to me and many " automatically ” wiittcn telepathic messages, too trivial to repeal, theie aie copies of his letters home, a diary * coveting the time when he was

* This diai} was published «i foim of a lettei wntlen to a personal friend with a shotch of Mi Innes’s previous careei as " inteiesting impressions of a modern battle, not those ot a novice ”

AUrOMAHC WRITING

wounded and taken by the enemy, a phologiaph of the foit, and the post uucl signed by a inck- naine tluough which I lecognised my automatic sciibblc

lo give an idea of the expeiienoc I will quote fiom a Ictlci writlen to his people

" We have just come down foi a breathoi after foui days of hell Yosleiday was the limit They bombaided us foi ten hoius without let up My company was m a little foi t, and those devds bounced 15-inch shells on it at the rate of one a minute for ten houis, not counting the little ones They chewed off comers of it, but the old box held togethoi — ot couise cveiy look-out was wounded about half an houi aftei wo went out "

A lettei to me, dated a fortnight latci in answci to mine lefeiniig to the message I liad iccuved telcpalhically — " My senses seem to be leaving me ” — contains the following

" I got yoiH leltei last night but T got youi ‘ message ’ in ictum of mine the same day That vciy day we went tluough a fieiy hell of shell file and what is known as feif de bai rage You will believe me and know I am speaking the tiuth when I tell you I enjoyed that wild rush on the 4th/Of May It is stiange that just

SrATEMENrS CONFIRMED

the few shells at the beginning which leally did no haim should affect me moio than the tarn of shells and sliiapnel af tern aids When I said I got youi leply to my message I didn’t mean I got any message, but just a reassuied feeling ”

and signed most decoiously, “ Donald limes ”

Ml Innes smiimansed the whole episode bcfoie its publication when we met again 111 January, 1918

“ I am giving you this letter in case you should lequue it to confiim youi statement I leteived your letter (the fust you ever wiote me) in October, 1915, telling me how to send a telepathic letter to you should I be taken piisonei My fiist attempt to send you a message was on the 4th of May, 1916, between 9 30 and 10 am, just before we attacked

D I ^vas soniew'hat shaken uji by the

bombaidment m one of the foits at two

days befoie The foit was shelled constantly foi ten houis, and several men, amongst them I, fainted fiom the concussion just bcfoic the attack bioke loose Before losing conscious- ness my last impiession fiom the shouts and confusion w'as that we had been cut off and sui rounded

"Tins message on the 4th of May I sent huiiiedly to you foi moral support to steady my neives foi the attack Soon after I was

AmOMAlIC WRITIN(t

keenly awiie of a nioial stiffening’ aiul duuiig the attack fell tho constant companionslup of some one unseen uiging rac on, pointing out the most dangcious spots I dcsoubed tins pci- sonahty to you as best I could when wo met latei r liavc only been awaio of tins influence m times of cxtiomc dangci "

PSYCHIC DEVELOPMENf

PSYCHIC DEVELOPMENT

Af the lime when my interest was actively aioused by tlie Di Neil of the pieceding chaptei, now well over ten years ago, my whole knowledge of the subject can be summed up in a few linos I had once met a man who had known Fredeiick Myers slightly, but the conversation we had, although deeply inteiesting in regard to the personality of sucli a gifted wiiter, did not induce me to read " Human Personality Mtei Bodily Death,” when I saw the size of the volumes I did dip into ” The Smviva! of Man,” hovvevei, and fully realised the importance I of evidence that could attiact the attention of a scientist like Sir Oliver Lodge, but I must confess to have understood very little of the subject, too little to icad the book from beginning to end

If I had any definite views on life after death, it was that the discainate souls were far away fiom eaith as a general lulo, and that any soit of communication could only be slight indications that they existed , such messages could never

PSYCHIC DEVELOPMENT

have any practical beaiing on oui life in this woild and weie, in consequence, useless foi the average human being The conditions under which psychic expciiments wcie earned out, stances and the tiance state ol mediumship, struck me as bettei left m the hands jif the scientists oi otheis equally competent to judge the results On that point my opinion has not changed, but it is, I acknowledge, one in which I have no piactical inteicst, but I also feel, veiy strongly, that the advantage of competent guid- ance IS very necessaiy to the oidmary woman who IS face to face with personal manifestations of a psychic nature

The possibility of a natuial toim of communica- tion from the dead under normal ciicumstances was boine upon me in a conveisation I had duiing an afternoon call on an acquaintance who in- foimed me that she had an irapoitant message to deliver from a man who wished to take this oppoitumty of communicating a desire Taking it foi gi anted that I understood what she meant, without a moment’s hesitation she pioceeded to give a detailed desciiption of his appeaiance, age, Chiistian name, pio- lession, countiy, month and approximately the year of Ills decease, all of which I immediately recognised

Before I had time to expiess my astonishment at a message fiom a deceased man, she went on,

EVIDENCE OF MEMORV

IS if lepeating the woids of a. thud peison in the oom, making aliusions to incidents in his cdteei, he subject of a particulai book he had once pven me — " his name is not wiitteii in that book nit it IS in another,” she said, desciibing the size ind chaiacter of the othei volume and added a void — “ that IS something which you will undei- ;tand " That woid ariested my attention It vas a sobriquet by winch I was known to the ioinmunicatmg personality and a family of nutual fiiends, connected with incidents of he past that I had not, consciously, thought )f for years ^

Old memories w^ere awakened one by one with 10 hesitation on the pait of the speakei and, at ast, the message was delivered, telling me that his '' doctor ” wished me to make quite sure of us identity and to allow him to communicate Inectly in writing and that he would, through he means of writing, tell me himself why he lesired to get into personal touch It was some months before I was able to take n the import of the message — that a means of ;ommunication could be established between us —for writing from the dead was an unheard-of lossibility Ihere had never been any indica- lons of a psychic faculty unless one may count udden and helpful inspirations bearing on piivate iffaiis — I regarded them as answers to piayei — ,nd an indescribable feeling of the presence of

PSYCHIC DEVEIOPMENT

(Litain fiiciidb I had lost thioiigh death which was fitmly ailiibutod to my imagination My vciy til'll psychic expciiencf oicuiied when I was looking up a crest m the jewellei’s ciest book soon aftei this episode, to vciify one of the messages Ihe message was that the. doctor, who dppaiently was visualised, pointed to a seal ling which lie woic on a ceitain hngei of his left h.ind, and gave a dcsciiption of what we took to be the crest winch he desiicd me to confiira f was uiniimg my finger down the page to find his name when my hand stopped with a feeling of weight upon It, seemingly independent of my will The fingci \vas pointing at a diffeicnt name, 01 rathci a difteient spelling of the same name, one lettei diffeicnt The cicst I found was exactly that as desciibcd, but not, as I ascertained subsequently, the one engiavcd on the seal nng, and used by the docloi’s family Sti icily speak- ing, it was a test that failed — that is to say, if it wa > an attempt to dcsciibc the ciest on his ung and, as subsequent communications have proved, the only lesl I have evci known to be inconect fioin this somcG But the symbolical meaning of the ciest had a direct peisonal intcrpictation and was significant m its beaiing on the other and also later messages The doctor is m the habit of giving me infoimation in such a way as to obviate all possibility of telepathy fiom a human source , or the subconscious activity of

TDENTirY

old recollections, as might have been the case had the cicsl been that engiaved on the iing he was m the habit of wcaung, but this must be dcs- cubed as a coincidence

Cucumstanccs bi ought about one moic meeting with the psycljic acquaintance who was good enough to give me an explanation of what ''wilting'' meant, and icndeied moie help in establishing the ideiiUty of my vould-be com- mumcatoi Ihc pioofs weic mostly knovn to me, but Iheic voie exceptions, one being the descupiiou of an incident beaiing on this docloi's piofession and accompanied by details that neithei of us could recognise until they were explained by a medical man as familial enough to any in tliat profession but not gencially known A foimci statement satisfacloulj^ vciificd was the month of the docloi’s decease, and that was all the moie convincing because it was the pievious month to that which I had always been given to iindei stand Theie i\cie many othei pcisonal statements outside oiii knowledge which I was able to verify Some weic given, at a later date, thiough my own hand Naliiialljg those I could lecognne at the time w'eie the most convincing, foi telepathy was then an unknown explanation to me, but theic was alwa3?^s the injunction to verify information which I fell was impoitaut, and tins I now undei stand to be cUi absolute necessity

PSYCHIC DEVEJ OPMENT

1 litre was no doubt in my mmd as to the identity of the coinmiimcatoi , noi could I (iiiestioii his wisdom and mteguty on the supposition that he was unchanged by the tiaasilxon fioin one state to anothei I knew, also, lh.it such a chaiactci would hive some stiong piiiposc foi dcsiung to get into pcisonal tou< li, and thus to gain an oppoi tiinity of explaining himself without the inteivcntion of a thud poison " Woik scientifically " weit the woids, " and by co- operation we nwy help to establish a discovciy which will benefit mankind” ihc whole idea was chaiacteiistic of a man who had a passion foi scientific discoveiy and a piactical sympathy foi sufleiing humanity which engiosscd his whole life And so, although the method of possible communication by wilting was put aside as an impossibility without a tual, I decided to give, as suggested, ten minutes each day loi quiet niechtation, out of winch, I was told, would come a development of a psychic gift which would enable me to judge all foi myself I can only suppose that .inytlung psychic in my natuie lay doimant only awaiting a dchnitc cause to aiotise such a faculty , m the couise of a few days I became awaie of clcai impicssions that could, to some extent, be confiimcd A little bit of information, foi example, said to be in a cei tain book, came constantly , an answei would be given to something that was pUAzhng

PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS

me — an explanation of a stiange woid, for instance , scraps of knowledge would enter my mind with additional criticism that was, I felt, beyond my powers , all purely mental, but none the less leal at the moment and veiifiable Some- times I'^could distinguish the timbre of a familiar voice , now and again, I saw a figure walk into the loom about a foot from the ground It was all over in a flash, convincing at the time, but afterwards sense of unreality made me doubt I had nothing to show for it and tlieie was no one, either, with whom I caied to discuss such a fantasy until one day a fiicnd bioachcd the subject of automatic wilting and told me that a personal domonstiation had occuiied without waining, and how, from the substance of the wilting, she had leason to believe that the souice was a personaUty whom she could tiust, and that the wilting was quite genuine Thiough this fiicnd I was enabled to get moie mfoimdtioii, and tests which I voluntccied in the form of questions weie answered correctly

" Where did we last meet ? ” " At Mis E’s "

was the swift reply, and on my demuinng that our hostess was a Mis M and Mis E did not exist, " at Mrs E’s ” was repeated until we stopped the wilting impatiently But, some time afteiwaids, it dawned on me that E was the initial of the one who had conveyed the oiigmal messages and the last meeting was " at Mrs E's,”

PSYCH [C DJiVIiLOPMENr

whose name was iJicn nnJvnovvn to the wutei llicse aie, liowcvei, Uivial clotailb that played tlitir pai L in iedchw^; us palicnc c About llitcc months latei I began to wiito im- expectedly A sudden iinpuLe to gel a pencil and see \\'hat would happen lesultecl ifi a few woicls hghllj- sciihbled but quite legildo Of course, my altiluclo was changed I did believe, by this time, that thcie was soincllimg m it and soon thohandwuting became chaiactciistic, totally unhko ray own and, atlei the hist few iittompts, when lettei bv leltci uas slowly piotiuccd, the rapidity uith uhich a long communication uas thus written disposed ol the idea that it was my own composition As time went on, Iiowevei, there was a change Ihc iviitmg piocecdcd at a 1101 mal pace, but cvcij' woul, and sometimes eveiy sentence, was mentally eoiucivctl before any action of tlic hand followed It was neaily simultaneous, but so like the oidin<ujr method of Wilting that I felt sine that the sole iii/luciice was that of my own inmd ' — 1 w.is doing it .ill' — and I discaided this moans of connmimcation .is false Tins decision did not pi event a iuilhei develop- ment of the mluitive faculty, and impiessions became cleaier and woic, when veiifiable, so seldom at fault that I eventually made a note of anything inteicsling, for I began to sec the possible value of visible evidence in tlic absence of peifect monioiy Wilhoiil any conscious

PROGRESSION

effort on my part there was a gradual unfolding of an extia-consciousness by which I became aware of the interpenetration of a woild commonly known as spiritual

There weie many ups and downs on this load of piogression Maivellous manifestations weie succeeded by an absence of any sort of pheno- mena theie weie weeks of doubt and mis- givings Every preconceived piejudice would come to the fore on the slightest provocation The fact that eveiytlung came iiatuially — foi the sole expeiiment was an occasional meeting principally foi the puipose of argument with my fiiend the automatic water — only strengthened the certainty that there was something qiieei m me which was, happily, unnoticed by my family and intimate fuends

On fuither consideiation I came to the con- clusion that " the doctoi ” who, in his eaith life, was a man of niaiked learning and forcible" chaiactei, was entitled aftei all to a fan heaimg, and I again letuined to the plan of wnting foi ten minutes each day, and sometimes a little longei when the subject piovccl interesting Treating him as a leasonablo being, if discai- nate, I got better lesults, and I was foiced to acknowledge that the papers weie evliemely chaiacteustic not of me, but of him, that when unknown facts were advanced they weie vciilicd to the smallest detail There was evidence of

PSYCHIC DEVEI OPMENl

the infltiencc of the spnit of some one I had known, vital in O'<piessioii and stioiig in purpose The advice he gave was simple and logical ' Psychic development, I was told, depended raoic on conccntiation than on anything else — not piaclised aitifiually, but luibijtnally ©ii eveiy little thing in eveiyday life Not onl5r did coiicon- tiation make foi health and clficicncy in oidinary course of events, but it built up a sound lounda- tion foi inci eased mental powci, which would lead to an individual undeistanding of the higher , laivs of natiue

Balance was another point on which he insisted Ihe study of a piactical subject was neccssaiy in line with that of psychic discoveiy and eveiy- thing in pioportion , but the propoition of spirit communication was exceedingly small m com- pauson with othei maltois Ihe daily ten minutes was sometimes extended to Iialf an houi, but it was out of niy powoi to inciease it , after the slated time no moic wilting came I could not turn it on at will Infallibility on any point was disclaimed, and in no case was advice to be taken that fell shoi t of reason and common sense It was explained that a human instiumont sometimes failed to respond accmatcly, and, therefore, at the begin- ning of psychic development theie must be a residue of worthless messages to be cast aside Patience and verification were advised Proofs

DOUBT AND SUSPICIONS

were promised whenever possible and, when not foithcoming, the cutical attitude was to be observed and, m the question of piedictions, adequate testimony was to be obtained before the possibility of fulfilment

Our so-opeiation had, as its object, to attain peisonal knowledge of the higher laws which could be practically brought to beai on earthly existence

For a short period I had the inevitable sus- picion of orthodox training that all this must be the devil, and I aigued this point with some heat in the devil’s favour, suppoiting it ivith quotations from the Scriptures

An injunction to study the Scnptuies more thoroughly was the leply, and to test all by the new Commandment, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself ” " If there are suggestions that you should do anything contiaiy to tins teaching, it is the devil, but if wc endeavour to serve God by serving man, will you not bo the channel through which this may be achieved ? ” Looking back, I can most honestly testify that in every communication where co-operation has been necessary, the desire to assuage the sufferings of humanity has been uppermost

Certain rules weie made to which I willingly acquiesced Seances were forbidden There was to be no attempt to obtain messages undei any circumstances whatever , all would be given

PSYCHIC DEVELOPMENT

spontanpously, thus allowing the cloctoi to decide who might appioach me foi the pin poses of communication, and I was dosiicd to ahstaiu from leading any books on the subject of psychical lesccuch, mcdiuinislic development, oi tlieo- sophical teaclnng, tJic icason being that I was too sensitive to attend a s<5anto without dangei , that it was bettci, at this stage, foi a icsponsible being to have contiol ovei the nmnbci and soit of would-be commumcatois until I had more discernment and ability to keep the liivolous 01 undesiiable company at a distance And, as I was m a position to leccivc diiect teaching, it was moie satisfactoiy to be taught exclusively by one mind, and moic convincing to mj^sclf to compaie such teaching with cuiient litciatuie latei on

I was told that in the futuic 1 should come acioss many who, like myself, lived undei con- scious guidance flora the “unseen,’' and, m coiuse of time, I giacliially found mjself chawa into a cnclc of people, of all sects and dcnoraina- tions, living and woiking in co opciation with “ the other side “ and often with the widest philanthiopic inteiests Some told me these guides took the form of angels, and otlicis the spints of discaniiitc fiicnds and lelations, but there was a ceitain icscive on the subject owing to the Ignorant and often unkindly ciiticism and denunciations, and, until the exigencies of

ANOTHER PERSONALITY

the bereaved in the late war forced confidence, conipaiatively few had the coiuag-e to advance convictions that would have entailed aigument and disputations in tune that was valuable I have heard this called the greatest freemasonry m existence , ceitainly it was amazing to see how much had been acliieved for the common good of humanity by these psychic woikeis of twenty, thiity and foity ycais' standing Theie was another discarnate peisonahty who wrote a senes of essays thiough me foi my own benefit He and the doctoi ueie quite distinct m appeal ance, charactei and handwiitmg , the doctoi, of course, I luiew, but the othei was a complete sti anger, and it was long befoie I stumbled upon evidence that piovcd Ins identity Then intentions difleied The doctoi in- variably gave piactical advice and communica- tions which called foi piactical lesults, while the " philosopher ” con lined himself to explanations of certain developments and theonsed on much that was fast becoming fact Theie were chance commmncatois who came with the doctor fiom time to time, but, aftei giving a few messages to be conveyed to then fiiends, 01 on the completion of some scheme which they weie unable to cany out themselves, there was little or no inteiest beyond the concern foi the object of then endeavouis Bni, in the case of the philosophei, the influence was quite

PSYCHIC DEVELOPMFNT

equal to that of the doctoi, and continued rcgulaily ovci a long poiiod

lie voluntccicd no infonnaiion in logaid to himself Unlike olluns who, almost without exception, would give me some pi oof by which they could be identified, .ind even detaris of the people I was called upon to help foi the pin pose of recognition, he was content to icmain anonymous I could see him clcatly, and the handwiiting was decidedly chaiactcustic , he was obviously a scliolai In due com so, I knew him thiough this coiiespoiideiicc as a vciy ical fnend as distinct flora otheis as m oidmary life, but it was not until two yeais latei, when I came across a signed photogiaph m the diawing-ioom of a new acquaintance m Loudon, that his identity was revealed lo me, it was conclusive evidence, fuilhei sticngthencd by the opinions voluntoeied by his old fiiends, scvcial of whom I have since had the plcasuie of meeting, that liis Ictteis weie not only extiaoidinauly like in handwriting, hut m style and in thought Compaiiug these with real letteis w'litten in Ins caith life, theie are ccitain little bits which arc like lus and unlike my othei “ spirit coi respondents *' or myself — apart from the handwiiting — and the use of phraseology, a little obsolete and high-flown, was so foteign to my knowledge of language that on many occasions I have had to lesort to the dictionary foi enlightenment

INSPIRATIONAL WRITING

As an expel iment m Inspiiational Wiitmg, he gave inc some views on psjchical lesearch m relation to tlie Chiistian Faith, dealing mostly with the altitude taken by the orthodox that such inquiiy is contiary to leligion Neaily all came wo;d by word — sometimes I got a sentence mentally befoie it was written, but nevci was the point of any paragiaph intelligible to me until I lead it ovei The effect is disjointed but the argument good The whole paper lacks beauty and polish, and the author is obviously handi- capped by the discrepancies of an impel feet machine, an infeiioi brain and limited education, but it has a characteristic style This expel iment was made m i espouse to the lequest of a fiiend for views on psychical icseaich on three points Is it right fiom the religious point of view ^ Is it pi acticable ? And to what does it all lead ? I had nevei definitely foimed answers to these questions and, in my ignoiance of the aigument which he bi ought forwaid little by little, I expected a concise leason to be given in three short sentences Instead, the paper ran to about three thousand words, and a friend and I became keenly interested to see uhat would come next in the seiics It is in my handwiiting, and the experience was similar to wntmg at dictation with a difiiculty to get all the words distinct, and sometimes a feeling as if it were a little known language I insert a letter wutten

PSYCHIC DFVELOPMENI

by the fiicnd who waifhed tlic development of tlnb txpenmcnL

" My dear —

“ riic chap! Cl on psychic development mtcicsts mo buauso 1 have followocl it fiom the fiist 'It fiist I iniwL s<iy honestly I ncithci liked noi appioved of the subject, but my peibonal affection loi you compelled me to listen to you Afiei a wlule I was uiicicsted in spite of myself, and began to icalise the worth of il llic papci you letci to is the one which I see now infliionccd me the most I cerl-unly suggested the cxpcimient in 1917 As each paiagiaph was lead to me, 1 was simply astounded, lot without meaning to be ludo, 1 never hcaid jrou aigtie liKe that, and I knew that you weie then no wuLoi llio ideas wore new to us both If it had come to-day I should not have been so asloiiishod, but if I may say what I ically think, this ' pcisonahly ’ has somehow taught you a gical deal in moic ways than one, and has even influenced youi pioscnl handwiiting It is this soil of inspiuition which attiactb mo most

“ Youis affectionately, “M”

1 have tlnee othei criticisms on tins pi educ- tion, the fiist given by a modem wutci lylio

CRITICISMS

read it believing it to be a liteiaiy effoit of my own

“ IJie chief thing nhicli stiihes me i 6 that the style is too lieavy^ too woidy, and not sufficiently cusp oi emphatic — these lengthy sentences which latliei suggest an eighteenth 01 nineteenth centiuy ticatisc oi an ecclesi- astical subject in which the aiguments have to be dissected and analysed with minute caie— a Daily Mail leadcr-wiiter let loose on your aiticle would impiove it ! ”

The second opinion was wiitten by a veiy old and intimate tiiend of the supposed authoi

“ Ihe thoughts, the English and the gioupuig

remind me so much of that one cannot

doubt lus collaboration with yon— at least I myself do not feel a shadow of doubt ”

A hteiaiy fiiend, and a sceptic into ihe baigain, to whom I showed the manusciipt last yeai, was shuck by the dissirailaiity between it and my own articles, and hei impiession was that the authoi s were entiiely diffeient personalities I leceive valuable help from this souice in cveiything concerning my hteiaiy woik, the grouping of the cases, and suitable points to emphasise, oi subjects to advance, but fuithei than that he will not go, and advises that I should

PhYrniC DEVET OPMEN 1'

