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 BY 
 
 JAMES COATES 
 
 PRACTICAL STUDIES IN 
 PSYCHOMETRY 
 THOUGHT-TRANSFERENCE 
 TELEPATHY AND 
 ALLIED PHENOMENA 
 

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PeOFESSOR JOSEI'H RODES BuCHANAN, M.D. 
 
 [Frontisj^uce. 
 
Seeing the Invisible 
 
 Practical Studies in 
 Psychometry, Thought Transference, 
 Telepathy, and Allied Phenomena 
 
 I’.y 
 
 James Coates, Ph.D., F.A.S. 
 
 Author of 
 
 “ Human Magnetism,.fhe Practical Hypnotist," 
 
 " How to Thought Read," " How to Read Heads,” 
 
 " How to Read Faces," etc., etc., etc. 
 
 [ 1777 / FIVE PLATES 
 
 LONDON 
 
 L. N. FOWLER & CO. 
 
 7 Imperial Arcade;, Ludgate Circus, E.C. 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 FOWLER eV WELLS CO. 
 
 24 East Twenty-second Street 
 
 1906 
 
Copyright 1906 by 
 
 L. N. FOWLER & CO 
 
 Entered at Stationers’ Hai 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
IT IS WITH GREAT PLEASURE THAT I DEDICATE 
 THIS WORK TO 
 
 JOHN AULl), Esquire 
 
 I’OLI.OKSHlEr.DS, (JLASGOW, AND KOTHESAY, BUTE, SCOTLAND 
 
 AS A SLIGHT ACKNOWLEDGMENT 
 FOR HIS FRIENDLY AND PATIENT CO-OPERATION IN THE 
 INVESTIGATION OF THESE AND KINDRED SUBJECTS 
 DURING THE LAST TEN YEARS 
 
 JAMES COATES 
 

Prefa ce 
 
 Psychic Science lias made great progress during the 
 last fifty years, but the facts with which it has had to 
 deal are as old as mankind; but tJuit does not make the 
 work the less valuable. Facts—albeit Psychological 
 and I’sychical—denied fifty years ago, or deemed only 
 worthy the attention of the superstitious or the 
 ignorant, have, after all, been found to Vie facts, and as 
 the result of investigations of men and women who 
 were equal, if not superior, to their contemporaries in 
 the highest walks of Science, Philosophy, Theology, 
 Literature and Art, not only at home, but abroad also. 
 
 These investigations go to prove, not merely that 
 man has a soul—using the term in the popular sense 
 —and may live in some obscure way in after-death 
 states, but that he is a Soue here and now. In this 
 volnine I present some evidence for my faith; nay, 
 more, for my knowledge that man is a Greater Self, 
 and that he now demonstrates that in the exercise of 
 
VI 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 Psychometric ami of Psychic Faculty, and by manifest 
 independence of the Physical form and his Time and 
 Sense environment. In the following pages I have 
 briefly reviewed the whole subject under the headings 
 of Psychometry and Telepathy. 
 
 To Psychometry, the history and practical application 
 of the Intuitive Faculty, which appears to lie between 
 Ordinary and Psychic Faculty, I have given most 
 attention, as there is no useful work published on that 
 subject in this country; and, moreover, it has not 
 received the attention which it deserves. There is 
 nothing mystic or occult in Psychometry, except the 
 name. There are few dangers in the investigation, 
 while from the knowledge gained much light is thrown 
 on the Intuitive powers and Psychic Faculties of man. 
 Practical Instructions are given in Psychometry, and 
 these will be found to be an agreeable and interesting 
 study. 
 
 From Psychometry one readily passes into the 
 consideration of Telepathy—including Thought-trans¬ 
 ference, not only from brain to brain of the Living, 
 hid from those 'whose hrams, with their bodies, are 
 mingling with the dust, and are no longer of service to 
 them. The play or exercise of Psychic Faculty, both 
 in and out of the body, the phenomena of the Double 
 and Apparition, certainly go a long way to establish 
 the fact that man is a Spiritual being. For the 
 
PREFACE 
 
 vii 
 
 accumulation of well-sifted evidence demonstrating the 
 existence of the Inner Man, the Psychic Self, the 
 True Mb, the world is much indebted to the investiga¬ 
 tions of courageous and independent thinkers during 
 the period mentioned, and to the labours—during the 
 last twenty-three years—of the Society for Psychical 
 Research, London. So valuable is the evidence 
 labelled “ Telepathy,” in the opinion of Sir Oliver 
 Lodge, F.R.S., the ex-President of that Society, that he 
 avers:— 
 
 “ What we can take before the Royal Society, and 
 what we can challenge the judgment of the world upon, 
 is Telepathy.” 
 
 That is an important utterance, and will attract the 
 attention which it undoubtedly deserves. I have not 
 trenched on the I’rocecdliKjs of the Society for Psychical 
 Research, and have observed my own methods of deal¬ 
 ing with the phenomena; for the oj)inions expressed, I 
 therefore take the sole responsibility. 
 
 Since this hook was written, nearly five years ago, 
 invisible radiation of Salts of Uranium, Radium, and 
 other “ Radio-active bodies,” emanations, have been dis¬ 
 covered, also the now well-established “ N-rays,” all 
 of which substantially corroborate the stateinents and 
 investigations advanced in these jjages. 
 
 Where I have availed myself of reliable sources 
 of information—independent evidence illustrative of 
 
riJEFACE 
 
 viii 
 
 rsychouietry, Thought-transference, Psychic Faculty 
 and Telepathy—these are acknowledged in the body of 
 the work, which has al'lbrded me pleasure in the 
 writing, although written in scraps and at odd times. 
 I trust that the contents of the volume will give 
 pleasure and profit to all who peruse its pages. 
 
 JAMES COATES. 
 
 Glenbeg House, Rothesay. 
 
Analysis ol Contents 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 man’s PSVCHICAI, NATUKK 
 
 Dr William Carpenter’s detiiiition of “Man’s Conscious Life’’ — 
 The Me and the Not Me—“ The whole Constitution of Man,” 
 the key to this work—The education of the ordinary senses, 
 and of Psychic Faculty—Order of evidence—Sir William 
 Thomson j)ostulates two new senses. Force and the Mag¬ 
 netic sense — The Psychometric sense, discovered hy Dr .losc])Ii 
 Kodes Buchanan—History of the discovery — Bisho]i Polk’s 
 sensibility—Psychometry no new thing — Buchanan’s inves¬ 
 tigations, proving high sensibility and extraordinary intuition 
 in man—lixperiments with medicinal substances by Buchanan 
 —Allied experimentation in France — Dualities in the indi¬ 
 vidual favourable to the exercise of Psychic Faculty—The 
 l)sychometric sense, an inner sense of touch — The soul’s 
 organs of j)erception — The recognised inade(|uacy of ordinary 
 sense-pcrcejitions — The range of Psychic Faculties from the 
 “Magnetic Sense” to teltcsthesia, etc.—Flpes Sargent on 
 Clairvoyance ; its range of phenomena—•“ Scientilic basis for 
 sj)iritual theory”—Professor Sir Oliver Lodge on “ Thought- 
 transference,” before the Literary and Philosophical Society, 
 Liverpool—Phantasms, thought-forms, apjiaritions, ghosts 
 cannot he exi'lained away, but explained—A pa.ssing note on 
 Thought-transference and Telepathy — Both a transference of 
 thought, with a ditference—Telepathy defined as having as 
 many aspects as the human mind faculties—Psychometry, 
 'l’ele[iathy, etc. establishing, in the main, all the jisychie 
 phenomena of Modern Sjiiritualism — The phenomena of 
 Sj)iritualism not “tricks wiitten large’"—Telejiathy delined 
 
X 
 
 ANALYSTS OF CONTENTS 
 
 — Thought-transference exporimciitatioiis often tedious—Tele- 
 jiathy demonstrates that mind can inllucnce mind, transcend¬ 
 ing all time, space, and sense-perceptions—Appeal to the 
 religious man’s spiritual nature ...... 1 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 INVISIBLE FOKCES AND EMANATIONS 
 
 The borderland between “force and matter”—M. Henri Bec- 
 querel’s Lecture on “ Radio-active Bodies”—Invisible radia¬ 
 tions from Salts of Uranium and other substances —Invisible 
 forces print images on photographic plates — The new 
 rays, new substances, invisible light, contrasted with Kathode 
 and X rays—The emanations or rays perpetual, yet without 
 loss of substance—Gladstone’s axiom, “It is wise to believe 
 before experience”—Nature’s more subtile etllueuces recog¬ 
 nised, ranging from the discarded “Magnetic lliiid” of 
 the Occultists to the nervaura of Buchanan--Paracelsus’ 
 quaint opinion substantiated by Psychical Research — Im¬ 
 portant questions asked and answered—The value and 
 importance of experimentation — Man surrounded by 
 nervaura, and all substances by tlieir own special atmo¬ 
 spheres—Sir David Brewster’s description and delinition of 
 emanations—The late Sir Cromwell F. Varley’s opinion with 
 reference to luminous emanations and others being “ Flames 
 of Od ”—Human magnetism demonstrated by Psychometry 
 —The discovery of N-rays by M. Blondlet of Nancy— X and 
 N rays essentially dilfereiit ; their presence demonstrated by 
 means of a phosiihorescent screen—The probability of N-rays 
 playing an important part as “ p.sychic force”—Illustration 
 of psychic sensitiveness by means of ordinary photographic 
 procedure —Mrs Somerville’s instance of emanations printing 
 image of object without contact—The subtile invisible forces 
 of Nature—Psychometry and Telepathy present two clear 
 outstanding facts-—There is a medium which produces sen¬ 
 sations of vision, feeling, etc., and that man possesses Psychic 
 Faculties—The whole constitution of man is twofold—His 
 environment twofold, physical and psychical—The aura, 
 delicate vapour which arises from brain and nerve, man’s 
 image-hearer—The value of psychometric impressions — 
 Psychometry or intuition the first rung in the ladder of 
 psychic exjieriences ........ 
 
 25 
 
ANALYSTS OF CONTENTS 
 
 XI 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 nature’s invisible BIOOKAI'H 
 
 Unseen oiilt/ in the sense, not discerned by ordinary jilay of 
 faculty, but by Psycbic Faculties—Professors Babbage and 
 Draper on pennunent records in tlie Invisible — Denton’s 
 description of Nature’s picture-gallery — Buchanan’s claim, 
 “ The past is entombed in the present! ” — Flvcry psycho- 
 metrical experiment demonstrates an infinite range of 
 intuitive power—The author’s criticism of Buchanan’s claim 
 — The world is influenceil by great principles, not by histories, 
 false or accurate—Difficulties in the way of resurrecting 
 history by psychometric exi)loration — Nature at work 
 throughout the ages, transferring the thoughts and actions of 
 mankind to her infinite canvas — The [lossibility of the reader 
 being gifted to see the ])iotures in the Invisible Biograph — 
 The ])ossible influence of emanations on ourselves for good or 
 ill—What tales might not a bit of brick made in the days of 
 Emperor Hadrian tell ?—Speculation concerning Rome and 
 relics ; ideas suggested thereby — Relics, false and true — 
 Psychometry rescuing the universal regard for relics from 
 the region of poimlar su[ierstitions—The psychometric sensi¬ 
 tiveness and experiences of the late Professor Hitchcock, the 
 distinguished Geologist—His shrewd deductions from our 
 “acuter senses”—Nature as a photograjiher—The marvels 
 and specimens “in the great picture-gallery of eternity”— 
 Varying causes of jisychometric sensitiveness, illness and sleep 
 —Remarkable case of the exercise of Psychic Faculty in sleep 
 by Professor Agassiz—A vei'itable “Seeing the Invisible”— 
 The brain’s o]ierations during sleej) do not account for 
 this psychic experience—Agassiz’s “kind of instinct”—The 
 jisychometrical faculty—The “ unconscious oj)crations of the 
 mind”—Numerous instances of mental operations in sleep — 
 None of these applicable to Agassiz's dream-vision of accur¬ 
 ately seeing a fossil fish imbedded in stone—Hugh Miller’s 
 experiences when ill of small-pox — Mysterious cabinet of 
 daguerreotype pictures — Psychic science discovers both the 
 pictures and the key to them—Professor Draper — “The 
 ])ictures of thoughts, words, and deeds of men ” preserved in 
 the Invisible—The existence of Invisible Forces demonstrated 
 by manifestations in the visible—The magnet— All emanations 
 and auras partake of the nature and character of their sourci! 
 — Intuitive likes and dislikes—The marked foresight and 
 
ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 xii 
 
 intuition of Queen Victoiia an aid to her ministers—We are 
 sensitive jdates— Xut a human thoiufh/. iras ever IJwmjJU which 
 did not in tiudice the thonijhta of some other thinker —Our im¬ 
 pressions, and what I'sychometry will help us to understand 60 
 
 CnAPTER IV 
 
 rsvcnoMETUic experiments 
 
 How Professor Denton became acipuainted with Psychometry — 
 Successful experiments with Mrs Anne Denton Cridge— 
 Denton’s hopes and discoveries expressed in letter to Buchanan 
 —Denton’s delight to find from a clue that the history of its 
 lime passed before the yaze of the seer like a grand panoramic 
 ■viciv —The power of the Psychometer increased as the 
 exjieriments continue—Description from fragment of lava 
 from Kilauea, Hawaii—Psychometric reading from clue by 
 Mrs Denton, piece of lava from the banks, Uiiper Missouri— 
 Denton’s remarks thereon—Psychometric experiments from 
 fish hone by Mrs Foote—Mrs Denton’s description from same 
 clue—Denton’s suggestions—Mrs Denton’s reading from piece 
 of limestone, not knowing what she held ; Professor Denton’s 
 remarks on this interesting experiment—Experiments with 
 clue, no one knowing its character —Reading by Mrs U. Taylor 
 from small stalactite—Mrs Lncielle De Viel, from a specimen 
 of hornstone gives a lucid clairvoyant reading of Jerusalem 
 and its surroundings—Mrs De ViePs reading from a fragment 
 of chamois horn—Psychometer’s clairvoyant reading from a 
 piece of rook ; Professor Denton’s comments—Psychometers 
 exercise all the Psychic Faculties—Mrs Denton’s unique 
 reading from a small jiiece of basalt concerning Fingal’s Cave 
 and scientific deductions—Suggestions to Psychometers, with 
 reference to experimentation—Mrs Denton’s reading from a 
 jiiece, “Modern IMosaic, Rome,” suggesting the exercise of 
 clairvoyance, etc.—The Psychometric Faculty in water- 
 diviners, mineral i)rospectors . . . . . .74 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 I’SYCHOMETRICAL riiACTICE 
 
 AVhy certain experiments are omitted—The play of Psychic 
 Faculty in practice difficult to distinguish—Rei>ort of Mr 
 Edwin Fllse, of Manchester, of the remarkable Psychometiy 
 by Mr J. B. Tetlow of that city—Does Psychometry account 
 
ANA1>YRIS OF CONTENTS 
 
 xiii 
 
 TAQK 
 
 for it all?—Possible Spirit iiilluence factor—“ P>y what 
 Power ? ” interesting case reported by the late J. Enninore 
 .lones—Lessons suggested—Test cases by Win. T. Stead, Esq., 
 Editor of the Reviciv of Rrvietrs, and borderland methods of 
 procedure adopted—Miss Ross, Psychonieter : four successful 
 readings from blank bits of paper—The outline of lifteeu test 
 cases by Mrs Coates : rc.sults, successes, failures, and lessons 
 in exjierimentation—Mr Stead’s methods and testimony : “I 
 think your wife’s success in the delineations is marvellous”— 
 Interesting history of a bullet ; what came of it—Need of 
 undisturbed jiassivity in sensitives—Dilfering characters of 
 the one jier.son from his photograph and a blank piece 
 of jinper—Instructions arising therefrom—LTnpleasant in- 
 lluences from sjiecimcns—What may be learned from the 
 failures—Mr Stead’s concluding letter—Mrs Coates testing 
 Psychometiy for nearly a thousand clues—Lr Ruchanan’s 
 “later developments of Psychometiy”—These ex[ierimeiits 
 proving Thought-transference rather than Psychometiy— 
 Sources of error, and jiractical lessons therefrom—A sceptical 
 test case and the result, with further hints on practice— Hon sc- 
 irife condition, and outline of some cases—Reading from lock 
 of hair of little girl “ jiassed over”—Mother's testimony— 
 Diagnosing disease from lock ofhair—Other character sketches 
 and testimony—Methods adojited to eliminate Mind-reading 
 and Thought-transference- Mr Frederic Thurstan’s experi¬ 
 mental work in Rattersea—History of Circle, and methods of 
 procedure—The development of succe.ssful Psychics—Mrs 
 Coates’second batch of cases secured in 1904 through The 
 New Thought magazine—The imjiortance of knowledge at 
 firsthand—Mr Newton Crosland’s instructive exjieriment—Mr 
 Thurstan’s opinion that neither Ruc.hanan nor Denton jiroved 
 the t.heory of Psyehometry—Smudged clues—Mrs Coates’ 
 reading from “ old man’s handkerchief,” and sur]irising result 
 —The dcscriiition of three ladies—Their hifluence persisting 
 after the lapse of many years—Claim for discarnate iiilluence— 
 
 The Psychonieter is one gifted with Psychic Faculty—Various 
 modes of impre.ssionability, including from discarnate souls— 
 Caution—Psychometcrs’imjiressionahility to the aura of things 
 — Ry Psychic Faculty, jilaeed in touch with the Invisible— 
 Psychonietrical sensitiveness a jiriceless possession—To de¬ 
 velop the Psychic Faculties, exercise regularly and with 
 judgment essential 100 
 
XIV 
 
 ANALYSTS OF CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 PSYOHOMRTKIOAI, I'llAOTIOE —COVtinucd 
 
 One factor by which tire jn'esence of ncrvav.ra may be detected— 
 
 Tbc order of experiments ; those most suitable for beginners 
 —Note; Mr Thurstan’s method of conducting a class for 
 Psychometry —Dr Buchanan’s experiments in stimulating 
 or inlluoncing the brain—The attitude of mind to receive 
 impressions—Physician’s impressions— The psychometrical 
 p/vecss is one of passive perception in an amia ble and recep¬ 
 tive state of mind —Cautions—The passive state like a j)lacid 
 lake—IIow to secure passivity—How to practise successfully 
 —Different readings, and their value—Importance of Intui¬ 
 tion, with judgment—The true foundation of personal 
 experience — How to experiment with a Psychometer— 
 Lectures on the “Facts and Philosophy of Psychometry,” 
 and readiirgs by Mrs ,1. Stannard—Lessons suggested there¬ 
 from—PmisoNAL Experimentation — Apparent failures, 
 successes — Mrs Denton’s iirst experience and remark¬ 
 able success—Ml'S Coates’ first attempts, conlirmation and 
 encouragement—How Miss Rowan Vincent discovered her 
 gift—Mr Thurstan’s method of [irocedure—Various examjiles 
 to help the beginner . . . . . . . .141 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 THOUGHT-TRANSFERENCE AND TELEPATHY 
 
 Mind anfl thought; reflections thereon— It is the intense emotional 
 thoughts which are transferred and received —Thought-trans¬ 
 ference and Telepathy dilferentiated—Thought-transference 
 not to be confounded with “Thought-reading” exhibitions 
 —How to experiment—Short and long distance Thought- 
 ti'ansference illustrated by three distinct cases: two by Mr 
 Frank Podmore and one by Mr W. T. Stead—Thought- 
 photography, methsds usually adopted— Dr Baraduc’s case— 
 Experiments by Mr- Julius Emmer—Commandant Tegrad’s 
 experiments—Mr VV. Inglis Rogers, dual thought image of a 
 postage stamp—Dr Alfred Russel Wallace, F.R.S., on spirit- 
 ]ihotographs—Other testimony by the late Traill Taylor, 
 London, Dr H. A. Reid, California—The bed-rock of fact— 
 Siiirits can be |ihotographed—The testimony of the Rev. Mr 
 Haweis—The transference or power of thought tested by 
 delicate ajiparatus—Several machines and methods described 
 —Thought is a dynamic force or an X-form of energy . . 174 
 
ANALYSIS OF CONTPINTS 
 
 XV 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 PSYCHIC KACULI'Y AND TEHUPATHY 
 
 PACK 
 
 Rujiiility of mental action—Testimony of Professor Ileiron, of 
 Zurich—Experience of Legrist, an Alpine climber—An in¬ 
 teresting case of psychic action in sleep—Remarkable 
 instance of psychometrical dream-vision—The case of Pro¬ 
 fessor Ililprecht 'I’hat of the Rev. Charles Iladdon Spurgeon 
 —Telepathy fails to explain—The play of Psychic Faciilly 
 in somnambulism—How dreams are forgotten—Two incidents 
 in the life of St Columba, and reason for acceptance—Maeter¬ 
 linck on “Human Fokeknowi.edce”—G oethe on sensitive 
 recei)tivity and intuition—Capt. I’urton on the inlluence on 
 man by certain animals—Flarl Roberts’ sensitiveness and 
 recorded presentiments—Two cases of vague fear presenti¬ 
 ments ; one by Sandow, the strong man, the other by Airs 
 Elvey — Voice jiremonitions ; the story of Mrs Livermore, by 
 the Rev. Minot Savage—Mrs Sarah Jane Whitaker’s experi¬ 
 ence—The jiresentiment of M. Emile Zola—Premonition in 
 di’cams ; one instance by the Author—Symliolical jiremoni- 
 tions—The dream and jiremonitions of Abraham Lincoln, 
 related by Foster in his Life of Dickens —Premonition and 
 jiredictions lelating to jmblic events—Mrs Coates and the 
 Roer War, and true fulfilment—The coronation of the King— 
 
 “ Second-sight ” dreams and fulfilment—Tlie finding of miss¬ 
 ing jiersons through dreams—The case of Miss Marjory 
 Lumsden—Mrs Resant’s testimony to the jilay of Psychic 
 Faculty in her exjierience ....... 204 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 PSYCHIC FACUl.TY AND TELEPATHY —covtinued 
 
 Telejiathy is nothing hut a term by which wo veil our ignorance— 
 
 The march of Psychical Researchers to Sjiiritualism—General 
 Telejiathy; interview with the late Mr W. H. Preece, 
 Engineer in-Chief to the General Post Oflice-The Indian 
 Secret Mail—T elepathy from the Living—T he psychical 
 exjierience of Air Alaskelyne, of Egyjitian Hall fame—A case 
 of collective Telejiathy, two jiersons influenced at same time— 
 Prayer answered through Telepathy -Exjierience of 
 the Author—The discovery of the body of Dr (Aliss) Hickman 
 
XVI 
 
 ANALYSTS OF CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 — A CiiicAno STORY OF VOICE Telepathy— selected case 
 from the Proc. S.P.E .—Telepathy in dreams, several interest¬ 
 ing instances—Ari’AurriONS, Ghosts, and Hauntings —All 
 are not ghosts which appear to bo—The Author’s dream- 
 vision—The double and the apj)arition—Cases related by 
 the celebrated Dr Abercrombie, of Edinbnrgli—Mr Terry, 
 editor. Harbinger of Light —Mr Andrew Lang —Mr T. P. 
 O’Connor—Mr Frank Podmore’s thought-form pioving too 
 much—Rev. H. R. Haweis’ double—The double of T. P. 
 O’Connor, M. P. —Telepathy from itieDead, Apparitions, 
 Phantasms of the Dead —Mrs Edmund Adam’s experi¬ 
 ence, the gruesome ajiparition of her grandmother—Family 
 aj)paritions seen by Mrs Coates—Reported apparition of 
 Arthur Hallam —A striking case taken from Proc. S.P.li.— 
 The story told of the late Father Walter, of Washington— 
 Apparition seen by the late Rev. 1). MTvinnon, Glasgow— 
 Visions of the Dying—Apparitions— Cases related by the 
 Rev. Minot J. Savage—Apparition in dream persisting in the 
 waking state, result—Authentic case of long-distance Tele¬ 
 pathy— “ A voice from the dead ”—A dead (?) man’s return 
 with a pur|iose— ^Mouj'kn Spiritualism and 'J'elepathy — 
 Induced jihenomena and dilliculties in investigation—The 
 light which our studies throw on mediumistic states and the 
 psychic phenomena of Spiritualism—The psychical phe¬ 
 nomena of Modern Spiritualism and Spirit return accepted— 
 The limitations of Siiirit communion ..... 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 238 
 
 I. Professor Joseph Rodes Buchanan, M. D. 
 
 II. Experiments with Medicines . 
 
 III. Unconscious Mental Operations 
 
 286 
 
 289 
 
 292 
 
Seeing the Invisible 
 
 Studies in Psychometry and Telepathy 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 man’s psychical nature 
 
 “ Man’s conscious life,” said tlie late Dr AVm. Carpenter, 
 “essentially consists in the action and reaction between 
 his mind and all that is outside it—the Me and the 
 Not Me. But this action and reaction cannot take 
 place, in his present stage of existence, without the 
 intervention of a material instrument, whose function 
 it is to bridge over the hiatus between the individual 
 consciousness and the external world, and thus to bring 
 them into mutual communication. _So long, therefore, 
 as either the mental or the bodily part of the man was 
 studied to the exclusion of the other, no true {)rogress 
 could be made in psychological science; and thus 
 it was that the bygone controversies between the 
 Spiritualists and the Materialists—in which the dis¬ 
 putants on either side looked at his composite nature 
 from that side only—were barren of any other good 
 result than that of In-inging into view phenomena that 
 
 might have otherwise escaped detection. But the 
 
 1 1 
 
2 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 psychologist who looks at his subject in the light of 
 that more advanced philosophy of the present day 
 which regards matter merely as the vehicle of force, 
 has no difficulty in seeing where both sets of disputants 
 were right and both wrong; and, laying the founda¬ 
 tions of his science broad and deep in the lohole 
 constitution of the individual Man, and his relations 
 to the world external to him, aims to build up with 
 the materials furnished by experience of every kind, 
 mental and bodily, normal and abnormal—ignoring no 
 fact, however strange, that can be attested by valid 
 evidence, and accepting none, however authoritatively 
 sanctioned, that will not stand the test of thorough 
 scrutiny.” 
 
 I have made the foregoing statement the keynote of 
 the subject-matter presented in this volume. In what¬ 
 ever I have advanced regarding the Mb, with its newly 
 recognised senses, strange gifts, and Psychic Faculties; 
 its discrete degrees of consciousness, mental and 
 psychic action, normal and super-normal; I have kept 
 in view “ the whole constitution of the individual man,” 
 and I have also presented “ valid evidences ” in 
 support of the statements made. Where I have not 
 been able to give evidences, I have offered my opinions, 
 as a reasonable man, as to how the matter affected 
 myself. Where possible, I have produced witnesses 
 whose evidence must be respected, and whose experi¬ 
 ments can be re-tested and independently substantiated. 
 With regard to the Not Me —that world without the 
 Me —the world of other minds—theirs and our own 
 
MAN’S PSYCHICAL NATULE 
 
 3 
 
 environment, so far as affected by our studies—I have 
 also produced evidence for every step of our inquiry. 
 I have introduced the reader to some of its past scenes, 
 and to some of its phases of existence which have 
 escaped the attention of those authorities whose special 
 department has been that of physics—the investigation 
 of material nature and natural philosophy ; and if they 
 have not also escaped the attention of psychologists, 
 their authoritative voice has never been heard making 
 definite declarations ui)on such subjects as Psychometry 
 and Thought-transference, with which T deal in the 
 following pages. 
 
 Some light has been thrown upon an array of mental 
 phenomena which have been attributed to occult, mystic, 
 or supernatural causes, or which, for want of a better 
 understanding, have been denied nltogetlier. 
 
 If no object in the Not Me— the world without the 
 Man—can be immediately recognised by the human 
 senses without these undergoing a proce.ss of education,’ 
 it is also clear that after the period of education be 
 past, sense-perception continues without conscious 
 effort: thus the luarksman judges distances intuitively; 
 
 1 “A bird just come fortli from the egg will pick at an insect 
 with ])erfect aim, hut aii infant is long in learning to grasp at a 
 bright object held within its reach, being obviously unable, in the 
 first instance, either to estimate it.s distance, or to combine the 
 muscular action needed for its prehension. And the observa¬ 
 tion of numerous cases in which sight has been first obtained 
 after tactile familiarity with extern.al objects had been fully 
 acquired, enables it to be positively affirmed that no object can 
 be immediately recognised by sight alone when seen for the first 
 time under such circumstances.”— Carpenter. 
 
4 
 
 SEEING THE TNVTSTP.LE 
 
 the backwoodsman follows the trail unerringly; and 
 indeed, in every department of science and art, the 
 trained expert will hear, see, feel, or sense with wonderful 
 accuracy that which would lie unheard, unseen, unfelt, 
 and undetected by those whose sense-organs are either 
 defective, or if sound, have not been trained. If man 
 possesses psychic senses, i.c. senses which transcend 
 sense-perception, the same will hold true—they must 
 be developed or educated before they can be effectuallj^ 
 used. 
 
 The psychic senses and faculties may be latent in the 
 individual, who, not being aware of the possession, may 
 deny their existence in himself and in others, and 
 reject all evidence presented in their favour, as “ being 
 contrary to the well-known laws of Nature.” There 
 are many deaf mutes in the world, who do not speak 
 not becaiose theii cannot, hut because they are not consdotts 
 of their ability, for they have neither been informed 
 nor instructed. All persons possess Psychic Faculties, 
 but all are not aware of the fact. Some have blurred 
 psychic perceptions, so indistinct and often so fitful 
 that they do not like to speak about them; others, 
 again, may have many strange experiences, and in 
 consequence lay claim to the possession of special 
 faculties, gifts, and what not, above their fellows. All 
 these could be better understood by a more correct 
 knowledge of man’s composite natiire, and of the mind’s 
 unconscious operations, intuitive, sub-conscious, and 
 provisional, for which some pei’sons, in their ignorance, 
 claim an occult source. It may be that a man has 
 
MAN’S PSYCHICAL NATUEE 
 
 5 
 
 become aware of the possession of some gift or faculty 
 through which he has learned or experienced that 
 which he could not gain through the ordinary channels 
 of sense,—some information which cannot be put down 
 to guess-work, liysteria, or, worse still, to an untruthful 
 nature and a love for notoriety. If some attention 
 were paid to the claims made, and the evidence pre¬ 
 sented carefully sifted, two or three things would 
 happen:— 
 
 (a) The evidence would—from a scientific standpoint 
 —^be valueless, or might not be strong enough to 
 satisfactorily establish the claim, more data and more 
 evidence being necessary for further inquiry. 
 
 (b) The evidence would be sufficiently strong to arrest 
 attention; but before acceptance or rejection of the 
 claim to tlie possession of su])er-noi'mal faculty, similar 
 cases should be examined. 
 
 (c) The evidence would be valid, and the existence of 
 a Sixth, Magnetic, Psychic or I’sychometric sense or 
 faculty be admitted. 
 
 It is on these lines that the Society of Psychical 
 Eesearch has admitted the possession of unconscious, 
 subconscious, and super-normal play of faculty in man, 
 as exhibited in Tliought-transference, Telepathy, etc. 
 If the existence of such extraordinary sense or faculty 
 can be demonstrated, it matters little indeed whether 
 it be called “ Sixth, Magnetic, or Psychic,” by way of 
 distinction. The very first thing to make sure of is, 
 do these Psychic Faculties exist; then, what are their 
 special uses; and, again, what may be deduced from 
 
6 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 them as to man’s present and future existence—if 
 man has a future existence, after that, we may label 
 them as we please. 
 
 In the following pages I have dealt with these 
 psychic powers and the evidences in their favour, and 
 in all my researches I have not found valid rebutting 
 evidence. In all cases where the existence of such 
 faculties has been denied, I have found that the 
 sceptical have either had no personal experience, or 
 that they have never examined the evidences presented 
 by those who have investigated the matter; while 
 those who have accepted them have either had con¬ 
 vincing experiences themselves, or have accepted the 
 testimony of trustworthy investigators. 
 
 In 1883 Sir William Thomson (now Lord Kelvin), 
 in his inaugural address as President of the Midland 
 Institute, Birmingham, broached the idea of the exist¬ 
 ence of a seventh or “Magnetic sense”; he stated then 
 that we had six senses—those of sight, hearing, taste, 
 smell, heat, and force. (The last two, hitherto called 
 the sense of touch or feeling, had been split into two 
 senses, feeling not being adequate, as it had been dis¬ 
 covered that man possessed a force or weight-resisting 
 sense, and hence the new sense is designated “ force.”) 
 These six senses were not enough, and the learned 
 Professor dilated on the possible possession of a 
 seventh, which he called the “ Magnetic sense,” and 
 which, he carefully explained, in no way “ supported 
 that wretched grovelling superstition of Animal Mag¬ 
 netism, Spiritualism, Mesmerism or Clairvoyance, of 
 
MAN’S PSYCHICAL NATUlfE 
 
 7 
 
 which they had heard so much. There was iio seventh 
 sense of a mystic kind.” 
 
 Leaving aside the aside of the lecturer about 
 ‘ Animal Magnetism, S 2 )iritualism, Mesmerism or 
 Clairvoyance,” we will proceed to note the admission 
 that man may possess other senses than the usually 
 recognised five, i.e. sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch 
 or feeling, for he adds two—“ Force and the Magnetic 
 sense.” These senses reveal to us something of which 
 we could not be conscious through the agency of the 
 other admitted five. If there be a Magnetic sense, wby 
 not a I’sychometric sense ?—a sense by which we are 
 placed in conscious relation to certain subtle forces— 
 emanations, vibrations—in nature, of whose e.xistence 
 and influence no knowledge can be obtained through 
 the agency of the ordinary sense-perception of the 
 admitted five or six. If there be a Psychometric sense, 
 “ what is its nature ? ” A brief outline of its discovery 
 will help to answer this inquiry. 
 
 d'his new sense was discovered accidentally in 1842 
 by Dr Jos. Podes Pucbanan,^ who called it Psychometry 
 {psi/che, soul, and metron, measure), or the power of the 
 soul to measure by the soul. The discovery was made 
 while the Doctor was engaged in a series of cerebral 
 explorations, having for their object the localisation of 
 mental or idea-motor and sejisory functions, and the 
 tracing of the relationships of their centres in the bi’ain 
 to the body, and those of the body to the brain and to 
 mind. iVs early as 1838 this distinguished physician 
 * Appendix No. I. 
 
8 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 anticipated Professor Eerrier’s centre of feeling by tlie 
 localisation of the “ Eegion of Sensibility ” at the base 
 of the middle or temporo-sphenoidal lobe, during a 
 course of experiments akin to what used to be called 
 Phreno-Mesmerism, but with this distinguishing differ¬ 
 ence—his clients were persons sound in health and 
 intelligent; they were in the possession of normal 
 consciousness ; none of them were put into a hypnotic 
 and suggestible condition, and none were dominated 
 either by subjective or by conscious suggestions. 
 This discovery of the centre of feeling led to an investi¬ 
 gation of its powers in different individuals. It was 
 found that when persons had the centre well developed, 
 they also possessed the faculty of Psychometry, by 
 which they had the power to read or measure souls or 
 minds, and indeed to exliibit marked sensitiveness or 
 awareness of subtle auras, emanations, and influences, 
 of which other persons not so endowed would not be 
 conscious. Without entering into the full range of its 
 action, or admitting all that the discoverer has claimed 
 for it, the faculty of Psychometry appears to me to be 
 a faculty of marked intuition, which some persons 
 appear to possess in a very high or active degree. 
 Many who will not appreciate what is meant by 
 Psychometry will understand what Intuition is. 
 
 The accidental discovery of the new faculty happened 
 in this way: While Dr J. E. Buchanan was at Little 
 Eock, Arkansas, in 1842, pursuing his studies on the 
 impressionability of the brain, he had occasion to 
 examine the head of the late Bishop Polk,—he after- 
 
MAN’S PSYCHICAL NATURE 
 
 9 
 
 wards became tlie well-known General Polk, of Con¬ 
 federate fame, during the civil war of 18G0-4,—and 
 noticing, from physiognomic indications, the Pishop’s 
 marked development of Sensibility, the Doctor informed 
 him of his great sensitiveness to atmospheric, electric, 
 and other physical conditions. During the conver¬ 
 sation which followed, the Bishop informed Dr 
 Buchanan that his (the Bishop’s) sensibility was so 
 acute, that if he should by accident touch a piece of 
 brass, even in the night, when he could not see what he 
 touched, he immediately felt the influence through his 
 system, and recognised an offensive metallic taste in his 
 month. This was hyper-sensibility indeed, and yet the 
 Bishop was one of the most collected, level-headed men 
 of his day, and during the war he proved himself to be 
 one of the most intuitive and skilful generals possessed 
 by the South. Had the information been received by 
 anyone save Buchanan, it is probable that nothing more 
 would have been heard of it; but as the Bishop’s 
 remark confirmed the discovery of the centre of feeling, 
 it also suggested such possibilities to Dr Buchanan as 
 to finally lead him into a new series of experiments, 
 which demonstrated the possession in man of a new 
 sense or Psychic Faculty—now called Psychometric— 
 not hitherto suspected. 
 
 If Columbus, on hints dropped in the streets of 
 Genoa, surmised and eventually discovered a new 
 continent; if Newton, from the fall of an apple, 
 deduced the law of gravitation, or Watt, from the 
 bubbling splutter under a kettle-lid, discovered the 
 
10 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 power of steam—which eventually revolutionised all 
 mechanical appliances and the carrying powers of 
 commerce,—surely it is not surprising that, from the 
 observation made by the Bishop, Dr Buchanan was led 
 to the discovery of Psychometry, which is destined 
 to revolutionise our ideas of the innate endowments of 
 man, and in a marked degree to extend our psychic 
 and material knowledge of the Me and of tlie Not Me. 
 
 It may be said that Psychometry is no new thing; 
 that at best it is but a new name for a power, or powers 
 which man always possessed. Granted. Neither are 
 America, gravitation, steam, electricity, nor the other 
 new things; they have existed from all time, yet were 
 discovered, or, in other words, they were in duo time 
 made known to a world that knew them not. Psycho¬ 
 metry is, I suppose, as old as the race, but Buchanan 
 was the first to discover that it was a human faculty, 
 and he was also able to demonstrate that fact by 
 prolonged and carefully repeated experiments. These 
 experiments have been substantiated by independent 
 research by thousands of his fellows, in the States, in 
 Europe, in Britain, and throughout the civilised world, 
 wherever the knowledge of his remarkable discovery 
 had reached. It is of importance to note that by 
 Psychometry, apart from its experimental uses, we are 
 enabled to understand many subtile and perplexing 
 human phenomena that have been problems and 
 puzzles for many ages—the foundation of many super¬ 
 stitions, the kernel of many folk-lore fancies, aye, 
 and of many psychic mysteries which have engaged 
 
MAN’S PSYCHICAL NATURE 
 
 11 
 
 and are still engaging the attention of Psychical 
 Research. 
 
 Acting on the suggestive hint given, Dr Buchanan 
 set about to confirm or disprove the reality or otherwise 
 of such high sensibility and extraordinary intuition 
 in man. “ Further examinations,” says Dr Buchanan, 
 “ showed tliat substances of any kind, held in the 
 hands of sensitives, yielded not only an impression upon 
 the sense of taste, by which they might be recognised, 
 but an impression upon tbe entire sensibility of the 
 body. Medicines tried in this manner gave a distinct 
 impression—as distinct as if they had been swallowed— 
 to the majority of the members of a large medical 
 class in the leading medical school at Cincinnati; 
 and to those who had superior psychometric capacities, 
 the impression given in this manner enabled tliem to 
 describe the qualities and tlie effects of the medicines 
 as fully aud as accurately as tliey are given in works of 
 Materia Medica.” For the benefit of those who have 
 an insular prejudice to all things American—except 
 food-stuff's, yachts, inventions, and drugs—1 may say 
 that in 1885 and subsequently similar experiments 
 were successfully carried out in Rocbefort, in France, 
 by ]\IM. Bourru and Burot, and submitted to the 
 critical investigation of Dr Duprony, Director of the 
 Medical School. More recently, similar experiments 
 have been carried out at Nantes and in Paris.^ 
 
 There are two or three things that should be noted 
 with regard to these early experiments: that under no 
 ' Appendix No. II. 
 
12 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 cii'cumstiinces were the sensitives mesmerised or 
 JU'piiotised, as in the more recent Continental experi¬ 
 ments, and that there are a greater number of sensitive 
 persons in warm than in cold climates. In the former, 
 nearly one-fourth of tliose tried exhibited various degrees 
 of sensibility, while in the latter, only one in ten or 
 fifteen displayed this new power of the nervous system. 
 
 Dr Buchanan found that “ mental cultivation and 
 refineTuent, acute sensibility, delicacy of constitution, 
 a nervo-sanguineous temperament, and a general pre¬ 
 dominance of the moral and the intellectual organs, 
 constituted the most favourable conditions for its 
 exercise.” It was the opinion of the Doctor that an 
 impression was made on the nerves of the hand, and 
 propagated by continuous sympathy to the head, or 
 that some imponderable agent, proceeding from or 
 through the substances, conveyed their influence into 
 the body. In support of the latter suggestion, the 
 Doctor found that when he placed his hands or fingers 
 in contact with the substance, its influence appeared to 
 pass to the sensitive more promptly than if left alone 
 to act of its own power. This he attributed to the 
 passage of a nervous influence or nervaura from himself 
 through the substance. The experiments were kept 
 free from suggestion and Thought-transference, for care 
 was taken to wrap the substances in tissue-paper and 
 mix the parcels up, so that the conductor of the experi¬ 
 ments could not possibly know one from the other, 
 and therefore could not influence the sensitives by 
 suggestions. Mind-reading and Thought-transference 
 
MAN'S PSYCHICAL NATURE 
 
 IP, 
 
 having nothing whatever to do with the majority of 
 these experiments, the psychometric sense was, by 
 careful experimentation, duly established. Subsec^uent 
 experience made it abundantly clear that all substances, 
 not merely brass and medicines, but also the human 
 body, and all articles with which the hotly had been in 
 contact, threw off emanations or influences which 
 yielded (psychic) impressions to sensitive persons in 
 normal states. This was a great discovery, the far- 
 reaching consequences of which have not as yet been 
 fully appreciated, even by those who are really con¬ 
 vinced of its reality. 
 
 Psychometry, like Thought-transference, to which it 
 is allied, can always be demonstrated by experimenta¬ 
 tion. It will proltably be found that the psychometric 
 sense is an inner or psychic range of the sense of touch 
 —-as is Clairvoyance of sight, or Clairaudience of hearing 
 —and that Telepathy, another form of innate sensitive¬ 
 ness, is the play of one or of all the inner or psychic 
 functions of the human mind. It is conjectured that 
 the s oul has orgaris of perception efjuivalent to the 
 organs of sense possessed by the body, and these we 
 call “ psychic,” as transcending in their perception 
 those sense-perceptions of the bodily organs. But, for 
 greater liberty of thought and clearness of expression, 
 we have called all perceptions which transcend those of 
 ordinary sense-perception—I’sychometry, Clairvoyance, 
 Mind-reading, Thought-transference, Telepathy, etc.— 
 “ psychic.” That man possesses such Psychic Faculties 
 —psychic research—apart from a wide range of super- 
 
14 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 normal experiences by mankind in general—has been 
 abundantly demonstrated. 
 
 In all ages, according to sacred and profane writers, 
 there have been persons — whether called seers, 
 prophets, apostles, wizards, or visionaries — endowed 
 with or possessing gifts or faculties of a special kind, 
 and what these really were—providing such gifts, etc. 
 were genuine—are amply explained in these pages. 
 
 Of the Psychic Faculties I have selected the psycho¬ 
 metric as being the most convenient, the most readily 
 employed, giving the most practical results, and as 
 being the most likely to interest the reader, and show 
 that man possesses other senses — subconscious and 
 psychic — than those usually recognised. If they 
 cannot be called senses, then we must admit that they 
 are channels through which man obtains information 
 which cannot be said to reach him through the avenues 
 of the ordinary senses. Of course, it is possible—we 
 do not know positively—that senses which we know as 
 _senses of sight, of feeling, of taste, of hearing, are but 
 fragments on the external plane of greater inner senses 
 of soul perception which lies behind all the senses. It 
 may also be that some individuals can become conscious 
 of vibrations of light, of colour, of sound, of heat or 
 cold, above and below the admitted scale of those 
 vibrations which render ordinary individuals conscious 
 of these things. In any case, it is well to call such 
 extraordinary or super-normal perceptions, “ psychic,” 
 to distinguish them from ordinary sense-perceptions. 
 I want to be perfectly fair. I do not claim that the 
 
MAN’S PSYCHICAL NATUEE 
 
 15 
 
 possession of Psychic Senses and Faculties proves that 
 man Inis or is a soul—an incarnated self, which may 
 survive its temporary connection with matter—but I 
 do wish to point out that man has and does exercise 
 powers concerning which it is difficult to say, at times, 
 whether they are an extraordinary play of his ordinary 
 senses, or that they point to the possession of powers 
 which cannot be traced to the action of his ordinary 
 senses. I have deliberately selected what is called the 
 psychometric sense, because it exhibits not only a 
 hyper-sensitiveness of feeling, of sight, and of intuition, 
 but it also suggests something more, i.e. the possession 
 of a soul, in the Me which we are conscious of, and by 
 which we become conscious of the material and the 
 objective, etc. which lies in the Not Me. 
 
 Either that the senses of man is able to perceive that 
 which all authorities are agreed it is impossible to 
 perceive as at present constituted, or that man possesses 
 psychic senses or faculties. That there are such facul¬ 
 ties must be admitted, if we take into consideration 
 some of the -terms used to distinguish their character 
 and manifestations. One speaks of the “ Sixth Sense,” 
 because the world lias hitlierto recognised five and found 
 them inadeipiate. Another speaks of a “ Magnetic 
 Sense,” because tbe six were insufficient. Psychical 
 Science postulates, in order to account for human tran¬ 
 scendental perception, etc.—the Subliminal Self: the 
 subconscious self, with its powers of ri'tro-cognition, 
 seeing the past; precognition, seeing the future; 
 sensory hallucinations, seeing phantasms of the living 
 
16 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 and the dead ; paramnesia or promnesia, memory before¬ 
 hand, which sometimes occurs in those sensitive to 
 telepathic experiences; telresthesia, etc.—terms, as a 
 rule, with which the general public are not familiar. 
 Psychometry, Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, Second-sight, 
 and Telepathy are the more popular terms, which have 
 passed into recognition as names for the something 
 extraordinary within each of us. Whether these are 
 the correct terms to employ need not be discussed here. 
 Their lese is, however, an achnowlcclgment that man has 
 pcrce 2 >tions irliich transcend those of the ordinary senses, 
 and that man has such perceptions is all I for the 
 moment claim. 
 
 To deny without examination is one extreme atti¬ 
 tude ; to rush into the arms of superstition is another ; 
 but a greater folly still is to accept opinions based on 
 authority which have not been supported by evidence, 
 or stood the test of scrutiny. To ascertain whether 
 man has Psychic Faculties or not, I will avoid all these 
 extremes, and carefully adhere to the methods of 
 Psychical Piesearch. 
 
 Before “ Telepathy ” was coined hy the late Mr Myers, 
 that past-master in psychical research, or the “ Magnetic 
 Sense ” was given birth by Lord Kelvin, an American 
 writer, Mr Epes Sargent, gave Clairvoyance credit for 
 much which is now covered by Telepathy, and said:—• 
 “As far as I have admitted it (Clairvoyance) as part 
 of a scientific basis (demonstrating man’s spiritual or 
 psychic nature), it is the exercise of the supersensual 
 faculty of penetrating opaque and dense matter as if 
 
MAN’S PSYCHICAL NATURE 
 
 17 
 
 by the faculty of sight. But it does more: it detects 
 our unuttered, undeveloped thoughts; it goes back 
 along the past, and describes what is hidden; nay, the 
 proofs are overwhelming that it may pierce the future 
 and predict coming events from the shadows they cast 
 before (all of which has been claimed by Buchanan, 
 Denton, and some others, for Psychometry). 
 
