the unknown guest-第3章

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an　inexplicable　light。　Or　again　we　have　another　elderly　lady；　dressed　in　black；　who　is　often　found　seated　in　the　bay　window　of　her　drawing…room。　When　spoken　to；　she　rises　and　seems　on　the　point　of　replying；　but　says　nothing。　When　pursued　or　met　in　a　corner；　she　eludes　all　contact　and　vanishes。　Strings　are　fastened　across　the　staircase　with　glue；　she　passes　and　the　strings　remain　as　they　were。　The　ghostand　this　happens　in　the　majority　of　casesis　seen　by　all　the　people　staying　in　the　house：　relatives；　friends；　old　servants　and　new。　Can　it　be　a　matter　of　suggestion；　of　collective　hallucination？　At　any　rate；　strangers；　visitors　who　have　had　nothing　said　to　them；　see　it　as　the　others　do　and　ask；　innocently：　〃Who　is　the　lady　in　mourning　whom　I　met　in　the　dining…room？〃

＇1＇　Proceedings；　vol。　i。；　pp。　101…115；　vol。　ii。；　pp。　137…151；　vol。　viii。；　pp。　311；　332；　etc。


If　it　is　a　case　of　collective　suggestion；　we　should　have　to　admit　that　it　is　a　subconscious　suggestion　emitted　without　the　knowledge　of　the　participants；　which　indeed　is　quite　possible。

Though　they　belong　to　the　same　order；　I　will　not　here　mention　the　exploits　of　what　the　Germans　call　the　Poltergeist；　which　take　the　form　of　flinging　stones；　ringing　bells；　turning　mattresses；　upsetting　furniture　and　so　forth。　These　matters　are　always　open　to　suspicion　and　really　appear　to　be　nothing　but　quaint　frolics　of　hysterical　subjects　or　of　mediums　indulging　their　sense　of　humour。　The　manifestations　of　the　Poltergeist　are　fairly　numerous　and　the　reader　will　find　several　instances　in　the　Proceedings　and　especially　in　the　Journal　of　the　S。　P。　R。

As　for　communications　with　the　dead；　I　devoted　a　whole　chapter　to　these　in　my　own　essay　entitled　Our　Eternity　and　will　not　return　to　them　now。　It　will　be　enough　to　recall　and　recapitulate　my　general　impression；　that　probably　the　dead　did　not　enter　into　any　of　these　conversations。　We　are　here　concerned　with　purely　mediumistic　phenomena；　more　curious　and　mere　subtle　than　those　of　table…rapping；　but　of　the　same　character；　and　these　manifestations；　however　astonishing　they　may　be；　do　not　pierce　the　terrestrial　sphere　wherein　we　are　imprisoned。