4 «

c(nmlci<acl lus xnovitablp nifluciiK' .is lutoi by (hf' stiuly of niodoni iviiliiigs, llu* ovctcisc of ludoiionclcnl ]iitl{'iu<'iU ovi*i .mil above .inylhing he may suggest

" T do not wish Lo inoigo youi own indh vjdualily .ibsoluloly into inmo, toi I am of a p.isl guiciation, and it is nocossaiy lo luvo the edge of lo-cl.iy iiiKing sh.nply to tlu subject ’’

ihit he does not liO'^tlatc to ctituise fteely and give me ideas foi essays

" Keep It modem m ils phiascology and do not tillow my style lo antiquale the setting Ncithei must you be too cm I and disjointed, foi that IS, at present, youi besetting sin, if

I may call it so I An essay should be .i seucs of lings — each pci feet and each adjoining without bieak, polished to peifoetiou, and Imlcing together lo foim a dcjioiid.ible chain, its sticngUi lying m the accuiaiy and mechanism of each little iiiclo ”

II was he wlio desned me to send my aiticles foi the considciation of the cditoi of the Nwe- teenih Centmy And After, .igainst the advice, wth a single exception, of all ray fiionds, who said it was courting a blank refusal He strengthened this advice by piedictmg that the fiiist aiticle would be accepted ovci a yeai bcfoie

SUB-CONSCIOUS INFLUENCES 49

its publication, 01, indeed, of the Editor’s decision Ihis I cannot quote, as it is still m the hands of a medical friend, in whom I have confided vaiious predictions befoie the possibility of their fulfilment for the last seven yeais The success of the sqcond article was also predicted befoie it was wiitten in May and June, igi8 — in July it was dispatched to the Editor and published the following Septeinbei , and so on

I am well aware that the identity of this personality is not sufficiently well attested to cany great weight with the general public loo much IS dependent on my testimony, the word of a single individual , and the rule of adequate testimony is not one that can be ignored by a conscientious student who has the interests of the subject at heait But I cannot omit the account of an expel lence which has played so gieat a pait in the development of my undei standing nor exclude an expression of giatitude foi patient and systematic explanations of so much that mystified an unformed mind

What puzzled me gieatly at an eaily date weie messages from the living, from spirits who weie still incarnate 111 a physical hody They weie all subconscious , that is to say, while the thoughts weic intentional them was no inten- tion that I should receive, tliioiigh the means of inspirational wilting, a letter which was then perhaps only menially decided and still

r,o PSYCDK' DEVETOrMKNr

unvvuUen , cn ov('n ,i rlcsuo involving my co- opci.ition, y('< iinvonctl It is tonnnnn enough now foi mo lobi nwai( bcloioluind of the contents of my lotiois, dispildu'd but uudolivcicd, and, alllunigb lluie is a foim of dairvoyaiuo which gives tlie oiiteonio of s( homos baicly coiifcived,

[ boiiovt. this (a|ipuig of snnonnding vibiations by a smisiiive to bo the liiu explanation of many aceiualc piognostu itions of Die nnmecliate futuic so often plated to the credit of the unseen holpei s

Ciuiously enough, spontaneous messages fiom the living aie moie salisfactoiy than pioauanged expciiinciits Theio seems to be a necessaiy aitnnemenl at the psychological moment which at pieseut t hides investigation In one case, sympathy will place two minds en lappoit, in anothci, a mnlual intciesl has the same effect, but at ciitical times *ind cspetially when sympathy and inlciest aie liineased to auMoty, the sUeam of comnmm< alum fioin one imnd to anothei is effcciuidly slemniod On flic olhoi Jmnd cxlra- oidmaiily aecniale infoimation tomes from comrauiucatois in whom one has neither sym- pathy noi inteicsl Ihc whole subject of thought transference is pocnliaily elusive, but I believe now thcil it IS the key to my nicdmmslup It atli acted me fioni the very fiist It a human being could respond to vibi alums of thought lu such a way as to pioduce visible icsults, such as

SIGNIFICANCE OF TELEPATHY 51

automatic 01 inspuational wiitwg, here was something in line with the scientific discoveries of the day and which, when once recognised as a talent to be peifected with piactice, would engage the attention of the positive minds whose very intciest ' would claim systematic woik fiom those human machines who weie natuially fitted for it Thought could be exploited because, although requiiing tlie vehicle of a biain to produce visible manifestations, the biain could be that of anothei

These expeiiences extended to telepathic hypothesis north, south, east and west of the two hemispheres on which we exist and, natuially, shook my faith m discainate spirits for a little, and even now the impoitance of thought vibiatmg lound us cannot be exaggei- ated in my opinion, but the continual develop- ment of a keener discernment enables me to see (or feel) the difference between the peisonalities when receiving a thought message, and I must confess that I now extend the belief in Telepathy still further — to the spiiits of the discainate

Apait ftom all proofs of identity I can lecognise familiar discainate personalities in exactly the same way as I do those still in the body , and furthei, I can see no mannei of diffeicnco in the mode of communication

" How strange 1 ” I wrote in the veiy eaily stages of development before I knew anything

PSYCHIC DEVELOPMFNI

about tolepalby, " I am tiunkmg all Ibis and you wnte what I tiunk " It was an old lady who liacl discovcicd that slio was dead and was able to impicss tins fact on me in wutnig closely resembling hci own and paitly in a loieign language with which my aquauitancc is but tlie slightest And this is what I believe to be the faculty of pciccplivc mcduimslnp, a question of a natmal sensitiveness to vibi aliens set up by thought and equivalent to the musical talent by which a musician is able to distinguish the vibrations cveated by sound As a composci can ai range a melody m visible foim of notes, so can a writing medium clothe the impressions given by thought m woids intelligible to the roadei A few lines weie given me pist the othei day by an unknown coucspondcnt Ihc wiitmg is small and fine, of the Italian school, lathci like that of the middle of the last cenUuy — -one comes acioss it in old books, the ink biown with age— I give It as It IS obviously intended meiely as an opinion and not as an infallible utteiance Opinions ate as vaiicd and diverse on the other Side as on this , the outlook lemains pcisonal

" 1 would like to wutc with you fot a little while to tell you my idea of spirit communica- tion I tiunk, fiom mj- point of view — that is, fiom the point of view of a discainate spint — that tlieie is not the lemotest possibility of its

SPIRIT COMMUNICATION

5 ?

evei becoming geneial At piesent theie is the impetus fiom the beieaved and from the young men who have passed over m their full strength The latter pass over fully conscious, or, at least, on regaining consciousness, fully awaie^of the life they have left Their whole interest is centred on enviionraent and human beings fiom whom they have been torn and naturally they cling to the half-done task Then, the bereaved on their side, resent their loved ones being taken fiom the famihai scenes of activity and the mutual longing draws the two together into natural com- munion, hence the piesent development of psychic experiences to-day

" In noiinal times there is moie preparation for the future and less resentment, for death comes, when not by accident, as a natural event and, m the case of old age, thcie is more of the personality on this side towards the end of life than theie is on eaith — and it is hire waiting in a place piepared for the loved ones to follow And so, the necessary incentive to communicate with eaith is absent and the bereaved resigned and content to await the future

" This IS pel haps discouraging to you who, with others, are woiking to establish Com- munication, but in a little while you will see it is not required and the whole of psychic

rsYCTIIC Dl'.VELOPMENl

investigation (bailing the communication of natural pi.57c]ncs) will bciomc a science and left to the few to decide as in othei dis- covciics the inalti'i of spinlual law will be studied by a handful of men Tt will be knowledge of, piiuiaiily, cthci, vjbiatoiy manifestations m the ellici and all pci taming to what has foiineily been called the spiiitual planes And fiuthci, the laws dealing with life on this plane which deal voiy largely with that of the eai th plane will become intelligible All tins will be found to be lulcd by thought and the next stop in the woild’s development will be that of vientahty which will, in time, overinle the impoitanco of mattci-— rather, matlei and physics will slip into their light place, siibscivient to the undying principle m man and this will be gcneially undei stood and acknowledged ” — ^Dated, Janiifiiy 1919.

LEPATHY AS A NATURAL MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

TELEPATHY AS A NATURAL MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

Telfpathy, or the tiansference of thought from one person to another without the agency of the recognised organs of sense, is a branch of ex- perimental psychology which opens up a vast and unlimited field of inquiry The late Mr F W H Myers held the opinion that this mental action, being independent of the physical body, indicated some hope of the persistence of mind and memoiy aftci death, and consideied that a fullei understanding of laws governing telepathic communication would lead to a better compiehension of the spiiitual side of things

"That same direct influence of mind on mind, which we show m nnmmts would, if supposed operative m maximis, be a foim of stating the efficacy of piayer, the communion of saints, or even the opeiatioii of a Divine Spiiit ’’

The majoiity of people have not given sufficient study to the subject to affoid a complete justification of such a wide outlook, but theie IS consi del able interest shown in the questions

TELEPAIHY

that fieqxicntly anse as to the validity of telepathic communication which ate outside then own experience It ib appaicnt tlwt many aie still at the stage which dcnianfls moie evidence to dpinonstiatc clcaily that thought is a faculty that man may cxeicisc peiccptibly op otlieis, with the hope foi fuithci evidence that may eventually lead, without undue ciednlity, to the buppositioii that a faculty so essentially a mental (01 spiritual) pait of man's being, may peisist and and be practicable aflei the mind is divested of mattei

In caily days of psychical icseaich, the fact that cominumcatioub, believed to bo fiom the unseen woild, could be tiaced sometimes to the mental action ot a human being upset ceitam pieconceived ideas that all siinilai communica- tions oiiginated in a siniitual spuice 01 fioni a discainatc entity Some people went fuithei and declaied that, this being the case, all these communications oiigmated in the minds of othei human beings, whethci we could piove it or not, and swept away the hope that theie was evei any likelihood of a conscious, thoirgh discarnate, pcisonality at woik Now, it is inoie geneially acknowledged that, if we aie to give a fan con- sideration to a succession of telepathic expenences, it lb neccssaiy to admit the possibility that some of them may oiigmate 111 the thoughts of discainate personahties equally with those of the mcainate,

IN CHILDREN

otherwise a gieat deal ol evidence which cannot be traced to a human oi incarnate souice is cast aside as inexplicable, and the value of investi- gating and compaung the possible oiigin of sucli evidence with othei moie easily pioved is lost In eveiyday life, an elementary foim of tele- pathy is indicated by a mental anticipation of what some one else is going to say next , oi by an impiession that such and such is the case which IS perhaps veiilied later on by a corre- spondent An individual with claiivoyant or claiiaudient poweis will receive a moie defimte revelation which will be either of a visionary or of an auditory nature , while a by no means uncommon occuiience is a vivid dream of the exploits of an intimate fiiend or relation in extreme danger at or about the time of action Children are often unconscious experts I have one small fiicnd who used to win prochgi- ously at a game called " Happy Families ■” The game consists of guessing what caids die held by opponents, and, thiough an acemate conjecture, to gather the vaiious members of these Happy Families into united groups, success depending on the number and the speed with which the object IS attained I asked the child how it was she invariably guessed right “ Oh,” she said, "I just think ' Where is Mi Bun the bakei ? ’ for a second, and then I know who has him ” I tued to stop this by omitting to aiiange nij^ caids

TELEPATHY

at all, and reframed fiom even a glance at them befoie she made her lequests, and, by so doing, ariested liei progiess successfully Ilei mothei tells me that she has often tiled an identical expeument and has been equally successful, but adds the information that the child would invariably ask aloud foi what she wanted, pause foi a moment while eveiyone instinctively looked at the caids they held, and then add the name of the person who had il

To what extent the tonccnliation of thought can be earned depends entiicl}- on the individual. In two cases peisonally known to me, students have seen, in a dieam, the contents of examina- tion papers on a ceitain subject a short time bcfoie the day on which the examination was held, but not, howevci, befoie the questions weie decided Both these people ai e highly intellectual, and tins foresight, whicli w.is nndoiiblcdly valuable, ii owned months of exceedingly hard stud}, and, m one case, absolute necessity foi success was an additional impetus But, anyhow, su( h concent! ation is exceptional, and the action of peisonal thought with icsults ensuing is moie commonly demonsti aled

My own cxpeiicnccs lead me to believe that a thought ducctcd to a ceitain individual will fall in the mental envuonment of tliat inclividual as an aiiow fiom the how of a good mailcs- man And, should the thought be ponerful <he

WRIT PEN DEMONS I RATIONS 6i

vibrations will continue for some time after, according to the force with which the thought was projected

Possibly because inspirational iviiting has been a means chosen for me as a suitable method of leceiving communications fiom another woild, I sometimes leceive messages fiom people in this world in the same mannei A feeling comes over me to make a note of something, and befoic I have quite leahsed what I am doing, a sentence IS lapidly written, occasionally m characteristic handwuting

In Ignorance of the value of these thought messages, I have, in the past, omitted to get many of them propeily attested, and have, un- foitunately, cast aside much that, taken as tiny bits of a great whole, would build up quite a stiong wall of evidence for ciitical leaders But I have a few verified examples which I am at liberty to give with the full pei mission of the people concerned They- aie for the most pait trivial and, with two exceptions, spontaneous, but they aic chosen fiom a succession of similar messages which should obviate the assumption of chance coincidences

The life of an aveiage human being is com- posed mostly of insignificant details, but what to otheis IS tiivial may be of supieme impoitancc to tlie pel son in question At one time I was leceiving messages fiom a man who W'as in the

TELEPAniY

midst of incessant /igJiiing, all of winch weie exclusively pcisonal It was iciiiailvcd, “ Why did lie not send me some news woitli having fiom such an impoitant jiait of the line, and let me know the lesult of the fighting bcloio it became common pi opei I y ’ ” I can only say that his cicbiic to infoim me of his safety in tlic midst of gieat daiigei was fai nioic natiual than the wish to give infoimation of the Geimaii advance, and my inleiest in tlio actual events of wai was consideiably less than my anxiety foi his personal safety

riieie aic seveial of my intimate fnencls with whom I am in constant mental communication, but friendship m itself is not the detci mining factor in all cases Iheio appeals to be a natiual psychological element which mentally attunes the two, which is capable ol development, but which, if non-cxistcnt, I believe cannot be acquued

One instance of a natmal altuncmcut between almost complete stiaugeis and myself was shown in the following message, which was as un- expected as was the siiggcslion it contained “ Would you like to see a fiiend this afternoon at foui o’clock ? Fleetwood *’ Thcic was no reason to expect these people, but they did call on their way to anothei house in the same vicinity, and discussion subsequently piovoci that 1 leceivcd the message about the same tiipc that

PRACTICAI. EXPERIENCES $3

hey weie making their plans To quote a line viitten in conoboration by Miss Fleetwood ' We called on Miss Monteith — we decided it luring the morning D H Fleetwood”

Anothei message of a latei date fiom a raembei if the same family was equally accurate, but the bought It conveyed was only in the mind of the ndmdual and had not been ulteied “ I am [oing away and want to see you before I go ■I Fleetwood” I must acknowledge that fuither icquaintance with this family led to a most ympathetic lelationship between us

A veiy common occurrence is the anticipation »f letters to myself and their contents when, from he date, they must have been on then way to me )y post One had an unpiecedentcd beginning,

L familiar nickname being used m place of the msiomaiy ” Miss Monteith ” The handwiiting )f the automatic message denoted who it was Torn, and the date of this prematuie commumca- aon was that of the day after the letter had been josted, and nearly three weeks before it ai lived it its destination

A different form of telepathy has asscited tself more than once by the actual feeling of a icfinitc physical injury In one case this was iccompanied by a stiong impression that a ceitain fiiend on active scivice was wounded My hand became momentaiily painful and disabled in a iimilai manner to that dcicnbed m his lettci

lELEPAillY

winch leached ub the following day Ihis ex- peiicnce veige*? on psychomcliy in an effect which IS pioduced by touching some article worn by the individual in question, but I had nothing in my hand that belonged to him to justify that thcoiy and the only explanation is the cnoigy of thought vibiating foi some days, the vibiations being stiong enough to affect me with a vivid " feeling of otheiness," as Sii William Baiiett so aptly describes it

This " feeling of otherness,” which mvaiiably discloses the identity of a conimunicatoi person- ally known to me, apait fiom anything else, was fully indicated on anothci occasion when the actual message was good news and the feeling, miseiy A veiy sympathetic woman of my acquaintance apparently sent me a communica- tion to the effect that tlioie w^as a certainty of pioinotion foi hci husband winch would involve a change 11ns was not at all unlikely, but, as it was by no means to be deploicd, I was aston- ished at the impression I received simultaneously of extiome unhappiness on hci pait foi which I could not account Foi many years telepathy between us had mutually pioved extiaordinaiily collect, and this was so luccoiicilable that I took the precaution of dating this experience and did not wiite to her on the subject, knowing that she was certain to tell me of such an important step Shoitly after anothei impiession superseded the

MORE EXPERIENCES

fiist, contradicting the ouginal infoiniation We met a few weeks later and discovered that although she had quite unintentionally conveyed the message to me, it was collect I leceived it on the actual day on which the likelihood of a new and bettei appointment for her husband in the immediate future was made known to them privately Betoie she was able to follow up hei intention of wilting to me, the appointment was frustrated by a most unusual uicumstance which no one could have foi eseen, and, all the lime, she was suffciing fiom nervous depression caused by a slight indisposition which had nothing whatever to do with the case in point The fiist telepathic message fiom another fiiend pioved itself useful and was the beginning of many others fiom hei with eqinl success This was wiitten in the thud person which, foi some leason or othei, was characteristic of hei early communications “Mis W sends her love and will meet you at the theatre ’’ I came to the conclusion that, as there was no othei way of letting me know, she had delibeiately tiied to impress me with the fact that her plans weie unavoidably changed, and I acted accoidingly, in spite of the arrangement we had made to tiavel togethei by a certain tiain and go to the play But that was not so She was worried because unfoiescen circumstances pi evented hei fiom keeping to the original airangcment and hoped

lELEPAlHY

that, not landing hei at Hip station, I should act independently and go on to the theatie where she intended to meet me On anotUei occasion hoi intentions weic foiestallcd m the same way "Mis W fcais — ^will you run lound (one) aftei- noon." was wiittcn and explained by Mrs W , when I told hci of it, by ail oveiwhclmmg pre- monition which came ovei hei, and which caused liPi such intcnbc raent il suffciing that she decided to fix an afternoon without delay when wc could talk it over It was a most unusual course foi hei to take, and about the only exception I have ever known her make with regaid to hei habit of e\ti erne i esei ve on any mattci of pcisonal feelings These aic typical illustiations of a close com- munion between iT!3't>clf and kindicd spiiits in the gieatest sense of the woid, but it does not follow that I am able to icccivc messages from anybody who chooses to try to tiansfei a thought, noi has any mattei cvei come to my knowledge without a full intention that I should know in the mind of the people themselves It is not a faculty thiough winch one may become awaic of othcis' inniost thoughts, which would undoubtedly lead to mutual discomfort, and I am of the opinion a feeling of leseive on any subject acts automatic- ally and closes the line of communication of thought as effectually as, in eveiyday intercourse, Silence will covei innate leseive I say this advisedly aftci many years of expcuenccs,

CHARACTERISTIC HANDWRITING 67

supplemented by expenmenls made by fi lends with whom this telepathy is most maikcd, to see if they could withhold matteis that would eventually concein me peisonally until they chose to icveal them And in this they weie ahvays successful If they lequiie my sei vices it appears that I am lung up sharply, so to speak , if it is a question of peisonal intentions which can be carried out independently of me, whether I am included m the scheme or not, I am left in peace The interest, I beheve, however slight, must be mutual

When messages take the foim of characteristic handwriting which satisfactoiily discloses the identity of the peisonahty at w'ork, it is advisable to arrange expeuments whenever it is possible to have these demonstrated It is seldom that two sepaiate cominimicators who liave proved them- selves to be capable of impressing then style of handwriting in addition to then thoughts aie slaying in the same town, but on one occasion this happened to be the case, and we seized the first oppoitunity that piesented itself

Theie w'eie just the two expenmcnteis besides myself One of them, " Ella,” often and success- fulty sent me thought messages, but the first that anived was unintentional ” Have you any messages foi me ? — Ella ” was wTitten one morn- ing by me in the midst of oidmary conespondence and, although wnth extreme lapidity and with no

ijaj'PAiiiY

exppctation of any cominnnication fiom hei, m a icplifa of hci hanclwuime 1 mcf lici the follow- ing day, nnd lici cxplaiuilion was that she was iliinkmpf of mo al the Inno J got llio willing, and aiiMOus to know if I liad good news fiom a mutual friend on active scivue who occasionally enclosed messages foi hci

On anollici occasion when I had not met hei foi a few weeks owing to a seuous illness winch pi evented hci fiom leccivmg any visitors, I wiote the following '* Fo»<? pouw" vemr me voir aupmiVhn, voits voulu Rcgit me lettre de Jack " I fully expected a note fiom hei m com sc of the moinmg but none came I he next day I called to luquuc and was allowed to see hei foi a shoit time She then told me tliai, on the noToining befoic, as she was fooling stiongci, she wanted me to come and had cveiy intention of sending hot Fiench maid with a message, but the doctoi’s visit Intel vened and ho vetoed the suggestion as unwise The message about the Icttei was also coaoci

As icgaids the oUici expeiimcnici, Mi D, he had fiom Imie to time sent me communications They weic invaiiably slioit but always vciy much to the point Peiliaps one of tljc most satis- factoiv I evci ictcivcd iiom him was d [nopos of an incident whnh caused us all some anxiety He had been given an iinpoitant commission after much haid woik and cxpendituio of pcisonal

" I AM NOT DISMISSED ” 69

effoit to secure it As his services were not required immediately, he left the country he was in and came ovei to his people, who weie then m England I was staying with the family at the time and saw foi myself a piivate tclegiam horn headquarters advising him to return at once and explaining that theie was danger of the com- mission being cancelled owing to his absence This telegram had been delayed foi foui days and the earliest moment that he could possibly arrive and report himself was five days latci still Things looked black and he started on Ins ]ouiney fully expecting Ins dismissal Of course, we knew when he was likely to be at his destination and we were reassuied by a message I received late on the day he should have aiuv(,d — “ I am not dis- missed ” This was signed with his name We all recognised who it was fiom by the handwriting, and It was happily veiifled by a iettei fioin him leceived in due couise, and dated the s<ime day as my message

