New-York tribune., 1912-03-10
AN ARAB JOAN OF ARC THE TABLE DIDN'T TLT'
A SpirltuaIiStiC SeanCe in Paris
Proved a FiaSCo.
ONLY SHRlEKS AND HOWLS
Chairs Creaked and Disciples
Groaned, but the Furniture
Failed to Levitate.

The table never stirred. Thirty-seven-
or possibly thirty-eight / am anxious to
be very precise and exact-thirty- odd very
odd enthusiasts and few journalists were
waiting in a small room, without any ven-
tilaton worthy of mention, in the building
In Paris which belongs to the Societe de
France
We were waiting for a small deal table
to convert us to the cause of spiritism.
And the table never stirred.
Dr. Charpentier, who does not believe in
unbottled spirits. had challenged NJ Fer
nand Girod, the secretary Of the French
branch of the International Society for
Psychic Research.
You may choose your own medium, ,"
said Dr. Carpenter; you may choose
your own place for the meeting. l chal-
lenge YOU 10 make table, or anything
else move if the people round II be pre-
vented from assisting it to do So"
Il accept the challenge" answered NJ,
Fernand Girod, and | am willing that
the experiment shall be conducted with
every guarantee of our good faith, under
such conditions that it shall be materially
impossible for the medium TO make use
of her limbs. l select Nine. Mary Demange
as my medium. The exteriorizaion Of her
luidic influence and nothing else at all
shall be brought into play"
The eXtcriorization of the luidic intiu-
ence Of Nine Mary Demange (may | say
that l nave not the slightest notion what
this means. and that ! am merely quoting
NJ Girod) had been in play for several sec
onds, and we were waiting in the dark.
Tn. table never stirred.
The room, as ! have said was small,
badly ventilated and opprossively hot, In
the middle Of it was little deal table. a
light little table OF unpublished white deal,
with four little white legs Of it's own, and a
circle of chalk on the floor round each leg.
And the table never stirred.
Seated round the table were nine people
four women, four men, and the medium,
Nine. Mary Demange. Seated round the
room in a parallelogram, and in intense
excitement were the believcrs-about thirty
Of them-,and seven or eight journalists.
LONG. HAIRED MEN.
one could pick out the journalists by
their eyes alone They looked about them
curiously. The others looked and saw not,
q
the consciousness OF everyday onlookers.
Most of them were white-faced and long
haired Cthe men, l mean. The women
wore short hair and some Of them were
pretty.
But YOU might have held a new hat Of
the latest fashion on high in their midst
and lot one Of them would have turned 10
look at IT. And this reminds me. The
table never stirred. The table stood with
each Of its little white legs surrounded by
a circle Of chalk on the ground. and nine
cnairs were placed round II.
on each Of the nine chairs spiritist was
placed. and the legs and arms OF every one
OF the nine, including those Of the medium,
Nine. Demange, were so bound that they
could not reach the table. But each man
and each woman's hand could touch that Of
his or her neiehbor, 50 that the circle
should he formed for the luiGic influence.
Between them and the table thick
carpet OF blue chalk was spread, so that II
any Of the nine should move traces of the
movement would be clear. The lights were
turned out We sat in silence, waiting In
the darkness. And the table never stirred.
Nine. Mary Demsnge, the medium,
groaned. and there was a groan in an
swer. But 1t was only another Of the nine.
MORE oRoANs.
Most OF the nine round the table we're
affected in the same way-all the women
and two Of the four men. They groaned,
they painted stertorously, they stifened
fill their chairs creaked with the strain
tbev wriggled. We sat and waited in the
sitting room through twenty minutes Of
solid darkness, and when the lights were
turned up we could hardly see, the light
dazzled US so. But the table never stirred.
There were the four men, there was the
medium and there were the four other
women around the table. There was the
blue chalk and there were the four little
chalk rings round the four table legs The
table never stirred. we VIII try once
again." said NJ Grod pitilessly.
out went the lights; off went the me-
dunn More groans, more creakings, and
more stiffenings. then out Of the darkness
an appeal in solemn tones from NJ. Girod
IN the spirit or the medium am not sure
which. one or the other was implored to
give a sign and to convert the unbelever.
Nine. Mary Demange howled aloud. 1 am
sorry 10 have TO say things like this of a
lady. but no other word expresses what
she did. The words were unintelligiblc to
me. Perhaps the spirits understood them,
and spirits may like that form Of melody.
To the uninitiated ear the bowling Of Nine.
Mary Demange was like that Of dog
whose leg has been caught in trap. The
eight who sat round Mime. Demange al the
table eroaned in response, the nine chairs
creaked. I'm going back! I'm gong
hack" screamed Nine. Mary Demange, and
NJ Girod turned up the lights again
"The spirit must have been that OF a
woman. They are so difficult to manage,
said NJ Girod The medium and her eight
corpanions were set free. They looked
very exhausted The table never stirred
John ~ Raphael In The London EX-
press.
MOVING PICTURES IN SCHOOLS