The New York herald., 1920-01-27
SIR OLIVER CITES
PROOF" OF SPIRITS
Only Thoughts Are Real and
Bodies Are Their Medi-
ums, He Declares.
THRONG IN CARNEGIE HALL
Trivial Things Most Likely to Identify
Those Who Speak Through
49,. :,
Mist, He Says.

Hall sat and stood as if transfiXed Sir
last night told solemnly of messages that
he said had been communicated to him
from the world beyond and offered evil
dence in attempting to prove that there is
survival and that the so-called dead talk
and ccf,smune with the living.
The subject of Sir divers third lecture
in New York was Evidence for Survival"
AS he steadily related his arguments and
evidences of the survival Of the soul his
auditors wept or smiled approval, re-
manned silent or whispered to those beside
them that what the noted physicist told
them was only a confirmation of what
they long had believed. IN all the vast
throng there was no evidence of disbe-
lief or of flippancy.
Thought Is fhe Only Reality.
my body is not me-" said Sir oliver,
after explaining that the subject upon
which he dwelt was perhaps one of the
most important confronting the world to-
day. 81 regard it only as the musician
regards his organ. / communicate with
YOU only by producing vibration in the
air. This is made possible by muscles,
nerves and vocal organs. The vibrations
which I produce in the air reach the
tissue OF the hearers ear, are conveyed.
we know not how, to the nerves, and
thence to the brain.
II communicate my mind to you. AS
said in my first lecture. the unseen is the
reality. In this case the unseen is the
reality. The trannfer of my thought to
you is unseen. The material part of the
body is used only as means Of con-
veyance 1t is the same with the tele-
graph instrument. 1t is the same when
l place black marks on paper. / convey
a thought. The thought is the unseen.
The thought is the reality.
The loss of the, body mechanism would
not prevent communication. Another
method for communication would make
itself felt. And so between the discarnate
and the incarnate, communication is pos
sible."
Sir Oliver explained why some persons
could communicate with those beyond
and others could not. by saying that he
could no more explain this than he
could explain why some people were good
mathematicians and others not so good.
The speaker said that at death mes
sages and visions often are projected from
the dead to others far away. He did not
believe these visions to be dreams. but
realities. Then he declared that it was
a proved fact that living perons had COM
municated with those beyond the vale.
have survival without communicat ton. But
IL you have received communications.
then the proof Of survival is complete. But
those persons sending messages to us must
prove their Identity.
1.-THE dead must prove they are them
selves. There must be no acceptance of
every likely piece Of evidence. We must
know that they remain themselves, that
their character is what it was. These
things have been proved.
Z ITO help those who would speak with
us, we must select a time of rest and re-
pose. We must set aside time Of alb
solute quiet in which our minds are un-
occupied.
Mediums are persons whose bodies can
: be made use of by discarnate individuals
who wish to borrow it, and persons who
are willing to lend their bodily mechanism.
Many cases have been found since the
war in which persons have been enabled
to lend their bodies to those desiring to
talk. They have not always made it
public.
mot all mediums are genuine. Not all
OF their claims must be swallowed whole
sale. Do not be led away by enthusiasts
But all we have to do is give those per-
sons who desire to talk with us chance
or the proper medium chance"
stresses FrivoIities.
Sir Oliver gave a series of instances of
actual communication with those beyond
He answered the general criticism that
almost all words or sentences received
through mediums were trivial by saying
that the surest way to prove identity was
through recounting some domestic or chill
dish prank or remark or by the use of
nicknames and cited the test of Alexan-
der Graham Bell in his first development
Of the telephone. when the inventor said
TO his friend at the other end OF the test
line:-"Hi diddle, diddle. the cat and the
fiddle" and requested the listener to COM
plete the verse. hearing a moment later
The COW jumped over the moon" He
declared it was natural for persons first
attempting to communicate with the liv-
ing to use domestic phrases or words. or
to use ncknames.
Tho speaker retold his "Ullo-Erb' rev.
elation of the son who said "ullo- Erb''
through medium to his father, who had
always been known to his son as Herb"
10 no one except the father did the writing
mean anything, but to him il was positive
proof.
Sir Oliver described his own communi-
cations with scientist friends who had gone
and sent back long letters OF hope that
they might develop their communicative
power SO that they could explain the beau
tics of their home. He told how the names
Of entire families known only to one per-
sons sitting before "a medium, and how
subjects OF the same import had been
communicated to and discussed between
{ one person in the beyond with different
persons in different parts of the world.
lie described how the definition of one
word had been asked from two sources at
practically the same time and how the
~ nswer had come to the inquirers from the
=! lerson asked, at the same time combining
Words or phrases that connected all of
hose seeking to communicate.
&c The scientist also recountcd how Sir
)uiugh Lane, on board the Lusitania. had
sarned friends I'm London OF the disaster,
II nd how Professor Meyers had commune
gated to him the beauties of the land be-
rond the vale. He told how a little boy
lad spoken to his mother about the turnp
Il red he had sown on the lawn in place of
,luegrass. a thing unknown to any one
Excepting herself, and how soldier asked
That tie pin In his kit he sent to his
'<iiancec. who later was discovered, and to
whom the pin was sent