The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-04

part or the machine in which he ia
placed is filled with a more or less suf-
locating gas, which produces a partial
loss of consciousness; that sometimes
this gas is much more poisonous than
usual (WeakneSS or ill health of mo
dunn. and that its effects are us,Ia1lv
cumulative While he remains in the
machine.
The, important failures of G. P.
We're due primarily l believe. tn the
ignorance Of sitters that he was com
Hlunleatins under such conditions as
lnese. ana 1 cannot too strongly en-
Phaslze my conviction that unless the
presence of such conditions is con-
Stantly recognized by the investigator
ms iurther researches in this field will
be futile 80
de also shows that 1t is as IL
loglcal for people to look for en-
ufely successful communications
"hen they approach in spirit
OF hostile doubt as it would be
70 lock for satisfactory inter-
course with human beings whom
lney approached in similar man
ner. Nor does he see any rea-
son why spirits should be ex-
pected TO possess equal talents
as communications.
Sub1oined are some remarks from q
forthcoming paper by Professor Will
liam James, which show the yet tenta-
tive condition of the problem:
The conversion of DR.. Hcdgson to
spirlusm marks a critical passage in
the history OF the Society for PsychicaI
Research, as we'll as in DR.. Hodgsons
own career. Surely there never
before was such a conjunction of a
good medium with a thorough investi-
gator, and in this result the report
marks an epoch in our knowledge of
trance states.
DIR. Hodgson considers that the hy-
pothesis of fraud cannot be seriously
entertained. l agree with him abso-
Iutely The medium has been under
observation as to most of the condi-
t tion n, or her life by persons eager, many
OF dhem to pounce~ upon any suspicious
circumstance for fifteen years.
The scientist who is confident of
fraud mere must remember that in
science as We'll as in common life a
hypothesis must receive some positive
specification and determination before
1t can be profitably discussed, and fraud
which is no assigned kind Of fraud, but
simply fraud at large, can hardly be
regarded as an especially scientific ex-
PLANTATION of specific concrete facts.
No; Mrs. Piper's frances are phe-
nomena sui generis. Mr. Hodgson, adj
hitting the element of supernormal
against each other as two theories Of
its origin telepathy from the sitter and
spirit communication. He finds the
latter theory to offer, on the whole, the
least resistance.
IF 1 may be allowed a personal ex-
preston of opinion at the end of this
summary / would say that the Piper
phenomena are the most absolutely
battling things l know. Any definitely
known form of fraud seems out of the
question; yet undoubtedly, could it be
made plausible, fraud would be by far
the most satisfying explanation, since
1t would leave no further problem out
standing.
1.-THE spirit hypothesis exhibits a va
cancy, triviality and incoherence of
mind painful to think of as the state
of the departed.
'Mr. Hodgson has to resort to the
theory that although the communica-
tors probably are spirits, they are in a
semi-comatose or sleeping state and
only half aware of what is going on.
The habits of Mrs. Piper's neutral or
ganism largely supply the definite form
of words, ETC., in which the phenomena
are clothed.
Then there is the theory that the
subliminal extension of Mrs. Piper's
own mind masquerades in this way,
and plays these fantastic tricks before
powers of cognition and memory for
the basest of deceits. Many details
make for this view, which also falls
we'll into line with what we know of
automatic writing and similar sublim-
inal performances on the public at
large.
But what a CHASTITY and grotesque
sort of appendage to our personality is
this from any point of viewl
Finally. we may fall back on. the
notion of a sort of floating mind stuff
in the world, infrahuman, yet pos
sessed of CLEANS of superhuman cog
milton, unable to gather itself together
except by taking advantage of the
trance states of some existing human
organism, and there enjoying a para
site existence which it prolongs by
making itself acceptable and plausible
under the improvised name of spirit
control"