Chapter IX: The Experiments of Sir William Crookes (1)

The learned chemist, Sir William Crookes, member of the Royal Society of London, the author of several discoveries of the first rank (among which should be placed the discovery, in 1861, of the metal, thallium), and of ingenious experiments on "radiant matter," published his first researches on the subject we are here considering in a review of which he was the editor--the _Quarterly Journal of Science_.

I had the honor of contributing certain astronomical papers to this journal.[62] I will first lay before my readers an extract from Mr. Crookes's article of the 1st of July, 1871, entitled "Experimental Investigation of a New Force," in which he describes his studies with Home. I also had occasion myself more than once to hold conversation with this medium.[63]

Twelve months ago in this journal, July 1, 1870, I wrote an article,
in which, after expressing in the most emphatic manner my belief in
the occurrence, under certain circumstances, of phenomena inexplicable
by any known natural laws, I indicated several tests which men of
science had a right to demand before giving credence to the
genuineness of these phenomena. Among the tests pointed out were, that
a "delicately poised balance should be moved under test conditions;"
and that some exhibition of power equivalent to so many "foot-pounds"
should be "manifested in his laboratory, where the experimentalists
could weigh, measure, and submit it to proper tests." I said, too,
that I could not promise to enter fully into this subject, owing to
the difficulties of obtaining opportunities, and the numerous failures
attending the enquiry; moreover, that "the persons in whose presence
these phenomena take place are few in number, and opportunities for
experimenting with previously arranged apparatus are rarer still."

Opportunities having since offered for pursuing the investigation, I
have gladly availed myself of them for applying to these phenomena
careful scientific testing experiments, and I have thus arrived at
certain definite results which I think it right should be published.
These experiments appear conclusively to establish the existence of a
new force, in some unknown manner connected with the human
organization, which for convenience may be called the Psychic Force.

Of all the persons endowed with a powerful development of this psychic
force, and who have been termed "mediums" upon quite another theory of
its origin, Mr. Daniel Dunglas Home is the most remarkable, and it is
mainly owing to the many opportunities I have had of carrying on my
investigation in his presence that I am enabled to affirm so
conclusively the existence of this force. The experiments I have tried
have been very numerous, but owing to our imperfect knowledge of the
conditions which favor or oppose the manifestations of this force, to
the apparently capricious manner in which it is exerted, and to the
fact that Mr. Home himself is subject to unaccountable ebbs and flows
of the force, it has but seldom happened that a result obtained on one
occasion could be subsequently confirmed and tested with apparatus
specially contrived for the purpose.

Among the remarkable phenomena which occur under Mr. Home's influence,
the most striking, as well as the most easily tested with scientific
accuracy, are--(1) the alteration in the weight of bodies, and (2) the
playing of tunes upon musical instruments (generally an accordion, for
convenience of portability) without direct human intervention, under
conditions rendering contact or connection with the keys impossible.
Not until I had witnessed these facts some half-dozen times, and
scrutinized them with all the critical acumen I possess, did I become
convinced of their objective reality. Still, desiring to place the
matter beyond the shadow of doubt, I invited Mr. Home on several
occasions to come to my own house, where, in the presence of a few
scientific enquirers, these phenomena could be submitted to crucial
experiments.

The meetings took place in the evening, in a large room lighted by
gas. The apparatus prepared for the purpose of testing the movements
of the accordion, consisted of a cage, formed of two wooden hoops,
respectively 1 foot 10 inches and 2 feet diameter, connected together
by 12 narrow laths, each 1 foot 10 inches long, so as to form a
drum-shaped frame, open at the top and bottom; round this 50 yards of
insulated copper wire were wound in 24 rounds, each being rather less
than an inch from its neighbor. The horizontal strands of wire were
then netted together firmly with string, so as to form meshes rather
less than 2 inches long by 1 inch high. The height of this cage was
such that it would just slip under my dining-table, but be too close
to the top to allow of the hand being introduced into the interior, or
to admit of a foot being pushed underneath it. In another room were
two Grove's cells, wires being led from them into the dining-room for
connection, if desirable, with the wire surrounding the cage.

The accordion was a new one, having been purchased by myself for the
purpose of these experiments at Wheatstone's, in Conduit Street. Mr.
Home had neither handled nor seen the instrument before the
commencement of the test experiments.

In another part of the room an apparatus was fitted up for
experimenting on the alteration in the weight of a body. It consisted
of a mahogany board, 36 inches long by 9-1/2 inches wide and 1 inch
thick. At each end a strip of mahogany 1-1/2 inches wide was screwed
on, forming feet. One end of the board rested on a firm table, whilst
the other end was supported by a spring balance hanging from a
substantial tripod stand. The balance was fitted with a
self-registering index, in such a manner that it would record the
maximum weight indicated by the pointer. The apparatus was adjusted
so that the mahogany board was horizontal, its foot resting flat on
the support. In this position its weight was 3 lbs., as marked by the
pointer of the balance.

Before Mr. Home entered the room the apparatus had been arranged in
position, and he had not even the object of some parts of it explained
before sitting down. It may, perhaps, be worth while to add, for the
purpose of anticipating some critical remarks which are likely to be
made, that in the afternoon I called for Mr. Home at his apartments,
and when there he suggested that, as he had to change his dress,
perhaps I should not object to continue our conversation in his
bedroom. I am, therefore, enabled to state positively, that no
machinery, apparatus, or contrivance of any sort was secreted about
his person.

