Imperial Valley press., 1937-04-11


when he fell in, and someone
hauled him out hah drowned?
Other more personal details Whit Wellman
how he felt about Mary
or Alice or Sally that autumn day at nlgh
school graduation exercises Can ne tell you
Well, then, it's old Hillard, bless MS SOUL
Something of this sort happens at well con-
Quoted seances when through the meoium
come various similar communications, at
tempting to prove personal survival. When
orthodox science says. IF you destroy the body,
what have you left ? Isn't life candle flame
snuffed out by the wind? All life as we know 1t
is contained within physical body!'-the bur-
den of proof rests with anyone believing differ
emily Usually heavy burden
In theory students and scholars can point out
that no one has proved that man does not sur
vive. Logically you cannot prove negative.
Again instead of a mans brain producing
thought his brain may be the instrument of an
independent consciousness. When the body
ceases to function, this consciousness retreats,
being unable to a broken instrument, much
as a violinist stops producing music when his
strings snap. Hereward Darlington, sane and
fair minded investigator of psychic phenomena.
suggests that this consciousness, at death, -.
may merely withdraw into some other sphere
of activity" perfectly reasonable idea, but
still pure theory. An intangible when most of
us want facts. Show us some evidence" say
scientists, lets be scientific about this queer
business . all of these philosophical assump-
tions answer nothing" Others, no less cold
blooded and hard-headed, admit the value of
speculation, but insist upon some basis some
solid foundation of acceptable evidence
Are some mediums sincere with true psy
chic talent which works under controlled con
ditions? AS an instrument" of communication
can their phenomena be depended upon? One
answer is the classical case of Mrs. Piper
"a woman whose work convinced Sir Oliver
Lodge, Professor Hyslop, and others. So far
test conditions can prevail Mrs. Piper evidently
was under the observation of cautious men. DR.
Richard Hodgson employed detectives to watch
her. At sittings the names of those present
were not mentioned When she was guest al
the house of Lodge her mail was opened Every
precaution was taken to prevent her from learn
ing anything concerning the personal history of
her investigators. Experts practically built
wall of silence around her, cutting her off from
available human sources of information-going
to great lengths to make fraud impossible"
TVEN intense psychic students admit that
Il most mediums present little or TO salts
factory evidence of survival, but do believe that
in rare cases such as Mrs. Piper's, manifesto
tions are explainable only by the existence of
outside forces. AS the official medium of the
London Society for Psychic Research for many
years, Sic ullutTWenL q variety OF imposed con-
ditions.
No test appeared to change her results In
his clearly written Primer of Psychical Re-
search Hereward Darlington quotes a page
from records of her sittings:
&c. p: (supposed communicator) asks what
has been done with picture he owned. Mrs H.
Ia sitter) answered 1t was torn up after you
died but here is picture you may not rec
ognize-' (placing picture the table,.
&C p. This is eli
Mrs. H: That is right
Mrs. d: IA sitter Do you remember D?
&c. p: Oh, the little brick house and the vine
grape vine Where is the little clubhouse?
Mrs. H: Here is the neutrality-suspicious. one
&c. P: No, have no recollection of that
Mrs. H: No, painted it while you were not
there. You never saw it"
A letter is laid face down upon the table, and
&c P. says it is letter of his written many
years before
All of which, according to the records, were
correct answers-e evidently made bv a person
or entity possessing a memory of things long
past. To the casual reader, such evidence"
may seem obscure almost worthless; but to
those present, knowing the replies to be accu-
rate it can be impressive
Psychical societies in ten or a dozen countries
have carefully compiled records of similar tests
ana these groups are composed of trained
sclenusts' intent on new discoveries not caring
Tor arguments as to causes. What are the
facts? Do these things happen? Anyone then.
has the privilege of forming their own con-
ciuslons-one mans good as another's AS
many answers exist as the people who offer
them-its clairvoyance, teepathy. an extension
OF the MEDIUMS own personality, reaching out
gathering in information which undoubtedly car
be had-somewhere. Someone other than the
so-called communication often knows the facts
he gives.
wen enough" says your psychic student
admitting it's no more than an amazing extern
SION Oh human qualites-it is still a surprising
business, an unexplored field Conceivably. we
have here the last great adventure in research
the exploration of the human mind"
Few would be brave enough to deny much
OF anything-in the light of radio wave lengths
laws OF vibration, hundred other modern dis
eoVeries' only an open mind admits new
knowledge.