New-York tribune., 1921-09-25

N M UGH water has passed under
"a the spiritualists' bridges
q since this book was origi-
nally written, nearly forty
years ago, but the signs and wonders
which Home performed have probably
never been equaled in any one med
ium since.
Levitation-b raised into the air
without any physical means of support
and thrusting his face into CRATE
fuil OF burning Goals were two of the
most startling manifestations of the Ak
power" OF the cotch-American, who
made converts among scientists and
critical men Of letters as we'll as
among many of the crowned heads Of
Europe, who were his lifelong friends.
In his introduction to this new
edition by the widow of Home Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle writes:
Home is man to whom the human
race, and especially the British public.
owes deep apology. He was most
shamefully used by them. He came as
one of the first and most powerful mis-
slonaries who have set forth upon the
greatest of human tasks, to prove i'm
mortality, to do away with the awful
mystery of death, to found religion
upon positive knowledge, and to break
down the dense materialism which was
as great within the Christian churches
as outside them. All this he felt he
could do by those same personal
demonstrations of spiritual power
which were used for the same ends
in the early age Of the Church before
form and ritual smothered the living
reality
Sir William Crookes, one Of the most
noted scientists Of the time in Eng
land, subjected all the phenomena
which were produced at the seances of
Home to the most rigid scientific tests.
He never stated his conclusions as to
the origin Of the force which produced
the phenomena, but he attested most
strongly to the existence of those phe-
nomena and under conditions which did
away with the possibility of mcchan-
ical contrivances or other fraud.
In making his Investigations Crookes
perfected apparatus that would record
the phenomena na-or the physical changes
due to the acknowledgements of
the evidences of his senses and the
senses of the other witnesses. With
these instruments Crookes recorded
what was to him the most astounding
fact of all, the overturning of the ac-
cepted law of grayta..on when it came
In conflict with the * force" exerted
at the seances. People might be mes
merized so that they might think they
saw and felt things which had no real
ity, he wrote, bat Home could not "bi-
ologize" the recording instruments.
Most of his efforts, after he was con-
vlnced OF the genuineness of the phe-
nomcna, were spent in attempting to
ascertain the laws governing their ep-
served by investigators that q bright
light interfered with the operation of
the force in other mediums, but
Crookes was delighted to find that in
Home the force was strong enough to
withstand this antagonistic influence
All of his experiments were conducted
in the light except when Crookes him
self wanted darkness in order to in
ypstirate the nlysterjofts lirhts which
we're themselves phenomena
Practically every kind Of phenomena.
Crookes found. was preceded by
peculiar cold air. sometimes amounting
to a decided wind. The cold was sum
cient to lower the thermometer by sew
eral degrees Experiments were made
under lights coming from different
sources and colors, such as sunlight,