The investigators present on the test occasion were an eminent
physicist, high in the ranks of the Royal Society,[64] a well-known
Serjeant-at-Law;[65] my brother; and my chemical assistant.

Mr. Home sat in a low easy-chair at the side of the table. In front of
him under the table was the aforesaid cage, one of his legs being on
each side of it. I sat close to him on his left, and another observer
sat close to him on his right, the rest of the party being seated at
convenient distances round the table.

For the greater part of the evening, particularly when anything of
importance was proceeding, the observers on each side of Mr. Home kept
their feet respectively on his feet, so as to be able to detect his
slightest movement.

The temperature of the room varied from 68 degrees to 70 degrees F.

Mr. Home took the accordion between the thumb and middle finger of one
hand at the opposite end to the keys (see Pl. XII A) (to save
repetition this will be subsequently called "in the usual manner").

Having previously opened the bass key myself, and the cage being drawn
from under the table so as just to allow the accordion to be pushed in
with its keys downwards, it was pushed back as close as Mr. Home's
arm would permit, but without hiding his hand from those next to him
(Pl. XII, Cut B). Very soon the accordion was seen by those on each
side to be waving about in a somewhat curious manner; then sounds came
from it, and finally several notes were played in succession. Whilst
this was going on, my assistant went under the table, and reported
that the accordion was expanding and contracting; at the same time it
was seen that the hand of Mr. Home by which it was held was quite
still, his other hand resting on the table.

Presently the accordion was seen by those on either side of Mr. Home
to move about, oscillating and going round and round the cage, and
playing at the same time. Dr. A. B. now looked under the table, and
said that Mr. Home's hand appeared quite still whilst the accordion
was moving about emitting distinct sounds.

Mr. Home still holding the accordion in the usual manner in the cage,
his feet being held by those next him, and his other hand resting on
the table, we heard distinct and separate notes sounded in succession,
and then a simple air was played. As such a result could only have
been produced by the various keys of the instrument being acted upon
in harmonious succession, this was considered by those present to be a
crucial experiment.

But the sequel was still more striking, for Mr. Home then removed his
hand altogether from the accordion, taking it quite out of the cage,
and placed it in the hand of the person next to him. The instrument
then continued to play, no person touching it and no hand being near
it.

I was now desirous of trying what would be the effect of passing the
battery current round the insulated wire of the cage, and my assistant
accordingly made the connection with the wires from the two Grove's
cells. Mr. Home again held the instrument inside the cage in the same
manner as before, when it immediately sounded and moved about
vigorously. But whether the electric current passing round the cage
assisted the manifestation of force inside, it is impossible to say.

After this experiment, the accordion, which he kept holding in one
hand, then commenced to play, at first chords and runs, and
afterwards a well-known sweet and plaintive melody, which was executed
perfectly in a very beautiful manner. Whilst this tune was being
played I grasped Mr. Home's arm, below the elbow, and gently slid my
hand down it until I touched the top of the accordion. He was not
moving a muscle. His other hand was on the table, visible to all, and
his feet were under the feet of those next to him.

Having met with such striking results in the experiments with the
accordion in the cage, we turned to the balance apparatus already
described. Mr. Home placed the tips of his fingers lightly on the
extreme end of the mahogany board, which was resting on the support,
whilst Dr. A. B. and myself sat, one on each side of it, watching for
any effect which might be produced. Almost immediately the pointer of
the balance was seen to descend. After a few seconds it rose again.
This movement was repeated several times, as if by successive waves of
the psychic force. The end of the board was observed to oscillate
slowly up and down during the experiment.

Mr. Home now of his own accord took a small hand-bell and a little
card match-box, which happened to be near, and placed one under each
hand, to satisfy us, as he said, that he was not producing the
downward pressure (see Fig. 3). The very slow oscillation of the
spring balance became more marked, and Dr. A. B., watching the index,
said that he saw it descend to 6-1/2 lbs. The normal weight of the
board as so suspended being 3 lbs., the additional downward pull was
therefore 3-1/2 lbs. On looking immediately afterwards at the
automatic register, we saw that the index had at one time descended as
low as 9 lbs., showing a maximum pull of 6 lbs. upon a board whose
normal weight was 3 lbs.

In order to see whether it was possible to produce much effect on the
spring balance by pressure at the place where Mr. Home's fingers had
been, I stepped upon the table and stood on one foot at the end of the
board. Dr. A. B., who was observing the index of the balance, said
that the whole weight of my body (140 lbs.) so applied only sunk the
index 1-1/2 lbs., or 2 lbs. when I shook it. Mr. Home had been sitting
in a low easy-chair, and could not, therefore, had he tried his
utmost, have exerted any material influence on these results. I need
scarcely add that his feet as well as his hands were closely guarded
by all in the room.

This experiment appears to me more striking, if possible, than the one
with the accordion. As will be seen on referring to the cut (Fig. 3),
the board was arranged perfectly horizontally, and it was particularly
noticed that Mr. Home's fingers were not at any time advanced more
than 1-1/2 inches from the extreme end, as shown by a pencil-mark,
which, with Dr. A. B.'s acquiescence, I made at the time. Now, the
wooden foot being also 1-1/2 inches wide, and resting flat on the
table, it is evident that no amount of pressure exerted within this
space of 1-1/2 inches could produce any action on the balance. Again,
it is also evident that when the end farthest from Mr. Home sank, the
board would turn on the farther edge of this foot as on a fulcrum.

