New-York tribune., 1922-06-18

50 rAllcHftg t"F''NFf'h
- impressive little book by Sir A..
~ Conan DOYLE called "Ihe VITAL
Net,ase." II - simple. strsighfor-
~ard statement 90 the theory OF spirit
ualisr. and gives in plsin language the
a-,hors reason for believing that The
sni-., of the dead take material forms
ssow thsmseives 70 " in their bodies
ard speak 10 Us IN their own voices.
When say tha, bought several COP
i.s 81 .his book and cent them % my
friends. sronE others 20 my own
mother. who, inevitably nearing the
crossing from early life, would be IN
t,ie,.sd and concerned IN such mat
ter. hope : have raid enough 70 sho"
tho, my interest was genuine and SYM
pathetic.
have known sir Arthur Conan Doyle
fer many years, delighted IN his short
storl.. and liked and admired mis- stall
var, ,tralghtforvsrd personality; and
having seen very little of him since the
war. t.it on reading MS book, that
7 could take his assurance ss 20 mat
ters % evidence as that of person
who zss net likely easily 20 be i'm
ro.e5 upoa. told him how much !
liked lis book. ard how disposed J was
% make further study and investigs-
tior % n. subject fclt u indeed 20
be duty TO 90 50 and 20 beware Of a
possible mental Incidence which might
tempt one % assume that the unknown
And ineSpiesble we're NECESSARILY the
untrue and impossible. He was most
lind In sending ne books, and he Of
f.rsd % arrange for me a seance at
ekieh should be able 20 Judge for
n,self that the phenomena testified 20
ky a. many did actually occur ]
gladly accepted this invitation; NY
mind on ths subject was open and SYM
pathetic. and Il would not n TOO much
- tsy that believed IL possible tha.
J Vas on the threshold OF an experience
which might change nv whole outlook
upon life. J am one Of those, neither
heiever9 nor skoptics, who find 20
nuek wonder snd mystery IN life as we
Know u that the possibilities Of the
hidden and 'he unknown seem infinite.
Str Arthur Better Subject
For sessee When Fasting
on the appointed day. therefore, ]
wsn, % lunch with Sir Arthur and
lady Conan Doyle a, the Grosvenor
Hotel vas told that a seancs had
been arranged a. a houss m Hghgate
pith medium called Mrs Johnson,
a,ho rad extraordinary powers Of sum
ucrins presences which manifested
themselves N speech. snd that about
hsli q dozen other people. some Of
whsm rad never attended q soance be-
fore and we're. like myself. sympa-
thetieally interested in The subject had
been invited 10 make Up the circle. !
observed that Sir Arthur, alone OF the
party. took no lunch. as he said that
he vss in more spiritual frame of
rind when without food He and his
pifs spoke ~ "the work" as mission
sfiss speak. literature. the affairs %
the world. were hardly touched upon,
only IN, wonders % revelation and the
folly and blindness of those who would
~ ,ce. After luncheon Sir Arthur as
ssmhled his guests and gave as little
sddress as 20 the frame Of mind in
which Nc should approach the seance.
IL ssid that We should approach Il in
q religious frame a. mind. He told US
that the voices We should FIRST hear
would be those Of the mediums
"Fuiocs"- spirits who habitually came
20 hsr. talked in their natural voices
10 their own concerns and were in
favorable cafes conductors Of other
> sr'rits, possibly friends OF relations Of
those present 70 the circle. VIC were
told that fwo % these guides" were
toliiers who had been killed in the
war, one 4 lad from Glasgow and an
other Lancashire man. that W.
should hear their ordinary talk, prob,
ably silly, amusing and even perhap,
little vulrsr-vhat one might have
expected u ere had been listening q
them IN life. Sir Arthur further said
that a. we were all known 20 each
other there could be no possibility O.
collusion or fraud. ! must observe tha;
though he introduced us we we're not
all known 20 each other: I had never
met any OF the people before. One
wss tho wife OF a Member Of Psrlia-
mert. with her sister; another was a
public singer. another vas the secre-
tsry ~ some srirituslistic society. and,
of course. believer. another was a
stranger Vho had written IN the sorrow
% bereavement - Sir Arthur. asking
him y he could give her some help or
light. and his reply had been 20 invite
her 70 come and see fer herself; an
other was an ardent spiritlalist who
was engaged in scientific research. SIR
Arthur told us that the sesnce would
take place In a house a. Highgate,
kindly lent FOR that purpose by re-
tired Indian colonel. himself an enthu-
Sas,ic spirtualisi; "and therefore, "
Sir Arthu. somewhat nsiveiy remarked,
I'VE my put ell question Of triekery
or trap-ooorS out Of the question"
told Sir Arthur that the spirit in which
was approaching the thing ~as not
religious spirit, but one Of sympa-
thetic curiosity. and he quite accepted