The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-05-22

| AHe WiuoW Mlle ana other 1aSNit.0
 Phenomena. By L K Funk. Funk | Wdgnalls Company.
 In the preface to this volume the author says: "A year ago a representative of New York daily came to me with proof
 slip of a story which he said his paper intended to print the next day, saying that the editor desired the proof corrected | wherein 1t was in error. The story was entitled The Finding of the Widow | Mite Through the Spirit of Henry Ward Beecher, or something after that sort l The representative was told that the re-
 port contained many errors. and that it's
 publication was premature. The protest
 was in vain, ard the story as the news
 paper had it went to the public and
 around the world.
 "'ro end the untimey discussion that | followed note was sent to the press
 promising. if further exploitation of the | incident was postponed, that when the ln- | vestigation was ended q true version or the story would be given to the public. This book is the fulfment of that prom ise. Possibly some readers will remember the discussion which took place about | d 9Cdi dBO. Q OInETS IL may RAbNC VI fh | terest to know just what the story of the | finding of "the Widows Mite" is all ! about
 | In the early part of February 19OS the | author, who is a member of the publish ing firm of Funk X Wagnals, was present at d seance held in Brooklyn On my third visit I was quite tired, and sat rather quietly during the entire evening listening to the talk between the cabinet and the sitters About Il o'clock the con trol, named George in his usual strong masculine voice, abruptly asked: Has any one here got anything that belonged to MT. Beecher? There was no reply On his emphatic repetition of the question: replied, being the only one present as feit sure, who had ever had any i'm mediate acquaintance with MT. Beecher. I have in my pocket a letter from the Rev. Dr. Hills, MT. Beeeher's successor. Is that what you mean?' The answer was: Mo- I am told by a spirit present, John Rakestraw, that MT Beecher, who is not present, is concerned about an ancient coin. The Widows Mite This coin is out of .ta place and should be returned. It has long been away, and MT. Beecher wishes it returned and he looks to you, doctor, to return it.
 T was considerably surprised and asked: What do you mean by saying that he looks to me to return it? I have no coin of MT Beecher's.
 !" I don't know anything about 1t except that 1 am told that this coin is out of it's place, and has been for a number of years, and that MT. Beecher says you" car find it and can return it.
 'I remembered then that when we were making The Standard Dictionary some nine years before, I had borrowed from .I~ 1.lrr fs-sA and of Mir Beecher's, who died several years ago, valuable ancient coin, known as the Widows Mite l said to the control The only Widows Mite' that has ever teen in my charge was one that bor- rowed some years ago from a gentleman in Brooklyn; this 1 promptly returned, to which the control replied: This one has mot been returned And then, after a moments silence he said DO you know whether there is a large iron safe in Ply mouth church?' l answered: I do not He said: I am ip1pr essed that this coin is in large iron safe, that 1t has been lost sight of 1t is in a drawer in thls safe under a lot of rapers, and that you can 1 find it. and MT. Beecher wishes you to find It.
 "The next day when I went to New l York I thought over this curious com munieation about the Widows Mite. was certain the coin had been returned" | The author then goes into minute de- tails of how the lost coin was found in the large iron safe of Funk x Wagnalls Company, and how nine years before the cashier had been instructed to return 1t and had failed to do so, and afterwards
 it had passed out of mind and in an en- voope had lain for nine years in the drawer of the safe
 The author, Dr. Funk In a circular let ter sent out to reviewers states that he wishes it distinctly understood that he is not "spiritualist.' "4,-y attitude toward the spirtuaIistic hypothesis of ex- planation of psychic phenomena is I don't know.' Further he says that while very large proportion of eminent psy- chologists reject the spirit hypothesis. in solving the Widows Mite" incident there are many strong men among them who give it very considerate attention as Crookes. Wallace, James, Lodge and Hyslop.
 The frauds" in such phenomena are fully touched upon and exposed; any pos sible explanation by telepathy or thought transferance, or the workings of the sub conscious mind as put forth by Hudson in his Law of Psychic Phenomena" are all discussed very fully
 The author has for twenty-five years de- voted much time to the investigation of psychic phenomena, and as is well known l the society organized for this purpose in- cludes many of the foremost men and thinkers of the day along scientific lines. Such men as Professor James of Harvard, | Alfred Russell Wallace, Sir Oliver Lodge, Sir William Crookes and others. The l tc ok records the investigations made by these men and many others during a long period Of years. It makes clear state | ments of fact devoid of all misapprehen- sion and possible fraud 1t treats of the many phases of manifestation known as l spirtualism, giving at the same time every possible explanation and comment ing in a very concise, lucid way wherein | all known laws of telepathy, etc., fail to account for the experience.
 Gladstone said that the work of the Psychical society ais the most important which is being done in the world-by far the most important"
 This society regularly publishes ma ga- zines and reports of the work they are ac- complaining with fully substantiated ex- rerienoes along all lines.
 Mir. Funk says: Scientists will soon make the miracles of Christ elementary. Already they are changing their attitude toward what has been regarded as su- rerpatural Hume must be waxing uncom- fortable in his grave. Lord Kelvin tells us miracles are common: Every action of human free will Is miracle to physical chemical and mathematical science. If this be true of the free will of us mcr- tals, what is 1t when we come to pass upon the free-will action of the infinite Onaon He adds that A good motto for all