The arrangement was consequently that of a see-saw, 36 inches in
length, the fulcrum being 1-1/2 inches from one end; were he,
therefore, to have exerted a downward pressure, it would have been in
opposition to the force which was causing the other end of the board
to move down.

The slight downward pressure shown by the balance when I stood on the
board was owing probably to my foot extending beyond this fulcrum.

I have now given a plain, unvarnished statement of the facts from
copious notes written at the time the occurrences were taking place,
and copied out in full immediately after.

Respecting the cause of these phenomena, the nature of the force to
which, to avoid periphrasis, I have ventured to give the name of
_Psychic_, and the correlation existing between that and the other
forces of nature, it would be wrong to hazard the most vague
hypothesis. Indeed, in inquiries connected so intimately with rare
physiological and psychological conditions, it is the duty of the
inquirer to abstain altogether from framing theories until he has
accumulated a sufficient number of facts to form a substantial basis
upon which to reason. In the presence of strange phenomena as yet
unexplored and unexplained following each other in such rapid
succession, I confess it is difficult to avoid clothing their record
in language of a sensational character. But, to be successful, an
inquiry of this kind must be undertaken by the philosopher without
prejudice and without sentiment. Romantic and superstitious ideas
should be entirely banished, and the steps of his investigation should
be guided by intellect as cold and passionless as the instruments he
uses.

Apropos of this Mr. Cox wrote to Mr. Crooks:

The results appear to me conclusively to establish the important fact,
that there is a force proceeding from the nerve-system capable of
imparting motion and weight to solid bodies within the sphere of its
influence.

I noticed that the force was exhibited in tremulous pulsations, and
not in the form of steady continuous pressure, the indicator rising
and falling incessantly throughout the experiment. The fact seems to
me of great significance, as tending to confirm the opinion that
assigns its source to the nerve organization, and it goes far to
establish Dr. Richardson's important discovery of a nerve atmosphere
of various intensity enveloping the human structure.

Your experiments completely confirm the conclusion at which the
Investigation Committee of the Dialectical Society arrived, after more
than forty meetings for trial and test.

Allow me to add that I can find no evidence even tending to prove that
this force is other than a force proceeding from, or directly
dependent upon, the human organization, and therefore, like all other
forces of nature, wholly within the province of that strictly
scientific investigation to which you have been the first to subject
it.

Now that it is proved by mechanical tests to be a fact in nature (and
if a fact, it is impossible to exaggerate its importance to physiology
and the light it must throw upon the obscure laws of life, of mind and
the science of medicine) it cannot fail to command the immediate and
most earnest examination and discussion by physiologists and by all
who take an interest in that knowledge of "man," which has been truly
termed "the noblest study of mankind."

To avoid the appearance of any foregone conclusion, I would recommend
the adoption for it of some appropriate name, and I venture to suggest
that the force be termed the Psychic Force; the persons in whom it is
manifested in extraordinary power Psychics; and the science relating
to it Psychism as, being a branch of psychology.

The preceding article was published separately by William Crookes in a special brochure which lies before me,[66] and which contains, in addition, the following study, not less curious from the human and anecdotical point of view than from the point of view of the experimenter in physics:

When I first stated in this journal that I was about to investigate
the phenomena of so-called Spiritualism, the announcement called forth
universal expressions of approval. One said that my "statements
deserved respectful consideration"; another expressed "profound
satisfaction that the subject was about to be investigated by a man so
thoroughly qualified as," etc.; a third was "gratified to learn that
the matter is now receiving the attention of cool and clear-headed
men of recognized position in science"; a fourth asserted that "no one
could doubt Mr. Crookes's ability to conduct the investigation with
rigid philosophical impartiality"; and a fifth was good enough to tell
its readers that "if men like Mr. Crookes grapple with the subject,
taking nothing for granted until it is proved, we shall soon know how
much to believe."

Those remarks, however, were written too hastily. It was taken for
granted by the writers that the results of my experiments would be in
accordance with their preconceptions. What they really desired was not
_the truth_, but an additional witness in favor of their own foregone
conclusion. When they found that the facts which that investigation
established could not be made to fit those opinions, why--"so much the
worse for the facts." They try to creep out of their own confident
recommendations of the enquiry by declaring that "Mr. Home is a clever
conjurer, who has duped us all." "Mr. Crookes might, with equal
propriety, examine the performances of an Indian juggler." "Mr.
Crookes must get better witnesses before he can be believed." "The
thing is too absurd to be treated seriously." "It is impossible, and
therefore can't be."[67] "The observers have all been biologized (!)
and fancy they saw things occur which really never took place," etc.

