The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-25
IL MAKES GHOSTS
ROBNTGEN'S RAYS ARE THE STUFF
OF WHICH SPO0KS ARE MADE

| hODN 1ObN . u 1 dhb I'D OIL OIl
OF WHICH SPOOKS ARE MADE
William Stead of London Goes into tn
Land Between Science and Superstition
and Attempts to Prove That These In
visible Rays Have Been Known by Pho
tographers Who Have Tried to Catci
the Shadows of the Invisible for Years
Experiments Have Been Made by Peopl.
who Were Not SpirituaIists.
London, Eng, Feb. 24-Mr. ". T
| Stead, in a current number Of a London
magazine, Borderland, claims that the
| discovery of Prof. Roentgen was fore
stalled by discovery of the late emin-
ent photographer, Mr. Trail Taylor, who
was president of the International Pho
| tographic association.
| Mr.. Stead writes: Mr.. Trail Taylor
proclaimed, as the result of his investi-
cations, the truth which has this month
been trumpeted abroad as a greaS dis
cOvery by the Austrian, Prof. Roentgen.
After explaining the ordinary opera
ton Of visible rays of light on the pho
tographic plate, he said that there
would be other rays which were proper
ly termed invisible because their eff
fectS were not perceived by ordinary
vision, bue which were nevertheless ca
pable of causing Photographic action.
If anything or entity (call it a spirit, if
you like, emitted rays of this nature
only most assuredly it could be photo
graphed, although such a figure could
not be seen. Il have ascertained," he
went on to say, ito my own satisfac-
ton, at any rate, that hght-so-c called
so far as concerns the experiments 1
have made has nothing to do with the
productions Of a psychic picture, and
that the lens and camera Of a photo
grapher are consequently useless incum
brances."
Thus it will be seen that the newest
and most momentouS discovery in pho
Biography was practically forestalled by
the investigations in psychic photogra-
ply, which are usually secuted as so
much waste of time.
1t is true that Mr.. Trail Taylor did
not discover the use of Crookes tubes or
their efficiency in producing the invisi-
BILE rays, which penetrate the wooden
lid of the box in which the sensitive
plate is exposed. But he was able to
discover and proclaim to the world that
there are rays of light quite invisible,
but which nevertheless possess the pro-
perty Of impressing images on sensitive
plates without the intervention of lens,
camera or any apparatus. Psychic pho
Biography, therefore, is a Steap ahead Of
Prof. Roentgen, for the professor can
only photograph visible objects with in
visible light but Mr.. Glendening and Mr.
Duguid and Mr.. Trail Taylod were able
10 photograph an invisible object in an
invisible light, impressing the same up
on sensitive plate from which all light
was excluded"
In order to dissipate the decidedly
"spooky' odor With which the express
sion psychic pictures is invested. it
will be we'll to state Immediately that
Mr.. Taylor was not a spiritualist, a cla-
or a superstitious of any sort. |
no more is Mr.. Stead, but that they |
have both been interested from a scien- |
tffic standpoint in psychic, devoted TO |
the scientific study of the phenomena |
Of the mysterious borderIand between |
science and superstition" But Mr.. |
Trail Taylor claimed TO have secured |
impressions on the sensitized plates of !,
objects, invisible to the physical eye, by |
means of this invisible light He did |
not claim that these objects were spirits, |
III fact he did not attempt to explain |
what they were, but simply accepted |
his results as so much data for scientific |
OF course, it would be impossible, on |
scientific grounds. to claim that Mr.. |
Taylor did OF could have photographed |
spirits which are not material, even in |
visibly, but the claim of the theosophists |
as stated by one of them the past week.
that man is invested with an ethereal |
body Cor mold Of such fine material as
10 be invisible to the physical eye
which ait death parts withSthe SOUL" or
another theory that the spirit has the
power TO incarnat e ftslef in an invisible
but material shape temporarily and il !
ITS will would meet this difficulty and
would make answer that it is the tenn
oorary shape which is capable of be-
ng photOgrap hed and not the spirit.
therefore, the expression spirit pho
ography" is not legitimate. but should
De supplemented by psychic photogra-
)hy. There Is. however. one weak
POINT in Mr.. Stead's claim that psychic
is one step ahead of Prof
2oentgen, for the professor can only
visible objects with invisi-
DE light, but Mr.. G., Mr. D., and Mr..
Naylor We're able to photograph an in
'isfble object in an invisible light"
when subsequent statement in the
'ame article is taken into considera-
ion. viz: 1T is true that Mr.. Taylor
lid not discover the use of Crookes tube
IT their efficiency in producing invisible
avs" etc, for is not the discovery of
the efficiency of Crookes tubes in pro-
Iucing invisible rays" of vastly grea ter
than the mere discovery of
he existence of such rays, even though
Ir. Taylor has been able to photograph
INVISIBLE matter?
The untold benefits accruing to sur
cry, as well as to various industries.
rom Prof. Roentgen's discovery of how
o produce these rays would be undream
d of, even though Mr.. Taylor's discov-
r'y was an indisputed fact. which ii is
ot. 1t is simply given here because II
as been very widely believed by scien-
lists and members of the Psychic Re
earch Society of England Mr.. Tay-
)r's own words as to his experiences
nth psycical photography carry the
Teight of one of II not the most scien-
fic photographer in the world and |
on-spiritualist. and one cannot but be
onvinced of his honesty of purpose as
'ell as his impaTtiality.
What he said in the last issue Of Por-
erland was that after much personal |
experience he felt impelled 70 forego the
ash judgment he had given as to fraud
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