Morning journal and courier., 1889-01-29
sPIRHTBALISm URMAsKKD.
Professor Huxley Shows That 1t i
 Mere Humbug and Impossure.

Professor Huxley shows That ir Is Mefe Humbug and Impossure.
 From the Pall Mall Gazsttsl
 The Pall Mall Gazette of the Both of De- cember contains 8 quotation from Chicago newspaper, in which not only is it stated that have taken part in "a series of exper- iments, chiefly with the medium Home," but it is pretty plainly suggested that am dis
 posed to judge what is called 'spiritualism" more or less favorably.
 The statement and the suggestion are alike erroneous. I never met with the medium Home, and my knowledge of him, derived from the reports of the proceedings of courts of justice, is not such as to lead me to re- gret that circumstance. But have had to do with certain other mediums" of hardly inferior notoriety; and my deliberate iudg- l ment is that they were, each and all, utter impostors, and, with one exception, not even clever at their shameful trade.
 have always refused to have anything to do with spiritualistic experiments, unless l they were to be carried out in house be- | longing to some one whom l could trust, and | unless I knew enough of the persons who | were to be present to be sure that they would not play the part of confederates of the me- ! ! dertook such an inquiry again I should fur ! ther insist on the presence of shorthand writer with 8 watch, whose business it should | be to note down everything that was said ! and done, verbatim and in exact order. Any l one who has had experience of spiritualistic proceedings and of the extraordinary dis- crepancies of testimony between tho cool ! heads and the hot heads as to the simplest ! matter of fact, will. think, see the impor- l tance of this stipulation. I once sat at l table which was to be moved by the "spir- | its." There was tall lamp in the middle l of the table, and while the Spirits" were being invoked noted that the globe of the lamp covered particular pattern of the wall paper so long as kept my head in certain ! position. Suddenly the medium said,
 ssTherel did you see the table novel" There ! was general cry of wondering assent. But it was the old story of the Northumberland House lion in a new shape. As a matter of
 fact the globe Of the lamp had remained ex- actly on Gas sailor would say) with the pat-
 tern all the time. pointed out this little
 difficulty, and by dint of persistence got an
 admission that there was some doubt about
 the case even from the medium. If the pa
 per had been plain should have been beaten
 by an overwhelming balance of testimony.
 The oldest in date of my spiritualistie ex-
 l periences goes back about fve-and- thirty
 years It took place at the house of rela-
 tive of mine, and the medium" was a
 | pleasant, lnbell1geut anu W6ll-InduuoIeu WO- ! man, native of the United States, whom l will call Mrs. X. The chief performance
 was the usual pencil and alphabet business,
 | and operations commenced with me as scien- ti6o witness and deubter general. The ease and rapidity with which that quiet transat- lantic lady fooled mo was, as she herself : might have said, caution. The name oi I the dead friend of whom was thinking was , spelled out in no time, and was left moral ly agape, while Mrs. X. followed up her vic tory, and made one after another of tht company still easier prey. However, a. 1 soon as I could pull myself together ! watched the proceedings somewhat narrow.
 ly. I noted that the mediums success wal by no means uniform; and in the case of on. !. of my friends, who enjoyed a weil.deservee !. reputation for outward impassibility, sh. failed altogether. So when Mrs. x. hae
 made the round of the table asked for an other trial and this time the ttnnoa fsilure wal I 3 tha conditiens, however, was that, on ths : second occasion, had my nerves and mus @ cles under strict control, and took care tha