the unknown guest-第36章

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dly。　To　any　one　in　the　requisite　state　of　mind；　it　becomes　a　question　of　a　sort　of　elementary　charade；　which　hides　its　answer　only　from　those　who　speak　another　language。　It　is　evident　that　every　problem；　however　complex　it　may　appear；　carries　within　its　very　enunciation　its　one；　invariable　solution；　scarce　veiled　by　the　indiscreet　signs　that　contain　or　cover　it。　It　is　there；　under　the　numbers　that　have　no　other　object　than　to　give　it　life；　coming；　stirring　and　ceaselessly　proclaiming　itself　a　necessity。　It　is　not　surprising　therefore　that　eyes　sharper　than　ours　and　ears　open　to　other　vibrations　should　see　and　hear　it　without　knowing　what　it　represents；　what　it　implies　or　from　what　prodigious　mass　of　figures　and　operations　it　merges。　The　problem　itself　speaks；　and　the　horse　but　repeats　the　sign　which　he　hears　whispered　in　the　mysterious　life　of　numbers　or　deep　down　in；　the　abyss　where　the　eternal　verities　hold　sway。　He　understands　none　of　it；　he　has　no　need　to　understand；　he　is　but　the　unconscious　medium　who　lends　his　voice　or　his　limbs　to　the　mind　that　inspires　him。　There　is　here　but　a　bare　and　simple　answer；　bearing　no　precise　significance；　seized　in　an　alien　existence。　There　is　here　but　a　mechanical　revelation；　so　to　speak；　a　sort　of　special　reflex　which　we　can　only　record　and　which；　for　the　rest；　is　as　inexplicable　as　any　other　phenomenon　of　consciousness　or　instinct。　After　all；　when　we　think　of　it；　it　is　just　as；　astonishing　that　we　should　not　perceive　the　solution　as　it　is　that　we　should　discover　it。　However；　I　grant　that　all　this　is　but　a　venturesome　interpretation　to　be　taken　for　what　it　is　worth；　an　experimental　or　interim　theory　with　which　we　must　needs　content　ourselves　since　all　the　others　have　hitherto　been　controverted　by　the　facts。

35

Let　us　now　briefly　sum　up　what　the　Elberfeld　experiments　have　yielded　us。　Having　put　aside　telepathy　in　the　narrow　sensewhich　perhaps　enters　into　more　than　one　phenomenon　but　is　not　indispensable　to　it；　for　we　see　these　same　phenomena　repeated　when　telepathy　is　practically　impossiblewe　cannot　help　observing　that；　if　we　deny　the　existence　or　the　influence　of　the　subliminal；　it　is　all　the　more　difficult　to　contest　the　existence　and　the　intervention　of　the　intelligence；　at　any　rate　up　to　the　extracting　of　roots；　after　which　there　is　a　steep　precipice　which　ends　in　darkness。　But；　even　if　we　stop　at　the　roots；　the　sudden　discovery　of　an　intellectual　force　so　similar　to　our　own；　where　we　were　accustomed　to　see　but　an　irremediable　impotency；　is　no　doubt　one　of　the　most　unexpected　revelations　that　we　have　received　since　the　invisible　and　the　unknown　began　to　press　upon　us　with　a　persistence　and　an　impatience　which　they　had　not　displayed　heretofore。　It　is　not　easy　to　foresee　as　yet　the　consequences　and　the　promises　of　this　new　aspect　which　the　great　riddle　of　the　intelligence　is　suddenly　adopting。　But　I　believe　that　we　shall　soon　have　to　revise　some　of　the　essential　ideas　which　are　the　foundations　of　our　life　and　that　some　rather　strange　horizons　are　appearing　out　of　the　mists　in　the　history　of　psychology；　of　morality；　of　human　destiny　and　of　many　other　things。

