The Detroit times., 1917-03-06
Spirit Messages
ut n. ADDISoroN BRUCE
Author OF The Riddle OF Person
ality," Psychology and
Parenthood." etc.


Sir oliver Lodges recently pub
lished account OF bis reasons for be
lieving that he has been In commu.
nication with the spirit OF his dead
son. Raymond. has directed attention
anew to the ever interesting prob
lem OF obtaining scientifically accept
able proof OF the survival OF human
personality after bodily death. Many
Inquiries have been made OF me ro-
sarding this problem In general
Answering these to the best OF my
ability In the limited space at my
disposal. would say ~ the outset
that there IL today a marked diver.
gence OF opinion among those who
have seriously and scientifically
made investigation. They. OF course.
are the ones best qualified TO speak
with authority on the subject.
Many Investigators hold. with Sir
oliver Lodge. that thru specially
endowed persons known as me
diums" messages from the dead have
actually been received But investi.
gators holding this belief are yet In
he minority. Tho great majority
insist that a verdict OF mot proved
must be returned.
II IL most important TO note. how
ever. that they do not base theii
skepticism on the ground that al
legged spirit messages are Away
and necessarily the product OF fraud
This used 10 be the attitude c.
scientific persons in general II still
Is the fAvorite attitude OF thos,
scientists who have never taken thu
trouble 10 make personal inyestiga
ton OF spirit mediums" and med!
umistic utterances. But no investt
gator with any experience would
dream OF taking such an attitude.
For. In the 80 years that have
elapsed since mediumship began &c
be scientifically studied. fraud haf
been absolutely ruled out in the
case OF countless mediumistic com
munications. Many mediums. un
deniably. have been found to b.
cheats and imposters. But man
others. while entranced. have made
utteranees conveying unusual intor
nation denonstrably not obtained
BY fraudulent MANI
On the other hand, the further in
vestigation has proceeded the more
dificult has II become 10 accept ths
utterances OF even the most homes
OF mediums az true spirit messages
This for several reasons. but chief
~ because Il has been discovered
that genuine mediums possess a pc
cuiiar -telephatic." or mind reading
power OF getting knowledge OF facts
known 20 other people.
n. then, the alleged spirit mes
sages deal with matters known 4
persons stiIl living. there always is
room for suspicion that the mes
sages really emanate By telepath,
from these persons. not from the
dead person supposed TO be comnu-
nicsting.
And since II is difrcult. IL not
impossible, TO exclude the chance Of
telepathic action IN the case OF any
spirit message that would furnish
absolute proof OF survival. most in
vestigators feel that they must a.
set suspend judgment even with re
gard TO communications as remark
able as those described by Sir oliver
Lodge.
The investigators. tho. who be
lieve as Sir oliver Lodge does, feel
that the telepathic theory IL unduly
stretched 10 account for all medium
istic utteranses not Otherwise sK-
plainable. No other means OF ex
plans tion remaining. they accept
these utterances as genuine mes.
sages from the dead.
Such. briefly and BADLY. II the
present situation. IL Is no longer .
question OF Diminishing all alleged
spirit communications as fraudulent.
II Is a question mainly OF eliminat-
ing from non-fraudulent trance ut
terances the possibility Of telepaihio
action