These remarks imply a curious oblivion of the very functions which the
scientific enquirer has to fulfill. I am scarcely surprised when the
objectors say that I have been deceived merely because they are
unconvinced without personal investigation, since the same
unscientific course of _a priori_ argument has been opposed to all
great discoveries. When I am told that what I describe cannot be
explained in accordance with preconceived ideas of the laws of nature,
the objector really begs the very question at issue, and resorts to a
mode of reasoning which brings science to a standstill. The argument
runs in a vicious circle: we must not assert a fact till we know that
it is in accordance with the laws of nature, while our only knowledge
of the laws of nature must be based on an extensive observation of
facts. If a new fact seems to oppose what is called a law of nature,
it does not prove the asserted fact to be false, but only that we have
not yet ascertained all the laws of nature, or not learned them
correctly.

In his opening address before the British Association at Edinburgh
this year (1871), Sir William Thomson said, "Science is bound by the
everlasting law of honor to face fearlessly every problem which can
fairly be presented to it." My object in thus placing on record the
results of a very remarkable series of experiments is to present such
a problem, which, according to Sir William Thomson, "Science is bound
by the everlasting law of honor to face fearlessly." It will not do
merely to deny its existence, or try to sneer it down. Remember, I
hazard no hypothesis or theory whatever; I merely vouch for certain
facts, my only object being--the _truth_. Doubt, but do not deny;
point out, by the severest criticism, what are considered fallacies in
my experimental tests, and suggest more conclusive trials; but do not
let us hastily call our senses lying witnesses merely because they
testify against preconceptions. I say to my critics, Try the
experiments; investigate with care and patience as I have done. If,
having examined, you discover imposture or delusion, proclaim it and
say how it was done. But, if you find it be a fact, avow it
fearlessly, as "by the everlasting law of honor" you are bound to do.

In this part of his work Professor Crookes recalls the experiments of Count de Gasparin and of Thury (detailed above) on the phenomenon of the movement of bodies without contact, a thing proved and demonstrated. We need not recur to that. He adds that the ecteneic force of Professor Thury and psychical force are equivalent terms, and that the nervous atmosphere or fluid of Dr. Benjamin Richardson also belongs here.

Professor Crookes sent his observations to the Royal Society, of which he is a member. The society refused his communications. The evidence goes to show that it had only approved of the gifted chemist's mixing in heretical and occult researches on consideration of his demonstrating the fallacy of all those prodigies.

Professor Stokes, the secretary, refused to consider the subject at all, or to inscribe even the title of the papers in the society's publications. It was an exact repetition of what took place at the Academy of Science in Paris in 1853. Professor Crookes scorned these arbitrary and anti-scientific judgments and denials and answered them by publishing the detailed description of his experiments. The following are the essential points of this description:

On trying these experiments for the first time, I thought that actual
contact between Mr. Home's hands and the suspended body whose weight
was to be altered was essential to the exhibition of the force; but I
found afterwards that this was not a necessary condition, and I
therefore arranged my apparatus in the following manner:

The accompanying cuts (Figs. 4, 5, 6) explain the arrangement. Fig. 4
is a general view, and Figs. 5 and 6 show the essential parts more in
detail. The reference letters are the same in each illustration. A B
is a mahogany board, 36 inches long by 9-1/2 inches wide and 1 inch
thick. It is suspended at the end, B, by a spring balance, C,
furnished with an automatic register, D. The balance is suspended
from a very firm tripod support, E.

The following piece of apparatus is not shown in the figures. To the
moving index, O, of the spring balance, a fine steel point is
soldered, projecting horizontally outwards. In front of the balance,
and firmly fastened to it, is a grooved frame carrying a flat box
similar to the dark box of a photographic camera. This box is made to
travel by clock-work horizontally in front of the moving index, and it
contains a sheet of plate-glass which has been smoked over a flame.
The projecting steel point impresses a mark on this smoked surface.

If the balance is at rest, and the clock set going, the result is a
perfectly straight horizontal line. If the clock is stopped and
weights are placed on the end, B, of the board, the result is a
vertical line, whose length depends on the weight applied. If, whilst
the clock draws the plate along, the weight of the board (or the
tension on the balance) varies, the result is a curved line, from
which the tension in grains at any moment during the continuance of
the experiments can be calculated.

The instrument was capable of registering a diminution of the force of
gravitation as well as an increase; registrations of such a diminution
were frequently obtained. To avoid complication, however, I will only
here refer to results in which an increase of gravitation was
experienced.

The end, B, of the board being supported by the spring balance, the
end, A, is supported on a wooden strip, F, screwed across its lower
side and cut to a knife edge (see Fig. 6). This fulcrum rests on a
firm and heavy wooden stand, G H. On the board, exactly over the
fulcrum, is placed a large glass vessel filled with water, I. L is a
massive iron stand, furnished with an arm and ring, M N, in which
rests a hemispherical copper vessel perforated with several holes at
the bottom.

The iron stand is two inches from the board, A B, and the arm and
copper vessel, M N, are so adjusted that the latter dips into the
water 1-1/2 inches, being 5-1/2 inches from the bottom of I, and 2
inches from its circumference. Shaking or striking the arm, M, or the
vessel, N, produces no appreciable mechanical effect on the board, A
B, capable of affecting the balance. Dipping the hand to the fullest
extent into the water in N, does not produce the least appreciable
action on the balance.

As the mechanical transmission of power by Mr. Home is by this means
entirely cut off between the copper vessel and the board, A B, it
follows that the power of muscular control is thereby completely
eliminated.

There was always ample light in the room where the experiments were
conducted (my own dining-room) to see all that took place.
Furthermore, I repeated the experiments, not only with Mr. Home, but
also with another person possessing similar powers.

