the unknown guest-第9章

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y；　the　object　in　question　will　conceal　and；　through　the　intermediary　of　the　medium；　will　reveal　as　many　distinct　and　complete　personalities　as　it　has　undergone　contacts。　It　will　never　confuse　or　mix　those　different　personalities。　They　will　remain　there　in　definite　strata；　distinct　one　from　another；　and；　as　Dr。　Osty　puts　it；　〃the　medium　can　interpret　each　of　them　from　beginning　to　end；　as　though　he　were　in　communication　with　the　far…off　entity。〃

All　this　makes　the　theory　somewhat　incredible；　even　though　it　be　not　much　more　so　than　the　many　other　phenomena　in　which　the　shock　of　the　miraculous　has　been　softened　by　familiarity。　We　can　find　more　or　less　everywhere　in　nature　that　prodigious　faculty　of　storing　away　inexhaustible　energies　and　ineffaceable　tram；　memories　and　impressions　in　space。　There　is　not　a　thing　in　this　world　that　is　lost；　that　disappears；　that　ceases　to　be；　to　retain　and　to　propagate　life。　Need　we　recall；　in　this　connection；　the　incessant　mission　of　pictures　perceived　by　the　sensitized　plate；　the　vibrations　of　sound　that　accumulate　in　the　disks　of　the　gramophone；　the　Hertzian　waves　that　lose　none　of　their　strength　in　space；　the　mysteries　of　reproduction　and；　in　a　word；　the　incomprehensibility　of　everything　around　us？

8

Personally；　if　I　had　to　choose；　I　should；　in　most　of　these　laboratory　cases；　frankly　adopt　the　theory　that　the　object　touched　serves　simply　to　detect；　among　the　prodigious　crowd　of　human　beings；　the　one　who　impregnated　it　with　his　〃fluid。〃

〃This　object；〃　says　Dr。　Osty；　〃has　no　other　function　than　to　allow　the　medium's　sensitiveness　to　distinguish　a　definite　force　from　among　the　innumerable　forces　that　assail　it。〃

It　seem　more　and　more　certain　that；　as　the　cells　of　an　immense　organism；　we　are　connected　with　everything　that　exists　by　an　inextricable　network　of　vibrations；　waves；　influences；　of　nameless；　numberless　and　uninterrupted　fluids。　Nearly　always；　in　nearly　all　men；　everything　carried　along　by　these　invisible　wires　falls　into　the　depths　of　the　unconsciousness　and　passes　unperceived；　which　does　not　mean　that　it　remains　inactive。　But　sometimes　an　exceptional　circumstancein　the　present　case；　the　marvellous　sensibility　of　a　first…class　mediumsuddenly　reveals　to　us；　by　the　vibrations　and　the　undeniable　action　of　one　of　those　wires；　the　existence　of　the　infinite　network。　I　will　not　speak　here　of　trails　discovered　and　followed　in　an　almost　mediumistic　manner；　after　an　object　of　some　sort　has　been　sniffed　at。　Such　stories；　though　highly　probable；　as　yet　lack　adequate　support。　But；　within　a　similar　order　of　ideas；　and　in　a　humbler　world　and　one　with　more　modest　limits；　the　dog；　for　instance；　is　incessantly　surrounded　by　different　scents　and　smells　to　which　he　appears　indifferent　until　his　attention　is　aroused　by　one　or　other　of　these　vagrant　effluvia；　when　he　extricates　it　from　the　hopeless　tangle。　It　would　seem　as　though　the　trail　took　life；　vibrating　like　a　chord　in　unison　with　the　animal's　wishes；　becoming　irresistible；　and　taking　it　to　its　goal　after　innumerable　winds　and　turns。

We　see　the　mysterious　network　revealed　also　in　〃cross…correspondence。〃　Two　or　three　mediums　who　do　not　know　one　another；　who　are　often　separated　by　seas；　or　continents；　who　are　ignorant　of　the　whereabouts　of　the　one　who　is　to　complete　their　thought；　each　write　a　part　of　a　sentence　which；　as　it　stands；　conveys　no　meaning　whatever。　On　piecing　the　fragments　together；　we　perceive　that　they　fit　to　perfection　and　acquire　an　intelligible　and　obviously　premeditated　sense。　We　here　find　once　more　the　same　faculty　that　permits　the　medium　to　detect；　among　thousands　of　others；　a　definite　force　which　was　wandering　in　space。　It　is　true　that；　in　these　cases；　the　spiritualists　maintain　that　the　whole　experiment　is　organized　and　directed　by　a　discarnate　intelligence；　independent　of　the　mediums；　which　means　to　prove　its　existence　and　its　identity　in　this　manner。　Without　incontinently　rejecting　this　theory；　which　is　not　necessarily　indefensible；　we　will　merely　remark　that；　since　the　faculty　is　manifested　in　psychometry　without　the　intervention　of　the　spirits；　there　can　be　no　sufficient　reason　for　attributing　it　to　them　in　cross…correspondence。