Judging from tliese, and othei equally satis- factory instances, we natmally hoped foi gieat lesults immediately on settling down to the experiment Both “ Ella ” and Mr D weie as interested and enthusiastic as myself, but it took a little time before the pencil I had m my hand wrote anj thing at all Mr D’s previous messages had been sent in moments of excitement, and at high pressure, and he was of the opinion that some

rELEPAlIIY

stioiig impetus was nccessaiv to give sufficient vibratory energy to aifcci mo But a few sentences wcie wulten, not the actual one which ho was oudeivouiiiig to iinpicss on me, and which was inconsequent, but indicating Ins hopes foi the coming suinmci Ihoy weic, he confessod, uppcimost in his mind, and the handwuling in the fust instance decided (Jieu otigin

“ My own idea is to gel back to England this siimmei, if possible But I am not sure I can get permission The only (way ?) will be to get the

neccssaiy We have to get special pei-

mission to go ovei to England often, but family

affairs can be piessing, and being a , ask on

account of (name given), bung up an excuse and put It through "

At this point the waling beoaine illegible and changed " Let mo wiilc Is il possiblo that — - (name given) is liymg to wiUo ? ’’ And the aiiswei to my lemaik “ Is that you, Ella ? " was given mentally and iccoidcd by I he pencil " Yes " Ihc style of the wilting, although much enlaigcd, loscmbled that of " Ella,” and then followed immediately " I want to say something,” which, although not so characteiistically wutten as his previouj communication, was coiiectly attributed to Mi D by me befoie he spoke A slight pause en-^ued, while I ivaited foi him to say it, but the pencil wiote m ” Ella’s ” style, very much onlaigod, the woid “ Mmic ” She acknow-

AN EXPERIMENT

ledged her tlioughts had wandeied to a musical composition that she intended to play the follow- ing day — a flagrant v'ant of concentration, but one which accentuated the sympathy between us, as we were both conceined in that perfoimance These, and other slight but equally conect results, were the outcome of a single expeinnent with only a limited amount ol time at oui dis- posal, but were sufficient to convince us that the pievious communications I had received fiom them, at distances which varied from five to five hundred miles between us, had not been a senes of chance coincidences depending on meie con- jectures Nor was the distinctive handwiiting, the chief point of the experiment, an insignificant test for distinguishing the peisonahty

Another experiment was tiied vvith the Mrs W I have aheady mentioned as having tians- feired her thoughts, on many occasions, to me, and anothei fiiend, Mrs X , as an mteiested witness Mis X’s inleiest lay in the fact that while we could nevei tiace the slightest tele pathic connection between us, hei husband, who had passed over several yeais previously, had given me numerous pi oofs of identity, many of which being known to her could, of course, have been conveyed fiom hei mind to nunc

There were incidents winch suggested a possi- bility that my psychic peiception of his piesence was not at fault, and that he continued his

J ELLPAl'lIY

ondeavoiub to piovc that he icl.uncd a complete memoiy of his cai(h-hfc, but they wcic in the mmoiity One was the dflnmation of a coitain action unknown to me, and contidiy to Ins wife's supposition, which was voiiticd at d niucli latei date, diiolhci, d picdiction he made conccinmg some busiiitsb maUcis., wliitli might have been foiosecn by him, but which wa^ not oven hoped foi by any oLhci , and a Ihiicl was a promise made to me piivately that he would give a message foi Ins wife the following Satuiday I fully expected him to communicate that message to me, and was intensely disappointed not to leceivc any on the day mentioned, but he did bettei lie entuistcd it to a mutual fuend on the Satuiday piomiscd, who sent it to Mis X She appreciated it gicatly foi the fact that neither of us knew that this lady possessed any psychic gifts 1101 had we evci discussed the subject with hei

lo return to the cxpermionl, it was aiiaiiged puncipally foi the piuposc of gotlmg evidential thought manifestations fiom Mis W with Mrs X as a witness As usual I could got nothing at all from Mis X except a bale “ Yes ” 01 " No," which she gave mentally in answer to some simple questions winch we tiicd in despeia- tion Mrs W 's thoughts on the contiaiy weie tiansfcued immediately without delay, and my full attention became fixed on hci and what sht

A FOURTH INTERVENES

was going to think next In the middle of a sentence theie was a pause — ^my hand was aiiested in mid-air foi a moment and then in a totally diffcient style, wiote the word, " My,” and paused again this time my

attention was thoroughly aroused, foi I thought she was tiying an experiment of hei own and I waited until the pencil moved again, when there was written, veiy dehbeiately, ‘‘Wife wants something, R F X Mi X ’s initials There had been no indication of his piesence until this moment so fai as I was concerned, but the message, although unexpected, was not im- probable, but an explanation fiom Mis X was forthcoming She said that Mis W and I were so absorbed in oui expeiiment that she thought she would tiy one of her own and resolved to attiact my notice to hei Ihiough a stiong con- centration of will, and was determined to ariest the stream of thought from Mis W which was being registeied by the pencil Eithei this took the form of a message fiom hei husband oi he had become awaie of her desiie and passed it on to me It IS impossible to prove, but m drawing any conclusion it should be remerabeied that Iheie has been evidence pointing to a close communion between Mr and Mis X , and moreover, in messages which he gave i elating to episodes known to her and tested m such a way as to prove they evolved fiom her muid, it was his

rELEMHY

poisisti'Hcc, infliiciK ini'' me, which piovpcl stronger than hoi aiguments eveiy tunc It IS chbcuipoinluig but line, thal in the case of a gioat lucnctship tho gult ot space is not always biulgecl iiatuially la the case of one of niy much loved fuoiuls, a Miss R , in spile of the fact that she was a highly evolved ]isyUue and worlced indcfatigably with an old inoinbci of the Psychical Rcbcaich who continues activities fiom a highei spheie, we were ncvei able to send oi receive thoiight-mcbsagcs fioin eacli other except with this discainatc spuil as a mosscngei liis pei- sonality was well established to sevcial otheis besides out selves, and of com sc both she and I weie peifcctly awaie of lus co-opciation on many occasions But, irutatmg as it is to be told by the psychically blind and deaf ciitics that one cannot be sine of the identity of <in “ unseen ” personahly, foi tlie s.ikc of the subjct t we weie leady to woik foi some time in accordance with the lulc that unconscious telepathy between lici and myself explained cvciy thing In one case, howevei, this supposition mav be allowed to give way, as tho commumcatoi desuod what to both seemed impiacticable The facts aie as follows

I had left London, having said good-bye to Miss R foi, as we then thought, scveial months, but within a few weeks I was back again, ]ust for a shoit time, on a business matter, and, knowing

A DISCARNATE MESSENGER

that Miss R had ai ranged to spend that parti- culai month m the country, I did not hope to see hei We seldom oi nevei coriesponded I was desiied one morning, by the spirit of hei fiiend, to go to her at once, an urgent leason for so doing was given Not onlj was she ill, but difficulties had aiiscn in which I could lae of assistance Natuially, 1 demurred, my reason being that she was not within reach He assured me she had not left town, and begged me to go I went and found it was as he had said She had remained in London longer than she had intended, she was not only ill, but in difficulties which I was able to take off her liands And, to the com- munication made to me was added one to hei from him the same morning, telling her to send for me, and assuring hei that I was iieai enough to call Ihis was only one of many similar expeiiences, and the stoiy is known to otheis who agree that the details of the difficulties that faced her were of so unusual a character as to piedude a surmise on my part, or an anticipation that might have ansen from unconscious telepathy Anothei case m which the transference of thought from a discariiate individual was again debatable, was an inquiiy made by an officer, recently deceased, regarding a matter of which his widow declared he could not be in doubt She heiself was psyclnc in an indefinable soit of way, but sufficiently so to be sine of the persistence of

rbLFPAiiiy

hts full pcisonalily ind giuclaiice, and had no df'suo lot any fiutlw coniinnun al ions lo supple- inout those 1 haL she xc < civod hoiself Duiing an aflctiioon call, il was ovidonl to me that he was with hci, and he impicssod me to say that he was anxious to Iviiow if she hail lei oivcd all the money due to lici She mfoimed me (hat ho was most methodical, he had boon caioful to leave all his documents 111 poifoct oidci m case of lus sudden doatli, and theio liad been no chiliniltics in any of hei monctaiy affaus lie impiossed me fuithei with the fact that it was some extra money winch she ought to have icccived, and we should find allusion to that money ni a packet of letters confined by a btoad, icd nihliei band. She contested this hotly, but in spile of hei ceiLamiy that he mist know that hei business mallcis weio all satisfactoiy, and <i eonsequent disbelief in the vaUdity of his nicisagc, I pi evaded on her to bung down a dispatch box She looked thioiigh it huuietlly, only to imcl a few bundles of lettcis, and all of them enrlosc’d in iiaiiow rubbei bands, and she was quite decided that I had made a mistake Ihe next moining, liowcvDi, she came to tell me that, atlei my depaitme, she found a small packet al the bottom of the box, the only one she had with the distinctive bioad, led lubbci band It contained a few letteis addressed to him. which had evidently been dehveicd on the day that he was killed, and weie

CAN TELEPATHY BE CONFINED ? 77

unopened One was horn her, acknowledging a cheque for a kige sum of monoj., which the Government had gi anted foi some extra expenses that had been incuiicd, in answer to a lequest made by him m a icgistered letlei, to acquaint him of its aiiival, immediately Theie was no desire made on eithei side foi further communication, noi were there any actual pi oofs of identity given In this case, my peiceplion of his piesence vas visionaiy, and as he was peisonally known to me, a dcsciiption was umiecessaiy I had, howevei, a sensation of severe physical injury to a part of my body which, I was told some time later, was the locality of the wound to which he succumbed Telepathy is indisputable As a means of commumcalion between the living it is by no means uncommon Ihe question lemains If this tiansfcience of thought cannot logically be confined to the living, being appaiently inde- pendent of matter, is it not fair to suppose that such communion may be not only a possible but natiual link which the death of the physical body cannot destroy ?

THE SURVIVAL OF MEMORY AFTER DEATH

There :s an old legend which still holds influence over many to-day when othei tales of equal antiquity and value have long since been dis- carded It tells of how the souls of the depaited drink of the Waters of Lethe and stiaightway forget their earthly existence This thought is mainly responsible for the feai of death, for the fear of death is, in leality, the fear of eternal separation, which is inevitable if oblivion is to bo our futuie state If memoiy of the eaith life is entirely dependent on that pait of the physical body we call the brain, then indeed is the legend justified, but we aie a long way fiom proving that, and, to draw a fair conclusion fiom the ever increasing mass of evidence, it is obvious that something peisists, consciously endeavoui- ing to manifest itself and, m a few cases, there appears to be positive proof of survival Suivival need not iiecessaiily include memory Were theie no indications of a desiie to com- municate with us we might suppose that the whole inteiest would be centied on the wondeis of

82 SURVIVAL OF MEMORY

the spiritual world to the exclusion of old earth ties But the fact that communication is desired speaks foi itself, and, in the face of this, the continuity of a spuitual law of affinity is moie piobably a featuie of a happier existence A short memory is not characteiistic only of the dead If we consider how elusive it is in life, and with what difficulty old raemoiies are awakened, more sympathy will be shown with those on the othei side when disappointing messages, which are peihaps distoited out of recognition in the transit thiough anothei’s mind or brain, are received The delicacy of telepathic communication, to take but a noimal method, can only be leahsed thi ough practical experience, and like experiments ivith the living make one wonder how the dead ever manage to convey sensible messages at all It is no good under- estimating the difficulties of communication, and not the least is the lapse of memory on the part of the inquirer with regard to certain points raised by the communicating spirit Grief and anxiety aie to bUme for an impatience which is so apparent to a disinterested outsidei Certain tests are demanded, and no mercy is shown when the response is vague or false On tlie other hand, tests are spontaneously given which are contradicted or unrecognised and deliberately cast aside until, as it sometimes happens, the inquirei comes across an old letter or a picture which

CROSS PURPOSES 83

revives the incident in his memory and he realises that there was something- in it

A slight instance ot this was at the time a veiy great disappointment to a fiiend of mine One ot the pi 00b of lememhiance volunteeied by the discarnate spiiit was an allusion to the cacum- slances attending the gift of a book The book was desciibed by the medium as a " volume of sonnets ” As theie had been a mistake in choosing the colour of the binding it had arrived in a blue cover, a coloui which my friend de- tested, and this raised a great discussion with the result that blue was caiefull> avoided when other presents were chosen With that incident in lier mind she demanded wliat was the colour of that particulai book The medium leplied she could distinguish no words but, to hei, cveiylhing went brown, and from that she supposed the book was blown Inci edible though it may appeal, it was a long, long time befoie it was realised that, as the book was a collection of sonnets by Elizabeth Barrett Bi owning, the answer given was a little fai-fetched, blit very chaiacteiistic of a man -who used all his wuts to convince hei of his identity in every conceivable way, and with particulai legard to the possible tiansfeience of his thoughts to the medium The medium was totally uneducated m every sense of the word, and I very much doubt if she had evei heard of any of oui famous poets

I lemerabei an occasion when my excess of zeal

SURVIVAL OF MEMORY

for scientific pi oof was the cause of impatience which I regret to thi5> day I was given a com- munication in Wilting from a deceased officer who begged me to teU hi<5 widow that he still existed, hoping that this message, coming duectly from him, would allay hei giief and raise her out of a miserable condition of hopelessness He expiessed surpnse when I asked foi proofs of identity to accompany his statement He told me who he was, the paiticulars of his death and a great deal about Ins family history, but as I had pievious knowledge of all this, I suspected the activity of my own mind In answci to my remark, " You say you are Captain A ,” he wrote, “ I am not Captain A I am Major — Major, I tell you — ^Major,” underlining the word Major with considerable force I knew, as a fact, that he had not attained his majority, and concluded that the message was meiely imaginary, and cast it aside as woithless A few months latei I discovered my mistake The man had died a captain, but owing to certain circumstances Government had given him the lank of major posthumously in oider that a larger pension might be ensured for his family As is often the case m chance communications, he never sent another message

In the face of a single communication or the absence of any indication that such is desired, many are inclined to believe in the existence of

THE DOMINANT PRINCIPLE

some iiiesistible spiritual force which attracts the spiiit far away fiom eaith after death This theory is the antithesis of the earth’s magnetic atti action to the physical body, but it has no real foundation and is, as yet, unpioven

The stiongest foice we know heie is love, and, for my pait, judging fiom the many cases I have known, personally, when the whole desire of the discarnate spints has been to comfort the bereaved — ^to reassme them of continued existence — to convince them that there is no eternal separation — and often to guide them, as of old, I am forced to believe in the persistence of love as a domi- nating principle in the law of attraction in the spiritual world

Actual communication is not always possible, nor, when possible, does it appear to be the sole occupation of depaited souls

An unvcrifiable portion of the messages deals with allusions to woik that the discarnate aie given to cairy out, which would not only account for absence, but provide a logical hypothesis that strikes the happy mean between a state of forgetfulness in celestial spheies and the question- able joy of hanging on to the fringe of another’s existence in this world with no fixed jDurpose I believe those who work regulaily neai the eaith to have a very decided motive m the interests of humanity

These communications come in diffeient ways

SURVIVAL OF MEMORY

Some personalities will use the means known as automatic wilting exclusively, otheis can be heaid speaking, and otheis, again, can be dis- tinctly seen and acciaately desciibed or even lecognised at a future date m a pictuie Those who aie accustomed to piactise communication seem able to use any method best suited to the medium, and, in addition, they can impress then wishes on a likely subject during the hours of sleep But, at the earliest stages of raedmraistic development there is often an mdefindble feeling that the spin! of a fiiend is near and it is recog- nised because of a sense of famihaiity There is something intangible, inexplicable, that we have experienced before, and to which something in us responds

What exactly constitutes recognition is un- known We do lecognise human beings, of course, by the appeaiance, but theie is also a feeling of personality to which some people aie sensitive, and this feeling may possibly detei- niine the fact that some human beings aie kmdied spiiits and otheis the reveise , it arouses likes and dislikes between complete strangers before there is time to discover any reasonable grounds for either

These people who feel, intuitively, an effect that difterenl individuals have on them are sensitive, but not necessarily psychic, nor are they of any particular character or tempeiameiit

WAYS OF RECOGNITION 87

I have heard this feeling of personahty acknow- ledged to by moie than one hai d-headed scientist, as well as by the aitistic and average human beings who have not the advantage of the methodical mental training which is, perhaps, productive of more accurate judgment

When telepathy is bettei undei stood it may be proved that each individual possesses an exclusively personal pitch and rhythm of thought, that personahty itself consists not only in what a man thinks, but how he tlnnks — his especial manipulation, so to speak, of the vibrations through which he conveys his ideas- — and that this, in itself, will produce an effect, attractive or lepulsive, on his fellow cieatures, which will account for a natural sort of caste, dividing membeis of a laige community into groups of kindled spirits, independently of family ties

It is significant to hear so many of the beieaved remark that they know there aie moments when then dead are with them We may not always take this statement as being qiute true, but the fact remains that they themselves aie sure and that no aigument, however powerful, can shake then belief Something has happened to which the whole being has vibiated with lecognition, and, if hysteiia be out of the question, one looks for the cause that has produced so remaikable an effect

I was greatly struck with this attitude of

SURVIVAL OF MEMORY

conviction in a case where the slight proofs that were given were of far less consequence to the lady who related hei experience to me than the strong impression she leceived of the identity of the hteially unseen presence It was from beginning to end a question of feeling She felt that a ceitam discarnate spirit was speaking to her, and the information he volunteeied, unveri- fiable foi the time being, was supplemented by a statement that a book belonging to him was in a particulai corner of a book-case m a certain room of his old home On making inquiries, this proved to be correct Not only had the position of the book-case been changed from the wall of his dressing'ioom, but all the books had been taken out and rearranged since his death, a fact quite unknown to the lady with whom he had communicated, and, in this book in the corner described, there was a passage underlined which boie directly on the subject of his convex sation Witliout redismg the value of suUi a message, not only as an initial step towai ds identification, but implying, as it did, knowledge of an event subsequent to his death, she was utterly con- vinced of her own perceptive recognition, although in her opinion, being of an intensely practical turn of mind, it was unreasonable As she said, " How could I know who it was when there was nothing to be seen ? ” — a remaik which has been made to me by others over and ovei again

THE FEELING OF PERSONALITY 89

In receiving a communication from a dibcainate spirit, this feeling of personality is, to the psj^chic, moie decided There is an impiession of the charactei of the communicating entity — a feeling of age 01 youth, as the case may be, and even a sense of past relationship in connection with the person foi whom the message is intended This is something quite outside clanvoyance or clau- audience One is aivare also of past physical sufferings and the eftect of accidents When symptoms of the last illness are confiinoed, I consider at a valuable basis for further investi- gation So far as experience has led me at present, I behove these vibiations to he in- voluntary and impossible to withhold, while actual messages can be delibeiately deceptive In the case of the living I have mvaiiably fell vibiations of pain when the fact of suffering has been otheiwise unselfishly withheld, while thoughts that have been tiansf erred to me have been determined entirely by the expeiimenter And, in nine cases out of ten, messages follow and corroboiate the identity of a spirit who has, involuntanly 01 not as it may be, conveyed to me the symptoms of his last physical sensations immediately on coming into my enviionment, and this, with very few exceptions, independently of any psychometiy

On one occasion the locality of the pain I felt m the course of receiving a message was such as

SURVIVAL OF MEMORY

I knew to be utterly different from the symptoms of the man’s last illness, and so definite, that inquiiies weie made on medical giounds, only to find that there was this particular pain during the moments that preceded decease, and that it was not a symptom of his malady Subsequent communications verified decidedly this man’s identity entiiely to the satisfaction of his nearest friends, and was the beginning of a lemaikable instance of beneficial co-operation between the two worlds

Why it is that these old sensations of pain are revived independently of messages to that effect, and even when those on a totally different subject aie being given, is hard to determine It appears to be contrary to the wishes or even the knowledge of the communicator There is no parallel in life the discomfort of bygone illnesses is soon forgotten when once the bodily health is re-established I was giving a message for a stiange communicator one day when, aftei accuiately diagnosing the fatal disease, I lost my voice completely while delivering the last few sentences Curiously enough, this person- ality had suffeied fiom an aflection of the thioat which resulted in temporal y loss of voice, but very many years before his death

With regard to feeling, again, a recent experi- ment was arranged because a Mi X had pro- mised to " get something thiough ” to prove that

RE-ASSURANCE gr

he was still here sometimes He was an in- defatigable communicator who had given a senes of messages which had convinced his people of his identity, but theie was the suspicion that he had “ gone on " This time he began by remind- ing his fnend of a white lose, which conveyed nothing at all to hei “ Think,” he said, " think, and you will remembei ” And while she was obviously searching m her mind foi the white rose, I felt myself change into some one else with one eye badly huit and coveied with a black patch I desciibed this instantly, and it was lecognised as an old accident to the corner of the eye — Mi X 's eye — which was serious enough to require the pi otection of a shade It had happened when he was abioad, many years back, and she only knew of it thiough correspondence, and, as fai as she could tell, the matter had not entered hei mind since

Some may be of the opinion that I was merely tapping Mrs X 's subconscious memory of this incident, but I doubt if it is possible to convey such a feeling except from past expeiience To a psychic it is something quite different fiom the perception of thought transfeience I will give another instance

There were thiee people in the room, including mj'self My hostess I knew' slightly , the other guest was a complete stranger We had not met foi any particulai pm pose, but the conveisation

SURVIVAL OF MEMORY

had turned to psychic subjects in which the interest was mutual Suddenly my hostess, who IS veiy mediumistic, said, " So and so has just come into the room and is standing by my chan " I could see sometlung, and tiied to conoborate her vision, but my descnption of the communi- cating personality was not in the least like her friend, and it became obvious that I was in touch With some one else It was the spiiit of a much older man There was a feeling of detailed symptoms of a heart attack and subsequent heart failuie, and an old tiouble, bronchitis, was dis- tinguished , at this, the othei lady recognised her father lie tried to give pioofs of memory and made allusion to a life full of memories which bewildered him when endeavouring to com- municate A hand was described, finely made with long fingers and beautiful filbert nails which, I was told, was that of his widow, and, finally, he expressed legiet at having no opportunity of a talk with a man, younger than himself and of his daughter’s generation, before he died This man she took to be one of her brothei s who was away from home at the time of his death, but it was firmly contiadicted, and " a Guaidsman’s uni- form ” was given me, immediately recognised as that of anothei member of the family, an officer m the Guards, to whom the message was clearly appropnatc The case is interesting as an in- fluence strong enough to counteract the joint