_Experiment I._--The apparatus having been properly adjusted before
Mr. Home entered the room, he was brought in, and asked to place his
fingers in the water in the copper vessel, N. He stood up and dipped
the tips of the fingers of his right hand in the water, his other hand
and his feet being held. When he said he felt a power, force, or
influence, proceeding from his hand, I set the clock going, and almost
immediately the end, B, of the board was seen to descend slowly and
remain down for about 10 seconds; it then descended a little farther,
and afterwards rose to its normal height. It then descended again,
rose suddenly, gradually sunk for 17 seconds, and finally rose to its
normal height, where it remained till the experiment was concluded.
The lowest point marked on the glass was equivalent to a direct pull
of about 5,000 grains. The accompanying figure 7 is a copy of the
curve traced on the glass.

_Experiment II._--Contact through water having proved to be as
effectual as actual mechanical contact, I wished to see if the power
or force could affect the weight, either through other portions of the
apparatus or through the air. The glass vessel and iron stand, etc.,
were therefore removed, as an unnecessary complication, and Mr. Home's
hands were placed on the stand of the apparatus at P (Fig. 4). A
gentleman present put his hand on Mr. Home's hands, and his foot on
both Mr. Home's feet, and I also watched him closely all the time. At
the proper moment the clock was again set going; the board descended
and rose in an irregular manner, the result being a curved tracing on
the glass, of which Fig. 8 is a copy.

_Experiment III._--Mr. Home was now placed 1 foot from the board, A B,
on one side of it. His hands and feet were firmly grasped by a
bystander, and another tracing, of which Fig. 9 is a copy, was taken
on a moving glass plate.

_Experiment IV._--(Tried on an occasion when the power was stronger
than on the previous occasions.) Mr. Home was now placed three feet
from the apparatus, his hands and feet being tightly held. The clock
was set going when he gave the word, and the end, B, of the board
soon descended, and again rose in an irregular manner, as shown in
Fig. 10.

The following series of experiments were tried with more delicate
apparatus, and with another person, a lady, Mr. Home being absent. As
the lady is non-professional, I do not mention her name. She has,
however, consented to meet any scientific men whom I may introduce for
purposes of investigation.

A piece of thin parchment, A, Figs. 11 and 12, is stretched tightly
across a circular hoop of wood. B C is a light lever turning on D. At
the end, B, is a vertical needle-point touching the membrane, A, and
at C is another needle-point, projecting horizontally and touching a
smoked glass plate, E F. This glass plate is drawn along in the
direction, H G, by clockwork, K. The end, B, of the lever is weighted
so that it shall quickly follow the movements of the centre of the
disc, A. These movements are transmitted and recorded on the glass
plate, E F, by means of the lever and needle-point, C. Holes are cut
in the side of the hoop to allow a free passage of air to the under
side of the membrane. The apparatus was well tested beforehand by
myself and others, to see that no shaking or jar on the table or
support would interfere with the results. The line traced by the
point, C, on the smoked glass was perfectly straight in spite of all
our attempts to influence the lever by shaking the stand or stamping
on the floor.

_Experiment V._--Without having the object of the instrument explained
to her, the lady was brought into the room and asked to place her
fingers on the wooden stand at the points, L M, Fig. 11. I then placed
my hands over hers to enable me to detect any conscious or unconscious
movement on her part. Presently percussive noises were heard on the
parchment, resembling the dropping of grains of sand on its surface.
At each percussion a fragment of graphite which I had placed on the
membrane was seen to be projected upwards about 1-50th of an inch, and
the end, C, of the lever moved slightly up and down. Sometimes the
sounds were as rapid as those from an induction-coil, whilst at others
they were more than a second apart. Five or six tracings were taken,
and in all cases a movement of the end, C, of the lever was seen to
have occurred with each vibration of the membrane.

In some cases the lady's hands were not so near the membrane as L M,
but were at N O, Fig. 12.

The accompanying figure 13 gives tracings taken from the plates used
on these occasions.

_Experiment VI._--Having met with these results in Mr. Home's absence,
I was anxious to see what action would be produced on the instrument
in his presence.

Accordingly I asked him to try, but without explaining the instrument
to him.

I grasped Mr. Home's right arm above the wrist and held his hand over
the membrane, about 10 inches from its surface, in the position shown
at P, Fig. 12. His other hand was held by a friend. After remaining in
this position for about half a minute, Mr. Home said he felt some
influence passing. I then set the clock going, and we all saw the
index, C, moving up and down. The movements were much slower than in
the former case, and were almost entirely unaccompanied by the
percussive vibrations then noticed.

Figs. 14 and 15 show the curves produced on the glass on two of these
occasions.

Figs. 13, 14, 15 are magnified.

These experiments _confirm beyond doubt_ the conclusion at which I
arrived in my former paper; namely, the existence of a force
associated, in some manner not yet explained, with the human
organization, by which force increased weight is capable of being
imparted to solid bodies without physical contact.

Now, however, having seen more of Mr. Home, I think I perceive what it
is that this psychic force uses up for its development. In employing
the terms _vital force_, or _nervous energy_, I am aware that I am
employing words which convey very different significations to many
investigators; but after witnessing the painful state of nervous and
bodily prostration in which some of these experiments have left Mr.
Home--after seeing him lying in an almost fainting condition on the
floor, pale and speechless--I could scarcely doubt that the evolution
of psychic force is accompanied by a corresponding drain on vital
force.