9

But　in　whom　does　it　reside？　Is　it　hidden　in　ourselves　or　in　the　medium？　According　to　Dr。　Osty；　the　clairvoyants　are　mirrors　reflecting　the　intuitive　thought　that　is　latent　in　each　of　us。　In　other　wordsit　is　we　ourselves　who　are　clairvoyant；　and　they　but　reveal　to　us　nor　own　clairvoyance。　Their　mission　is　to　stir；　to　awaken；　to　galvanize；　to　illumine　the　secrets　of　our　subconsciousness　and　to　bring　them　to　the　surface　of　our　normal　lives。　They　act　upon　our　inner　darkness　exactly　as；　in　the　photographic　dark…room；　the　developing…bath　acts　upon　the　sensitized　plate；　I　am　convinced　that　the　theory　is　accurate　as　regards　intuition　and　clairvoyance　proper；　that　is　to　say；　in　all　cases　where　we　are　in　the　medium's　presence　and　more　or　less　directly　in　touch　with　him。　But　is　it　so　in　psychometry？　Is　it　we　who；　unknown　to　ourselves；　know　all　that　the　object　contains；　or　is　it　the　medium　alone　who　discovers　it　in　the　object　itself；　independently　of　the　person　who　produces　the　object？　When；　for　instance；　we　receive　a　letter　from　a　stranger；　does　this　letter；　which　has　absorbed　like　a　sponge　the　whole　life　and　by　choice　the　subconscious　life　of　the　writer；　disgorge　all　that　it　contained　into　our　subconsciousness？　Do　we　instantly　learn　all　that　concerns　its　author；　absolutely　as　though　he　were　standing　before　us　in　the　flesh　and；　above　all；　with　his　soul　laid　bare；　though　we　remain　profoundly　ignorant　of　the　fact　that　we　have　learnt　it　until　the　medium's　intervention　tells　us　so？

This；　if　you　like；　is　simply　shifting　the　question。　Let　it　be　the　medium　or　myself　that　discovers　the　unknown　personality　in　the　object　or　tracks　it　across　time　and　space：　all　that　we　do　is　to　widen　the　scope　of　our　riddle；　while　leaving　it　no　less　obscure。　Nevertheless；　there　is　some　interest　in　knowing　whether　we　have　to　do　with　a　general　faculty　latent　in　all　men　or　an　inexplicable　privilege　reserved　to　rare　individuals。　The　exceptional　should　always　be　eliminated；　if　possible；　and　not　left　to　hang　over　the　abyss　like　an　unfinished　bridge　leading　to　nothing。　I　am　well　aware　that　the　compulsory　intervention　of　the　medium　implies　that；　in　spite　of　all；　we　recognize　his　possession　of　abnormal　faculties；　but　at　any　rate　we　reduce　their　power　and　their　extent　appreciably　and　we　return　sooner　and　more　easily　to　the　ordinary　laws　of　the　great　human　mystery。　And　it　is　of　importance　that　we　should　be　ever　coming　back　to　that　mystery　and　ever　bringing　all　things　back　to　it。　But；　unfortunately；　actual　experience　does　not　admit　of　this　generalization。　It　is　clearly　a　case　of　a　special　faculty；　one　peculiar　to　the　medium；　one　which　is　wholly　unknown　to　our　latent　intuition。　We　can　easily　assure　ourselves　of　this　by　causing　the　medium　to　receive　through　a　third　party　and　enclosed　in　a　series　of　three　envelopes；　as　in　the　experiment　described　above；　a　letter　of　which　we　know　the　writer；　but　of　which　both　the　source　and　the　contents　are　absolutely　unknown　to　the　messenger。　These　unusual　circumstances；　in　which　all　subconscious　communications　between　consultant　and　consulted　are　strictly　cut　off；　will　in　no　way　hamper　the　medium's　clairvoyance；　and　we　may　fairly　conclude　that　it　is　actually　the　medium　himself　who　discovers　directly；　without　any　intermediary；　without　〃relays；〃　to　use　M。　Duchatel's　expression；　all　that　the　object　holds　concealed。　It；　therefore；　seems　certain　that　there　is；　at　least　in　psychometry；　something　more　than　the　mere　mirror　of　which　Dr。　Osty　speaks。

10

I　consider　it　necessary　to　declare　for　the　last　time　that　these　psychometric　phenomena；　astonishing　though　they　appear　at　first；　are　known；　proved　and　certain　and　are　no　longer　denied　or　doubted　by　any　of　those　who　have　studied　them　seriously。　I　could　have　given　full　particulars　of　a　large　number　of　conclusive　experiments；　but　this　seemed　to　me　as　superfluous　and　tedious　as　would　be；　for　instance；　a　string　of　names　of　the　recognized　chemical　reactions　that　can　be　obtained　in　a　laboratory。　Any　one　who　pleases　is　at　liberty　to　convince　himself　of　the　reality