36

So　much　for　the　intelligence。　On　the　other　hand；　what　we　deny　to　the　intelligence　we　are　constrained　to　grant　to　the　subliminal；　and　the　revelation　is　even　more　disconcerting。　We　should　then　have　to　admit　that　them　is　in　the　horseand　hence　most　probably　in　everything　that　lives　on　this　eartha　psychic　power　similar　to　that　which　is　hidden　beneath　the　veil　of　our　reason　and　which；　as　we　learn　to　know　it；　astonishes；　surpasses　and　dominates　our　reason　more　and　more。　This　psychic　power；　in　which　no　doubt　we　shall　one　day　be　forced　to　recognize　the　genius　of　the　universe　itself；　appears；　as　we　have　often　observed；　to　be　all…wise；　all…seeing　and　all…powerful。　It　has；　when　it　is　pleased　to　communicate　with　us　or　when　we　are　allowed　to　penetrate　into　it；　an　answer　for　every　question；　　and　perhaps　a　remedy　for　every　ill。　We　will　not　enumerate　its　virtues　again。　It　will　be　enough　for　us　to　recall　with　what　ease　it　mocks　at　space；　time　and　all　the　obstacles　that　beset　our　poor　human　knowledge　and　understanding。　We　believed　it；　like　all　that　seems　to　us　superior　and　marvellous；　the　intangible；　inalienable　and　incommunicable　attribute　of　man；　with　even　better　reason　than　his　intelligence。　And　now　an　accident；　strangely　belated；　it　is　true；　tells　us　that；　at　one　precise　point；　the　strangest　and　least　foreseen　of　all；　the　horse　and　the　dog　draw　more　easily　and　perhaps　more　directly　than　ourselves　upon　its　mighty　reservoirs。　By　the　most　inexplicable　of　anomalies；　though　one　that　is　fairly　consistent　with　the　fantastic　character　of　the　subliminal；　they　appear　to　have　access　to　it　only　at　the　spot　that　is　most　remote　from　their　habits　and　most　unknown　to　their　propensities；　for　there　is　nothing　in　the　world　about　which　animals　trouble　less　than　figures。　But　is　this　not；　perhaps　because　we　do　not　see　what　goes　on　elsewhere？　It　so　happens　that　the　infinite　mystery　of　numbers　can　sometimes　be　expressed　by　a　very　few　simple　movements　which　are　natural　to　most　animals；　but　there　is　nothing　to　tell　us　that；　if　we　could　teach　the　horse　and　the　dog　to　attach　to　these　same　movements　the　expression　of　other　mysteries；　they　would　not　draw　upon　them　with　equal　facility。　It　has　been　successfully　attempted　to　give　them　a　more　or　less　clear　idea　of　the　value　of　a　few　figures　and　perhaps　of　the　course　and　nature　of　certain　elementary　operations；　and　this　appears　to　have　been　enough　to　open　up　to　them　the　most　secret　regions　of　mathematics　in　which　every　question　is　answered　beforehand。　It　is　not　wholly　illusive　to　suppose　that；　if　we　could　impart　to　them；　for　instance；　a　similar　notion　of　the　future；　together　with　a　manner　of　conveying　to　us　what　they　see　there；　they　might　also　have　access　to　strange　visions　of　another　class；　which　are　jealously　kept　from　us　by　the　too…watchful　guardians　of　our　intelligence。　There　is　an　opportunity　here　for　experiments　which　will　doubtless　prove　exceedingly　arduous；　for　the　future　is　not　so　easily　seen　and　above　all　not　so　easily　interpreted　and　expressed　as　a　number。　It　is　possible；　moreover；　that；　when　we　know　how　to　set　about　it；　we　shall　obtain　most　of　the　human　mediumistic　phenomena；　rapping；　the　moving　of　objects；　materialization　even　and　Heaven　knows　what　other　surprises　held　in　store　for　us　by　that　astounding　subliminal　to　whose　fancy　there　appears　to　be　no　bounds。　In　any　case；　if　we　accept　the　divining　of　numbers；　as　we　are　almost　forced　to　do；　it　is　almost　certain　that　the　divining　of　other　matters　must　follow。　An　unexpected　breach　is　made　in　the　wall　behind　which　lie　heaped　the　great　secrets　that　seem　to　us；　as　our　knowledge　and　our　civilization　increase；　to　become　stronger　and　more　inaccessible。　True；　it　is　a　narrow　breach；　but　it　is　the　first　that　has　been　opened　in　that　part　of　the　hitherto　uncrannied　wall　which　is　not　turned　towards　mankind。　What　will　issue　through　it？　No　one　can　foretell　what　we　may　hope。

37

What　astonishes　us　most　is　that　this　revelation　has　been　so　long　delayed。　How　are　we　to　explain　that　man　has　lived　to　this　day　with　his　domestic　animals　never　suspecting　that　they　harboured　mediumistic　or　subliminal　faculties　as　extraordinary　as　those　which　he　vaguely　felt　himself　to　possess。　One　would　have　in　this　connection　to　study　the　mysterious　practices　of　ancient　India　and　of　Egypt；　the　numerous　and　persistent　legends　of　animals　talking；　guiding　their　masters　and　foretelling　the　future；　and；　nearer　to　ourselves；　in　history　proper；　all　that　science　of　augury　and　soothsaying　which　derived　its　omens　from　the　flight　of　birds；　the　inspection　of　entrails；　the　appetite　or　attitude　of　the　sacred　or　prophetic　animals；　among　which　horses　were　often　numbered。　We　here　find　one　of　those　innumerous　instances　of　a　lost　or　anticipated　power　which　make　us　suspect　that　mankind　has　forestalled　or　forgotten　all　that　we　believe　ourselves　to　be　discovering。　Remember　that　there　is　almost　always　some　distorted；　misapprehended　or　dimlyseen　truth　at　the　bottom　of　the　most　eccentric　and　wildest　creeds；　superstitions　and　legends。　All　this　new　science　of　metaphysics　or　of　the　investigation　of　our　subconsciousness　and　of　unk