The New York herald., 1922-04-15
Says 1t Was to Show Curves
Could Be Pitched With
Cricket Ball.
HAPPENED 20 YEARS AGO
Now They Agree Psychic Diff
ferences Are Religious
and Scientific.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sent to THE
New YORK HERALD yesterday a reply
to the comment of his friend, Hamlin
Garland. which was published in this
newspaper.
Sir Arthur believes that phenomena
which he has witnessed have proved
to be of spirit origin. Mr. Garland
comedies that tie phenomena were
real. but attributes them to unexplored
natural. not supernatural. forces.
Sir Arthur's statement follows:
Il have read with much interest the
remarks of my old friend, Ham.in Gar
land. ] owe him small grudge for the
following reason. He came to my house
In England some twenty years ago. and
we had a discussion as between base
baller and cricketer. l contended that
baseballer ought to be able to take
the strongest throw in without gloves.
Just as cricketer does in the out
field. Hamin Garland said it would
break his hands. / happened to have a
baseball in the house so / challenged
Hamlin Garland to come out on the lawn
and break my hands.
ut so happens that Hamlin Garland
Is an exceedingly strong thrower. /
stood on one corner OF tennis lawn. ne
at the other corner diagonally, and he
passed the ball at me as hard as he
could throw it in. / think 1 was able
to hold it three times out of five. but
must admit that by the time I reached
the fifth / had to propose some change
Of occupation, for he would certainly
have ripped all the skin off the palms of
my hands IL 1t had continued. ] dare
say that Mr.. Garland remembers the
incident as clearly as do.
His Dead Brothers, Visit.
mo one could possibly take exception
to his kind criticism of my views. His
position is one which is proclaimed by
Professor Richet of Paris, and by other
eminent authorities who have had ex-
perience of psychic phenomena but have
not pushed them to what ! consider to
be their logical conclusion. Let me take
definite case. My brother, General
Doyle. came to me at a seance in Wales
year after his death, went into the
most intimate details as to the health
OF his widow, who was in Copenhagen
and asked me to get her to consult
certain doctor in Copenhagen. giving me
the name. On inquiry found that such
a doctor did exist. No one in the room
could possibly have known OF this fact.
Now. surely il is, on the face of ii.
more probable thing that that informa-
tion came from the spirit of my brother.
who was naturally concerned about the
health Of his wife, than that it was due
to some extraordinary cosmc reservoir
OF knowledge out of which / had drawn
this particular detail.
"One has to bear in mind what St
Paul said-and he was a high authority
on this subiect-that there are not diff
ferent spirits. but all the same spirit,
meaning that we must not choose
different explanation from every fresh
form of manifestation, but that we must
find some central explanation which
will cover them all.
Now this can be done on the ex-
PLANTATION of spirit communication, bur
otherwise. in the case of a psychic
photograph, naturalization. automatic
writing or spirit lights floating round
q room. we have to find separate ex-
plantations for every one OF these phe-
nomena, which is. think, in contra
diction of St. Pauls excellent advice,
The fact is that in my opinion we tend
to be too clever over this matter: we
trip ourselves up with our own brains,
and instead OF keeping to the road which
lies clear and open in front we take all
sorts of devious by-paths, leading often
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