 “ What is it that sees without the physical eyes, and 
 without the assistance of light ? What is normal sight? 
 It is not the vibrating ether, it is not the external eye 
 that sees—it is the soul using the eye as an instrument, 
 and light as a condit ion. Only prove that sight can exist 
 without the use of light, sensation, or any physical organ 
 of vision, and you prove an abnormal, superseiisual, 
 spiritual faculty—a proof whicli puts an end to the theory 
 of materialism, and which, through its affinity with tlie 
 analogous or corresponding facts, justifies its introduc¬ 
 tion as part of a scientific basis for the spiritual theory.” 
 
 There are many who, with Lord Kelvin, assert “ that 
 there is no such thing as clairvoyance,” and what Epes 
 Sargent and many others pin their scientific faith to is 
 imposture, mal-ohservation, or at the best second-liand 
 information, of no evidential value. Mr Sargent may 
 have been a little too enthusiastic, yet it will he found that 
 he had, after all, a pretty strong basis for his statement. 
 
 Professor Oliver Lodge, E.R.S., in a paper on 
 “Thought-transference,” given several years .ago to the 
 Literary and Philosophic Society of Liverpool, s.aid:— 
 
 “ Here is a room where a tr.agedy occurred, where 
 the human spirit w.as strung to intense anguish. Is 
 
18 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 there any trace of that agony still present, and able to 
 be appreciated by an attuned or receptive mind ? I 
 assert—notbing, except that it is not inconceivable. If 
 it happen, it may take many forms—that of vague 
 disquiet perhaps, or imaginary sounds or vague visions, 
 or perhaps a dream or picture of the event as it occurred. 
 Understand, I do not regard the evidence for these 
 things as so conclusive as for some other phenomena 
 I have dealt with, but the belief in such facts may be 
 forced upon us, and you perceive that the garment of 
 superstition is already dropping from them. They will 
 take their place, if true, in an orderly universe, along 
 with other not wholly unallied and already well-known 
 occurrences. 
 
 “ Ilelics, again. Is it credible that a relic, a lock of 
 hair, an old garment, retains any indication of a 
 departed—retains any portion of his personality ? Does 
 an old letter? Does a painting? — an ‘old master’ 
 we call it. Aye, much of the personality of an old 
 master may be thus preserved. Is not the emotion 
 felt on looking at it a kind of Thought-transference 
 from the departed ? A painting differs from a piece 
 of music in that it is essentially incarnate, so to speak. 
 It is there for all to see, for some to understand. The 
 music requires incarnation. It can be performed, as we 
 say, and then it can be appreciated, but in no case 
 without the attuned and the thoughtful mind; and so 
 these things are, in a sense, Thought-transference. They 
 may be likened to Telepathy, not only reaching over 
 tracts of space, but deferred through epochs of time. 
 
MAN’S PSYCHICAL NATUEE 
 
 19 
 
 “ Think over these great things, and be not unduly 
 sceptical about little things. An attitude of keen and 
 critical inquiry must continually be maintained, and 
 in that sense any amount of scepticism is not only 
 legitimate but necessary. 
 
 “ Phantasms, and dreams, and ghosts, crystal-gazing, 
 premonitions, and clairvoyance—the region of supersti¬ 
 tion, yes, but possibly also the region of fact. As 
 ta.xes on credulity they are trilling compared to the 
 things we are already familiar with, only too familiar 
 with ; stupidity mainly inappreciative of. ” 
 
 Sir Oliver Lodge here glances at an interesting range 
 of psychic phenomena, allied to, but not. Thought- 
 transference ; and he has approached that range in a 
 perfectly fair and scientific manner. Where he does 
 not know he says so, and throws out, in connection witli 
 his investigations, many valuable suggestions. That he 
 has given Thought-transference a much wider range 
 than 1 do is a matter of liypothesis, concerning which 
 there need be no dispute. Tliis is im])nrtant: are the 
 phenomena and tlie possiitilities of the phenomena 
 recognised, and does the power of properly attuned 
 and receptive minds to be aware of or to perceive 
 them act as susceptible proof ? Phantasms—be they 
 called thought-forms, apparitions, ghosts — whetlier 
 heralded by vague disquiet, or as seen starting out of 
 nowliere, so to speak; accompanied with or without 
 shimmering lights, pantomimic actions, and sounds 
 and words perhaps, like the “ poor ghost,” in Hamlet 
 —have to be accounted for in some more intelligent 
 
20 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 way than by assuming them to be mere Tam o’ Shanter 
 hallucinations — drunk or sober. Then the impres¬ 
 sions received by some sensitives from a room, wherein, 
 unknown to them, a tragedy has occurred, excites 
 attention and begets questions. Has the receptive 
 mind received its impressions of “ in tensest anguish” 
 from the human spirit that once possessed them, or 
 from some other source, such as a trace, a clue left by 
 some imponderable agent ? What if an old letter—as 
 I have tested in more instances than I can say—can 
 throw off certain impressions—“ deferred thought ” ? 
 May not from a room be communicated the intensest 
 anguish which was at one time actually realised within 
 its boundaries ? If not, why not ? What the Professor 
 calls the transference of “ deferred thought, ’ if not most 
 of the range of phenomena dealt with, will, I think, be 
 most conveniently and most correctly explained by 
 Psychometry. It is certainly difficult to think of 
 thought being transferred from a room, a relic, an old 
 garment, a ring or an old letter; but experience proves 
 that the sense of Psychometry does detect certain im¬ 
 pressions from such articles, and that these impressions 
 are converted into psychic perception of thought—scenes, 
 persons, and incidents—as if they occurred in a common¬ 
 place way to the ordinary powers of perception. 
 
 Apparitions, ghosts, etc. cannot be explained away 
 on the thepry of mal-observation or gross superstition. 
 
 1 I do not say that there are no disembodied spirits, and 
 that there are no ghosts, but I do think, and I have 
 
 I shown further on, that many of these apparitions, etc., 
 
MAN’S PSYCHICAL NATUEE 
 
 21 
 
 so frequently taken for discarnate Selves, are no more 
 the spirits of the departed than the figures in an Edison 
 biograph are the real men and women they represent. 
 
 Having glanced at Psychometry, I propose to make 
 a passing note or two on Thought-transference and 
 Telepathy. Telepathy {tele, afar, and imthos, feeling) 
 is the term used for the action of the Psychic Faculty in 
 man, by which one mind can impress or be impressed 
 by another mind othei'wise th.'iii thiough the recognised 
 channels of the senses. Put this definition would be 
 equally true of Thought-transference. 
 
 In Telepathy, the transmitter of the thought is often 
 unaware that he has transmitted or can transmit a 
 message, and the receiver of the message has not con¬ 
 sciously prepared himself for the reception of the 
 message. In Thought-transference, both the transmitter 
 and the receiver of the message are conscious partakers 
 iu the e.xperiment. In a word or two Thought-trans¬ 
 ference can be made the subject of experiment, while 
 Telepiithy cannot. The former is the result of delibera¬ 
 tion, and the latter is always spontaneous and 
 unexpected. 
 
 The former is frequently tedious work, depending on 
 certain conditions—a good transmitter, and an equally 
 sensitive or receptive receiver. In Thought-transference 
 experimentation, one is often favoured with very 
 convincing and startling results. And these results 
 suggest some far-reaching possibilities, such as long 
 distance Thought-transference between two sympathetic 
 minds on earth, aye, and the possibility of communica* 
 
22 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 tion between discarnate minds and those still incarnate, 
 I and vice versa. Apart from all this, Thought-transference 
 throws an important light upon and furnishes very 
 valuable and corroborative proof of the reality of 
 telepathic experiences. 
 
 Although Telepathy cannot be subjected to actual 
 experiment, it has been and is supported by such an 
 array of independent evidence that there cannot now 
 be the slightest doubt as to the reality of the pheno¬ 
 mena. The selecting, sifting of these evidences, and 
 the establishing of Telepathy or nnconscious Thought- 
 transference on a scientific basis, has indeed been one 
 of the “ good works ” which has justified the existence 
 of the Society of Psychical Kesearch. 
 
 Telepathy has, in my opinion, as many aspects as the 
 human mind has faculties, and includes in expression 
 all that the human mind is capable of. As our 
 knowledge of the human mind is as yet very imperfect, 
 equally imperfect also must be our knowledge of its 
 manifestations, whether these manifestations be tele¬ 
 pathic, x^sychic, or what are recognised as normal. The 
 range of the xjhenomena is extensive, and by patient 
 investigation our knowledge of that range is being 
 daily extended. 
 
 From Psychometry to Telepathy, we are brought into 
 contact with Modern Spiritualism ; and I am sufficiently 
 well versed in the phenomena of Spiritualism to know 
 that, while these subjects throw important side-lights 
 on and explain much in Spiritualism, they do not and 
 cannot explain—unless one gives a very extended 
 
MAN’S PSYCHICAL NATUKE 
 
 23 
 
 ineaiiiiig and wider range to Psyclioinetry, Thought- 
 transference, and Telepathy, tlian are usually accorded 
 them—all the phenomena of Spiritualism. But they do 
 tlirow light on that much discussed subject, and indeed 
 on all Spiritualism, both ancient and modern. And 
 further, instead of explaining away the phenomena, they 
 go a long way toward establishing them. And I confess 
 that I am glad of this; glad to know that the “ miros” 
 of the past were not all “ tricks written large,” and 
 that those who observed and recorded the same were 
 not all of them—for the sake of onr common humanity 
 —either knaves or fools. In this work I have little or 
 notliing to say about Spiritualism, except incidentally in 
 connection with Psyclioinetry and Telepathy. Tliese 
 subjects do suggest the possibility of “ a new and 
 fruitful sense ” in mankind; a power within each of us, 
 which, if it does not make for righteousness, goes a long 
 way in proving the reality of things Spiritual. 
 
 Telepathy demonstrates that mind can influence 
 mind to an extent transcending all time, space, and 
 sense-perceptions. Between mind and mind here—and 
 there can be no doubt about that, for he is an ignorant 
 man who says otherwise;—and may it not be possible, 
 between minds embodied and minds disembodied, 
 supposing that it can be shown that minds exist in 
 a disembodied state ? I have no doubt of such Thought- 
 transference ; I have waded through many experiences 
 to arrive at that conclusion. This communion by 
 Thought-transferences and by telepathic Hashes may 
 also be indicative “ of a higher mode of communication. 
 
'24 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 which shall survive our temporary couuectioii with 
 ordinary matter,” as Sir Oliver Lodge had the bold¬ 
 ness to suggest in 1891, at the British Association 
 of Science, Cardiff. The whole subject is one of the 
 deepest interest, but has not received the attention 
 it deserves from men of science; they are not asked 
 to listen to the tales which our fathers told, or 
 to “ the traditions of the elders,” but to investigate 
 present-day phenomena and present-day evidences. 
 The subject has not received the attention which one 
 would think it deserved to get from our leaders in 
 religious thought, who have not only neglected these 
 phenomena, but have practically ignored those recorded 
 in the Bible. 
 
 To the religious, these subjects should be thought- 
 provoking ; and to know that whatever has been may 
 be possible now, should stir them up and fill them with 
 joy. Do they pray in silence, aloud, and in secret, and 
 speak of inspiration, of the guidance of Providence, of 
 the ministry of angels, of admonition, of premonitions, 
 of answers to prayer, of visions awake or of dreams 
 asleep, without thinking that man, here and now, pos¬ 
 sesses soul-power — Psychic Senses and Faculties— 
 requisite to his well-being here, as well as in that here¬ 
 after state of which they speak, and of their welfare 
 therein for which they pray ? If they do not think that 
 man possesses these powers here and now, perhaps they 
 will be all the more ready to investigate the matter for 
 themselves when they have laid down this contribution 
 on the possibilities of Seeing the Invisible. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 INVISIBLE FORCES AND EMANATIONS 
 
 When Ihe Prince of Wales was admitted a Fellow of 
 tlie Royal Society, in March 1902, on the occasion of a 
 brilliant and profound lecture on “ Radio-active Rodies,” 
 by a celebrated Frenchman, M. Henri Recquerel, 
 Professor Sir William Crookes took the opportunity 
 to assure the newly elected Fellow, the Society, and 
 the brilliant assembly of that occasion, that “ we are 
 now on the borderland between force and matter.” 
 And this appears to be true in physics. And it is also 
 true in a psychical sense, for Sir William Crookes is, 
 and has been, with a host of other able men, standing 
 on the borderland of “ intelligent psychic force,” 
 beyond what we recognise as matter, which is, after 
 all, the form of things externalised to our imperfect 
 senses; and by such aids to these external senses as 
 the well-known apparatus of physics, and the humble 
 and perhaps better-known instrument, the camera, has 
 the borderland been reached. 
 
 The distinguished French savant informed his 
 audience that his discoveries in “ radio-active bodies ” 
 
26 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 were made five years ago, and during these investiga¬ 
 tions he had discovered three new elements which 
 suggested entirely new ideas of the constitution of 
 matter and energy, or that form of energy known as 
 electricity. Uranium, discovered in 1789, has long 
 since shown peculiar properties in its salts when ex¬ 
 posed to the light. Some of these salts are employed 
 in photography, and others produce that beautiful 
 yellow tint in what is called by decorators uranium 
 glass. The lecturer said :— 
 
 “ At the commencement of the year of 1896, in carry¬ 
 ing out sojue experiments with the salts of uranium, the 
 exceptional optical properties of which I had been study¬ 
 ing for some time, I observed that these salts emitted an 
 invisible radiation, which traversed bodies and metals 
 opaque to light, as well as glass and other transparent sub¬ 
 stances. This radiation impressed a photographic plate, 
 and discharged from a distance electrified bodies, pro¬ 
 perties giving two methods for studying the new rays.” 
 
 It has been demonstrated that other invisible forces, 
 in the absence of any known light, can print an image 
 on a photographic plate, such as kathode rays and 
 X-rays, and those subtile invisible electric forces and 
 etheric vibrations exemplified in wireless telegraphy. 
 Although the results were similar to those of X-rays, 
 these new rays were essentially different in character. 
 It was found that they could not be reflected, refracted, 
 or polarised; in a word, they were not liglit, albeit 
 invisible light, neither could they be transverse vibra¬ 
 tions of ether. They were new lights, new substances. 
 
INVISIBLE FOECES AND EMANATIONS 27 
 
 potent and invisible, with which physical science had 
 no previous acquaintance ; they were discovered beyond 
 the frontier of what is known as matter. These new 
 rays had nothing in common with luminous emanations 
 with which we are familiar, or with flames and with 
 auras, with which most are not familiar. 
 
 M. Becquerel has been able to demonstrate that the 
 new rays which he dealt with possessed the double 
 phenomenon of impressing a sensitive plate and also of 
 discharging an electric body on which a stream of them 
 were directed. This was not all. The discovery struck 
 a blow at the atomic theory. In this place we have 
 nothing to do with that, hut the following will he 
 interesting as illustrating our subject. It was found 
 that a single crystal could go on emitting its mysterious 
 rays without any appreciable loss of substance, and 
 continue to aflect sensitive plates and discharge electric 
 bodies for ever. The emanations of rays are infini¬ 
 tesimal : “ for each scpiare centimetre of the face of the 
 radiating substance studied, there escapes a flow or flux 
 of material which would amount to the loss of about 
 one milligramme in one thousand million years.” ^ 
 
 ' Since the foregoing was written, radium was discovered fiy 
 Madam Curie, and extensive experiments have been made with it 
 by the late M. Curie and a liost of British and other scientific 
 investigators. And one of its many remarkable projierties is the 
 potency of its invisible rays to alfect and alter the character of 
 other substances and affect human beings at a distance, and it is 
 within the range of possibility that, marvellous and far-reaching 
 as is the potency of the invisible emanations of radium, other 
 substances or material will be discovered of allied nature to 
 i-adium, but possessing more subtile and powerfid properties. 
 
28 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 A consideration of what are now called “ Becquerel 
 rays ” brings us into a realm of invisible energy behind 
 matter, whose very existence has not been suspected— 
 another proof of the steady march of physics into the 
 domain of the Invisible. The foregoing sober state¬ 
 ments, with what follows, are recommended to the 
 attention of the sceptical who ridicule the reality of 
 invisible forces and emanations, with distinctive actions 
 peculiar to them. 
 
 “ In many things,” said the late Mr Gladstone, “ it is 
 wise to believe before experience—to believe before you 
 know ”; a sentiment which will find response in the 
 intuitive minds of all thoughtful people. It is well to 
 know too, whenever that is iwssihle. We must add to our 
 belief, or faith, knowledge. But there are many 
 departments of knowledge which we have neither time 
 nor opportunity to investigate and know for ourselves, 
 and it is therefore wise in such circumstances to believe 
 in the revelations and the deductions of the recognised 
 and trusted authorities who have both time and 
 opportunity. I do not ask for belief before experience, 
 so much as for the open mind and patient attention of 
 my readers; that some faith is required in all depart¬ 
 ments of science is admitted, but all I ask now is a 
 hearing for my suggestions, and that all my statements 
 may be put to the test by experiment, where they are 
 not supported by authoritative evidence, before they are 
 either rejected or accepted. 
 
 Nature has many unseen and imponderable forces, 
 such as we have become familiar with through wireless 
 
INVISIBLE FOECES AND EMANATIONS 20 
 
 telegraphy, X-rays, the researches of bacteriologists, 
 and indeed of physical science. I need not refer to 
 any of these, except to illustrate those other more 
 subtile and unseen forces, etc. with which the investi¬ 
 gations of Psychical Eesearch have rendered us more 
 or less familiar. What these latter forces or emana¬ 
 tions, effluences and auras are I shall endeavour to 
 point out, and in doing so it will be necessary to 
 illusti’ate the unknown by what is known. 
 
 One of the most important of these subtile effluences 
 is—as far as our present inquiry goes—an aura pro¬ 
 ceeding from human beings, and variously designated 
 “magnetic fluid,” “animal magnetism,” “ buman 
 magnetism,” and neroaura ,—a term which I think is 
 much naore accurate; for whatever this effluence be, 
 it is not magnetic in any sense, only receiving that 
 name in times past because of the analogy of its action 
 to that of magnetism. The name is of no moment— 
 it is the thing itself, and not its name with which we 
 are concerned—but I may say, in passing, that although 
 “ animal magnetism ” has been called a “ gross super¬ 
 stition,” all its phenomena have been revived within 
 the last thirty years or thereabout, and have been 
 presented to the world as hypnotism. Much indeed 
 of what has been hitherto attributed to “ animal 
 magnetism ” has now been traced to “ suggestion,” but 
 even hypnotists are forced to admit a “ specific influ¬ 
 ence,” a subtile, invisible soinetbing, in no way dis¬ 
 tinguishable from the dethroned “animal magnetism.” 
 It is of little moment what this effluence or emanation 
 
30 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 be called—whether it be called “ animal magnetism ’ ’ 
 by Mesmer and by the Occultists who preceded him, 
 and by Mesmer’s followers; “zoo-magnetism” by 
 Liebault, the distinguished hypnotist; “ magnetic 
 
 fluid ” by a prominent school of Parisian hypnotists; 
 “odylic flames” by Eeichenbach; “vital rays” by 
 Baraduc; or nervaura by the late Dr Buchanan—but 
 it is of importance that we should know that there is 
 some such emanation—or, properly speaking, emana¬ 
 tions—and what purpose, if any, it may subserve in 
 the economy of being. 
 
 The testimonies of all persons in whom the Psychic 
 Faculties are active assure us that all human beings 
 are surrounded by a varied coloured and cloud-like 
 atmosphere, which is not perceptible to ordinary vision, 
 feeling, or touch. This atmosphere is not a simple, 
 but a compound effluence. It partakes of all the 
 bodily, mental, and psychical conditions of the person 
 or persons from whom emanating. As Paracelsus 
 quaintly puts it:—“ The vital force is not enclosed in 
 man, but radiates around him like a luminous sphere, 
 and it may be made to act at a distance. In these 
 semi-material rays the imagination of man may pro¬ 
 duce healthy and morbid efl’ects. It may poison the 
 essence of life and cause diseases, or it may purify it 
 after it has been polluted, and restore the health.” 
 This statement, although written at the beginning of 
 the fifteenth century, has been amply substantiated 
 by experimentation in hypnotism and the investiga¬ 
 tions of Psychical Eesearch at the end of the nineteenth 
 
INVISIBLE FORCES AND EMANATIONS 31 
 
 century. There can be no doubt that this nervaiira is 
 a reality, and is, in all probability, a much more potent 
 factor in the production of psychical phenomena than 
 the most ardent of psychical researchers are at present 
 prepared to admit. We can conceive that this emana¬ 
 tion partakes of all the characteristics of the indi¬ 
 vidual : of the sensibility of tlie nerves of sensation ; 
 of the motricity of the motor nerves; of the idea- 
 motor energies of tlie human brain ; and, of course, of 
 the health and the diseases of its source. 
 
 Psychics— i.e. persons in whom the Psychic Faculties 
 are more or less evident—declare that there are emana¬ 
 tions which proceed and eradiate from all substances, 
 and these, too, partake of the character, aye, and also 
 reveal the character, of the substances from which they 
 spring. This and much more, so that we ai’e prompted 
 to ask a few questions:—Do these imponderables 
 allect us ?—Yes, as evident in the contagion of health 
 and disease, and in ps 3 'chic effects. Do they 
 affect one another?—^Yes, as demonstrated by experi¬ 
 ments in physics, the statements of science, and by 
 psychometric research. Are they permanent in char¬ 
 acter?—Yes, as instanced in “ Becqueral rays,” and in 
 examples given here and elsewliere. And can they 
 really be detected ?—Yes, they have been, and can be, 
 as evidenced by careful ex{)erimentation. These are 
 interesting questions, which demand fuller answers. I 
 propose to answ(‘r them all more fully in the affirma¬ 
 tive—directly and indirectly—in due course. 
 
 My own experiments, and the deductions arising 
 
32 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 from them, go to prove the existence of these emana¬ 
 tions and auras; and while this is so, I do not press 
 that home as evidence for anyone’s acceptance. But 
 I do think that the evidence of men of scientific repute 
 sJioidd not and cannot he readily set aside. In addition 
 to my own, I will offer such independent evidence from 
 time to time in these pages. 
 
 To proceed with the elucidation of the problem as 
 to whether or not a subtile emanation irradiates from 
 human beings, and from other beings and substances, 
 let the mind of the reader be prepared for the inquiry 
 by laying aside all a priori conceptions and prejudices, 
 so as to approach the whole subject with an open mind, 
 as if dealing with something new for the first time, and 
 with the determination to see into it—to learn all that 
 there is to know about it—should such a course be 
 possible. 
 
 “ Can the existence of these emanations be demon¬ 
 strated ?—Yes, by experiment.” Sir Humphry Davy 
 said that “one good experiment is of more value 
 than the ingenuity of a brain like Newton’s.” And 
 it is by experiment only, and by many experi¬ 
 ments too, that the existence of these emanations—for 
 they are many—can be demonstrated. But some of 
 these experiments are as simple as they are convincing. 
 
 Let not the claim that there are such emanations be 
 deemed too extraordinary to prevent or arrest investi¬ 
 gation Such procedure, while capitally illustrating 
 the stolidity of conservatism, is wholly opposed to the 
 possession of a scientific spirit or a love of truth. 
 
INVISIBLE FORCES AND EMANATIONS 33 
 
 Indeed, as Sir John Herscliel—in whose honour tlie 
 new metal or crystal mentioned in M. Becquerel’s 
 address to the Royal Society was called “uranium,”— 
 in relation to other matters has said:—“ Tlie perfect 
 observer in any department of Nature will have his 
 eyes open for any occurrence which, according to 
 received theories, ought not to occur, for these are 
 the facts which serve as clues to new discoveries.” 
 That is what I wish to enforce. Will the reader 
 have courage to act upon it while I lead him into 
 the path—if only a little way—of observation and of 
 experiment ? 
 
 Psychical science calls attention to many phenomena, 
 some of which may have a purely physiological basis, 
 or the basis may be mental; or they may proceed from 
 that borderland of the unexplored which lies beyond 
 our knowledge of either the physiological or the mental, 
 and in consequence have been called, “ psychical,” till 
 it be shown that that classification be erroneous. But 
 to say that such phenomena do not occur, do not in 
 fact exist, merely because they are new and strange to 
 us, or that they do not fit in with our conceptions of 
 what is, and what should be, is to arrogate to oneself 
 a knowledge of Nature and of the Laws of Nature to 
 which no sober-minded person would lay claim. Before 
 attempting to prove or disprove the reality of psychical 
 phenomena, we will turn our attentioTi to the considera¬ 
 tion of imponderables again. 
 
 The grosser emanations — germs, bacilli, microbes, 
 etc.—are detected by processes familiar to the hacteri- 
 
34 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 ologist. There is no need to waste time and patience 
 in convincing the reader of the existence of these. It 
 does not require much argument to convince the 
 general public that a large class of diseases —■ both 
 infections and contagious—are due to the inhalation 
 and the absorption of emanations thrown off by 
 persons either suffering from, or, perhaps, just recover¬ 
 ing from certain diseases — or owing to being in 
 proximity to or in contact with such patients, or with 
 articles impregnated with tlieir emanations. But it 
 would possibly be difficult to convince the public that 
 vivid mental impressions—of good and evil import 
 •—-can be received from emanations. Strange as this 
 may seem, it is true ; and this can be demonstrated by 
 many simple experiments within the range of most of 
 us, and in doing so we are dealing with more subtile 
 emanations than bacteriology recognises. 
 
 Man is surrounded with a nervcmra in keeping with 
 his entire nature, psychical and physiological, and as 
 such will be in every way characteristic of him—will 
 be as healthy, as good, as bad or as indifferent as he. 
 If this is true of man, it is equally true of animals, 
 plants, and of inorganic substances, for all these are 
 surrounded by their own special atmospheres, effluences, 
 or emanations, and not to others, while some are sensitive 
 to various kinds. Some are sensitive to persons, to 
 articles worn by persons, but not to those arising from 
 animals and from material substances. Some are 
 affected by animals, certain animals, who are not 
 conscious of being affected by anything else. The whole 
 
INVISIBLE FOECES AND EMANATIONS 35 
 
 thimj is a iriatter of dei/rres in sensitiveness and education 
 or development. 
 
 Who has not been charmed by the emanations arising 
 from llowers in their fairest bloom whilst they waft 
 their love-songs the one to the other, or, on the other 
 hand, disgusted by those which proceed from, say, 
 vegetation in decay ? The emanations from inorganic 
 substances—sucli as granite, lava, pebbles, minerals, etc. 
 —are not so easily detected, nevertheless many persons 
 are sensitive to these inlhiences. The kind of sensi¬ 
 tiveness I mean is not one which is attributed to 
 “ Suggestion,” but a genuine sensitiveness to the direct 
 impressions received from olrjects, the objects being 
 concealed, and the sensitive having no knowledge what¬ 
 soever of their character. 
 
 “ All bodies,” Sir David Brewster said, “ throw off 
 emanations in greater or lesser size, and with greater 
 and lesser velocities ; these particles enter more or less 
 into the pores of solid and fluid bodies, sometimes 
 resting upon the surface, and sometimes permeating 
 them altogether. These emanations, when feeble, show 
 themselv('s in images; when stronger, in chemical 
 changes; and when thrown off most copiously and 
 rapidly, in heat affecting the nerves of touch; in 
 photograj)hic action, dissevering and recombining the 
 elements of nature; and in phosphorescent and lumin¬ 
 ous emanations, exciting the retina and producing 
 vision.” 
 
 These emanations pass from all bodies by day and 
 by night, and affect all other bodies according to the 
 
36 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 force with which the emanations are thrown off. They 
 may rest on the surface of such solid bodies and fluid 
 bodies as are in their vicinity, “ sometimes permeating 
 them altogether.” And, indeed, some of these emana¬ 
 tions, according to their nature and power to influence, 
 may again be thrown out in such vibrations as to e.xcite 
 the human brain, and produce the psychometric faculties 
 of feeling and vision. At any rate, the suggestion is 
 here thrown out; it remains to be seen whether the 
 suggestion will stand the test of experimentation. 
 For it is by these tests that the existence of a 
 psychometric sense and correlative Psychic Faculty 
 stands or falls. 
 
 The late Cromwell F. Varley(the eminent electrician, 
 who was associated with Cyrus Field in laying the 
 Atlantic cable) was of the opinion that these emana¬ 
 tions—not the phosphorescent and luminous rays 
 which excite the retina and produce vision—were not 
 magnetic rays themselves, but “ flames of Od,” 
 luminosity, varying in intensity, issuing alike from steel 
 magnets, rock crystals, and human beings. About the 
 existence of these luminous emanations from magnets, 
 crystals, and human beings, he declared that he “ had 
 abundant and conclusive evidence from experiments.” 
 
 The existence of Human Magnetism—subtile emana¬ 
 tions or nervaura—by which we can detect the state of 
 health, disease, and character by Psychometry—has 
 been admirably proved, since I first v/rote of these sub¬ 
 jects, by the discovery of the N-rays, by that distin¬ 
 guished French savant, M. Blondlet, of the University 
 
INVISIBLE FOBCES AND EMANATIONS 37 
 
 of Nancy. In liis subsequeiiL e.xperimciitatioiis he has 
 been ^really assisted and sustained by M. Cbarpentier. 
 Of the exact nature of these emanations they hesitate 
 to speak, but they are known to differ from the X-rays 
 in many respects. The X-rays are a rajndly vibrating 
 form of sunlight, while the N-rays emanating from the 
 human organism are slower vibrations, detectalde in the 
 violet end of the spectrum, and yet more rapid than 
 heat rays, and even tlie Hertz waves on which wireless 
 telegra])hy depend. The presence of the X-rays and 
 the N-rays is demonstrated liy means of a ])hosphor- 
 escent screen. X-rays will not pass through a sheet of 
 aluminum, but this hitherto unknown emanation, now 
 called N-rays, will do so. These rays are wholly 
 invisible in themselves, and show their presence by 
 increasing the luminosity of the phosphorescent screen. 
 
 Some individuals are more rich in these emanations 
 than others. Those with healthy vital organisations 
 are Healers by Nature. And the power and the force 
 of these rays can be increased by the action of the 
 muscles and the state of the mind—as in the old- 
 fashioned willing and making of passes by the despised 
 mesmerists of old. That is to say, the rays can l)e 
 increased by the will, by exercise, by the excitation of 
 either the nerves or the muscles, or both, a,nd the effects 
 can be readily seen in increased luminosity of the 
 phosphorescent screen placed in proximity to the person 
 tested. 
 
 It is more than probable that these H-rays ])lay an 
 important part—as psychic force—in gennine physical 
 
38 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 phenomena, which have been receiving more attention 
 of late from men of science, especially since Sir William 
 Crookes set the example thirty years ago. And it is 
 more than probable that these N-rays are identical 
 with the Od of Eeichenbach, the Magnetic fluid of the 
 Magnetists, and the coloured auras described by 
 Clairvoyants, Psychometers, and others. Whether so 
 or not, it has been proved by a long series of experi¬ 
 ments that these N-rays not only demonstrate their 
 existence by the phosphorescent screen, but that they 
 can affect individuals—sufficiently sensitive^—in such a 
 way that the existence of the long-derided Psychic 
 Faculties have been sustained, and the Psychometry of 
 Buchanan, Denton, and others adequately confirmed. 
 
 It will be best to glance at some commonplace 
 instances of the reality of emanations before asking 
 the reader to have a peep at the ever-varying panorama 
 presented to the psychic vision by the invisible Biograpb 
 of Nature. 
 
 Take, as an instance, an ordinary photographic ex¬ 
 periment. Without entering into details of the process, 
 we will suppose that one sits for a photograph. The 
 operator opens a new package of plates in the dark 
 room; he cannot tell by unaided sight, touch, or by 
 any other sense or faculty, whether the plates he puts 
 into the dark slide are virgin plates or not. Possibly 
 he does not think of the matter at all: trusting for the 
 purity of the plates to the respectability of the makers, 
 he proceeds to pose and to take his sitter. The photog¬ 
 rapher returns to the dark room, removes the plates 
 
INVISIBLE FOKCES AND EMANATIONS 39 
 
 from the dark slide, and observes no cliange in them, 
 although he well knows, from past experiences, that a 
 change has taken place, but he will see nothing till the 
 process known as development has been effected. By 
 this operation a chemical change is produced, and the 
 image of the sitter, hitherto latent, invisible, and unde¬ 
 tected, is rendered visible. From this several thoughts 
 are suggested:—Isi, the plates possessed the requisitive 
 sensitiveness to receive and retain impression; 2nd, 
 the invisible emanations have iniiuenced these plates 
 and left their impression there; 3/'(f, under requisite 
 conditions—of subdued light, suitable atmosphere, and 
 chemical changes—the impressions of the said emana¬ 
 tions are made clear in the more or less visible image 
 of the individual who sat for the portrait, which is 
 sulisequently completed by the artist. 
 
 In a similar manner many human beings are pos¬ 
 sessed of a peculiar (quality of sensitiveness,—both of 
 nervous and psychic impressionability,—which records 
 or images impressions received from the emanations, 
 auras, of substances, persons, minds, aye, and of souls ; 
 these produce in them snbtile changes, of which they 
 are not aware—perhaps only being conscious of a vague 
 unrest,—until by suitable conditions or by some ap¬ 
 propriate process of development they learn to know 
 and to use the powers with which they have been gifted. 
 Indeed, there are many persons who suffer from high 
 susceptibility or sensitiveness ; their lives are conse- 
 (piently made miserable; they have experiences of 
 which they are afraid to speak ; all this might be 
 
40 
 
 SEEINCJ THE INVISIBLE 
 
 clianged if they only knew that they possessed good 
 and natural gifts, which, by development (or, more 
 correctly speaking, by employment in the right direc¬ 
 tion), would enable them not only to do good to others, 
 but to bring health and happiness to themselves. A 
 Psychometer may be likened to an animated sensitive 
 plate, and can be “ fogged ” or properly developed as 
 handled by the investigator. 
 
 As to emanations from inanimate bodies affecting 
 other bodies, neither bodies being in contact, many 
 illustrations could be given. The following will suffice. 
 The late Mrs Somerville, in her Connection of the 
 Physiccd Sciences, said: — “ The impression of an en¬ 
 graving was made by laying it face downward on a 
 silver plate iodised, and placing an amalgamated copper 
 plate upon it; it was left in darkness fifteen hours, 
 when an impression of the engraving had been made 
 through, the paper. An iodised silver plate was placed 
 in darkness with a coil of string on it, and with a 
 polished silver plate suspended one-eighth of an inch 
 above it; after four hours they were exposed to the 
 vapours of mercury, which became uniformly deposited 
 on the iodised plate; but on the silver plate there was 
 a sharp image of the string; so that the image loas 
 formed in the dark, and even without contact.” 
 
 It is idle to suppose, because “ something ” is unseen, 
 unfelt, and undetectable by the ordinary processes of 
 the senses and the intellect, that therefore it does not 
 exist. This is just the kind of crude materialism which 
 is continually asserting itself, and I have no doubt 
 
INVISIBLE FOllCES AND EMANATIONS 41 
 
 lliat it will in due time be dissipated by Psychical 
 Research. 
 
 If men were not so wedded to their idols, called the 
 “concrete,” the “tangible,” and the “material,” one 
 simple experiment in Psychometry, or in Clairvoyance 
 or Thought-transference, would destroy that stupid 
 conservatism for ever. But the psychic leaven is now 
 working in the conservative l)arrel of meal, and almost 
 everywhere, nowadays, we find that men of science 
 are turning their minds inwards and upwards; thus 
 rectifying the ideas of the man in the street concerning 
 matter, calling his attention to the subtile forces in 
 nature, and no longer denying man a soul, and the 
 possibility of soul communicating with soul, whether in 
 or out of the body ; and, moreover, in some instanoes 
 furnishing evidences that man, dissociated with matter, 
 “ our temporary connection with matter,” lives, moves, 
 and has his being, a real self, in discarnate states. 
 
 The sunlight of heaven; the phenomena of nature 
 in her wildest moods; the actions of men, clothed in 
 the skins of wild beasts, or draped in ])urple or fine 
 linen,—from the rudest liarbarianism to the highest 
 civilisation, from the making of rude stone instruments 
 by cave dwellers, to the compiests of the earth, sea, and 
 sky; by temple builders, and the achievements of 
 modern science;—the life history of plants, the move¬ 
 ments of animals,—all are painted indelibly by their 
 subtile emanations on whatever surfaces these have 
 touched, and in whatever substances they have per¬ 
 meated. What a gorgeous biograph, an unending 
 
42 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 panorama of life and of death, of light and of darkness, 
 of beauty and of ugliness, of pathos and bathos, is un¬ 
 folding itself to the eye of science—albeit it be psychical 
 science. Pooh-pooh who will, let me remind the 
 credulous sceptic, who assumes that ignorance of one’s 
 subject is a qualification for criticism, of the language 
 of Paley. He said that “ contempt prior to examination 
 is an intellectual vice,” with this exception — his 
 scepticism exhibits the “ vice, ” but is lacking in in¬ 
 tellectual grace or any saving virtue. At the same 
 time, I suggest to the sceptical reader of these pages 
 the avoidance of this error of falling into ‘ ‘ vice, ” 
 intellectual or otherwise, by a careful examination 
 of all the statements made in this chapter and else¬ 
 where, before rejecting them as incredible. Let them 
 be put to the test of critical examination with, of course, 
 suitable instruments, and under proper conditions. 
 
 It has been shown that the sensitive plate requires 
 development before the hidden image which lies therein 
 comes to view; it has been shown that the vapours of 
 mercury are required before the image on the polished 
 silver plate could be discerned; it has also been shown 
 that all these images have been produced by emanations 
 of various kinds, unseen and subtile in their character ; 
 but it remains to be shown that there are many others, 
 more subtile still, that are not revealed, like the 
 “Footsteps of the Creator,” to the scientific eye of the 
 skilled geologist, like germs to the bacteriologist, or the 
 colours in a white beam of light by spectrum analysis 
 to the physicist, but which can only be discerned by 
 
INVISIBLE FOECES 
 
 AND EMANATIONS 43 
 
 the Psychic or Psychonietrical Faculties of man. And, 
 happily, these faculties are possessed by all, though all 
 persons are not aware of the fact. 
 
 The transmission of thought by wireless telegraphy 
 being a demonstrable fact of far-reaching importance, 
 need not be dwelt upon here, except for the piirpose of 
 illustration. If messages are transmitted, there must 
 he, in addition to transmitters and receivers, a medium 
 by wliich the messages are conveyed. The medium in 
 wireless telegraphy is pronounced by men of science to 
 be Ether. Whether this medium is considered matter, 
 or a something which does not possess the recognised 
 qualities of matter, is of little consecpieuce just now. 
 This ether exists. It belongs to the invisible. This 
 ether is declared to possess elasticity and a delinite 
 density; that it is capable of transmitting energy in 
 the form of vibrations or waves. In wireless telegraphy 
 tliese vibrations are set up by electricity generated in 
 appropriate cells in the transmitting oilice, and Iteing 
 projected with greater or lesser velocities from the 
 despatch office, they proceeil through space—the ether 
 —in little wavelets. One may be thousands of miles 
 away from the place from whence the messages are 
 sent—intervening hills, houses, solid matter, so-called, 
 snow storms, atmospheric convulsions offering no 
 obstructions to these waves of energy as they travel 
 through the etheric medium; yet these messages 
 reach the electric eye of the receiver, where they are 
 duly recorded by a dot-and-ilash code, as the waves 
 are short or long, ami thereby rendered into intelligent 
 
44 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 messages. A few years ago tlie very idea of sending 
 messages in tins way wonld have been rejected with 
 scorn by most people. Whetlier there be one ether 
 which manifests itself in various ways, or several 
 ethers, I do not know, but there seems to be a necessity 
 for several kinds, or possibly for various degrees, of 
 ether for the transmission of light, heat, electricity, 
 magnetism, and, indeed, of thought. May there not be 
 a more ethereal or subtile degree of the ether which 
 is the medium not only for the transference—with 
 time and space annihilation—of thought from mind to 
 mind, also for the revelation of thought, as in the 
 scenes witnessed by the Psychometer, and for the 
 conveyance of sounds which reach the clairaudient 
 ear—'with which we have become as familiar as others 
 are with the more objective sights and sounds which 
 al't'ect the organs of sense ? If a luminiferous ether has 
 to be hypothecated to explain the phenomena of light, 
 which, striking on the physical organs of vision, give 
 rise to sight, may there not also be a more subtile 
 luminiferous ether, by which we, in a way which 
 transcends the ordinary play of the senses—by which 
 we see visions, apparitions, of both the living and of 
 the so-called dead ? There seem to be such ethers; 
 and although T do not know their exact character, and 
 cannot say much about them, it must be clear, judging 
 from analogy, and from what we already do know of 
 emanations and of auras, that there is some such media 
 by which our Inner or Psychic Faculties are affected. 
 
 The “ flames ” seen by sensitives proceeding from 
 
INVTSTP.LE FOPCES AND EMANATIONS 45 
 
 magnets and other objects, the Odic light, and wliat 
 not, are not always the mere suljjective fancies pro¬ 
 duced hy Suggestion, as Braid, some latter-day 
 hypnotists, and the late Professor Carpenter would 
 have us believe, seeing that these rays—invisible to 
 ordinary sight—have been powerful enough to photo¬ 
 graph the objects from wliicli they proceed on sensitised 
 plates and adjacent objects, as pointed out by Brewster, 
 and confirmed by hundreds of independent experi¬ 
 ments, by Varley, MM. Baraduc, Becquerel, Curie, 1 )e 
 Iiochas, and many others. There is a light, too, by 
 which the Psychonieter discerns the invisible—a light 
 wbich is in some way thrown off or communicated by 
 the object held in the hand. There is a light by 
 which the Clairvoyant also perceives the Unseen, and 
 tells us what lies behind that light by which we 
 discern things of objective character. Apparitions are 
 fre([uently seen by a light which appears to emanate 
 from them. Both Psychometry and Telepathy present 
 us two clear outstanding facts :— 
 
 Is/. That there is a medium which ])roduces those 
 sensations of vision, of feelin,(j,n.\\(\ of cojisnonsknu'irlcdj/c 
 of things beyond, and in a way which no other medium 
 affects our ordinary senses,—a knowledge of things 
 which transcends our ordinary senses. 
 
 2mL That man is possessed of Psychic Faculties, 
 which are affected by the subtile ethers, vibrations, 
 lights (of which I have spoken), and by which we 
 learn that which could not be known, seen, or felt 
 tbrough the channels of our ordinary sense-perception. 
 
46 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 The Psychometric sense—for want of a better term— 
 is one of the faculties. 
 
 The trend of our investigations goes to suggest that 
 the whole constitution of man is twofold—a duality of 
 the physical and the psychical—and that his environ¬ 
 ment is also twofold, botli physical and psychical. 
 That the present physical is the outward and temporary, 
 by which we are related to the physical conditions of 
 our present existence; that through the psychical we 
 are brought at the present time into touch with an 
 inner and higher mode of existence, to which we shall 
 be translated when the present temporary relation to 
 the physical shall cease to be. That the psychical self, 
 comprising the soul-body and the spirit, is the true 
 self, and, as such, will have its own special consciousness 
 and proper modes, and its own special existence. 
 Psychical science sustains the conception of the Apostle 
 Paul when he assures us that the things which are 
 seen are temporal, and the unseen and the lasting are 
 eternal. 
 
 I confess that I believe that there is a basis in fact 
 and in being for tbe alcasa of the Buddhist, aye, and 
 the astral fluid of the theosophist, or ethers and atmo¬ 
 spheres of a psychic character, accompanied and directed 
 by intelligences which must be characterised as human, 
 within and behind the ethers and the atmospheres that 
 we have knowledge of. My own experience satisfies 
 me that there is an aura—a delicate vapour—which 
 arises from the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system 
 of organised beings, and that arising from man is his 
 
INVISIBLE FORCES AND EMANATIONS 47 
 
 image bearer; nay, more, is the subtile electric apparatus 
 which vibrates the also unseen ethereal medium, along 
 which his unspoken thoughts, the pictures of his sur¬ 
 roundings, and his very double, are conveyed from mind 
 to mind, in both conscious and unconscious action. 
 This nervaura conveys our image to the paper on which 
 we write, aye, and pencils our unwritten thoughts 
 thereon, and possibly the scene in which our thinking 
 is done. I have no doubt of this, because the simplest 
 experiments in Psychometry will prove it, and a well- 
 substantiated case of Telepathy demonstrates it. And 
 the recorded experiences of, not sensitives merely, but 
 men of robust healtli, of vigorous common-sense, of 
 marked intellect and keen observation, furnish abundant 
 and corroborative proofs. 
 
 Science has also spoken, and has suggested that there 
 are subtile emanations, subtile forces. X-rays, lights and 
 sounds in Nature above and below tbe pitch of 
 human sense-perception, but of wliich man may become 
 cognisant througb other senses, or in a way which 
 transcends recognised sense-perce})tions. Brewster, 
 Draper, Babbage, Jevons, Crookes, Lodge, Sidgwick, 
 Barrett, Myers, Hodgson, Hyslop, living now or passed 
 on, and many others, point these things out, and leave 
 no doubt on the matter. Verily, the trend of modern 
 science is towards and into the invisible, and her verit¬ 
 able conquests have been in the provinces of the Unseen. 
 
 If a Psychometer receives an impression, or a 
 Clairvoyant a picture, an image, a scene or an incident, 
 or an individual a message by Telepathic means, there 
 
48 
 
 SEEING THE INVISTELE 
 
 must not only be the requisite state in the receiver of 
 the communication, hut there must he also suitable 
 media or modes by which the messages are conveyed. 
 It is unthinkable that these impressions, revelations, 
 visions, and what not, can reach the sensitive without 
 coming through appropriate media. This will become 
 more and more apparent as we proceed. Certainly, if 
 the sounds, sights, and the sensations of heat, cold, and 
 weight which we experience are due to the action or 
 the vibrations of certain subtile and unseen forces in 
 Nature, it is conceivable that there are other and 
 equally suitable media for the transmission of the 
 psychic, i.c. those which transcend ordinary sense- 
 impressions. It may be objected that psychometrical 
 impressions are due to an exalted sense of feeling, and 
 that therefore they are not psychic, and do not transcend 
 sense-perception. To this I reply, based on actual 
 experimentation, that while many psychometrical im¬ 
 pressions, visions, and what not, arise in the first 
 instance from contact or proximity to a clue, it does not 
 by any means follow that they are confined to it. For 
 experience furnishes abundant testimony that many of 
 the phenomena of Psychometry do transcend all sense- 
 perception. But that is not all. There are evidences 
 arising out of these researches, ignored as they are by 
 some men of science; there is back of mind, as revealed 
 to each of us by self-consciousness and to experts by 
 cerebral research; there is a transcendental mind, the 
 Greater Self, call it spirit, soul, or the sub-conscious 
 self, which is the actual gleaner of knowledge through 
 
INVISIBLE FORCES AND EMANATIONS 49 
 
 tlie unseen forces referred to, and this knowledge is 
 passed from the inner to the outer, from the tran¬ 
 scendental to the external consciousness—if realised at 
 all—to onr external plane of being. 
 