To witness exhibitions of this force it is not necessary to have
access to known psychics. The force itself is probably possessed by
all human beings, although the individuals endowed with an
extraordinary amount of it are doubtless few. Within the last twelve
months I have met in private families five or six persons possessing a
sufficiently vigorous development to make me feel confident that
similar results might be produced through their means to those here
recorded, though less intense.

These experiments continued to be the object of bitter and relentless criticism on the part of the recognized authorities in science and education in England. These persons absolutely refused to recognize their value. Professor Crookes amused himself, at times, by replying to these fantastic attacks, but, naturally, without convincing his uncompromising opponents. It is unnecessary to reproduce these letters here; they can be found in the French edition of Crookes's _Researches_. The learned chemist did better still: he continued his researches into the domain of the Unknown, and got still more remarkable results--still more extraordinary, more inexplicable, more incomprehensible.

His notes continue as follows:

Like a traveler exploring some distant country, the wonders of which
have hitherto been known only through reports and rumors of a vague or
distorted character, so for four years have I been occupied in pushing
an inquiry into a territory of natural knowledge which offers almost
virgin soil to a scientific man.

As the traveller sees in the natural phenomena he may witness the
action of forces governed by natural laws, where others see only the
capricious intervention of offended gods, so have I endeavored to
trace the operation of natural laws and forces, where others have seen
only the agency of supernatural beings, owning no laws, and obeying no
force but their own free will.

The phenomena I am prepared to attest are so extraordinary and so
directly oppose the most firmly rooted articles of scientific
belief--amongst others, the ubiquity and invariable action of the
force of gravitation--that, even now, on recalling the details of what
I witnessed, there is an antagonism in my mind between _reason_, which
pronounces it to be scientifically impossible, and the consciousness
that my senses, both of touch and sight--and these corroborated, as
they were, by the senses of all who were present,--are not lying
witnesses when they testify against my preconceptions.

But the supposition that there is a sort of mania or delusion which
suddenly attacks a whole roomful of intelligent persons who are quite
sane elsewhere, and that they all concur to the minutest particulars,
in the details of the occurrences of which they suppose themselves to
be witnesses, seems to my mind more incredible than even the facts
they attest.

The subject is far more difficult and extensive than it appears. Four
years ago I intended only to devote a leisure month or two to
ascertain whether certain marvellous occurrences I had heard about
would stand the test of close scrutiny. Having, however, soon arrived
at the same conclusion as, I may say, every impartial inquirer, that
there was "something in it," I could not, as a student of nature's
laws, refuse to follow the inquiry wheresoever the facts might lead.
Thus a few months have grown into a few years, and, were my time at
my own disposal it would probably extend still longer.

My principal object will be to place on record a series of actual
occurrences which have taken place in my own house, in the presence of
trustworthy witnesses, and under as strict test conditions as I could
devise. Every fact which I have observed is, moreover, corroborated by
the records of independent observers at other times and places. It
will be seen that the facts are of the most astounding character, and
seem utterly irreconcilable with all known theories of modern science.
Having satisfied myself of their _truth_, it would be moral cowardice
to withhold my testimony because my previous publications were
ridiculed by critics and others who knew nothing whatever of the
subject, and who were too prejudiced to see and judge for themselves
whether or not there was truth in the phenomena. I shall state simply
what I have seen and proved by repeated experiment and test.

Except where darkness has been a necessary condition, as with some of
the phenomena of luminous appearances, and a few other instances,
everything recorded has taken place _in the light_. In the few cases
where the phenomena noted have occurred in darkness I have been very
particular to mention the fact. Moreover, some special reason can be
shown for the exclusion of light, or the results have been produced
under such perfect test conditions that the suppression of one of the
senses has not really weakened the evidence.

I have said that darkness is not essential. It is, however, a
well-ascertained fact that when the force is weak a bright light
exerts an interfering action on some of the phenomena. The power
possessed by Mr. Home is sufficiently strong to withstand this
antagonistic influence; consequently, he always objects to darkness at
his _seances_. Indeed, except on two occasions, when, for some
particular experiments of my own, light was excluded, everything which
I have witnessed with him has taken place in the light. I have had
many opportunities of testing the action of light on different sources
and colors,--such as sunlight, diffused daylight, moonlight, gas,
lamp, and candle-light, electric light from a vacuum tube,
homogeneous yellow light, etc. The interfering rays appear to be those
at the extreme end of the spectrum.

Professor Crookes next proceeds to classify the phenomena observed by him, going from the more simple to the more complex and giving in rapid review under each head, a sketch of some of the facts. In the abridgment of his report which follows I eliminate what has already been fully demonstrated elsewhere in this book.

FIRST CLASS: _The movement of Heavy Bodies with Contact, but without
Mechanical Exertion._

(This movement has been fully proved in this volume.)

SECOND CLASS: _The Phenomena of Percussive and other Allied Sounds._

An important question here forces itself upon the attention. _Are the
movements and sounds governed by intelligence?_ At a very early stage
of the inquiry, it was seen that the power producing the phenomena was
not merely a blind force, but was associated with or governed by
intelligence. Thus the sounds to which I have just alluded will be
repeated a definite number of times. They will come loud or faint, and
in different places at request; and by a pre-arranged code of signals,
questions are answered, and messages given with more or less accuracy.

