South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-10-28

mysterious; it is the minimum hypothesis.
which we feel bound to stretch to the utmost
before going beyond 1t. If, however, direct
frst-hand laboratory experience Of the rudi
mentery stages Of such a faculty Is wanted
as ii ought TO bet must be looked and
waited for, and experiments must be tried from
time to time, as in any other chance II success
is likely to occur If observers are patient
though it is not always at hand. and my expe-
rience shows that sooner or later sufficiently
sensitive or capable acknowledgements with
adequate receptivity-will be found. Perhaps
they are commoner than we think, because
the test is so seldom applied / have now an
apparatus set up for examining whether traces
of the faculty exist widespread in normal peo-
pie and shall make report to the Society for
Psychical Research in due course
But whether incipiently widespread OF not
and however 1t be explained, the faculty OF
telepathic receptivity certainly exists in few
people though even in them it is by no means
always and under all circumstances available.
In that respect it differs from an inorganic
property like radio-activity-though that, too.
appears limited to few substances and is not
conspicuous or widespread.
The Society for Psychical Research has done
more in the way of detecting fraud than any
single person: partly, no doubt by reason OF
its wide experience; but it has also had large
experience Of genuine phenomena, and by ap-
phcation of the comparatively simple principle
of telepathy TO cases where its application Is
not specifically obvious and where any other
normality 1t has done good deal to mitigate
superstition. TO give rational explanation OF
at least one kind OF so-called ghost and gen.
orally TO induce a sane and sober treatment OF
a number Of uncommon but genuine expe-
riences.
II Is sometimes said-Sir Bryan Donkin
either says or clearly implies-that the existence
or telepathy would contradict established
knowledge II that were true 1t would indeed
be an absurdity, but telepathy does nothing
OF the kind 1t enlarges and expands, il opens
up new chapter, but Ii does not contradict.
BY psychical research our knowledge of fact is
supplemented but in no other way changed.
The unwelcome facts will fit into the coherent
scheme OF science in due course, and will dis
place nothing already there, though they will
remove some mistaken accretions - the begin
nings OF a premature fence or boundary II
biologists have formulated for themselves a
theory that material mode Of access is the
only access to mind. and material methods the
only possible means of psychic intercommu-
MON. that theory, well founded IL is on the
positive side, may have TO give way on the
negative side and the word only be eliminated
from the statement before ii is true
Subject TO correction by further experience
! am ready Professionally to agree that possibly
the only way in which mind can act on in.
organic matter is through or by the aid of the
animal, and. conversely. that the material uni.
verse acts. and perhaps only can act on mind
by an inverse process through the sense or.
gans or living person. At any rate, there is
great uniformity OF experience in support OF