 Rsychometry or Intuition is the first rung in the 
 ladder of psychic experiences, whose top is hidden from 
 onr ordinary consciousness in that region beyond the 
 confines of onr temporary connection witli matter; the 
 region wherein lies onr anchor within the veil, and 
 from which voices reach ns, encouraging ns in the 
 ascent; some are, or seem to be, the voices of the loved 
 and gone; some are, perhaps, hut the re-echo of onr 
 own thoughts and aspirations, which have sprung from 
 the inner to the outer in our lives. When the psychic 
 lightning Hashes in the gloom we see a landscape of 
 marvellous beauty, visions, not unlawful to utter, but 
 which we are unable to describe ; and in those scenes 
 are grouped the so-called dead, alive, smiling joyfully, 
 and bidding ns have faith and courage, for their lot is 
 ours and the destiny of mankind. Their lot is immortal 
 (not dying) life, and infinite progression. 
 
 Before, however, we can expect the majority of onr 
 fellows to believe in such ideas, imperfectly materialised 
 in words, it is needful that they he convinced by facts, 
 by actual experimentation, that the ground they walk 
 on, the very atmosphere they breathe, and, indeed, 
 every atom of matter, is a register of all that has, is, 
 and will he, and that this register is open to their 
 inspection, if they vnll Jmf tool-. 
 
 4 
 
CHAPTEE III 
 
 nature’s invisible biograph 
 
 In the fanciful field of the human imagination there 
 have been no illusions—mind pictures of the weird, 
 the fantastic, the grand and the sublime, or of the 
 harmonious, the beautiful, or of the desperate, the 
 despairing, the wretched and the apparently abandoned, 
 and utterly hopeless—which can rank with those real 
 pictures of the past and the present, unfolded to the 
 eye of psychical science, by nature’s unseen biograph— 
 unseen only in the sense, that _our tmaided sight cannot 
 detect the colours in a beam of light without a prism, 
 or that we cannot discern a portrait on a sensitive 
 pla te—before development. The marvels of nature’s 
 biograpli will, possibly, never be discerned by any one 
 individual, however gifted; but to the educated sense 
 of many, much which is now hidden may be revealed, 
 as picture after picture unfolds before the eye of the 
 psycliic. Indeed, when we realise the reality, and have 
 got over our first surprise brought about by the first 
 successful experiment of this further insight into nature, 
 we experience a still further surprise, and soon begin to 
 
 50 
 
NATURE’S INVISIBLE BIOGRAPH 
 
 51 
 
 wonder at the crass stupidity and the conservatism of 
 thought which has prevented us from investigating the 
 matter for ourselves—of liaving such peeps at the living 
 panorama of the psychic side of things—long before. 
 
 “ Nature’s Biograph ?—Living pictures, panorama !— 
 What do you mean ? ” some one asks. I mean what 
 Professor Babbage meant when he said: “ The air is 
 one vast library, on whose pages are for ever written 
 all that man has ever said or woman whispered.” I 
 mean what Professor J. W. Draper means when he 
 said: “ A shadow never falls upon a wall without 
 leaving thereupon a permanent trace—a trace made 
 visible by resorting to proper processes. Upon the 
 walls of pi'ivate apartments, wliere we think that the 
 eye of intrusion is altogether sliut out and our retire¬ 
 ment can never he profaned, there exist the vestiges of 
 our acts, silhouettes of whatever we have done. It is 
 a crushing thought to whoever has committed secret 
 crime, tlmt the, pidihrc of his deed and, the echo of his 
 v'ords ma.y he seen and heard countless years after he has 
 gone the way of all Jlesh, and left a reputation for 
 ‘ respectability’ to his children.” This psychic hiograph 
 is as varied, as external as the world is, and as full of 
 the infinitely unexpected as human nature is. As to 
 external nature, that aspect has been treated by the 
 late Professor Denton, distinguished geologist, author, 
 and lecturer, who had most successfully tested this 
 matter with innumerable sensitives in all parts of the 
 world, and concerning which some illustrations will be 
 given. In his work. Nature's Secrets, he says:— 
 
52 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 “ From the first dawn of light npon this infant globe, 
 when round its cradle the stormy curtains hung, Nature 
 has been photographing every moment. Wluit a picture 
 gallery is hers! There is the heaving crust, as the 
 fiery tides pass under it; the belching volcanoes, the 
 glaring lava torrents, the condensing waters, the rush¬ 
 ing floods and the terrible struggles of the early stormy 
 times; the watery e.xpanse unshored; the new-born 
 naked islands peeping above the waves; the first in¬ 
 fusorial points, too small to leave a fossil trace behind 
 them; the earliest fucoids that clung to the wave- 
 washed rocks. Every radiate and mollusc of the 
 Silurian era, every ganoid of the Devonian, has sat 
 for its portrait, and here it is. Not a leaf that grew 
 in the carboniferous forests, not a beetle that crawled 
 nor a frog that hopped, not a monster of the Oolite 
 nor a beast of the Tertiary wanting. These are the 
 grand panoramas of the past, containing all that man 
 ever did .... the history of all nations and peoples 
 from the cradle to the grave.” 
 
 Such are some of the living pictures to be seen in 
 Nature’s Biograph. Pr Buchanan, dealing with the 
 more human aspect, is bold and enthusiastic, and 
 throws out suggestions as to possibilities; but, in my 
 opinion, not within the range of practical demonstration. 
 Still, some of these pictures may be seen. 
 
 “ 21ie jmst is entombed in the present !" says Buchanan. 
 “ The world is its own enduring monument; and that 
 which is true of its physical is likewise true of its 
 mental career. The discoveries of Psychometry will 
 
NATUEE’S INVISIBLE BIOGEAPII 
 
 53 
 
 enable us to explore the history of man, as those of 
 geology enable us to explore the history of the earth. 
 There are mental fossils for the psychologists as well 
 as mineral fossils for the geologists; and believe that 
 hereafter the psychologist and the geologist will go 
 hand in hand—the one portraying the earth, its animals 
 and its vegetation, while the other portrays the human 
 beings who have roamed over its surface in the shadows 
 and the darkness of primeval barbarism! Aye, the 
 mental telescope is now discovered which may pierce 
 the depths of the past and bring us in full view of all 
 the grand and tragic passages of ancient history! I 
 know that to many of my readers, unaccustomed to 
 these investigations, and unacquainted with tlie first 
 experimental facts of this great science, these anticipa¬ 
 tions must seem a visionary hope—too grand, too 
 romantic, too transcendently beautiful to be true. But 
 observe that all is based on familiar experiments, and 
 these results are but legitimate deductions from familiar 
 facts. As surely as the expansive power of steam gives 
 premonition of the ocean steamship, does the power of 
 Esychometry give promise of all the glorious perform¬ 
 ance to which I have alluded. The world, although 
 well acquainted with the expansive power of steam, 
 laughed at Eamsey, Fitch, and Fulton when they 
 were constructing steamboats; and when they were 
 careering over our “ inland seas,” the idea of cross¬ 
 ing the ocean in a steamship was pronounced im¬ 
 practicable by men of science up to the very time of 
 its consummation. How timidly do we shrink from 
 
54 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 following the established principle to its legitimate 
 results! 
 
 “ Does not every psychometrical experiment demon¬ 
 strate an indefinite range of the intuitive power ? The 
 Psychometer is not limited to a perception of the 
 thoughts of the writer at the moment, but appreciates 
 his entire being—enters into his emotions, his relations 
 to society, and his past history. Aye, in many in¬ 
 stances, the whole career of the individual is opened 
 out before the observer, and he traces that career from 
 childhood to death. Let us apply this principle. 
 Could we obtain any authentic relics of Julius Ctesar, 
 of Cicero, of Plutarch—of Pericles, Plato, or Solon—of 
 Alfred the Great, Confucius, or Mohammed—the 
 ancient writings of the Hindoos, or the hieroglyphics 
 of Egypt—could we from these evoke the pictures of 
 the p&st, as we do from an ordinary manuscript, how 
 thrilling would be the interest with which we should 
 listen to this resurrection of lost history ? ” 
 
 There is no doubt in my mind that the pictures are 
 all there, but there are serious doubts as to the possi¬ 
 bility of either successfully evoking them, or of our 
 ability to correctly resurrect history by the means of 
 Psychometry, as there are serious difficulties in the 
 way: such, for example, as obtaining authentic relics ; 
 of having sufficiently educated and trained psychic 
 experts; of verifying the pictures, and the history 
 brought to light by means of them ; and, finally, the 
 probable good such history, if absolutely correct, would 
 be to mankind at the present time. The world is 
 
NATUEE’S INVISIBLE BIOGEABII 
 
 55 
 
 injhcenced hy great principles, and not by histories, false 
 or accurate, only in so far as they illustrate and bring 
 home these great principles. And for that purpose 
 modern history will suffice. But the Doctor’s infer¬ 
 ence is legitimate. Bsychometric e.Kperimentation does 
 exhibit an indefinite range of vision and intuition ; and 
 if from a letter, or from an article from some contem¬ 
 porary, the person, the surroundings, and the history of 
 the writer or author can be correctly described, it is 
 also possible that correct impressions can be received 
 and pictures evoked from an ancient manuscript, a 
 piece of papyrus, an Egyptian tablet or a brick from the 
 ancient city of Babylon ; but scarcely can a resurrected 
 history of the period, the dynasties, and the peoples, 
 states of civilisation, and so on, be compiled in circum¬ 
 stantial and reliable detail. At any rate, whatever 
 Psychometers may be able to accomplish in the future, 
 up to the present we have had to content ourselves 
 with less ambitious hopes, and with more satisfactory 
 and reliable experiments. In these pages it will be my 
 duty to keep to the practical side of the subject, 
 leaving ancient history to take care of itself, and to 
 give attention to those pictures, past and present, 
 which less extensive psychometrical gifts enable us to 
 perceive. From the foregoing we have now an idea of 
 what are some of the living pictures, scenes, events, 
 etc. to be seen and heard, while glancing into Nature’s 
 Biograph. 
 
 Nature has been at work throughout the ages, and 
 is now at work transferring to her infinite canvas the 
 
56 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 thoughts and the actions of mankind, and the develop¬ 
 ment and the movements of animals, the lives and the 
 loves of plants, and of all heings and things, that she 
 may be able to keep them in everlasting remembrance. 
 Nature uses the mighty brush of fate, and the delicate 
 and the subtile auras of all things, to make that record. 
 If this is so, can these pictures in Nature’s matchless 
 galleries be seen, and Iiow ? If not, all this talk seems 
 more like the irresponsible fancies of a dreamer than 
 the sober utterances of a sane and responsible person. 
 Of course, if the whole can be brought within the range 
 of proof, that’s another matter; bear in mind that little 
 hint about steamships, and also the fact that many 
 men of science have sadly erred in the past,—the 
 majority of their a i^riori objections have been found 
 untenable. If these pictures can be seen, that alters 
 the case. 
 
 Yes, they can be seen. Possibly you, my reader, 
 who are doubting and asking the question, are just one 
 of those who are naturally endowed with both the 
 sensitiveness and the intuition or Psychometric Eaculty 
 by which it is possible to see these pictures. It is just 
 as natural and just as possible to perceive the views 
 presented by this living panorama, as it is with ordinary 
 vision to behold the various scenes presented by one of 
 Edison’s clever biographs. Common experience, or 
 what is called common-sense, may say “ No,” but that 
 does not alter the fact. Common experience, in the 
 matter of science, is often wrong, and especially in 
 matters of which it has no experience. I am almost 
 
NATUKE’S INVISIBLE BIOGRAPH 
 
 57 
 
 certain that nearly all refined, sensitive, impressionable 
 and, in the main, persons of more than average 
 intelligence, possess the Psychometric Faculty. Tliey 
 are often unaware of the fact, and are disposed, when 
 they attempt to explain their impressions, dreams, 
 visions, and what not, to attribute them to the guidance 
 of Providence, to the intervention of spirit friends—to 
 the play of fitful and vivid fancy. It is not until tliese 
 impressions have taken an unexpected and definite 
 fulfilment that the last conjectures are abandoned, and 
 some of the former adopted. 
 
 There are thousands in every community who have 
 ex'iieriences which I term psychometric, and which 
 they designate a “ kind of instinct,” or perhaps have 
 a ditliculty in giving them a name at all. One thing, 
 they realised that these experiences were out of the 
 general order of things, which, upon investigation, 
 were traceable to two sources:— 
 
 First, to the sensitiveness of the person who ex¬ 
 perienced them ; and 
 
 Secondly, to the emanations, nervauras, or intlueuces 
 left by other persons and things in the past, in, near, 
 or about the spot or place where the said experiences 
 were felt. In some instances the emanations, etc., 
 were attached to or have permeated some object which 
 was originally with the person or in the place from 
 whence the intluence was detected. 
 
 It is quite conceivable that many a soldier has felt 
 himself thrilled by a martial spirit while handling the 
 trusty claymore of some bygone warrior; many a 
 
58 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 singer has simg as never before while holding a score 
 which had been well handled, and was possibly a 
 favourite with some Jenny Lind, Patti, Titians, Santley, 
 or Eeeves in the past. Many a young journalist and 
 author has been fired with enthusiasm and inspired 
 with ideas while leaning upon or writing at the desk 
 of some veteran author. Many an old blood-stained 
 knife, picked up at some second-hand store, has, in an 
 evil moment, been employed again in a repetition of 
 its unhallowed work by the luckless hands of its new 
 possessor. I knew of such a case. Napoleon destroyed 
 a sentry-box wherein three sentinels, each within a 
 short period, committed suicide; whatever their motives, 
 the intuitive general attributed the cause to the sentry- 
 box, with the remarkable result that there were no 
 more suicides at that particular place. Many an erring 
 one has taken thought to mend while handling his 
 mother’s well-thumbed Bible; many a young preacher 
 has been inspired as he stood at the historic spot and 
 handled the identical volume on which had lain the 
 hands of Luther, Calvin, Knox, Wilberforce, a Wesley 
 or a Parker, and while thus inspired he has forgotten 
 or departed from his written notes, and with impassioned 
 eloquence stirred the sluggish souls of men from 
 indifference to righteousness, from bondage to become 
 the lovers and the defenders of liberty. Many a ghost 
 has been seen, too, that has no existence outside the 
 mirage of the charmed biograph ; that is, the ghost seen 
 was not the real man or woman whom it repre¬ 
 sented, but rather what might be called a “deferred 
 
NATURE’S INVISIBLE BIOGEAPH 
 
 59 
 
 thought-form ” — none the less interesting on that 
 account. 
 
 What tales might not a l)it of brick, made in the days 
 of Emperor Hadrian, tell of the period when the 
 rantheon of Rome was built by that monarch ? Who 
 can say whether it was built for worship or for a 
 temple of heroes ? Whose master-mind—a Greek slave, 
 maybe—conceived the design—a design unequalled in 
 the world to-day for magnificence, and at the same time 
 for chaste beauty also ? Could Psychometry throw any 
 light on a subject like this ? Buchanan and Denton 
 would say “ Yes.” I neither affirm nor deny, but for 
 one should like to try the experiment. A cursory 
 examination might not detect any difference between 
 a brick from Rome and one made in this country; a 
 skilled examination by experts would, and from it we 
 might learn that the one had been made so many years 
 ago according to the processes then employed, and that 
 the other was of recent make and made by processes 
 with which most of us are familiar. So far, so good. 
 But there are difierences which neither the cursory 
 nor the skilled examination can discover, and these 
 miglit be, as in many cases they have been, revealed to 
 the psychometrical senses of touch and sight. Plow 
 romantic, picturesque, fraught with beauty, worship, 
 weirdness, ambition, and tyranny of a complex and 
 puzzling civilisation, might not the picture presented 
 by the first be; and how dull, sordid, and commonplace 
 the picture of the latter might be! Of course, all this 
 is only so much conjecture; but that there would be 
 
60 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 a difference, and that Psychoinetry would be able in a 
 measure, perhaps wholly, to detect that difference, is 
 not a conjecture but a well-established fact. 
 
 Speaking of Borne, suggests relics, and the venera¬ 
 tion which surrounds these in many countries. There 
 must be a basis of fact underlying this veneration 
 possessed by many for relics, and it is by no means 
 confined to the ignorant. This branch of psychical 
 science discovers the basis, and makes plain much in 
 the religious histories of the world, in the folk-lore of 
 the people, and in the superstitions of the hour, with 
 regard to relics. These, for good or ill, have been per¬ 
 meated with the emanations of the original possessors— 
 saints or sufferers, as the case may be. There is a 
 foundation of truth in this love of relics, faith in charms, 
 amulets, etc., possessed by all peoples. A universal 
 superstition as old and as widespread as is the human 
 race over the habitable globe, must have something in 
 it. There are relics and relics, the genuine and the 
 false—the Holy Shroud of Turin and that of Besam^.on, 
 for example. Even the existence of spurious relics, 
 showing the demand for them, is an indirect evidence 
 of the widespread belief in their influence and value. 
 There are bones of saints and sacred teeth of Buddha 
 in sufficient variety and size to arouse the scepticism of 
 anatomists; still, the fact remains that the reverence 
 for relics is universal, confined to no nation or creed, 
 conspicuous alike at home as abroad, and it remains 
 unaffected by the Eeformation, the taboo of science, or 
 the sneers of the educated. 
 
NATUr.E’S INVISIBLE BIOGEABH 
 
 fil 
 
 The mystery is explained by a peep into the Biograph. 
 The true relic is endowed with the qualities of the past 
 —qualities of personal worth, virtue and character— 
 and these qualities are transmitted by it into the 
 present, and intensified, perhaps (as in marvellous cases 
 of healing), by the invisible inlluences of the healed, 
 by suggestion ; but the qualities are there all the same. 
 Without the revelations of 1‘sychometry, the regard for 
 relics, charms, and amulets would still remain in the 
 unsatisfactory region of popular superstitions. 
 
 The late Professor Hitchcock, a distinguished geolo¬ 
 gist and author, whose works, Genesis and Geology and 
 The Religion of Geology, are on the bookshelves in many 
 homes, at one time, during a period of sickness, 
 developed something of psychometrical sensitiveness. 
 While in this state he had visions, imperfect visions of 
 the unseen. These visions cannot he confoundeil with 
 the resurrection of residuary visual impressions, with 
 which he had by some means now become conscious, or 
 with the revived memories of other forgotten experi¬ 
 ences. They seem to me to have arisen from a peej) 
 into the invisible, which his then state of sensitiveness 
 appeared to bring about, together with contact and 
 proximity to various geological specimens wliicli his 
 house contained. “Day after day, visions of strange 
 landscapes spread out before him,—mountain and lake 
 and forest—vast I’ocks, strata upon strata, piled to the 
 clouds—the panorama of a, world shattered and n])- 
 heaved, disclosing the grim secrets of creation, the 
 unshapely and monstrous rudiments of organic being.” 
 
G2 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 His educated eye saw much iii this which would be 
 meaiiiugless to a sensitive person ignorant of the rudi¬ 
 ments of geology. In his Religion of Geology, speaking 
 of what he called “ the influence of liglit ” in the 
 formation of these weird pictures in Nature, he said:— 
 
 “ It seems, then, that this photographic influence 
 pervades all nature; nor can we say where it stops. 
 We do not know but that it may imprint on the world 
 around us our features as they are modified by various 
 passions, and thus fill nature with daguerreotype 
 impressions of all our actions that are performed in 
 daylight. It may be, too, that there are tests by which 
 nature moi’e skilfully than any human photographist 
 can bring out and fix these portraits, so that acuter 
 senses than ours shall see them on the great canvas, 
 spread over the material universe. Perhaps, too, they 
 may never fade from that canvas, but become specimens 
 in the great picture-gallery of eternity.” 
 
 Vigorous as has been the Professor’s vivid scientific 
 imagination, based as it was on his own actual expei’i- 
 ences, and however true his prescience, all these have 
 fallen short of the reality, as truly realised in experi¬ 
 mentation with various sensitives since his day. These 
 sensitives are persons endowed with “ acuter senses ” 
 than revealed by ordinary sense-perception, and these 
 persons so endowed have indeed—and will in the future 
 —render invaluable service to many departments of 
 science, history, anthropology, geology, medicine, and 
 to psychical research. While not undervaluing Modern 
 Spiritualism, I think that it is vastly more important 
 
NATURE’S INVISIBLE BIOGBAPH 
 
 63 
 
 to obtain all the evidence we can proving that man 
 possesses or is a soul here and now, than that the said 
 soul can communicate with mortals when disembodied. 
 Professor Hitchcock was endowed, himself, with “ acuter 
 senses ” than he was aware of. Had the Psychometric 
 Faculty been developed in this geologist, what admirable 
 contributions to tbe science might he not have left for 
 subsequent experts to explore and test! 
 
 In the case of Hitchcock, illness induced the necessary 
 sensitiveness—and that was, so far, unsatisfactory— 
 by which he had a glimpse at Nature’s invisible 
 panorama ; but in the following definite instance of the 
 application of the Psychometric Faculty the fitting 
 conditions were furnished by sleep. In this sleep we 
 have a play of faculty analogous to that observed in 
 somnambulism. The story is told Ijy Mrs Agassiz in 
 the life of her husband:— 
 
 “ He had been for two weeks striving to decipher the 
 somewhat obscure impressions of a fossil fish on the 
 stone slab in winch it was i)reserved. Weary and 
 perplexed, he put his work aside at last, and tried to 
 dismiss it from his mind. Shortly after he awoke, per¬ 
 suaded that while asleep he had seen his fish with all 
 the missing features perfectly restored. But when he 
 tried to hold and make fast the image, it escaped him. 
 Nevertheless he went early to the Jardin des Plantes, 
 thinking that, on looking anew at the impression, he 
 should see something which would ])ut him on the track 
 of l)is vision. In vain—the blurred record was as blank 
 as ever. Tlie next night he saw the fish again, but 
 
64 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 with no satisfactory result; when he awoke it dis¬ 
 appeared from his memory as before. Hoping that 
 the same experience might be repeated on the third 
 night, he placed a pencil and paper beside his bed 
 before going to sleep. Accordingly, towards morning, 
 the fish reappeared in his dream, confusedly at first, but, 
 at last, with such distinctness that he had no longer 
 any doubt as to its zoological characters. Still half 
 dreaming, in perfect darkness, he traced these char¬ 
 acters on the sheet of paper at the bedside. In the 
 morning he was surprised to see, in his nocturnal sketch, 
 features which he thought it impossible the fossil itself 
 should reveal. He hastened to the Jardin des Plantes, 
 and, with his drawing as a guide, succeeded in chiselling 
 away the surface of the stone, under which portions of 
 the fish proved to be hidden. When wholly exposed, 
 it corresponded with his dream and his drawing, and 
 he succeeded in classifying it with ease. He often 
 spoke of this as a good illustration of the well-known 
 fact that when the body is at rest the tired brain will 
 do the work it refused before.” 
 
 If, by tbe agency of sleep, the brain, tired or untired, 
 can see through or peneHate a stone slab, and perceive 
 in distinct detail all the characters of a fossil fish, the 
 achievement is in my opinion a unique one, and in no 
 sense a feat to be confounded with unconscious cerebral 
 operations,^ awake or asleep. The facts recorded are of 
 great interest, but “ the explanation ” reveals nothing. 
 There are possibly millions whose brains are rested 
 ' Appendix No. III. 
 
NATURE’S INVISIBLE BIUGKAPH 65 
 
 and vvlio dreani dreams—incuhereiiL absurdities in the 
 majority of eases—who would he utterly iueapahle of 
 accomj)Iisliing the unique feat recorded. We learn 
 from tlie incident that Agassiz possessed the Bsyclio- 
 metric Faculty — his sensitiveness was demonstrated 
 years before by his susceptibility to mesmeric intlu- 
 ence—and what his lingers and his eyes were unable to 
 convey to him during the active consciousness of his 
 waking hours, was made clear to him, during a period of 
 less conscious activity, by his Psychic Faculties, and 
 communicated from the Inner to the outer man, or from 
 the subliminal to the siq)raliminal consciousness. But 
 only by psychic or psychometrical power could he get 
 the information. What he discovered was a something 
 actually hidden from both ordinary touch and sight, 
 which was only reached by some play of faculty 
 transcending ordinary sense-perception; hence we call 
 that process “ Psychic.” The next point to be noted in 
 connection with this incident is, tliat Agassiz possessed 
 the cultured intellect of a trained specialist, and was able 
 to utilise this peep into Nature’s biograph. ]\Iany might 
 have bad just such an experience, and have mentally 
 seen the outline of a strange fish, either in a waking or a 
 sleej)ing state, but, lacking Agassiz’s culture and volition, 
 would have treated the matter as a freak of the imagina¬ 
 tion, and dismissed the subject from further thought. 
 
 Not only is the foregoing incident an admirable 
 illustration of an unconscious operation of the mind, hut 
 it also illustrates the Psychometric Faculty in practice; 
 
 the only difference being, that what in this instance 
 
 5 
 
66 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 occurred in sleep, and in the former instance (with 
 Professor Hitchcock) in a state of ill-health, takes place 
 with trained Psychometers while in a state of ordinary 
 waking consciousness, and in the enjoyment of normal 
 health. 
 
 Professor Agassiz was dimly aware that he possessed 
 a faculty or power of the mind not usually known 
 among scientists—in fact, Professor Owen is the only 
 other I have heard of who has shown that he had a 
 similar gift,—for Agassiz, in his Tour to Lake Superior, 
 speaking of a certain fish, says: “ I can distinguish the 
 European species by a single scale; but this, not from 
 any definite character, but rather by a kind of instinct.” 
 The “ kind of instinct ” by which, from a single scale, 
 he was able to sense the entire fish, and its original 
 habitat, is the Psychometrical Faculty, which I have so 
 far but faintly portrayed. 
 
 Hugh Miller, in My Schools and Schoolmasters, detailing 
 some experiences which befell him when ill of small-pox 
 —certain illusions, vivid but incoherent, in which the 
 memory of forgotten things and circumstances played 
 a prominent part,—expresses this opinion: “There are, 
 I suspect, provinces in the philosophy of mind into 
 which the metaphysicians have not yet entered; of 
 that accessible storehouse, in which the memories of 
 the past events lie arranged and taped up, they appear 
 to know a good deal, hut of a mysterious cabinet of 
 clayucrreotype pictures, of ivhich, thotiyh fast locked up 
 on ordinary occasions, disease sometimes fiiuys the door 
 ajar, they seem to know nothing.” Miller was not a 
 
NATUKE’S INVISIBLE BIOGEAPH 67 
 
 psychologist, but he was conversant with the writings of 
 the Scotch metaphysicians, and was sufiiciently acute 
 to know that this cabinet of “ daguerreotype pictures ” 
 belonged to some other department of the mind than 
 those whose offices were devoted to memory. He 
 realised that here was a valuable cabinet of which man 
 had got the key somewhere, but of tbe cabinet and the 
 key the metaphysicians were ignorant. Bsychic science 
 has discovered both—the pictures and the key to them. 
 The pictures are painted on Nature’s canvas by the 
 subtle auras or emanations of all tilings, and the key 
 is found in the Psychic Faculties of man, proclaiming 
 the transcendental self, superior to cerebral structure 
 and time and sense environment; in a word, tbe real 
 “I,” “Me”—that which shall survive the temporary 
 connection with matter, and which even now shows its 
 power, at times, to rise above its present conditions. 
 Nothing in the wildest dreams of the novelist’s imagina¬ 
 tion has ever equalled the facts in Nature as revealed 
 by psychometrical research. 
 
 Whether Professor Jev ons is correct or not when he 
 assures us that “ every thought displaces particles of 
 the brain and sets them in motion, scatters them through 
 the universe, and thus each particle of matter must be 
 the register of all that happens,” veritable radio-active 
 bodies, permanently affecting other radio-active bodies, 
 it must be conceded that thought is, and that, by 
 setting up vibrations in the ether through possible 
 pidsations in the brain, such thoughts can be trans¬ 
 ferred and become consciously appreciated by those 
 
68 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 whose brains are sufficiently receptive and sensitive to 
 be affected by such vibrations. Psychic science has 
 demonstrated all this abundantly. And now prolonged 
 experiments have proved that man’s thoughts, as well 
 as his actions, are photographed in his surroundings. 
 As Professor Draper graphically puts it: “ The pictures 
 of thoughts, words, and deeds of men, thus preserved 
 in the ether or akasa, can be seen by one who has 
 developed his clairvoyant faculty, that faculty whereby 
 one is able to see things invisible to mortal sight.” In 
 the foreo'oiim we have a distinct admission that not 
 
 O O 
 
 only is the biograph a reality, but that some individuals 
 have a faculty—psychometric or clairvoyant—by which 
 the invisible pictures can be perceived. 
 
 To use a paradox, I may say that the existence of the 
 invisible—such as X-rays, “Becquerel rays,” “actinium,” 
 N-rays, etc.—is frequently demonstrated by its mani¬ 
 festations in the visible. Whoever has witnessed the 
 sudden adhesion of an iron armature to the poles of a 
 steel magnet, must realise that there has been an 
 invisible force permeating the entire magnet—a some¬ 
 thing imparted to that magnet from without, through 
 contact, association, or position, as the case may be— 
 a force which was able, as if with invisible fingers, 
 to seize the non-resisting or receptive armature, and 
 draw it to itself. The force was there; it is no use 
 denying the fact because unseen, or because it did not 
 draw to itself a book, a piece of glass, a bit of wood, 
 or other equally noii-receptive, non-sensitive object, as 
 it did tlie iron block. Yet there are people constantly 
 
NATURE’S INVISIBLE BIOGRABH 
 
 69 
 
 decrying the psychic forces in man, either hecanse they 
 are unseen, or because they cannot be discerned in 
 operation, except under appropriate conditions. There 
 is no use in arguing with such people. Wlia t is wanted 
 are facts, not arguments; then sufficient intelligence to 
 discern the facts. The raison d’etre can be considered 
 afterwards. 
 
 The real but unseen are around us and in us always. 
 Has not the eye been delighted in the spring with the 
 display of Indglit, variegated, and lovely-hued apple- 
 blossom ; with the green, yellow, and red ripe fruitage 
 in the autumn ; and yet not been able to see the silent 
 life-forces which draw up the sap (also invisible) from 
 the roots, through the trunk to the tree-tops, to the 
 outmost branches, filling all with growth and beauty— 
 the foliage, flowers, and the fruit which have charmed 
 our 03 ms, and possibly gratified our taste. In like 
 manner proceed in unseen streams, from every object 
 in nature, those light vibrations which stimulate vision; 
 those odorous and malodorous emanations which delight 
 or disgust us as we become conscious of them through 
 the sense of smell. There are many other vibrations 
 of heat, cold, force—a 3 'e, and of thought—more subtle 
 still, which depress, chill, or, maybe, fill us with 
 buoyancy, brightness, vigour, and unspeakable pleasure ; 
 or which, on the other hand, leave us from their 
 impact depressed, sad, and as limp and backhoneless, 
 for the time being, as a squeezed sponge. Similar 
 feelings, onl}' infinitely more varied, have been excited 
 in the mind of the Rsychometer while holding a clue, 
 
70 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 or while in contact with, or proximity to, a thing or 
 a place where once strong thoughts were felt; the 
 whole incidents and scenes being thrown upon the 
 Psychic’s consciousness in a series of living pictures, 
 accompanied with more or less vividness by the 
 thoughts, the feelings, and the spirit of the bygone 
 dwellers in those scenes. Very strange, but true, 
 which a few illustrations will suffice to bring home 
 to most of my readers, even though they approach this 
 subject for the first time. 
 
 Sir David Brewster was right in his doctrine of 
 emanations, and that these partook of the nature and 
 the character of their source. From sun and distant 
 star, from the earth itself and every being and object 
 thereon, eradiate these emanations, affecting, impinging, 
 and permeating all other beings and objects; these 
 emanations, rays, and auras are none the less real 
 because invisible. Tliey are as laden with the good 
 and the evil in life, as they are with life, light, warmth, 
 health and disease. They come to us from suns, stars, 
 birds, beasts, men, magnets, rocks ; and whether they are 
 dynamic, radiant, psychologic, hygienic, or the reverse, 
 they correspond in quantity and quality with the object, 
 being, person, or source from whence they proceed. 
 
 We are attracted or repulsed by different individuals 
 before we can really know aught of good or evil about 
 them. We cannot explain, therefore, from actual 
 experience, our likes and dislikes, for the simple reason 
 that we have had no experience. Our ordinary ideas 
 of faces and manners do not help us. We do not wish 
 
NATUEE’S INVISIBLE BIOGEAPH 71 
 
 to be unjust in our estimates. But there the feeling is. 
 We must account for it. Does Nature give to all 
 creatures profound instincts, especially to the delicate 
 and the sensitive, that they may know and beware of 
 the approach of an enemy, etc., and leave man without 
 such a guide ? I think not; even though, with the 
 majority of civilised men, it is largely obliterated. 
 
 Our late Sovereign, Queen Victoria, possessed this 
 insight and foresight in a marked degree, and we find 
 that such able men as the late Lord Salisbury, Lord 
 Kimberley, and many other shrewd, keenly intellectual 
 and wise statesmen confess the debt that both they and 
 the nation owe to her powers in this special particular. 
 Well, this feeling is possessed by most of us, but, 
 generally speaking, in a marked degree by women, 
 who, as a rule, being sensitive and delicate, are 
 furnished by Nature with this weapon of defence and 
 protection. The feeling is there. We are attracted 
 and repulsed; others are similarly affected towards us. 
 Are we having a peep into their unseen nature, and 
 they into ours ? All admit that there are such feelings, 
 which act upon men and women with all the dominant 
 force of well-thought-out motives. Yet we are not 
 aware of any process of reason, nor can we furnish any 
 reason for these unaccountable likes and dislikes; but 
 we have them. They have been called “ Nature’s 
 warnings,” “ a kind of instinct,” ‘ ‘ intuition,” and 
 “ common-sense.” So far so good; but it is not until 
 we find out wbat psychical science has to .say on the 
 subject that the matter becomes clear to ns, 
 
SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 TO, 
 
 We have been sensitive plates receiving impressions, 
 and in some cases these impressions liave been so 
 suddenly developed in us as to be appreciated by our 
 consciousness. We know little of the hidden processes 
 by which the facts, or impressions, are gathered up, 
 but we do know that, when we become conscious of 
 them, we are startled out of our ordinary routine by 
 the discovery that these sudden impressions are abso¬ 
 lutely correct. Given the sensitiveness and the condi¬ 
 tions, the persons and the circumstances to impress, we 
 see how such things may be possible. JVot a human 
 thought urns ever thought which did not influence the 
 thoughts of some other thinher; not a human foot falls 
 upon the earth which does not leave its impress there 
 —something more subtle and potent than the shoe- 
 mark. A dog will trace its master, although snow, 
 rain, and a day’s traffic have obliterated all marks. 
 “Ah,” you say, “that is natural; the dog by instinct 
 and by sense of smell, perhaps, will be able to accom¬ 
 plish all that.” “ All right, iny friend; and may not 
 man have just such natural powers and ‘ an acuter 
 sense ’ to enable him to make many discoveries, to 
 trace out many causes, and to penetrate character, 
 although all visible traces of all these things have been 
 obliterated long ago ? ” We shall see. 
 
 Man does possess an intuitive or Psychometric Faculty 
 by which he is enabled to sense what his reason unaided 
 could not discover. By it, he is inclined to accept the 
 invitation of a true friend; or he is intuitively warned 
 to be on bis guard against an enemy, who, however 
 
NATUIJE’S INVISIBLE BIOGEAPH 73 
 
 plausible and cunning, has not been al)le to conceal his 
 true character, and this has hf'conie photographed on 
 the mind of the sensitive person by the invisilde auras 
 emanating from the plausible one. The warnings thus 
 conveyed may be only an undefined uneasiness—a 
 blurred picture—or it may he a definite and clear 
 premonition; whatever these may he, they should 
 never he lightly thrown aside. 
 
 I thiidv Psychometry will help us to understand 
 what all these imju’essions are; and, indeed, most 
 persons who care to try will he able to reduce psycho¬ 
 metric experiments to practical utility, for their own 
 protection and their own good. This is an aspect which 
 appeals to most people—it may not he the highest, hut 
 it is valuable, most useful, and within the range of all 
 who have more or less of the Psychometrical Faculty. 
 
CHAPTEE IV 
 
 PSYCHOMETRIC EXPERIMENTS 
 
 The late Professor Denton, who had become acquainted 
 with the history of the discovery of Psychometry and of 
 the nature of Professor Buchanan’s experiments (through 
 the first volume of the Journal of Man, published 
 in Cincinnati in 1849), was himself induced to try some 
 experiments. He had learned from Buchanan’s experi¬ 
 ments with persons in all ranks of life, but especially 
 with the refined and the intelligent, that great numbers 
 were so sensitive that they were able to detect the 
 influence communicated by writers to their letters. 
 So sensitive were they that one of these persons was 
 able, while holding a letter,—without knowing its con¬ 
 tents and without seeing the writing,—to describe, 
 with marvellous accuracy, the character and the habits 
 of its writer. Professor Denton thought at first that 
 all this was too marvellous for belief, and it was not 
 until he had tried a number of similar experiments 
 that he discovered how true they were. 
 
 Plis first Psychometer was ins own sister, Mrs Anne 
 Denton Cridge, whom he discovered to be very im- 
 
 74 
 
rSYCHOMETRIC EXPERIMENTS 
 
 75 
 
 pressionable. “ She was able, in a shoi’t time,” he said, 
 “ to read character from letters readily; and what 
 was still more wonderful to us, and at the same time 
 equally inexplicable, that at times she saw and de¬ 
 scribed the writers of letters, and their surroundinss. 
 telling correctly even the colour of their hair and eyes.” 
 Here the Psychometric blended with the Psychic 
 Facul ty of seeing, or Clairvoyance. 
 
 Being interested in geology and palfcontology, it 
 occurred to Professor Denton that, if the image of the 
 writer and his surroundings could be communicated to 
 a letter during the short time the paper was subjected 
 to his influence, why could not rocks receive impressions 
 of surrounding objects with which they had been in 
 immediate contact for years ; and, why could not they 
 communicate the history of tlieir relationship in a 
 similar manner to sensitive persons, and tlius give a 
 clue to the conditions of the earth and its inhabitants 
 during long past ages ? 
 
 With tlie object of solving this query. Professor 
 Denton commenced a series of investigations in 1853, 
 and continued to experiment with various sensitives, 
 with more or less success, till his death, which occurred 
 in the South Pacific in 1883, after a very successful 
 lecturing tour in Australia. 
 
 Writing to Professor Buchanan, from Melbourne, 
 December 22,1882, among other things Professor Denton 
 said:—“On my return to Wellesley 1 shall have a very 
 large and valuable geological and zoological collection, 
 wbicb I shall be glad to place in such an establishment 
 
76 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 (a new university, which was then under consideration 
 by Buchanan), and where I should like to give to the 
 young men and women what I have gathered as I have 
 passed along. We leave here for Sydney in a few 
 weeks, and shall be in Brisbane, Queensland, about 
 March. I think that by June or July we shall be in 
 Hong-Kong, and I shall commence lectures in Calcutta 
 in November. We have been remarkably successful so 
 far, and our prospects are very good for the future. 
 My two eldest sons are with me, and it is by their help 
 that 1 am able to make such a large collection as I am 
 doing. Have just sent home nine cases. I am now 
 investigating psychometrically the ancient history of 
 Egypt, and shall publish a large volume on the subject 
 as soon as I get home. It will be very far ahead of 
 anything I have yet written on Psychometry, and will 
 
 carry conviction to the best minds.” 
 
 Unfortunately, Denton did not live to publish this 
 work, as he had so fondly anticipated, and we ai’e all 
 the poorer for it. As a geologist, a careful man of 
 science, a writer, and a lecturer, he had few if any 
 equals in his day. It is not with the man I am con¬ 
 cerned, but with Psychometry, which he did so much to 
 establish. For the purpose of illustrating some of the 
 possibilities of Psychometry, I have selected a few of 
 his experiments. For clues he used a large number of 
 mineral and fossil specimens and archaeological remains 
 which he had obtained from all parts of the world. 
 He “ was delighted to find that without possessing any 
 previous hnowledge of the specimen, or even seeing it, the 
 
PSYCnOMETEIC EXPEEIMENTS 
 
 77 
 
 history of Us time jxisscd before the yaze of the seer like a 
 yrand iKinoramie vi&w \ . sometimes almost with 
 
 the rapidity of lightning, and at other times so slowly 
 and distinctly tliat it could be described as readily 
 as an ordinary scene. The specimen to he examined 
 was generally placed upon the forehead, and held there 
 during the examination.” One is not surprised to hear 
 that some of the earlier experiments were not altogether 
 satisfactory, but it is well to bear in mind the following 
 important fact, i.e., thut the imoer of the I'syehomcter 
 increased as the er^ieri'inents continued, for the irracticc 
 developed loth the sensitiveness and the eo)fid.ence, as well 
 as the will, of the Fsyehometcr, thus developing all 
 necessary qualities making for success. 
 
 The following examples, with ditferent Psychometers, 
 are left to convey their own lessons :— 
 
 Psychometer: Mrs Cridge. Specimen: fragment of 
 lava from Kilauea, Hawaii, one of the Sandwich 
 Islands—unseen by her. She had no idea what it was, 
 and did not know that the Professor had it in his 
 possession. She said :— 
 
 “ I see the ocean, and ships are sailing on it. 
 This must he an island, for water is all around. 
 
 “ Now I am turned from where I saw the vessels, 
 and am looking at something most terrific. It seems 
 as if an ocean of fire were pouring over a precipice, and 
 boiling as it pours. The sight permeates my whole 
 being, and inspires me with terror. I see it flow into 
 the ocean, and the water boils intensely. I seem to be 
 standing on one side of it.” 
 
78 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 The feeling of terror thus produced did not pass off 
 for more than an hour, and seemed to be as great as 
 if Mrs Cridge had been at the spot and had actually 
 witnessed the whole scene. The description was a 
 perfectly accurate one. It is true that Professor 
 Denton himself knew what the specimen was, and that 
 there might have been an unconscious transference of 
 thought. However, he says :—“ I am well satisfied 
 that my sister had not the most remote idea of what 
 the substance was that she was trying, until the vision 
 was presented to her view, nor indeed then; and it 
 will be seen, in the result of experiments that I shall 
 present, that my knowledge had nothing whatever to 
 do with calling up those images before her.” 
 
 Psychometer; Mrs Denton. In this case Professor 
 Denton wrapped a number of specimens of various 
 kinds in separate papers. Mrs Denton took one, neither 
 knowing anything respecting it ; therefore Thought- 
 transference had nothing whatever to do with the 
 following description:— 
 
 “ The first thing I see is a volcano, or what I take 
 to be one. An elevation of considerable height appears 
 before me, and down its side flows a torrent of melted 
 matter—though torrent does not convey the idea;— 
 it is broad and shallow, and moves not rapidly, like 
 water, but creeps slowly along. Now I see another 
 stream pour over the top of the first, and the whole 
 side of the mountain is covered. This second flows 
 more rapidly than the first. This specimen must be 
 lava.” 
 
PSYCHOME'I'RIC EXPERIMENTS 
 
 79 
 
 Upon examination, the specimen proved to be a 
 small piece of lava, from the banks of the Upper 
 Missouri, where it is common, having been washed from 
 the Rocky Mountain region. This experiment called 
 forth the following remarks—which, indeed, were amply 
 substantiated by numerous subsequent experiments— 
 from Denton:— 
 
 “ We have here the means, then, by this wondrous 
 power, of calling up and examining in minute detail 
 the volcanic eruptions of all time, provided that we 
 can ol)tain specimens of their products;—see Teneriffe’s 
 mighty crater covered with glowing lava, and its 
 surging waves beating madly against the black, craggy 
 precipices that gird them ; read the story of Vesuvius 
 —that fiery old man of the mountain—from the time 
 that he was a screaming baby. ^Etna’s history, written 
 by his own linger, before the reed was fashioned or the 
 papyrus prepared, will be read by coming savants, 
 and his ruddy page shall shed new light on many dark 
 and mysterious subjects.” 
 
 In the following experiment, the same specimen— 
 a fossil fish-bone found near Painesville, in a bone-bed, 
 probably of about the same age as the Hamilton group 
 of the Devonian formation—was presented to two 
 I’sychonieters, without either knowing anything about 
 the other’s examination. Mrs Foote’s description:— 
 
 “ I see clouds of steam rising from the side of a hill, 
 and on one side a large ledge of blue rocks. 
 
 “ I now see something long and dark that looks like 
 a fish; there seems to be a large bump or buneh near 
 
80 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 the head. I should thiuk that it was ten or twelve 
 feet long—perhaps not quite so long as that. I see 
 now that there is no liunip on its head. What I 
 thought so is a rock that hangs over near its head. 
 High rocks hang over the water, and trees grow on 
 them. East of me is what seems to be the lake or 
 ocean. I can see the bottom of the water; it consists 
 of sand and gravel. What a beautiful place!—it seems 
 so much so, that it appears quite artificial.” 
 
 Mrs Denton’s description — the same specimen. 
 She had no knowledge of it, or of the previous reading:— 
 
 “ I see a point of land extending into a large body 
 of water. The water looks to me like a lake. It 
 hardly seems large enough for the ocean. I can see 
 along the shore for miles. There is a singular-looking 
 object in the water, about eight or ten feet long; and 
 from below the head it tapers the whole length nearly 
 to a point. It has skin without scales, like a cat-fish. 
 I see it dive obliquely down, fasten itself to the 
 bottom, and then wave its body to and fro. This is a 
 large fish. It has six fins; two pectoral, two ventral, 
 one caudal, and one anal. Its eyes and mouth are 
 large. It has no teeth, but a hard, sharp, bony gum. 
 It sucks its prey, and when doing so the opening of 
 the mouth is nearly round; but, when closed, there are 
 corners on each side. 
 
 “ Now I see the skeleton of it within the body. 
 There is a large bony plate below its head, and to it 
 other bones are fastened in some way. The backbone 
 at the upper part is as large as my wrist, but not one- 
 
RSYCHOMETKIC EXPEUIMENTS 
 
 81 
 
 third as thick laterally as vertically; but near the tail 
 the vertebne are nearly circular. 
 
 “ I see roe within it. The eggs are ({uite large, but 
 the layers are thin; there are two of them, one lower 
 than tlie other. The lower is more developed. 
 
 “ I catch the glimpse of a singular animal. The 
 body seems roundish, but it is at such a distance, as 
 well as in the water, that I cannot describe it minutely. 
 The upper part of it is out of the water, and it seems 
 to spread out like a sail, and the wind Idows the animal 
 along. It is so gauzy that I can see the light through 
 it; and between tlie upright ribs are the horizontal 
 ones, jointed in the middle, folding up in a very 
 singular fashion, and closing completely like a fan when 
 the animal wishes to sink. I see eight or ten of them 
 near each other.” 
 
 There are one or two things to notice in connection 
 with these two independent descriptions from tlie one 
 clue. That I’sychometers vary from one another in 
 sensitiveness, in intelligence, and in ability to give 
 clear descriptions of that which they see or feel. 
 Making due allowance for all this, the two descriptions 
 coincide in all the main features, although given from a 
 specimen of the nature and character of which they were 
 wholly ignorant. It is possible that Professor Denton 
 himself knew what the specimen or clue was which 
 he gave these ladies. He was not, however, conscious 
 of influencing them, for the descriptions were in many 
 ways a surprise to him. He said : “ It (the clue) might 
 
 have been a piece of chert from a lead mine, shale 
 
 6 
 
82 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 from a coal mine, a fragment from a mastodon’s tooth, 
 or a bone from some existing fish or beast. No mere 
 ordinary sensation could have distinguished it from 
 tliese; yet here, without a hint or question, the same 
 conditions substantially present themselves to two 
 independent observers, which paheontologists will, 
 in all probability, believe to have existed during 
 the period when this fossil was part of a living 
 organism.” 
 
