The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-04-05

posure, such as could belong only to his
diabnlic majesty himself; until the pro-
found fastidous wickedness of the whole
performance drew an involuntary eXclama-
ton from the observer; the lights went
out; in the pitchy darkness he felt himself
seized and hurried away, and by fortu-
nate accident lie lived to tell the tale.
This / say, is an excellent story; but it
might conceivably be true. The c0njuring
up of spirits is an ancient practice. Let
number of persons animated by cOncensus
of purpose AMI desire meet together, arrange
themselves in symbolic order and attitude,
and stimulate and intensity their common
object by harmonizing words and gestures,
and they will presently work themselves
and one another up to pitch oil eXpectant
attention, the effect whereof upon their
minds and senses it would not be easy to
exaggerate. The appariton evoked by the
young Partisan was nothing less than the
essence of their combined conception OF the
Eni Principle. The figure resembled them
much as the composite photograph"
lately in vogue unite the prevailing traits OF
the contributing individuals into deriva-
tive of them all. 1t would have been strange
if an objective result had not been obtained.
We may say, of course, that the result, while
seeming TO be objective, was in fact sub
jective. But what, after all, is spirit?
In spiritualstic circles the table becomes
the medium of sympathy or magnetic COM
nuDion between the persons who sit around
it. / have been amused by the efforts OF
skeptlcal persons to prove that "table-tlp-
ping" is the result of prank or OF uncOn-
sci0us muscular action on the part OF the
sitters. Il believe in God Almighty" said
one gentleman to me, quite seriously, land
| know he wouldn't come down here to
work any such nonsenseW Neither, L sup
pose. would he through the medium of
ruffians, murder innocent people, or cause
any other Ubiquitous or ridiculous act;
nevertheless the world is full of folly and
iniquity. The gentleman's statement had
no application to the matter in hand. The
table is moved of course. but not by the
pushing or pulling of hands and feet The
alternative to physical hands and feet is not,
however necessarily spirits. For my own
part, though l have no particular objection
to the spirit theory, it seems to me gratuitous.
If the force must have name, the old one
of animal magnetism suits me as well as
any. | don't know what it means, but 1t
seems to point to living human beings as
the source of the phenomena, and that is
satisfactory as far as it goes.
Who the genius was who invented the
little table on wheels, with pencil on it, l
have never heard. He deserves the thanks
of the many who have been entertained by
the little instrument A man of an inven-
tive turn might doubtless greatly improve
upon it. first heard of Planchette about
thirty years ago. but the first one pos
sessed was made by my own hand out of
the bit of cigar-box in 1884. Summer visi-
tors were staying with US, and there were
half q dozen children always on hand. ex-
pected to amuSe them for an evening or two,
but the fun lasted three or four months and
was even renewed the following year.
If you hold small piece of iron close to a
strong magnet you feel slight pull. The
pull the plancheJte gives to your fingers
when it proceeds on its peregrinatiOns is
very similar to this. But in writing out
word it pulls in dozen different directions
x,,;tI ttn nf
effect is not like that of machine. however
complex, or of body obeying fixed and in
evitabie laws, but OF an independent per-
sonality, endowed with Intelligence, pur-
pose and memory. For it remembers what
it has said and done in the past and knows
what it Is about to do. Our planchette, in
answer to questions suggested by its own
answers, related to us in daily lnstallments
extending over three weeks long story
comprising upward of 1000 words. IL was
so good story that it was afterward ac-
cepted and published by leading periodical
word for word as 1t was originally written
down, and from beginning to end there was
not an Inconsistency. Nor was 1t all writ
ten through the mediumshtp of one pair of
people. dozen different couples. at diff
ferent times. sat down to the work, and the
tale proceeded uninterruptedly. In short,
the complete story must have been stored
up in Planchette's mind before it began
TO write it.
After we have become accustomed to the
thing, ard familiar with its ways, many
queer peculiarities are noticed. Plauchette
has no morality, aud no regard for truth.
IL we ask it a question as 10 a matter of
fact or about something in the future, its
reply is always ready and generally very ex-
plicit, but never true save by accident By
far the best method Is to let it take the lead
in the conversation. Twill you write, Plan
chetteP' Eyes" "Well, who is writing?"
John Smith" (or any other imaginary per-
som. You now proceed to question John
Smith on any imaginable detail OF his per-
son, his life, death, occupation, desires, rec
objections, purposes and sentiments. BY and
by, John becomes a human and recognizable
individual to you and you are even able to
tell. by the preliminary sensation in the
nerves, whether it is John or some one else
who is about to write the next sentence.
Planchette never confesses its own dra-
mats persona. Sometimes three or four
different persons Ito call them that will each
write sentence one after another; but the
sentences are all characteristic in style and
conception. Occasionally | have seen two
commandments contend for the possession OF
planchette, Jerking it away from each other,
tripping up each others writing, fighting, in
a word, like two angry children, aud in one
instance, breaking the pencil in their strug-
gle. Planchetta- often betrays faults of tenn
pei, yanity mirtll, cyuiciSm, scorn-ail man
ner of human foibles. Tell Mary" it once
suddenly wrote. breaking in upon some yarn
il was spinning, that she had better shut
up" Now. Mary did not have her hands on
the planchette, but she was sitting at the
table, distracting our attention by making
frivolous remarks. Planchette always wants