EVIDENCE OF VISION

thoughts and expectations of two people besides myself who weie piepaied for manifestations of an eutnely different chaiactei — I knew some- thing of the cause of Mi So-and-so’s death — and to me the feeling of the hcait attack and vibra- tions which conveyed the message foi the Guards- man were distinct and diffeient A meie evidential side of mediuinship is the visualising of the etheiic double of the physical body These manifestations, in the case of the discarnate, can, of course, be compared with the ■' phantasms of the living,” a subject winch has already been so admirably dealt with by authorities as to call for no discussion here Ihis ethenc double, a count ei part of the physical body, does persist, and, to a certain, extent, is a reassurance of future lecognition I have verified it ovei and over again Generally these appeal aiices come in a flash, and, although one catches details that friends recogmse, it is seldom that the vision is suffi- ciently piolonged to give a full desciiption aftei- wards Almost the first successful case of visualising came to me after I had seen a photo- graph of the man taken in piofile, at an angle which gave the effect of an oval face and pai- ticularly a finely pointed chin In my vision this man was my vzs-a-vis, and I was sceptical when he told me who he was, seeing a heavy, square-jaued individual, and not by any means

SURVIVAL OF MEMORY

so handsome as the phologiaph I knew How- ever, he lepeated his name, and I then noticed he had an uncommonl}' loud voice Relating this to his people, they corioborated the lattei by telling me that, owing to this poweiful oigan, he was, in the old days, known as " the bull,” and they showed me anotliei photogiaph which, they said, resembled him moie than the one I had seen It was taken full-face, and the squaie jaw was unmistakable Both these photogiaphs are in existence Theie w'cie, of course, many other pioofs to woik on besides this, but the difference m the two aspects was striking, being entirely opposed to his likeness as I knew it It is a coincidence that, w'hile the Gieat War was nevei pi edict ed to us, this peisonality advised and encouiaged one membei of the family to take up nursing, and by so doing she had so little spaie time that she was foiced to foigo all com- munication with him, being only able to leceive his messages through automatic waiting Hei talent foi that was extiaoidinaiy , but she has never regietted following his advice, foi the training she took enabled hei to respond instantly to the call foi competent nurses at the veiy beginning of hostilities

Anothci incident which again demonstiated the remembrance or peisistence of the physical outline IS one which I regard as being, personally, not only one of the most convincing, but one

PROOFS OF IDENTITY 95

which proved most helpful to me in my private investigations To begin with, it came as the fulfilment of a piomise that a new peisonality would co-opeiate with me for a time No explanation was foi thcomiiig I was told that tins personality chose to disclose his identity in his own way, and he did so by showing himself so cleaily that I was able to remember details of his appearance and, in paiticulai, to notice a maihed peculiarity of one of his limbs which, he mf 01 med me, was the result of an accident and not of disease He said that by giving this description to a certain man in London, some one I knew, I could identify him I did so, and aftei a little difficulty caused by a lapse of memoiy on the part of oui mutual fiiend, but whose memory was awakened by two words alluding to a past incident given by this communicator, his identity was recognised

Now, the sceptic will aigue that, although I had never heaid of this individual nor had I any xeason to connect him with ray fuend in London, there is the chance that I could telepathically discern people with whom anyone I met had heen acquainted And in this I am not entiiely at variance with the sceptic, although I think it is often a mattei for argument, and especially in this particulai case There were many indi- cations that it was an independent and active personality He had a way of answering the

SURVIVAL OF MEMORY

many questions I put to him that disposed entiiely of the objection that I had guessed the answei, and much that he gave me pioved accurate and inteiestmg It was a few years befoie I uas able to veiify one of his assertions, which was with legaid to a minoi detail of his family histoiy, and w'as contiadicted by all of his aquamtaiices I happened to know Eventually, ciicumstances brought about a meeting with one of his near relations w'ho was m a position to coniiini his statement — one which was not gen ei ally known to outsiders and unknown to the friends of the deceased whom I had pre- viously come acioss

Another point which brings me to an inteiestmg development of psychic investigation was the fulfilment of a piomise he made, and tuins one’s attention to the possibility of direct mental influence being bi ought to bear on the people m this woild from a difteient plane Knowing of my hobby foi coUecting actual copies of the original manusciipts relating to episodes in the lives of people I had met, he said that, one way or another, he w'ould get me the original account of a remarkable expenence he had in eaily life Time went on and as his relations did not offer me anything of the soit I was beginning to look on it as a forlorn hope How^evei, when I was calling one day on a lady with whom I had lecently become acquainted, our conversation

CONVICTION OF EXPERIFNCE 97

turned to mterebtmg documents and she brought out one of hers which, mthout a hint from me, she most geneiously gave me to copy It con- tained the full account of my discainate fiiend’s experience as related by himself, taken down at the time by one of the audience woid foi woid

Theie are many experiences which will convince a psychic expeiimentei that an oiitsidei, 01 one with little knowledge of the subject, may feel inadequate, but, on the othei hand, the actual expel lence and the peisonahty of the communi- catoi can be emotionally uncon\incmg even when the matter is conclusive

Of these two cases of visualising the fiist ivas personally convincing I knew that I had not seen a photograph of this man except in profile, and the " loud voice " was, at the moment, an impiessive reality, but apart fiom that, I was face to face with a visible personality who was determined to oveicome my doubt as to his identity, and his deteimination made itself felt and earned the day

The othei instance was not neaily so convincing, although the evidence of the “ peculianty of one of his limbs ’’ taken with the other details of personal appearance has been criticised as proof positive and by sceptics It was a peiiod of systematic woik that eventually strengthened my belief in him, the correctness of his assertion and the fulfilment of his promise to get me an authentic

SURVIVAL OF MEMORY

copy of his unique experience (which was given me by a friend of his friend who possessed the original document) finally assured me of the unreasonableness of my doubt This is, of course, merely the psychic's point of view, the expel imenlei’s own attitude towards mani- festations which aie sometimes extended over a period of months and even years when not hmited to a single communication The uninitiated are apt to believe that psychic experiences occur only in a state of trance 01 an extreme height of subliminal level

When promises are kept it gives cause for thought Not only is there implied knowledge of what IS going on heie, but the question anses as to the persistence of the action of a well-known factor in life, the influence of a stronger mind on others We sec it daily, an influence not merely of words but of something behind the words, and if this persists it may explain an impelling force which detei mines many of oui actions and accounts for an inspiiation which is often fieely acknowledged

Psychic workers often receive messages actually indicating the whereabouts of people in distress, and help given foi this reason is invariably said, by the recipients, to have come as a direct answer to prayer Without denying the reality of thoughts (prayeis), and the possibility of their impoit being leceived unconsciously by one who

COINCIDENCES

13 meiely attuned by sympathetic interest (Divine intervention through a natuial law), some individuals woik in the light of conscious guidance from discarnate spirits, whose iiiteiest, anxiety and knowledge, apart from anything else, point to a relationship which death could not sever

A “ coincidence ” is the right description of the fulfilment of a piomise when we cannot actually trace the master mind, but coincidences of this kind aie common enough to be counted on as certainties, almost without exception, by regular psychic woikers I have in my mind one case which has been corroborated by docu- mentary evidence to the last letter, and one which was entirely out of my power to help on, even if I so desired, but positive evidence was not foithcoming to establish the identity at the time The story is as follows

In the course of a conversation I had with an individual who maintained a stiictly scientific attitude of mind towaids psychic manifestations, the lemarfc was made that although a certain woman, known to me only by hearsay, stated that she was m receipt of indisputable proofs of identity from an intimate fnend who had passed over, she had no real grounds for saying so, the proofs received being indifferent I do not remember feeling much interest until later when I received ceitain communications in automatic

100

SURVIVAL OF MEMORY

writing piuporhng to come fiom the "spirit in question, emphatically stating that he had proved his identity to her and pioraismg that I should receive verification Incidentally he gave me his laiik in the Seivice at the time of his death and a veiy fair description of this woman and hei chaiacter which I acknowledge to be tiue now that I know her , but the point of the message lay in the fact that to her he had given sufficient proof of his identity After the lapse of two years, a written account of the full details weie placed in my hand by a disinteiested person, incidents of psychic interest bearing on my own expenences And, although opinion may be divided, the numbeis of investigators who find the evidence is good are well m the majouty and I only wish I weie at libeity to publish the details here, to confiim my message I was able to ascertain also that these proofs had been leceived befoie my conversation with the sceptic who, no doubt, was perfectly honest in his opinion There is one moie example which I would like to give It has to do with the intervention of a man (dead) who, up to this time only woiked as fai as we knew in the immediate environment of his family ciicle, a very real personality to me and to his own people A distiessful case had come to my notice of a woman living in a town to which we had, for the moment, no dnect access, and it seemed impossible to give any soit of help

GUIDANCE 101

at all I was qiute hopeless, and veiy doubtful of a wntten message I received to the effect that I should find the deceased man’s family able and willing to help, and indicating by the name of another country how this might be achieved " I will answer for my family Get help through — (the country) ” weie his words It seemed impossible However, I acted on this advice, and wrote to his family who answered instantly that one of this deceased man’s oldest friends was m the country mentioned, and further, that owing to this man’s recent travels and position he was able to do what was required His sympathy and co-operation were enlisted, complete success following a most difficult undertaking The pivot on which the whole enteipiise swung was the name of the country wluch pointed unmistakably to the ivheieabouts of a reliable agent of whose existence I was unaware One can but suimise a knowledge on the pait of the deceased, in his many communications subse- quent to his death, of recent events in the othei man’s career This is not an isolated exception These expeuences may laise hope lathei than conviction in the minds of otheis, foi knowledge derived from experience cannot be transferred, but in all discoveries, the majority trust to the experiments of those naturally endowed foi certain investigations, and judge the outcome of their expeiinients by the tests of truth and

103

SURVIVAL OF MEMORY

expeuence The hope lies in the fact that in these revelations theie are indications of a con- tinuity of purpose shown by the interest in all that made life dear, for this implies a natural law of sequence in an existence dclei mined by the individual aims in past life, and an active re- membiance far removed from the time-honoured myth of oblivion

"THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS"

I In Mediaeval Times II From the Psychological Standpoint III To-day

'■ THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS ”

IN MEDIEVAL TIMES

It must be acknowledged that psychic expeii- ences aie destructive, in some lespects, to old established behefs Many orthodox ideas, which have been accepted as articles of faith in child- hood’s days., and become a matter of habitual thought, are upset by contrachctory events In other respects, theie is an increase of faith and understanding m doctrine which has been re- vealed fiom time to time foi the benefit of man- kind VVeio I questioned as to what paiticulai points my own faith have been strengthened through peisonal experience, I should leply, unhesitatingly, the pow’er of thought and the efficacy of piayei Because of these expeiiences, I, like many others, have been drawn, irresistibly, to study the lecoids of spiritual levelation, old and new, and find an analogy between certain mystical expeiiences of all time, and it seems to me that the companson of contempoiary inter - pretation of these manifestations is valuable

105

106 “ THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS ”

Although diverse interpretations have been given to supernatural occiiiiences accoidmg to knowledge of then day, theie aio, beneath the bewildeiing mass of evidence, underlying tiuths which aie now moie peifectly undeistood Visions, voices and influences, spiiitual oi psychic, are common to all ages, but then mteipietation and their significance vary, very greatly, with the piogiess of man’s undei standing Spuitual perception appeals to be entiiely dependent on individual ability, but actual revelation remains unchanged, and the fact that spiiit and matter aie not considcied to be so entirely antagonistic as in mediaeval times, for instance, shows that we are coming to a realisation of the old belief in spiritual guidance for the betterment of this woild

The conflict of spiiit and mattei is peipetual, although in varying forms Spiiit has sur- mounted, and must still sui mount, great diffi- culties before its impoitance and supremacy, emphasised two thousand yeais ago, may be attainted Mentally, moially, and spiritually it is a survival of the fittest in an age when these things are taken into consideration and tested by all that makes foi civihsation If it is felt that modern inquiry is too severe towaids psychic revelation, it must be remembered that there has always been a tendency of faith to degenerate into supeistition, and abuses have crept in which

A SAINTLY ATTRIBUTE 107

have given an impetus to matmahsm on reason- able grounds Had the cuib of leason been applied to things unseen, progiess, although necessarily slow, would have been assured, but in the past, visions, 01 any means of spintual mtercouise, weie legarded by believers as saintly attributes, too holy to be questioned in the light of logic or by practical lesults

This revelation was the outcome of a devout life given to prayer and abstinence It was a sign of divine grace Doubtless there weie the critical spirits of the day who would judge of the quality of this grace by its fruits in the hfe of the recipient, but, generally, the incidents themselves appear to remain unchallenged by the orthodox No other interpretation except that of immediate divine influence was accorded to a series of experiences which to-day would be classified as hallucinations in the absence of pi oof, or ex- plained on the theoiy of the mysteiious woi kings of a subconscious self

One may lead now the lives of the early saints in the spirit of modem cnticism, questioning the interpretation they put upon their experiences, if not their veracity One may condemn the excesses and extravagances of some of the mystics, but, at the same lime, there aie ceitam featuies in these histones which command oiu respect — ^notably their aspirations and mar- vellous faith in God The practical outcome of

io8 " THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS ’

their meditations shows a nobility of chaiactei , the elevated natuie of their inspiiational works has obviously a highly spintual, if not an ulti- mately divine, soiuce

Little IS known of the liighei spiiitual side of modern levelation known as psychic Naturally there is hesitation in acknowledging expeiiences, wholly piivate and peisonal, which, owing to the inadequate testimony of a single individual, may be denounced as delusive, whatevei the results way be Nevertheless, such revelation exists, to be taken into consideiation and compared with that of olden times, foi it is evident that theie are ceitain similanties Some truth, un- daunted by unbelief oi over-ciedulity, is still pcisistmg in an endeavoui to foice its way continuously through imperfect human agents

In mediaeval times m 5 'sticism reached heights of extravagance which are natuially condemned by modem critics as ovei-ecstatic, oi contemptibly hysteiical, but that was only one side of mysticism In considering the finest products of this period, which, aftei all, is the lule in any great subject, wc find, among these mystics, men and women of strong individuality, who have influenced human thought, not earned away by their exalted experiences, but strengthened m purpose to woik for others

Befoie the fourteenth century a mystic belonged to the progressive element of lus day, and was,

MEDI/EVAL MYSTICS 109

for the most part, in sympathy with reforming ideas Through the means of voices, impulses and levelations by the Holy Spirit, he received immediate guidance in all he should do He claimed direct communion with God

In the lives of some of the gieat mediaeval mystics we find the same chaiacteristics In their wutings, and particulaily m those of Saint Catherine of Siena and Saint Theresa of Spam, we find directions as to how this diiect com- munion with the Almighty may be attained , how the dmne experience, a sign of spiritual giace, was vouchsafed to men and women of devout character and saintly aspirations They weie divinely taught by a method of communica- tion to whicli we find fieqnent allusion in the writings relating to contemporary mysticism — " speech without words after the mannei of angels ”

Saint Catherine and Saint Theiesa may be taken as two of the finest examples of piactical idealists that mediaeval mysticism pioduced The practical outcome oi the leligious life com- mands the respect of the most exacting raateual- ists of our day Those, sceptical of the mystical side of their natures, must acknowledge that the influence of these two Momcn was not only gieat but beneficent

Saint Catherine was bom in the year 1347, and died at the age of thiity-thiee, aftei a life

no " THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS '*

of strenuotis activity After some years of prayer and abstinence, she entered the woild to take up practical woik, seemingly on a divine injunction to “ banish from hei heait all anxious thoughts conceining herself and hei own salvation, so that no distraction should keep her back from the service of others ” She did not foisake hei means of direct guidance, but she evidently regarded the devotional life as a means to an end — ^preparation for a life of activity in the world, politically and otheiwise

We find records of her m the streets and hospitals of Siena duiing the teriible plague of 1374, comforting the teiroi -stricken and dying populace She was called to the aid of the Church by the Pope to promote reform Amongst many other works of a piactical nature, she is known to have acted as peacemaker between artisans and then employeis during a peiiod of revolution She lived for humanity

Saint Catherine was a woman of remaikabie intellect She taught herself to read, and, many years latei, to write, and we are told by a biographer * that the dignity and beauty of her language have led writers to compare her style, not unfavourably, with that of Dante Several poems of some meat weie written by her, but her book in which her own “ philosophy ” is set

* Josephine E Butler

SAINT THERESA OF SPAIN iii

foith, her letters, many of which aic still pre- served, and her wiitten prayers afford the chief justification foi the high opinion founed of hei powers as an authoi by hei contemporaries and by later historians

Plei great successor. Saint Theresa, was equally remarkable, both as a mystic and as a lefoiinei The Castilian nun exercised an influence ovei Ferdinand de Toledo, the stern Duke of Alba and the gloomy Philip II , she was piaised even by Voltaire She was the means of leforming the whole order of Carmelites According to one of her recent biographers,^ in spite of her visions, voices and experiences m the invisible world " of her own making,” Theresa was not by natuie a mystic Her mysticism, at least, was only the accompaniment to the melody of her hfe Her greatness, says Mrs Graham, is in her hfe — in liei boundless activities and in her supreme devotion, not to an Ideal, but to Duty In a modern en- cyclopsedia we find this following biief desciip- tion “ Of delicate health, slie had a leaning to mysticism, and was subject to supeinatiual visi- tations and trances Yet withal she was of an eminently heroic, saintly, vivacious and whole- some type of womanhood ” It is, houevei, witli the idealist side of the lives of these two women that I propose to consider, and especially with

• Mrs G C Graham

II2 " THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS "

legal d to the divme communion which guided then activities, the communion which was an outcome of prayer, a subject of which both Saint Catheune and Saint Thciesa weie enthusiastic exponents

Prayei to them was not so much a matter of supplication as a means of giacc — a mental e\eicise in its eaily stages, thiough which came a highei sense of spiutual understanding It was a divine reseaich, an expciimental science graduating m stages of thiee or four degrees, the fiist three being described as vocal, mental, and a culmination m communion when the still small voice was distinguished by the suppliant The fouith degree is desciibed by Samir Theiesa as an impetus to action

" When a soul anives at this stage she does not remain satisfied with dcsiies , God gives her the strength to execute them

The importance of prayei is advocated by Saint Catherine, and it is evident that she writes in the full knowledge of experience Whilst indicating to what heights of ecstasy the soul may reach by constant prayei, she differentiates especially between the vocal and mental exercises She was at times subject to an entranced condition, and was so used as a channel foi divine guidance, as the following passage shows It is taken fiom

SAINT CATHERINE 113

an extant publication of her own levelations, entitled, " A Dialogue — A Colloquy between God and her soul,” composed and dictated by her, in tiance, in the year 1378

” Vocal prayer can be useful to the soul and to the pleasure, and fiom impeiiect vocal piayei it can advance by persevering practice to perfect mental prayei But if it aims simply to complete its number (of paternosters), or if it gave up mental piayer foi the sake of vocal, it would nevei amve at peifcction Sometimes, when a soul has made a resolution to say a certain number of piayers, I may visit Its mind, now in one way, now in another, at one time with the light of self-knowledge and contrition ovei its lightness , at another, With the largesse of My Chanty , at another, by putting befoie its mind, in diverse manner as it may please Me, and as that soul may have ciaved the Piesence of My Truth And the soul will be so Ignorant that it will turn from My Visitation, m ordci to complete its number, flora a conscientious scruple against giving up what it began It ought not to do this, for this would be a wile of the devil But at once, when it feels its mind ready for My Visitation, in any way, as I said, it should abandon the vocal prayei Then, w’hen the menial has passed, if theie is time, it can lesuine the othei

114 " THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS "

winch it had planned to say But if there is not time it must not caie nor be troubled oi bewildeied ”

In a private letter, composed herself in, we may surmise, a normal condition, Saint Catherine canies on this teaching

" Player is of tiuee soils The one is per- petual , it IS the holy perpetual desire which prays m the sight of God , foi this desiie directs all thy woiks The other land is vocal prayer, when the offices oi other prayers aie said aloud This is oi darned to reach the third — that is, mentab prayei your soul leaches this when it uses vocal piayer in prudence and humility, so that while the tongue speaks the heait is not fai from God She uses m mental prayer above heiself — ^that is above the gross impulses of the senses — and, with angelic mind, umtes herself with God by foice of love and sees and knows with the light of thought and clothes herself with truth She is made the sistei of angels ”

(From a letter written to her niece Sister Eugenia )

As a mattei of comparison, theie is but little difference m Saint Theresa’s disseitations on prayer two centuries latei

THE ROYAL ROAD TO HEAVEN 115

" Although vocal prayer be one thing which IS said by the mouth, and mental another, which IS accomplished by the intellect and will without the voice, yet if vocal prayer be what It ought, mental is included m it *’

(Ribeia )

It IS said that Saint Thezesa compaied a soul living without mental prayer to one whose body IS paialysed — certain souls who are sick, cannot walk although nchly gifted by natuie and able to converse with God In the " Way of Pei- fection ” we find also that

“ Player was the loyal road to heaven in that a gieat treasure was provided for those who walked m it — the time will come when it will be manifest that what we weigh against so precious a thing is nothing ”

The intuitional faculty is touched on again m this passage taken from the " Castillo Interior ’’

" the spirit (in raptine) is taught without the medium of woids and undeistands mysteries which long years — of research could not even have surmised "

And yet again we find the following sentiment with regard to the same intuitive sense

ii6 " THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS '*

" There is a hnicl of siipei natural tuition, she tells us, m which the Loid suddenly places in the centie of the soul, what He Wishes it to understand, without words oi lepresentations of any kind ”

Saint Theiesa is confident that tins most inexplicable species of communication was beyond the reach of any delusion, and inaccessible to the father of lies

In the sev'enteenth centiiiy mysticism is not experienced exclusively by membeis of the Chuich of Rome Amongst otheis, Geoige Fox was then preaching the doctrine of direct, divine revelation, the lehgion of individual conviction and ex- perience, Robeil Baiclay, the Scottish Quakei, was expounding the subject of spiritual influence, Swedenborg explaining the inteiioi teaching of the divine Word

“ I lecount the things that I have seen,” says Emmanuel Swedenboig “ I take my stand upon expeiience I have proceeded by obseivation and induction as strict as that of any man of science among you Only it has been given me to enjoy an expeiience reaching into the two worlds- — that of spint, as well as that of niattei ”

In a chapter entitled Concerning Woislup ”

ROBERT BARCLAY 117

it IS interesting to lead the conclusions of Robeil Barclay and to coinpaie his expeiiences of silent meditation with those of Saint Calheiine and Saint Theiesa

