the unknown guest-第38章

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nnihilating　them。　If；　for　instance；　to　select　the　most　defensible　theory；　one　which　it　is　sometimes　difficult　to　dismiss　absolutely；　if　you　insist　that　the　discarnate　spirits　take　part　in　your　actions；　haunt　your　house；　inspire　your　thoughts；　reveal　your　future；　it　will　answer：

〃That　is　true；　but　it　is　still　I；　I　am　discarnate；　or　rather　I　am　not　wholly　incarnate：　it　is　only　a　small　part　of　my　being　that　is　embodied　in　your　flesh；　and　the　rest；　which　is　nearly　all　of　me；　comes　and　goes　freely　both　among　those　who　once　were　and　among　those　who　are　yet　to　be；　and；　when　they　seem　to　speak　to　you；　it　is　my　own　speech　that　borrows　their　customs　and　their　voice　in　order　to　make　you　listen　and　to　amuse　your　often　slumbering　attention。　If　you　prefer　to　deal　with　superior　entities　of　unknown　origin；　with　interplanetary　or　supernatural　intelligences；　once　more　it　is　I；　for；　since　I　am　not　entirely　in　your　body；　I　must　needs　be　elsewhere；　and　to　be　elsewhere　when　one　is　not　held　back　by　the　weight　of　the　flesh　is　to　be　everywhere　if　one　so　pleases。〃

We　see；　it　has　a　reply　to　everything；　it　takes　every　name　that　we　wish　and　there　is　nothing　to　limit　it；　because　it　lives　in　a　world　wherein　bounds　are　as　illusory　as　the　useless　words　which　we　employ　on　earth。

4

While　it　has　a　reply　to　everything；　certain　manifestations　which　it　deliberately　ascribes　to　the　spirits　have　brought　upon　it　a　not　undeserved　reproach。　To　begin　with；　as　Dr。　Maxwell　observes；　it　has　no　absolutely　fixed　doctrine。　In　nearly　every　country　in　the　world；　when　it　speaks　in　the　name　of　the　spirits；　it　declares　that　they　undergo　reincarnation　and　readily　relates　their　past　existences。　In　England；　on　the　contrary；　it　usually　asserts　that　they　do　not　become　reincarnated。　What　does　this　mean？　Surely　this　ignorance　or　this　inconsistency　on　the　part　of　that　which　appears　to　know　everything　is　very　strange！　And　worse；　sometimes　it　attributes　to　the　spirits；　sometimes　to　itself　or　any　one　or　anything　the　revelations　which　it　makes　to　us。　When　exactly　is　it　speaking　the　truth？　At　least　on　two　occasions　out　of　three；　it　deludes　itself　or　deludes　us。　If　it　deceive　itself；　if　it　is　mistaken　about　a　matter　in　which　it　should　be　easy　for　it　to　know　the　truth；　what　can　it　teach　us　on　the　subject　of　a　world　of　whose　most　elementary　laws　it　is　ignorant；　since　it　does　not　even　know　whether　it　is　itself　or　another　that　speaks　to　us　in　the　name　of　that　world？　Are　we　to　believe　that　it　was　in　the　same　darkness　as　our　poor　superficial　ego；　which　it　pretends　so　often　to　enlighten　and　which　it　does　in　fact　inspire　in　most　of　the　great　events　of　life？　If　it　deceives　us；　why　does　it　do　so？　We　can　see　no　object：　it　asks　for　nothing；　not　for　alms；　nor　prayers；　nor　thoughts；　on　behalf　of　those　whose　mantle　it　assumes　for　the　sole　purpose　of　leading　us　astray。　What　is　the　use　of　those　mischievous　and　puerile　pranks；　of　those　ghastly　graveyard　pleasantries？　It　must　lie　then　for　the　mere　pleasure　of　lying；　and　our　unknown　guest；　that　infinite　and　doubtless　immortal　subconsciousness　in　which　we　have　placed　out　last　hopes；　is　after　all　but　an　imbecile；　a　buffoon　or　a　rank　swindler！

