New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-10-17

mans. Green Il CO.
The wise people Of earth have no business with
this book BY the wise people we mean those u
whom a ghost is all compact OF late hours anu
lobster salad those who would sCorn a SEND
ing as they would scorn pertnacious oooA
agent those who would as SOON walk beneath
ladder or launch an argosy on Friday as can
cab or sead novel For them MI Lang mas
written g., vain And we are very sorry for
them. '~rhe author has frequently been ASKED
both publicly and privately" observes Mr.. Lang
DO you believe in ghosts? one eau only a"
swss: How do you define a ghost" do believe
Win all students Of human nature. IN ha'iuc'
nations of one. Of several or even OF all the
eorses Rut as TO whether such Authorizations
among the sane are caused by psychicai IN
Guepces from the minds Of others alive or dead
not communicated through the ordinary chan
ncls Of sense. my mind is in a balance OF doubt
II is a question of evidence" 1t will he per
ceived that even Mr. Lang Is cautious But ne
has the courage of his-doubts lie manlu'iy
submits the evidence and then leaves IL LOT
his readers TO decide. II they are sympa'he''c
readers they will rise from persuai OF inc oooK
with an enlarged experience.
The unbelievers who jaunty set out TO es-
tablish n wholesome distinction between haiiu
citations and ghosts. leaving the ghosts' %
course. gnashing their discredited teeth IN the
noisclcss outer darkness. are soon landed IN an
"impas,c" Every haucinaton is "A perceptioh'
declares Professor William James. OF Harvard
"as good and true a sensation as II there were
q real object there. The object happens not 10
Do there that il all" But how does this AFFECT
the standing Gf we may use such an expression
of an individual who is usually supposed 10 rest
upon tn. circumambient air. of your ghost?
Authorizations are after ALL as hard to run 10
earth as the most capricious OF wraiths In
short Mr. Lang. advancing proofs when the
sccptical may refuse to recognize as SUCH has
at least the retort that his ghostly evidence
cannot be dsprovcd. At this point: Enter the
Girl in Pink She comes apparently for the edi-
fication in particular OF three connections OF
Mr. Lang. upoh whose good faith. OF course.
he can thoroughly rely These persons. a clergy
man his wife and daughter. were residing in a
foreign city. one day they went to lunch at the
villa of a fellow -countryman who lived outside
the town. The hosts sister was present at the
table During the meal some question was
asked or some remark was made. to which the
clerical guest replied in English by reference
to the maid-sorvant in pink. There Is no iha'd
in pink said the host. ard he asked both MS
other guests to corrrboratc him. Both ladies.
mother and daughter were Obliged 10 say tha'
unless their eyes deceived them they certainly
had seen Il girl in pink attending on them. or. at
least moving about in the room To this their
entertainers earnestly replied that no such per-
son was in their establishment, that they had
10 woman servant but the elderly cook and
housokccper then present. who was neither a
girl Tor in pink. After luncheon the guests were
taken all over the house t. conyipcc them OF the
absence Of the young whom they had
hpr'
Now what is To be done about the elusive
young lady 1t appears that girl is said 10
have been murdered in the house before the
friends Of Mr.. Langs friends took IL. and II was
reported that the victim had been occasionally
seen. dressed IN pink IiU; there tho matter
ends Again. another friend OF the author Is
said to have lived in IN old house in Hammer
smith. which had a similarly mysterious visit
tant vouchcd for. however. In as cIrcum
stantial "A fashion First. the house became
"noisy" Windows were shaken 10y no ,bI iOus
agency and "stcIs were heard where no steps
Should be" Signs We're audible IN the day
time AS Mrs Rokeby approached door the
handle would turn ard the door ny OPEN" In
a footnote MIR Lang records that he has Wit
messed an occurrence Of this sort himself. For
five years the Rokcbys were blessed with a
multiplicity Of utterly incxpncabe sounds At
last in October. $50 in In, middle 81 the after
nccn Mrs Isokcby happened TO b. sitting In III,
dining room reading To- her three children. when.
having rung the bell FOR the parlor maid. the
door opened and On cooking up saw the figure
Of a woman come in and walk up to tn" side Of
the table stand there 4 second OF two. ana then
turn To- 90 out again but before reaching the
door she seemed to dissolve away. She vas a