 Mrs Denton, Psychometer. Specimen: pebble of 
 Trenton limestone, with glacial scratches upon its 
 surface. The examiner did not see or know what the 
 clue luas. 
 
 “ I feel as if I were below an immense body of 
 water—so deep that I cannot see down through it, 
 and yet it seems that I could see upward through it 
 for miles. Now I am going, going, and there is some¬ 
 thing above me, I cannot tell what. It is pushing 
 me on. It is above and around me. It must be ice; 
 I am frozen in it. The motion of the mass I am in is 
 not uniform ; it pitches forward, then halts and pitches 
 again, then goes grinding, pressing, and crushing along 
 —a mountain mass. 
 
 “All is dark. Now I see a tinge of crimson, mixed 
 with purple. What can it be ? How beautiful! I 
 feel the water again, as if I were drenched with it.” 
 (What kind of water is it ?) “ It is not rain. It seems 
 like a mixture of fresh and salt water; a little while 
 the one, and then the other. I see lights before me, 
 apparently reflected from rising vapours. They are 
 
PSYCHOMETRIC EXPERIMENTS 
 
 83 
 
 tiner and more broken than those I saw before, and 
 reflect the colours of the rainbow. 
 
 “What an awful chasm we are approaching! We 
 cannot cross it without being dashed to pieces, I am 
 sure. I say loe, because I feel completely distinct 
 from the mass that moves me. There is that chasm 
 again! It is terrific 1 We are going right to it ; 
 dashing most recklessly. We shall never get out or 
 across.” (Pause.) “ That is most astonishing. I felt 
 desperate as we approached the brink, but it was full 
 of water, and we floated across. I wonder if that, so 
 deep and broad, is a lake ? Why did I not see the 
 water ? The first sensation 1 had was that of floating. 
 Now we are aground. All around us is shallow water, 
 except a few islamls, which are high enough to be dry. 
 
 “ Now I see the ice before me over a wide field. 
 There are thousands of spires melting gradually away. 
 There is a flood all over the country, but the water is 
 not deep. There is a shallow sea this side of tlie 
 chasm, except for a little spot of land here and there, 
 and that is completely water-soaked. 
 
 “There are five icebergs in sight, some of them as 
 high as mountains; they are anchored ; the sight is 
 indescribably grand. There is another at my right 
 that lias a tall spire and a large mass for a body. It 
 is rocking, and will, I believe, tip over yet. It is 
 rounded at the base. There is a current in the water 
 that disturbs it.” 
 
 Professor Denton’s remarks on this experiment I 
 produce in full. He says:— 
 
84 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 “ AVliat a fine picture of the drift periods in North 
 America, when a sheet of ice covered a large part of 
 Canada and British America from Lake Ontario, which 
 was then probably an arm of the ocean, to the Arctic 
 regions, as at the present time a glacial sheet covers 
 north-western Greenland! On comes the icy mass 
 towards the south, the only direction in which motion 
 is possible, because the only direction in which ice can 
 melt and room be found for the mass, constantly 
 increasing by falling snows. On it moves, bearing 
 with it the rocks that it tears off in its passage; slides 
 into this arm of the sea that we have supposed to 
 occupy the place of Lake Ontario; and thus icebergs 
 are formed, which float southward till they are stranded 
 on what is now the northern part of the State of New 
 York, leaving their rocky burdens to form the boulders 
 that are so common over the face of the country. How 
 often, on looking at some mighty old boulder, we have 
 wished that it could relate its history, and tell us what 
 passed before and around it during its eventful career! 
 Little did we dream of the possibility of tliat, and 
 more than that. These ‘ hard heads ’ are wise heads 
 too, in a sense, and much they can teach when we are 
 prepared to learn. They are ‘ duels takin’ notes,’ 
 indifferent spectators though they appear, and what 
 they report may be depended upon as true. What is 
 described by the Psychometer is but a small portion 
 of what is presented. At times, one panoramic view 
 after another is unfolded in such rapid succession that 
 the most meagre description only can be given. 
 
rSYCHOI\fETRTC EXPERIMENTS 
 
 85 
 
 “ I know,” he continues, “ tlie explanation that some 
 will offer to account for these marvels. The self- 
 confident biologist ^ says : ‘ I know well how it is done ; 
 I can make my subjects see anything that I have in 
 my mind. I imagine a snake, a crocodile, a volcano, 
 and they are seen at once by my subjects ; and this 
 is done in the same manner.’ lie is mistaken, however. 
 I have repeatedly tried to influence the minds of 
 P.sychometers when making examinations, and at all 
 times without success. Many specimens have been ex¬ 
 amined 'when no one knew vdiat Ihcy 'were, and yet tdie 
 rcaidts 'were qnitc as accurate as at any other time ; 
 indeed, in almost every case, statements have been 
 made and ideas advanced of which we had not pre¬ 
 viously the most distant thought. Take the following 
 example:— 
 
 “ Out of a number of minerals and fossils lying upon 
 the table, Mrs Denton, 'with closed eyes, jneked wp one, no 
 one knowiny its cha.raeter. ‘I am in the ocean, deep 
 under water. I can see a long way, for the water is 
 clear. Tliere are millions of minute coral polyps at 
 work. I am looking down upon them. I observe one 
 kind of coral that is very peculiar; it is a foot in 
 diameter at the bottom, and rises in terraces to the top, 
 where it is smaller. I should judge this specimen to 
 be coral, or something worked over by coral, though it 
 feels nothing like it.’ 
 
 “ On examination,” Denton says, “ it proved to he a 
 piece of fiat coral, about an inch long and an eighth of 
 ' An Americanism for “ mesmerist” or “ liyimoti.st.” 
 
so 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 an inch in thickness, from the Niagara group of the 
 Silurian formation, at Loekport, N.Y.” 
 
 Quite a number of similar experiments could be 
 selected to show that, as neither the Psychometer nor 
 the recorder of the experiments knew what the specimen 
 selected was, the Thought-transference theory must in 
 such instances, at least, fall to the ground. And even 
 where that cannot be eliminated, the experiments are 
 not without their interest. 
 
 Psychometer; Mrs U. Taylor. Specimen; a small 
 stalactite, which she supposed to be part of some 
 animal. 
 
 “ I go straight along a road; there is water near, 
 and a cave into which I enter. I see two persons going 
 in with lights. Stalactites hang from the top all 
 over. The two stand looking up. It is so damp and 
 cold, it fairly makes me chilly. It is a large, roundish 
 place. Off at the distance seem places where you can 
 go still further, but I cannot go; it makes me shudder. 
 Now I go to the right; there is a basin of water; and 
 to the left, room after room. Stalactites hang down 
 like curtains, and shine most beautifully.” 
 
 The accuracy of this description surprised Professor 
 Denton, accustomed as he was to the faithfulness of 
 psychometric pictures. The road to the cave was as 
 described, and out of a cave, which is a “large, roundish 
 place,” a small stream issues. A few yards from the 
 mouth of the cave are avenues of other caves. There 
 is a basin of water in this one, and rooms on the left 
 are festooned with stalactites, as described. The 
 
rSYCHOMETEIC EXPERIMENTS 
 
 87 
 
 stalactite came from a cave near Salem, on the west 
 bank of the western branch of the Blue River, 
 Indiana. 
 
 A Mrs Lucielle De Viel, of Wayne Co., N.Y., 
 proved to be an excellent Psychometer. Her peeps 
 into the Unseen possessed all the finest characteristics 
 of lucid Clairvoyance, travelling from point to point 
 and describing all that she saw in the clearest language. 
 
 Professor Denton gave this lady a specimen of 
 hornstone, from the Mount of Olives, from which she 
 gave the following reading:— 
 
 “ I am going back, back,—over the water T glide 
 along, lint I see no vessels. Now I am on the shore, 
 and see stones and rocky hills. Tliere are large and 
 small stones scattered all around, with moss among 
 them. It is too stony for trees. What a long way off 
 this is! There is water near where I am now, and a 
 little gra.ss and small hushes. I .see a basin of water; 
 I think it is a lake. 
 
 “There does not seem to be many people. The land 
 is poor; I suppose that, they could not raise enough to 
 eat. I see a forest a long way off. 
 
 “ I see an ancient place now. IIow old-fashioned it 
 is! Old houses almost down ; arched gates and 
 windows;—how curious they look! Now I see people. 
 Is that Spain ? (No.) There is something growing on 
 that rocky mountain—a fe\v trees. They are not very 
 tall, but thick and bushy. I should judge that they 
 were fig-trees; hut the leaves look like the olive. 
 
 “ I have seen people like these; but I cannot tell 
 
88 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 where. The women wear turbans and pantaloons ; and 
 the men and tlie women are mncli alike. I see cattle, 
 but they look different from onrs. Further back I see 
 horses, sheep, and goats. 
 
 “ I see a great palace. It is very beautiful. It 
 looks like a Homan Catholic church. That is what it 
 is. I see images, the cross candlesticks, and an image 
 of the Virgin. It is a very large place. Women are 
 kneeling, and men are walking on their toe-tips, as if 
 they were afraid of disturbing something. Back of 
 that palace I see a high mountain that lies to the 
 north. Now I see ruins—^largo stones lying round, 
 that have fallen down. Some are in heaps, and some 
 are scattered; tliey seem too large for men ever to have 
 handled.” There was a break here, and when the 
 examination was resumed, Mrs De Viel said: — 
 
 “ It seems just as it did before. I am going over the 
 water again. I appear to be crossing the Bed Sea, it 
 looks so red and dark. I see no vessel. Now I am on 
 shore. It is very far. I see rocky little hills, heaps 
 of large and flat stones lying by the wayside. The 
 roads are narrow and crooked ; they look for paths. I 
 notice a large hill; it is all stone, except a few trees, 
 which can hardly And root. 
 
 “Now I see a city, with high stone walls and large 
 iron gates. The wall is thick and high. Two men are 
 watching at the gate ; they look like Jews. I wonder 
 if they will let me in. Now I come to the Temple and 
 go in again. There is the crucifix at the altar, the 
 images, and the women praying. It is a splendid 
 
PSYCHOMETKIC EXPERIMENTS 
 
 80 
 
 place. Now 1 see another nice temple, not so large as 
 the first. Tliere are Greek letters on the outside; I 
 cannot read them. I see many houses; they look 
 curious; some are in ruins, and others are nice-looking 
 places. 
 
 “ I am on a mountain now ; and there is another 
 mountain on the other side, with olive and fig trees all 
 the way. I see a garden, and water in a kind of basin. 
 I am certain that T have seen a description of this 
 place. Is not this Jerusalem ? The mountain I stood 
 on was Mount Moriah, and that opposite, the Mount of 
 Olives.” 
 
 This was a very clear description of Jerusalem and 
 its surroundings. Mrs De Viel liad in her possession a 
 work on Palestine, and as the panorama unfolded before 
 her she became conscious that she had seen some of 
 these things before; then it became clearer to her 
 towards the end, and thus she was able so accurately 
 to identify her vision. I have similar experiences, 
 where the Psychometer had faint impressions at first, 
 and then they deepened and the descriptions were 
 marvellously accurate. 
 
 Mrs De Viel, Psycliometer. Clue: a fragment of 
 chamois-horn from Switzerland. No one from seeing 
 or feeling it could tell what it was, and this lady had 
 not the slightest idea what the clue was. When 
 she got cn rdi'iiiort with it, she gave the following 
 remarkable reading:— 
 
 “ I am travelling south-east now, I think. I pass 
 over many places that I have seen before 1 see many 
 
90 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 soldiers and cannon, but I go over them. Now I am on 
 the sea-coast, and here are all kinds of shells. 
 
 “ I go further back into the wilderness. I see prairies 
 and dark-coloured hills. I go further back to the 
 mountain land. There are large mountains; I see one 
 higher than I ever saw before. I see a splendid city a 
 little way off. 
 
 “ I see little caves here and there that seem to be 
 dug for shelter. The rocks are dark, and so is the soil. 
 I see goats and deer climbing up. There are numbers 
 of animals running round me, some goats and deer. 
 The horns of the goats arch over back, but the deer’s 
 horns are bushy. Streams run down from the 
 mountain-side and make gullies; the water is clear, 
 and looks beautiful. 
 
 “ I went into one of those caves; they are dens for 
 wild animals. Nuts grow on that mountain ; some 
 look like hazels—they are not ripe. They are very 
 sour—I have tasted them—they make the water run 
 out of my mouth. 
 
 “ It is a splendid country all round here. I’ll go into 
 that city and see how it looks. Some buildings are of 
 white marble, and others of dark stone. The people 
 are swarthy, but dress a good deal like our people. 
 They have a stern look. I see a Eoman Catholic 
 church, with a cross on the top of it. I see other 
 churches. There are many mules in that country— 
 more than horses. I can see the whole city. On the 
 other side there is a body of water, and a very extensive 
 wilderness in the distance.” 
 
PSYCHOMETRIC EXPEPJMENTS 
 
 91 
 
 “ Here,” says Denton, “ we have the mountainous 
 region of the Alps, where the chamois dwells, the caves 
 in which wild animals find shelter, the animals them¬ 
 selves, with their horns arching back — though she 
 supposed them to be a peculiar kind of goat—and, 
 generally, what we should behold if visiting the region 
 in i^Topria persona.” 
 
 Unconscious Thought-transference may account for 
 the following interesting experiment, which possesses 
 all the characteristics of what, in the past, has been 
 called Clairvoyance. Professor Denton secured a piece 
 of rock near a place called llockport. New York, where 
 there is a gulf. At the bottom of the gulf there is a 
 mineral spring; to deepen this spring, the rock ^ had 
 been dug out. From the piece secured, tlie Professor 
 broke from the centre of it a small particle, which, up 
 to tliat time, had never seen the light. He wrapped it 
 up in two thicknesses of paper, and presented it to 
 Mrs Taylor to p-sychometrise. She had no knowledge 
 whatever of its character. Even if she had, that would 
 not account for the reading. She held it in her hand 
 for some time, and then said :— 
 
 “ I have great difficulty in fixing my mind on it. 
 I am on the edge of a cliff; below me there is a 
 deep ravine, with a little stream running through 
 it off to the lake. I go across a rocky, uneven piece 
 of ground, and see trees and grass; trees grow on 
 
 * In the “States” all stones, from tlie size of one’s hand 
 upwards to tliat of greatest size and weight, are called rocks ; in 
 this instance the stone was about a foot scjuare 
 
92 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 the side of the ravine. / see you hammcriny among 
 the rocJvS.” 
 
 Denton remarks on this: — “ The description is 
 accurate in every particular. Is a man exaggerating 
 when he says the paving-stones can see ? Images of 
 external objects in their vicinity are impressed even 
 upon their interiors; images that will continue as long 
 as the stones themselves endure.” In this case, and in 
 many of a similar character, the Psychometer is 
 clairvoyant, and the description given is to all intents 
 and purposes a clairvoyant one. Although the ma jority 
 of Psv chometers feel rather than see, many exercise all 
 the Psych ic Faculties of feeling, sight, hearing, etc. 
 
 In the following case, all the possibilities of Thought 
 reading and transference are eliminated, for the simple 
 reason that no one lynew what the specimen was, and 
 therefore could have no ideas to transfer. In a box 
 were a hundred odd specimens, all wrapped in paper, so 
 that no one by either ordinary feeling or sight could 
 tell what they were, or tell one from another. Mrs 
 Denton at random took out one of these:— 
 
 “ I can hardly tell whether I am on the surface or 
 under ground. 1 seem to be in a kind of cave, but I do 
 not have the chilly feeling that belongs to caves. If a 
 cave, it is a large one. It -is a cave of some kind, and 
 yet cave is hardly a proper name for it. It is open 
 to daylight, with a wide entrance. I do not know how 
 I got in here. I do not seem to stand on the ground 
 at all, or on rock It seems as if there were water in 
 there. How did they explore it ? Parts of the rocks 
 
rSYCHOMETIlIC EXPEllIMENTS 
 
 93 
 
 Fixgal’s Cave, Stafea, Scotland. 
 
94 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 are drenched with water. The cave is open to a great 
 body of water that comes in. On each side there are 
 —what shall I call them—pillars of rock. 
 
 “It looks dark farther in. I feel as if in water, and 
 not a great way from other land. I have glimpses of 
 land at comparatively short distance. It feels like the 
 sea where I am. At the opening of the cave there are 
 shorter pillars that do not reach the roof ; I see them 
 on the left hand side going in. How delightful to sail 
 in there! The floor seems to be water ; I can see no 
 other floor. These are regular columns; they are not 
 rough and uneven, as rock generally is. I am reminded 
 of Fingal’s Cave ; it looks like the pictures which I 
 have seen. 
 
 “ There is a sensation of sailing in there, or more as 
 if a vessel went dashing by me. I caught a glimpse of 
 rigging just now; it vanished in an instant. I can see 
 and hear the roaring and the dashing of the sea. There 
 is something terrific about it.” (Mrs Denton had never 
 seen the sea at this time.—W. D.) “It gives me a deep 
 feeling of unceasing noise and never-ending motion. 
 
 “ I see a large bird, and hear several screaming. 
 What can they find on such a rock as that ? I see no 
 vegetation. They alight on some of those columns. 
 How they delight in daring the dashing waves and the 
 storm ! I can see a great many now ; they inspire me. 
 I see fishes in the water, but not distinctly ; I just 
 catch a glimpse of them now and then. 
 
 “ The sensation of the whole is almost overwhelm¬ 
 ing—standing here all alone in the wild expanse, the 
 
PSYCHOMETKIC EXPERIMENTS 
 
 95 
 
 roaring waves, the screaming birds, where human 
 beings seldom come—how grand ! There is a majestic 
 loneliness about it that attracts me ; I want to dare 
 the elements with those birds. 
 
 “ I think that the roof has extended further out at 
 some time. Yes, a great deal further out. I seem to 
 hear it fall into the water with a terrible crash and 
 splash. I think that it bent round to the right and 
 joined some other land at a vastly distant period. 
 What a magnificent place this was once ! How much 
 we have lost of the beauty of the past ! It has been 
 more than double the length it is now, and what remains 
 is but the end of it. There are columns still remaining 
 out in the water, at a distance from the shore. 
 
 “ The land has formerly been all around here for a 
 long way. There was once an extensive tract, which 
 has sunk under water. The sensation I have is more 
 of its having been sunk than of its having been washed 
 away, though that has been the case to some extent. 
 The land seems to have vibrated for some time before 
 it became stationary. I see it again and again rise and 
 sink, over a considerable extent. I do not see how it 
 could have taken place, but that is what I perceive. 
 
 “ There are numbers of islands around this spot. The 
 main body of the land seems to have sunk and left them. 
 I wonder if some of them are the tops of mountains ? ” 
 
 This remarkable description evidences the power and 
 the accuracy of Psychoinetry conducted under the 
 highest conditions of appropriate sensitiveness and 
 intelligence in the Psychoineter, and with a qualified 
 
9G 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 recorder like Denton, who could not only appreciate 
 the value of the reading, but was also able to take it 
 down properly at the time. The correctness of her con¬ 
 jectures has been admirably established in the opinion 
 of men of science. And yet all this information was 
 gained by the Bsychometer from a small piece of basalt 
 from Fingal’s Cave, Staffa, and no one knew what was the 
 character of this specimen until examined subsequently 
 to the foregoing interesting and remarkable reading. 
 
 Of the value of Bsycliometry to the archieologist I 
 could give many illustrations. I am certain, not to 
 place it on too high a platform, that Psychometry 
 would prove a most helpful agent to the archaeologist, 
 as well as to the geologist, and indeed in all depart¬ 
 ments of education. It is not intended to replace 
 history by the revelations of Psychometry; still, we 
 may glean much excellent information through its 
 agency. From what we know of the subject, it does 
 throw out the suggestion that if we can obtain such 
 correct descriptions of the Unseen from the inlluences 
 which have permeated fossils, rocks, and dwellings in 
 tbe long ago, may we not gain some information of 
 the men who have played their part in the more 
 immediate past ? I think that should be possible. It 
 would be an interesting study, although I can do little 
 more than throw out the suggestion here for future 
 students of the subject to “ try their hand at.” I will 
 conclude this part of the theme with one more illustra¬ 
 tion which will bear slightly on the above. 
 
 Mrs Denton, Psychometer. Specimen picked at 
 
PSYCHOMETRIC EXPERTMENTS 
 
 07 
 
 random out of nearly two hundred of various Ivinds. 
 No o ne knew wlmt it ivas. She said:— 
 
 “ I seem to oscillate between the city and the 
 country, which is rough and rocky. The buildings in 
 the city are high, and the streets being narrow look 
 dark. There is a good deal of grandeur about it. 
 The people seem to be very busy, and move about as 
 if they took a great interest in what is going on. It 
 is not merely an interest in physical matters. There 
 seem to be two or three influences in this, somewhat 
 different from our own time. 
 
 “ Now T seem to be in a long room of a large Imildins:. 
 At one end the ceiling comes down lower, and is sup- 
 porti'd by pillars or columns, some of which have broad 
 capitals that are ornamented with deeply-cut figures. 
 
 “ T see a large temple. I am standing in the front 
 of it. The entrance is at some distance, under a grand 
 archway; there are stone steps in the front going uj) 
 for some distance. This end of the building seems 
 higher than the other. After passing through the door, 
 I see a part of a very rich building. It seems to be a 
 jilace of a great deal of ceremony. T feel the influence 
 of individuals, but they are not so much here as in other 
 parts. The impression I receive from this place comes 
 nearer to my idea of a Jewish synagogue than any other 
 building. 1 feel the influence of priests with long robes 
 on. What a great deal of ceremony there is! But I do 
 not obtain a very strong sense of devotion. They seem 
 to have lost the true devotion in the form of it. 
 
 “ On one side is a place that, I suppose, must be for 
 
 7 
 
98 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 the priests. All the work about it seems plain, but 
 grand. There are no liith ornaments, but all sub¬ 
 stantial. A great effect seems to be produced here by 
 different colours, but it does not seem like paint. I 
 cannot tell what it is. It seems to be inherent in the 
 material itself. In one place I see gold colour; indeed, 
 it seems pure enough to be gold itself. There are 
 either precious stones, or something resembling them. 
 If artificial, there is a great deal of purity about them. 
 
 “ I see three places that seem made for persons to 
 stand in. They are near each other, yet separated. 
 Persons seem to stand in them and talk to someone 
 on the other side. I believe that this is a Catholic 
 place of worship, after all. I feel that influence now. 
 Yes, that is it. There is a place connected with this 
 that is very little ornamented, and seems gloomy. It 
 is very massive and prison-like. I see a great many 
 people outside. From this I obtain an idea of what 
 may be done in architecture with sufficient means.” 
 
 Upon examination of the paper in which the 
 specimen was wrapped, it was marked: “ Modern 
 
 Mosaic, Rome.” And this fact gives to the reading 
 an interesting significance. The description given 
 proved appropriate to the specimen, when its character 
 was subsequently discovered. It is true that Pro¬ 
 fessor Denton did not know from what part of Rome 
 this particular bit of mosaic came, and consequently 
 was unable to identify the special place or temple 
 from which it was taken. These readings partake 
 of the character of Cla irvoyance, that power of the 
 
PSYCHOMETRIC EXPERIMENTS 
 
 99 
 
 human mind of Seeing the Invisil)le, or of seeing that 
 which is hidden from ordinary vision. In this case 
 tliere was a vision of ohjective things as they appeared 
 in the past, and in a ])eriod when this particular bit 
 of mosaic was in Rome; l)nt even if it had been a 
 description of St Peter’s in Rome at the present day, 
 it must be ol)vions that a lady then in the States could 
 no more see that building from there than most per.sons 
 while at liome can see what is taking place l)eyond the 
 walls of their own dwellings. What the lady saw she 
 saw ])sychically, being aided to see l)y a clue, the char¬ 
 acter of which was unknown to her—and, what is 
 most important, nor to anybody else—at the time. 
 It is probable that the place described was one of the 
 leading chapels in Rome: the pillars, columns, the in¬ 
 laid colours, the inlluences described, all suggest that. 
 If the explanation be “guesswork” or “coincidence,” 
 there are live millions to one agait)st that theory. 
 “Subjective suggestion” and Thought-transference are 
 out of the (piestion, and it is by the accumulation of 
 such cases as this, not only that Psychometry is pnjved, 
 but also that the possession in man of Psychic Faculties 
 is demonstrated. The evidence for the possession of 
 Psychometric Facidty in water-diviners, dossers, and 
 mineral prospectors is very strong. They find the water 
 and the minerals by “a sort of instinct.” If space 
 permitted, many practical illustrations could be given. 
 In the next chapter I will present some experiments 
 with different Psychometers, as illustrating the general 
 employment and utility of Psychometry. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 I'SYCIIOMETRICAL PRACTICE 
 
 In calling attention to other experiments I have omitted 
 those dealing with the diagnosis of disease—cerebral 
 exploration—the use of Psychometry in business, and 
 in the possible forecasting of the near future, on the 
 lines of Intuitive Illumination—and some other phases 
 —for the simple reason that I do not think that they 
 are so free from difficulties as to be easily and lucidly 
 presented in this form, whatever may be done in these 
 directions in actual psychometrical practice. The 
 following will be found not only of interest to the 
 general reader, but will be helpful to those who may 
 care to practice Psychometry. 
 
 It is difficult at times, in actual practice, to distin¬ 
 guish between Psychometry, Clairvoyance, and Thought- 
 transference. The distinction can be easily enough made 
 in thought. The Psychometer, once in full rafiiori with 
 the aura of a clue, frequently sees, hears, as well sts feds 
 and knows, in a super-normal way. Psychometry in 
 manifestation frequently includes the play of the Psychic 
 
 Faculties, of which the following is a good illustration ;— 
 
 100 
 
PSYCIIOMETRICAL PliACTlCE 
 
 101 
 
 Mr Edwin Else, of 13 Hullon Street, Manchester, 
 writing to The Two Worlds, published in that city, 
 said;— 
 
 “ On Good Friday last, Mr James Smith, formerly 
 residing at 12 Nield Street, Fairfield Street, Manchester, 
 a young man with whom I was personally acquainted, 
 left his home and went ostensibly to take a day’s 
 pleasure in the country. Although no reason could 
 ho divined by his family for his prolonged absence, 
 day after day passed without bis return, or any tidings 
 being heard of him. When a week had passed away, 
 feeling deeply for the alHiction of the family, and 
 having heard much of the powers of Clairvoyance and 
 Psychometry, I determined to try if they could be made 
 available in this case. Having obtained from his family 
 some of his wearing apparel, lately worn, and charged 
 with his magnetism, I carefully folded them up so as 
 to isolate them from contact with other objects, and 
 called on Mr J. E. Tetlow, in company with a friend, 
 as witness to what might occur. Mr Tetlow bears the 
 reputation of being a successful Psychometrist. lie no 
 sooner came in contact with the things belonging to 
 Mr Smith than he fell down and personated a man 
 drowning, remaining in an unconscious state for nearly 
 twenty minutes. When he came to himself 1 told him 
 my object was to find a person who was lost, and he 
 iiu mediately gave an accurate description of Mr Smith, 
 together toiih a nuniber of details of luhich I had no 
 knowledge, hid which I have since ^iroved to he correct. 
 lie then went, to trace Mr Smith, to Northenden, a 
 
102 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 place which neither Mr Tetlow nor I had ever seen. 
 He described him going down a lane which leads to a 
 river and a landing-stage for boats. He gave a close 
 description of the place — since proved to be most 
 accurate—and declared the man was drowned, but the 
 body was hidden, and for the present held in the mud 
 of the river-banks, and would with difficulty be extri¬ 
 cated and recovered. Investigation was ijnmediately 
 commenced, and at first proved fruitless, but within 
 fourteen days from the time of my unfortunate friend’s 
 disappearance, the body was found fioating on the water 
 at the point indicated by Mr Tetlow. On the 6th of 
 May 1889 an inquest was held on the body, as reported 
 in the Manchester News of that date. Again all Mr 
 Tetlow’s statements were confirmed as to the cause of 
 death, which the companions who had been with him— 
 the whole party drinking heavily—attributed not to 
 suicide, but to accident. I will not take up space by 
 describing the wonderful accuracy of all Mr Tetlow’s 
 statements—these being made to a total stranger, and 
 with no clue to guide him, heyonel the touch of some of 
 7ny poor friend’s wearing apparel. I give this statement 
 for truth’s sake, and as part of the marvellous in present- 
 day revelations.” 
 
 Strange as the foregoing may appear, it is not more 
 remarkable than the thousand and one incidents with 
 which these researches have made us familiar. In this 
 case the facts are now public property, and are too 
 well authenticated to be disputed. The peculiar phe¬ 
 nomenon of “ impersonation ” manifested by Mr Tetlow 
 
PSYCHOMETKICAL PRACTICP] 
 
 103 
 
 ill Psychic state I am perfectly familiar with. The 
 impressions made on the sensitives are so powerful and 
 overwhelming, that under their inllueiice they some¬ 
 times not only act out in pantomime the circumstances, 
 as in this instance, but actually take on “ the personal 
 appearance ” and the mannerisms “ of a departed.” In 
 this case the sensitive got his hrst clue from contact 
 with the clothes; second, from the mental state of 
 Mr Edwin Else and his friend; but from none of these 
 sources could Mr Tetlow have gained all the information 
 given. They helped. The actual following, tracing, 
 and the finding of tlie body were due to the aroused 
 Psychic Faculty of the sensitive, expressed in Clairvoy¬ 
 ance, and the sensitive revealed the possession of 
 knowledge which neither the aura of clothes worn by 
 the deceased in his daily life and pursuits, nor the 
 actual knowledge of his friend or any of his relatives 
 could furnish. Admit the possibility of Clairvoyance, 
 as exercised in this case, and so fully and so clearly 
 shown, and you have a correct explanation of what 
 took place. There is a fourth factor probably, but 1 
 do not think that it is re(|uisite as an explanation, 
 namely, the actual iidluence “ of a departed ”—the 
 discarnate Smith—on the Psychic Faculties of Mr 
 Tetlow. That Spiritualists should think and honestly 
 believe that to be the true explanation is not surprising. 
 Cases like this, so complex and interesting, are common 
 enough in the history of Modern Spiritualism. 
 
 In a recent communication to Lhjht, a high-class 
 journal devoted to Psychical and Mystical Kesearch, 
 
104 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 published in Loudon, Mr J. Eiiumore Jones, n well- 
 known writer, and a man of probity, is responsible 
 for the following interesting side - light on Bsycho- 
 inetric Experiments. He heads his communication 
 by the pertinent query, “ By what Power ? ” and 
 says:— 
 
 “ A relative of mine called on a friend a few days 
 ago, and found her very unhappy in consequence of 
 having received a letter from a stranger in America, 
 enclosing a scrap of paper from her son, beginning, 
 
 ‘ Darling Mother,’ etc., but so written and scribbled as 
 to leave the impression that it was not really from her 
 son. The stranger’s letter was to the effect that her 
 son Louis had met with a serious accident and was in 
 a hospital, but he gave no information as to the nature 
 of the accident. A telegram sent by her to the address 
 given was returned ‘ unknown.’ Baffled and miser¬ 
 able, my relative suggested to the mother that inquiry 
 be made through a ‘ psychic ’ residing in the neighbour¬ 
 hood. The mother gladly concurred, and, concealing the 
 name and the address of the mother, the ‘ psychic ’ was 
 called on by my relative, and the scrap of paper, pur¬ 
 ported to be written by the son, was handed to and 
 held by him. Soon he poured out a stream of incidents, 
 stating the natural qualities and brain characteristics 
 of the son, where he was, and the nature of the accident, 
 the injury he had received to his head by a fall; also, 
 that from infancy he had been subject to falls; that 
 the firm he was engaged by had failed ; that he was 
 friendless and destitute, but that in hospital he was 
 
PS YC HUMETKICAL I’liACTlCE 
 
 105 
 
 being taken care of and was recovering; moreover, that 
 in a few days a stranger would come to liim and be his 
 friend, and that in a week tlie mother would receive 
 a letter written by her son. On my relative returning 
 to the mother and narrating what the ‘ psychic ’ had 
 said, she confirmed its accuracy as to the peculiarities 
 and habits of her son. She was sootlied by the infor¬ 
 mation received, and looked forward to the receipt of 
 a letter from her son in America, referred to by tlie 
 ‘ psycliic.’ This was on January 14th. 
 
 “January 20th.—This morning the mother had 
 handed to her by the father a letter from the son in 
 America, stating his illness, in agreement with the 
 ‘ psychic’s ’ diagnosis, and that he was so far better 
 that he was leaving for a town two days’ journey off. 
 The only part unfinished was the meeting with a 
 stranger friend, which was to happen about the day his 
 letter was received in London.” 
 
 In this case, too, we have evidence of the play of 
 Psychic Faculty. The sensitive gut en rappuii with the 
 young man’s peculiarities through this clue, and his 
 conditions at the time of writing were all accurately 
 described. Clairvoyance with prevision is indicated. 
 The hoped-for letter arrives, and confirms the “ psychic’s ” 
 revelation. “ By what Power ? ” Call it “ Psychome- 
 try, Clairvoyance, or Spiritualism,” the case as repre¬ 
 sented cannot be explained by Thought-transference or 
 Telepathy simply, valuable as these are. This and 
 similar cases of Psychometry frequently occur amongst 
 mediumistic sensitives, who are in general called 
 
106 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 ‘‘ Psychics ” by members of the S.P.E. (Society for 
 Psychical Eesearch), and “ Mediums ” by Spiritualists. 
 
 Mr Stead, the well-known Journalist, and Editor 
 of the Ravieiu of Eevie-ws, some years ago issued a 
 quarterly journal devoted to psychical research, and, 
 with the thoroughness which characterises all he does, 
 he turned his attention, among other things, to the 
 investigation of Psycliometry. For this purpose he 
 selected Mrs Coates and Miss Eoss. 
 
 I propose just now to refer to some of the experiments 
 made with Miss Eoss, as that lady was a professional 
 Psychometrist. These were reported in Borderland 
 for October 1895. The article entitled “ The Marvels of 
 Psycliometry” is exceedingly interesting,but is too long to 
 quote in full, but a summary of these experiments will 
 be of interest. Mr Stead wrote that lady, who, by the 
 way, is not a Spiritualist, and does not claim to be a 
 medium, “ psychic,” or anything of that kind, and is 
 not aware of manifesting Clairvoyance, and asked her 
 if she would be willing to do half a dozen tests, adding, 
 “ I propose to select persons who are known to the 
 world at large, so that their correctness can be verified.” 
 He then asked for the conditions under which the clues 
 should be sent, and how ? As Miss Boss’s reply will 
 interest those who may try to practise Psychometry, I 
 give it in full;— 
 
 “It would be better not to send more than two at 
 once, each to be wrapped up separately and in a sealed 
 envelope, age and sex to be stated. I prefer hand¬ 
 writing or photographs, as these seem more orthodox. 
 
PS YCHOMETEICAL PRACTICE 
 
 107 
 
 bub I leave tliab to you. It would assist iiiy instincts 
 to know if the subjects were public or private indi¬ 
 viduals. Of course I do not wish to know who they 
 are, and 1 ask as a favour that you will allow me a 
 couple or three days. There are times I am not so able 
 to write as at others.” 
 
 Mr Stead did not send either handwriting or photo¬ 
 graphs, for obvious reasons. His object was to test 
 Psycliometry. He believed that she had “ a gift which 
 enables her to see, as it were, with the mental eye, the 
 characteristics of the person with whom she is brought 
 in contact by touch.” The tests were severe enough, 
 and I think it may be safely said that by them the 
 factor of Tliought-transference was eliminated. 
 
 The two first tests were made in this manner: Mr 
 Stead had received two letters from eminent people, 
 one in South Africa and the other in London. The 
 notes being in the handwriting of tliese persons, he 
 knew that they must have touched the paper in writing 
 them. From the hottom of the faycs, just hcloiv the 
 siynature of each, tie cut a piece of blank pa,per, and this 
 paper, which was about a third of an inch broad and 
 about two inches long, Mr Stead folded up and enclosed 
 in a bit of tissue-paper, and simply marked it No. 1, 
 Lady.” The other, “ No. 2, Gentleman.” The cuttings 
 were taken, one from a letter written by Mrs Olive 
 Schreiner, and the otlier from one received from the 
 Editor of the Daily Chronicle, London. These were sent 
 to Miss Ross, with the following clear note :— 
 
108 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 “ October 2iid, 1895. 
 
 “ Dear ]\Iiss Boss,—The difficulty of sending you 
 tests is that I must handle them in order to send them, 
 and my personality is likely to infuse the others. This 
 morning I have received two letters, one from a dis¬ 
 tinguished woman, and the other from a notable man- 
 I don’t know the age of either of them, hut send you the 
 two, and hope that you get the influence undisturbed.” 
 
 The readings were successful—remarkably so; not 
 merely under the circumstances, but in fact. The 
 delineation of Mrs Olive Schreiner exhibited a keen 
 analysis. The opening sentence is capital, and an excel¬ 
 lent key to the rest. “ The mind of this lady is a 
 recondite mystery, evolving the attributes of true 
 womanliness, with such intellectual capacities and com¬ 
 prehension as might well endow a masculine soul.” 
 Mr Stead took exception to one point in Mr Massing- 
 ham’s character, but when this was submitted to the 
 editor of the Daily Chronicle he emphatically said, “ It 
 is true.” 
 
 If the information supplied by Mr Stead in the first 
 two tests were meagre, it was even less in the next two. 
 These were forwarded without comment, and simply 
 marked “ No. 3, Gentleman,” and “ No. 4, Lady.” And 
 Mr Stead asked for a reply by return of post,—a most 
 unreasonable request, in view of the lady’s letter of 
 conditions. The readings were returned as requested, 
 with a note from the Psychometrist, saying, “ I have 
 hastened to do them to-day, as you wish them by 
 return. I shall be grateful for your verdict.” 
 

Mrs James Coates. 
 
 [To face page 109 . 
 
PS YCHOM ET RTCAL PR A CTICE 
 
 109 
 
 No. 3 was a bit of blank paper taken from a letter of 
 the late Mr Rhodes. No. 4 was from a letter by Lady 
 Warwick. The delineations were marvellously correct. 
 In Mr Rhodes’ case, the inner life of the man was 
 touched upon with a keenness of vision truly astonish¬ 
 ing. And the reading given to blank piece of paper 
 No. 4 eqTially demonstrated the reality of Psychometric 
 Intuition. 
 
 Mrs Coates liad for several years been experimenting 
 in Psychomotry in a private way ; and several months 
 before the foregoing experiments with Miss Ross, Mr 
 W. T. Stead, the Editor of the Ileview of Rcvictos, sub¬ 
 mitted a number of severe tests to Mrs Coates. These 
 were accepted as a matter of personal experience, and 
 although not given in full, they are reported here—so 
 far as they contain instructive lessons to others who 
 may be induced to “try their hand” at this metliod of 
 testing Psychometry or Intuition. The tests were 
 fifteen in number, and included two photographs,several 
 locks of hair, three blank bits of paper, and two bullets. 
 The tests extended over several weeks. Sometimes 
 little time was given, and sometimes, as in the case of 
 one of the Imllets, it was an “ answer by return of 
 post.” _Out of fifteen tests, one was a failure, one was 
 unsatisfactory, and one belonged to the order of “ not 
 pro ven.” As the failure contains an admirable lesson 
 to experimenters “ how not to do it,” I will refer to 
 it. One day we received from Mr Stead a letter 
 containing a battered bullet, with a recpiest for a 
 reading and a reply by return. Furthermore, it was a 
 
110 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 bullet of which neither she nor I knew anything of 
 the history. Mrs Goaies had never seen a hidlct before. 
 Taking it in her hand, she expressed a strong feeling 
 of repugnance to having anything to do with it. But 
 Mr Stead was particularly anxious for an early reply, 
 as the party to whom the bullet belonged was leaving 
 London ; she therefore reluctantly gave up some pressing 
 household duties, and sat down to attend to the matter 
 and see what “ would come.” Altogether the time was 
 too short and the conditions unfavourable to obtain a 
 satisfactory result. Mrs Coates did, however, get en 
 rapport with the aura from the bullet marked “ No. 1,” 
 and proceeded to describe what I took to be a South 
 African scene,—the hot sand, the curious buzzing and 
 murmuring sounds in the air, the roar of wild beasts, 
 and so on,—and to declare that this bullet was taken 
 out of the body of a lion, wliose breast had been pene¬ 
 trated by it. There was more about it taken down at 
 the time, of which Mr Stead got an outline. 
 
 But the whole thing seemed to me to be a bit of wild 
 romancing, so much so that I interfered and ridiculed 
 the whole story, with cheerful scepticism. I told her 
 that her imagination was leading her astray, and she 
 had better leave the whole thing alone. My action was 
 very foolish. I had not only destroyed her passive and 
 correctly receptive intuitive state, but, with my positive 
 convictions, sent her on another track altogether. Half 
 an hour later a second trial was made, and another story 
 was evolved, more to my liking—having for its back¬ 
 ground the hot sand and African scenery—a romance 
 
PSYCTTOMETETCAL PEACTTCE 
 
 111 
 
 about a brave officer who bad met bis death in Egypt, and 
 something aljout his sisters, all of which appeared to 
 have been unconsciously evolved somewhere below the 
 threshold of fact, and the bullet was returned with the 
 last report. What was my surprise when I learned the 
 true facts,—that that bullet was one with which Mr 
 Selous, the great explorer and hunter, had killed the 
 largest lion he had ever shot, and that Mr Selous had 
 extracted it from the beast himself, and that Mrs 
 Coates’s first intuitions were correct. No wonder 
 Mr Stead said, after the preceding successful tests,— 
 
 “ But. alas for the bullet! That was to be thecrownino’ 
 success ; and so it would have been had it been correct.” 
 Mrs Coates had no wish to accuse herself by making 
 excuses for that failure, l)ut she wrote Mr Stead to the 
 effect that the time which he had placed at her disposal 
 was too short—a reading had to lie returned within two 
 hours from the receipt of clue—and she inquired:— 
 “ Might I ask what the bullet had heen in contact with 
 during the ‘ whole year ’ you had it ? I noticed that 
 the note you had it enclosed in was two years and two 
 months old. The bullet was therefore in contact with 
 this note also, which means something. Mixed influ¬ 
 ences are certainly at work, and on minute investigation 
 Pm sure you will find that there has been something 
 romantic in close contact with the bullet since it was taken 
 from the lion referred to. I was sick ^ immediately on 
 
 I One of Llie drawbacks of psycliometrical investigatiou.s, that 
 of the Psychoiiieter being unpleasantly atfected by specimens. 
 This has been pointed out in many ways, etc. 
 
112 
 
 SEEING TNE INVISIBLE 
 
 handling it, and the sickness continued for two days 
 afterwards, which I thought strange, as I was in perfect 
 health. My first impressions were hot, burning sands, 
 and that the bullet was taken from a wild beast that 
 was killed by it, penetrating the breast, and becoming 
 imbedded in the shoulder-blade,” etc. The second 
 reading came apparently on psychometrical lines ; at 
 least Mrs Coates did not distinguish any difference, and 
 she is still convinced that the second reading was con¬ 
 nected in some way with the letter in which the 
 bullet had lain for so long. The simplest thing to do 
 is to record that reading—from whatever cause, a 
 failure—which, I am more tlian ever convinced, was due 
 to my positive interference. 
 
 The other experiments can be summarised. The 
 first set of tests were six locks of hair, marked 1, 2, 3, 
 etc. Mr Stead wrote, March 23rd, 1895;—“Dear 
 Mr Coates, I think that your wife’s success in the 
 delineations is marvellous.” Other tests were sent, 
 consisting of five separate envelopes, including a 
 “photograph of a man, unmarried.” “Lock of hair, 
 lady, unmarried.” These readings gave satisfaction. 
 That of the photograph was peculiar, and Mrs Coates 
 called attention to the fact. (There were no attempts 
 at physiognomic deductions.) She put the “blurred 
 reading” down to mixed influences. The reply came, 
 April 1st, 1895:—“You will be interested in knowing 
 that the delineations of characters have so far been 
 very good, although Mrs Coates says that there have 
 been so many people handling the photograph. It will 
 
rSYCHOMETRICAL PRACTICE 
 
 113 
 
 bear many otlier inllnences than his own.” Other tests 
 were sent. Reply, April 10th. 1895 :—" I thank you 
 very much indeed for your letter, and for the psycho¬ 
 metric readings which you have sent me. So far as I 
 can judge, that of the married man is remarkably 
 accurate. The young lady I do not know sufficiently 
 to speak in detail, but you have hit off her most salient 
 characteristics, which arc a passion for the stage and a 
 tragic nature. As to the other man, unmarried, whom you 
 have psychometrised from a blank piece of paper, he is 
 the same man whose character you delineated from his 
 portrait, hut the difference between the two characters 
 is marked. From the blank piece of paper you gave an 
 excellent account of the man’s character; from the 
 portrait you have given me a very bad one. Of course 
 the difficulty of keeping articles from contact with other 
 objects is very great. 
 
 “ It is a great pity we did not get your first impres¬ 
 sion about the bullet, which, I should say, was pretty 
 nearly correct. I have written to the person whose 
 letter the bullet was wrapped in, asking him if he 
 knows anything about any such romance. Tlie bullet, 
 and the letter in which it was folded, laid in my desk 
 over since the letter was written.—I am, etc.,— 
 W. T. Stead.” 
 
 It is well to note here the curious fcTct of two distinct 
 and opposite readings given of the one person, the 
 clues being an old photograph and a blank piece of 
 paper. There was no difference as to essential traits, 
 only as to the treml or direction in which they were 
 
 8 
 
114 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 employed. The photograph represented the person as 
 he was a good many years earlier. The blank bit of 
 paper suggested his disposition a few days before that 
 bit of paper was sent on to Mrs Coates, and was freshly 
 charged with his aura. No one would say that the 
 character had not changed, and for the better, in all 
 those years, and for this reason I mark this apparent 
 failure as “ Not Proven ”—a capital Scotch verdict 
 where the evidence for condemnation is not strong 
 enough, and thei’e is a reasonable amount of rebutting 
 evidence. As to the bullet, nothing more need be said, 
 save that it was a good bit of Psychometry spoiled, and 
 that experimenters should be very careful not to inter¬ 
 fere with the impressions of the sensitives whose words 
 they are recording. In passing I may say, for a public 
 test to be successful—in many cases remarkably so— 
 in twelve out of fifteen tests, was a very creditable 
 performance for a then novice, when one considers the 
 nervous trepidation, anxiety, and the limited time under 
 which the experiments were carried out. 
 
 Mr W. T. Stead, with that straightforwardness and 
 sincerity of purpose which characterises all that he 
 does, whether running a journal, working up a healthy 
 enthusiasm in the direction of a Peace Congress, or 
 exposing the shallow shift of blatant Jingos; whether 
 popular or otherwise, he is ever anxious to do the 
 right thing, and consequently he wrote, 10th Sept. 
 1895:— 
 
 “ Dear Mr Coates,—I think you are right in think¬ 
 ing I dealt rather hard with Mrs Coates, and I sincerely 
 
PSYCHOMETRICAL PRACTICE 
 
 115 
 
 hope this will not be allowed to interfere with her 
 success in half a dozen test cases which I will send 
 her. I will send no more bullets. I am afraid that I 
 cannot always get hair. The most interesting persons 
 won’t give you their hair.—I am, etc.,—W. T. Stead.” 
 