3

Setting　aside　the　religious　hypotheses；　which　we　are　not　examining　here；　for　they　belong　to　a　different　order　of　ideas；＇1＇　we　find；　as　an　explanation　of　the　Majority　of　these　phenomena；　or　at　least　as　a　means　of　avoiding　an　absolute　and　depressing　silence　in　regard　to　them；　two　hypotheses　which　reach　the　unknown　by　more　or　less　divergent　paths；　to　wit；　the　spiritualistic　hypothesis　and　the　mediumistic　hypothesis。　The　spiritualists；　or　rather　the　neospiritualists　or　scientific　spiritualists；　who　must　not　be　confused　with　the　somewhat　over…credulous　disciples　of　Allan　Kardec；　maintain　that　the　dead　do　not　die　entirely；　that　their　spiritual　or　animistic　entity　neither　departs　nor　disperses　into　space　after　the　dissolution　of　the　body；　but　continues　an　active　though　invisible　existence　around　us。　The　neospiritualistic　theory；　however；　professes　only　very　vague　notions　as　to　the　life　led　by　these　discarnate　spirits。　Are　they　more　intelligent　than　they　were　when　they　inhabited　their　flesh？　Do　they　possess　a　wider　understanding　and　mightier　faculties　than　ours？　Up　to　the　present；　we　have　not　the　unimpeachable　facts　that　would　permit　us　to　say　so。　It　would　seem；　on　the　contrary；　if　the　discarnate　spirits　really　continue　to　exist；　that　their　life　is　circumscribed；　frail；　precarious；　incoherent　and；　above　all；　not　very　long。　To　this　the　objection　is　raised　that　it　only　appears　so　to　our　feeble　eyes。　The　dead　among　whom　we　move　without　knowing　it　struggle　to　make　themselves　understood；　to　manifest　themselves；　but　dash　themselves　against　the　inpenetrable　wall　of　our　senses；　which；　created　solely　to　perceive　matter；　remain　hopelessly　ignorant　of　all　the　rest；　though　this　is　doubtless　the　essential　part　of　the　universe。　That　which　will　survive　in　us；　imprisoned　in　our　body；　is　absolutely　inaccessible　to　that　which　survives　in　them。　The　utmost　that　they　can　do　is　occasionally　to　cause　a　few　glimmers　of　their　existence　to　penetrate　the　fissures　of　those　singular　organisms　known　as　mediums。　But　these　vagrant；　fleeting；　venturous；　stifled；　deformed　glimmers　can　but　give　us　a　ludicrous　idea　of　a　life　which　has　no　longer　anything　in　common　with　the　lifepurely　animal　for　the　most　part…　which　we　lead　on　this　earth。　It　is　possible；　and　there　is　something　to　be　said　for　the　theory。　It　is　at　any　rate　remarkable　that　certain　communications；　certain　manifestations　have　shaken　the　scepticism　of　the　coldest　and　most　dispassionate　men　of　science；　men　utterly　hostile　to　supernatural　influences。　In　order　to　some　extent　to　understand　their　uneasiness　and　their　astonishment；　we　need　only　readto　quote　but　one　instance　among　a　thousanda　disquieting　but　unassailable　article；　entitled；　Dans　les　regions　inexplorees　de　la　biologic　humaine。　Observations　et　experiences　sur　Eusapia　Paladino；　by　Professor　Bottazzi；　Director　of　the　Physiological　Institute　of　the　University　of　Naples。＇2＇　Seldom　have　experiments　in　the　domain　of　mediums　or　spirits　been　conducted　with　more　distrustful　suspicion　or　with　more　implacable　scientific　strictness。　Nevertheless；　scattered　limbs；　pale；　diaphanous　but　capable　hands；　suddenly　appeared　in　the　little　physiological　laboratory　of　Naples　University；　with　its　doors　heavily　padlocked　and　sealed；　as　it　were；　mathematically　excluding　any　possibility　of　fraud；　these　same　hands　worked　apparatus　specially　intended　to　register　their　touches；　lastly；　the　outline　of　something　black；　of　a　head；　uprose　between　the　curtains　of　the　mediumistic　cabinet；　remained　visible　for　several　seconds　and　did　not　retire　until　itself　apparently　frightened　by　the　exclamations　of　surprise　drawn　from　a　group　of　scientists　who；　after　all；　were　prepared　for　anything；　and　Professor　Bottazzi　confesses　that　it　was　then　that；　to　quote　his　own　wordsmeasured　words；　as　beseems　a　votary　of　science；　but　expressivehe　felt　〃a　shiver　all　through　his　body。〃

＇1＇　On　the　same　grounds；　we　will　also　leave　on　one　side　the　theosophical　hypothesis；　which；　like　the　others；　begins　by　calling　for　an　act　of　adherence；　of　blind　faith。　Its　explanations；　though　often　ingenious；　are　no　more　than　forcible　but　gratuitous　asservations　and；　as　I　said　in　Our　Eternity；　do　not　give　us　the　shadow　of　the　commencement　of　a　proof。

＇2＇　Annales　des　Sciences　Psychiques：　April　November　1907。


It　was　one　of　those　moments　in　which　a　doubt　which　one　had　thought　for　ever　abolished　grips　the　most　unbelieving。　For　the　first　time；　perhaps；　he　looked　around　him　with　uncertainty　and　wondered　in　what　world　he　was。　As　for　the　faithful　adherents　of　the　unknown；　who　had　long　understood　that　we　must　resign　ourselves　to　understanding　nothing　and　he　prepared　for　every　sort　of　surprise　there　was　here；　all　the　same；　even　for　them；　a　mystery　of　another　character；　a　bewildering　mystery；　the　only　really　strange　mystery；　more　torturing　than　all　the　others　together；　because　it　verges　upon　ancestral　fears　and　touches　the　most　sensitive　point　of　our　destiny。

4

The　spiritualistic　argument　most　worthy　of　attention　is　that　supplied　by　the　apparitions　of　the　dead　and　by　haunted　houses。　We　will　take　no　account　of　the　phantasms　that　precede；　accompany　or　follow　hard　upon　death：　they　are　explained　by　the　transmission　of　a　violent　motion　from　one　subconsciousness　to　another；　and；　even　when　they　are　not　manifested　until　several　days　after　death；　it　may　still　he　contended　that　they　are　delayed　telepathic　communications。　But　what　are　we　to　say　of　the　ghosts　that　spring　up　more　than　a　year；　nay；　more　than　ten　years　after　the　disappearance　of　the　corpse？　They　are　very　rare；　I　know；　but　after　all　there　are　some　that　are　extremely　difficult　to　deny；　for　the　accounts　of　their　actions　are　attested　and　corroborated　by　numerous　and　trustworthy　witnesses。　It　is　true　that　here　again；　where　it　is　in　most　cases　a　question　of　apparitions　to　relations　or　friends；　we　may　be　told　that　we　are　in　the　presence　of　telepathic　incidents　or　of　hallucinations　of　the　memory。　We　thus　deprive　the　spiritualists　of　a　new　and　considerable　province　of　their　realm。　Nevertheless；　they　retain　certain　private　desmesnes　into　which　our　telepathi