The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1909-10-21
Professor James Confidence.

Extremely significant, following upon
European scientists acceptance of the
supernatural phenomena in the eance
of the Italian medium, Eusapia Palla-
dino. as outlined in this co,umn the
other day, are the admissions Of Will
lam James, for 35 years professor of
philosophy at Harvard n recognized
as one of the greatest living phycholo-
gists. Professor James contributes
The Condolences of a P%sychical Re-
searcher" to the current issue of NC
Clure's. There is something In" these
phenomena, he declares, rather unwi1l-
ingly, and concludes that it is in this
field of phychical research that the
greatest scientific conquess Of the
coming generation will be achieved.
Some excerpts from Professor James
article follow:
For the rs years I have been in
touch with the literature Of rsychical
research, and have had acquaintance
with numerous Researchers" I have
also spent a good many hours (though
Jar fewer han I ought to have spent)
in witnessing Cor trying to witness)
Phenomena. Yet I am theoretically no
further" than 1 was at the beginning;
and I confess that at times I have
been tempted to believe that the Gre
ator has %eternally intended this de-
paItment of nature to remain battling,
to prompt our curiosities and hopes
and suspicious all in equal measure. so
that, although ghosts and cla%irvoyances
and rapS and messages from spirits,
are always seeming to exist and can
never be fully explained away, they
also can never be susceptible Of full
confederation.
/ wish to go on record for the pres
ence, in the midst Of all the humbug,
of really -supernormal knowledge. BY
this / mean knowledge that cannot be
traced to the ordinary sources of in
formatiOn-the senses namely, of the
automatist. In really strong mediums
this knowledge seems to be abundant,
though it is usually spotty, capricious
and unconnected. Really strong medi-
un1s are rarities; but when one starts
with them and works downwards into
less brilliant regions of the automatic
life, one tends to interpret many slight
but odd condolences with truth az Nos
sfbly rudimentary forms of this kind Of
knowledge.
Out of my experience, such as 1t Is
(and it is limited enough) one fixed
conclusion dogmati.ally energies, and
thai is this, that we with our lives are
like islands In the sea, or like trees in
the forest. The maple and the pine
may whisper to each other with their
hear each others foghorns. But the
trees also commingle their roots in the
darkness underground, and hi islands
also hang together through the oceans
bottom. Just SO there is a continuum
OF cosmic consciousness, against which
our individuality builds but ac-
cfdental fences, and into which our
several minds plunge as into a
mother sea or reservoir. Our normal
consciousness is circumscribed for
adoption to our external earthly en-
v~ironment, but the fence is weak in
spots, n fitf-. influences from beyond
leak in, showing the otherwise unveri-
fable common connection.
Vast, indeed, and difficult is the in
quirer's prospect here, and the most
significant data for his purpose Will
probably be lust these dingy little
mediumistic facts which the Huxleyan
minds OF our time find 20 unworthy OF
thef attention. But when was o the
science of the future stirred to It's con-
quering activities by the little rebel
lfous exceptions to the science OF the.
present? Hardly. as yet, has the sur
face OF the fscts called psychic, be-
gun to be scratched for scientific pur-
poses. 1t is through following these
facts, I am persuaded. that the great
est scientific conquests Of the coming
generation will be achieved.