 I have no record of these tests, but believe that they 
 were all right; anyway, there were no failures to note. 
 We were both indebted to Mr Stead for the help he 
 had given us in the investigation of Psychometry by 
 these tests. 
 
 I had been investigating, off and on, for several 
 years, on the lines laid down by Professor J. R. 
 Ruchanan, M.D. Denton’s experiments I avoided, for 
 many reasons. There was little time which could be 
 devoted to them; then there was the difficulty in 
 getting specimens; and I also recognised my own 
 inability to test the accuracy or otherwise of such 
 readings. I am not a geologist, whatever else I may 
 be. In getting these tests from Mr Stead and from 
 other sources, I wanted to eliminate the factor of 
 Thought-transference, and in this I was admirably 
 seconded by Mr Stead’s severe tests. Prior to these 
 I had about a thousand clues, mostly locks of hair, 
 sent to me through the agency of a magazine in 
 London ; and these, with an amount of material which 
 drifted to me northward from clients in various parts 
 of the world, demonstrated beyond the shadow of a 
 doubt the reality of Psychometric I’aculty in human 
 beings. 
 
 It is not always necessary to have a clue, that is. 
 
116 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE- 
 
 something actually belonging to the person of whom a 
 reading is to be given, so long as the Psychometer’s 
 attention can be specially directed to them. Dr 
 Buchanan, dealing with “ the later developments of 
 Psychometry,” was of the opinion that the object the 
 Psychometers held or touched was not a something 
 which gave off a subtile emanation, perceptible only 
 to them, and from which the sensitive gave readings. 
 The clue might only be an index, simply leading the 
 mind of the Psychometer to the object or to the 
 person to be read. He says;— 
 
 “ Acting upon this view, I wrote the name of a 
 friend and placed it in the hands of a good Psychometer, 
 who had no difficulty, notwithstanding her doubts of 
 so novel a proceeding, in giving as good a description 
 of the character of Dr N. as if she had made the 
 description from an autograph. 
 
 “ After that experiment, my operations were greatly 
 facilitated and extended. No picture, autograph, or 
 relic being needed, I was accustomed to extend my 
 inquiries to ancient and modern historical characters, 
 public men, and any person in whose character I was 
 interested, as well as localities I wished to have 
 described. As the subject for psychometric experi¬ 
 ments need not be the person, nor anything which has 
 emanated from him, but simply an expression of his 
 existence—a word or an index to direct the mind— 
 it does not appear that psychometric exploration is 
 hindered by distance and disconnection, and I could 
 not affirm that even contact of the fingers with the 
 
PSYCHOMETKICAL PPACTICE 
 
 117 
 
 index or starting-point of the exploration is necessary 
 to those who are highly endowed. 
 
 “ This enables us to present experiments in a very 
 convincing way. For example, having in my possession 
 a number of very remarkable pictures on slates made 
 by spiritual power, on the side of a pair of slates, under 
 my own supervision, I have had no dilliculty in having 
 them described by placing the slates on a table face 
 downwards, and having the Psychometer place a hand 
 on the upper side of the slates. The descriptions given 
 in this manner have been as remarkable as any I have 
 ever had, not dil'l'ering in freedom and correctness from 
 those made by touching photographs.” 
 
 The Doctor then describes three experiments made 
 in this way. 
 
 He wrote the names of three candidates for the 
 American I’residency on three small pieces of brown 
 paper, and laid them face downwards on the top of a 
 book, and requested Mrs Puchanan to give a reading 
 from them. She did so, and gave impressions readily, 
 also their prospects for the office of President. Dr 
 Buchanan was pleased with the result, but critical 
 reflection leads to the conclusion that in such experi¬ 
 ments the factor of Thought-transference was not 
 duly allowed for. Indeed, so much so, that in tliese 
 and in similar experiments the worthy Doctor fell 
 into serious error as to matters of fact, although the 
 prognostications in some instances were remarkably 
 apt, and the subsequent occurrences fitted into them. 
 All these experiments proved Thought-transference 
 
118 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 rather than Psychometry; and while they indicated 
 that Mrs Buchanan was a remarkable sensitive, they 
 suggested, as intleed l^have proved by actual experi¬ 
 ment, that_a psychometrical sensitive may also be a 
 good subject for Thought-transference experimentation. 
 As I have said elsewhere, Psychometry, Clairvoyance, 
 and Thought-transference are merely verbal expressions 
 for the difference in thought as to the order and 
 manner of the play of Psycliic Faculty. That is to say, 
 while they can be distinctly differentiated in thought, 
 they are often interblended in manifestation. In the 
 foregoing we have, practically, experiments in Thought- 
 transference sufficiently clear not to be confounded with 
 either Psychometry or Clairvoyance. , The language was 
 that of Mrs Buchanan’s, but the ideas—consciously or 
 otherwise—were those of the Doctor. This unconscious 
 incursion of Mind-reading or Thought-transference has 
 been traced by me on experiments as diverse as palm¬ 
 istry, crystal-gazing, automatic and inspirational writ¬ 
 ing, and in psychological experiments generally. 
 
 “ Still there is an impairment of the faculty hj every 
 step of separation. A photograph is not as facile as 
 writing, a word not so satisfactory as an autograph. 
 But superior powers overcome all difficulties, and the 
 photographs and writings may be described as they lie 
 on the table before us without touching them. Yet it 
 is not judicious to tax the Psychometric Faculty for 
 such feats unnecessarily. Mrs B. desires always to assist 
 her perceptions hy the touch of the object, and objects to 
 sealed letters, though she has often described letters in 
 
PSYCIIOMETKICAL PEACTICE 
 
 119 
 
 envelopes. A letter sent to her carefully sealed conveys 
 at once the unpleasant impression of the critical and 
 suspicious feeling of the sender, and is therefore a 
 disturbing and irritating inlluence. lienee she deelinea 
 rceeioiwj such coiiinmnications winch her Jinyers cannot 
 touch” (The italics are mine.) 
 
 Some years ago she received a letter for psycho¬ 
 metric description, closed by live seals, and declined to 
 try it, but subsequently'—probably feeling the candid 
 and courteous spirit of the sender—she concluded to 
 try; notwithstanding her dithdeuce, she sent her 
 opinion with sealed letter to correspondent. In return 
 she received a letter of ten foolscap pages elaborately 
 illustrating the minute correctness of the description, 
 which was made still more remarkable by the fact that, 
 instead of being one writing, as she supposed, another 
 writing had been inserted by a friend and reputed 
 medium, which led her to say :— 
 
 “ I am constantly taken to the sphere of another 
 person, who is interested in the writer; there is such 
 a blending, I am unable to feel clearly each distinct 
 individuality.” This character she did not attempt to 
 describe, not knowing the impression came from the 
 enclosed manuscript. Her correspondent thought this 
 eminently satisfactory. He made the e.xperiment that it 
 might produce confusion of mind and give a perfect test. 
 
 The Psychometric Faculty is more expressed here 
 than Clairvoyance, as in that case Mrs Buchanan 
 would have perceived that there were two letters in 
 the envelope. Thought-transference, of course, had 
 
120 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 nothing to do with this reading. Ttie foregoing is in¬ 
 teresting, showing what can be done under difficulties. 
 
 In our own experience, Mrs Coates prefers to hold 
 the letter in her hand, and for this purpose it is taken 
 out of the envelope. If it be a lock of hair, or a blank 
 piece of paper, or other similar object, she likes to hold 
 it in her left hand and wait for impressions, which she 
 seems to get from her closed hand. These impressions 
 she writes down, there and then, with her right hand. 
 Mrs Coates declares that she experiences a peculiar 
 sensation rising up the left arm, which is responded to 
 by the right arm, and—except that she is conscious of 
 the nature of the description—the reading is written 
 after the fashion of automatic writing. 
 
 For a brief space I will go back to our experimenting 
 prior to Mr Stead’s tests. William Tarver, Esq., editor 
 of the Housewife Magazine, Christian Million Co., 
 London, with which I had been associated at this time 
 for about eight years, arranged with us, by the co¬ 
 operation of the magazine, in supplying clues to test 
 Psychometry. Nearly a thousand were collected and 
 read in three years. My object was to get clues from 
 persons of whom we could know nothing, and reduce 
 the factor of Thought-transference, if not eliminate it 
 altog ether. There were hundreds of unsolicited testi¬ 
 monials as surprise followed surprise ; but as I have no 
 patent remedies to put on the market, I will only in¬ 
 troduce a few of these testimonials to show how the 
 “ New Feature,” as it was called in the magazine, took 
 with the public. 
 
rsYCJlOMETKICAL PEACTICE 
 
 121 
 
 One lady, a Mrs 11., in East Dulwich, had possibly 
 ninety to a hundred readings during the latter half of 
 the period, from clues supplied by her family and 
 numerous friends and their connections. She sent the 
 clues, according to the HoascwiJ'e conditions, under a 
 nom (le phtmc, with the simple addition of “ age, and 
 whether married or single.” She sent a lock of hair, 
 in the usual way, asking for a reading. It was sent. 
 This was the reply. 
 
 » The N- 
 
 “ East Dulwich, April 18, 1894. 
 
 “ Dear Madame,—Allow me to render you my best 
 thanks for your marvellously correct delineation of my 
 little darling’s character, by means of a lock of hair. I 
 sincerely wish you had been present to witness the 
 surprise of my circle when I read it to them! And a 
 thousand thanks also for the care which you took of 
 that precious lock of hair, the only thing left to me 
 from one that was so good, so true, and so pure! Too 
 good, in fact, to live; and though still grieving for her, I 
 can but admit that she was more lit a flower t(j grow in 
 the ‘ Master’s Garden,’ than here below.” 
 
 Had this testimony stood alone, it might be dis¬ 
 counted “ as from a mother charmed with an array of 
 sweet words about her departeil little one.” But it 
 does not stand alone. The reading, which gave such 
 satisfaction to the mother and friends, pointed out, 
 among other things, that the child was dead, was 
 deduced fiom a lock of hair, marked merely with the 
 
122 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 age and sex, and there was no intimation given that 
 the little girl had “ passed over.” 
 
 This lady began now to do missionary work for us— 
 on her own account—and sent in. batches of clues every 
 month, and got her friends to do the same. A few 
 indications of how this worked may be of interest. 
 
 “ East Dulwich, 1894. 
 
 “ Dear Mrs Coates,—Once more you find me in the 
 ranks of those who thank you for your delineations in 
 this month’s Houseioife. To say they were correct is 
 saying very little. Had you lived in our circle and 
 studied our characteristics for years you could not 
 have given a more perfectly accurate opinion of them. 
 They are true to the smallest item. The magazine 
 was passed to friends who knew us well, but were not 
 allowed to see the head-lines, and they told us which 
 was meant for each individual. . . .” 
 
 In August of the same year there was another to 
 this effect:—“ Dear Mrs Coates,—^One more lock of 
 hair for your deduction. Only one this month, though 
 I have no less than ten in view, which I hope to send 
 in time for the next issue, although too late for this. 
 May I venture to ask you to try and get this one in 
 for the present issue of the Housaivife, and you will 
 greatly oblige the friend and myself.” 
 
 “ East Dulwich, 1894. 
 
 “Dear Mrs Coates,—The delineations are perfect. 
 Never yet during these eight years that I have sent 
 
PSYCHOMETEICAL PRACTICE 
 
 123 
 
 for delineations, or caused such to be sent, have 1 found 
 the delineations nioi’e correct in each and every item 
 than those given from locks of hair. I have sent 
 those of ‘ Kitty,’ ‘ Grace,’ and ‘ Florrie ’ to their parents, 
 and they too own and are surprised at the truth of 
 every sentence. I shall have probably another half- 
 dozen for your art this month. The reading of 
 J. T. C.’s, Mrs Coates, is simply astounding. I read the 
 same without mentioning the initials to my family, and 
 the big ones cried at once, ‘ It is papa ! ’ I see by last 
 number that .... and .... were sent direct.” 
 
 “Liverpool, July 16, 1894. 
 
 “ My dear Mrs Coates,—I do wish you lived nearer 
 my home, so that you could see for yourself the 
 delight and surprise your readings give us all. I would 
 like to have a long talk with you, and hope to do so 
 when I visit Scotland. I enclose you a pen, which 
 belongs to a gentleman, and a lock of hair—lady, 
 unmarried.” 
 
 “ Leeds, August 5, 1895. 
 
 “ Mrs Coates,— Dear Madam, my husband and I were 
 delighted with the delineation sent with lock of hair 
 marked ‘ Primrose.’ I enclose you another lock marked 
 ‘ Mabel.’ In fact, we are all delighted with the delinea¬ 
 tions you have done for our family. We cannot speak 
 too highly of them.” 
 
 Many letters came for help and advice relating to 
 many matters—health, love affairs, and even business- 
 in all of which Mrs Coates took a lively interest. 
 
124 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 Tliere were only a few occasions when she declined to 
 render aid. rsychonietry is not infallible, and has 
 “ nothing to do with the outsider that is going to wiir 
 to-inorrow; or the name, size, and weight of your 
 guardian angel ” ; but for all that it has its sphere of 
 usefulness. It stands in the place of a sympathetic 
 friend, and gives counsels of sanity and self-help. 
 Appeals came for assistance. The confidence of clients 
 was aroused, and letters like the following came in 
 and were sent on by the editor. 
 
 “ Halifax, Yorkshire. 
 
 “ Dear Mrs Coates,—I was more than satisfied with 
 your faithful delineations of my husband and my 
 daughter’s characteristics. It was really astonishing; 
 and herein please find enclosed a lock of hair of 
 another daughter of mine, which no doubt you will 
 examine as usual. Dear Madam, I do not know 
 whether you are endowed with the inestimable gift of 
 discerning the ramifications of disease in the human 
 system through the same means as you are able to read 
 character. If you are, I should very much like you to 
 
 try your gift on- She has great confidence in your 
 
 probity and ability. Please send word if anything 
 can be done.—I remain, for her and the family, yours 
 most faithfully, “ T, M.” 
 
 The diagnosis surprised her correspondent, wIlo at 
 least recognised her ouni symptoms, and whose sufferings 
 were reduced and cure announced in due course as the 
 result of following some practical self-help advice. On 
 
PSYCTTOMETETCAL PPACTICE 
 
 125 
 
 the whole, the correspondence was both interesting and 
 instructive. 
 
 As to tlie manner in which tliese clues were sent in 
 to the London office, and the nature of tlie communica¬ 
 tions, the following will serve as an illustration. 
 
 “ Sinclair Gardens, W. Kensington, 
 
 London, W., August 10, 1900. 
 
 “Dear Madam,—I shall feel obliged if you will send 
 me delineations of character from the three enclosed 
 locks of hair. I may mention, many of my friends 
 have sent to you for character sketches, and the 
 results have been very satisfactory. The names are 
 as follows:—Nelly, age 4:1, si)inster. Daisy, age 19, 
 spinster. Kitty, age 18, spinster.—Yours very truly, 
 
 “ K M. L.” 
 
 In the majority of cases, locks of hair and other 
 clues were gathered from friends and others to whom 
 the “ New Feature ” in the Hovscwifc was presented, 
 so that the handwriting of the sender had nothing to 
 do with the delineations sent out. It would be an 
 easy matter to give hundreds of instances like those 
 above, in which accurate readings were given, and 
 neither the editor, Mrs Coates, nor myself had the 
 faintest idea of the person or persons to whom the clues 
 belonged. After working for three years on these 
 lines, conviction was soon forced home, not only of the 
 reality of the Psychometric Facidty, but also that it 
 could be exercised without the suspicion of Thought- 
 transference. By the foregoing methods we di<l our 
 
12G 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 best to eliminate it. Of course it is not an easy 
 matter to get rid of this suspicion or suggestion of 
 Thought-transference. But the determined effort of 
 trying to influence a Psychometer hy Thought-transference 
 is not so facile as one ivould, think, hy those who fly to 
 that explanation on all occasions. 
 
 While from 1886 till 1896 I was more or less engaged 
 in Scotland with Mrs Coates, there were not a few 
 experimenting on their own account throughout the 
 country. I naturally exclude those who went into the 
 matter from other than a purely scientific desire to 
 ascertain the facts or the possibilities of our psychic 
 nature. Professor Barrett had already arrested some 
 attention by the reports on “ Thought-Eeading/’ 
 which were issued by his committee in the Journal 
 of the S.P.K., and also reported broadcast in 
 the daily press at the time. Mr Frederic Thurstan, 
 M.A.—now well known in Psychical Eesearch 
 circles as a man of culture, a writer, and speaker— 
 commenced a series of experiments at Hertford 
 Lodge, Battersea, in 1895, which have been carried 
 on with more or less success, not only there, but in 
 various other meetings, until recently, for the culture 
 of psychic gifts. 
 
 Mr Thurstan desired to bring together the scattered 
 amateur psychic talent of London and the suburbs, to 
 see whether, by a series of regular meetings for practice, 
 they could not test and develop their gifts and discover 
 among them the best methods of psychic education. 
 And to start, this gentleman invited, through the 
 
PSYCHOMETETCAL PRACTICE 
 
 127 
 
 public journals, attendance at his rooms, devoting 
 different meetings for the culture of the various 
 branches of the subject. The response was very 
 gratifying, and the Delphic Circle was formed. After 
 weeding out, or the dropping out, of the indifferent or 
 the merely curious, he succeeded in getting an average 
 attendance—at first-—of a dozen or so ladies and 
 gentlemen, who had leisure to attend in the afternoons 
 or evenings. It was found tliat those who came in the 
 afternoons got better results than those who attended 
 in the evenings. And the suggestion arising from this 
 is, that a hard day’s work—commercial, literary, and what 
 not—bringing about a more or less exhausted physical 
 state, was not conducive to the exercise of the Psychic 
 Faculties. That, in passing, is worth bearing in mind. 
 
 After a year’s trial, Mr Thurstan gave in a public 
 lecture before the London Spiritual Alliance, on Friday, 
 November G, 1896, a report on their first year’s 
 experiences and proceedings. Tlie lecture was reported 
 in L 'ujht of November of that year. These researches 
 were not confined to Psycliometry, Visualisation, Con¬ 
 centration, Passivity : Thought - transference. Mind¬ 
 reading (akin to Telepathy), the transference of images, 
 pictures, and words by Thought-transference, Clairvoy¬ 
 ance, Crystal-gazing, and Automatic Writing, etc., were 
 also features in the investigations. Out of some 
 seventy meetings, twenty-seven were given that session 
 to Psycliometry. 
 
 The year’s work proved very satisfactory, making it 
 so clear that the existence of I’sychic Faculty could he 
 
128 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 demonstrated, that this courageous and patient investi¬ 
 gator went on with the interesting work for four years 
 longer, during which time inany excellent Sensitives 
 were developed. Having carefully felt his way, he, in 
 1900, turned these gatherings into lecture classes, the 
 members meeting for instruction, and to learn how to 
 practise and develop in their own homes every kind 
 of subjective and active psychic reception and projec¬ 
 tion. In this way larger numbers were instructed, and 
 the majority found more time and facility for practising 
 at home. Latterly, and till recently, this work has been 
 carried on in the rooms of the London Spiritualist 
 Alliance, but is now discontinued owing to Mr Thurstan 
 having removed to Old Windsor. Such is a brief 
 outline of the work done under the direction of this 
 thoughtful and painstaking expert during the last ten 
 years, and without fee or reward, purely for the sake of 
 Psychic Science. 
 
 These circles were neither formal nor stiff—they met 
 more like a family party ; the members were musical, 
 or lovers of art, or had tastes more or less common to 
 tlrem all; they enjoyed each other’s society, and inter¬ 
 ested themselves in matters of— psychic —interest, 
 which they were studying with the aid of each other’s 
 gifts, and under the direction of a teacher capable of 
 guiding them. There is no reason why similar 
 reunions should not be established throughout the 
 country. They would be much more healthy and 
 interesting than insipid “ afternoon teas,” and other 
 sickly, gossipy time-killers. 
 
PSYCHOMETRICAL PRACTICE 
 
 129 
 
 Of the Psychics developed at these reunions, I may 
 mention one or two who have come prominently before 
 the public during the last few years, viz.:—Mrs 
 Thompson, who for two years gave her services—weekly 
 and freely—to the late Mr Frederic Myers, and brought 
 conviction to him in several wonderful cases of clair¬ 
 voyance and trance which undoubtedly proved Telepathy 
 from “a departed.” Then there is Mr Alfred Vout 
 Peters, who is now a well-known Clairvoyant and 
 Psychometrist, as well known all over the Continent as 
 at home. Mrs Laura I. Finch, who is the Editress of 
 The Annals of Psycldcal Science, and who placed 
 her p.sychic talent of Automatic writing at the service 
 of Professor Richet for his experiments. Mrs Stannard, 
 an excellent Psychometrix, whose powers have been 
 well received in France, in India, and in England, but 
 also known as a writer to the Psychic Press, and a 
 lecturess of ability. So mucb for independent research 
 and the results. Many interesting, curious, and as¬ 
 tonishing cases could be given, but space will not 
 admit. Of other experimenters, those reputable 
 Psychics, Mr E. W. Wallis and Mrs M. II. Wallis, 
 published an excellent work, A Gnide to Mcdiumship 
 and Psychical Unfoldment. Part III. of that work 
 treats admirably of “ Psychical Self-culture,” “ The 
 Soul and its Powers,” Psychometry, Clairvoyance, etc. 
 Resides these authors and Mr Thurstan, I am not aware 
 that there has been any serious attempt made by others 
 to investigate Psychometry in Great Bidtain. 
 
 After this book had been submitted to publishers, 
 
 9 
 
130 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 in tlie winter of 1904, I commenced a new set of 
 experiments, which I demonstrated through the agency 
 of an advertisement in the pages of The New Thought 
 magazine, London. This brought me a fresh batch of 
 applications from all parts of the world—^Australia, 
 New Zealand, South Africa, India, the West Indies, 
 and the Continent—while also a number of applica¬ 
 tions were received from home. Out of three hundred 
 or so readings, tlie majority of which were psycho- 
 metric, only thre e proved what I call failures; the rest 
 were as remarkable as the best done for Mr Stead. 
 There were testimonials in abundance; but as similar 
 testimonies have already occupied too much space, I 
 merely mention the fact. In addition to this, Mrs 
 Coates has been sitting for the last ten years as a 
 Psychic, and with considerable regularity, as did Mrs 
 Thompson with Mr Myers (weekly and freely), with 
 Mr John Auld. Careful shorthand notes have been 
 taken of these sittings, and may yet be published. 
 Whether 1 am considered a fool or not in the opinion 
 of the omniscient reviewer for the press, in stating 
 what has been advanced, however, I can hardly refrain 
 from doing so. I commenced experiments as far back 
 as 1875, and have also both seen and heard enough to 
 convince me that Buchanan and Denton struck a rich 
 psychic vein in luiman nature by their psychometrical 
 experiments. But had it not been for my knowledge at 
 first hand, these pages would never have seen the light. 
 
 Mr Newton Crosland gave the following in the 
 Psychologiccd Review :— 
 
rSYCTlOMETETCAL PEACTTCE 
 
 131 
 
 “ On one occasion T procured from an invalid, a 
 relative, a lock of hair, in order to obtain from a 
 clairvoyante some advice respecting the management 
 of the invalid’s health. When the lock of hair arrived 
 the clairvoyante could make nothing of it, 1)ecause it 
 had been through the hands of so many persons, who 
 had all smudged it with their atmospheres, and the 
 clairvoyante could not even, without great difficulty, 
 discover to whom it belonged. My instructions were 
 to procure another lock of liair, to be cut by the sufferer 
 herself; and the lock was to be dropped from the head 
 direct into a piece of silk, and to be at once folded and 
 sent by post in a letter. When the silken packet was 
 given to the clairvoyante, she o])ened it, and finding no 
 other atmosphere but the invalid’s clinging to it, she 
 was at once enabled to tell me the name and the 
 residence of the sufferer, the whole history and 
 diagnosis of the case, and to prescribe remedies. 
 Through the atmosphere thus conveyed she was 
 enabled to place herself cn rajijiort with my invalid 
 relative, and to give me all the required information.” 
 
 'rids is a case of Psychometry plus something else— 
 what, is not clear — possibly clairvoyance. ]\Iind- 
 reading will not do, or why was the information not 
 given to Mr Crosland in the first instance ? The 
 diagnosis and cure of the patient could not be traced 
 to either Mind-reading or to Thought-transference, 
 although (l)ut very improbable) the name and address 
 might. It was a case like that recorded of Mr Tetlow, 
 in which thei’e was a play of the Psychic Faculties. 
 
132 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 Mr Thiirstaii, as an experimenter of wide experience, 
 expressed the opinion lately that it has always seemed 
 to him that neither Buchanan nor Denton proved the 
 theory of Psychometry; that the object or clue itself 
 “ holds the record,” so to speak, and the Psychometer 
 has a special sense of reading or responding to that 
 record. This may be the true explanation, he admitted, 
 but he did not think the old writers proved it con¬ 
 clusively. He thinks that there are other explanations 
 of the phenouiena: such as, for example, that of 
 Telepathy from some brain, present or absent; or by 
 the inspiration of the knowledge by some invisible 
 spirit-occupant of the Psychometer’s sub-consciousness ; 
 or by the excited or elated or concentrated sub¬ 
 conscious attention getting into a metaphysical state 
 where time and place cease to exist as such. This is 
 the theory also put forward by Carl Du Prel and C. C. 
 Massey. It was always Mr Thurstan’s hope to discover 
 in the successful experiments of his various pupils 
 which of these theories is the true one, or whether 
 more than one explanation is required,—the results 
 being sometimes from one method and sometimes from 
 another of the soul’s intuitions. Indeed he added, 
 “ I cannot say that I have yet been convinced that 
 any one theory explains all the good results.” So long 
 as we get good results, which go to prove the posses¬ 
 sion of the Psychic Faculty, all theories may readily 
 stand on one side. I am of the opinion that both 
 Buchanan and Denton established their case that the 
 clue holds the record, and that the Psychometer senses 
 
PSYCHOMETKICAL PEACTICE 
 
 133 
 
 Uio same, according to capacity. The clue, at the same 
 time, acts as a point for psychic concentration. Take 
 this as a trifling illustration. Mr Thurstan on one 
 occasion gave to Mrs Thompson a letter from a new 
 servant to psychometrise; it had been written to 
 engage to act as housekeeper, and she was a perfect 
 stranger to him. Mrs Thompson did not see the letter 
 or take it out of the envelope, but after holding it for 
 a little while wrote down, “ I get the name Margaret 
 Pointing ”—she is such-and-such a character. She is 
 engaged to a young man of the name of George, who 
 looks very sheepish with his eyes. With the exception 
 of the surname “ Pointing,” Mr Thurstan subsecpiently 
 ascertained that all the information given was absolutely 
 correct. Now had the Psychic read the record, there was 
 nothing in the contents of the letter to give the infor¬ 
 mation, which in my opinion was gleaned from the 
 dm, so common in these experiments. Mind-reading, 
 Telepathy, much less Spirits, external to the sensation, 
 have nothing to do with the information obtained. 
 
 In Mr Crosland’s case the elm had been, in the first 
 instance, smudged. I am afraid that all sensitives do 
 not get their clues free from smudges. I have noticed 
 when Mrs Coates obtained locks of hair and other 
 articles which had not passed through a variety of 
 hands—were received direct by post—that the readings 
 were more facile than in other instances. 
 
 There are two things which correspondents should 
 avoid, as a rule, in their approach to a Psychometer:— 
 
 (tt) Oder no opinions and make no suggestions, and 
 
134 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 do little else than place themselves in communication. 
 Brevity in their case is the soul of wisdom—perhaps wit. 
 
 (&) In all cases do all that is possible to keep the 
 clue free from other influences. 
 
 Headings from mixed influences are not without 
 their endorsement of psychometric faculty. Among 
 many curious clues sent for reading was a brown-paper 
 package left by a gentleman who wished to have a 
 reading whenever Mrs Coates was at liberty. She was 
 not at liberty then, but the following was written in 
 due course and sent on to him:— 
 
 “ The foundation of this interesting little table-cover 
 was originally ‘ an old man’s handkerchief.’ It was 
 intended to preserve it as a remembrancer of an old 
 and valued friend of the family to which your wife 
 belonged. The lady who taught your wife the crazy 
 work did a good bit of it herself, your wife doing the 
 rest. She fully intended after marriage to finish this 
 work properly, but so many things intervened in her 
 short married life that the desire to do so passed away. 
 At any rate it was put off till a more convenient season, 
 which never arrived for her. To go more fully into 
 details, 1 am impelled to say that three persons have 
 helped to sew the silk-work over the original pattern 
 on the handkerchief. 
 
 “ The first was a tall, prepossessing lady, agreeable in 
 manner, orderly and precise; artistic and poetical; 
 ambitious and anxious to excel in all her undertakings. 
 
 “ The other lady was more careless, fond of praise, yet 
 slovenly in habits and surroundings. In fact she was 
 
PSYCHOMETUrCAL PEACTICE 
 
 135 
 
 more of a mischief-maker lhaii anything else. Her 
 time was mostly taken up assuming to be a sincere 
 friend, and doing a deal of mischief behind the scenes. 
 Slie was no true friend of your wife’s. She got a good 
 deal of her confidence. The third lady was your wife. 
 She leaves a decided influence upon the work, but not 
 so marked artistically as the first lady who taught her 
 this work. At the time she did this work she was very 
 buoyant and sprightly, and did not care to bestow too 
 much time on anything sedentary. Put having a great 
 love of the beautiful in nature and art, her taste for 
 colour, form, and arrangement was very great; when 
 she really settled down to do anything in that way, 
 she was very neat-handed, and liked to do and to see 
 things done properly. In her cpiieter moods she was 
 calm, reflective, and far-seeing. Her impulsiveness 
 made her very much misunderstood by all, even by 
 yourself. Many bitter moments she had in conserpience, 
 which she kept to herself, being very sensitive. These 
 inner sorrows injured her proud spirit considerably, 
 and reacted on her bodily states, injuring herself and 
 her offspring—unconsciously. Your wife was tall and 
 physically strong She was also full-blooded, and 
 liable to inflammations and fevers, and in certain 
 conditions anything ve.xing her would cause the 
 humours of the body to become unhealthy and a lit 
 subject for blood-poisoning. In health, a warm¬ 
 hearted, loving, and devoted woman, conjugal, and very 
 fond of children. Would count nothing a sacrifice for 
 those she loved. She noticed at a glance any indifference 
 
136 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 toward herself. When speaking, did not mince matters, 
 and would be straightforward in expressing herself 
 whenever she thought that justice compelled it. I may 
 say your wife was very musical, and dearly loved 
 harmony in everything and everybody. Discord 
 always brought out a passionate indignation, but not 
 for long. She was very forgiving, but could not easily 
 forget. I may also say that the influence from this 
 conveys to me a truth of which you have never been 
 aware. It (the work on the table-cover) was com¬ 
 menced before she ever thought of being your wife. 
 The foundation (the handkerchief) belonged to the 
 gentleman she meant at first to marry, and he was very 
 fond of her. He died, and so it ended. Her father 
 meant her to marry a young man of his choice, and she 
 would have done so had you not come upon the scene. 
 She at once recognised her love for you, as she at all 
 
 times knew her own mind. The foregoing is all 
 
 I seem to be able to get from this.” 
 
 Some days after the gentleman received the foregoing 
 report, he called and said that one of the statements 
 was of a nature he had no means of checking. It 
 might be true. He did not know that it was untrue. 
 As for the rest, the descriptions of the three ladies 
 were correct—indeed, true likenesses. There were also 
 some things which he had since learned from his own 
 family, pointing to the probable correctness of the 
 statement that all three had something to do with the 
 work on this article. As to mixed influences, it had 
 been in his wife’s possession at home, and was for years 
 
PSYCHOMETEICAL PEACTICE 
 
 137 
 
 in the household of those with whom he lived, and had 
 lain on a small card-table in the drawiim-room. It 
 
 O 
 
 had been brought to their new home by his wife, and 
 had, as suggested, never been completed. 
 
 There are one or two reflections to make on the 
 above. Mrs Coates knew absolutely nothing of the 
 history of this article. She first saw it when the parcel 
 was opened. As she was impressed, she wrote down the 
 statement, with all its improbabilities, “ just as it came,” 
 although she did not know, and could not know by the 
 ordinary channels of sense, to whom it belonged, etc. 
 The facts remain, however, that after a lapse of nearly 
 eighteen years, during which this article had been 
 handled by many, the salient traits of character and 
 the appearance of the three persons who had most to do 
 with it in the past were revived and pointed out. Mrs 
 Coates agrees with Mr Thurstan, and believes she was 
 influenced by an “ invisible spirit-occupant of her sub- 
 consciousness.” As ill the case recorded of Mr Tetlow on 
 p:ige 103, her knowledge might have been inspired by the 
 Spirit most interested. Indeed, that has been claimed. 
 
 While it is desirable to get clues as free from mixed 
 influences as possible, I am still of opinion that the 
 results depend as much on the liberation of Psychic 
 Faculty in the sensitive as in the article or clue. 
 
 The Psychometer is one gifted with Psychic Faculty, 
 and is, at times, intuitive in a more than usual degree. 
 The intuitive faculty exhibited by the sensitive is 
 complex, by whicli one feels, secs, hears, and knows, 
 or is impressed with knowledge concerning persons. 
 
138 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 things, events, present, past, or to come—generally in 
 the near future—in a super-normal way. 
 
 Tlie Psychometer is liable to be impressed with the 
 Thoughts of other persons, not exactly as in Thought- 
 transference experimentation, due to what I would call, 
 for want of a better way of expressing it, the emotions 
 of Thought. The Psychometer is sometimes conscious 
 of the source of these emotions—can tell from whence 
 or from whom they come. At other times they appear to 
 be conscious only of impressions which seem to reach 
 them from the “Thought-atmosphere,” by which all are 
 surrounded, and which takes more the form of an inspira¬ 
 tion of ideas than an “ awareness of personal influence.” 
 
 Hiese sensitives become “ aware ” of events which 
 have taken place, or are taking place, or are about to 
 take place, concerning which they can have no possible 
 knowledge through the play of ordinary faculty— 
 certainly not through the avenues of the recognised 
 senses. That such persons are percipients, “ Psychics,” 
 and may be susceptible to Telepathy from the so-called 
 dead as well as the Living, is not an improbable or 
 indeed an unreasonable surmise, hut that—as some 
 claim—all these extra-intuitive impressions come from 
 discarnate souls, appears to me to be absurd on the 
 face of it. There is no need for a far-fetched theory 
 to correctly understand Psychometry, although many 
 earnest men and women find it easier of credence, than 
 to believe that all the results are due to the play of 
 Psychic Faculty in the individual. 
 
 The Psychometer is sensitive to the aura of things in 
 
PS YCHO AIETPIC A L P R ACTICE 
 
 139 
 
 uinuleLs, rooms, houses, etc., from vvhicli depressions, ex¬ 
 altations, and visions may arise ; also strange noises, and 
 voices which may he vibrant to the subjective sense of 
 hearing. The Psychometer is sensitive to the thoughts 
 of the living and the dead whose auras impinge his own. 
 By Psychic ^’acuity the sensitive is often placed in touch 
 witli the Invisible, with its stores of knowledge, which, 
 however stimulating to future life and action, cannot well 
 be given expression to, although much is exhibited in 
 inventions, inspirations, in literature, science, and art. 
 
 Human nature is an open Ijook. Psychometry dis¬ 
 covers the latent powers, and encourages their develop¬ 
 ment on right lines, and has often exposed that which 
 was concealed. How often have men gone out from 
 the presence of a Psychometer al)ashed, or perhaps 
 defiant, into whose presence they had entered but 
 a short time before. The good or ill, or both, in all 
 is impinged on the aura emanating from each, and the 
 character is unravelled as the sensitive comes in contact 
 with that aura or magnetism. Who has not felt this 
 guiding and warning inlluence, which they could not trace 
 to the intellectual exercise of judgment on their part ? 
 
 Psychometrical sensitiveness is a priceless possession 
 when properly exercised and understood. But where 
 not understood, this sensitiveness becomes a great 
 burden and has been instrumental, through ignorance, 
 of unbalancing many lives. Especially when very sensi¬ 
 tive persons are left exi)osed to the morbific influence 
 of auras, of crimes, of violence, and all their associated 
 demoralising undercurrents. 
 
140 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 All persons have not the faculty to the same extent. 
 The true Psychometer, like the musician, poet, etc., is 
 bor n, not made. He or she has innate faculties which 
 express themselves on the lines of their truest gratifica¬ 
 tion. The musician and the poet assiduously exercise 
 and practise their gifts. So should the Psychometer. 
 1 have noticed some persons who gave promise of being 
 admirable painters, and whose work was really good, 
 who failed because either business or marriage made 
 greater inroads upon their time, to the neglect of their 
 art. In time, they lost their touch from want of 
 practice. Ladies whose voice captivated as they sang, 
 whose touch brought sweetest harmonies out of the 
 instrument they love best, have neglected both when 
 marriage and a family—especially the latter—come in 
 the way. They could not sing as of yore, and the 
 fingers refused to obey the mind from want of practice. 
 In a similar manner, I have noticed, when there was a 
 long break in psychometrical practice, that had an 
 equally detrimental effect on the subsequent readings. 
 I would suggest to those who have reason to believe 
 that they have Psychic Faculties, or something of 
 psychometrical sensitiveness to take on impressions, 
 to exercise, them seriously, regularly, and with judgment. 
 There must be no running away with the emotions. 
 There must be no elevating of Psychic Faculty to a seat 
 of infallibility. Psychometry can be developed. A 
 few hints, in addition to those given in the present 
 chapter, will be given in the next. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 PSYCIIOMETRICAL PRACTICE, continued 
 
 The hints given in this chapter are general rather than 
 particular, but they will be found none the less valuable 
 on that account to those who wish to take up the 
 practice of Psychometry. 
 
 In the chapter dealing with “Nature’s Invisible 
 Foi’ces,” I have shown that there is an aura which 
 proceeds from all things. In man this is called 
 nervmi/va, as that best represents its character on the 
 physical side. This invariably partakes of the character 
 and is impregnated with the history of its source. I 
 think that this has been pretty well demonstrated by 
 the variety of cases already given. In this chapter a 
 few more will be given as aids in practice for the learner, 
 with suggestion, where possible, on procedure. 
 
 One of the factors by which the presence of nervaura 
 may be detected as emanating from the surface of the 
 body is caloric (or heat), which sensy,tion may be readily 
 felt by the hand held an inch or so from the body of 
 the person examined. The hand of the Psychometer 
 will be sensitive not only to the heat, but also to the 
 
 141 
 
142 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 character of the emanation, and the Psychometer will 
 be impressed either by its healthy or its morbific nature. 
 Some persons are sufficiently sensitive to be affected 
 by the character of the aura when twelve feet from the 
 patient, without being sensible of its temperature—a 
 fact which might be readily illustrated in the history 
 of contagious and infectious diseases. As one ripens in 
 sensitiveness and experience, the Psychometer will not 
 only be impressed by the heat, the healthfulness or 
 otherwise, but by the psychical characteristics of the 
 person from whom the aura radiates. This aura pro¬ 
 duces various effects: the purely physical—such as 
 affect a thermometer; pathological—as in infectious 
 diseases; social, attracting or repelling, as in the 
 influence of personal magnetism; and in the deeper 
 psychological traits of innate worth or the want of it, 
 which can be detected by the impressions which it 
 makes or arouses in the Psychometer’s mind. This is 
 not all: wherever these emanations have penetrated 
 they have left their impress—undetected and invisible 
 to ordinary sense perception—which are read, seen, felt, 
 by the subliminal or Psychic Faculties of mankind. 
 
 If instead of the examination of a patient by a 
 physician, as in the diagnosis of disease, some clue—■ 
 article of dress, ring, lock of hair, etc.—which had been 
 in contact with the patient was psychometrically ex¬ 
 amined, while no thermal test was possible, not only 
 would the disease, but the mental and psychical state 
 of that person would also be clearly diagnosed. This 
 important fact has been abundantly proved by experi- 
 

 
PsYCHOMUTRio Experimentation. 
 
PSYCHOMETi;ICAL rRACTTCE 
 
 143 
 
 inent, and is of obvious benefit, especially to patients 
 at a distance, who could then be well advised and even 
 thoroughly treated through the agency of the post, or 
 “ Ijy mail,” as they say in the States. Equally elfective 
 readings have, as I have shown, been obtained from 
 many objects; a relic, perhaps, which had been the 
 treasured possession of someone departed. We have 
 had such experience ; and from such objects as a watch, 
 a locket, and a book-mark, which were from time to 
 time left with Mrs Coates for a reading, some very 
 interesting information was gleaned, and these psychic 
 histories were in a great measure verified afterwards. 
 There is nothing like psychometric experimentation to 
 bring clearly home the fact that the aura (jf persons, 
 objects, etc., also retain their histories. 
 
 This can be demonstrated in the following order of 
 
 O 
 
 experiments :— 
 
 {a) In the diagnosis of disease, either from contact 
 or proximity to the patient, and from the aura of 
 articles olAained from the patient. 
 
 (b) In benefits conferred on patients by the healthy 
 neroaurit —generally called “ Magnetism ”—conveyed to 
 them from healthy persons, with intent or by mere 
 pi-esence, whether friends, nurses, doctors, healer.s, etc. 
 
 (c) In testing the intluence—healthful or otherwise 
 —of one person on another, such as in cerebral ex]»lora- 
 tion ; in operating on ditferent parts of the body ; and 
 in healing, as in “ the laying on of hands.” 
 
 (d) In experiments with articles, substances, etc., 
 with which human beings have had contact in the 
 
144 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 past—-relics, amulets, etc.; also the relation of these 
 substances to hanntings and to Psychical Eesearch 
 phenomena generally. 
 
 These fonr classes, a to d, will be beyond the range 
 of the beginner’s first attempts, and may be safely left 
 over till he is convinced of the possibilities of:— 
 
 (c) In which character can be discerned, and the 
 surroundings of the person sensed (in their absence) 
 from a simple cine, such as a lock of hair, ring, letters, 
 etc.^ 
 
 (/) In which the character and the personality of 
 the departed—and, may be, their deferred thoughts—can 
 be described from an old garment, lock of hair, or other 
 article or relic which once was theirs. 
 
 * Mr Thurstan says :—“ We found by experience that the best 
 objects to practise upon were letters in which the writer was in 
 striking circumstances, or showed some strong emotion or mood ; 
 or else trinkets or relics once in the possession of some strongly 
 marked personality. These letters and ol^jects were brought by 
 various members. It was the rule that all letters tendered should 
 be taken fronr theii' original envelopes and put into fresh covers. 
 Without doubt this made the process of sensing the more difficult, 
 but it removed the chance of assistance from other faculties such 
 as graphology. The Psychometrist was allowed to hold the finger 
 and thumb inside the cover against the writing, or to place the 
 objec t to the forehead. We sat around a table, and each having 
 a letter or object allotted to him, recording any impressions on 
 paper. Tlie P.sychometrist was usually informed of the sex of 
 the writer, and sometimes was required to investigate on par¬ 
 ticular lines. In such cases the facts were noted by me.” 
 
 The foregoing is taken from an article on “ The Development 
 of Psychic Gifts,” showing the method of procedure adopted at 
 first in the class for Psychometry, of which accounts appeared in 
 vol. Iv., Borderland, p. 52, and will most likely prove of service to 
 experimenters. 
 
PSYCHOMETRrCAL PRACTICE 
 
 145 
 
 For practical and personal experimentation, c and / 
 fall within the range of immediate investigation and 
 demonstration, and should be the first attempted by 
 the novice. Many very highly endowed Psychometers 
 commenced to practise in this way. 
 
 The nature and the character of the aura, emanations, 
 etc., will vary according to the mental and the physio¬ 
 logical state of the person from whom they proceed. 
 This is in perfect harmony witli all that science has 
 gleaned of emanations, inorganic and organic, and of 
 the more subtle forces—odylic, magnetic, N-rays, etc. 
 
 In psychometrical research we have discovered that 
 the character and the influence of the aura varies, not 
 only with the state of the individual, hnt according to 
 the portion of the body from which it emanates. This 
 can be demonstrated by more advanced experimenta¬ 
 tion in cerebral research, which, however, can only be 
 entered upon by qualified and experienced Psychometers. 
 This can he proved in a twofold manner:— 
 
 First, from experiments on the head, every portion of 
 which (the sensitive will recognise) possesses its own dis¬ 
 tinct aura of emotion, morals, impulse, and intelligence. 
 
 Second, by the various sensations experienced by the 
 person operated upon, who, according to sensitiveness, 
 will feel distinct sensations as the experimenter passes 
 from one region of the head t(j another. 
 
 “ When the hand is placed lightly on the top of the 
 head,” said Dr Buchanan, “ barely touching it, the 
 effect of stimulating the adjacent brain is to produce 
 a pleasurable calmness, a comfortable, bright, and 
 
 10 
 
146 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 amiable feeling. On the side of the head, at the base 
 of the brain, and close to the cavity of the ear just 
 before and behind it, the effect is at first gently 
 stimulating, but gradually assumes an uneasy, irritative 
 condition, which it would be unpleasant to continue. 
 On any portion of the forehead the effect is intellectual, 
 bright, or thoughtful, according to location; and in 
 the temples—an inch or more behind the brow—the 
 application of the fingers produces a quiet, passive, 
 rather thoughtful, but dreamy condition, which inclines 
 one to close the eyes and pass into somnolence or sleep. 
 At the base of tbe brain behind the mastoid process 
 (junction of the head and neck) the effect is a general 
 stimulus of animal life and muscular strength.” 
 
 Should the experimenter be a person of great vitality 
 and natural healing power, he will be able to induce 
 many remarkable cures by the imposition of the hands 
 on the head of the patient, when aided by an intelligent 
 appreciation of the influences which may be exerted 
 in this manner. “ A Guide to Healers ” could be readily 
 written on these lines, and may in the near future be 
 given to the public. 
 
 THE ATTITUDE OF MIND TO RECEIVE IMPRESSIONS 
 
 I wish to state, for the benefit of those who desire to 
 practise Psychometry, that the states of mental and 
 psychic sensitiveness and of physical activity in the 
 individual are opposed to one another. The passivity 
 necessary to i^erceive the influence, or get into rapport 
 with the different auras from persons or from articles. 
 
PSYCHOMKTETCAT. PRACTICE 
 
 147 
 
 is not possessed in a state of physical activity. To 
 perceive the pictures, and to correctly gauge the im¬ 
 pressions arising from the auras aforementioned — 
 particularly traces of the same which may be left in 
 rooms, furniture, trinkets, or articles of apparel—one 
 needs to be in an impressionable state, such as is 
 generally co-ordinate with the non-activity, or nearly 
 so, of the physical senses, as experienced in trance, 
 hypnosis, the last stage of drowning, on the border¬ 
 land of sleep, in dreams, and in that quiescence of all 
 physical activity, proceeding or co-ordinate with the 
 majority of all Telepathic experiences. When alert 
 and using our muscles, we not only diminish our 
 sensitiveness, but we act on others instead of being 
 acted upon. A quiet, relaxed muscular position, such 
 as one takes sitting at ease in a chair, in a warm, 
 comfortable room, is favourable to that passivity, and 
 also to that mental activity necessary to psychometrise. 
 
 While in a passive, non-active state, one may be 
 alfected—agreeably or disagreeably—by the aura of 
 another. Thus a physician entering quietly into a sick¬ 
 room may be able, from the state of his own feelings, 
 to accurately gauge the state of the patient’s health 
 before actually seeing the patient and going through 
 the usual iiupiisitorial process deemed so necessai’y by 
 most patients. Many medical men have had this 
 experience, finding that their subse(pient examination 
 of the patient but confirmed the intuitive and subtile 
 feeliiujs experienced by them when they first entered 
 the patient’s room. 
 