'' Yea, though there be not a woid spoken, yet IS the tiue spiritual woiship performed diveis meetings have passed without one word , and yet our souls have been greatly edified and refieslied, and oui hearts vvondei- fully overcome with the secict sense of God’s powei and Spiiit, which without words have been ministeied from one vessel to another This IS indeed stiange and incredible to the meie natuial and carnally minded man, who will be apt to judge all time lost where there is not something spoken that is obvious to the outwaid senses , and therefoie I shall insist a little upon this subject as one that can speak fiom a certain experience, and not by mere hearsay, of this wondeiful and gloiioiis dispensation, which hath so much the moie of the wisdom and gloiy of God in it as this silent waiting upon God is contrary to the nature of man’s spirit, will and wisdom No words, yea, not the best and puiest words, even the woids of sciiptuie are able to satisfy Such are necessitated to he silent before tlie Lord being directed to that inward principle of life and light in themselves ”

(Barclay's " Apology," Piop XI )

ii8 '* IHE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS •’

Btil il IS to Madame Guy on we omc the i elation ol experiences which anticipated the very factor •which was to instil hope in the hearts of serious invcstigalois towards the end of the nineteenth cental y

It IS natnial that wc should find the same appreciation of the expeiicnce of wordless com- munion in the autohiogiaphy of Madame Guyon, as in the wulmgs of her two gieat predecessois, Saint Cathenne and Saint Theresa, advocates of her own original faith, the Roman Catholic Chuich Doubtless, she took them as examples in the early days and acted on their injunctions to pray with the full expectation of the state to which vocal prayer would lead Like them, she regarded the wordless communion as divine, but whilst upholding the means of this communion also as a divine faculty, to hei, it was not exclu- sively so In her experience, such communion IS possible between human beings under ceitain conditions, the conditions depending on the state of the human soul and often the dual concentiation of a mutual piayer

Theie aie, according to Vaughan, records of similar experiences in the life of anothei mystic. Saint Ida of Nivelles “ It was revealed to her m a moment of ecstasy that a friend was in the same condition , the friend was made aw'are, simultaneously, that Saint Ida was immersed in the same divine light with herself They were

MADAME CtUYON 119

as one soul in the Loid, and the Vugui Mary appeared to make a thitd in the saintly com- munion On another occasion, when at a distance from a piiest to whom she was much attached, both were entranced at the same time — 'When rapt to heaven, he beheld hei m the presence of Chiist, at Whose command she communicated to him, by a spiutual kiss, a portion of the grace with which she had been so nchly endowed ”

" I understood,” wntes Madame Guyon, " that God wished to teach me that the language of angels might be leaint by men on earth — that is converse without woids ”

She was gradually reduced to this woidless communication alone m hei interviews with Father La Combe , they appear to have undei- stood one anothei in "a mannci ineffable and dmne ” The use of speech, or of the pen, was regarded by Madame Guyon as a kind of accom- modation, on her pait, to the weakness of souls not sufficiently advanced foi these internal communications

There was anothei development of this human communion which may be described as “ feeling at a distance ” between her and others united to her by a spiritual tie of mutual piayer She believed that many persons foi whom she was interceding with gicat fervour, were sensible at

120 •' THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS ”

the time of an extraordinarily giacious influence and that her spmt communicated mysteuously “ in the Loid ” with the spiiits of those deai to her when fai away

“ Tiieie was a dischaigc on hei best disposed childien to then mutual ]oy and comfort, and not only when piesent, but sometimes when absent I even felt it to flow from me into their souls When they wiole to me, they in- formed me that at such times they had re- ceived abundant infusions of divine grace ”

This feeling, experienced by Madame Guyon, was not always, however, that of mutual joy and comfoit, foi wc read that in Pans she no longer " imagines ’ (to quote a biographer, R A Vaughan), that she sufteis mwaid anguish con- sequent on the paiticular leligious condition of Father La Combe when he is thiee hundicd miles off But, 111 her autobioguphy, she still speaks of the sense which enabled her to know the state of the souls given to hei, even when they weie at a distance , and of communication in God with those to whom the Loid united her by the tie of spintual maternity

Theie is one other side of Madame Guyou’s charactei, which should not be ignored in cora- pai mg hei with the saints of earhei days, and that IS the piactical life with which mystic

UNDER ANOTHER NAME isr

levelation did not inteifero Although tho mystical side is duo partly to her own “ imagi- nation/’ as Vaughan implios, he does not hesitate to piaise the practical seivice which was also a feature m the lives of Saint Calheiine and Saint Theresa " Few lives,” he says, ” have been more busy than that of Madame Guyon with the activities of an indefatigable benevolence " The feeling at a distance, however, is in the piesent day given a moie explicit leason than imagination , the same expeiience received the honour of a new and special woid in the English language, coined expressly to define a faculty which, m the latter half of the nineteenth ccntuiy, could no longer be ignoied as illusory nor hon- oured as exclusively divine Madame Guyon anticipated mateiial for investigation which has foiced some great thinkers to believe in the existence of spirit independently of matter , at the same time, giving cause foi cxlieme faith to others m the unlimited powers of the human mind, to the exclusion of any othoi solution In telepathy, the mvestigatois of psychical research seem to have struck the deepest note of an ascending scale of vibiations to which the mystics of old lef ponded octaves highei than modem minds can measme.

122 " THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS ”

FROM THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STANDPOINT

The nineteenth centuiy was not remarkable foi mystical revelations It followed a penod of raatenalism, the natural leaction from the ex- tremes to which mysticism, uncurbed by reason, had leached But the pendulum was slowly swinging back again, and there was a desire in the hearts of men — ^perhaps seldom expressed — for proof of a universal hope that existence was not dependent on the physical body, nor hfe altogethei ruled by the physical forces It was, generally speaking, an age of agnosticism con- ventionally repiessed Science was avoided by the oitliodox, because scientific speculation led to doubt and doubt led to hell, and in that respect the attitude towaids rehgious behefs had not changed since mediffival days Religion, like the experiences of mystics, was too holy to be ques- tioned, although inediieval mysticism or similar mamfestations of unseen foices were legaided with suspicion

Towards the end of this centuiy theie was a development in reseaich which called forth denunciation oi dension from onlookers who weie content to remain accordingly in faith or agnosti- cism from pre]udice or indifference as the case might be Agnosticism, in some cases, was

fHE AGNOSTIC ATTITUDE 123

beginning to adopt an active form of inquiiy into matteis winch might possibly give some explanation of the influences of an unseen world A few thinkers were unable to accept the fact of tiaditional divine revelation, faith in the Resui- rection was lacking in the appaient absence of a continuance of proof The past examples of recorded revelation which had been poweiful enough to instil in the minds of the recipients a belief in the unseen and a hope of everlasting life, could no longei be conscientiously ignored, Noi could such expeiiences lemam sheltered beneath an atmosphere of holiness which had, in the past, precluded any soit of criticism or mqmiy from mankind generally

Popular opinion deprecated the investigation of things unknowable , or, at least, it was con- sideied a pity that men’s minds should waste their eneigies on things of no mateiial value But visions, voices, and influences aroused the inteiest of eminent psychologists, and their con- clusions, after some yeais of investigations on scientific grounds, aie, foi the most part, a stiong argument in favour of the chief doctrines of religious teaching with regaid to player, revela- tion and inspiration

Of course, these experiences weie not tieated from the religious point of view Professor William James, of Harvard Univeisity, is a case m point In his book, “ The Varieties of

124 I he LANGUAGE OF ANGELS-'

Religious Experiences,” he has no sciuples what- soevei in sobeiing down manifestations, spiritual or psychic, and pruning away much that had been regaided as infallible He ciiticises trances, voices, visions, and peculiarities, classed as pathological, not fiom the theologian's, nor even the anthropologist’s point of view, but meiely as a psychologist, acknowledging them as features which ha\G helped to give religion, necessary to humanity, authoi ity and influence And he takes the mote developed subjective phenomena le- coided m past literature, which weie produced by articulate and fully conscious men, together With othei of his own day, comparing and judging of their value by immediate luminousness, philo- sophic reasonableness and moral helpfulness as the only available catena Professor James is oi opinion that personal religion is a gift of oui oigamsm It is either theic 01 not tlieie foi us, and theie aie peisons who can no more become possessed by it than they can fall m love with a ceitain individual by word of command He difteientiatcs between lehgion and science as the inleiest of the individual in his piivate and peisonal destiny and the repudia- tion of the personal point of view, lespectively But religion is taken as the most important of all human functions, and, m the belief that foundeis of eveiy Chuich, and all the origmatois of Chnslisn sects own then powei, oiiguialty,

PROFESSOR WILLIAM JAMES 125

to the fact of their peisonal communion with the divme, supeinatuial experiences are seiiously consideied

This divine communion, the religious feeling of the presence of God, is obviously not always a matter of hallucination as many assert, but, in certain cases, it is ceitified that this experience does not give conviction of a divine visitation With legard to some cxpeiiences of a fiiend, it IS said that this fuend does not niterpiet these experiences theistically as sigmfying the piesencc of God There is a consciousness of something theie — a knowledge of the close presence of a soit of mighty person , and when the experience was over, memory alone persisted as the sole pi oof of reahty

An interesting lecoid of the same sort of experience is given, but with the accompanjing sense of the presence of God

“ I have, on a nnmbei of occasions, felt that I had enjoyed a peiiod of intimate communion with the divine , What 1 felt was a temporal y loss ot my own identity, accompanied by an illumination W'hich re- vealed to me a deeper significance than I had been wont to attach to life It is in tins that I find my justification for saying that I have enjoyed communication witii God”

i?6 “ THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS ”

There is aiiotliei mslance quoted fiom the correspondence of James Russell Lowell

“ I had a revelation last Friday evening Mr Pitman entered into an argument with me on spiritual matteis I never before so clearly felt the Spiiit of God m me and around me The an seemed to waver to and fro with the piesence of Something I knew not what ”

These examples, cited fiom a number, show that the sense of divine communion did not cease with the early mystics Men of to-day have similai expeiiences and, moieovei, these experiences claim the attention of modem students But, while Piofessoi James, in a tiuly modern spirit, views the whole subject of mystic- ism critically, his investigations impel a i everent attitude towaids spiritual manifestations PIis conclusions aie extraoidmaiily favourable, con- sidering an obvious dislike of the supernatural state for its own sake He gives Saint Theresa, for instance, full appreciation for all her good qualities but, at tlie same time, criticises her as one who wasted too much of her energies in experiences which could have no direct bearing on her earthly life

She was, he says, one of the ablest women, in many lespects, of whose life we have records She liad a powerful intellect of the practical order

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She wrote admirable desciiplive psychology, possessed a wll equal to any emergency, great talent foi pohtics and business, a buoyant dis- position and a fiist-rate Iiteiary style She was tenaciously aspinng, and put hei whole life at the service of her leligious ideals Yet, so paltiy were these, according to our present way of thinking, that (although I know that otheis have been moved diffeiently) “ I confess," says the Professor, " that my only feeling in leading her has been pity that so much vitality of soul should have found such poor employment ”

One can hardly consider Professoi James nairow-minded oi unappieciative of spiritual revelation when reading his opimon of George Fox, the " psychopath '' of the Quaker leligion which he founded — " a religion which is im- possible to over-praise, looted m spiiitual inwaid- ness and more like the original Gospel truth than men had ever known in England ”

This enlaigement of perception, defined as mysticism, cannot be impaited oi transferred to others It is a diiect expenence which would probably fail to attiact the attention of the woild, were it not for the profound and lasting influence it has on the mystic himself There appear to be two dnect courses — ^along the downward ladder to insanity, oi the upward ladder to an extia-consciousncss, which em- phasises the need for service m a suffering world

128 " THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS "

lo the mystic eleimty is now, eternity is timeless

The mystic’s woild is moie extensive, his point of view supcuoi and commanding a widei ladius than that of the physical senses Those who stand outside of these states may not accept then levelations uncntically but, it is agieed, the liighei mystical states point in directions to which the leligious sentiments of non-mystical men intlme Hypotheses of spirituality are offered which Professor James declares, as thinkers, he and others cannot possibly upset And furthei, when the intuitive knowledge, which in most peisons remains subliminal, appeals to impel energy along the lines of the inspiration received, we have realities to ]iidge by the test of ex- peiience A piactical outcome of spmtual revela' tion is the sign of true inspnation , the icsults manifested m the actions aie the fruits to be seen by the woild who nghtly demands concrete conclusions

On the whole, piayei is tieated more leniently by this wntei on Religious Expeiiences It is given full value as the veiy soul and essence of leligion when taken in its fullest sense, meaning every kind of inward communion as taught by the saints and not limited to mere begging Petilional prayer is only one department , its effect, the sign that leligion is not looted in delusion There is some spuitual energy which,

FREDERICK MYERS ON PRAYER 129

Ihiough player, becomes active and spiritual woilc IS really effected, but, while lecording numbers of examples where pctitionaiy prayci and those especially foi guidance and lielp have evoked response, Professor James is inclined to leave the explanation of the w 01 kings of such laws to Frederick Myeis The following cpiota- tion lb fiom a puvate lettei written by Mi Myeis to a fnend, and shows a theoiy independent of usual doctrine

'' I am glad that you have asked me about prayei because I have lather stiong ideas on the subject There exists aiound us a spiiitual universe, and that umveise is m actual relation with the material Ihc prayer is not

indeed a purely subjective thing, it means a leal increase in intensity of absorption of spiiit- ual powei of giace , but we do not know enough of what takes place in the spiritual woild, to know how piayei operates , who is cognisant of it, or through what channel the grace is given it would be rash to say that Chust Himself hears us , wink to say that God hears us is merely to 1 estate the fiist principle — that grace flows in fiom the infinite spmtual world "

The extensive action of individual piayei showing a function tlnough which man may

ISO " 1 HE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS”

exeicise his own desires and affect the object to which these prayeis are dacctcd, is a veiy modem idea, fai lemoved from the exclusively divine opeiation as conceived by the saints Taken in comparison with sciiptural teaching, it seems but a moie compieheiisive view of oiiginal Christian teaching that thought itself was as impoitant as action Fuither investiga- tions into this functioning on the mental plane stiengtheii, if not piove, the words of the Apostle that the effectual fervent prayei of a righteous (oi wise) man availetli much Undei stand the laws that govern thought and prayer, in its widest sense, must necessauly become a scientific tiuth, invigoiated with fiesh vitality Investiga- tion into holy giound has, so iai, but strengthened the position of religious teaching The conclusions which Protessoi James diaws fiom the experiences undei his considciation aie strikingly in accoi dance with those of persons to whom faith is the only method of deduction It is, pnncipally, that leligion must necessarily play an eternal pait m human lustoiy, and tlxat, although unable to accept eithei popular or scholastic theism, he believes that, in communion with the Ideal, new force comes into the world The unseen legion cannot be merely ideal, for it produces effects , and it is tlie effects — ^the total expiession of human experience as he viewed it — that have urged a critical psychologist beyond

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the naiiow scientific bounds, and called foith the leraark, '* Who knows whether the faithful- ness of individuals here to their poor over- beliefs may not actually help God in turn to be more effectively faithful to His own gieatei tasks ? "

Automatisms, unaccountable impulses to act m the diiection of automatic speech or w’liting, are recorded in most religious lives To quote Professor James once more, he speaks of the leaders of thought being accustomed to othei foims of automatism Saint Paul, he says, had his visions, his ecstasies, his gift of tongues fhe whole an ay of Chiistian saints and hieiaichs, including the greatest, the Bernards, Loyolas, Lutheis, Foxes, Wesleys, had their visions, voices, rapt conditions, guiding impressions and openings (to-day known as impiessions) They have, through their results, gained due respect, and are undoubtedly a supeiioi development of a sense which, like Madame Guyon, the investi- gators of psychical research discovered could be a purely human influence

" I understood,” wrote Madame Guyon, " that God wished to teach me that the language of angels might be learnt by men on earth — that IS converse without words ”

” The title of this book,” writes Fiedenck Myeis two hundred yeais latei m his intioduction to ” Phantasms of the Living," ” cmbiaces all

ly " THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS ”

iiansmisbions of Uiouglii. and feeling fiom one peison to anothei by other means than thiough the lecognised channels of sense ”

Tlieie IS no question of icligion in the two formidable volumes which contain the conclusions of Myeis, Guiney, Podmoio, Banctt, Richet, and others, on the subject which lies m the “ legion of ethical and aesthetic emotion ” The transmission of thought and feeling is no longei alluded to as the language of angels It is a means of communication which Myers considered a “ possible scientific basis for much to which men now cling without definite justification.” and, as such, the tieatmcnt of diiect action of mind upon mind was believed to be necessary by him and his colleagues befoie consideiing othei supeinoimal or supernatuial phenomena

Thought transfcience exists between people m a noimal state, and, accoiding to M Richet, the percipients need not be peisons of any special susceptibility Expenmen ts of elementary sen- sations prove that tastes, smells and pains can be felt by the peicipient — a woid can be lepro- duced sometimes unconsciously Besides the emotional impressions, telepathy can be auditory, tactile and visual Appaiitions have been traced to the discainate, hence the title of the book in question

These mental representations of the living occumng, as they do sometimes, when the

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person in question is in a normal condition and not at the point of death, are the most interesting branch of psychic investigation which has been brought to the notice of students They open up so many avenues of inquiry The old belief that such apparitions were only those of the dead — ^ghosts — has been confounded by the many examples of living people who have been seen clairvoyantly Apparently they appeared to their friends when then thoughts weie concen- trated on them — thought creating vibrations which ai ranged themselves m the likeness of the agent

Why these manifestations should occur between certain individuals is still a mysteiy lelepathy IS not confined to friends or even to sympathetic acquaintances , the necessary lapport appears to exist between strangers , a sti anger to the agent at a distance may be clearly peiceptive of these vibrations, while a fiiend 01 relative present may not One may conclude that definite knowledge of the laws governing this soul sympathy is but a matter of time Madame Guyon was moie prophetic than she knew when she said that the language of angels might be learnt by men on eaith The theories of Frederick Myeis may prove to have an equally prophetic value if investigation is earned on with the same painstaking manner m the piesent century

134 " the language OF ANGEI S ”

Before leaving the subject as it stood when “ Phantasms of the Living ” was published, I Will quote his theoiy on thought with regard to materialism fiom the same book

I maintain that if the general fact of telepathic communication between mind and mind be admitted, it must also be admitted that an clement is thus introduced into oui conception of the aggregate of empmcally Imown facts which constitutes a seiious obstacle to the mateiialistic synthesis of human experience Tlie psychical element in man must hencefoith almost inevitably be con- ceived as having relations which cannot be expressed in terms of mattei “This dogma — new to expeiimeiital science— IS familial and cential in all the higher foims of leligion Relations inexpressible m teims of mattei and subsisting between spint and Spirit — ^the human and Divine — are im-' plied m the veiy notion of the interchange of sacred love and Love, of grace and worship “ The materialist may regard prayer and aspuation with indulgence, or even with approval, but he must necessaiily conceive them as forming merely the psychical side of ceitain moleculai movements of the particles of human organisms, and he must necessanly regal d the notion of Divine icsponse to piayer

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as an illusion generated by subsequent mole- cular movements of the same organisms— the mere recoil and reflex of the wave which the worshippei himself has created *’

The position taken by Frederick Myeis with legaid to telepathy at tins time was not common There was a good deal of contention on the subject, and mucli inciedulity Certain thinkeis looked upon language as an unsatisfactoiy means of communicating thouglit, and otheis regarded the more subtle form of thought tiansfcrcnce as a meie evolutionary stage in man's mental capacities, but, geneially, any facts relating to this faculty were looked upon as imaginary 01 coincidental

It IS most interesting to find in current lileia- ture of 1920 the importance now attached to telepathy It is practically unquestioned " No canid student of human nature,” wiites a dignitary of the Church, ” now denies or disputes the influence of mind upon mind as in telepathy, nor mind upon body as in Christian Science Nobody will now ventuie to assert that spiiilual communication is not as possible as wireless telegraphy between the living”* Fiom all sides, the importance of telepathy is recognised Understood as a human faculty, it is used as a

* The Right Rev TEC Welldon, Dean of Duihani

136 " THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS ”

weapon against any belief in Divine intervention, guidance or spiiitual influences , on this human, though not actually physical, basis, there lies a hope that it may explain the laws of spiritual communication, and that inspiiation, efficacious prayer, influx, and moial stiength will be com- pletely undei stood

In one sense this is a step back into mediieval mysticism Such communication has a spiritual soiuce Not exclusively spiritual, says the man of to-day, witli instances of popular examples of telepathy in his mind and taking the word spiritual as being divinely so For, it is now pioved that thought is not necessauly prayer — the action of transferential thought a human possibility not confined to the righteous— and this means of communication, in the light of tiivial and sometimes absurd incidents, is not used solely for philosophic or religious piopa- ganda Theiefore, telepathy is stiU felt to he moie 01 less something, if not physical, at any rate in some mysterious way pertaining to matter, and when it comes to an extended telepathy, to some people anathema, touching, as it does, on the souls or thoughts of the depaited, we aie on holy ground Ihe dead, despite evidence all around us of evolution and continuity, are m God's hands, in a place indesciibahle and utterly detached fiom this world by a door which God has shut An impeiietiable space lies between

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human beings and the discarnate spiiits of men and women whose mutual thoughts might logically be supposed to bridge the gulf un- impeded by mattei Ihey may, say some, but if they do, it is a saintly communion, holy and sacied It must be regarded as a matter of religion, accepted in faith, unquestioned by science Extended telepathy holds exactly the same position now as human tclepatliy did m the time of Madame Guyon — a saintly attiibute, a spiutual communion between “ those in the Loid"

The language of angels is now undei stood fay men on eaith, but any manifestation of an angel * (or " messenger to give the coirect tiaiisUtion) no longer in a physical body, is piously distin- guished as a communion of saints The same order of revelation, the identical lesults of thought vibiations which have been found active in human beings, is too holy, even now, to be questioned And, in the absence of proof, certain sections of the public distinguish between the two as communication and communion, respectively, and preach faith in the communion of saints, which to many is merely a familiar passage of emotional obscurity, owing to the fact that it IS little understood and seldom explained

* 1 use the word ‘ angel here m the sense that it is obviously intended 111 the phiase “It is his angel “ (Actsxli 15)

138 “ THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS "

To some, hovvevei, xt has a definite meaning thioxigh expeiience

An authentic stoiy, i elated to me by a distin- guished medical man, shows a conception of saintly communion beautiful in its simplicity The question of the light inteipietation of the Communion of Saints was raised at a Bible class, and several young soldiers weie asked to say what they thought it meant Theie was only one who answered To illustrate his mean- ing he related an expciicnce which had occurred in Fiance, wheie he had recently seen some heavy fighting His best fiiend had been killed, and soon after, this soldier lost his way , he was in a tight coinei and could not find a way out. All hope of a safe return was fast leaving him, when he received guidance which proved to be effectual He supposed that he had a “ vision " , anyhow, it was the figure of Ins dead friend who led him to safety, and ]ust before the vision faded he pointed to a kneeling form close by, whom the boy recognised as his mother She was safe at home , he knew and he felt, instinc- tively, that she was praying foi him It was all over before he realised that something out of the oidmaiy had happened, but the impression re- mained strong and convincing And his escape from being taken prisoner oi from probable death was a reality " That, sir, I take it, is the mean- ing of the Communion of Saints ! ”

'• THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS ” 139

There is little doubt that the boy’s mothei would hesitate to call heiself a saint “ The saintly character,” sajs Piofessoi James, ‘‘is the character foi which spiiitual emotions are the habitual centre of the peisonal eneigy ” Men of pre-eminent saintliness have, accoidmg to Dean Inge, an unshakable conviction, not based on inference but on immediate experience, that God IS a spirit with whom the human spirit can hold intercourse Ihe woman m faith used the old mystics’ method of divine communion, in- voking God's aid to keep her son safe And if we aie to take the story as evidence — it is no isolated case— and not a hallucination of the brain caused by the neivous tension of a pro- longed position of extreme dangci, it would appear that mysticism is )ustified of her faith in the efficacy of prayei and divine levelation Theie is also the fact that telepathy between human beings is as stiongly evinced in this case^ The combination of the tw'o is a foimidable argument m favour of the belief that God w’oiks m man but not instead of man — not even dis- carnate man If the thud factoi — ^the com- munion between the incarnate and discainate spirits of men — is m line with telepathic expeii- ment, we aie withm oui rights to regaid the investigation of God’s laws in this region as legitimate, although holy ground

140 “ THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS ”

III

To-Day

It is easy lo see that mcdi£eval thought still influences that ot to-day on ceitain points in modern investigation The scientific hypothesis that there is a natural tapport between the sympathetic souls which budges distance is not uncommon , the theoiy that thought is pei- ceptible IS second natuie to some reasoning minds Many will allow that theie is truth in the belief of “ supeinatuial '' guidance through the agency of a recently discainate spiiil But there is an idea, popular and undenominational, that any communion between the dead and the living must necessarily be religious, that is to say, It should occui during a time of piayer, at a sacied seivice, or, to use a current expression, “ in the Loid ” It should be of a highly spmtual natuie, too lofty to be the means of guidance in trivial details of daily life In shot t, the mediaeval attitude to the “ language of angels ” has a paiallel m a “ communion of saints,” and this communion must be legaided as holy and allowed to rest in obscuiity, unquestioned by the logical faculty

The first few yeais of this century have seen discoveries that few men could have foietold Even now, in its infancy, changes have been

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141

wrought that would havestaggeiedouz immediate ancestors Cosmic law has been supeiseded through fiesh knowledge of a still highei Jaw, lealities, conceived as dreams, have been brought foith as mighty forces Ihere is anoUiei dimen- sion of existence The subconscious self is prac- tically acknowledged as a psychological cei- tamty m a field of unquestioned activity This field lies in a foiuth dimension of space, which science looks foiwaid to locate in the future with some degiee of accuiacy Ideals are being gradually bi ought down to what is, meta- phorically speaking, a lulc of thiec Old spiiitual truths aie known now to be puiely mental attiibutes , evolution, men take it, is the key- note of life on this planet— evolution of the Ego is not an unknown doctrine But foi all this, there is influence in the minds of many human beings which can be traced to mediaeval thought, a hngeiing idea that in the transition of souls from what we call Ufe, to the state commonly known as death, the personality leaps into absolute perfection — m othei words he, despite hib earthly propensities, becomes a saint It IS illogical, but then we have, so it is said, aini-ed at an mtpasse The aftei-death state cannot be investigated , even if theie be this possibility, it should lemain a mattei of faith Any feeling of personal communion must not be encouraged beyond ciicumsciibed limits,

142 “THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS”

obscuiity 01 semi-illumination is pieferable to the full light of clear revelation It must be taken foi gi anted that a discainate spirit is instantly occupied with saintly aspirations fai lemoved fiom an^ natuial inteiest m the diffi- culties 01 miseiies of those he loved still on eaith One has only to lead the daily newspapers, to see these sentiments cxpiessed by people of all classes

Of couise, saintliness itself has seen many changes, or rathci, man’s conception of its meaning has varied thiough the ages Once filthy rags were positively part of the religious life , indiffci cnee to uncleanhness and to un- speakable discomfoits, the sign of spiiitual growth But now, cleanliness is next to godliness , extreme ascetic discipline but seldom exercised We obey an older piccept than that followed by the eaily saints in a piactical belief that the human body should be honouied as a temple of the living God, made fit foi service and not lacked with unnecessary pain and toiture to eliminate the dangei of a future liell-fiie So it IS possible that the teim saint conveys nothing moie to some people than an ordinary human being whose main desiie is beneficence towards otheis in things tempoial This conception of the woid simplifies the meaning of certain incidents winch have, so fai as we may see, no dncct beaiing upon the things eternal

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The puvate and personal phenomena of mediseval mystics from a divme somce is replaced by a private and personal revelation in modem psychics from a lowei source — that of discarnate individuals This is the keynote of the mysticism of to-day It is more human , it has moie direct bearing on the needs of common humanity At the same tune, the modem and personal side called psychic revelation is a good step lowei than the aspirations of the mystics whose sole aim was communion with God It need not necessanly be infeiior as regaids motive, but it IS as well to recognize that the desire to attain communion with a discarnate spiiit of our own 01 del IS not divine aspiration It affects human life in a way that we can undei stand, and there is nothing obscure in the guidance obtained from one who was m the habit of guiding during his or her life The means of communication are similar to the communion of the mystics, but foi all that it IS well to make the distinction quite clear and keep to the companson of the means rathei than to that of the end— to leave the higher spiritual side, w'hich so often evades expression, to experiences which, even if un- venfiable, may eliminate Iiaish judgment on the grounds of mental derangement by the lasting impression on the mind oi life of the recipient with sound lesults

The feeling of piesence, lecognition ot a

144 '"IHE language 01- ANGELS"

familial sense of the pioMinity of a known pcisoiialily, IS usual amongst ps)< chics It occurs in common with tlie living and can be tiaccd to the individual thoughts of the one lecogniscd This experience has an analogy with legard to the dead — the feeling is the same It is equally nnpiessivc, moic so in fact on ceitain occasions, but it can be as impcisonal as in olden times

Piayei for guidance is often answexed by an immediate and definite inspiration concerning a difficult matter, quite new to the supplicant, and pioved subsequently to be a wise solution, but unaccompanied by any sense of personality How often one hears a person say, “ I got up from my knees with my path laid cleaily before me," and the most astute sceptic cannot deny the wisdom of the inspiration sometimes, whether the prayei is answered by the subconscious mind of the supplicant oi by angelic guidance " I had a sudden inspiiation," says another, " which decided, as I now see, a momentous event which was tlien iinfoiescen " Piayer is as potent now as in the days when advocated by the mystics with a wholc-hcaitcd faith in the workings of Providence

I asked a fnend who has worked for many years in some of the woist slums in London if the very poor — tlie submerged tenth — ^liad any religious instincts at all Her leply was that, even amongst the lowest classes, she found a

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belief in prayei which -was often the one ledeemmg point , that when theie was haidly the capacity foi undei standing what religion actually meant, theie was an inboin instinct to piay Naturally I ashed foi an instance, and she gave me the following fiom amongst hci own expcuences, with legaid to two sisteis she had come acioss recently in the w'oikhoiise One was delicate and had been always incapable of w'oik , the other had woihed foi both and had kept bod\ and soul together foi at least fifty-five yeais by what IS know'll as nmbiella tiimming— sewing the tassels on umbicllas, a task which is not too well paid My fiiend said it was inci edible that they could have existed foi so long under such condi- tions She knew' the paiticnlars of how the poor live , to hei it was a miiacle But the conditions, bad as they had been, were eminently piefciable to paupeiism to these two w'omcn , the work- house was looked upon as degradation

" How did you do it all those years ? ” asked my fiiend

“ Well, miss,” said the W'onian, ‘‘ I don’t mind telling you I piayed foi woik , and ulien I worked, every time I sew'ed a tassel on an um- brella, I piayed to do it well and everything went light until now' But I am piayung and I mean to go on praying ” She only asks a suffici- ency of woilc to ensuie a pittance which W'ould keep her and hei sistei out of the w'oikhouse in

146 “ THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS ”

the dignity ol independence , in face of old age and undei mined health, she is playing with a faith based on experience of old

To a psychic, the importance of prayei is proved almost daily Laying aside the numerous cases of sudden inspuations that ceitam indi- viduals aie in difliculties oi the unaccountable impulse to give some practical help m a quarter where to judge by outwaid appeaiances it is not necessary — Uying these aside as examples of purely telepathic sigiulicance, there is a pre- ponderance of definite mstuictions of the re- quirements of certain individuals given by discarnate spirits When it is possible to act on these msti uctions, diplomatically, foi it is seldom that one may give the true leason for pi aclical interest, invaiiably the reinaih is made — " All this has come as an answer to prayer ” And it is an answer to piayei, and one which I believe IS the key to most adequate lesponses in piactical matteis, although there aie many who are guided unconsciously m lesponse to then natural in- clination to alleviate the suffeiings of others Psychic woik does not consist only of leceivmg messages from the dead to the living to assure them of then welfare I think, almost mthout exception, the meie experience of psychic levela- tion gives the recipient a sense of responsibility, and a realisation of the need for seivice and especially in practical aid to those who need it

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147

The psychic faculty itself, and especially tele- pathic peiception, gives a full knowledge of hidden anxieties although the actual details remain unknown It guides one, naturally, to see what is necessary foi permanent help I do not allude heie to meie chanty, but to the means thiough which the individual in question may find the oppoitumty he seeks to secure a niaikel value for his lesources It goes no further, often, than common sense , an outsidci’s point of view, valuable because detached , but communications will be given in many cases in which is indicated the very person amongst one’s aquaintances who will prove to be the impoitant stepping-stone to success The interpenetration of the two u orlds, m my own expeiience, deals mostly with piactical philanthropy

There is the othei side The psychic is helped in seivice by mysteiious means Probably theic has been no idea of piaying for ceitain objects, but the desiie, itself, often seems to evoke a spontaneous and practical help from quite un- expected sources In a personal matter, where reserve was absolutely necessary until a certain point in the proceedings was reached, I discovered that the friend to whom I went foi advice had been mysteriously awaie all the time of the difficulties which weie m the path and obeyed a stiong impulse to arrange her plans accoidingly I say, mysteiiously, because she is unable to give

148 ■' THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS ”

any aiticulate xeason for this sense of certainty which influenced hci so sliongly Ihe point IS that when I laid the case belore hei, eveiy- thing was in leadmess and the object was achieved immediately without an inevitable delay which would have occuncd had she not acted pieviously in conjunction with pcisonal inspnation She cannot explain it, but, had she been a little more pyschic, theie is no doubt the source of the inspnation might have been apparent To me, it has always been one of the strongest proofs of supeinatuial intervention I have evei known, but then it IS A iiiattei of peison<il expeneiice, the only true way of ariivmg at absolute conviction

The comforting and helpful vibrations of inter- cessory piayei aie keenly felt and recognised by a psychic Theie is a great diffei ence m the effect on the recipient , one can sense immediately the feeling that is conveyed by a stiay thought, and the waimth and power of which one is con- scious of a piayei to God lor spuitual strength A tJiought attracts one’s attention towards an image of the individual thiough whose agency the vibiations aie raised , a piayci gives a sense of haimony and spuitual strength that language fails to express

As a mattei of pcisonal expeiience, a change in my handwriting if I happen to be writing at the time gives an immediate clue to the per- sonality with whom I am momentanly en rapport

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149

The pen twsts into chaiacteristic strokes and turns, foreign to me but more or less like the individual who is found, invaiiably, to be thinking of me at the moment li not m actual coriespon- dence Once I believed this to occin only ivhen a iettei was on its way to me, but it appeals, casual thoughts mil have the same effect, and I am endeavouiing to get instances of this form of telepathy, cliaractenstic handwiiting, piopeily attested howevei tiivial the incident, because of the possibility that it may lead to moi e impui taut developments

One has little to show in an incident of nieie thought except i1 s effect on the liandwnting In the middle of a letter recently my hantlwriting changed so deliberately to that of a fiiend (one with whom I am in natural rapport) that I was astonished to receive a visit fioin het the same afternoon instead of the expected letter On comparing the exact time, I ascertained that at the moment my handwriting changed, she ivas discussing a business matter with an agent m which we had a joint interest As there were some unforeseen expenses, she, m entering more fully into details, was turning over in her mind, at the same time, the possibility that I might question the wisdom of making a haid and fast decision and called later to discuss the matter Incidentally, the slight anxiety was conveyed to

-rv^v* ■■¥/*•* ■4-1 -VI nf /ilri on

150 "THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS”

It would be, of course, compaiaiively easj to guess, even unconsciously, the arrival of letteis fiom regular coiicspondents and to place such divination amongst telepathic cxpeiicnces I have found, howevei, the same thing happen, a change of handwriting in the midst of literary work accompanied by the peculiai sense of peisonahty, m cases wheie the acquaintanceship has been slight, and a letter a new departure In an age when miting is so veiy general, it is possible that handwriting may be a development in telepathy to reckon with on the theory that chaiacteiistic handwriting is decided by the personal manipulation of thought vibrations which possibly convey a personal sense of feeling lecognisable to a psychic As an example of this feeling combined with a change in handwuting I can give one instance which IS attested by two disinterested outsideis I was jolting down notes for some research woik, and m the middle of my notes the handwriting changed, becoming larger and the strokes more decided It was unfamiliar, but there was a sense of personality which I lecognised as a new acquaintance, and I instantly felt that he was writing a letter to me I mentioned the fact to two friends, one an old membei of the psychical lescarch whom I met later on in the day, as interesting if it proved to be collect, for theie was no reason to expect a lettei from this quaitei,

THE INFLUENCE OF PRAYER 151

Ve calculated the time in tiansit and concluded hat, in the event of a letter being wntten at the ime I stated, it should arrive, if posted at once, >y the early delivery in the nioimng I leceived t safely at eight o’clock the next day, the date .nd postmaik coinciding with my expeiience I could give several instances of the immediate fleet that piayci has had upon my pysrhic inderstanding, but theie again one has to discount L great deal because, in so many cases, it was vhat might be expected from friends, and it is in exception when people exercise much spiritual nergy on meie acquaintances these days But, have an exception which I am allowed to relate, 0 prove the lule

Two years ago when staying in the countiy ,vith my sister I was supremely conscious of what yiadame Guyon would call giace which flowed to ne fiom the soul of one whom I felt was, a Mrs K , a very, very slight aqiiaintance It jccuired for several mornings between the hours af eight and nine, and ovei and above this consciousness was a strong smeU of incense m the room

I remarked to ray sistei that it could haidly be possible that so slight an acquaintanceship as that of Mrs K could justify my feeling that she was intei ceding foi me befoie God, and it was some time before I could bring myself to ask her if it was really a fact I did not meet her again

152 "THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS”

for neaiiy a yeai and we subsequent^ became fi lends

As fai as I am aware, Mrs K did not pray fox me again until some time latei I was then conscious of the “ giace ” and peisonahty, and the incense was again a feature in the experience, but, this time, I felt that she had a strong puipose foi including me m hei piaycis and felt intensely curious to know the leason Theie was a sense of impending trouble which I could not locate The same afternoon I received news of the sudden death of a gieat friend which was indeed a shock and a very great loss to me m many ways Mrs K had heaid of it the pievious day and, knowing how it would affect me, made me the special subject of hei piayeis that morning at early Mass , but this I did not vciify as coincidental with my expciicnce until I met her a week later

The following lettei gives hei explanation

" London,

" loth March, 1920 " My dear Miss Monteith,

“ Many thanks for your letter of the 7th which gave me gieat plcasiue, as I had been thinking of you and wondeiing where you were

“ Ceitainly you may use anything I have told you about oui experiences of lecipiocal

PERSONAL CORROBORATION 153

piayei — and intention Three occasions when I have played for 'your intention' as \ie Catholics express it — stand out vividly in my mind On the first occasion, my prayei did not reach you in this ivoild, so fai as wo know — but no prajer ever goes astray On the two other occasions, when I specially mentioned you for a specific reason, you became aware of it, and asked me if it were not so

" The first time — ^ivhich did not imp] ess you — was m June, 1917, I ihinh , I found you alone one afternoon, and we had a long talk on telepathy, the influence of piayei, etc I in- sisted rather strongly on the Catholic Chuich’s author ity and wisdom, and walking home I wondeied if my zeal had not outrun my politeness ' But I felt so strongly attracted to you, and I so washed you to be one of ns

You were also rathei anxious about at

the time, so that night I prayed earnestly for j'ou, and again at Mass next morning, that she might lecovei quickly and that you might some clay be one with us That time I made no impression on you

"The second time was after reading your first article 111 the Nineteenth Centmy It w'as in May — the ' Month of Mary ’ — and I felt more than ever that you were what I should call a mystic — ^though not developed on Catholic lines— and thus, I felt, missing much of the ]oy

154 “THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS”

and glory of your gift — and I piayed foi Ijght on you, both at night and at Mass on the following day You were away fiom home, and it was some time aftei that we again had a talk on these subjects — ^and you then asked me, much to my smprise, if I had not prayed foi you at that time — I think I told you then, that as youi name was Mary — it was ‘ Mary's month ’ — t e May — I had specially recom- mended you to the Protection of Our Blessed Lady

” The thud time was in 1919, and is quite flesh in my mind I travelled to Exeter with Mrs W , a mutual friend — ^and she told me she feared you would bo very sad at the death,

just announced, of My impiession is

that I had also seen it m the Telegraph before starting

" I felt very soriy for you — both for having lost a fiiend whom I knew you valued, and also as I feared your woik would be disturbed You were much in my thoughts both that day and the next — and I piayed for you that evening and at Mass in the morning — I prayed that you might be comforted, and that yoiii work should not suffer— and especially that you might have the grace given you to be one with us m the Holy Catholic Chuich

" It was not till the afternoon of Saturday that you heard the news I was not veiy

SYMBOLS OF REALITY

155

suipnsed when you asked me early the follow- ing week if I had piayed for you at the time, as I felt as though I had sent you waves of sympathy and consolation " Please make any use of this lettei you like

“ What has impiessed itself so much on me IS, that on each occasion you wcie aware that it was I, and not any othet fuend, who was praying foi your intention

" Yours affectionately,

” P M K "

Divine influx of grace must still lemain amongst the ideals, the results of which aie described by Professor James as the symbols of reality There ts little that investigation can touch in tlus region to piove the woikmgs of a power which IS beyond that of man, but it is none the less real to the psychic of to-day as to the old 1115 sties who experienced it m so much gi eater a degree Per- sonal testimony, if freely given, would but prove the existence of spiritual grace which is not denied to the most humble

The next step in psychical reseaich is to discover what constitutes the necessary lapport between human beings which makes telepathic communi- cation possible , why strangeis can be en rapport without any desite or effort on either side An incident which demonstrates a double rapport

156 “THE LANGUAGE OF ANC.FLS”

between myself and two othcis suimltaneously, one alive and the othci dead, would nevei have occuued but foi a chance disco veiy of a natmal attunement between me and the discainate peisonahty duimg his caith life

Ho was a pcifect stianger to whom I had occasion to wuto on a matter of business without any soit of mtioduction The necessary answeis to my letteis weie written in a few lines by a secietaiy, but his leading of my letters evidently created the jap port I became aware of two distinct and unknown pieces of information with regaid to my own affaiis which he postponed explaining to me until an inevitable meeting which took place at a much later date They aie not attested I give them as incidents which bi ought the fact of a natuial rapport to my notice and was the means of getting all olhei incidents of telepathy between us attested by responsible people

As tunc went on, there was a ceitain amount of peisonal coiiespondcnce between us owing to his inteiest in some of my psychic woik, and it was then that I found myself able to ascertain about the hour he read my letteis We pioved it in tins way I would invariably Icnow the substance of his answer to my lettei the day he leceived it by means of inspirational wilting slightly characteiistic of his It was puz/lmg at fii St, because he never actually wiote his

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

157

ansvvei until after a feiv dajs’ interval, but the coircct leply and once definite ciiiiciiim on a specified case, being tiansfcired to me simul- taneously when he uas, in all probability, leading my letter, made me conclude that he gcneiallj determined his answer at the moment of leachng Ihis was his rule, he assuied me when we dis- cussed the mattei later , it was seldom that ho changed his oiiginal opinion, and his lettci, postponed by stress of woiL, was exactly as he had formed it mentally when I received it

After his death I leceived similar communica- tions The feeling of piesence was then greatly strengthened, and I had \1s10na15, expeiicnce which gave added conviction The handwriting became more chaiacteristic m spite of the fact tliat, in order to test this particulai manifesta- tion as fai as possible, I would wnte m the daik or in a half-hght, too dim for me to see the wn iting as it came I also held the pen in a peipendicular position, with the point lightly resting on the paper, and no pait of my hand 01 arm touching the table StiU it was chaiacteristic, sometimes more and sometimes less Theie weie com- munications which weie satisfactoiily veiified, but these point moie to peisonalily than to the subject in question — the dual rappoit

We wrote legulaily foi a few months Inci- dentally, his widow was almost a sti anger to me, we had met on two occasions only, both

158 "THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS"

pieviously to hb death There was no fixed time agieed upon for the communications I would concentiate my mmd on him foi a moment and mentally send a message that I was at liberty to receive a communication As a lule, there was a response after a veiy little delay, but one evening tlie lesponsc was not forthcoming so quickly In the meantime, I had a curious feeling of being laisecl to a higher plane, so to speak, and it seemed I saw him standing by his widow, who was kneeling m an attitude of prayei Directly after this, the pen wiole a message in lus handwriting, and on reading it I found the following woids " I was with my wife — she was pi aymg ”

Noting the horn, I wrote to hei for veiification, and received a Icttei which I have as part of the documentary evidence, saying that it was quite coirect At the time stated, she was piaying foi him

