The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-07

and discovered more '.'spooI1s" than any
other one person in America.
The work of psychical research, how
ever. seems to DR.. Hodgson to be the
greatest In the world And in this opin-
ion Gladstone was agreed. Gladstone"
said the speaker early in our talk, was
an honorary member of the English
branch of our society and he said once
in speaking of this work: I regard it
as the most important work in the world
but far the most important. And it so
seems to me- too, else l would not be
in 1t as I am. We have almost no money
but We labor on in search of truth, car
ing not at all whether our search shall
bring us out believing more profoundly
than ever in another life or wholly per-
suaded that the grave ends it all
Personally, I am row convinced by
proofs, too intimate and too recent to be
given out, that we have absolutely prov
ed Immortality"
This brought us at once to the reason
for the visitors CALL an inquiry concern
ing the soCiety's returns from the ques-
tionnaire about Immortality, sent out
some seven weeks ago to people of every
kind and creed all over the country.
The idea of the questions did not orr
ginate with me-" said DIR. Hodgson,
'but with an English friend Of mine
an Oxford man, who believed that there
is not nearly so widespread an interest
in Immortality rs seemed to me to OBJ
tain. We found that the thing would
not go in England because people would
consider such searching inquiries into
their personal beliefs in the nature of
an attack upon their orthodoxy as well
as something of an impertinence. So
l determined to start it myself in this
newer and franker country.
I'VE are now sending out the sixth
thousand of our QUESTIONABLE and we
have received already some 1900 replies
The questions We're many of them my
own, but that one about the mental
comfort of a belief in Immortality was
suggested by Prof. James of Harvard
Of course the answers vary widely and
I am unable as yet even to generalize
about them. They will be carefully tab
ulated and made the subject Of special
report But I have been rather surprised
to find, as my English friend suspected,
there are large number of thinSing men
no are not interested in the least, they
say, i'll Immortality. Probably these men
find the present life all that they can at
tend to.
''Nor 90 so many people as I expected
fee! that positive knowledge of immor-
tally would contribute to their mental
comfort. A lot Of the answers show
utter Indifference concerning this, and a
lot more prefer to leave the question
matter of faith yet there are natu-
rally many others-men and women who
have suffered Observation-Disclosures are
most anxious for actual proof about the
life beyond the grave.
Il don't know that you are familiar
with the case I have called George
Pelham but I have made it the CUB
ject of a special report, and to many
others as we'll as to myself, that case
has proved Immortality. 1 believe alb
solutely now in the sincerity of our nedi-
um, Mrs, Piper. She is of the quiet, do
nestle New England type much occupied
with her household and her children,
and not particularly interested in psychi-
cal questions or anything else strictly
intellectual. Mrs. Piper has been giving
slttings for over fifteen years now, and
for about fourteen of those years she has
been largely under my own supervision.
1 look after her physically. and I know
her for thoroughly healthy woman.
She enters the trance state as If she were
| going to sleep. and unless the sitting has
| been too prolonged she feels no i'll eff
| fects whatever. In my opinion, her oc-
casional control by intelligence above her
own has increased her stability and Sc
renity.
Eight or nine years ago first began
| to talk with George Pelham through Mrs
| Piper. His name wasn't George Pelham,
| but by that title 1 have always spoken of
him in public. He was a great friend of
mine, and to me he has absolutely proved
his individuality by special manifesto
lions. And that brings me to explain
why such trivial things are so often the
subject Of messages through mediums.
Very frequently I am asked why the
spirits concern themselves with cigar
cases and such mere trihes. But don't
you see that trif1e would be much
more conclusive proof than bigger thing
If 1t were proof at all? If I should COM
municate with you tomorrow, having died
! in the night, and should say to you.
Don't you remember that as you and /