148 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 One who is sufficiently sensitive and in a proper 
 receptive or passive mood at the time, will cor¬ 
 rectly sense or intuitively gauge the character of 
 those met for the first time, hy the impressions which 
 such persons create on one’s inner sense. They will be 
 liked or disliked before there is time to bring one’s 
 intelligence to bear on and analyse the impressions 
 received. 
 
 The psych omctrical process is one of passive perception 
 in an amiable and receptive state of mind. Those who 
 would psychometrise should always bear this in mind, 
 not forgetting that it is possible for one to be very 
 successful in P&ychometry at one period and have the 
 most erro neous ideas and impressions at another. In 
 the first instance they receive their impressions when 
 in a proper, tranquil, and passive state of mind, while 
 in the last instance the mind was not in a receptive 
 state, hut quite the reverse; possibly all their own 
 feelings were aroused and active. Active, energetic, 
 talkative people are seldom good, intuitive judges of 
 character. They are so full of themselves, especially if 
 they are people with a mission—political or religious 
 partisans—their judgment will be warped; they will 
 he incapable of receiving correct impressions of the 
 motives and the characters of those with whom they 
 come in contact. If they do not know the motives and 
 cannot estimate the characters, they will attribute 
 motives and conjecture character, colouring the whole 
 with their own particular animus, their particular 
 political choice, religious outlook, and personal 
 
PSYCHOMETEICAL PRACTICE 
 
 '149 
 
 characteristic bias, Tlie average child of three to 
 five years of age is capable of forming more correct 
 estimates of character than they. To psychometrise, 
 one should be free from all strong emotions, and, what 
 is a sine qiul non, empty of self. 
 
 One requires not only to be sensitive, but also to be 
 at the time in a proper receptive or passive state to 
 receive correct impressions. In experimenting—say, 
 in holding a letter, lock of hair, or other article from 
 whicli certain impressions, (generally faint at first) 
 are received—it would be injudicious to commence 
 either reasoning or permitting one’s self to become 
 excited about the impressions, visions, and what not, 
 which might happen with a novice; there can be only 
 one end to such experiments—failure. The passive 
 state would cease, and, instead of being clear and 
 distinct mental or psychic images, the impressions 
 would become faint blurred nothings. 
 
 In the passive state, the mind is like a placid lake on 
 a summer afternoon, when sky and cloud and sur¬ 
 rounding scenery are correctly reflected, and the bottom 
 of the lake itself is clearly visible: the touch of an oar, 
 or the falling of a fly cunningly cast on the surface by 
 a disciple of Izaak Walton—a small pebble from a boy’s 
 hand, or aught else producing the slightest ripple on 
 the surface—obliterates all the pictures which charmed 
 the eye but a moment before. In a similar manner, 
 self-conceit, excitement, haste, and even anxiety 
 destroy the necessary placidity—sensitive impression¬ 
 ability—of the mind to receive and to note one’s 
 
150 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 psychic feelings and visions, etc., and to correctly 
 register such impressions. 
 
 “ If this is so,” it may be asked, “ how is it possible 
 to receive or to have correct impressions, when there 
 are so few persons free from some of the defects 
 referred to ? ” 
 
 Apart from the necessary sensitiveness, ‘which must 
 he mnate, the rest is a matter of training. Just as one 
 trains for music or shorthand, and finally plays or writes 
 without effort—or,at least, without appreciable conscious 
 effort—so one must train for Psychometry, and this can 
 be done just as readily and as usefully as learning 
 music or to write shorthand. 
 
 It is impossible to hear the voice of a friend con-ectly 
 if one persists in talking at the same time ; neither is it 
 possible to get correct impressions, or form correct 
 estimates of their impressions, if fussy, self-important, 
 or taken up either with self, or with mental activities 
 outside the work in hand. 
 
 Passivity and receptivity can be cultivated without 
 loss of individuality, or the subordination of a single 
 faculty of judgment or of volition. Passivity is lest 
 attained hy ‘posture, 'inusevdar relaxation—as when 
 sitting or reclining at ease—congoined vnth a quiet mental 
 alertness to note all imqrrcssions. Such play of Psychic 
 Faculty does not call for—as in mediumship—the 
 subordination of the intellect to some Spirit, but for its 
 conscious exercise and discrimination in regard to all 
 impressions recorded. 
 
 Correct impressions will come all in good time. 
 
PSYCHOMETRICAL PRACTICE 
 
 151 
 
 Success begets success; one fairly satisfactory experi¬ 
 ment prepares the way for another. Tliis has been the 
 experience of all the leading Psychometers, and both 
 Buchanan and Denton bear record to this fact. In this, 
 as in all things else, so far as human judgment and 
 endeavour go, I’RACTICE makes perfect. Some persons 
 make much more successful students than others ; 
 much depends on temperament and intellectual fitness. 
 Thus it is in every department in life It is only by 
 experience in experimentation tliat proper sensitiveness, 
 and an orderly discipline of the mind to control the 
 phenomena, are developed. It will be found l)y 
 practice that not only are rapid and fleeting visions 
 and impressions arrested and made to stand still, so to 
 speak, for examination, but thus it is that thej’sycho- 
 meter becomes able to distinguish between impressions 
 which arise from the articles or specimens examined, 
 and those impressions which emanate from one's own 
 fancies, wishes, and interpretations. I’ractice brings 
 into play the inner or Psychic Faculties ; liberates one, 
 for the time being, from the dominance of the ordinary 
 senses, from the hurly-burly of active life, with all its 
 action and strenuous conscious endeavour, and lets calm 
 Intuition —^which is the psychometric faculty—have 
 free course. 
 
 The ability of each person to experiment will, of 
 course, vary. We may take for granted that improve¬ 
 ment will come with practice. Some Psychonieters 
 will succeed in one class of experiments who fail in 
 those requiring not only a keener sensitiveness, a longer 
 
152 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 training, bnt special intellectual fitness. Then, for 
 ordinary differences due allowances must be made. 
 One sensitive will give one description, a second an¬ 
 other, and so on ; and although these impressions appear 
 to be different, they will be correct views, as it were, 
 from different aspects. Thus, in character-reading, one 
 psychic will accurately gauge a man’s public career, 
 which will accord with all the main and known facts of 
 that life; another Bsychometer, from the very same 
 specimen or clue, will present a keen analysis of the 
 mental faculties, endowments, motives, ambitions, and 
 failures, and the inner life of the individual. Both 
 readings will be very different, and yet very true. But 
 only those who know something of the man’s public 
 career can testify to the accuracy of the first, and only 
 his most intimate friends and relatives to the correct¬ 
 ness of the latter. 
 
 Such differing readings as these, by different Psycho¬ 
 meters, may at first sight perplex, and even present 
 difficulties, but in the end will assuredly convince and 
 sustain those engaging in this extremely fascinating, 
 and at the same time all-important and far-reaching 
 subject. Some sensitives will give a reading and yet 
 not be able to say whether the person referred to be 
 living here Or has “gone yonder,” belongs to the pre¬ 
 sent, or is a worthy who has lived in the distant past. 
 Others, again, will be quite decided, and make no mis¬ 
 take in the matter. “ How can they tell ? ” Some 
 say, they “ have an impression to that effect ” ; others 
 say, “ that they know in this way,” when there is a 
 
PSYCHOMETEICAL PRACTICE 
 
 153 
 
 time-back-groiuid to their vision, reading, or impres¬ 
 sion, the person is living in this world; when there is 
 none—no perspective, as it were—they can sec, feel, or 
 sense the individual only —they know that the person is 
 no longer connected with this life, and they give forth 
 this impression, and in all cases it has been discovered 
 to be true. 
 
 There are degrees and degrees; all cannot be sensitive 
 in a like manner, or be able to psychometrise with 
 equal ability, but even the poorest beginnings often 
 precede the most gratifying successes. The very sensi¬ 
 tiveness and self-consciousness that interfere with first 
 attempts are the factors which, under more discipline 
 and experience, aid in the achievement of the most 
 astonishing and enduring results. It is, however, best 
 for the beginner not to attempt too much. 
 
 Valuable as Intuition may be, it is always well to 
 bring it to the bar of judgment before acting upon it. 
 Many claims have been made in the name of Psycho- 
 metry which never would have been made had this 
 course—a wise and thoughtful course—been acted 
 upon. The great thing is to begin at the beginning, and 
 then proceed cautiously. By and by, the right con¬ 
 ditions and the right deductions will come naturally 
 enough. Let the beginner keep in mind that the 
 psyclionietriccd j)roccss is one of passive perception while 
 i'lt an amiable and receptive state of mind. Always 
 avoiding the error of jumping to the conclusion that, 
 because first psychometric impressions, received in 
 the above passive and amiable state, are correct. 
 
154 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 that all impressions, received in any state of mind, must 
 also be accurate. It is very difficult for a true intuitive 
 impression to force its way upward into our conscious¬ 
 ness through the crusts of a predominant idea, or to 
 penetrate the overshadowing mental clouds of passion 
 and self-conceit. There is nothing of being “in the spirit 
 on the Lord’s day ” in these latter mental attitudes. 
 
 Each Psychometer, from the commeiicenient of 
 practice, will find out in due time the class of experi¬ 
 ments—medical diagnosis, physiological and patho¬ 
 logical explorations, healing or psychical investigations, 
 character-reading, etc.—one or all of them—for which 
 best suited. Some will excel in one direction and some 
 in others. In any case a start should be made, and for 
 this beginning two methods are recommended. The 
 first is to experiment with a Psychometer; the second 
 is to experiment with one’s self. In either case con¬ 
 viction of the facts may come home to one. But 
 without this foundation of personal experience, all else 
 may appear leather and prunella. 
 
 TO EXPEKJMENT WITH A PSYCHOMETER 
 
 Send to or give to him or her a keepsake from a 
 friend, an autograph from a letter, or a incce of blank 
 lyajper cut or torn from just under the signature of a 
 letter. A little later (that is, when assured that the 
 sensitive with whom experimenting has given evidence 
 of the possession of psychic gifts), the articles selected 
 may be covered with tissue-paper and concealed from 
 observation, so that whatever the estimate of character 
 
PSYCHOMEITJCAL PRACl'ICE 
 
 155 
 
 given, it will not be attributed to the specimen, to the 
 handwriting, or to any other signs. If in the latter 
 the Psycliometer does not know the character of the 
 writer of an autograph, or who has used the blank hit 
 of paper suhinitted, so much the better. All the 
 possibilities of Telepathy are then eliminated from the 
 experiment. When the Psychometer’s report is given, 
 it should be submitted, with duo and courteous pre¬ 
 cautions, to the person whose character has thus been 
 surveyed, and perhaps laid before one or two of the 
 friends, to elicit opinions as to the soundness or other¬ 
 wise of the reading. There may have been failure, or 
 partial or complete success, in the delineation. Perhaps 
 some strong outlying feature in character has been 
 pointed out, or it may he that only certain, hut un¬ 
 expected, subtile traits are descril)ed; or, again, a good 
 summary of the entire character may he given. From 
 an experiment like this a good heginning is made, 
 because it is both satisfactory and convincing. 
 
 I now give two instances where the experimenters 
 went to the Psychometer, and in these cases I give the 
 experiments and the deductions as they ajipeared to the 
 Psychometer. Mrs J. Stannard—one of Mr Thurstan’s 
 former pupils—delivered a lecture, on the “ Facts and 
 Philosophy of Psycliometry,” in the Kegent’s Saloon, 
 St James’ Hall, London, December 4, 190:1, from 
 which 1 take the following as reported in Lujlit :— 
 
 “ I will now give some simple illustrations of 
 Psychometry, presented as typical cases of its various 
 aspects rather than because of their intrinsic value:— 
 
156 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 “ Object experimented with: a gentleman’s very 
 small gold and pearl tie pin. It produced pictures of 
 a beautiful calm blue sea, green foliage on the shore 
 close by. The verdure is not European; I do not sense 
 India. Where ? I do not find out. Picture of a man 
 in a small boat all alone ; his dress is strange ; again it 
 is not Indian, nor quite like any national dress I have 
 ever seen. He seems fishing near the shore; he stoops 
 and picks up something. Picture changes; the same 
 man is working in a small shop or room. I instinctively 
 know rather than see that he is making the little pin I 
 hold (pattern is unconventional, hut otherwise might 
 have been worked by a Parisian jeweller). I say to 
 myself, ‘ Strange a fisherman and a jeweller,’ then the 
 scene of fishing was recalled, and I realised that he had 
 found the pearl and was setting it. As he stooped over 
 his work, I concentrated to read his thoughts, and 
 became aware of a distinct feeling of gratitude, love, 
 and something which seemed like superstition. They 
 were difficult impressions to evolve in orderly manner. 
 Taking the pin, and holding it in the hand, I observed 
 a clear impression that the thoughts which centred 
 around the children were stamped around the pin aura, 
 and I experienced a strangely mystical feeling as though 
 I held a symbol of life and death. This was all accurate 
 in the main, and is an interesting type of Psychometry 
 which reveals the power with which intense emotions 
 and thought have to focus impressions which are not 
 necessarily realised by pictures, clairaudience, or 
 anything else. Tlie man’s external actions on the 
 
rSYCHOMETEICAL PRACTICE 
 
 157 
 
 physical plane were realised in pictures. The rest 
 came in intuition and feeling. 
 
 “ The explanation is as follows:— 
 
 “ The owner was a doctor who had practised for some 
 time on the Mexican coast. During his stay an epi¬ 
 demic occurred. He attended the family of a man—a 
 worker in metals. Four children had succumbed, but 
 the doctor succeeded in saving the fifth by unremitting 
 care and attention. The father of the children, at a 
 loss how to express his feeling of gratitude, decided to 
 make something for the doctor. He went fishing to 
 search for a pearl Small ones are sometimes found in 
 the oysters near the coast. When he had succeeded in 
 doing this, he mounted the pearl himself, praying as 
 he did so that the good doctor might he protected 
 and blessed for evermore. In this case the pin was 
 undoubtedly the symbol of life and death. 
 
 “ Instance No. 2, leading to Clairvoyance; object, a 
 ring, handsome, like a lady’s, offered me after conver¬ 
 sation on Psychometry, by a gentleman, practically a 
 stranger, a major in the Engineers. After giving 
 impressions of characteristics belonging to a former 
 owner (a lady) correctly, I am suddenly transported in 
 vision to a tropical country, with sensations of heat 
 and fatigue. I feel that I must be in India. I am in 
 a train, and we seem to be travelling: the journey is 
 very long. I say to the owner, ‘ AVill this journey never 
 cease ? We must have been days in the train.’ Tliere 
 comes a stop, though, but I feel as if 1 were only half¬ 
 way through the journey. A picture comes; I see the 
 
158 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 owner get out of train ; he wears a pith helmet and 
 linen clothes. It is about midnight; the station is 
 very solitary and dimly lighted, it is hot and still. A 
 few men, Europeans, all dressed alike in summer clothes, 
 cluster in a little knot around him and talk; they then 
 wend their way to a wooded village near, and I see 
 only one bungalow surrounded by native huts. Close 
 following the owner is a native servant; I describe his 
 face and dress. At this stage the psychometric reading 
 becomes disturbed and I enter another stage of im¬ 
 pression—probably occasioned by the mind of the 
 major, who, through my description of the servant, 
 became mentally active and brought about the change. 
 He did not move or interrupt me, yet I could only see 
 this native servant, who suddenly loomed large on the 
 mental vision and seemed to approach, making demon¬ 
 strations of affection to the major, and, in fact, seemed 
 as large as life standing near his chair. After that I 
 put the ring down and demanded an explanation. It 
 was not uninteresting; all that I had seen relative to 
 the journey was quite accurate. Owner of ring had 
 once been obliged to travel for a week, and had crossed 
 India from Bombay to Calcutta, stopping half-way at a 
 very lonely station; he arrived at night and was met 
 by friends, and stayed with them some hoars as seen. 
 Native servant was with him, and major was wearing 
 the ring at the time. Native servant died a few years 
 ago after being his most devoted attendant for years, 
 and was remembered by the major with great affection 
 and sorrow for his loss. Some spiritualists would 
 
PSYCHOMETIUCAL PRACTICE 
 
 159 
 
 probably say that the man’s spirit was with his master ; 
 but I do not feel this need be the explanation, for it is 
 natural that the owner of the ring, hearing the descrip¬ 
 tion of one he liked and who had passed away, projected 
 a thought image of him which might affect me differently 
 from the psychometric pictures, and might have made 
 the vision large and near, in practically clairvoyant 
 fashion. It was sufficiently powerful to disturb any 
 further possible Psychometry. 
 
 “ That I obtained in both these cases such clear 
 visions and correct facts can only he due to the aston¬ 
 ishing way in which objects link themselves with the 
 world memory of the ‘ unconscious mind ’ of the owners. 
 For both these men confessed to me they were prepared 
 to find Psychometry another name for thougld-reculing. 
 The first strove to ‘ switch ’ off his mind and thoughts 
 from me; the second was deeply immersed in the 
 motor-car buying for India, and concentrated his mind 
 on the subject to see what I thought.” 
 
 These cases are interesting, and illustrative of what 
 can be done by Psychometers for their clients. I agree 
 with the deduction that the clairvoyant vision of the 
 native servant was not due to the spirit presence of 
 that servant, and while indirectly associated with the clue 
 (the ring), might all be traced to the unconscious action 
 of the psychic strata of the owner’s mind on the Psychic 
 Faculties of the Psychometrist. The question, however, 
 arises—“ Would these readings have been so true to 
 facts actually experienced if the owners of the objects 
 were not present at the interview, and had merely trans- 
 
160 
 
 SEEINCt the invisible 
 
 initted tliem by post ? ” I will now coiicliule these 
 hints as to experimenting with others, and touch upon 
 personal experimentation. 
 
 Personal Experimentation.— The mode of procedure 
 is simple enough; hut success may not follow first 
 attempts, in which case it must not be concluded that 
 such lack of success means failure. So far from being 
 so, the apparent or even real failure should be a spur 
 to endeavour to “ Try, try, try again.” Dr Buchanan 
 once handed a lady a letter—the writing of which was 
 concealed—and asked her for an impression. She held 
 it for a short time, and resigned it with a sigh, saying 
 that it was useless to try ; she could make notliing of 
 it. She felt so depressed and miserable, and was so con¬ 
 fused, she thought “ there was no good ” in trying any 
 longer. Wliat was her surprise when she was informed 
 that these feelings were a correct rendering of the 
 impressions received from the letter—a letter written 
 by a gentleman shortly before he committed suicide! 
 The lady was, in fact, a very good Psychometer, but was 
 not aware of it at the time her first experiment was 
 made. 
 
 Mrs Denton, having become acquainted with Psycho- 
 metry by an article which she had read in Buchanan's 
 Journal of Man, vol. i., determined to try a few 
 experiments for herself. She liad no friends to whom 
 she thought it wise to communicate her project, and 
 wisely resolved to make trial herself. Her very first 
 experiment was a great success, although she, for a 
 time, thought it a very great failure. I herewith give 
 
rSYCHOMP^TlilCAL Pl{ACT!CE 
 
 161 
 
 iin outline of her pnjcedure, :ib a guide to those who 
 would like to experiiueiit for themselves. 
 
 Having resolved to test for herself, Mrs Denton, 
 while her eyes were closed, took a package of letters 
 at random from among other packages in her letter 
 trunk, then conveyed them to a drawer in her dressing- 
 table, and waited till night, till all were retired, to 
 experiment for herself. In the darkness, and while 
 fully awake, she abstracted a letter fnjm the package 
 and held it to her forehead. In a short time, to her 
 unspeakalde joy, she realised certain distinct sensations 
 from the letter ; more than this, she saw the face and 
 the bust of a friend ; then she saw his room, then him¬ 
 self sitting at his writing-table—“perhaps writing this 
 very letter.” She could not doubt the influence, and 
 was indeed as intensely thrilled by it as if she had been 
 reading the original letter. What she now desired was 
 the independent and corroborating evidence of the hand¬ 
 writing and the signature. She arose and obtained a 
 light, and with that light came bitter disappointment 
 and a sense of utter failure. The handwriting and the 
 signature did not belong to the person whom her psy- 
 chometrical impressions called up. Her friend, who 
 had always written, because he must, in “ words that 
 breathe and burn,” did not write the letter which she 
 saw in her hands—a letter which had been written by 
 one who was as tame and cold as her friend was afire 
 with energy and spirit. Her first experiment had 
 proved a failure, and with a feeling of bitter disappoint¬ 
 ment she put out her light and fell asleep. 
 
 11 
 
1G2 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 111 the luoriiiiig her tirat conscious thoughts turned 
 toward her experiment. “ Was it a reality or a 
 dream ? ” she asked herself. She turned round in bed, 
 and saw the identical letter used in the experiment. 
 It was no dream. Her disappointment was very bitter 
 indeed. Before leaving the room she decided to return 
 the package of letters to their proper receptacle and 
 forget, if possible, her inglorious failure. Just then her 
 eyes fell on a letter from the friend whose character, 
 appearance, and surroundings were so vividly impressed 
 on her before falling asleep. The truth came home like 
 a hash. She had been no victim of an enthusiastic 
 imagination. Those letters had lain together for 
 months—the one all inanity, the other full of the hre 
 of thought; the more powerful and vigorous character 
 had been stamped on the other while they had been thus 
 associated. Was it possible, then, that what had seemed 
 a failure had, after all, been a decided success ? Had 
 she really sensed the more vigorous and the more vivid 
 emanations ? It was quite possible. Mrs Denton tried 
 again, and with the result that she was most fortunate 
 and sustained the highest anticipations, the enthusiasm, 
 and the hopes with which she started her first experi¬ 
 ment. Of course, it was not all plain sailing at first: 
 there was much to learn; there were the emotions to 
 control; the new feelings and the visions to be analysed 
 and examined ; the scenes in the biograph to be held in 
 their course, by the exercise of the will, for that purpose ; 
 and there were errors to be eliminated incidental to the 
 early stages of the development of her newly-found gift. 
 
PSYCHOMETRICAL PRACTICE 
 
 163 
 
 Mrs Denton—after Mrs Cornelia Dexter Buchanan— 
 subseiiuently became one of the buest Psycboineters 
 that the world has ever seen since Dr Buchanan 
 announced his discovery. She was well sustained l)y 
 her husband in the long course of experiments in 
 which they rendered mutual help to one another. 
 That simple experiment, performed without a suspicion 
 of Thought-transference, and in which by a first and 
 private trial she sensed all that was to be gleaned 
 from the stronger aura overshadowing that which was 
 less effective, proved Psychometry to her, and laid the 
 foundation of psychometric practice. 
 
 From this simple beginning, Mrs Denton was able to 
 proceed to the fuller development of Psychic Faculty, 
 and was one of those who felt, and suw, and heard, and 
 knew in a super-normal way much which was real and 
 true on this little earth of ours—much which others 
 could not and did not know, under the circumstances— 
 and she never once attributed her marvellous gifts to 
 the influence and control of Spirits. Thus, from a bit of 
 quartz she gave—in America—a finer and more perfect 
 description of a scene in Australia, and of the value of the 
 hearings, etc., than anyone on the spot could have done. 
 She was in America, and the bit of stuff, the clue, came 
 from a spot which neither she nor her husband had 
 ever seen —thousands of miles away in a little-known 
 gold-mining district in Australia. It was not until 
 that spot was visited by Professor Denton, his son, 
 and others many years afterwards, that the vividness 
 of that description became truly known. In the 
 
164 
 
 SEPITNO THE INVISIBLE 
 
 chapter on Psychometric Experiments, I have given a 
 full account of her wonderful description of Fingal’s 
 Cave, at a time when she had never even seen the sea, 
 or had the slightest possible actual knowledge of sea¬ 
 bird life, or of the flora and fauna peculiar to such 
 a district. Although the facts may be surpassing 
 belief, they are true; and what it is important to 
 remember in this connection is—“ What is possible for 
 one human being to accomplish, may be possible to 
 another.” 
 
 I had taken an interest in psychological subjects for 
 years, and had read something of Psychometry—and, in 
 fact, indulged in a little practice myself. It was not, 
 however, until the year 1886 that I thought of testing 
 the science with the aid of my wife. It was then done 
 as a matter of sudden impulse. One morning I 
 received three letters by an early post. I did not 
 open them, and I did not know from whom they came. 
 I put them aside till it was convenient to make our 
 first experiment. When my wife was at liberty, I 
 requested her to sit down and take up one of the 
 letters, and, without looking at it, to place it against 
 her forehead, and then tell me what impressions she 
 received. This was the first intimation Mrs Coates 
 had on the subject. After a little demur, Mrs Coates 
 settled down to the task. Lifting each letter, without 
 looking at the address or post-mark, she held them as 
 directed, and proceeded to give me—-with something of 
 doubt and hesitancy—her description of the writers’ 
 appearances and dispositions, and what not. Her 
 
rSYClIOMETItICAL PRACTICE 
 
 1G5 
 
 descriptions were a little indefinite and confused at 
 first, but in a short time I had a clear picture of each 
 correspondent and the trend of the ideas of each 
 towards myself. Two letters were from business men 
 and related to business. The readings relating to 
 their character and surroundings had no connection 
 with the contents of the letters. How true or false 
 these readings were I had no means of testing. They 
 were strangers, and I did not feel at liberty to iay 
 this experiment before them. The reading from the 
 third letter was given in a similar manner, and it was 
 equally interesting — indeed, it was amusing. Mrs 
 Coates liad now entered into the spirit of tlie thing, 
 and I took a full note of what was said. I opened 
 one of the letters ; it was from a gentleman in Rirming- 
 ham, of wlioni I had heard but liad never seen, and he 
 was a stranger to both of us. I decided, from wliat 1 
 had heard of liiin, to write and send him tliis reading, 
 explaining the circumstances under which it was given, 
 and to ask for a candid reply. In the course of a week 
 or so, we received a kindly-worded and amusing letter 
 expressing astonishment at all tliat had been said; 
 especially the fun poked at his weaknesses, which, it 
 appeared, had not only been correctly described, 
 but had proved hindrances to him in a professional 
 sense. He confessed to having liad many readings by 
 experts, in London and elsewhere; said he was an 
 admirer of Gall and Combe and others; but declared 
 that this reading was marvellously true in every way, 
 and had revealed a more skilful description of his 
 
166 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 cliaracter, defects, and outlook in life than anything 
 which he had ever received, etc. 
 
 This was very encouraging, but it was not all. 
 About eighteen months after receiving this letter, a 
 gentleman called at our late home in Glasgow, and 
 informed us he was “ Mr So-and-So,” of Birmingham. 
 He spent the evening and part of the next day with us, 
 and thus we had ample proof of the value of Psycho- 
 metry in reading character. 
 
 These attempts with the three letters were the first 
 I ever attempted in an experimental way. I say, in 
 an experimental way, for there is little doubt that all 
 Psychometers, long before they know anything of the 
 science, or of the experiments associated with it, 
 exercise Psychic Faculty in many ways; in fact, have 
 had their private experiences, illuminations, intuitions, 
 visitations, and what not, which they have in most 
 cases kept to themselves, rather than—being mostly 
 sensitive and serious-Jiiinded—expose themselves to 
 the ridicule of their friends. But in the light of 
 Psychometry there should be no need for concealment. 
 Those who have any experience—a dream, a vision, an 
 inspiration, a poem, an invention, an impression, or a 
 Telepathy from the living or the dead—should add 
 that experience to the sum of human knowledge. If 
 worth anything, others will be benefited; if worth 
 nothing, it will soon be forgotten, and go the way of 
 all worthless things. Psychometric practice will help 
 to discipline the impulses, impressions, and the intui¬ 
 tions, which, for the want of knowledge and practice 
 
rSYCHOMETRICAL PEACTICE IfiT 
 
 so often alarm, harass, and distress the sensitive. 
 Sensitiveness and intuition may at times be incon¬ 
 venient burdens, but, rightly understood and appreci¬ 
 ated, become priceless possessions. 
 
 Sometimes the faculty of Psychometry is accidentally 
 discovered, and that with pleasing and gratifying results. 
 The lat(' Miss llowan Vincent, a most notable Psycho- 
 metrist, probably one of the best in Britain, in relating 
 her first experience in actual practice, said :— 
 
 “ I first found that I had the gift of Psychometry 
 when a gentleman put in my hand a ring, and asked 
 me what I could tell him about it. The first impres¬ 
 sion was, it formed an ornament other than a ring; and 
 then a scene of bloodshed and a great horror arose, 
 which I had no dilliculty in recognising as the Indian 
 Mutiny. I saw the jewel in the hand of a soldier, 
 who had it made into a ring and hrought to England. 
 The idea of hunger came into my mind, and I felt as 
 if I wanted my breakfast, dinner, and tea all at once. 
 The gentleman, 1 found, knew less about the ring than 
 I told him ; but he knew this much, that it had been 
 brought over from India by a soldier after the Mutiny, 
 and subsequently came into the possession of the 
 soldier’s brother. 
 
 “ Another case. A lady of France brought me a 
 small piece of limestone. First I went to the quarry, 
 then to a magnificent building destroyed by shot and 
 tire. 1 found myself in a .spacious and beautiful apart¬ 
 ment, with l)alcony, terraces, and fountains. The room 
 was thronged with ladies and gentlemen in Court 
 
168 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 dress or uniform. Going upstairs into a small room, I 
 found myself in the presence of one I knew at once to 
 be Napoleon. My visitor told me that the piece of stone 
 was from the ruins of St Cloud.” 
 
 It is clear that Miss Eowan Vincent had the gift 
 all along, but it was only by accident—if there be such 
 a tiling as accident—she discovered the fact. Her 
 ability in after years was most marked. Her demon¬ 
 strations in public and private were most convincing. 
 
 Mr Thurstan, speaking from practical experience, 
 says:— 
 
 “ When I practised the faculty myself, I used to find 
 my best successes were when I tried to forget (lose) 
 myself—my own identity—in that of the writer of the 
 letter or the owner of the article, and watch what 
 chancre of mood or state of circumstances and sur- 
 
 O 
 
 roundings seemed to come over my consciousness, as I 
 watched its feelings—from the outside, as it were. To 
 effect this systematically, I used to ask myself a regular 
 series of questions, such as. Am I elated, radiant, busy, 
 depressed, vexed, etc. ? and waited for the psychic 
 response. AVhere am I sitting ? What rooms has tlie 
 house ? What other occupants ? What is my health 
 like ? What my bodily feelings, complexion, features ? 
 What persons and friends are in my surroundings ? 
 Have I travelled in France ; in the East; in America ; 
 on the sea ? Have I any special emotion stamped on 
 my memory ? and so forth. 
 
 ■' In this way I used to get curious successes, which 
 lielped to convince my own mind that, in my case, I 
 
PSYCTTOMETETCAT- riJACTTCE 
 
 1G9 
 
 was really identifying myself by a kind of sympathy 
 with other personalities, as long as T kept myself in 
 an impersonal state as to my own ego. For instance, 
 I remember once a lady in my class handing me a 
 letter to psychometrise. I wrote down : ‘ 1 am an 
 educated University—Oxford—man, who is living in 
 some lodgings at a seaside place in the West, and 
 whose icsthetic feelings have been recently upset, as he 
 writes, by seeing clotlies dangling in a l)ack garden. 
 He is in a very morbid state, and perplexed in religious 
 difficulties.’ 
 
 “The above turned out to he all correct, hut the 
 lady had to write to her friend to discover the truth 
 as to the episode of the drying clothes, to which the 
 letter furnished no key, even if T had reail it.” While 
 the reading is excellent, T give the foregoing more 
 especially for the method of procedure. First, 
 getting empty of self; second, identifying oneself 
 with the cine ; third, watching the effect of feelings 
 on consciousness ; and fourthly, the process of mental 
 questioning, by which the thoughts are disciplined into 
 something like coherent sequence. There would then 
 he less confusion, Idurrcd feelings, and mixture of 
 things in description, which sometimes mar otherwise 
 good readings: such as, when there is a hopeless 
 attempt to describe the personal appearance of some¬ 
 one, what they are thinking or saying, and their 
 surroundings, something after this fashion:—“ 1 see 
 an elderly gentleman—he is worried al)out something— 
 he has an aquiline, perhaps a Greek, nose, would he 
 
170 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 better—he seems to be distressed about a son—he lias 
 white hair—yes, beard. (One is not sure whether the 
 father or the son has the white hair.) He is sitting at 
 a desk—it is a large room—he has grey or grey-blue 
 eyes—he is looking at a letter—the furniture in the 
 room is heavy and massive—he has a wart on his cheek 
 —and he is very angry with it (you are puzzled to 
 know whetlier the elderly gentleman is angry with the 
 wart, or the furniture, or the letter)—and so on. A 
 little concentration and mental discipline come in useful 
 here. The appearance should be described ; next, the 
 actions which arrest attention, the feelings, the son, 
 etc., all in due order ; and a fairly good reading would he 
 made out. This systematic classification will become 
 easy after a little careful practice in private. 
 
 We have seen how Professor Denton experimented, 
 and some of the processes adopted by the discoverer, 
 the late Dr Buchanan, to draw out the psychometric 
 powers of others; also the valuable suggestions and 
 experiences of Mr Thurstan. I have thrown out a 
 few suggestions from our own experience, and drawn 
 upon the personal experiences of others, as this seemed 
 the best way, in my judgment, to help others to develop 
 the psychometric faculty. We have shown what the 
 results were when the due, or object, was known to 
 both parties, the experimenter and the sensitive, when 
 known to one of them only, and when known to none 
 of them; also where the deductions pointed to pure 
 psychometric reading, and where the reading was 
 partly accounted for l)y other causes, or where the 
 
PSYCTIOMETIilCAL PltACTICK 
 
 171 
 
 reading was due to Thought-transference, plus some¬ 
 thing else, some play of Psychic Faculty,—all of which 
 should be helpful to the beginner. We liave shown 
 where the elements of failure can creep in, and a good 
 reading be spoiled by a positive assumption on the 
 part of the experimenter. 
 
 In concluding these remarks, it is well to point out 
 that the experimenter should, as far as possible, be a 
 recorder only of what takes place. He should never 
 attempt, directly or indirectly, to influence the 
 Psychometer. In the earlier experiments, it is per¬ 
 missible for the experimenter to know what the object 
 or clue is, and to watch the growth of the impressions 
 in the sensitive; and in a sympathetic way, while 
 avoiding anything approaching leading questions, 
 lead the sensitive to express her views freely, no 
 matter how foreign, or absurd, or peculiar they may 
 be; and, by noting what has l)een said about any 
 important particular, save the Psychometer from the 
 active state incidental to recording his or her im¬ 
 pressions. In readings of character, an orderly mode 
 of expression is suggested, such as reference to personal 
 appearance, to health, temperament, to intellectual 
 attainments, puldic and private influence, moral and 
 social relations, etc., etc. This need not be insisted on 
 at first: the main thing is to get all the impressions 
 which strike the sensitive, whether they be faint, 
 blurred, or strong and decided. After early experi¬ 
 ments and experience, it is best to deal with clues of 
 which neither the ex]>erimenter nor the sensitive knows 
 
172 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 anything; and the resitlts will prove most interesting 
 and convincing. 
 
 Many gifted Psychometers do not require the aid of 
 another; they prefer to retire into quietness with the 
 clue, and, while holding it in one hand, to write out 
 their impressions with the other. Others are able to 
 experiment in public as well as in private. The whole 
 resolves itself into a matter of experience, fitness, and 
 confidence begotten of good results. To attempt to 
 lay down definite rules would be absurd, as no two 
 persons are alike, nor are the conditions of trial in 
 any two cases alike; but I will repeat one sentence, 
 and it is this: “ The psychometrical process is one of 
 passive perception in an amiable and receptive state of 
 mind,” and whatever comes to one in that state should 
 be carefully noted, and, if need be, given effect to. 
 Let the whole subject be pursued—not in grave awe, 
 with fearsome fancies—in the healthy, quiet, and genial 
 way in which any other sense or faculty, with which 
 we have been endowed, can be usefully and honestly 
 employed. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 THOUGHT-TKANSFERENCE AND TELEPATHY 
 
 It is a, diiiicult matter to define what mind and thought 
 are, and no serious attempt will be made to elucidate 
 either. It will be sufficient for our purpose to take the 
 ordinary accepted views—to speak of mind as if some¬ 
 thing about which there can be no doubt, and of 
 thought as “ a mode of motion ” of that mind—an act of 
 thinkimj —as distinct from mere iloating notions arising 
 (without an act of thinking) from mere sense-impressions. 
 We are conscious that we have minds ; we are conscious 
 that we think and have thoughts; but we are not conscious 
 of how we are conscious, or of how we think ; and of 
 mind in its essential nature we are ignorant. Mind is 
 the name which we give to a complex series of mental 
 operations, and thought may be one or several of these 
 operations. 
 
 Mind may be an essential unity, but as far as we 
 know it—as broken through the prism of cerebration— 
 it is manifested in faculties, sentiments, propensities, 
 emotions, in consciousness, will, judgment, memories, 
 and what are called sense-impressions. These are but 
 
 173 
 
174 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 names for various modes of motion of tlie mind. Tliere 
 are higher planes still, now recognised as Psychic 
 Faculty, powers and emotions. The result is—as 
 demonstrated in the experiences of mankind—that mind 
 can act on different planes of consciousness, and that we 
 may not only be conscious of the thoughts which arise 
 within us, but of the thoughts which others think, 
 whether they be near us or miles away. 
 
 “ What is thought ? ” Thought is the act of thinkiwj 
 on one or more planes of consciousness. It may be 
 intellectual, spiritual, religious, emotional, intuitional; 
 it may also be a will-force with potential or actual 
 dynamical energy—according to its source and motive 
 from one or more powers or primary faculties of the 
 mind. And with this somewhat elastic definition of 
 what thought is, we may now consider: “ What are 
 Thought-transference and Telepathy ? ” Of the thouglits 
 transferred, it will be generally found—in Telepathy at 
 least—tha t it is the intense emotional tlioiujhts which are 
 transferre d and received. How, we do not exactly know. 
 As a matter of fact, all sorts and conditions of thought 
 can be transferred and perceived. 
 
 Thought - transference, from a psychical standpoint, 
 means “ the transmission of definite thoughts from one 
 mind to another, by means independent of the ordinary 
 organs of sense.” Such transfer of thought is evidenced 
 by two methods:— 
 
 (a) By actual experimentation, of which a few 
 instances will be given, and classed as “ Thought- 
 transference.” 
 
TllOUGHT-TKANSFEltENCE & TELErATIlY 175 
 
 (5) By the recurded experiences of uiaiikiiid—such 
 as the Indian Secret Mail, startling coincidences, im¬ 
 pressions, visions, warnings, premonitions, and other play 
 of Bsychic Faculty, by which knowledge is obtained in 
 a super-normal way. These are classed as “ Telepathy.” 
 
 Ill Thought-transference and Telepathy, thought is 
 transferred from mind to mind through sub-conscious to 
 conscious planes of being—time and distance presenting 
 no obstacles. This Thought-transference has ever been 
 and ever will be possible between human beings. It 
 transcends in marvellousness the wonders of wireless 
 telegrapliy and the latest achievements in telelectro- 
 graphy (writing from a distance by electricity) and 
 telelectruscopy (seeing at a distance by the aid of 
 electricity), just as these methods have surpassed the 
 “ magic stick ” of missionary fame, and the “ fiery torch,” 
 and beacon-lights of olden times, as media of thought- 
 transmission. 
 
 Thought-transference and Telepathy are the same— 
 with a difrerence. I will treat them as distinct. 
 Thought-transference covers all inducedand experimental 
 phenomena, such as thought - reading, mind - reading, 
 and includes Fsychometry—a science by which, through 
 a due, one seeks to be placed in touch with another mind, 
 conditions or surroundings — palmistry and crystal- 
 gazing, and all other indirect forms of Thought- 
 transference. 
 
 By what is known as Telepathy, thought is conveyed 
 from mind to mind, unsought and unexpectedly, but is 
 nevertheless transferred. Thought-transference ;ind 
 
176 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 Telepathy are alike in this—the sending and receiving 
 instruments are the invisible nervauric and psychic 
 forces in man, and are not mechanical. 
 
 In Thought-transference we have a key to Telepathy, 
 and in the latter, which is the more important, we have 
 all phases of psychical phenomena which demonstrate 
 a Psychic Self in man, and exhibit Psychic Faculty. 
 
 For Thought-transference andTelepathy we must have 
 senders as well as receivers of thought, etc., and these 
 are called “ agent ’’ and “ percipient.” 
 
 Agent, the transmitter of thougtit—incarnate or 
 discarnate—who consciously or otherwise projects the 
 thought or sends the message. 
 
 Percipient, the receiver of the message, which may be 
 direct, indirect, clear or symbolical, but always appealing 
 to consciousness. 
 
 As a matter of fact, there may be one or more agents 
 sending, and there may be one or several percipients 
 receiving, the message. 
 
 Another fact is that, however much the agent and 
 the percipient may differ in age, sex, intelligence, and 
 in tastes, they must be and are en rapport on one or 
 more planes of consciousness, in order to make the 
 transmission and the receipt of the message possible. 
 It has been observed as a frequent occurrence, that 
 persons most in sympathy—living together or parted 
 for a time by other causes—have like thoughts occurring 
 to them spontaneously. This side-light indicates the 
 more favourable conditions under which Thought-trans¬ 
 ference is possible. 
 
THOUGHT-TKANSFEEENCE & TELEPATHY 177 
 
 Tliought-tmnsfereiice, although it covers all induced 
 transfer, etc., must not he confounded with thought¬ 
 reading, musculation, and platform tricks, where a 
 person is led to perform some little action, such as 
 the finding of a pin, reading the number of a watch, 
 or that of a bank-note, by the aid of “ unconscious 
 nervo-muscular action ” and by “ psychonosticism ”— 
 that is, the accomplishment of these things without 
 contact, but with the aid of a “ silent code,” and by 
 such other methods as are employed by conjurers and 
 public entertainers generally. These things being done 
 by means of prearranged code-signs, oral or silent, move¬ 
 ments, Morse’s alphabet—by which the message desired 
 to be communicated is given through the entertainer to 
 the stage Sybil—have nothing whatever to do with real 
 Thought-transference and may be at once dismissed. 
 
 Closer, however, to Thought-transference are many 
 of those experiments with which we were familiar in 
 pre-hypnotic days, in the sixties, i.e. community of sense 
 experiments, of taste, feeling, and of vision, etc., which 
 were demonstrated with the aid of a good operator 
 and a suitable subject, as explained in Human 
 Magnetism, or How to Hypnotise. But as abnorm;d 
 states, such as artificial somnambulism, trance auto¬ 
 matism,^ do not enter at present into my consideration 
 of the subject, they need only be mentioned in con- 
 
 * A great many ex})erinieuts in Tliouglit-transference were 
 successfully conducted by tlie late Professor Sidgwick, Mrs 
 Sidgwick, Mr Frank Podniore, Mr G. A. Smith, and others, with 
 hypnotised subjects, all elements of error carefully eliminated. 
 See I’lvceediiKjs S.l’.lt., vol. viii. 
 
 12 
 
178 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 sidering experiments between persons in normal states, 
 and laid aside without further comment. 
 
 Experimentation, in the family circle or in a friendly 
 seance, will be best conducted from the simple to 
 the complex, from “ muscle-reading ” to Tliought-trans- 
 ference pure and simple, from the “ willing game ” 
 to the “ thought-reading ” of platform experts. These 
 are experiments based on toibcli, coupled in some cases 
 with conscious and unconscious mental suggestion, the 
 latter being the principal agent or factor in Thought- 
 transference experimentation. 
 
 By the touch process, directions “ what to do ” are 
 given by the agent to the percipient. Although that 
 direction may not be deliberately given, it is given on 
 the well-known basis that all bodily action is influenced 
 by thoughts. So in these experiments directions are 
 given by touch, and thus the sensitive knows whether 
 to go here or there, to rise up or to look down. It is 
 the same whether the finding of a pin, or the hole the 
 pin was in, or some other article ; or performing some 
 more complicated operation, such as taking a watch 
 out of a gentleman’s pocket, a bunch of keys out of 
 another pocket, winding a watch, reading a number, 
 telling the time, and then handing the watch to a lady; 
 or perhaps going through some imaginary murder 
 scene, depicting all the details; it matters not what, 
 the process is the same, i.e. direction by touch. While 
 this may be permissible in early experimentation to 
 give confidence to agents and percipients alike, it cannot 
 be correctly classed as Thought-transference. 
 
TUOUailT-TlIANSrERENCE & TELEPATHY 179 
 
 Two or iiKn'e persons can engage in experimenting; 
 as a rule it is best for two to be selected to carry out 
 the experiments, the one acting as the sender, and 
 the other the receiver. The agent should concentrate 
 his mind on the object, figures, colours, or whatever 
 he wishes to transfer. If he be wise, he will form a 
 mental vision or picture of it in his mind’s eye. This 
 visualising of the picture, accompanied with the interest 
 of projecting the thought or thoughts which the mental 
 image represents, forms the best mode of operating 
 from the agent’s side. He should certainly concentrate 
 his mind on the object in view, but there must be no 
 straining — no corrugations-of-the-massive-brow-with- 
 deep-thougbt effects—to attain success in the experi¬ 
 ment. The percipient has the easier part to perform, 
 and with a little practice soon does it perfectly. 
 Passivity is a sine quu non. Anxiety for effects spoils 
 everything. To sit in a quiet, receptive, easy, relax 
 posture should not be a difticult task, and it is in this 
 state impressions are best received; indeed, it is only 
 in allied receptive states the man under the threshold 
 —the Psychic Self—communicates with his fellows, by 
 being sympatbetically attuned to him. The agent 
 should be positive and alert, know bis own mind, the 
 wishes of those about bira, and able to concentrate his 
 attention on the work in hand. To visualise an object 
 or colour or picture for two or three minutes is not 
 an easy task, but still it can be done. It is remarkable 
 what can be accomplished by ])ractice. Perhaps the 
 easier method in earlier experimentation is for the 
 
180 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 agent to fix his eyes on the design, figni'e, or other 
 object, and think of tliat while holding it before him. 
 
 The percipient or medium, blimlfolded if need be, 
 must be so situated as not to see the object, which he 
 (or she) should perceive only in some intuitive or 
 super-normal way. It is a great advantage to the 
 sensitive to be blindfolded, and even to have the ears 
 stopped, so as not to be attracted or distracted by sights, 
 sounds, and remarks. Success in those experiments 
 will depend on the ability and practice of the agent, 
 and also the quiet receptivity of the percipient. All 
 others present at such a seance should co-operate in 
 making these conditions as perfect as possible under 
 the circumstances. A screen can bo placed between 
 agent and medium if desired—not as a guarantee of 
 good faith, but to facilitate the correct carrying out 
 of the experiments. 
 
 Other experiments of interest which can be carried 
 out in the social family circle may be called “ guessing 
 experiments.” Some member of the circle leaves 
 the room; the rest decide by signs on the selection 
 of something in the room—a book, an ornament, 
 a cup, a fire-iron, or other article. The article being 
 mutually decided on, all in the room quietly think of 
 it as a mental picture. The sensitive is called into the 
 room, and upon entering stands just inside the door, 
 closes his (or her) eyes, and gives way to passivity. 
 LTpon receiving an impression (which often “ pops 
 into the mind ” with vivid suddenness), expression is 
 given to it. The probability is the article named will 
 
THOUGHT-TRANSFERENCE .'t TELEPATHY 181 
 
 be the one which has been selected. Various meinhers 
 of the company can act in turn as sensitives, and 
 failing or succeeding may add to the charm of a 
 pleasant evening. 
 