So fai as I can tell, and comparing the ex- pel lence with many otheis, the actual feeling, culminating m cleai vision, super-normal, but with the perceptive faculties keenly active, I take it as a case of dual telepathy, in its limited sense, between two human beings and, on the hypothesis of extension, between a lately de- ceased human being and myself

Amongst the communications theie weie other occasions when I was equally aware of his

THE REGION OF DEATH

159

presence, and certain information, after waids con- fiuned, gave some proof of his peisonahty, hut the above incident is the one isolated case when the fapport was evident between his widow and myself I regaid it as one of the most con- vincing cxpeiiences of telepathy that I have cvei experienced

In this light, no psychic can regard the “ legion of death ” as moie holy than “ the language of angels” — ^that is, m the mattei of experiment or ciiticism Time and piogiess have piovcd that forbidden ground is locahsed by individual sight, the shunkage of the globe, owing to modern inventions, is turning men’s attention in othei diiections , interest alwajs piecedes discovery Yet, in the name of religion, com- mumcation or communion with the dead is often opposed The same influence that, in the past, would keep ” speech without woids ” as a divine attribute too holy to be questioned is here to-day It would fain shut our eyes to the undei standing ot God’s laws and advocate the daikness of ignorance on preconceived piejudice and misconsti action, but, amongst the piincipal wnteis on eschatological subjects, this attitude is becoming less common It is under the title of Imraortahty that we find most reference to psychic investigation Some writers are still mchned to regard man’s survival of death as Immortality, but the scientists do not agree that

i6o “ IHE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS’*

evidence of survival, as it stands, proves such a stupendous fact

The aiithoi of “ Pio Chiisto et Ecclesia,” in a chaptei called “ The Uudiscovcied Countiy,” published in a lecent volume entitled " Imraoi- tality,” which contains a sciies of essays on modem thought by authoiities on the subject, wiites sympatliclically on the possibility of communion with the departed "It is quite possible that we have made an entire mistake in supposing that the souls of our dead fiiends aie cut off Irom us ’’

Miss Dougal distinguishes between communion and communiccition, taking communion to mean diiect revelation and communication as neces- saiily conveyed lluoiigh the medium of a thud peison As a mattei of fact, she is opposed to communication defined as Spiiituahsm, not, I think, so much in the beheC that it is bcttei to confine the exeicise of a gift which enables one to receive dnect levelalion exclusively foi private and pLisonal use, as in the belief that puiely spiritual aspiiations will bung about the desired communion in a natuial way

The example given, which illustiales what Miss Dougal consideis to be tine experience, is in- teresting, but not uncommon A pyopos of the comfort which a ceitam cleigyman has deiived fiom visiting a “ medium,’’ thiough whom he believes he has leceived chaiacteiistic messages

CONVICTION OF GUIDANCE i6i

lom the spiuib of his son and his dauglitci (the cridical natuie of which Miss Dougal questions), he relates the following stoiy of a woman who ad lost hei husband wlien she was quite young he had no faith m hei vicai’s teaching that God rould comfort hei, but comfort did come, and, s she subsequently felt, through Him She had . wondeiful feeling, iiist of the Picsencc of God, nd one day, in the garden, when she was getting ome flow'’eis to put on Iiei husband’s giavc, she mew that her husband w'as theic with her m the arden, “ onlj biaver and stiongci and mote lappy" than she had evei known him She ould see nothing , she heaid nothing , and she ould give no explanation of how she knew that le w^as theie fins experience was followed by nany others She could gi\e no proof except hat of the fruits — the wise training and teaching )f her childien which she, asafoohsh undisciplined > 11 1, could never have done without superior jiudance, and that guidance she believed to be from the spiiit of hei dead husband

The vicar remaiked, says Miss Dougal, that this ivoman evidently was unusual, spmtually minded, healthy and intelligent, but, he added, hat he also thought that she had a lively imagi- nation, and he questioned the veiidical natuie of [lei experiences

It is the old mystics’ experience of “ Piesence ” to which IS added the present day feeling of the

i 62 " THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS ”

presence of a known pcisonality with the possi- bilities of communication foicccl by the im- mediate necessities of the beloved ones on eailh The fact that the expeiience was limited to feel- ing, although accompanied by lecogmtion, shows that the subject was but slightly sensitive and not sufficiently psychic to allow of othei mani- festations of an auditoiy or visionary nature The impressional stage is akm to inspiration, and IS often the beginning of gieatei things — a rudimentaiy peiception which often develops into more definite phases with the active co- operation of a suitable agent The communion of souls touches lehgion , it emanates fiom debatable land, so little known and investigated that it must remain foi a while gieatly a mattei of faith, but the barriers will not bleak down unless theie is persistent inquiry The imaginary clooi which God has placed between the two woilds is conceived by man and closed through ignoiance The bomidaiy lines are decided by individual limitations, if we are to believe history The unknown countiy must needs remain a mysteiy so long as language limits expression , if new words aie coined for flesh discoveries m this world, how impossible must be the task of giving anything like a true impression of conditions m a totally sliange vvoild except in parables oi symbols

A survey of mysticism, m spite of the corruption

SIR WILLIAM BA.RRETT ,163

that came thiough excess— foi which mysticism has pioved to be no exception to a gencial rule — emphasises essential values The lottj' aspiiations of the great mystics evoked a like response We may place full faith in their teaching of the Presence of God, the necessity for prayer and the tiuth of Divine levelation, if only on the basis of veiificd cxpeiicnccs of a lowhei nature For their teaching is suicly based on practical law of cause and effect , the noblest ideals in time may become lealitics, although far above our present limited undei- standing and aspirations The investigation of telepathy is not yet exhausted , indeed, it is hardly begun In view of the progress of the last few yeais it may prove to be a language of angels in the most practical sense-— not limited to spiritual beings, but com- mon to " messengers " of God of the lowly degree of incarnate humanity, and “ play some part in the glowing sense of sympathy and humanity we find in the world around ” I quote from a notable authonty. Sir William Baiiett, who continues as follows in his well-known book, “ On the Threshold of the Unseen ”

" If it (telepathy) were as common heie among men, as it is doubtless common in the intei course of the spiritual world, what a i-haiicrfi would be wioiieht I If we were

i64 "THE language OF ANGELS”

involuntaiily shareis in one anolhoi ’s pleasures and pains, the biotherhood of the lace would not be pious aspiration or a strenuous eftoit, but the leality of all others most vividly befoie us , the factor in oui lives which would dominate all oui conduct What would be the use of a luxurious mansion at the West End and Parisian cooks if, all the time, the misery and starvation of our fellow creatures weie telepathically part and paicel of our daily lives ? On the other hand, what bright visions and joyous emotions would enter into many dreary and loveless lives if this state of human responsiveness weie granted to the lace I

" It may be that telepathy is the survival of an old and once common possession of the human race that has fallen into disuse and almost died out with tlic giowth of language Moie piobablj', I think, it is a ludimentaiy faculty, 01 possibly an early and special case of the gicat human rapport which is slowly awakening the lace to the sense of a larger self ”

The telepathic sense, it is acknowledged, as a inattei of expeiience, arouses pity without the aid of the physical sight of suffering This sense of feeling — ^imagination — awakens interest , 111 touching the hearts of the lecipients, it cannot

BED-ROCK OF INSPIRATION 163

fail to evoke a piactical lesponse in helping to alleviate the snffeiingb of otheis Knowledge, in this case, is not happiness , it incieasei scivice, and this form of seivice is a foatuie of to-day, not icgarded as saintly, nor are the means of information consideied divine

Telepathy is mental action, the woi Kings, in the lowest dcgiee, of a law which is primarily spiritual It IS the bed-rock of inspiration Inspiiation, the saints of old perceived as the vertical threads of an ideal thiough which the horizontal lines of progiessive thought, intei- weaving with peifect exactitude, make a sym- raetiical pattern Ihe warp of inspiration, caught to earth and held hrmly through the faith of idealists, is made fast by the woof of practical tests, earned backwaids and forwards by the shuttle of divine purpose until a peifect mesh is completed At one time a tliiead of an old faith IS pulled into prominence , at anothei it IS pushed into the background wlule anothci Ihiead, called new, comes to the fiont, only to be discaided later in the return jouiney , and people then say, old taiths have had then clay — ^new levelalion is at hand But, looking back, It is seen that theie is nothing new aftei all The old faiths are not, as each man thinks in his time, uprooted by the new , they do but strengthen each other in unknown but definite nm nmifi pAlcndinff tar bevond this mortal life

i66 "THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS”

The inspiration that is guiding us to the pei- ception of a communion of souls, of incarnate and discarnate minds, may take us fai beyond the grave God’s Acie may be an old name used to define a new countiy of fruitfulness and spiritual activity luidicamt of yet by man, but, foi the moment, we may not say that this hope gives any pi oof of immortality We aie touching but the thieads of a hope in everlasting life — the fiingc of Immoitality

A WELCOME DECREE )F THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

A WELCOME DECREE OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

Religion and immortalit\ aic foi most men one and tlie same thing To some, immoitality and survival aic equally connected, to many, the whole three are unfoitunately combined m the one word spiiituahsm What exactly the term spiritualism means to all individuals is unknown It has many definitions if we aie to bcheve all we lieai To one, it is a religion , to the next, a science , to another, a belief m the existence of a spiutual world peopled with spiritual bcingi, angels who guide erring footsteps, the traditional source of revelation Oi again, it is a laising of spirits, neciomancy, enchantments oi magic, the art of levealmg future events by communication with the dead Thcie is no doubt that spuitual- ism conveys a very diffeient meaning to diffeient individuals accoiding to then expcnences, know- ledge of the subject, oi conclusions drawn too liastily on a limited peiusal oi indifteient literature

To associate the serious mvestigatois with the absiiid and often fiaudulent phenomena, w'hich, *69

170

A WELCOME DECREE

of coiuse, flo occm amongst less exigent indi- viduals IS a mistake Equally they may believe in the existence of spiiit as distinct fiom mattei, but the fact of quality is not lost sight of by the more fastidious inquirer, and the existence of quality in all spiiitualistic phenomena should not be Ignored As in every othei subject, there are glades of inquiieis and degiees of response and, to follow a usual pioceeding, each one chooses the best, with a propoi tionate faith in his oi hei conclusions

To the leading mvestigatois, spintuahsm is certainly not a religion, noi is the sole object of inquiry neciomantic — a desire to know the futuie through communication with the dead It is an mquiiy into a system of communications fiom professedly departed spirits, chiefly through pel sons called mediums, by means of lapping, automatic wilting and othei manifestations of automatisms Ihe pimciples which M Camille Flammarion concludes to be now established are

(i) That the soul exists as a real entity independent of the body {2) That the soul is endowed with faculties not yet lecognised nor iindei stood by science (3) That the soul is able to act at a distance Without the intervention of the senses

At the meeting of the Church Congiess, Autumn, 1919, it was announced by the Primate

OF THE PRIMATE

171

that the whole subject of Spiiitualism was to be consideied by the Bishops at the Lambeth Con- feience the following jeai Never, peihaps, has cl decision of the Chuich aroused so much interest , seldom has thcie been such extensive ciiticism by the general public fhe opinions of authori- ties aie set aside , the ability of highly-educated men of sound principles to judge the lesults of systematic inquiry into a field of, hitherto, speculative thought, is questioned , even the piactical investigation of pathologists and scien- tists IS regarded with mistrust It seems that the average man is inclined to look upon spiritual- ism as a personal matter, and fiom that alone it lb clear that the subject is one of general interest and demands seiious consideration It should, moieovei, be studied as a gieat subject in all its different aspects with the same patience which is given to anything else that altects mankind loo often IS spuituahsm judged hastily and welcomed as wholly good or dismissed as utteily evil, and on self-detei mined tests which would be ludicrous weie they not pathetically futile This illogical attitude is obviously based on limited mdividual experience, or on a cursory reading of the dcscuption of, perhaps, one side- issue which has caught the attention of a ready scube The study that has been given to cuuent literatuie on the subject is, with few exceptions, hopelessly inadequate

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A WELCOME DECREE

No spinluahst of any standing will agiee that eithei extieme is justifiable However stiong his or hex convictions may be as to the value of inquiiy, the geneial opinion amongst mvesti- gatois IS that a great deal of disci immation is iiecessaiy m all evidential matter, and in the classification of ceitam manifestations of the psjrchic faculty But with the advantage of practical knowledge, the psychic student sees that the attention of the Chuich may be, eventu- ally, the means of a better undei standing and a happy leconcihation between science and leligioii , and iuithei, that scientific pi oof of the survival of the human peisonahty after bodily death cannot tail to undcimine some of the chief objections to the belief in Chiistianity raised by matciiahstic sceptics More especially is this hope of reconciliation stiengthcncd when the people manifest an enthusiastic inteiest in spiiitual things (whethci foi 01 against), in dnect contiadiction to the aspeisioii of lethaigy which IS supposed to be characteiistic of the modern mind towards eveij thing but the grossly mateiial And it is the duly of the authonties to guide this intciest into the light channels, to raise the motive of mqiiiiy into the unseen, to check the idle questioning, and to encourage a more respectful attitude towards a subject which eminent men have considered worth m-

Vftstipation. Psvn.liTr rlpvplnnmpnt its n fftnlnip

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of to-day, and within the bounds of leasonabk mquuy , it cannot be crushed out of life by the weight of yesterday’s oithodoxy, nor can it be relegated to obscuiity to stagnate under cover of an abstiact virtue

The doctune that all should beheve by faith, although necessaiy at a certain stage of develop ment, implies a similarity and quality of mind in humanity that does not exist fhe lack of faith, so often condemned, is not a state to be envied when it conies to the matter of a life heieaftcr, neither can the contentment that its possession gives be achieved by mere desire Doubt is a form of curiosity which, if orderly and not idle, becomes scientific , it is not peculiar to gieat intellect nor is it limited to scientists , it is a natuial inclination to mquiie fiom the standpoint of inciedulity in the abstract which demands fact Call it agnosticism, atheism, 01 lalionaUsni, m its respective degiees, it is a piodiict of the age in which we are living — an age of exact science The pursuit of tiuth is a sign of the times

Of contemporaiy significance is this piogicssiic attitude of the Established Chuich to confei with the scientists and otheis on a question which she has been loth to legatd uith toleiation in the face of proven charlatanry and fraud To say that spnitualisin doc'- not, roughly speaking, timbra.ee much that a tiue followei of Christ

174

A WELCOME DECREE

cannot accept, is too obvious to call for dis- cussion Theie is still the spiut of soothsaying and divination foi mateiial gain which was con- demned by the Apostles , the most chaiitable cannot but look askance at the so-called “ spiutual ” inanifeslatioiis tliiough the medium- ship of questionable characteis Taking into consideration expeiiments with mediums of un- doubted honesty and lespectability, it is con- tended that the majonty of communications are baval, wanting in spirituality Trivially peisoiial incidents are touched upon, giving a flippancy to a message which ought, at least, to have dignity, considering that it is levelation of consciousness in a state which we instinctively legaid with awe " The spiiits tell us nothing new ” is the complaint of belie vcis thiough faith in the doctrine of life after death , when given the supieme lest of prophetic ability, they fail , and woise, they sometimes he and lead the ciedulous — who pose as faithful — astiay Better far, says religion, to leain all from tlie Bible and take it that diicct levelation or inspiiation is of the past and that the open vision is now denied to mankind

These grounds for opposition aie all undoubted- ly tiue and common knowledge to expeiienced mvestigatois who agiee whole-heartedly that, if spiritualism contains nothing more, it should be stamoed out as ootentiallv. if not actuallv.

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175

pestilential But, although tnie m eveiy respect, it 13 not the whole tiulh , and tho^e who question the decision of the Primate to consitlei the whole tiuth are making as gieat a mistake as the detei minalion to denounce the spiiitualistic theory of inspiiation — ^good and bad be it undei- stood — and to attribute all such inspiration,

" logically,” to the devil In a Christian coiintiy are we to allow that Satan is omnipotent ^ Plas God no desiie to help mankind ^ No powei to answer the prayers of His people by the inspira- tion of His Holy Spuit ^ Much as we may disclaim the identification of the Holy Spirit as the spuit or peisonality who has recently in- habited a human body, we may reasonably take any inspiration that makes for the leal good of humanity as holy This is the faith of those who, by direct experience, have been convinced of the survival and conscious activity of person- ality after bodily death, the prior claim of spiiitualism

As a logical conclusion, the low'er forms of divination, f 01 tune-telling (not alwaj-s false), backed up by the well-known patter “ the spit its tell me,” are life Unnecessary and ob)ectionable phenomena which appeal to the masses are in- evitable There is and always has been a ceitain class of medium leady to supply the popular demand Since competent men became inter- ested in the subiect, honest mediums have been

A WELCOME DECREE

176

found, incapable of intentional fiand, and guarded fiom unintentional deception by wise and scien- tific methods of cxpeiimcnt , and, also, mediums of the leisured and educated classes do exist Until the CMgencies of the bereaved in the wax compelled admission, it was moie usual for leseive to be maintained with legaid to psychic gifts by unpiofessional mediums The name itself was a slur and, although ceitam distin- guished investigators attempted to change it to " sensitive ” or " psychic ” to assuage the feelings of those who hesitated to shaie, publicly, a nomenclatuie with olhcis less foitunate than themselves, the objection lemamed The sixth sense, whether manifested normally and pei- ceptibly, foi peisonal knoivlcdgp, subconsciously or in tiance for the benefit of othcis, should be defined by the one woid, "medium,” and this should be recognised as a gift that can be used for good 01 evil accoidmg to Die aim of the individutil and the desue of the mquirei There is no maniiei of difference between the psychic poweis of honest and even highly educated man or woman, and the unfoitunatc creatuies who aie hunted by the police, persecuted in the Press and dnven, through poveity and ignorance, to submit to the demands of any foi lime-huntei or idle seekei of fien/icd phenomena, who aie able to pay a fee

THE LAW AND THE MEDIUM 177

the sentiment of moie foitunate mediums when reading the sensational report of another con- viction of spintuahstic fraud in the morning's newspaper Safe in tlie position of a comfoi table home and guided by discnmination, based on sound moral teaching, one cannot but doubt if the law, in protecting a ciedulous public fiom deception and fraud, is sufficiently fulfilling man's whole duty to his neighbour It is well to uphold the law, but theie is basic reform which might well be considered with regard to the in- quirers who go scot-fiee There is the possibil- ity that not mere fortune-telling but a purely spinlual quest by the public might lesult in a higliei aspiration in the medium The best of us are apt to lespond to the popular demand in eveiy field of production, and especially when poverty is the other alternative Spiritualism requires spiutuahsing , moreovei, like every other subject which commands a wide interest irrespective of class or distinction, its claims should be judged primaiily by the piac- ticdl expeiiences of skilled investigatois, wlio agiee that the claim of spiritualism lies in the belief of the supenonty of mind ovei inattei , that man is a spnit and that Ins consequent survival of bodily death gives the hope that such belief can be, m time, scientifically undet stood At present it may be tested by the systematic study of certain phenomena and communications

178 A WELCOME DECREE

thiough the vehicle of the sensitively oiganisecl human beings usually known as mediums iliis is the attitude of the best soit of spuituahst, not necessaiily a scientist There is anothei class of spiritualist to whom tests aie unnecessary , who, however, with a natuial faculty of discrimination, will take the good and morally helpful messages, and put the guidance so obtained to the best use of which he oi she is able And theie remains, of course, the laige residue of over-credulous individuals who take all utterances thiough the lips of any so-called medium as valuable, in- dependently of the obvious tact that, even if all does emanate from discarnatc “ spirits,” it cannot be all good, all wise, nor all tiuc Ovei and above theic is the investigation of mental com- munication known as Telppathy, which engages the attention of those who otherwise regard the subject as futile

In Older to understand that communications, consciously or subconsciously received, are not all given by discarnate spirits, it is necessary to know d little of the development of the inediumistic faculty It usually has a beginning in vague impressions of ideas that are foreign to one’s own thoughts, and consequently ariest the attention ihese become clearer and raoie decided as time goes on, and clan audience develops, singly oi along with clan voyance, which, incidentally, disposes of the objection so

PREDICTION

179

often raised of communicating with unseen pcisonalities Tliese communications occui some- times dunng sleep , as a matter of fact, good mediumship often develops into cleai memoiy of activity in di earns which can be verified with legard to the personalities concerned, and especially is this so when the daily life is much occupied with piactical woik 'Iheie is, also, a sort of advanced foresight called prediction, which IS pait of the psychic faculty and, probably, more accuiate when the cause of the future eftect IS known to the medium , but there are at times flashes of insight into the faithei futuie wdien, humanly speaking, no cause is m existence Neither, however, is nt»cessarily dependent on a cdmmuiucatiQu fiom a discarnate spuit even in the form of inspirational waiting, commonly known as “ automatic ” For this writing is not always called into action by " spuits” unless V'C ' take it that the spmt of incarnate man can produce written thoughts through the mstimnent of anothci’s hand

As a matter of experience and expeiiment this IS, of course, not unknown, but it is disputed by a ceitain class of spiiituahst who claims all manifestations to be caused by the dead When, however, ceilain early invesiigatois became awaie that claiiaudient and claiivoyant experiences and also writing were often due to the thougliis of living people and capable of expeument.

i 8 o A WELCOME DECREE

most of them lealised the immense value and unlimited field of this discoveiy So decided were they, at this stage, to ascube nothing to the dead that could possibly have its oiigiii in the mind of the living, that some readeis still take it for granted that those manifestations of the vibiatoiy eneigy of thought in some in- definable way depend entiiely on the physical body That is why we so often heai the term *' telepathy ” used to explain the inexplicable by the average man, whose knowledge of the subject IS insufficient to give any light on tele- pathy itself, 01 to define exactly what he means by the “ subconscious mind,” an expicssion fieely used as a final argument which disposes of the whole theoiy of mental communication as being possible and not moibid Not long ago I was given the opinion of an eminent neive specialist lliat, within his extremely large cxpeiicnce, theie were people who possessed not only one, but several senses ovei and above the five which are usually allotted to mankind, and they weie not always by any means moibicl Unfortunately he is not alive to endoise this, but many pathologists, who aic deeply and practically interested in this bianch of psychology, confess that, at picsent, their knowledge of tlie conscious mind is so limited that they hesitate to spealc with any degiee of ceitamly of what the subconscious self mav be canable. And

PSYCHIC DEVELOPMENT

i8i

they agjee that the development of supei-iioimal faculties IS one to be reckoned with to-day in the study of man’s mental capacities

