Evening star., 1923-10-30
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Still Not Convinced.
Confessing what he termed an
| emotional preference against the
idea that spirits come back and pro-
cal plane" Mr.. Bird has summed his
scientific Investigations up in. this
manner: g.. q :
Doing all can to discount this
| preference, 1 still am unable to find
! anything whatever has occurred
in my presence that is in the least
degree demonstrative of survival and
| communication, and activity on the
physical plane by deceased humans"
| Mr.. Bird explained that he did not
| mean that psysical phenomena do not
occur.
He comedies, first that what scien-
| fists call subjective phenomena, un-
der. the head of which come hyp-
he cites instances In support Of the
belief, He comedies, also that he has
been impressed with objective phe-
nomena, such as objects moving about
at high velocity, weaving themselves.
In dark rooms. in and out of chan
deliers and other. furnishings with
out contact.
> Brain Energy Transferred.
His theory is that. with the brain
giving off energy. with other brains
as the receiver, it is possible also to
reach the point of concentration
where physical objects may also be
| the receivers and may be controlled
by the brain. If such is true, he
holds, 1t is an entirely human process
and not spirits working through the
In support of his admission that
| telepathy is existent, Mr.. Bird points
to the case of a Scottish woman. Her
husband was seafaring man and at
home for several weeks. She was OBJ
served to rush out of the door of her
| house.. with her arms extended. and
to Walk thus distance of about one
Of her cottage. She suddenly folded
her arms as If about an object and
fell In faint. When she revived, she
said. my husband is dead" 1t was
exact moment her husband had been
drowned at sea.
Experience With Medium.
In one Of his sittings with the clair
voyant medium, Mrs. Leonard. she
| told him that he had booked passage
on two separate ships when he left
told no one n-,EngIand OF this, but
as matter Of fact, he had done so as
precaution.
Through her control" (the spirit
WORKING through the mediums
| istence of picture of three women,
taken by the seashore. One of the
women, now spirit, was supposed to
be communicating with him through
the medium. Mr.. Bird recalled no
such picture at the time, but upon
his return to America his mother
verified it's existence. It was a pic
ture of his grandmother and two of
his woman relatives taken by the
seashore. He attributed this to the
workings of telepathy. the explana-
| tion being that the medium had taken
| in through this source the workings
OF his subconscious mind.
As far as psychical phenomena as
the result of spirit action is con-
cerhed. he holds a different view. The
Scientific American offered $2,500 to
the first medium who produced
psychic phenomena. Only two have
both have been proved to have
worked fraud in their seances before
the committee.
Trapped Him in Deceit.
One was Valentine. Unknown to
him, the committee installed an cleo
trio apparatus under his chair. AS
long as the medium retained his seat,
the contact was unbroken and a light
in the next room, which he did not
know was there. was burning: A die
taphone was also installed. Checking
up the records of the seance. Mr.
Bird found that when the medium
produced psychical phenomena in
variaDly. he was out Of his seat
The other medium was Mrs. Stewart.
She came to New York last week to
demonstrate spirit writing. She
placed flower between two cards
and when they were unfolded the
name of the late William T. Stead.
famous British editor, appeared, with
the legend, Yes, We have no ba-
nanas. Several of these experiments
were conducted. Each time the me-
dunn wore a big coat. Each time she
insisted also that the same cards be
used.
After one sitting Mr.. Bird found
that five of the plain white cards
were missing from the pack. He
had a stationer shave off a fraction
| of each card and he used them again
the next day. When Mrs, Steward
produced writing on Ave cards IL
was found that she had substituted
the five longer cards for five shorter.
In other words, she had used sleight
of hand. Her performance was du-.
plicated by sleight-of-hand per-
former.
SubcOnscfOus Effects.
The mediums Mr.. Bird visited in
Europe and Miss Bessinet in Amer
lea were not subject to the scientific
test. He explained that he was mere
ly tolerated guest" at these sean
ces. His conclusion Of the result of
these experiments, which he will pub
Iish shortly in book, is that manv
of them were fraud, others might be
fraud, while still others impressed
him to the outright hypothesis that
some psychic force was at work"
He does not believe, however that
spirits produced them, but contends
that the subconscious mind or tele-
Dathy was responsible. - , -