the unknown guest-第37章

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ends。　All　this　new　science　of　metaphysics　or　of　the　investigation　of　our　subconsciousness　and　of　unknown　powers；　which　has　scarcely　begun　to　unveil　its　first　mysteries；　thus　finds　landmarks　and　defaced　but　recognizable　traces　in　the　old　religions；　the　most　inexplicible　traditions　and　the　most　ancient　history。　Besides；　the　probability　of　a　thing　does　not　depend　upon　undeniably　established　precedents。　While　it　is　almost　certain　that　there　is　nothing　new　under　the　sun　or　in　the　eternity　preceding　the　suns；　it　is　quite　possible　that　the　same　forces　do　not　always　act　with　the　same　energy。　As　I　observed；　nearly　twenty　years　ago；　in　The　Treasure　of　the　Humble；　at　a　time　when　I　hardly　knew　at　all　what　I　know　so　imperfectly　to…day：

〃A　spiritual〃I　should　have　said；　a　psychic…〃epoch　is　perhaps　upon　us；　an　epoch　to　which　a　certain　number　of　analogies　are　found　in　history。　For　there　are　periods　recorded　when　the　soul；　in　obedience　to　unknown　laws；　seemed　to　rise　to　the　very　surface　of　humanity；　whence　it　gave　clearest　evidence　of　its　existence　and　of　its　power。　。　。　。　It　would　seem；　at　moments　such　as　these；　as　though　humanity；〃　and；　I　would　add　to…day；　all　that　lives　with　it　on　this　earth〃were　on　the　point　of　struggling　from　beneath　the　crushing　burden　of　matter　that　weighs　it　down。〃

One　might　in　fact　believe　that　a　shudder　which　we　have　not　yet　experienced　is　passing　over　everything　that　breathes；　that　a　new　activity；　a　new　restlessness　is　permeating　the　spiritual　atmosphere　which　surrounds　our　globe；　and　that　the　very　animals　have　felt　its　thrill。　One　might　say　that；　by　the　side　of　the　niggardly　private　spring　which　would　only　supply　our　intelligence；　other　streams　are　spreading　and　rising　to　the　same　level　in　every　form　of　existence。　A　sort　of　word　of　command　is　being　passed　from　rank　to　rank；　and　the　same　phenomena　are　bursting　forth　in　every　quarter　of　the　globe　in　order　to　attract　our　attention；　as　though　the　obstinately　dumb　genius　that　lay　hidden　in　the　pregnant　silence　of　the　universe；　from　that　of　the　stones；　the　flowers　and　the　insects　to　the　mighty　silence　of　the　stars；　were　at　last　trying　to　tell　us　some　secret　whereby　it　would　be　better　known　to　us　or　to　itself。　It　is　possible　that　this　is　but　an　illusion。　Perhaps　we　are　simply　more　attentive　and　better　informed　than　of　old。　We　learn　at　the　very　instant　what　happens　in　every　part　of　our　earth　and　we　have　acquired　the　habit　of　more　minutely　observing　and　examining　the　things　that　happen。　But　the　illusion　would　in　this　case　have　all　the　force；　all　the　value　and　all　the　meaning　of　the　reality　and　would　enjoin　the　same　hopes　and　the　same　obligation。


CHAPTER　V。　THE　UNKNOWN　GUEST

1

We　have　now　studied　certain　manifestations　of　that　which　we　have　called　in　turn　and　more　or　less　indiscriminately　the　subconscious　mind；　the　subliminal　consciousness　and　the　unknown　guest；　names　to　which　we　might　add　that　of　the　superior　subconsciousness　or　superior　psychism　invented　by　Dr。　Geley。　Granting　that　these　manifestations　are　really　proved；　it　is　no　longer　possible　to　explain　them　or　rather　to　classify　them　without　having　recourse　to　fresh　theories。　Now　we　can　entertain　doubts　on　many　points；　we　can　cavil　and　argue；　but　I　defy　anyone　approaching　these　facts　in　a　serious　and　honest　spirit　to　reject　them　all。　It　is　permissible　to　neglect　the　most　extraordinary；　but　there　are　a　multitude　of　others　which　have　become　or；　to　speak　more　accurately；　are　acknowledged　to　be　as　frequent　and　habitual　as　any　fact　whatever　in　normal；　everyday　life。　It　is　not　difficult　to　reproduce　them　at　will；　provided　we　place　ourselves　in　the　condition　demanded　by　their　very　nature；　and；　this　being　so；　there　remains　no　valid　reason　for　excluding　them　from　the　domain　of　science　in　the　strict　sense　of　the　word。