 The most critical, trying, and yet the most satisfactory 
 experiments in Thought-transference are those in which 
 a simple design, or geometrical figure, is transferred. 
 The percipient, blindfolded, sits at a table, on which 
 lie paper and pencil. The agent has had placed in 
 his hands a design, which should he a simple one— 
 oval, square, oblong, octagonal—a figure, or perhaps a 
 letter of the alphabet. The agent should stand behind 
 the psychic or percipient, and say “ Ready,” and then 
 gaze intently for a minute or so on the design selected. 
 As soon as the percipient feels or sees the impression, 
 she or he will remove the bandage, and proceed to 
 draw the design which appears to be the probable 
 one. Should the design of the receiver resemble that 
 of the sender, there is reasonable evidence of the 
 pos.sible transmission of thought. 
 
 Tliere are many less difficult methods of testing and 
 experimenting. The following informal method will 
 prove of interest. Make up the mind to influence 
 another by keeping the main object steadily in view, 
 but say nothing about it until the experiment has 
 been carefully carried out. All proposed Thought- 
 transference experiments should be carefully noted 
 beforehand and afterwards, and the intention and the 
 results carefully compared. 
 
 More serious experimentation can be taken up by 
 
182 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 tliose who have been found to be “ good gnessers ” and 
 good agents; and in due time, numbers, pictures, and 
 colours can be thought of and transmitted. Next in 
 order and interest will be found the transmission of 
 words ; brief expressions and historical incidents; the 
 appearances and the names of noted personages—dead 
 or living. Such experiments can be carried out in all 
 cases where there is a good agent, and an equally good 
 percipient. These experiments will cover a good deal 
 of ground, beside suggesting many more. Transference 
 of sensations of pain, cold, heat; of mental emotions of 
 grief, joy, of scenes of suffering—-all come within the 
 range of more serious experimentation, but are usually 
 more vividly realised in actual telepathic experi¬ 
 ences. 
 
 It is not so much my intention to suggest experi¬ 
 ments as to refer to what has been successfully 
 accomplished by the Committee of the Society for 
 Psychical Research, and also by many persons in 
 private life. These experiments, and many others, 
 can be reproduced and demonstrated afresh wherever 
 are found investigators with scientific tastes and correct 
 sympathies towards the evolution of the Psychic 
 Faculties. 
 
 As the outcome of some experience in this range of 
 inquiry, I would suggest that all Thought-transference 
 experimentation be conducted in a comfortably heated 
 room, and under such circumstances as are as little 
 calculated as possible to bring into unpleasant activity 
 —by unduly marked heat, cold, or through imperfect 
 
TITOUGHT-TRANSFERENCE & TELEPATHY 18;- 
 
 ventilation—sense-impressions. It will also be found 
 beneficial to forbid all positive controversy and con¬ 
 tradictions ; all present should take a lively and 
 sympathetic interest in the experiments, whether 
 successful, partial failures, or otherwise. By the 
 exercise of a fair amount of genial care the best 
 foundations for success are laid, and partial successes 
 pave the way for distinctly good and definite results. 
 The obstinate muddler—and he is to be found in all 
 ranks of life—who pooh-poohs everything outside his 
 own. experience, and without examination, had best 
 remain at home on the nights when Thought-trans¬ 
 ference becomes the subject of practical investigation. 
 
 There is no form of Thought-transference experi¬ 
 mentation so well calculated to illustrate Telepathy as 
 tliose in which distance is a marked feature. Such 
 experiments have been conducted from time to time, 
 under satisfactory conditions, and the following—one of 
 many available examples—will illustrate the nature of 
 these experiments. Mr Frank Podmore, in tlie course of 
 a series of articles on “ The Natural and Supernatural,” 
 in the Grand Majaz'me, gives the following:— 
 
 “ The Rev. A. Glardon and a friend, Mrs M., agreed 
 to carry on a series of experiments in the transference 
 of mental pictures at a fixed hour on certain days ; Mr 
 Glardon being throughont the series in Tour de Peilz, 
 Canton Vaud, and Mrs M. being first in Florence, then 
 in Torre Pel lice, Italy, and finally in Corsica. Mr 
 Glardon, at the hour previously arranged, would draw 
 a diiigram or picture and concentrate his attention on 
 
184 
 
 SEEING THE TNVISTT.LE 
 
 it.; the percipient at the same hour would sit, pencil in 
 hand, waiting to receive impressions. Ten experiments 
 in all were made under these conditions; and in all 
 cases the percipient’s impression bore some resemblance 
 to the agent’s drawing. Four of the most successful 
 are here reproduced. The letter ‘ 0 ’ signifies Mr 
 Glardon’s original drawing, and ‘ E ’ the percipient’s 
 reproduction.” 
 
 “The two ladies who conducted the experiments 
 next to be quoted had considerable success in previous 
 similar trials.” 
 
 It is to be noted that, in the first case, there was 
 an auditory transference of thought,—fragments of the 
 word “ candlestick,” and the sound of a train. In the 
 second experiment, the impression was visual. The 
 agent, Miss D., began her letter on 27th December, 
 11‘30 p.m., and continued after the conclusion of each 
 trial. It was not posted until the 30th, when the 
 experiments were finished. 
 
 “ 11.30 p.m. 
 
 “ Dear K.,—As you know, we agreed a few days ago 
 to try some experiments in Thought-transference—to 
 begin to-night at 11 p.m.—alternate nights to think 
 of an object and a diagram. So to-night I fixed my 
 attention about 11.4 p.m. on a brass candlestick with a 
 lighted candle in it. I feel the result will not be very 
 satisfactory, for I found difficulty in concentrating my 
 mind, and not having decided previously what object to 
 think of, I looked over the mantelpiece first, and 
 rejected two or three things before fixing on the 
 
THOUGHT-TRANSFEEENCE & TELEPATHY 185 
 
 THOrGHT-TRANSFERENCE TRACINGS. 
 
SEEING THE TNYTSTELE 
 
 ISG 
 
 candlestick. A very noisy train was also distracting 
 niy attention, so I wonder if yon will think of that. 
 
 “ Deceinher 29th, 11,40 p.m.—I hope this will be 
 more successful. I found to-night I could bring up a 
 much clearer mental picture of the object—a small 
 Bristol ware jv/j, about six inches high, the lower part 
 being brownish red, of a metallic coppery colour, the 
 upper part having a hand of reddish and light purple 
 flowers of a somewhat conventional rose pattern— 
 handle greenish. I do not think you have seen this 
 jug, as it has been put away in a cupboard and only 
 lately brought out. I saw the jug chiefly by liright 
 firelight.” 
 
 The percipient, Miss C., who was in London, W.C. 
 district, writes on December 29th :—■ 
 
 “ Dear R.,—I have nothing very satisfactory to 
 report. I am sorry to say I quite forgot on the 27th 
 about our projected experiments until I was just 
 getting into bed, when I suddenly remembered, and 
 just then I heard a train making a great noise, and as 
 1 have never noticed it like that before, I wondered if 
 it was one of your trains. I could not fix my mind on 
 any object, but clock, watch, bath all flitted past, and 
 the circle of firelight in the front room ; the only word 
 that came to me was ‘ sand,’ and a sound like k or q at 
 beginning of a word (you know l as often hear the 
 name of the object as see the thing itself). I stopped, 
 for it seemed ridiculous, but yoa must have attracted 
 my attention, for just after T stopped I heard the clock 
 hei’e strike the half-hour, and found next morning it 
 
TITOlTaTIT-TRANSFERKNCE & TELEPATHY 187 
 
 was twenty minutes fast, so when I ‘ suddenly remem¬ 
 bered ’ it must have been just after eleven. 
 
 “December 29tb, 11.15 p.m.—The first thing that 
 came into my mind was a sponge, but I think that was 
 suggested by the sound of water running in the batli- 
 room; and next I had more distinctly an impression of 
 a reddisli metallic lustre, and I thougiit it must he the 
 Moorish brass tray on May’s mantelpiece ; hut at last 
 1 saw quite distinctly a small jug, of a brownish metal¬ 
 lic appearance below, with above a white l)and with 
 coloured flowers, lilac and crimson, on it. I can’t be 
 sure what it was like at the top, for that seemed to he 
 in shadow, and seemed to be darkish—perhaps like the 
 bottom, but I saw no metallic gleam. I don’t remem¬ 
 ber anything like this among May’s things, Imt the 
 impression was so vivid I describe it.” 
 
 “ The distance between agent and percipient in this 
 series was not less than twelve miles. It is important 
 to remark that neither lady saw the account written 
 by the other until after the conclusion of the series of 
 experiments. The original letters, in their envelopes, 
 have been handed to us.” 
 
 An excellent, well-anthenticated case of long-distance 
 Thought-transference was reported in the Daily 
 B.qircss, 17th July 1903. This was conducted in the 
 offices of the Review of Reviews, before a committee 
 of six, among whom were Dr Wallace and Mr W. 
 T. Stead, and the messages were sent from London 
 to Nottingham, a distance of 110 miles. I cannot 
 here reproduce all the details. 'I’he evidence was 
 
188 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 conclusive, showing that the thing was actually 
 accomplished—thought transmitted 110 miles. It is 
 within the range of the possible that in the near 
 future thought may be deliberately transferred even 
 greater distances. Given the requisite conditions— 
 why not ? As we shall see later on, thought—or, at 
 least, intense emotions—have been transmitted and 
 received over much greater distances than have yet 
 been recorded of Thought-transference experiments. 
 
 Thought-transference is by no means limited to 
 conveyance from one mind to that of another. Thought 
 can, either by itself as a force, or by calling into play 
 certain unknown forces, act upon material substances, 
 such as photographic plates and delicately constructed 
 instruments. 
 
 In psychic photography we have evidence of the 
 power of thought to affect a photographic plate, as 
 experimentation on the following lines will prove. 
 The results may not always be satisfactory, even when 
 there is “ something ” on the plate “which should not 
 be there.” Very frequently there is nothing on the 
 the plates. But while this is so, there are very few 
 persons who have experimented without being re¬ 
 warded with “ thought pictures,” and with actual 
 photographs or recognisable portraits ; for, in due time, 
 there follows generally some recompense for the time 
 and energy expended in the pursuit. Those thus 
 engaged can make the results obtained cheerful or 
 serious, according to their dispositions. The usual 
 course is to get a packet of reliable quarter plates, and 
 
TttOUGHT-TEANSFERENCE & TELEPATHY 189 
 
 have them marked and put up in pairs in light proof 
 wrappers or envelopes. These plates, thus protected, 
 are held in two pair of hands, somewhat in the following 
 fashion. Suppose the holders to be a lady and a 
 gentleman, the lady extends her left hand for the 
 plates; the gentleman then places one hand below hers 
 and one upon the top of the plates, and the lady places 
 her right hand on the top of his. Sitting comfortably 
 opposite one another, they hold the plates thus for a 
 quarter of an hour, and, if not too fatigued, hold 
 another pair of plates in the same way for another 
 quarter of an hour. There may be several parties in 
 the room similarly engaged. They may chat, have 
 music, but it will be well in the main to keep their 
 minds on the object of their sitting—that of obtaining 
 Thought or Psychic Photographs. 
 
 At the conclusion of the sitting the host or hostess 
 should gather all the plates, and retire with a friend 
 and develop them slowly in a weak developer, and in 
 five minutes—if need be, ten—look for results. Many 
 things will happen. There will be nothing detectable 
 on some plates, there will be dark and light splashes 
 on others, and either something resembling a face or a 
 curious medley of inartistic faces on a few; possibly 
 here and there a distinctly recognisable portrait. 
 
 I had several packets of quarter plates put up for me 
 by a local photographer, who also, in the earlier stages, 
 developed the plates for me. He was a practical 
 photographer, and naturally very sce[)tical, but he was 
 astonished at the results. He could not explain them, 
 
190 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 and at last confessed that, from a photographer’s point 
 of view, there were things on the plates “which should 
 not be there,” hut how they came there was to him a 
 complete puzzle. 
 
 I am inclined to think that thought had at times 
 sometimes little or nothing to do with the results, as 
 the heat generated from the holders’ hands might be 
 sufficient to account for much winch appeared on the 
 plates, but for what seemed like faces—artistic and 
 inartistic—and writings and portraits, no caloric or 
 thermal explanation will suffice. The evidence for 
 thought photography does not, however, rest with 
 my attempts, but is represented by a multitude of 
 records with which psychical researchers, at home and 
 abroad, are perfectly familiar. 
 
 As an illustration of thought photography. Dr 
 Baraduc, a well-known savant, made a communication 
 to the AcadSmie dc Medccinc in May 1896, in which 
 he detailed a variety of experiments, and affirmed that 
 he had succeeded in photographing thought. He ex¬ 
 hibited numerous photographs in proof His usual 
 mode of procedure was simple enough. The person 
 whose thought was to he photographed entered into a 
 dark room, placed his hand on a photographic plate, 
 and thought intently of the object to be produced. It 
 is stated by those who have examined Dr Baraduc’s 
 photographs that some of them looked very cloudy, 
 but a few of them were comparatively distinct, and 
 represented the features of persons and the outlines 
 of things. Dr Baraduc went further : he declared that 
 
THOUGHT-TliANSFERENCE & TELEPATHY 191 
 
 it was possible to produce a photograpliic image at a 
 great distance. In his communication to the Acadeniie 
 dc MMecine, he relates that Dr I strati, when starting 
 for Campana, declared that ho would appear on a 
 photographic plate in the possession of his friend 
 M. Has len, at Pucliarest, on 4th August 1893. M. 
 Hasden (at Bucharest) went to bed with a photographic 
 plate at his feet and another at his head. Dr Istrati 
 slept tliat night at Campana, a distance of 300 kilo¬ 
 metres from Bucharest, hut before closing his eyes 
 he willed with all his might that his image should 
 appear on the photograiihic plate of his friend. Ac¬ 
 cording to Dr Baraduc, that marvel was accomplished. 
 Journalists who have examined the portrait in question 
 state that it consists of a kind of luminous spot on the 
 photographic plate, in tlie midst of which can be traced 
 the profile of a man. The London Standnrd ami the 
 French and British Spiritualist and Research journals 
 called special attention at the time to the experiments 
 of Dr Baraduc. 
 
 Since I first called attention to Dr Baraduc’s dis¬ 
 coveries in “ Human Alagnetism,” that gentleman has 
 lieen in London, giving demonstrations with his Diomrlre, 
 practically substantiating all T have advanced concern¬ 
 ing emanations, vibrations by the power of thought. 
 
 Experiments in thought photography are generally 
 exhausting. Impressions are made, and how the 
 portraits of children or a child or friends get on the 
 plate is not a greater marvel than that the thoughts 
 of the experimenter should appear there. Dr Baraduc 
 
192 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 is not the only notable person who has experimented 
 in this way. Spirit photography has at various times 
 arrested attention ; but it soon became obvious to many 
 experimenters that many of the spirit photos, although 
 genuine, were not the photographs of spirits, but 
 represented the projected thoughts or mental portraits 
 emanating from the sitters. Of course it is rank heresy 
 to say this in some quarters. It should be stated, 
 I think, that credit is due to the late Mr Julius 
 Emner, of North-West Washington, U.S.A., a practical 
 photographer, whose experiments in thought photog¬ 
 raphy succeeded in securing undoubted thought 
 pictures. Spirit photography gained some prominence 
 in spiritualistic circles in Paris, London, New York, 
 and Boston for some years, and ran the usual gamut of 
 criticism. After much sifting of evidence, it was made 
 quite clear that there toas a residumn of genuine lihoto- 
 graphs of a most unusual character—usually character¬ 
 ised as “spirit photos”—representing, in the main, 
 “a departed.” Mr Julius Emner was, however, of 
 the opinion that all such photographs were “ thought 
 pictures.” 
 
 He said:—“ While some of the most eminent English¬ 
 men of science are at work on the problem, I have my 
 own theory; it is that the conductor of telepathic 
 force is the luminous ether which exists throughout 
 all space—-that the mind or thoughts set up an atomic 
 disturbance in the brain, and these are carried through 
 space to a receiving medium by an especial affinity, 
 unknown and unexplainable.” 
 
TTTOUflHT-TRANSFERENOE & TELEPATHY 103 
 
 Mr Emner had abundant proof of the reality of 
 psycluc pliotography, hut in all cases adhered to his 
 theory that he not only photographed the sitter, hut 
 his thoughts. He found several good sitters for this 
 purpose, generally ladies, who could concentrate their 
 minds on an image, face, or person—living or dead— 
 and the thought ])ictures appeared on the plates. 
 
 Another experimenter in this peculiar phase of 
 Thought-transference may be mentioned. Commandant 
 Tegrad, who reports, in the Messenger (Hecemhor 1900), 
 a series of experiments in thought photography. This 
 gentleman had also weighed the matter in his mind, and 
 came to the conclusion that if thoughts—a face, or a 
 person—could be photographed, why not something else 
 thought about. And he proceeded to test this idea. 
 
 “ The first thought radiation was produced by me,” 
 he says, “on May 27th, 187G, in the presence of M. 
 Aviron of Tours, and it was a hottle ’' 
 
 An account was given in the Aniatenr Photographer 
 (Novend)er 1895) of a series of interesting experiments 
 in thought photography, made by Mr W. Inglis Rogers in 
 the surgery of Dr Albert Bowhay. Mr Rogers believed 
 that thought could he photogi’aphed, and visualised a 
 simple object for that purpose. While in the light he 
 gazed for a minutii at a postage-stamp, and then went 
 into a darkened room and gazed steadily at a sensitive 
 plate for twenty minutes. On the plate being develo})ed, 
 two images of the postage-stamp were plainly visible. 
 Why two, when Mr Rogers was thinking of one ? The 
 thought was of one, but two distinct images as im- 
 
 13 
 
194 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 pressed on each eye were reproduced. Mr Eogers 
 arrived at the conclusion that this was a thought 
 photograph. Dr Bowliay was, however, of opinion tliat 
 as no photograph can be taken without light, the image 
 of the postage-stamp was put on the sensitive plate by 
 the light originally absorbed when Mr Rogers was 
 looking at the stamp. This experiment has other 
 bearings, no doubt; but what we have to do with here is, 
 the fact that the picture thought of got on the plate all 
 the same. We also know that pictures get on plates in 
 the absence of all light, which the practical photographer 
 regards as essential. Thought force, cerebral force, 
 brain waves, undulations or rays therefrom, may or may 
 not be identical with light, but they are adequate for 
 psychic photography. That the camera records that 
 which is invisible to the human eye is a fact which even 
 a moderate acquaintance with the art will make clear ; 
 but the foregoing experiment, suggesting that the human 
 eye itself can be a camera, causes one to pause and 
 think of the many possible powers which may be 
 wrapped up in the mortal coil of humanity, and of 
 which we still know little or nothing at all. 
 
 Dr Alfred Russell Wallace, F.R.S., in an article which 
 he contril)uted to an American paper some twenty-five 
 years ago, describing the crucial test of photographing 
 materialised spirit-forms, dealt with other forms of 
 photography. He proceeded to give testimonies to 
 show that “ clearly recognisable likenesses of departed 
 friends have often been obtained.” With reference to 
 himself, the Doctor said he had a sitting with the late 
 
TTIOUGirT-TEANSFERENCE & TELErATHY 195 
 
 Mr Hudson, “ and obtained a most remarkable likeness 
 of a deceased relative.” 
 
 Speaking a quarter of a century later, the learned 
 Doctor said:— 
 
 “ What are termed spirit photographs—the appear¬ 
 ance on a photographic plate of other figures besides 
 those of the sitters, often those of deceased friends of 
 the sitters—have now been known for more than twenty 
 years. Many competent observers have tried experi¬ 
 ments successfully; but the facts seemed too extraordi¬ 
 nary to carry conviction to any but the experimenters 
 themselves, and any allusion to the subject has usually 
 been met with a smile of incredulity or a confident 
 assertion of imposture. It mattered not that most of 
 the witnesses were experienced photographers who took 
 pi'ecautions which rendered it absolutely impossible 
 that they were imposed upon. The most incredible 
 suppositions were put forth by those who only had 
 ignorance and incredulity to qualify them as judges, in 
 order to show that deception was possible. And now 
 we have another competent witness, Mr d’raill Taylor, 
 for many years editor of the British Journal of Photorj- 
 raphij, who, taking every precaution that his lifelong 
 experience could suggest, yet obtained ou his plates 
 figures which, so far as normal photogra])hy is concerned, 
 ought not to have been there.” 
 
 1 have known of several persons of repute who have 
 within the last five years obtained recognisable photos 
 of departed friends; but whether these ])ictures were 
 actually of the “ living dead,” or were the conscious or 
 
19G 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 unconscious thought projections of the sitters or of the 
 photographer, will have to be determined on the merits 
 of each case. Many of the photographs certified to be 
 genuine by the late Mr Traill Taylor would have no 
 value in my judgment as “ spirit photographs,” while 
 others would. 
 
 One perplexity in connection with the subject is this. 
 “ If thought can be photographed, why should some 
 people have to wait so long to obtain the desired result ? ” 
 Dr Berks Hutchinson, well known in medical, masonic, 
 and psychical circles in London, Southampton, and 
 Cape Town, with whom I am acquainted, tried one 
 photographer after another for twenty years or more, 
 with either none or very 'mixed results ; but be at last 
 obtained, through a well-known London photographer, 
 the photographs of three departed relatives. One of 
 them had never been photographed in life, and two of the 
 others had died in South Africa since Dr H. left Cape 
 Town. Dr Berks Hutchinson and his relatives were 
 satisfied with the genuineness of these spirit photo¬ 
 graphs. The wliole evidence, and the story in their 
 favour, is certainly very strong. 
 
 Test after test experiments have been made with 
 both professional and amateur photographers, both 
 at home and abroad, and by those well qualified to 
 get at the facts. In fact, the evidence for these 
 unusual appearances on sensitive plates, gathered from 
 a variety of independent and far-distant sources, 
 ranging over a period of thirty years, and within my 
 recollection, is very great. 
 
THOUGHT-TEANSFEEENCE & TELEPATHY 197 
 
 The late Traill Taylor, wlieii editor of 'The British 
 Journal of Fkototjraphij, said, with reference to Photog¬ 
 raphers : “ who (experimenters) all agree that with 
 everything under their own control, phantasmal figures, 
 besides those of the sitter, appeared on the plates, 
 without any apparent or conceivable mechanical or 
 chemical cause.” 
 
 Well, the bed-rock of fact remains. Beyond the 
 shadow of a doubt, phantasmal figures besides those of 
 the sitter, representing living persons and sometimes 
 a “ ileparted, ”—frequently nothing more than an ap¬ 
 parently crude outline of a picture, print, star, blotch, 
 etc.—“ without any apparent or conceivable mechanical 
 or chemical cause,” do get on the plates (in the 
 presence of certain persons called psychics or mediums). 
 The genuineness and the reality is admitted. But to 
 call all these “ spirit photographs ” wa)uld he a stretch 
 of reason, not to say of the powers of imagination. 
 Tlie evidence in favour of thought pictures seems 
 to me to he more abundantly sustained than that of 
 spirit photography, in the course of these exjieriments. 
 
 Dr H. A. Beid, a distinguished xissociate IMemher 
 of the S.r.K. in California, U.S.A., as a result of his 
 investigations into the phenomena, published a hrorlmre 
 — Unseen Faces riiotoijraphcd —which furnishes a re¬ 
 markable amount of evidence in favour of these 
 photographs. There were many recognisable photos, 
 and a host of others unrecognisable. The striking 
 thing about most of the.se was, that they were of the 
 psychometric order. That is, they were related to the 
 
198 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 district or place from whence they emanated. Pliila- 
 delphia, for instance, furnished Indian and Quaker 
 faces. Sycamore Grove, a once infamous place outside 
 Los Angeles, Cal., produced bleared and maudlin 
 faces, and gross and positive indecencies; while there 
 were some pictures of living persons, known to the 
 sitters, but not to the photographer, and therefore 
 never photographed in a normal way. These were 
 photographs of doubles, or thought pictures. The 
 bulk, however, of the portraits were those of deceased 
 persons. 
 
 The late Eev. Mr Haweis, the great London preacher, 
 and versatile Incumbent of St James’ Church, Maryle- 
 bone, in an article contributed to the Daily Graphic 
 (22ud June 1892), got the editor to insert photographs 
 of the Eev. Stainton Moses, M.A. Oxon., Professor, 
 University College, London, and many years editor of 
 Liglit, and that of a lady, to illustrate the article. 
 By the Professor’s chair stood an unrecognised “ psychic 
 figure,” and with the lady that of a gentleman departed. 
 Whether this was a thought portrait or not is by no 
 means certain, but the facts are as related. This lady, 
 unknown to the photographer or anyone else, longed 
 for a photograph of her father, and wished to have him 
 taken with an old and peculiar black cap which he 
 usually wore in earth-life. When the plate was 
 developed, there surely was the portrait of the father, 
 wearing his black cap. The test was most satisfactory. 
 What she thought of came on the plate. But if we in 
 the body can thus project thought, why not those out 
 
THOUGHT-TKANSKERENCE & TELEPATHY 199 
 
 of the body ? In this case both daughter and father 
 may have co-operated psychically, and between them 
 produced the desired result. 
 
 I must now leave this part of the subject of Thought- 
 transference, with the conviction that not only can 
 thought be transferred from mind to mind experi¬ 
 mentally, but it can also be transferred from the mind 
 of the incarnate to a sensitive photographic plate. 
 If this be granted, it is not either impossible 
 nor improbable that a thought picture from “ a 
 departed ” may also be transferred, as many sane 
 persons have reason to believe. 1 thirdc, however, it 
 is only right to say, that the bulk of accepted “ spirit 
 photographs,” so-called, I have seen, iieither requires 
 “spirits” nor Thought-transference to account for 
 them,—nothing, in fact, save the misapplied genius of 
 the photographer, and those misguided individuals who 
 have lent their aid. It is only right to say, that from 
 Mumler in Boston to David Duguid in Glasgow 
 genuine p sychic pictures have been obtained under 
 the strictest t est conditions. 
 
 However, before dismissing Thought-transference, 
 attention may be called to the supposed action of 
 thought on inanimate objects. During the last seventy 
 years various delicate instruments have Iteeii made 
 for this purpose, ranging from that of Bridie’s 
 rendulum in 1838—the oscillations of which could 
 be commanded by will—to Rutter’s Magnetoscope of 
 the old prc-hypnotic days. I.ager, of London, imjiroved 
 on that, and the experiments were tested and voiudied 
 
20U 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 for ill 1855 by so high an authority as Durand de 
 Gros, and remained practically unaffected by I’rofessor 
 Carpenter’s criticisms later on. Since then various 
 French experimenters liave succeeded in producing 
 various kinds of apparatus capable of registering 
 what M. de Eochas, in his work Les Effluves Odiques, 
 termed “ human radiant energy.” Perhaps the best 
 known of these instruments is Dr Baraduc’s Biometre, 
 which appears to be an adaptation of the Magnetometre 
 invented by the late Abbe Fortin, and improved upon 
 by Chardin. (Dr Baraduc also used for a time one of 
 the earlier instruments of M. d’Odiardi.) The instru¬ 
 ment is used by Baraduc in registering the state of the 
 patient’s health, and the dynamic energy of will, i.e. 
 thought in action. This is Dr Baradiic’s discovery, 
 the particulars of which are published in liis book. 
 La Force Vitale, Paris, 1893. It was a natural 
 deduction, that if thought—the dynamic energy of 
 will—could affect photographic plates and produce 
 “ pyschicones,” and more or less distinct portraits, it 
 could also affect a delicately constructed instrument. 
 
 M. Savary de Eovigo, an inventor and electrician 
 residing in London, has produced many delicate instru¬ 
 ments for the purpose of registering subtile forces. 
 Take one instrument as an example. It appears to 
 consist of a brass pillar, from which is suspended a 
 silk thread, and to which a small aluminium needle 
 is attached. Near the needle is the segment of a circle, 
 on wliich there is a graduated scale. The whole is 
 enclosed in a glass case, and is in this way protected 
 
THOUGHT-Tr.ANSFEKENCE & TELEPATHY 201 
 
 from atmospheric vibrations and contact. Approach, 
 point the finger to it, and the needle rises, defies the 
 law of gravitation, and indicates that something has 
 passed from yon. The needle moves in proportion to 
 the intensity of thought. You can will the needle to 
 go from you or approach you, or you can hold it b y 
 thought wherever you want it. Two persons in 
 sympathy could produce more marked etf'ects by the 
 exercise of their united wills; while others, directing 
 their thoughts in opposite channels, would cause the 
 needle to act in an erratic manner, but it would finally 
 respond to the stronger will. 
 
 The inventor is careful to insulate the instrument 
 from electrical effects; for he believes that thought 
 affects the needle, and that it does so by the medium 
 of “electricity” which ju'oceeds from the human body. 
 There is not much to choose between the “ vital force” 
 of Baraduc, the “ electricity ” of M. de Bovigo, and the 
 “ radiant energy ” and the “ cerebral forces ” of others. 
 The main thing to boar in mind is, that the needles 
 are moved, and the instruments register the force, as 
 directed by the thoughts of the experimenter. 
 
 Another inventor, M. E. d’Odiardi, also resident in 
 London, and to whom reference has already been made, 
 produced, some twenty-five years ago, an instrument 
 which he exhibited before the Acadthnie des Sciences, 
 Paris. This instrument could be infiuenced by thought. 
 
 “ Such a machine,” said a dignitary of the Church 
 of England, “ not only would convince one of the 
 inliuence of mind over matter, but, still more important. 
 
202 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 the inhuence of mind over mind; for if the radiation 
 of our thoughts affect this needle of metal, how much 
 more so must we not affect the thoughts, ideas, and the 
 lives of those around us ? ” 
 
 It has been claimed or stated by certain veracious 
 travellers that some Hindoo priests have exhibited 
 the power of thought over inanimate objects; but, so 
 far as I know, that power has never been scientifically 
 tested by experts, as in the foregoing range of ex¬ 
 periments. 
 
 Anyone who has paid the slightest attention to the 
 experiments of Sir William Crookes, F.E.S., with the 
 late Mr D. Homes, and other psychics,—to say nothing 
 of the experiments of some as keenly observant (before 
 and since), but less known by repute to the world of 
 science and letters,—can doubt for a moment that there 
 is a force emanating from human beings which not 
 only influences delicate apparatus, but which can affect 
 and actually move heavy articles of furniture, make 
 percussive sounds, etc., all of which movements are 
 apparently governed by intelligence. But to enter into 
 this matter would carry us beyond the scope of this 
 work, which does not attempt to deal with the physical 
 phenomena of Spiritualism, either ancient or modern. 
 
 Some cautious psychical researchers have attributed 
 the movements of the pendulums, needles in these 
 instruments to the temperature of the person approach¬ 
 ing them. Well, that may be a factor. Who shall say 
 that “ human vital radiant energy,” which appears to 
 be the medium of the will or thought, exists with- 
 
THOUGHT-TRANSFEnENCE & TELEPATHY 203 
 
 out tlieriual properties ? Tlie tact remains. Take M. 
 d’Odiardi’s apparatus for instance. A person sitting at 
 a distance of twelve feet from it, and perfectly motion¬ 
 less, can by an effort of his will register the amount 
 of energy exercised in doing so. I liave this on tlie 
 evidence of creditable witnesses. Anyway, Dr Baraduc’s 
 work, and the experiments of de Rochas and M. 
 d’Odiardi, are before the world, and the last word is not 
 yet said. And all these experiments go to prove tliat 
 thought is a dynamic force or an X form of energy. 
 
 It may ho well to note that since this discovery of 
 “ human vital radiant energy,” and electricity and other 
 subtile forces emanating from tlie human organism, 
 M. Blondlot, of the University of Nancy, has recently 
 discovered what he terms “ N-rays,” after his Alma 
 Mater. These have yielded astonishing results. They 
 eclijise X-rays, inasmuch as they are not given off by 
 human brain and nerves as is the case with the N-rays, 
 which are capable of penetrating aluminium, black 
 paper, and other opaiuie objects. 
 
 Such X forces will in time doubtless bring about a 
 revolution in materialistic conceptions of matter, and, 
 what is of interest to us, throw an important side-light 
 upon Psychic Faculty and Telepathy. 
 
CHAPTEE VIII 
 
 PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 
 
 In this chapter 1 propose to glance at what constitutes 
 psychical phenomena, which, for convenience sake, will 
 be grouped under the headings of Psychic Faculty and 
 Telepathy, although, as a matter of fact, they continu¬ 
 ally interhlend in manifestation. 
 
 Under Psychic Faculty may be noticed tliose powers 
 of seeing, lieafing, feeling, knowing, and foresliculowiiig 
 in a super-normal way that “ which is and is to come ” ; 
 just as by Mind-reading, Tliought-transference, and 
 Psychometry we learn much of what has been and is. 
 The exercise of Psychic Faculty not being traceable to 
 any known external stimulus, appears to consist of a 
 transfer of knowledge from the inner or Psychic Self 
 to the outer or ordinary-conscious-cerebrally-functioned- 
 Tiine-and-Space Self; in a word, from the true Me to 
 the ordinary Me. 
 
 Under Telepathy, a few incidents of the transfer of 
 knowledge super-normally or psychically from external 
 sources to the individual, from the Not Me to the Me, 
 
 will be given. While every care has been taken to 
 
 204 
 
rSYCHTC FACULTY AND TELEPATUY 205 
 
 select illustrations from reliable sources, they are 
 offered more to show the modes of manifestation of our 
 psychic powers, than as absolute evidence to substan¬ 
 tiate them. And it is to be noted, in passing, that 
 only a tithe of the subject can be considered in these 
 pages. 
 
 We have all read or hoard of the super-normal 
 activity of the mind in individuals who have fallen 
 from heights or who have been rescued from drowning, 
 and also of the power of the mind to work out prob¬ 
 lems while in dream-states. One or two illustrations 
 of these will be of interest. 
 
 Frofessor Ileiron of Zurich some years ago bore 
 testimony to tlie great rapidity of mental action in 
 special circumstances. While “doing the Alps” he 
 slipped from a snow-covered crag; he fell a few feet at 
 first, then slid rapidly, head first, down an inclined cliff 
 for nearly a mile, from which he shot sixty feet through 
 the air, and landed on his head and shoulders. Through¬ 
 out all this sliding and falling his mind was marvel¬ 
 lously clear; and while the events of his past life 
 flashed in rapid panoramic succession before biin, bis 
 mind was calm ; for a time he was able to note this 
 sensation — he was conscious of hearing the most 
 delightful and charming music—but his observations 
 were brought to a sudden stop by the sharp crack of 
 his head and the thud of his body, the last two things 
 he was able to remember. 
 
 Professor Ileiron became interested in tbe subject 
 as a result of his own experience, and set about inter- 
 
206 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 viewing others who had met with accidents, and, like 
 himself, had escaped death. 
 
 Among those interviewed was one Legrist, an Alpine 
 climber, who fell backwards from a cliff and was nearly 
 killed in the valley below. He told Professor Heiron 
 that he was conscious from the beginning to the end 
 of his fall. His mind worked with great rapidity. He 
 reviewed the causes which led up to the accident, saw 
 himself a dead man, and in imagination traced the 
 effects of liis death upon the fortunes and the future 
 of his fatherless family. 
 
 All the witnesses examined bore testimony to the 
 rapidity of mental action and the numerous circum¬ 
 stances thought of ; also the nature of the sensations 
 in falling, which were proved to be the reverse of 
 those feelings of terror and pain one would most 
 naturally associate with such experiences. 
 
 Most persons who have been resuscitated from drown¬ 
 ing have narrated similar experiences, super-normal 
 activity of the mental faculties being the almost 
 universal testimony. But it is only when we study 
 mind as manifested in the play of Psychic Faculty 
 that the foregoing — astonishing as it is—becomes 
 commonplace. 
 
 In dreams and analogous mental states we have 
 evidence of the play or the functioning of Psychic 
 Faculty. The following from the Daily News (December 
 24, 1902) is of interest as being symbolic, and at the 
 same time furnishing an accurate time-coincidence. 
 The writer says :—- 
 
PSYCTIIC FACULTY AND TELEFATPTY 207 
 
 “ I dreamt that I was, with many others, in the open 
 air in a sort of public garden. Some rain had fallen, 
 when suddenly the sun hurst forth in a glorious light, 
 with just one dark spot on the fleecy clouds on the 
 horizon. This dark spot drew nearer. As it floated 
 directly overhead I thought it took the form of a man 
 dressed in the black garh of a bishop, and imagined that 
 I exclaimed, “ Look ! look ! tliere’s the Archbishop of 
 Canterbury. He must be dead ! ” The visif)n seen in 
 the dream instantly vanished, and I awoke. The dream¬ 
 land spectacle was very vivid before my mind. T saw 
 liy the light penetrating into the room—it was a dark 
 morning—that it was after daybreak. After an inter¬ 
 val—it cmdd not have been long—I rose for break¬ 
 fast, and saw that the time was 8.45 a.m. Although an 
 absolute unbeliever as regards dreams, 1 was curious 
 enough to turn to the item in the morning ])aper 
 relating to Dr Temple’s condition, and there found that 
 his Grace was rather improved. Ilut some hours later 
 I saw by the evening papers that he had died at 
 8.15 a.m., which could not have been far from the time 
 of my dream.” 
 
 Dr Temple died, at eighty-two years of age, on the 
 23rd December 1902, at 8.15 in the morning. The 
 knowledge gained by the sleeper in this case can 
 scarcely be traced to what is called “’relepathy ” from 
 the living or the dead, and may be regarded as an 
 instance of the exercise of the Psychic Faculty,—the 
 external groundwork being, that this gentleman, in 
 common with many others, had been interested in the 
 
208 
 
 SEETNG THE INVISIBLE 
 
 Archbisliop’s condition during tlie day prior to the 
 dream. 
 
 A remarkable instance of psycbometrical dream- 
 vision, bearing relation to articles held and studied 
 during a prior time, is related in the P.S.PM. (August 
 1900). Professor Hilprecht bad been vainly attempting 
 for some time to decipher two small fragments of 
 agate which were supposed to belong to some wealthy 
 Babylonian. Tired, and without success, he retired and 
 went to sleep. He says;— 
 
 ‘'Then I dreamed the following remarkable dream. 
 A tall, thin priest of the old pre-Christian Nippur, 
 about forty years of age, and clad in a simple abba, led 
 me to the treasure-chamber of the temple on its south¬ 
 east side. He went with me into a small low-ceiled 
 room without windows, in which there was a large 
 wooden chest, while scraps of agate and lapis-lazuli 
 lay scattered on the floor. Here he addressed me 
 as follows:—‘The two fragments which yo\i have 
 published separately .... belong together, and their 
 history is as follows: King Kurigalzu (ca. 1300 B.C.) 
 once sent to the temple of Bel, among other articles of 
 agate and lapis-lazuli, an inscribed votive cylinder of 
 agate. Then we priests suddenly received the command 
 to make for the statue of the god Nidib a pair of ear¬ 
 rings of agate. We were in great dismay, since there 
 was no agate as raw material at hand. In order for us 
 to execute the command, there was nothing for us to do 
 but cut the votive cylinder into three parts, thus 
 making three rings, each of which contained a portion 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 209 
 
 of tlie oi’iginal inscription. The first two rings served 
 as ear-rings for tlie statue of the god; the two fragments 
 which have given yon so much trouble are portions of 
 them. If you will put the two together you will have 
 confirmation of my words.’” 
 
 Mrs Hilprecht says:—“ I was awakened from sleep 
 by a sigh, immediately thereafter hoard a spring from 
 the bed, and at tbe same moment saw Professor 
 Hilprecht hurrying into his study. Thence came the 
 cry, ‘ It is so, it is so.’ Grasping the situation, I 
 followed him, and satisfied myself in the midnight 
 hour as to the outcome of his most interesting dream.” 
 
 If I remember correctly, it was related by Mrs 
 Charles Haddon Spurgeon that on one occasion she 
 had noticed that her husband had not been able to 
 concentrate his thoughts and prepare a sermon for a 
 special occasion, as was his wont. He tried several times 
 and gave it up. This disheartened him and caused 
 him much anxiety, for the sermon was to be preaclied 
 next day. He retired to rest and sleep. Mrs Spurgeon 
 was surprised to see her Inisband rise during the night 
 and audibly deliver Ins sermon, or rather outline its 
 main points, and then lie down again, as if nothing had 
 happened. When he awoke he was not conscious of 
 what he had done, and it was only when he was 
 informed that he realised the important nature of the 
 discourse given. 
 
 That a train of thought is sometimes worked out 
 unconsciously to the persoTi is a well-known psycho¬ 
 logical fact, but how it is worketl out can only be 
 
 U 
 
210 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 conjectured, as we have seen elsewhere. Another 
 instance is within my own knowledge. I knew a 
 gentleman (M.A. Cantab.), subsequently a Wrangler, 
 who had been for sometime troubled over a complex 
 mathematical problem. He rose in his sleep, took 
 pencil and paper, sat down at a small table, and worked 
 the problem carefully out. He was unconscious of the 
 fact until he next morning saw his own somewhat 
 crooked calligraphy, figures, and the problem solved. 
 Tliat which had perplexed the ordinary conscious 
 intellectual powers was solved by the other conscious 
 self when the avenues of ordinary sense were closed; 
 he saw, and lorote, and worked out the lines of thought 
 which baffled his intellect during the day. The more 
 striking cases of Agassiz, Hilprecht, in which there has 
 been an undoubted play of Psychic Faculty, cannot be 
 explained by any convenient talk of “intellectual 
 automatism ” and unconscious cerebration. 
 
 Telepathy, which is a convenient explanation in some 
 cases, fails in all of these. In these there is a waking 
 up wiiJdn, observable in hypnotism, in trance-lucidity, 
 and similar states; but these are a little beyond the 
 range of our present inquiry. Of the exercise of 
 Psychic Faculty in hypnotism I do not propose to 
 speak, as that has been touched upon in my work. 
 Human Magnetism; or, Hoiu to Hypnotise, But one 
 other case bearing on this phase of working out tlie day 
 thoughts—sub-consciously and super-norm ally in dream 
 and sleep states, when the external senses are quiescent 
 .—will suffice. 
 
PSYCTTTC FACULTY AND TET^EFATUY 211 
 
 Dr Felix L. Oswald, whose scepticism and hard- 
 headedness would have made him a Podrnore of psychical 
 research had he lived in our time, had to admit the 
 exhibition of Psychic Faculty. 
 
 “ Somnambulists,” he said, “ will execute feats—both 
 mental and physical —appcirently heyond the scope of their 
 ordinary faculties. Dream-walkers will leave their beds 
 and use the open window to reach a roof-top, which in 
 the day-time they would hardly venture to ascend with 
 the aid of a ladder; or walk safely along the edge of a 
 precipice where dizziness would make the co-operation 
 of a conscious sensorium a direct cause of danger.” He 
 illustrates this with a story of two Scotch Highlanders 
 who happened to see a fish-hawk’s nest in a crevice of a 
 deep cliff overhanging a point of the seashore, almost 
 inaccessible on account of the violence of the breakers ; 
 they engaged in a dispute as to the possibility of reach¬ 
 ing the nest from the top of the cliff. Their controversy 
 finally led to a wager, which the younger of the two 
 friends proposed to settle the next day by clambering 
 down the precipice with the aid of a common grappling- 
 hook. The incident had been almost forgotten when, 
 one night, Sandy saw his friend get out of bed and leave 
 the room by sliding down a tree which could be reaclu'd 
 from the top of the rustic balcony in front of the 
 wItkIow. 
 
 Wondering what his room-mate could he about, 
 Sandy slipped downstairs and poei’cd about the yard 
 and the adjoining garden, hut the night-walker had 
 disappeared in the darkness. Early next morning they 
 
212 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 found him on the front porch of the house, where he 
 hod fallen asleep on an armful of sticks and reeds, which, 
 on closer inspection, proved to be the nest of the fish- 
 hawk. Near lay a silken handkerchief, tied up in the 
 form of a pouch ; it contained two greyish-white eggs. 
 On awaking, however, the sleeper seemed wholly unable 
 to account for his absence from his bedroom, though 
 his scratched arms and shins bore witness to the 
 vicissitudes of his nocturnal adventure. 
 
 It is a common experience that the dream memory 
 is often obliterated on the resumption of the waking 
 powers; this is due to the greater cerebral activity of 
 the cortex, and thus it frequently happens in hypno¬ 
 tism, trance states, and in somnambulism, that the person 
 is unable to remember what has taken place in sleep. 
 They are sometimes like the King of Babylon, who 
 remembered that he had had a dream, but could not 
 tell what the dream was;—they are just as helpless 
 until they come in contact with a Daniel, a seer, or 
 Psychometer, who gets into touch with their sub¬ 
 conscious or Psychic Self, and is able, not only to reveal 
 the dream, but to interpret its meaning. Many other 
 cases could be selected from medical experiences, show¬ 
 ing super-normal mental functioning beyond the scope 
 of ordinary faculty, but it would be a pity to take up 
 space with them. 
 
 Many of the stories of St Columba’s second-sight and 
 miracles will scarcely be acceptable in this hard-headed, 
 practical age; but as they have been paralleled in 
 psychical experience to-day, I have little hesitation in 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 213 
 
 using one or two incidents in the life of the great saint 
 and seer, Cohnuba—second-sight, prevision, and prophecy 
 being characteristic. 
 
 “ Among the miracles which this same man of God,” 
 said Adamnan, “ while dwelling in the mortal Hesh 
 performed by the gift of God, was his foretelling the 
 future .... and making known to those present 
 what was happening in other places, for though absent 
 in body he was present in spirit, and would look on 
 things that were widely apart. According to the word 
 of St Paul, ‘ he that is joined unto the Lord is one 
 spirit.’ Hence, this same man of the Lord, St Colnmba, 
 when a few of the brethren would sometimes impure 
 into the matter, did not deny but that hy some divine 
 intuition, and throuyk a wonderfid expansion of his inner 
 soul, he beheld the tvholc universe dratvn toyether and laid 
 open to his sight as in one ray of the sun!' 
 
 The language may now be considered a little extrava¬ 
 gant, but the facts are clear enough. This divine 
 intuition is the commonest form of the expression of 
 Psychic Faculty. It is not confined to saints, ancient 
 or modern, as we shall see. Of the many stories 
 related of St Colnmba, 1 select two to illustrate 
 premonition. 
 
 “ One night, while travelling in Drumalbam, the 
 saint and his companions retired to rest, when he 
 suddenly aroused them to fetch the boat from its 
 anchorage and house it near them. Shortly after this 
 was done, and they were again asleep, he aroused 
 Dioiuuit, saying, ‘ Stand outside the door, and see what 
 
214 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 has happened to the village in which you liad left your 
 boat.’ The whole village was in flames.” 
 
 “ One day, in the island of Skye, the saint struck a 
 spot of ground near the sea, and said, ‘ Strange to say, 
 my children, this day an aged heathen, whose natural 
 goodness has been preserved through all his life, will 
 receive baptism, die, and be buried on this very spot.’ 
 An hour after, a boat, bearing an aged man, landed on 
 the shore, and the saint was enabled to fulfil his 
 prophecy, by teaching, baptizing, and finally burying 
 the old man, whose name, Artbranan, was given to the 
 spot.” 
 
 Second-sight is to Clairvoyance what Telepathy is to 
 Thought-transference. It is the same with a difference, 
 and that difference consists mainly of spontaneity, and 
 in general refers to future rather than to present 
 events. It includes seeimj at a distance things happen¬ 
 ing as well as to come—premonition and prophecy. 
 Second-sight is said to be peculiar to tiie Highlander, 
 and certainly there was much in his life in the old 
 days which was very favourable to it; but its exercise is 
 by no means confined to the Highlander of Scotland. 
 It is more common than supposed, and is characteristic 
 of all warm-hearted, emotional, and intelligent people 
 the world over. It has to be confessed, however, 
 that the hustle and bustle of modern life, and city 
 life especially, is opposed to the exercise of Psychic 
 Faculty. 
 