5

I　do　not　believe　that　the　truth　is　as　hideous　as　this。　Our　unknown　guest　does　not　deceive　itself　any　more　than　it　deceives　us；　but　it　is　we　who　deceive　ourselves。　It　has　not　the　stage　to　itself；　and　its　voice　is　not　the　voice　that　sounds　in　our　ears；　which　were　never　made　to　catch　the　echoes　of　a　world　that　is　not　like　ours。　If　it　could　speak　to　us　itself　and　tell　us　what　it　knows；　we　should　probably　at　that　instant　cease　to　be　on　this　earth。　But　we　are　immersed　in　our　bodies；　entombed　prisoners　with　whom　it　cannot　communicate　at　will。　It　roams　around　the　walls；　it　utters　warning　cries。　It　knocks　at　every　door；　but　all　that　reaches　us　is　a　vague　disquiet；　an　indistinct　murmur　that　is　sometimes　translated　to　us　by　a　half…awakened　gaoler　who；　like　ourselves；　is　a　lifelong　captive。　The　gaoler　does　his　best；　he　has　his　own　way　of　speaking；　his　familiar　expressions；　he　knows；　and；　with　the　aid　of　the　words　which　he　possesses　and　those　which　he　hears　repeated；　he　tries　to　make　us　understand　what　he　hardly　understands　himself。　He　does　not　know　exactly　whence　the　sounds　come　which　he　hears；　and；　according　as　tempests；　wars　or　riots　happen　to　be　uppermost　at　the　moment；　he　attributes　them　to　the　winds；　to　tramping　soldiers　or　to　frenzied　crowds。　In　other　words　and　speaking　without　metaphor；　it　is　the　medium　who　draws　from　his　habitual　language　and　from　that　suggested　to　him　by　his　audience　the　wherewithal　to　clothe　and　identify　the　strange　presentiments；　the　unfamiliar　visions　that　come　from　some　unknown　region。　If　he　believes　that　the　dead　survive；　he　will　naturally　imagine　that　it　is　the　dead　who　speak　to　him。　If　he　has　a　favourite　spirit；　angel；　demon　or　god；　he　will　express　himself　in　its　name；　if　he　has　no　preconceived　opinion；　he　will　not　even　allude　to　the　origin　of　the　revelations　which　he　is　making。　The　inarticulate　language　of　the　subconsciousness　necessarily　borrows　that　of　the　normal　consciousness；　and　the　two　become　confused　into　a　sort　of　shifting　and　multiform　jargon。　And　our　unknown　guest；　which　is　not　thinking　of　delivering　a　course　of　lectures　upon　its　entity；　but　simply　giving　us　as　best　it　can　a　more　or　less　warning　or　mark　of　its　existence；　seems　to　care　but　little　as　to　the　garments　in　which　it　is　rigged　out；　having　indeed　no　choice　in　the　matter；　for；　either　because　it　is　unable　to　manifest　itself　or　because　we　are　incapable　of　understanding　it；　it　has　to　be　content　with　whatever　comes　to　hand。

Besides；　if　we　attribute　too　exclusively　to　the　spirits　that　which　comes　from　another　quarter；　the　mistake　is　doubtless　no　great　one　in　its　eyes；　for　it　is　not　madness　to　believe　that　it　lives　with　that　which　does　not　die　in　the　dead　even　as　with　that　which　does　not　die　in　ourselves；　with　that　which　does　not　descend　into　the　grave　even　as　with　that　which　does　not　take　flesh　at　the　hour　of　birth。

6

There　is　no　reason　therefore　to　condemn　the　other　theories　entirely。　Most　of　them　doubtless　contain　something　more　than　a　particle　of　truth；　in　particular；　the　great　quarrel　between　the　subconscious　school　and　the　spiritualists　is　based　on　the　whole　upon　a　misunderstanding。　It　is　quite　possible　and　even　very　probable　that　the　dead　are　all　around　us；　since　it　is　impossible　that　the　dead　do　not　live。　Our　subconsciousness　must　mingle　with　all　that　does　not　die　in　them；　and　that　which　dies　in　them　or　rather　disperses　and　loses　all　its　importance　is　but　the　little　consciousness　accumulated　on　this　earth　and　kept　up　until　the　last　hour　by　the　frail　bonds　of　memory。　In　all　those　manifestations　of　our　unknown　guest；　it　is　our　posthumous　ego　that　already　lives　in　us　while　we　are　still　in　the　flesh　and　at　moments　joins　that　which　does　not　die　in　those　who　have　quitted　their　body。　Then　does　the　existence　of　our　unknown　guest　presume　the　immortality　of　a　part　of　ourselves？　Can　one　possibly　doubt　it？　Have　you　ever　imagined　that　you　would　perish　entirely？　As　for　me；　what　I　cannot　picture　is　the　manner　in　which　you　would　picture　that　total　annihilation。　But；　if　you　cannot　perish　entirely；　it　is　no　less　certain　that　those　who　came　before　you　have　not　perished　either；　and　hence　it　is　not　altogether　improbable　that　we　may　be　able　to　discover　them　and　to　communicate　with　them。　In　this　wider　sense；　the　spiritualistic　theory　is　perfectly　admissible；　but　what　is　not　at　all　admissible　is　the　narrow　and　pitiful　interpretation　which　its　proponents　too　often　give　it。　They　see　the　dead　crowding　around　us　like　wretched　puppets　indissolubly　attached　to　the　insignificant　scene　of　their　death　by　the　thousand　little　threads　of　insipid　memories　and　infantile　hobbies。　They　are　supposed　to　be　here；　blocking　up　our　homes；　more　abjectly　human　than　if　they　were　still　alive；　vague；　inconsistent；　garrulous；　derelict；　futile　and　idle；　tossing　hither　and　thither　their　desolate　shadows；　which　are　being　slowly　swallowed　up　by　silence　and　oblivion；　busying　themselves　incessantly　with　what　no　longer　concerns　them；　but　almost　incapable　of　doing　us　a　real　service；　so　much　so　that；　in　short；　they　would　end　by　persuading　us　that　death　serves　no　purpose；　that　i