Evening star., 1922-10-31
''Our American Adventure"
Holmes Stories Delight in Travel Experiences in
United States, s'and Are Good Mixers
BY. SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.

top OF this. Congress has forbidden
the railways to alter their times so
as to match with the local change. so
that there is local time and also rail-
way time with an hour of difference.
When in addition you realize that the
clock is naturally changed in any cas-
by an hour to every ] 900 miles as you
go westward you will understand why
the lunacy statistics are steadily
rising.
Reaches Chicago.
spent my first morning in Chicago
at the Loomis street headquarters Of
the Spiritualsts, where they have a
fine solid we'll furnished place, not
unlike Mr.. Hewat Mackenzie's Psy-
chic College in London. A young
medium and inventor, Mr.. Burket,
was waiting for me with an snsTiify-
ing machine with which he hoped to
be able to reinforce the human ear,
and so get fine whispers. possibly
preternatural, far above what We can
hear normally. My'own feeling is
that what We need is an apparatus
which will not only amplify but will
turn high SOUNDS into low ones, Tor
| could conceive that the buzz Of a
mosquito would be a deep bass COM
pared to the octaves, if any, on which
etheric sounds would register.
Mr.. Burket assured me that he had
actually got messages, and the future
may prove that he is on the right
track. The amplifier increased sounds
a hundredfold and could theoretically
do SO a thousandfold. but for some
reason which is beyond my limited
science after the hundredfold point
a sort of droning echo sets in like
the moan heard in r seashell but In
finitely louder, and this browns all
other sounds. We sat with a strong
circle, Mrs. Cadwaliader, one of the
leaders Of the Spiritualists, and editor
of the Progressive Thinker: Col.
West, DR.. Burgess and Mrs. Langley,
the latter veteran medium.
Nothing But Sounds.
strained my ear at the huge horn
from which sound issues, but alas I
could get nothing. I was sorry for
the young inventor, who was cast
down at the result, but if he is on the
time. / have strong feeling that
it is on this line, radio plus amplifier,
that We shall open up fruitful lines of
research.
In spite of our familiarity with
great meetings. Chicago rather took
ending on our top note. All seats
were sold out by the afternoon, and
there Were $50 people crammed on
the platform. 1t was with some din
Guilty that my wife and l reached our
central chairs. 1t was wonderful
bank, or series of banks, of faces,
stretching away back into the gloom.
My wife tells me that l rose to the
occasion. l was moved myself. and so
perhaps I was able to move others.
There was hardly cough or move
ment for the hour and half Of the
address. When I ended there We're
cries for my wife. and l glanced at
her. but she prefers not to speak in
public. If she could let her burning
feelings have full play, and voice her
deep womanly desire to bring comfort
TO the stricken, she would be world
force. She has that human touch.
that natural touch of the heart which
no man can ever attain. When we
got into the street it was raining
heavily. and Widdecombe disappeared
in search of cab. In an instant. un-
der the pelting shower. a group of
people, without an umbrella among
them. pressed round US with eager
questions about life and death. A
poor ragged man with unsold papers
under his arm was the most eager.
Why did we remember nothing before
birth? What about re!ncarnation?
They were eager to know more, but
the cab came and We left them still
arguing-a scene no man could in
vent.
Copyright by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 1872
for United States and Great Britain.
To he continued in tomorrOw's Star.