The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-01-17
WHAT SCIENCE DEMANDS
Hardsheed Men of the Laboratory Want to Hear and See
Spirits at Work.

New York, Jan Ig.-When the wonder
full performances OF Eusapia Palladino
are called 70 the attention of the hard
shelled man Of science. VINO is sup
posed 10 be proof against ali sorts OF
sUperhumaness. he points with a grim
and contemptuous grin at the long, and
one might say interminable, list OF "eX-
posures" made in the past OF mediums
who were just as good as, or better. IN
their day than Eusapia Is IN hers.
This is one Of the most potent reasons
why these same hard-shelled men of sci
ence are. deaf on that side Of their face
when people come TO them for an ezplana-
lion Of the wonderful doings OF the medi-
ums and wonderful enough they are, en-
tireiy apart from the genuineness or the
reverse OF the achievements claimed for
them.
Does Palladino make cool breezes blow
and lelitate pine tables? If 50, what was
the matter with the Eddy Brothers, who
caused Col Henry S. Olcott, at that time
a seasoned newspaper reporter, to see
and talk with his dead friends, and VINO
little later, were exposed as arrant num-
bugs" by d no less seasoned reporter ioF
the New York Sun?
Did not the great Prof. Crookes, discover
ct Of the Crookes vacuum tube which
paved the way for the Roentgen rays, and
later for the wireless telegraph. touch and
weigh the spirits Of John and Katy
King through the powers Of young
woman medium, and almost swear that
/ these "phenomeua" were real things and
net the clever tricks Of the medium her
self?
That may all be so. says the hard
shelied man Of science. but then re-
porter for the London Times exposed that
medium. and John and Katy King van
! lshed into the thin air from which they
had come, together with the powers, won
derful or otherwise. Of the medium.
Prof. Rav Lancaster, the noted British
zoolOgist. undertook an investigation OF
the no Jess noted medium, Henry A
Sade Slade was the first medium 10
introduce the slate-wTiiing method into
modern spiTltUalism. His sitter would
ask him q question, and the answer would
Z
force or power invisible and inserutaD-e
20 the ouestiouer Slade only insisted on
certain conditions without which the
shirts could not operate With This stunt
he had turned two continents toDsy-turvy
and had been for a season not only the
despair OF science but the despair OF
innumerable laymen besides. People in
those DAYS used 70 congratulate them
selves on the fact that If there was any
where in the wide eXpanse OF the occult
and the uouulderstandabla the solid rock
OF conviction. IL Was 10 be found IN the
absolute test conditions under which
Slade performed his work,
Now. Lancaster said 10 himself tnat j
there was a weak point In SHADES armor
II was naturally 10 be found in these very
conditions which Slade always demand
ed as the sine qua non or successtui
slate writing One Of these conditions
was thar the sitter must not touch the
slate until the medium had placed IL on
the table. And Dr. Lancaster mace up
his mind 20 90 that very thing. Wnhe
the slate was In the air on its way 10 the
table Lancaster seized IL and AT the same
time seized the hands Of Slads and held
both slate and hands fast II was found
then that the answer TO Lancaster 5 ques-
ton. supposed not yet 70 have been
written. had been already penciled on the
slate
This was the Arst break in SHADES sys-
tenn. But the worst blow was 10 come.
Holding fast 20 the mediums hands, Ian
kester insisted on an examination OF
SHADES finger nails. and cleyerly con
cealts under one Of them was tiny biz
OF slate pencil with which the spirit mes
sages had been written
But did that put an end to Siade2
Naturally not. He was arrested. chars-
ed with fraud and SO on. and was SEN
/ fenced 10 serve three months IN prison,
I but got out Of H. He subsequently came
/ % this country, where he was received
with open arms by all kinds OF people.
and had a Ions and successful career as
! q medium Charles Steen, the presudls-
uator. wouid often amuse his frieNs
privately by repeating SHADES perform
ances Steen even succeeded IN conVllc-
/ ing many persons that the mysteTiots
writing he produced mad been the WoIk
OF unseen powers
NumberIess other mediums have been
similarly exposed hut no one has ever
4
on their gate receipts Some years ago a
British medium whose work 0as spe-
cialiy pointed out a. genuine by the late
Nine Blavatsky. performed feats Of levi
tation beside which the little things done
10y Pauadno would be regarded as sHlliy-
shalIy. This medium was said 10 float
out Of a third-storv window, daily fer
time with the blithesOnle air outside. and
then come in again by another window
I'm the same room. AT least, this was the
sworn statement by several persons who
claimed they saw him do Il. but when he
got 20 London. where his friends were
anticipating a specially strong NANTES
tation. he said that the air OF the metrop-
oils was altogether too thick for the
needed Conditions" Ii was not the
smoke or fog he complained of. but the
! magnets atmosphere produced by the
bad astral exhalatlons OF modern ciyiliza-
ton.
But perhaps the largest and richest
hoax in tie whole history Of piano turn
ing table skipping chair lifting. and the
/ rest of it was that which was perpeuated
by the founders Of spiritualism, the his
toric Fox sisters. who. in 1S4S. astonished
the world with the original mysterious
r2ppings which came 10 be characteristic
Of the spirit seanCe for many years after
! To the Fox home at Hydesvilie, y. Y.
came celebrities from all parts Of the
: globe 10 hear the messages from iuyis-
ibiIity raped out by the controls
Among the visitors 10 the sisters abode
were Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Har-
riet Maruneau and Elisha Kent Kane
! the famous explorer VINO subsequently
fell in love With Kate Fox and married
her.