Some considei that psychic development is merely the highly nervous and sensitive tempeia- ment due to civilisation , others that it is an evolution ot man’s powers of undeistanding in line with modem discoveries which have ovei- comc established law Many of us can lecall the days when aviation was generally considered an impossibility " God nevei meant us to fly,” was the sentiment expressed by ceitam individuals opposed to change, who justified their attitude by their own limited understanding of natural law , but, all the same, modem inven- tion has sui mounted the immense difficulties of artificial flight by the pioduction of oui aeroplane of to-day Past knowledge of physical facts has proved the basis of increased mentahty, and it is possible that inci eased knowledge of the mental attiibutes of mankind will, in the same way, give us a complete understanding of spiritual law

The progress made in expeiimental spiritualism since competent investigatois took up the subject, points to a law of evolution with which death m no way mtei feres The old belief in a sudden transition from a state of human imperfections to one of perfect spirituality is no longer general ,

i83

A WELCOME DECREE

human being into a saint, with angelic attiibutes and angelic and heavenly desiies, is changing The hope of questionable happiness, in a state of everlasting lest, has given way to a nioie logical outlook on the immediate hfc-hereafter Com- munications point to the peisistence of pcisonahty as pait of the suivival of man They are so often in keeping with a personality which appears to have leinained so exactly the same that when high-flown ideas are expressed in beautiful English, or Scriptural phrases aie used by a communicatoi who claims to be the spirit of a schoolboy, his identity is legarded as doubtful' Should actual proofs be given to establish his identity to the satisfaction of his friends, then It must be acknowledged that a change and not persistence of chaiacteiistics denoting personality is evident , but, geneially speaking, the proofs of personality come in characteiistic form

As a matter of experience, the mode of ex- pression, the banal allusions to trivial incidents 111 life that appeal to accompany the tram of thought which communication with a beloved fiiend arouses, aic not to be despised as part of evidential matter Anothei point is the apparent similarity of the state of death to a dilfeient mode of life in a new countiy with^which com- munication IS possible, and messaged to intimate fuends convey the impression of an ordinary

CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE 183

Icttei or telegram which some icgaid, quite uatuially, as wanting in spiiituahty

All this IS aheady within reach of scientific inquiry , although still in its infancy, thcie is pi ogress in psychic expeiiment which may be- come still more peifecl in the near future At piesent, the mere suggestion that communication itself IS possible is so new tliat the ivorld will not accept it even as a woiking hypothesis Without a close study of these communications and the conditions undei which they may be obtained, no solution is possible It is obviously one foi pathological and scientific deduction, and to be carried out in a spiiit of leverence and disci etion. Until, theieforc, science is in a position to set hei seal of truth on these levciations, ichgion is wise in withholding hei approval of indisciimmatc investigation , but, in the meantime, spiritualism requires the pui dying and ennobling influence of Christianity

As far back as history can relate, there has always been the spnituahsm of the day Oracles and piophets, witches and visionaiies, have been consulted foi mateiial and spiritual puiposc , not always has the revelation been pcivcitccl to witchciafl and necromancy, but because of the predominance of evil has it been necessaiy for the authorities to discountenance, indis- cnminately, all that pet tamed to the unseen To-day we can work on proofs, and tlicie is no

184

A WELCOME DECREE

necessity to confuse good with evil Individual expeiiences of communion with those of anothei woild may be laid before the bai of modem science without fear of peisccution, toitme or death

It was on the point of individual communion with One who had died that St Paul was brought before the judges, and that Ploly One was not then reveienccd as Divine , the State did not believe Him to be the Son of God " Is not this the Carpenter's son ? ” His crucifixion between two malefactois was regarded as the final failure to establish His Divinity Death, according to the popular understanding, was the negation of His teaching His resuirectioii was disbelieved It might have been that the sole fact of St Paul's blindness after the experience which caused his conversion would have influenced the populace, but it was the people who accused him m spite of the decision at the judgment seat “ We find no evil in this man , but if an angel 01 spirit hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God " And time has justified the woids spoken by Gamaliel with legaid to the apostles “ If this counsel or this work be of man, it will come to nought , but if it be of God, ye cannot over- throw it ”

It is said that Chnstianity is a failuie , that the wai has pioved it so One writer claims that, although the hour has not yet stiuck for

PSYCHIC EXPERIENCES

iSi)

eradication. Cliustiamty has had its day, revealed religion, if it ever existed, belongs to the past, IS another contempoiaiy view , faith in the unseen is illogical And yet, moie than once, agnostics have solemnly affiimed that what they saw on the battlefields and experienced in the trenches have convinced them of the certainty of something over and above eaithly existence It IS an open secret that theie have been cases of individual experience when undei the enemy's fire, criticised as hysterical and hallucinatory, but which, nevertheless, have brought men to a realisation of the power of God In modem phraseology these expciiences are psychic and to be reckoned with in the study of spiritualism Tins form of experience indicates that ceildin individuals are attuned to a still highei octave of vibrations than those set up by the thoughts of human beings or even the discainate spirits of men It is, doubtless, the lesponse to a stiong peisoiial desire foi spiiitual enlightenment, but, appaiently, in the light of psychic investiga- tion, such levelation does not occui unless the individual has a psychic gift through which spiritual peiception is possible To take a lower form than angelic manifesta- tion of conscious revelation, we get experiences with the discarnato spiiits of men — " Communion with the dead ” When it is peisonal it is only personally convincing , when it is for another,

i86

A WELCOME DECREE

the mattci becomes “ Communication thiough a medium,’ ‘ and is evidential The fii st is i egarded with appioval by some oithodox thinkers , the second condemned , but the actual expeiience IS identical , and purely spiiitual communion, angelic guidance, is not denied to mediums during quiet times of piayer Unfoitunately, angelic levelation is not veiifiable, but communion with the dead is, and claims scientific inquiry which alone can put an end to pietentious mediumship and undesiiable communicators Skilled investi- gators ate absolutely necessary who are willing to woik patiently thiough the bewildeiing mass of evidence, good, bad, and indifferent, of a subject which is still in its infancy llic “ pretensions " of mediums must be impossible Moial guidance through all is the ci owning point, and it is here that loligion should take pre-eminence The scientific side is all-iinpoi tant so far as it goes Science piomises to step well over tlie boundaiy line that has, in the past, separated her from the Cliiiich , but that m no way decreases the icsponsibility of the men of God The resuriectioii is not confined to the just, and if communication with the dead becomes an established fact to be taken icverently in hand, we must have assuiance that the motive in communicating is worthy and justifiable in the light of Christian ethics When Judgment is left to the average man,

A WORLDLY CHALLENGE 187

what IS the lesult ? Wc are challenged to " spot the winner of the Deiby,” a sporting test, but one which means practically that the money is put on the medium and not on the horse llus lemark is obviously made in good faith as practical and convincing, but the idea is none too moral

It IS a matter of astonishment to honest mediums how repeatedly that challenge is made in earnest by otherwise high-pnncipled men as a test suitable to the subject They cannot see that oui object is the undei standing of spiritual law Ihey do not seem to understand that such a prediction, if acted on — ^which one cannot doubt if the aveiage man is taken at his own estimation — would be justifying the means by a colossal theft, diiect allegiance to Mammon

One tuins with the utmost satisfaction to the few words addiesscd by the Aichbishop at the recent meeting of the Church Congress with icgard to spmtualisin He states that “ tlie result of caieful inquiiy conducted by the best men and women, wlio have Knowledge and experience on that great subject,” will be con- sidered by the Bishops This is the voice of reason, but there is anothci aspect of tlie Aich- bishop’s decision which cannot fail to strike the heaits of all who are piactically interested in this investigation It is the grave implication

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A WELCOME DECREE

that neithei investigation noi the means of investigation can be truly justified, however great the subject, except it be cairied out foi the glorification of God in the service of men

RELIGION

The belief in the possibility of communication with the dead, whether of the natuie of a personal experience, thiough the assistance of a medium, or, still less piivately, amongst a sympathetic circle of inquirers, classes believers, indis- criminately, as spiritualists Under this name there aie many who hold very different opinions on the various revelations piiipoitmg to come fiom the unseen, but despite the divetse concep- tions of the source and quality of these levela- tions, fiom ciediiUty m all, to disciinnnate investigation, the belief that the suivival of man IS now indicated by certain communications pointing to peisonahty and continuity of pin pose, decides the question

As religion is acknowledged to be an important and an eternal element in human histoiy, it is quite natural that men should ask — Is this belief compatible with Chiistiamty ? What is the effect of psychic revelation on leligion Docs it disturb a reasonable faith in God ?

Zealous opponents have no scruples in deny- ing all possibility of communication with spirits

J9I

RELIGION

19^5

of the righteous They have no hesitation in making statements to the effect that the sub- stance of these communications prove this argument by then uu-Christian oi even profane docliine Most lughly educated men expiess opinions, publicly, that the teaching of the spirits IS antagonistic to Holy Sciipture, and further, state that tins teaching causes, not only a loss of stipernatuidl faith, but deplorably moial and physical effects, and advocate a number of wiong ideas about man’s responsibility, destiny, and morality geneially It is openly denied that a piofessmg spiiitualist is ever a Cluistian, at least in the tiaditional sense which demands faith It may be aigued that these views aie extieme and nauow, that judgment is decided on limited evidence — zeal combined with ignorance, as a matter of fact— -and yet, if one is cognisant of the details of the unfortunate expenence which has played, perhaps, only an isolated pait in influencing the decisions of these separate oppo- nents (and thcie are questionable expeiieiices), it IS easy to feel a certain amount of sympathy for the natural antipathy towards the whole subject But the gieatest influence on mankind IS experience, theicfoie individual testimony is the only means of ai living at any sort of con- clusion with regard to a icvelalion which is appaiently a spiritual powei Psychic expel lences have a profound and

INFLUENCE OF EXPERIENCES 193

lasting influence on the individual leligion In some cases they give new light on old faiths , in others, a positive conveision to ancient tiuths which have been supernatuially levealed I doubt if evidence of a hfe-hereaftei could fail to arrest the steps of those u responsible cieatures who cat and dunk because to-morrow they die I know that it has changed the whole attitude of some to whom life was a jest, but it is a matter foi personal declaration which should not be withheld at the present ciisis of spuilual judgment

The extiemely, and unfortunatelj^ ciedulous attitude IS lesponsible for the haim that is in spiritualism Think foi a moment of the conclu- sions of the leading spiritualists — the spiiits of men survive bodily death , under ceitain circum- stances they aie able to communicate with men on earth Does that convey a certainty that the trend of all spiiit communication will be of an equal moiality ? And, if of a doctiinal nature, to be followed implicitly, without question, simply because it pm ports to come from the unseen ?

On the contiaiy, the belief m the possibility of spiiit communication, implies, as a logical sequence, that a sound investigation will legard the question of personality, meaning the communi- cator, or the one behind the medium, as all important lie does not shut his eyes to the

194

RELIGION

fact that theic are as many undesuable people in the next world as evei inhabited a ph3fsical body The acceptance of pcisonality without pi oof or the obedience to a communication without caution is condemned by all who know any tiling of the subject Deny if you will the existence of a pcisonal devil, pimcipalitics and powcis, as old-fashioned and superstitious, but you cannot get away fiom the fact that evil exists in this world through the wickedness of men, and that evil thoughts precede evil actions Evi- dentially, we have no icason to suppose that theie is an instantaneous change of peisonality when these men die or that their influence ceases at death Ignoie this fact and theie you have the dangei of spiiitualisin Whethei it is quite fan to confine this dangei to spintualism is a debatable point Long ago it was decided that success oi othciwise in life depended veiy gieatly on the influence of one mind upon anothei Histoiy iclatcs that a loyal ciiminal was once asked if she had used any form of witchcraft oi supeinatuial means to overcome the machinations of her enemies Hei reply was — only the influence of a strongei mind ovei the weaker This influence is not now thought ciimmal unless the powci be used on a person certified to be of weak mentality No one questions the " undue ” influence which all know plays an impoitant part in the slniggk

IHE NECESSIIY FOR PRAYER 195

foi ambition or even foi tlic veiy means of existence, least of all, the psychic to whom thought is uncleislood as a ical and actual influence When thought is considciccl as opera- tive on the mental plane, as a supiemely poweiful influence on human actions apart fiom any liighoi conception, the Divmc piccept “ Men ought always to piay” has a more definite meaning To a ps3^chic it is pie-eminently piactical

In my own expciiences, and I lepcat, mine is no isolated case, theie is much which has foiccd my belief m piaycr and on a piiiely logical basis. As rncie thought, I find it an influence on human beings, the extent of which none can gauge , the Intel change of mental vibiations alone causes much happiness and unhappiness Compaxi- lively few aie unaffected by the mental dcpiession of a confiimcd pessimist It can be conveyed in speech without words, that language of angels which may, on the othci hand, choci and stiengthen the down-hearted quite as decidedly when the thoughts arc encoui aging and kind

When piaycr is successfully used as a means to obtain a definite desiie, the actual lesponse is not confined to one of the psychic temperament, but because of the slight knowledge we have of the effect ot this mental action of petitionary prayoi . we take it that sei vice, even when guided only by an unaccountable impulse, is a duty

RELIGION

igG

I lie "mysterious” woilungs of piayci, the natuidl lappoit, which we believe is cieated between a suUeiei and one fitted to icspond, shows that tlio responsibility lies in man and not m God But none the less leal is divine communion, inspiiation and giucUnco which aie ovci and above the puitly human faculty

The agnostic may say w'e cannot piove it At the piesent, no I But we have a sure foundation in veiified experiences which stiengthens our faith in an incieasing undeistanding of spiutual law Inspiration instilled by a human being conveys a feeling of peisonality which wo recognise A guiding tJioughl is traced by this feeling of picscnre to its souicc, when human The feeling of Divine Picscnce is so distinct from that of a human being oi a discarnate spmt tlial faith in Divine guidance, based on vciified spiiitual (or mental) commumcalion is absolute

Ihis faith IS based pmely on expcucnce, and IS not due to a doctiinal teaching of discainate spnits My teaching has always been on the lowei level of human possibilities — the level of verification flic methods and mcaii'^ of com- munication have been made clcai by dcmonstia- tion I quote a few lines of eaily automatic writing from a legular communicator —

" Take the listening attitude Cast nothing

PERSONAL OUTLOOK

197

aside that is capable of pi oof, act on nothing without pi oof, and bung the critical faculties to beai on all communications, and judge them by the standards of the highest morality, tiulh and expedience ”

None have ever tiied to influence my peisonal leligion Psychic manifestations have been ex- plained on scientific lines Prayer, foi instance, has been tieated in its simplest foim, as mental lesearch lather than a highei and mystical exercise of a faculty beyond veufication " Test all by yoiu own SciipUuts and 3'Oiir own con- ception of Chiisliamty ” was the sole rehgious injunction

There was always an insistence on the law of cause and effect Minoi piedictions demon- strated this m no uncertain way , retiospection pioved the wisdom of certain communications which advocated making the future by peipctual effoiL lathei than tiusting to an unccitain power of divination

The obvious fact of continuity is, to me, a warning in itself The decision of the futuie m this world, resting so much with the individual, appears likely to extend beyond the grave logically we can influence, if not determine, the conditions of the hfe-hereaftei by our desues in this woild The ascending degiee of spiiitual peiception of things formerly unseen is a pi oof

RELIGION

198

in point I use the woid “ unseen ” liteially, not meiely as something outside of the physical senses, but above tJie individual spiiitiuil sight But this IS pcisonal deduction and not spiiit communication which, in my case, has been piagmatic

What the communicatois did teach was the stiengthcmng of the mental faculties thiough a practice of legulai concentration as a weapon suitable to combat evil thoughts and lundied dangers which aie supposed to suriound a sensitive Puiity of thought and the efficacy of player, m the divine sense, wcie emphasised as a safcguaid on the basis of a natural law of attraction said to be pic-cmmcnt in the spiiitual woild Puipose has always been desciibed as the keynote of a futuio existence

It IS said that the icscive of Chi 1st upon the subject of a futuie life — I quote Canon Veinon F bton — Ills refusal to satisfy cuiiosity. His de- liberate leticcnce in picscnce of the exuberant speculations of contempoiaiy Judaism upon the subject, aic indications that foi most men such inquiiies aic not intended

If one IS to go cntiicly by psychic ability, tlicie is no doubt that such inquiry is not mtonded foi all men If, howcvei, as some scientists assent, the dead can communicate tluough the help of a psychic or by the use of a human oiganism, it must be admitted that piogiess and evolution has

SPECULATIVE IHOUGPIT

199

brought a certain phase of tlie future state to an immediate present which changes the whole aspect The fai-away country is now within speaking distance, natuially 01 thiough the means of a natuial agency

We cannot hope for an accuiate desciiption of life and the conditions of life in that countiy except m paiable or expiessed in words denoting an equivalent feature of earthly existence As a common comparison, imagine the difficulty a butterfly would have in endeavouring to convey any sort of idea of his woild to a chrysalis Or to explain liis mode of locomotion to another to whom the word wings would have no meaning Language is the baiiiei

But this only applies to speculative thought and idle curiosity which cannot evoke a response m accordance with serious investigation which seldom fails to precede discoveiy With regaid to things unseen there is a promise Ask, and it shall be given you , seek and ye shall find , knock, and it shall be opened unto you — a promise winch is abundantly fulhllcd

I speak from psychic experience

The subliminal level at which we aie supposed to live so constantly is but an extended area of the conscious self In the outcome of private and personal phenomena we touch on Ideals which Professor James says must be Realities in the completest sense of the teim — the

300 RELIGION

cosmic in geueial being but the symbols of leality

fiaditional accounts of the life of Chiist, the miiacles He wi ought, His death, Resuircction and Ascension aie not difficult of belief to any who have had psychic oxpeiiences , the coming of the Holy Ghost, the supei natural events in the lives of the Apostles arc iccognised as fact We have seen the hitheito impossible manifested in a less degree, but because iniiacles which, to our past limited undei standing, have happened, oui faith 111 greater things, impossible to veiify, is stiengthened , our hope in the fulliment of Divine pi onuses, increased

Chiistnnity, based on piophecy, sustained by inspiration, is consummated m the Resiiriection It has a pcisonal element iii Jesus Who lived on this earth that wc might have a peifect example to follow llic fact of a lesuncction of men and wonicii peisonally known to us — an expeiiciice which never fails to aiouse a pio- foiiiid feeling of awe and woiidei on every occasion — deepens oui faith in the Resuiieclioii of our Lord It is through oui small expeiicnce that we can moie fully undeistand His appearance to the chosen lew who loved Him, and appieciale, with absolute conviction, the tuith undeilymg all Ills teaching We acknowledge an unlimited faith m an infinite Saviour

iwo examples will sulhee to suppoit the

SIR OLIVER LODGE

201

testimony to Chiistiamty by leading investi- gators who have inquired into psychic phenomena fiom a scientific and not fiom the leligioiis standpoint

In his pieface to a book called “ Reason and Belief ” which Sii Oliver Lodge published ten years ago the following passage may be found

“ So much has had to be modified m defei- ence to scientific discoveries It cannot be maintained that general conviction of the New Testament has remained quite unshaken In so fai, howevei, as my own researches have led me to peiceive a profound substiatum of truth undci lying ancient doctrines, and in so fax as the pi ogress of science, instead of undermining, actually illustrates and illumines some of them, I consider it to be my duty as well as my privilege to indicate to the best of my ability how matters stand The position taken m this book IS the lesult of a lifetime of scientific study , and its basis is one of fact ”

Moie recently he makes a fuither statement the meaning of which is unmistakable

" I want also to say that although it is not by religious Faith that I have been led to my piesent position, yet eveiy thing that I have leained tends to increase my love and leverence

202 RELIGION

foi the peibonality of the cenlial fig-me la the Gospels ”

And latei still, aftei a peisoiial beieavomeat, the greatest test of faith, Sii Ohvei adds a pto- phetic lemaik with absolute conviction

" Those who think the day of that Messiah IS ovei aie strangely mistaken ”

The other example of peisonal testimony is from one of the early pioneeis of psychical research, Frederick Myeis It is well known that he lost his faith m Chiistiamty, but it is not alwaj'^s undeistood that, through the study of spiiitual- istic phenomena, lost faith was legained Evi- dence of this is to be found in lus last wiitings which were published posthumously undei the name of " Fiagments of Piose and Poetiy,” wherein a spiiitual pilgiimage is faithfully ic- coided In <i poition of the chapter entitled ''The Final Faith ” he speaks foi himself

“ Yet I cannot in any deep sense contrast my piesent cieed with Chiistiamty Rathei I legal d it as a scientific development of the attitude and teaching of Christ

“ You ask me what is the moial tendency of all these teachings — the leply is unexpectedly simple and concise The tendency is, one may

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203

say, what it must inevitably be — what the tendency of all vital moial teaching has always been— the eaiiiest, truest tendency of Christi- anity itself It IS a leasseition — weighed now with new evidence — of Christ’s own insistence on inwardness, on leallty of His pioclamation that the letter killeth but the spiiit giveth life , of His summation of all iighteousness in Sheei Love to God and man Of all emotions the passion of love is that which bungs the in- tensest ]oy of exalted vitality — and I believe it IS no mere metaphor which describes Love as the characteristic energy of the Spiritual world

" I look upon Christ as a Revealei of immoi- tality absolutely unique, as the incomparable Pioneci of all wisdom that shall be learnt concerning unseen things But, like the Noiscman's discovery of America, His work grows more and more remote, and there are no sure seamarks for others to follow along that legendary way A new discovery is needed — to be made by no single Columbus, but by the whole set and strain of humanity , by the devo- tion of a world-wide labour to the deciphering of that open secret which has baffled the too hasty, or too self-centied, wonder and wish of men And such an inquiiy must be in the first instance a scientific, and only in the second instance a religious one Religion in its most

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RELIGION

peimancnt sense is the adjustment of our emotions to the stiuctuic of the Univcisc , and wliat we now most need is to discovci what that cosmic structuic is

'' I believe, then, that Science is now suc- ceeding 111 pciictiating ccitain cosmical facts which she has not i cached till now fhe fust, of coinse, is the tact of man’s sui vival of death ”

The dcsiie of the tiue spiiitiiahst is to give scientific proof that in death theie is no finality that, although pliysical death is real, theie are no dead — God is indeed a God of the living, faithful to His pioinises , that lie may be trusted, loved and scived as a Heavenly Fathei Who keeps, guides and leaches us thiough those who loved us best in then caithly existence, a fulfilment and continuance of a natuial law sometimes tailed Divine, to lead us out of daikncss and thangc the shadow of dciith into a gleam to light the way lowaid the Supienic Goal

fiiF End

IVymmi & Atwis / , PrmUn^ / omlon and tahitihamt I nuhnd