The intelligence governing the phenomena is sometimes manifestly below
that of the medium. It is frequently in direct opposition to the
wishes of the medium. When a determination has been expressed to do
something which might not be considered quite right, I have known
urgent messages given to induce a reconsideration. The intelligence is
sometimes of such a character as to lead to the belief that it does
not emanate from any person present.

THIRD CLASS: _The Alteration of Weights of Bodies._--(Experiments
which have been already described.)

FOURTH CLASS: _Movements of Heavy Substances when at a distance from
the Medium._--The instances in which heavy bodies, such as tables,
chairs, sofas, etc., have been moved, when the medium has not been
touching them, are very numerous. I will briefly mention a few of the
most striking. My own chair has been twisted partly round, whilst my
feet were off the floor. A chair was seen by all present to move
slowly up to the table from a far corner, when all were watching it.
On another occasion an arm-chair moved to where we were sitting, and
then moved slowly back again (a distance of about three feet) at my
request. On three successive evenings a small table moved slowly
across the room, under conditions which I had specially pre-arranged,
so as to answer any objection which might be raised to the evidence. I
have had several repetitions of the experiment considered by the
Committee of the Dialectical Society to be conclusive, viz., the
movement of a heavy table, in full light, the chairs turned with their
backs to the table, about a foot off, and each person kneeling on his
chair, with hands resting over the back of the chair, but not touching
the table. On one occasion this took place when I was moving about so
as to see how everyone was placed.

FIFTH CLASS: _The Rising of Tables and Chairs off the Ground, without
Contact with any Person._

(We need not recur to these matters.)

SIXTH CLASS: _The Levitation of Human Beings._--The most striking
cases of levitation which I have witnessed have been with Mr. Home. On
three separate occasions have I seen him raised completely from the
floor of the room. Once sitting in an easy-chair, once kneeling on his
chair, and once standing up. On each occasion I had full opportunity
of watching the occurrence as it was taking place.

There are at least a hundred recorded instances of Mr. Home's rising
from the ground, in the presence of as many separate persons, and I
have heard from the lips of the three witnesses to the most striking
occurrence of this kind--the Earl of Dunraven, Lord Lindsay, and
Captain C. Wynne--their own most minute accounts of what took place.
To reject the recorded evidence on this subject is to reject all human
testimony whatever; for no fact in sacred or profane history is
supported by a stronger array of proofs.

SEVENTH CLASS: _Movement of Various Small Articles without Contact
with any Person._--(As in the case of the sixth class, this is well
known to my readers.)

EIGHTH CLASS: _Luminous Appearances._--These, being rather faint,
generally require the room to be darkened. I need scarcely remind my
readers again that, under these circumstances, I have taken proper
precautions to avoid being imposed upon by phosphorized oil or other
means. Moreover, many of these lights are such as I have tried to
imitate artificially, but cannot.

Under the strictest test conditions, I have seen a solid self-luminous
body, the size and nearly the shape of a turkey's egg, float
noiselessly about the room, at one time higher than any one present
could reach standing on tiptoe, and then gently descend to the floor.
It was visible for more than ten minutes, and before it faded away it
struck the table three times with a sound like that of a hard solid
body.

During this time the medium was lying back, apparently insensible, in
an easy-chair.

I have seen luminous points of light darting about and settling on the
heads of different persons; I have had questions answered by the
flashing of a bright light a desired number of times in front of my
face. I have seen sparks of light rising from the table to the
ceiling, and again falling upon the table, striking it with an audible
sound. I have had an alphabetic communication given by luminous
flashes occurring before me in the air, whilst my hand was moving
about amongst them. I have seen a luminous cloud floating upwards to a
picture. Under the strictest test conditions, I have more than once
had a solid, self-luminous, crystalline body placed in my hand by a
hand which did not belong to any person in the room. _In the light_, I
have seen a luminous cloud hover over a heliotrope on a side table,
break a sprig off, and carry it to a lady; and on some occasions I
have seen a similar luminous cloud visibly condense to the form of a
hand and carry small objects about.

NINTH CLASS: _The Appearance of Hands, either Self-Luminous or Visible
by Ordinary Light._--During a seance in full light a
beautifully-formed small hand rose up from an opening in a
dining-table and gave me a flower; it appeared and then disappeared
three times at intervals, affording me ample opportunity of satisfying
myself that it was as real in appearance as my own. This occurred in
the light in my own room, whilst I was holding the medium's hands and
feet.

On another occasion, a small hand and arm, like a baby's, appeared
playing about a lady who was sitting next to me. It then patted my arm
and pulled my coat several times.

At another time, a finger and thumb were seen to pick the petals from
a flower in Mr. Home's button-hole, and lay them in front of several
persons who were sitting near him.

A hand has been repeatedly seen by myself and others playing the keys
of an accordion, both of the medium's hands being visible at the same
time, and sometimes being held by those near him.

