Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1920-05-01

as ever did theologian. Let us frankly &C.
knowledge that there is such a thing as
scientific orthodoXy-a fashion Of suspicious
ness against any phenomena suggestive to
the supernatural, which is relic of the
ages of struggle through which science has
won it's emancipation from superstition dis
guised as religion
And so for the real issue: Has Sir Oliver
made out a case for survival or has he not?
What is his evidence? Omitting, for brew
ity's sake, the phenomena of materializa-
tons and apparitions, let us confine our
selves to communications in the strictest
sense, e., to automatic writing and auto
matte speech, be the latter -utterance
of medium or inner voice heard by oneself.
Here, them are our "facts'' These facts
are words, spoken or written-nay, spoken
or written by somebody. This is the one
thing we are sure Of: Of the body which
does the speaking or writing.
Now words have meanings and they eX-
pres thoughts. Thus our facts raise two
sorts Of questions First, is what the words
mean true? And, secondly, who is it that
expresses his thoughts through the writing
and speaking of this body? Note that the
body may be my own, though I may not rec
ognize the thoughts expressed as mine, or
the facts alleged as known to me. Thus
automatic script sometimes contains state
ments concerning matters which, to all APP
pearances, are beyond the writer and the
sitter's knowledge, but which are subsequent
ly found to be true Add that the script
names Esprit" and claims that the infor-
nation comes from him; that he is the real
writer, using the living body as his instru-
ment. Telepathy between the living beings,
on the facts, excluded, does not the truth Of
the information given corroborate the truth
of the spirit s assertions concerning him
self?
This is the type of evidence and argument
on which Sir Oliver chiefly relies. Testimony
concerning matter of fact, unknown to
the living concerned in the experiment, is
given through automatic script or utterance,
and subsequently verified. It's truth then
supplies the basis for crediting the spirit
communications further statements concern
ing his own Identity If the information
given cannot come from the automatists
mind; if it cannot come, by telepathy, from
the sitter, or from any other "incarnate"
mind, then it must come from the self-con-
fessed "discarnate" spirit.
1t u.s. thus, an argument by elimination. the
strength of which depends on the conclusive
ness with which the negatives can be estab-
AIsOo'. OA1O1CioHI VI IL, W NC clIcCClVt, IIuSC
show by counter-experiment that the infor-
nation on which everything hinges is known
to one of the incarnate minds, though too
completely forgotten for anything but auto
matte revelation of it. This is obviously a
difficult matter, and in practice often i'm
possible But the more often we succeed,
the less is the probability that our failure
to DO so IN any given case should count as
evidence in favor Of rit-hypothesis
Hence it is evident that what is urgently
required, and what Sir Oliver himself has
not sufficiently done, is to make far more
thorough study Of the resources of the "sub-
conscious which in this connection, is
simply technical term for the fact that our
bodies register, and are capable of express
sing in automatic gesture and utterance,
countless experiences of which our official
consciousness knows nothing Every one
of us perceives vastly more than he notices,
and knows much more than he can volun-
tarily remember. There are Funrecognized
faculties" here, the exploration of which
may prove the rit-hYpnthesis to be neces