New-York tribune., 1906-05-20
mEpIumlsrIc COMPOSITION.

T. D. (0Iewton. N j.: Is 1t true tnat tne con- con-
clusion to Dickenss 'The Mystery OF @GoWlh
dicts4ion Of the spirit Of the author, and if So
how do Won account for it? Are there other
cases OF spirit authorship
C-artasn II is that in 1873 there was published
at Brattleboro, VT, 'The Mystery Of Edwin
brood. by the spirit-Pen Of Charles Dickens
Through a Medium" containing the continua~
tion OF the famous story. That the work really
emanated from the source which was claimed
eor n ,s OF course a claim that may confidently
he dismissed as tOmmyrot- There remains
the theory OF deception or aUto-suggestion 70
account for it. But after so many years 1t IS
57iN7cult 10 determine how much the publishers
avaIIed- themselves of the former for the sake
OF advertising the book or to what extent the
rather iIliterate medium may in his poetical pro-
duction have thought himself really possessed
nv the spirit of Dickens. However this may
be- this case Of imaginary spirit inspiration does
not stand alone. Thus as early as the 1ourteenCh
century the Dutch mystic Ruysbroek main
tained that every word in his writings had Deen
nenned down by him under the inspiration or
the Holy Ghost and even before. in the twelfth
century, st. Hildegardis declared that all the
knowledge contained in her learned works on
natural science had been revealed to her by the
Virgin Mary. AS to modern times, the literary
activity OF the spirit world became particularly
manifest in the nineteenth century. In 1909
there was published at Guadeloupe a complete
novel entitled "Juanita-" said to have been die
tated 20 the medium by spirit with Lhe ald
OF a chair. Only few years ago German
writer, Mrs Clara Eysell-Knburger, publshed
under the title of Echoes from the Other World,
a Mystery" a volume Of poetry. in the preface
Of which she expresses her doubts as to whether
she was the real author of the poems or merely
the instrument used by controlling spirits An
other German pOetess, Maria Knorr-Schmidt,
published a volume of poems which, according
TO her assertion, contained exclusively compost
tions dictated to her by the spirits. every poem
bearing even the signature Of the spirit author.
In the year 1900 DR.. Flournoy, professor Of psy-
chology at the University OF Geneva, published
q hook From India 10 the Planet Mars" in
which are recorded his and his learned col
leagues observations for a period Of three
years on a somnambulistic young woman. In
her frances she revealed some historical facts
unknown to, but later verified by historians,
and she even gave. Of course unverifable. de-
the language and writing of its inhabitants
and all this. she claimed. under dictation Of
the spirits.
But the activity of the spirit world seems not
TO be confined to literature only; 1t manifects
itself also in painting and music. Thus some
twenty thirty years ago they exhibited in
various cities Of Europe paintings said to have
been the work OF spirits and about Ave or six
years ago they even produced at Milan an
oDera Il Travolti'' the music OF which was said
10 have been composed by spirit called Felix.
and the words by another inhabitant OF the
other worId named Yo. These are about all
fha naraIlel cases to Edwin brood" on record
They go TO show that the question involved Is
not necessarily one OF deception OF spiTitualiStic
fancy hut rather one OF tho most difficult prob
Iems in scientific Psychology, g., inspiration,
not IN the theological. but In the general, ac-
centance Of the word. An explanation of this
,,benomenon we must however for lack Of space
reserve FOR some other occasion.