Hitherto；　all　that　we　have　learnt　regarding　these　occurrences　is　that　their　origin　is　unknown。　It　will　be　said　that　this　is　not　much　and　that　the　discovery　is　nothing　to　boast　of。　I　quite　agree：　to　imagine　that　one　can　explain　a　phenomena　by　saying　that　it　is　produced　by　an　unknown　agency　would　indeed　be　childish。　But　it　is　already　something　to　have　marked　its　source；　not　to　be　still　lingering　in　the　thick　of　a　fog；　trying　any　and　every　direction　in　order　to　find　a　way　out；　but　to　be　concentrating　our　attention　on　a　single　spot　which　is　the　starting…point　of　all　these　wonders；　so　that　at　each　instant　we　recognize　in　each　phenomenon　the　characteristic　customs；　methods　or　features　of　the　same　unknown　agency。　It　is　very　nearly　all　that　we　can　do　for　the　moment；　but　this　first　effort　is　not　wholly　to　be　despised。

2

It　has　seemed　to　us　then　that　it　was　our　unknown　guest　that　expressed　itself　in　the　name　of　the　dead　in　table…turning　and　in　automatic　writing　and　speaking。　This　unknown　guest　has　appeared　to　us　to　take　within　us　the　place　of　those　who　are　no　more；　to　unite　itself　perhaps　with　forces　that　do　not　die；　to　visit　the　grave　with　the　object　of　bringing　thence　inexplicable　phantoms　which　rise　up　in　front　of　us　fruitlessly　or　haunt　our　houses　without　telling　us　why。　We　have　seen　it；　in　experiments　in　clairvoyance　and　intuition；　suppressing　all　the　obstacles　that　banish　or　conceal　thought　and；　through　bodies　that　have　become　transparent；　reading　in　our　very　souls　forgotten　secrets　of　the　past；　sentiments　that　have　not　yet　taken　shape；　intentions　as　yet　unborn。　We　have　discovered　that　some　object　once　handled　by　a　person　now　far　away　is　enough　to　make　it　take　part　in　the　innermost　life　of　that　person；　to　go　deeper　and　rise　higher　than　he　does；　to　see　what　he　sees　and　even　what　he　does　not　see：　the　landscape　that　surrounds　him；　the　house　which　he　inhabits　and　also　the　dangers　that　threaten　him　and　the　secret　passions　by　which　he　is　stirred。　We　have　surprised　it　wandering　hither　and　thither；　at　haphazard；　in　the　future；　confounding　it　with　the　present　and　the　past；　not　conscious　of　where　it　is　but　seeing　far　and　wide；　knowing　perhaps　everything　but　unaware　of　the　importance　of　what　it　knows；　or　as　yet　incapable　of　turning　it　to　account　or　of　making　itself　understood；　at　once　neglectful　and　overscrupulous；　prolix　and　reticent；　useless　and　indispensable。　We　have　seen　it；　lastly；　although　we　had　hitherto　looked　upon　it　as　indissolubly　and　unchangeably　human；　suddenly　emerge　from　other　creatures　and　there　reveal　faculties　akin　to　ours；　which　commune　with　them　deep　down　in　the　deepest　mysteries　and　which　equal　them　and　sometimes　surpass　them　in　a　region　that　wrongly　appeared　to　us　the　only　really　unassailable　province　of　mankind；　I　mean　the　obscure　and　abstruse　province　of　numbers。

It　has　many　other　no　less　strange　and　perhaps　more　important　manifestations；　which　we　propose　to　examine　in　a　later　volume；　notably　its　surprising　therapeutic　virtues　and　its　phenomena　of　materialization。　But；　without　expressing　a　premature　judgment　on　what　we　do　not　yet　know；　perhaps　we　have　sketched　it　with　sufficient　clearness　in　the　foregoing　pages　to　enable　us　henceforward　to　disentangle　certain　general　and　characteristic　features　from　a　confusion　of　often　contradictory　lines。

3

But；　in　the　first　place；　does　it　really　exist；　this　tragic　and　comical；　evasive　and　unavoidable　figure　which　we　make　no　claim　to　portray；　but　at　most　to　divest　of　some　of　its　shadows？　It　were　rash　to　affirm　it　too　loudly；　but　meanwhile；　in　the　realms　where　we　suppose　it　to　reign；　everything　happens　as　though　it　did　exist。　Do　away　with　it　and　you　are　obliged　to　people　the　world　and　burden　your　life　with　a　host　of　hypothetical　and　imaginary　beings：　gods；　demigods；　angels；　demons；　saints；　spirits；　shells；　elementals；　etherial　entities；　interplanetary　intelligences　and　so　on；　except　it　and　all　those　phantoms；　without　disappearing；　for　they　may　very　well　continue　to　live　in　its　shadow；　become　superfluous　or　accessory。　It　is　not　intolerant　and　does　not　definitely　eliminate　any　of　the　hypotheses　by　the　aid　of　which　man　has　hitherto　striven　to　explain　what　he　did　not　understand；　hypotheses　which；　in　regard　to　some　matters；　are　not　inadmissible；　although　not　one　of　them　is　confirmed；　but　it　brings　him　back　to　itself；　absorbs　them　and　rules　them　without　annihilating　them。　If；　for　instance；　to　select　the　most　defensible　theory；　one　which　it　is　sometimes