The hands and fingers do not always appear to me to be solid and
life-like. Sometimes, indeed, they present more the appearance of a
nebulous cloud partly condensed into the form of a hand. This is not
equally visible to all present. For instance, a flower or other small
object is seen to move; one person present will see a luminous cloud
hovering over it, another will detect a nebulous-looking hand, whilst
others will see nothing at all but the moving flower. I have more than
once seen, first an object move, then a luminous cloud appear to form
about it, and, lastly, the cloud condense into shape and become a
perfectly-formed hand. At this stage the hand is visible to all
present. It is not always a mere form, but sometimes appears perfectly
life-like and graceful, the fingers moving, and the flesh apparently
as human as that of any in the room. At the wrist, or arm, it becomes
hazy, and fades off into a luminous cloud.

To the touch, the hand sometimes appears icy-cold and dead, at other
times, warm and life-like, grasping my own with the firm pressure of
an old friend.

I have retained one of these hands in my own, firmly resolved not to
let it escape. There was no struggle or effort made to get loose, but
it gradually seemed to resolve itself into vapor, and faded in that
manner from my grasp.

TENTH CLASS: _Direct Writing._--(The learned chemist cites some
remarkable examples obtained by him. We need not speak of them in this
book.)

ELEVENTH CLASS: _Phantom Forms and Faces._--These are the rarest of
the phenomena I have witnessed. The conditions requisite for their
appearance appear to be so delicate, and such trifles interfere with
their production, that only on very few occasions have I witnessed
them under satisfactory test conditions. I will mention two of these
cases.

In the dusk of the evening, during a _seance_ with Mr. Home at my
house, the curtains of a window about eight feet from Mr. Home were
seen to move. A dark, shadowy, semi-transparent form, like that of a
man, was then seen by all present standing near the window, waving the
curtain with his hand. As we looked, the form faded away, and the
curtains ceased to move.

The following is a still more striking instance. As in the former
case, Mr. Home was the medium. A phantom form came from a corner of
the room, took an accordion in its hand, and then glided about the
room playing the instrument. The form was visible to all present for
many minutes, Mr. Home also being seen at the same time. Coming rather
close to a lady who was sitting apart from the rest of the company,
she gave a slight cry, upon which it vanished.

TWELFTH CLASS: _Special Instances which seem to point to the Agency of
an Exterior Intelligence._--It has already been shown that the
phenomena are governed by an intelligence. It becomes a question of
importance as to the source of that intelligence. Is it the
intelligence of the medium, of any of the other persons in the room,
or is it an exterior intelligence? Without wishing at present to speak
positively on this point, I may say that whilst I have observed many
circumstances which appear to show that the will and intelligence of
the medium have much to do with the phenomena, I have observed some
circumstances which seem conclusively to point to the agency of an
outside intelligence, not belonging to any human being in the room.
Space does not allow me to give here all the arguments which can be
adduced to prove these points, but I will briefly mention one or two
circumstances out of many.

I have been present when several phenomena were going on at the same
time, some being unknown to the medium. I have been with Miss Fox when
she has been writing a message automatically to one person present,
whilst a message to another person on another subject was being given
alphabetically by means of "raps," and the whole time she was
conversing freely with a third person on a subject totally different
from either.

Perhaps a more striking instance is the following:

During a _seance_ with Mr. Home, a small lath, which I have before
mentioned, moved across the table to me, in the light, and delivered a
message to me by tapping my hand, I repeating the alphabet, and the
lath tapping me at the right letters. The other end of the lath was
resting on the table, some distance from Mr. Home's hands.

The taps were so sharp and clear, and the lath was evidently so well
under control of the invisible power which was governing its
movements, that I said, "Can the intelligence governing the motion of
this lath change the character of the movements, and give me a
telegraphic message through the Morse alphabet by taps on my hand?" (I
have every reason to believe that the Morse code was quite unknown to
any other person present, and it was only imperfectly known to me.)
Immediately I said this, the character of the taps changed, and the
message was continued in the way I had requested. The letters were
given too rapidly for me to do more than catch a word here and there,
and consequently I lost the message; but I heard sufficient to
convince me that there was a good Morse operator at the other end of
the line, wherever that might be.

Another instance. A lady was writing automatically by means of the
planchette. I was trying to devise a means of proving that what she
wrote was not due to "unconscious cerebration." The planchette, as it
always does, insisted that, although it was moved by the hand and the
arm of the lady, the _intelligence_ was that of an invisible being who
was playing on her brain as on a musical instrument, and thus moving
her muscles. I therefore said to this intelligence, "Can you see the
contents of this room?" "Yes," wrote the planchette. "Can you see to
read this newspaper?" said I, putting my finger on a copy of the
_Times_, which was on a table behind me, but without looking at it.
"Yes," was the reply of the planchette. "Well," I said, "if you can
see that, write the word which is now covered by my finger, and I
will believe you." The planchette commenced to move. Slowly and with
great difficulty the word "however" was written. I turned round and
saw that the word "however" was covered by the tip of my finger.

I had purposely avoided looking at the newspaper when I tried this
experiment, and it was impossible for the lady, had she tried, to have
seen any of the printed words, for she was sitting at one table, and
the paper was on another table behind, my body intervening.

THIRTEENTH CLASS: _Miscellaneous Occurrences of a Complex Character._

(Professor Crookes here cites two examples of the _transference of
matter through matter_,--a bell passing from neighboring room into
that in which the seance was being held, and a flower separating from
a bouquet and _passing through the table_.)