 Maeterlinck, the great Belgian writer, has a curious 
 theory with regard to intuition, which he calls 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELFPATIIY 215 
 
 “ Human t'urekiiowledge.” He points to the remarkable 
 fact, that great catastrophies claim far fewer victims 
 than the probabilities in each case might lead one to 
 conclude. It generally happens that some strange 
 chance has kept away a number of people who 
 might otherwise be involved in the various calamities 
 —fires, explosions, and railway collisions. He re¬ 
 marks that these usually take place when the number 
 of people involved is much below the average ; and 
 he refers to the frequent remark in the newspapers 
 that, but for such and such circumstances, there might 
 have been a larger number of victims. His explana¬ 
 tion is, that in many people there is “a mysterious, 
 unfailing instinct” which warns them, unconsciously to 
 themselves, of impending danger,—moved apparently by 
 some whim or caprice, or accepting some trivial engage¬ 
 ment which in ordinary circumstances they would have 
 disregarded, and thus postpone a journey by train or 
 steamer, or a visit to some threatened structure, and 
 are saved from danger. 
 
 This is a correct generalisation as to the majority 
 of individuals, and is well borne out by facts. (3n 
 closer examination, we find that this “ mysterious, 
 unfailing instinct ” also expresses itself consciously in 
 individuals, awake and asleep, by foreshadowing 
 knowledge. How often do we hear of this or that 
 providential warning, escape, of the vague fear which 
 haunts one, or of distinct warnings, and what they led 
 to, — all being the varied play of the Psychic Faculties, 
 as indicated in these pages. 
 
216 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 Goetlie, himself a psychic, if not a psychical re¬ 
 searcher in his day, noticed a sensitive receptivity that 
 was more marked in some persons than in others con¬ 
 cerning the ground of Psychic Faculty and Telepathy. 
 He says:— 
 
 “We all walk in mysteries. We are surrounded by 
 an atmosphere of which we do not know what is 
 stirring in it or how it is connected with our spirit. 
 So much is certain, that in particular cases we can 
 put out the feelers of our soul beyond its bodily limits, 
 and that a presentiment—^nay, an actual insight—into 
 the future is accorded to it. 
 
 “ Besides, one soul may have a decided influence 
 upon another, merely by means of its silent presence, 
 of which I could relate many instances. It has often 
 happened to me that, when I have been walking with 
 an acquaintance, and had a living image of something 
 in my mind, he has at once begun to speak of that very 
 thing. . . . 
 
 “We have all something of the electric and magnetic 
 forces within us, and we put forth, like a magnet itself, 
 an attractive and repulsive power accordingly, as we 
 come in contact with something similar or dissimilar.” 
 
 Something of this sensitiveness in various forms is 
 illustrated in the following cases. 
 
 “ Who amongst you,” said the late Captain Burton, 
 F.R.G.S., “ cannot quote cases of men being strongly 
 affected by the presence of some animals ? You have 
 all heard of Henry III., and of the Duke of Schomberg, 
 who could not sit in a room where there was a cat. A 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 217 
 
 notable instance occurred in niy own family—a brave 
 soldier who fought through many a campaign, yet 
 turned pale and faint in the feline presence. He 
 iieitlicr saw, smelt, heard, felt, nor tasted the cat ; the fact 
 of its being there was enough.” 
 
 It has been again and again stated in the public 
 press that this is true of Earl Poberts, the recent 
 Commander-in-Chief of the Ilritish forces. I do not 
 know whether it is true or not. His bravery cannot 
 be disputed, but it is said that a decided uneasiness 
 creeps over him when a cat is present where he is. 
 He does not require to lie told there is a cat present; 
 he knows it is there by some remarkable sensitiveness 
 to the emanations proceeding from the animal, not 
 usually detected by other people. 
 
 Earl Eoberts, like all great generals, is as sensitive 
 as he is brave. This sensitiveness is favourable to 
 that imfailinij instinct, divine intnition —that putting 
 out of the feelers of the soul—which has been exhibited 
 by great souls since the world began. This display of 
 Psychic Faculty has ever been promptly acted on by 
 our British Moltke. 
 
 The following incident in the experience of Earl 
 Eoberts, when Commander of tbe Army in India, 
 furnishes an admirable case in point. In his Auto- 
 hiograidiy he says:— 
 
 “ My intention, when I left Kabul, was to ride as fa,r 
 as the Khyber Pass, but suddenly a presentiment, 
 which I have never been able to explain to myself, 
 made me retrace my steps and hurry back to Kabul— 
 
218 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 a presentiment of coming trouble which I can only 
 characterise as instinctive. 
 
 “The feeling was justified when, about half-way 
 between Butkhak and Kabul, I was met by Sir Donald 
 Stewart and my chief of Staff, who brought me the 
 astounding news of the total defeat by Ayub Khan of 
 Brigadier-General Burrow’s brigade at Maiwand, and 
 of Lieutenant-General Primrose, with the remainder of 
 his force, being besieged at Kandahar.” 
 
 That was the signal of his celebrated march to, and 
 the relief of, Kandahar. His Autobiography contains 
 many other instances of “ accidents ”—interpositions, 
 presentiments, etc., experienced by and thoroughly 
 believed in by the gallant general, and exhibiting both 
 Psychic Faculty and Telepathy. 
 
 Some are infiuenced by “ voices,” others by visions, 
 and some by vague impressions, but all our great leaders 
 have been endowed with something of the divine intui¬ 
 tion which Earl—-then General—Koberts undoubtedly 
 possessed. Many are conscious of directing intiuences; 
 whether called Inspiration, Intuition, Premonition, or 
 Providence matters little, so long as the fact elicits 
 testimony and is acknowledged. Stanley, the great 
 traveller, refers to it in his Darkest Africa. And the 
 history of the late Queen Victoria, and the testimony 
 of those nearest in touch with her, all bear witness to 
 her marvellous intuition, by which on more than one 
 occasion she overruled the decisions of her counsellors, 
 and saved the nation from being plunged into the 
 horrors of unmeaning and unnecessary war. 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY ANT) TELEPATHY 219 
 
 Of vague fear presentiments, many could be given. 
 1 will give two. 
 
 Sandow, the strong man, tells us in that excellent 
 work of his, Strentjtli, and Iloto to Obtain It, how he 
 left England for America in the Elbe. 
 
 “ Somehow, I used to feel that the ship we were on 
 was a doomed vessel. I am not ordinarily super¬ 
 stitious, and it is not necessary to account for the 
 feeling, but do what I would I could not shake off the 
 dread impression that one day that ship would go 
 down. I became friendly with the engineer, whom 1 
 used to visit in his own cabin, and I advised him to 
 give up his appointment and go to sea no more.” 
 
 Shortly after this the vessel was lost. The engineer 
 was amongst the saved. The captain stood by the 
 vessel and went down with her. The story is of recent 
 date and most familiar, and certainly harmonised with 
 the vague presentiment. 
 
 “ Among the many stories of presentiments that turn 
 out to be trustworthy” (Two Worlds, December 18, 
 1903) “ muse be included the strange case of Mrs Elvey, 
 the wife of a Coleford iron-miner. She begged her 
 husband not to go to work that day, she feared that he 
 might be killed. It was the last day before the mine 
 was closed down. . , . Elvey made light of her fears, 
 went to work, and was killed by the fall of a mass of 
 iron ore. These facts were stated at the inquest.” 
 
 Sometimes the premonition comes in more definite 
 form. A “ voice ” is heard. The following, related by 
 the llev. D. Minot Savage, is of interest:— 
 
220 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 “I have a friend, Mrs Mary A. Livermore, famous 
 for her devoted services during the war, and one of the 
 greatest woman-speakers that the world has ever 
 known. She told me how her life was saved during 
 her travels in the West on a certain occasion, by her 
 hearing and instantly obeying a voice. She did not 
 know where it came from, but she leaped, as the voice 
 had ordered her to, from one side of the car to the 
 other, and instantly the side where she had been sitting 
 was crushed in and utterly demolished. She said: ‘ I 
 cannot believe that this was the interference of God, 
 but it may have been the interference of some friend 
 in the invisible.’” 
 
 Mrs Sarah Jane Whitaker, of Paddington, London, 
 tells a story, in Lif/ht, of her having crossed the 
 Atlantic from America to Liverpool, and having with 
 her a lot of luggage. On landing, and while her 
 luggage was undergoing inspection by the Customs, a 
 lady passenger introduced herself and entered into 
 conversation with her. Mrs Whitaker informed this 
 lady that she was going to Wales next day. Both 
 agreed to stay in the same hotel over-night in Liver¬ 
 pool. The luggage was duly placed in the store-room 
 of the hotel, while Mrs Whitaker and her young 
 brother went to dinner. Later on in the evening, while 
 they were at tea, the lady came to say good-bye. 
 When she had been gone some time, and during a con¬ 
 versation between Mrs Whir.aker and her brother, the 
 former heard a voice saying, “ Your luggage is all gone." 
 Mrs Whitaker started at this, but did not move till she 
 
PSYCTIIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 221 
 
 heard the voice again saying, “ Your luggage is all ijoiie.” 
 She and her brother ran downstairs, and, to tlieir great 
 surprise, found all the luggage gone and the labels 
 strewn on tlie floor. They went by cab down to the 
 pier, where the lady had gone to take steamer for 
 Glasgow. They were in time to see the captain, 
 identify the luggage, and secure the captain’s permis¬ 
 sion for its removal. While this was going on the lady 
 passenger, or thief, came up and attempted to brazen 
 the matter out by demanding the luggage, and then 
 saying that if it was not her luggage, she must have 
 left hers at the hotel, etc. The captain and porters 
 would have given her in charge, but Mrs Whitaker 
 declined, sayipg, “ Oh ! no. There is One above who 
 will take charge of her.” This case produced a pro¬ 
 found impression at the time, and it is well authenti¬ 
 cated. 
 
 Other phases of pi’csentiment point out something 
 definite, without suggesting a time or probalde period 
 of occurrence. The tragic death of M. Emile Zola is 
 within the memory of most of us. He had for many 
 years a presentiment of death by asphyxia. The 
 editor of La. lUpiihliqite said :—■ 
 
 “ I remember dining some years ago, one summer 
 evening, at the residence of Monsieur Edmond de 
 Concourt and Monsieur and Madame Zola. There 
 was a lively conversation on politics, literature, I’ecent 
 discoveries, and especially on the important role which 
 electricity had begun to play in the world ; and inad¬ 
 vertently reference was made to improvements which 
 
222 
 
 SEEING THE IN VIST RLE 
 
 were likelj'' to be effected in the hotel in the Ene de 
 Bruxelles, where Monsieur Zola resided, notably by the 
 substitution of electric lighting for lighting by gas. 
 Madame Zola, accustomed to gas, was opposed to the 
 change and unwilling to hear it spoken of. But 
 Monsieur Zola, in the peremptory tone which he 
 usually assumed when he made up his mind on any 
 question, suddenly exclaimed—‘No! No! I will have 
 no more gas where I live ! Without taking into account 
 all kinds of inconvenience, and the dangers of explo¬ 
 sion, there is the danger of asphyxia—and it is that 
 that I dread the most ! ’ ” 
 
 PREMONITION IN DREAMS 
 
 There are dreams and dreams', the former do not 
 interest us, but the latter do, because they present 
 evidence of the seeing, hearing, and knowing, in a 
 super-normal way, of that which is and is to come in 
 the near future, and which could not be known through 
 the ordinary channels of sense. We have abundant 
 evidence of the existence of Psychic Faculties in man, 
 apart from that borderland revealed in dreams and in 
 allied sleep states, but that evidence I do not propose 
 to touch upon in this article. 
 
 With regard to premonition in dreams, I propose to 
 present a few instances which T believe to be true, and 
 some which I know to be true. Some are of the sym¬ 
 bolical or second-sight order, others are mixed, while a 
 few are so plain and direct in character that their 
 meaning can be grasped without difficulty. 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TF.LEPATHY 223 
 
 Some of tlie most interestiiig dream experiences 
 known to me are not reportable. Of tlie subjects of 
 them some are dead, some are living, but their most 
 telling dreams have related to private matters which 
 neither they nor their friends would like to see made 
 public, and others have either been contributed to the 
 press already or are about to be so. Even in the 
 following cases I have been compelled to hold back a 
 precise statement of names and dates, but, if necessary, 
 these can be supplied. 
 
 Although I am what is called an old man, I have 
 only had one dream of a premonitory or psychical 
 character. It had nothing weird about it. It may 
 have been a warning or not, but at any rate it was a 
 perfect revelation of things to come. Wliy I never had 
 any more dreams I cannot tell, and even of this one 
 the cui bono? was doubtful. But I think I have found 
 the answer in being aide to listen to, and sift, the 
 evidence {)resented by other dreamers. 
 
 Here is the outline of my one and only notable 
 dream. My parents were residing in Belfast, Ireland, 
 and in July 1851 or 1852, as nearly as I can recollect, 
 we all went to a little seaside resort called Green Island, 
 a few miles down the Lough. I had a companion with 
 me, a youngster of the name of Cook, whose father was 
 then lessee of the Theatre Eoyal, Belfast. Boylike, I 
 enjoyed the beach and the fishing, had a healthy 
 a])petite, and was not given to dreams ; but about the 
 third night that we spent at Green Island I had a very 
 vivid dream to this ei'fect:— 
 
224 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 I seemed to be going along a country road, with three 
 other hoys, bent on pleasure and mischief. I remember 
 seeing an old-fashioned country shop, in a clump of 
 three or four little houses, which we would call a 
 “ clachan ” in Scotland. There was a bread-van from 
 Belfast before the door, but we passed on and turned up 
 a narrow lane which led to a place called “ The Knock,” 
 a fairly good-sized hill, and in time found our way to 
 the “ plat,” or grassy knoll at the top, on which we 
 romped and played about to our hearts’ content. One 
 of the boys whooped as he saw a hawk drop the 
 mutilated body of a sparrow at his feet. This excite¬ 
 ment over, I noticed a vessel, I think it must have been 
 American, a full-rigged ship with all sails set, sailing 
 up the Lough. It looked so beautiful, with its white 
 sails, that we were all delighted, I thought; but we soon 
 forgot it in our gambols, racing to and fro. I was a 
 little ahead of the others when I suddenly came to the 
 edge of a precipice, or deep break-down in the face of 
 the knoll; I tried to check myself, and awoke with a 
 start. 
 
 The dream was so real, vivid, and connected, that it 
 was a little time before I realised that I had been 
 dreaming only. Shortly afterwards I fell asleep again, 
 and the next day, beyond telling one or two about it, I 
 forgot the whole thing. Three or four days afterwards, 
 the boys, tired of the seashore, proposed to go up the 
 hill, and we went along the road by the way of the old 
 village, past the clump of one-storey thatched houses 
 and the old shop, which I had never seen before except 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 225 
 
 ill my dream, and on up the lane to tlie top of the hill, 
 and everything I had dreamt took place, except the 
 falling over the cliff. It seems when I got there I 
 started hack, when young Cook, seeing my danger, 
 caught hold of my jacket and jerked me backwards, 
 and I fell, dizzy and frightened. When I recovered I 
 remembered my dream, and there sure enough was the 
 big ship, with its white sails, sailing up the Lough. 
 
 There was no Society for I’sychical Research in those 
 days, and I was too young and too thouglitless to get 
 corroborative evidence, but I give the dream as a true 
 one, literally fulfilled, and one which I am not likely to 
 forget. 
 
 SYMROLIOAL rREMONlTIONS 
 
 Sometimes the presentiment conies symbolically in a 
 dream ; that is to say, the knowledge gathered by the 
 Psychic Self is communicated to the ordinary self in 
 that form. Forster, in his Life of Dickens, reproduced 
 a letter written to him by the novelist, dated Washing¬ 
 ton, February 4, 1868, in which Charles Dickens told 
 what he had heard while at dinner with Charles 
 Summer; the only other guests present were his 
 secretary, and the War Minister, Stanton. Abraham 
 Lincoln, the President, was shot on April 14, 1865. 
 During the forenoon of the same day a Ministerial 
 Council was held. Mr Stanton, who was in command 
 of the Northern Army near Washington, was a little 
 late. Shortly after his arrival, the President, in a quiet 
 and dignified manner—unusual to him—broke off in 
 
 15 
 
226 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 the middle of a sentence, and said: “ Now, gentlemen, 
 to business.” After the Council was over, Mr Stanton, 
 who left with the “ General Fiscal,” passed a remark on 
 the extraordinary change which had come over the 
 President. The General replied, “We all noticed it 
 before you came, while we were waiting for you.” 
 Lincoln had said, with his head upon his breast: 
 “ Gentlemen, something extraordinary will happen, and 
 that very soon! ” Whereupon the General had re¬ 
 marked : “ Something good, sir, I hope ? ” And the 
 President replied in an earnest manner : “ I don’t know, 
 I don’t know; but happen it will, shortly.” As every¬ 
 one was struck with his appearance and manner, the 
 General again took up the matter, and said: “ Perhaps 
 you have learned something which is unknown to us ? ” 
 “ No,” answered the President, “ but I had a dream ; 
 and this is the third time I dreamt it. Once was on 
 the night before the battle of Bull’s Eun ; another time 
 was before that of . . . .” (some other battle at which 
 the Northerners were defeated). His chin sank down 
 on his breast again, and he sat still, plunged in thought. 
 “ Might we ask what the dream was, sir ? ” said the 
 General. The President replied, without raising his 
 head or changing his position : “ I am on a deep, broad, 
 rolling river; I am in a boat, and I am falling in! I 
 am falling in! . . . . But this has nothing to do with 
 our business, gentlemen ! ” As Stanton and the General 
 went away, they remarked that it would be interesting 
 to see if anything did really happen, and they agreed 
 to take note of it. That same evening the President 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 227 
 
 was shot. Summer and Stanton were the two first 
 public men wlio were in attendance on the President 
 (after he was shot in Ford’s Theatre) till his death. 
 About six weeks before Lincoln’s assassination, he had 
 a striking dream, in which he thought lie was in the 
 White House, and saw a great concourse of mourners 
 surrounding a coffin, which, upon examination, he found 
 to contain his own body—a dream which was too 
 tragically fulfilled a few weeks later. 
 
 Lincoln’s tragic deatli suggests that of Garfield and 
 M‘Kinley, and all were foreshadowed by others. In¬ 
 deed, President M'Kinley had himself a premonition 
 of the coming end, before the fatal day of the reception 
 at the World’s Fair Exhibition. Predictions and pre¬ 
 monitions are by no means confined to individuals. 
 They extend to religious movements, political events, 
 and to natural affairs, and also to individuals whom these 
 movements and events have brought into public notice. 
 
 (Mrs) Emma Hardinge (Pritten) in 1860, before a 
 breath of a rumour of the war between North and 
 South, in the United States of America, was heard of, 
 predicted that event, and pointed out most clearly the 
 condition of that city and the fate of the State in very 
 vivid and striking language, while on a temporary visit 
 to Mobile. Dr Rodes Buchanan, to whom reference 
 has already been made in these pages, very graphically 
 foretold the fate of Galveston, in the South, with a 
 marvellous clearness—this terrible disaster beiim a 
 
 O 
 
 matter of recent date. Many instances of similar 
 accurate predictions could lie given as to public matters 
 
22.S SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 and to individuals. Coming events do cast their 
 shadows before. It is most remarkable what a large 
 body of evidence lias been brought forward—inde¬ 
 pendent of the attention whieh psychieal research has 
 paid to this and allied subjects—to prove the reality of 
 the psychic intuition possessed by human beings which 
 penetrates the near future. 
 
 Mrs Coates, who sometimes exercises this super¬ 
 normal gift, and falls into “second-sight” when un¬ 
 disturbed and sitting in quiet reverie, has shown in 
 our private circle a keen insight into the future. For 
 many reasons, unfortunately, the most telling ineidents 
 are not those which can be published; while the 
 following, taken from notes made by me at the time, 
 is not offered as evidence, but rather as an illustration 
 of psychic impressionability. 
 
 I remember the evening (Friday, October 19, 1899) 
 when certain friends came in. The subject of the South 
 African war was warmly discussed. The Kruger Ulti¬ 
 matum (October 9, 1899) had been issued. Lord Salis¬ 
 bury had replied, and additional troops had been hurried 
 to the front. One gentleman was sure that six weeks 
 after the landing of those despatched the war would be 
 practically settled. The Boers would be driven out of 
 Natal, and, by the following Christmas, Pretoria would 
 be in our hands and peace proclaimed. The utmost 
 contempt was expressed at the idea of the Boers 
 resisting the skill and efficiency of our officers and 
 brave troops. The cost of the war was talked of. The 
 sum of £10,000,000 had been asked for in Parliament, 
 
rSYCIIIC FACULTY AND TKI.EPATIIY 229 
 
 and it was tliouglit £25,000,000 would i)ay tlie bill. In 
 fact, the views expressed were those which most people 
 entertained at the time. To express different views 
 was considered a very serious thing to do; the person 
 holding such views was unpatriotic, if not an enemy 
 to his country, etc. Mrs Coates, who had been sitting 
 quietly by, said: “ 1 am impressed that this war will 
 be very serious, and will last over three years. Instead 
 of our troops being in Pretoria by Christmas, the Boers 
 will not be driven out of Natal by that time; and before 
 that the British will suffer serious disasters, and over 
 10,000 men will fall before the Boers are cleared out 
 of Natal.” She felt that a serious disaster was taking 
 place or overtaking our troops just then. 
 
 Her ideas of the length of the war, and her gloomy 
 forebodings, were treated with friendly banter and 
 ridicule. There was much more saM, but the foregoing 
 note is all I have of that time. 
 
 Again, later on, when Lord Koberts declared the war 
 was over and came home, and received the thanks and 
 the rewards of a grateful people, Mrs Coates averred 
 the war was not over and would not be for another 
 year, and in the meantime thousands of our brave 
 soldiers would not only bite the dust, but would be 
 swept away by disease in unprecedented numbers. All 
 this was treated as the wildest nonsense. I confess 
 that I myself thought she was wrong. More than 
 once the Intuitive Perceptions scored. She knew 
 nothing about the war—could know nothing about 
 it — more than could be gleaned liy a glance at the 
 
230 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 press—but the prophetic element was only too truly 
 fulfilled. 
 
 This will not appeal to the general reader as evidence, 
 as does the authenticated prophecy of M. Cazotte, but 
 it does to those familiar with the facts and present 
 on these occasions, as well as to many friends to whom 
 her opinions were repeated. 
 
 Later still—it was at the time when we were all agog 
 with the hopes and expectations of the Coronation, and 
 friends were going to London to see the processions 
 and all that—Mrs Coates felt then that something 
 serious would overtake the King—not assassination, 
 but a serious illness, and she said that the Coronation 
 would not come off. This was a week before the “ bolt 
 came from the blue ” about the King’s illness, and the 
 serious operation he liad to undergo. That many others 
 throughout the country had similar impressions, only 
 confirms what I have said. 
 
 I have noticed, in this play of intuition and Psychic 
 Faculty, tha t jt is generally m ore reliable where the 
 .seer is not p ersonally interested— that is, where their 
 own wishes, aims, ambitions, or personal equation have 
 nothing to do with the predictions. WJiere we are 
 'pcrsonallv concerned it i s safest nof to prop hesy . 
 
 When living in Glasgow we had a neighbour, the 
 Kev. Donald M'Kinnon, who resided in a villa next 
 ours, with whom we were on very friendly terms. 
 His wife had been dead some time, and the old gentle¬ 
 man kept house as best he could with servants, and 
 pursued his usual ministerial work. 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 231 
 
 One evening, towards the end of 1891, I returned 
 home rather later than usual. The children were in 
 hed, and ray wife and I were sitting at supper about 
 half-past ten. During the repast ray wife told me of 
 a ilreain slie had had that morning about the Eev. Mr 
 M., our next-iloor neighbour. She dreamt that we had 
 been sitting in that room talking, and that she heard 
 someone come up the gravelled walk and ring the bell; 
 she went to the door, and there was a young woman 
 whom she had never seen before, whom she described 
 to me, who had come to her in great distress and asked 
 her to come and see the minister, for he was very ill. 
 She went with her to see him, and she described to me 
 the room and the state that he appeared to her, in her 
 dream, to be. While we were conjecturing whether there 
 was anything in it, someone was heard coming up the 
 walk, and the door-bell was rung. The servaTit being 
 in bed, my wife went to the door, and there indeed was 
 the young woman—a new servant recently engaged by 
 the minister, whom she had never seen before—standing 
 at the door, who implored my wife to go round and see 
 the old gentleman, who was very ill. Mrs Coates 
 called me, and I saw that the young woman in dress 
 and appearance corresponded with the visitor of the 
 dream. My wife hastened to go round, and I went 
 and called upon a well-known physician. Dr Eben 
 Duncan, to attend to the case. As it was some little 
 time before the physician was able to go, 1 went to the 
 minister’s house, and on going upstairs to his room I 
 saw things pretty much as my wife had describeil them 
 
232 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 in telling me her di-eam. I)r Eben Duncan came in 
 and advised, and my wife remained to see that his 
 orders were carried out. The doctor had been told of 
 the dream, and he laughed, and said that he believed 
 such things were possible and that my wife was “ a 
 witch.” Although not exactly as a matter of evidence, 
 but of conversation, when the minister’s son and 
 daughter-in-law—whom T had wired for—arrived, they 
 were told of the dream. The reverend gentleman 
 recovered, and we had many chats about tins and other 
 matters; and while a strictly religious and orthodox 
 man, he believed in “ second-sight,” and told us of 
 many instances which came to his knowledge. 
 
 In 1892 Mrs Coates had another very vivid dream 
 about this old gentleman. She dreamt that she was 
 looking out of the window and saw, coming down 
 the road, a hearse and a number of carriages, and that 
 there was a crowd of gentlemen; and the hearse and 
 the carriages drew up in order before his gate. That 
 evening Mr M'Kinnon called, as he was wont to do 
 twice a week since his wife’s death, to have tea with us, 
 and he was told of the dream, with the exception of 
 the hearse, etc., being before his gate—they were de¬ 
 scribed as being “ across the way.” We knew that our 
 friend was a Highlander and believed in second-sight, 
 and we did not wish to alarm him. He listened 
 attentively, and said he was glad “it was no’ at his 
 gate.” He was in excellent health and spirits, and 
 even danced a few steps on the lawn, in his kindly 
 way, to amuse the young folk, as he was going away. 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 283 
 
 He died suddenly in a fortnight’s time. He had 
 preached twice that Sunday, and, what was thought 
 strange, lie gave a review of his ministry, and was 
 particularly earnest and elotpient. On arriving home 
 from the last service he complained of feeling exliausted, 
 and almost before he could be helped or given <any re¬ 
 freshment, he died. The dream was fulfilled. 'I'hese 
 dreams were told to Mr Moir, chemist, Victoria Road, 
 Crossbill, and others, before fulfilment. 
 
 Mrs Coates has had many symbolical dreams within 
 my knowledge which have been only too truly fulfilled, 
 and unfortunately have foreshadowed trouble either to 
 someone dear to her, to ourselves, or to both, 'rims 
 whenever she dreams of nursing a baby boy, this 
 invariably predicts trouble and anxiety in relation to 
 one certain person. 
 
 In danuary 1903, without any ostensible reason, 
 she dreamt that our neighbour’s house, Glenbeg 
 Cottage, Rotliesay, was on fire, burning fiercely, and in 
 due course left four standing walls. She told me and 
 all of us about that dream—I omit the details. It was 
 not symbolical. It was literally fulfilled a fortnight 
 afterwards. 
 
 There are dreams and dreams, and I believe in the 
 play of the Psychic Faculty in dreams, not merely 
 because of the foregoing, but from independent evidence 
 from many sources and from all grades of society. It 
 is possibly too early to attempt an explanation of the 
 phenomena of thought—mind, as we know it, but not 
 as it really is—but it is very clear that our ordinary 
 
234 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 conscious life is but a mere fragment of our whole life 
 and possibilities, and that our dream-life gives us a 
 glance at some portion of these beyond the reach of our 
 ordinary consciousness. 
 
 Of the many reliable stories of the finding of missing 
 persons through dreams, I will give one of recent date. 
 
 An inquest was held at Shanklin on the evening of 
 the 20th February 1903, on the body of Miss Marjorie 
 Lumsden, who had mysteriously disappeared after 
 taking part in a dramatic performance on the 10th of 
 February. Colonel Lumsden, the father, was present 
 at the inquest. Manger, a coast-guardsman, said in 
 liis evidence that he had seen a lady on the pier 
 a few minutes before eleven, on the 10th. He went 
 on the pier again ten minutes afterwards. There was 
 then no sign of her. He had searched about the 
 shelters to satisfy his own curiosity, but found no 
 trace of her. He gave no alarm, thinking that the 
 lady might have gone out for a walk after supper, 
 and possibly left the pier when he was not there. Mrs 
 Silas Kemp, the wife of a fisherman, found the body 
 and earned the reward of £50. She told the jury that, 
 by following the indications received in a dream, she was 
 led to the spot where the body lay, and approached 
 it close enough to recognise it as a body, and saw the 
 rings on the fingers of the deceased. She then went 
 home and told her husband, when the body was secured. 
 
 Mr Innes Smith and Dr Cooper identified the body, 
 both of whom saw her engaged in the play. The jury 
 returned a verdict of “ Found drowned.” 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 235 
 
 Mrs Kemp liad prubably been dwelling upon the 
 mysterious disappearance of the young lady, as the 
 matter had been the talk of the neighbourhood. In 
 sleep, when the ordinary sense-channels were wholly or 
 sufficiently inhibited, either by the liberation of Psychic 
 Faculty she found the body, or she may have been 
 impressed — in dream state — by the departed one. 
 This may be regarded as an instance of Telepathy from 
 the Dead. It is not, however, sufficiently clear, lait 
 remains a good example of Psychic Faculty, partaking 
 of the character of clairvoyance. 
 
 The following incidents, related out of the abundance 
 of Mrs Pesant’s personal knowledge to the Wccklij 
 Sicii, admirably illustrates not only the play of our 
 Psychic Faculties, but Telepathy also— i.c. super-normal 
 knowledge derived from the mind of another, living 
 or dead. 
 
 “ On the day of my father’s funeral my mother sat 
 with vacant eyes and fixed pallid face—the picture 
 comes hack to me yet, it so impressed my childish 
 imagination—following the funeral service, stage after- 
 stage, and suddenly, with the words, ‘ It is all over!’ 
 fell back fainting. She said afterwards that she had 
 followed the hearse, had attended the service, had 
 walked behind the coffin to the grave. Certain it is 
 that a few weeks later she determined to go to the 
 Kensal Green cemetery, where the body of her husband 
 had been laid, and wont thither with a relative; he 
 failed to find the grave, and while another of the party 
 went in search of an official to identify the spot, my 
 
230 
 
 SEEING THE INVlSlIiLE 
 
 mother said, ‘ If you will take me to the chapel where 
 the first part of the service was read, I will find the 
 grave.’ The idea seemed to her friend, of course, to 
 be absurd ; but he would not cross the newly-made 
 widow, so took her to the chapel. She looked round, 
 left the chapel door, and followed the path along which 
 the corpse had been borne till she reached the grave, 
 where she was quietly standing when the caretaker 
 arrived to point it out. The grave is at some distance 
 from the chapel, and is not on one of the main roads; 
 it had nothing on it to mark it, save the wooden peg 
 with the number, and this would be no help to identi¬ 
 fication at a distance, since all the graves are thus 
 marked, and at a little way off these pegs are not 
 visible. How she found the grave remained a mystery 
 in the family, as no one believed her straightforward 
 I story that she had been present at the funeral. JFiih 
 viy 'prcmit IcnoioUdye the, matter is simple eno'Ufjh,for I 
 now know that the consciousness can leave the hody, take 
 ■part in events going on at a distance, emd, reUiriving, 
 impress on the phys’ical hrain what it has experienced. 
 The very fact that she asked to he taken to the chajyel is 
 significant, showing that she toas picking up a memory 
 of a 'previous going from that sp)ot to the grave; she could, 
 only find the grave if she started from the place from 
 which she had started before. Another proof of this 
 ultra-physical capacity was given a few months later, 
 when her infant son, who had been pining himself ill 
 for ‘ papa,’ was lying one night in her arms. On the 
 next morning she said to her sister, ‘ Alf is going to 
 
rSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELKPATTIY 237 
 
 die.’ The child had no definite disease, hvit was wast¬ 
 ing away, and it was argued to her that the returning 
 spring would restore the health lost during the winter. 
 ‘ No,’ was her answer. ‘ He was lying asleep in luy 
 arms last night, and William (her husband) came to 
 me and said that he wanted Alf with him, but that T 
 might keep the other two. ’ In vain she was assured 
 that she had been dreaming, that it was quite natural 
 that she should dream about her husband, and that 
 her anxiety for the child had given the dream its 
 shape. Nothing would persuade her that she had not 
 seen her husband, or that the information he had given 
 her was not true. So it was no matter of surprise to 
 her when, in the following March, her arms were empty, 
 and a waxen form lay lifeless in the baby’s cot.” 
 
 Here we liml intuition of a high order; prevision 
 and prophecy affecting the living, and accurately 
 fulfilled; Telepathy from the dead, concerning which a 
 few more cases will be given at the close of the next 
 chapter. 
 
CHAPTEE IX 
 
 PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY —continued 
 
 In the last chapter we are fairly launched into the 
 mysteries of Telepathy. Telepathy is nothing but a 
 term by which we are pleased to veil our ignorance, 
 and a convenient label to cover a variety of psychic 
 phenomena ; both the term and the phenomena require 
 explaining, and doubtless the Psychical Eesearch Society 
 will be equal to it some day, so to that Society we may 
 conveniently leave the task. With the history and the 
 pilgrimage of that Society towards the light we have 
 nothing to do. It is interesting reading, all the same. 
 Sir William Crookes found salvation in psychic force; 
 to-day we find him a convert to Telepathy. Mr Frank 
 Podmore, the intellectual Thomas Didymus of the 
 Society, and whose services and writings in the cause 
 of spiritual research are invaluable, has tested, ex¬ 
 amined, and convinced himself of the transmission of 
 thought, experimentally and by the undoubted evidence 
 of Telepathy—Telepathy written large—from a “ vague 
 unrest to visions, voices, and phantasmal forms of living 
 
 and departed.” No better testimony could be given or 
 
 238 
 
rSYCIIIC FACULTY AND TELEPATirY 239 
 
 desired. The late Dr Hodgson and the late Mr JVIyers, 
 convinced of Telepathy, have travelled on to Spiritual¬ 
 ism. Professor Barrett, of the Pmyal College of Science, 
 and recently the . honoured President of the S.P.K., 
 may fitly cap the edifice of which he was practically 
 the founder, as well as one of its main supporters. 
 He has also progressed along the road of psychical 
 research from the Willing Game—with which we are 
 all familiar — through genuine Thought-reading to 
 Telepathy from the dead ; and possibly he may some 
 day say that the investigators of Modern Spiritualism 
 were not, after all, knaves and fooks—unless, indeed, 
 the wisest and the best were fools for truth’s sake. 
 But here I will let conjecture rest, continue the outline 
 of Telepathy, and close the book. 
 
 It will not be possible to give cases illustrative of 
 every phase of Telepathy, and to attem])t to classify 
 these would serve no useful purpose. But for the sake 
 of a little regard for order, the subject will be considered 
 under General Telepathy, where unknown Agents affect 
 (unconsciously to themselves) Perci])ients at a distance, 
 who are also unaware of the source of their suddenly 
 acquired knowledge ; and special instances of Telepathy 
 from the Living and the Dead—including the play of 
 P.sychic Faculty—in seein(/, super-normal know¬ 
 
 ledge; the Double and tbe Apparition. 
 
 General Telepathy is admirably suggested by some 
 reported remarks which passed between the late Mr 
 W. H. Preece (while Engineer-in-chief to the General 
 Post Office) and a representative of the Daili/ 
 
240 
 
 REEING THE TNVTSir.LE 
 
 Chro/iiclc ; the latter was interviewing Mr Preece 
 with regard to wireless telegraphy. 
 
 Interviewer: “May there not be some new force 
 which will enable us to communicate without any 
 artificial assistance at all ? ” 
 
 Mr Preece: “You are thinking of psychic powers 
 such as Oriental races claim to possess. One often 
 imagines that in these Eastern countries there may be 
 an element of communication of which we are not 
 aware. It was rumoured, you know, that the death 
 of General Gordon at Khartum was known the day 
 after in Cairo. This, perhaps, may fairly be said, that 
 scientific men are coming to believe in the existence 
 of a new force—psychic force—of which as yet we 
 have only had glimmerings, and hardly that.” 
 
 Of these glimmerings we have had the “ Indian 
 Seci'et Mail,” which has been the puzzle of the Anglo- 
 Saxon for centuries. It has been paralleled of recent 
 years in the experiences of whites in Africa, North 
 and South—many curious examples of which reached 
 us during the late South African war. And we have 
 been informed in the press, only two days after the 
 defeat of the Mahdi and the wiping out of thousands 
 of Sheiks at Omdurman by Kitchener and Macdonald, 
 the news was known on the Gold Coast, where the 
 natives gave the whites a wonderfully accurate descrip¬ 
 tion of that event. It will not, however, be necessary 
 to give more incidents of that kind. Of Telepathy from 
 the living, a few will serve our purpose to show that 
 messages are flashed from the agents or agent to the 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TiaUPATHY 241 
 
 percipients or the receiver by every Psycliic Faculty 
 possessed by man; be feels, secs, hears, touches, and 
 hnows the strange events, emotions, and senses of tha.t 
 which has been, is, and is to come, independent of and 
 superior to that which could possibly reach him l)y 
 the ordinary channels of sense. 
 
 TELEPATHY FROM THE LIVING 
 
 Mr Maskelyne, of Egyptian Hall fame, although he 
 poseil as the opponent of all Spiritist phenomena, has 
 had his little psychical experience, which he tells 
 himself (in M.A.T., April 22, 1899). 
 
 He speaks of being one of the few who, having passed 
 through the Valley of the Shadow, have returned to 
 tell the tale. While bathing in a canal, he was to all 
 appearance drowned : in fact dead, hut was resmscitated. 
 With his mental condition while drowning—emotions, 
 and unconsciousness, and all that—we are not concerned ; 
 hut with these remarks we are:— 
 
 “ One thing, however, did appear to my mental vision, 
 as plainly as though it were actually before my eyes. 
 That was tlie form of my mother, engaged ui)on her 
 household duties. Upon returning home, I was utterly 
 astonished to find that she had been as conscious of my 
 danger as 1 had been, and at the moment when 1 was 
 so near death. There are, of course, innumerable 
 records of such occurrences, in which a mutual intlucnce 
 appears to he exercised between mind and mind. . . . 
 This mental action during the time of stress and danger, 
 
 call it ‘Telepathy’ or what you will, is bound to remain 
 
 1 (! 
 
242 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 an undisputed fact, which no amount of reasoning can 
 explain away.” 
 
 Here we have a case of seeing, and a simultaneous 
 aivareness of each other's state, while a message is 
 flashed from his mind to hers on a deeper strata of 
 consciousness than he is aware of. His mother received 
 the message—how, she knew not. This is a fairly good 
 illustration of both the play of I’sychic Faculty a.nd of 
 Telepathy. 
 
 It would be impossible to give a tithe of the cases 
 which have I’eached me from persons of repute ; but one 
 will be of service here, an ordinary case of the simul¬ 
 taneous reception of a message by two persons. 
 
 The teller of the incident, Mr B., is a reputable 
 member of St Ninian’s Church, Port Bannatyne, Bute, 
 and a clear-headed business man to boot. Leaving 
 business, he retired for leisure and comfort to the “ Isle 
 of the Blest,” Bute. 
 
 At the time when the incident occurred he was living 
 in Glasgow, and one day, just before sitting down to 
 
 breakfast, he said to Mrs B.: “ M-, do you know, I 
 
 cannot get Mrs K. out of my mind this morning. I 
 think that you should call on them to-day, and see how 
 she and the family are getting along.” 
 
 “ That is very strange,” remarked his wife. “ I was 
 just going to say that I have been thinking a lot about 
 Mrs K. too, and I was going to tell you about it.” 
 
 In the course of their chat, it became evident that 
 they were struck with the same idea and about the same 
 time—half an hour or so before they commenced to 
 
rsycmc faculty and telepathy 243 
 
 speak about it. It appeared to tlieni all the more 
 strange, as they were botli impressed that Mrs K. was 
 in serious trouble ; and why they should think so, they 
 could not tell, for the last time they all met—about 
 three months before—Mrs K. was in the best of health 
 and spirits. Mr B. and his wife decided to go over that 
 very afternoon and see their friend; she lived on the 
 other side of Glasgow. They went, and were received 
 at the door by Mrs K.’s sister, dressed ready to go out 
 who, on seeing them, held up her hands in surprise, ami 
 said that she was just going over to them (the B.’s) to 
 see if Mrs B. could come and stay that afternoon, for 
 Mrs K. was very ill, and it had been decided that an 
 operation was to be performed that day, and Mrs K. 
 felt that “ it would be such a comfort to have Mrs B. 
 with her.” 
 
 The message may have been “ vague,” but it served 
 its purpose. Mr B. and bis good lady are thoroughly 
 orthodox, and saw in this providential leading “ God’s 
 hand.” 
 
 PRAYER ANSWERED TITROUCtU TELEPATHY 
 
 Tele 2 )athy set in motion through the agency of 
 sincere prayer appears to be a well-known fact, but 
 only once in my life was I conscious of so remarkable 
 a happening. Some years ago, before I had even given 
 any attention to these subjects, while residing in Liver¬ 
 pool I became ac(piainted with a worthy old Christian 
 named Walker, who was chapel-keeper of a Methodist 
 Chapel in the street in which he lived. He was an old 
 
244 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 soldier, and a man of piety and sincere faith. Poor in 
 the things of this world, he was rich in his love of God 
 and in the nobility and simplicity of his life. I never 
 think of “ Daddy Walker” but his character and this 
 incident come to my mind. One morning I was hiirry- 
 ing down West Derby Eoad to business, and, indeed, 
 had got half-way through Brunswick Eoad, when I 
 commenced to think of the old man—I had not seen 
 or thought of him for some months. I attempted 
 to throw aside my impressions and passing thoughts. 
 But it was of no avail. I became worried about him 
 and began asking myself questions. 
 
 “ Was he ill ? ” “ Maybe he is in want ? I think I will 
 hurry back and see.” I was in a hurry, and it would 
 consume nearly all the time I could spare if I went 
 back. After hesitating a moment, I hurried back up 
 Brunswick Eoad, into West Derby Eoad, and to —— 
 Street, and tapped at the door of his house. There was 
 no response. The door was slightly ajar I went in 
 and found the old pair (“ Daddy Walker ” and his wife) 
 on their knees in the kitchen. He was engaged in 
 earnest prayer. After kindly salutations I apologised 
 for intruding, and told him as I went to business that 
 “ I had been bothered about him in my mind, and did 
 not feel I could be satisfied till I saw him and knew the 
 truth.” He told me, as near as I can recollect: he was 
 at his last extremity, there was no food or fuel in the 
 house, he had no money, and he was putting the whole 
 case before the Lord. 
 
 I had half a sovereign about me which 1 had taken 
 
rSYCIIlC FACULTY AND TELEl’ATHY 245 
 
 out for an entirely different purpose. This I gave him. 
 The old man, rnblting a tear from his eye and looking 
 at his wife, said:—“ Mary, don’t thee donht the Lord 
 any more. I said He would help, and He has given me 
 what I asked for.” Old Walker went on to explain, 
 not only his bad fix, but that he had no money to 
 buy firewood with. He meant the old wood and tar- 
 barrels, which he bought and cut up into lengths 
 and made into bundles, and sold for firewood; he 
 had asked the Lord for ten shillings, as he wanted 
 that sum to buy a certain lot which he could obtain for 
 that money. The old man received what he asked for. 
 He believed the Lord had answered his prayer. Who 
 would deny him the comfort of that belief ? 
 
 I have never hesitated to appreciate the value of 
 prayer. The old man’s thoughts set in force or liber¬ 
 ated a force which vibrated the X ether which connected 
 his mind with mine. He did not know that I should 
 be the means of answering his prayer, but his faith was 
 of the kind which makes men righteous and saves souls, 
 or at least saves them from rational (?) scepticism. 
 
 By prayer, charitable institutions are maintained ; 
 orphans are saved, reared and educated; missions of 
 mercy are organised, and the necessary means are 
 sought by the agency of prayer. May not our intensest 
 thought, projected by prayer, impinge upon and directly 
 affect susceptible or attunetl minds in this world, and 
 direct their attention to works of faith and love, as well 
 as reach the angels in that sphere beyond the ken of 
 physical sense ? I’rayer is the language of love ami a cry 
 
246 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 of dependence, the outcome of helplessness and need— 
 a safety-valve for oppressed hearts. By prayer we are 
 lifted into another plane of thought and action, where 
 helplessness finds sustenance, and all that is needful is 
 attained. To despise prayer shows the shallow mind, 
 and a prejudice only paralleled by blindness to evidence, 
 and yet some of our leading men in science, literature, 
 and art do not hesitate to proclaim their unblushing 
 Sadduceeism. 
 
 While speaking of prayer, and its possible answer by 
 Telepathy through human agency, I am reminded of the 
 remarkable coincidence associated with the finding of 
 the body of Dr (Miss) Hickman. On the very day her 
 body was found Dr Wilberforce asked his congregation 
 to pray for the solution of the mystery connected with 
 that young lady’s disappearance The congregation 
 joined heartily in the intercessory prayer, and that 
 afternoon the body was found. It may not be a clear 
 case, but it is suggestive of the probable answer to 
 prayer, by the finders being unconsciously led to the 
 spot where the young woman’s remains were found. 
 Dr Wilberforce has expressed himself as firmly con¬ 
 vinced of the power of prayer, and accepts the foregoing 
 as a striking instance. 
 
 A CHICAGO STORY OF VOICE TELEPATHY 
 
 Tlie editor of the Cldcago Tribune vouched for the 
 veracity of one Clements, who, in his turn, testified to 
 the hona jidcs of the lady who experienced the incident, 
 and this is about as good as newspaper evidence can 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 247 
 
 be: the whole experience was written before the fate 
 of the Legations at Peking was known. “ (Jn the 
 17th June (1900),” says Clements, “ a report was 
 current that the Japanese Legation had been burnt. 
 This reached the ears of Mrs Cecil L’ayen, whose 
 daughter was in I’eking with the family of Mr Conger, 
 the American Ambassador. On this date Mrs I'ayen 
 was sitting in her room, anxious and preoccupied con¬ 
 cerning her daughter, when she suddenly heard a 
 voice beside her saying, “ Mother, all is well; 1 am 
 not in danger.” 
 
 Mrs Payen related this to a friend, and came to the 
 conclusion that it must have been an illusion. 
 
 In the morning contradictory telegrams arrived, 
 causing further alarm and anxiety to the mother. At 
 midday she heard the voice again :—“ Mother, do not 
 be anxious. We are all safe.” 
 
 “ I heard these words so distinctly,” said Madame 
 Payen, “ that 1 could hardly believe my daughter was 
 not beside me.” 
 
 On a third occasion (June 22nd), at a moment when 
 she was alone, she heard these words: “ A Chinese 
 officer is in conference with the Ambassador, Mr 
 Conger. We are all safe.” 
 
 Many cases of au dible j'ecepjion^ of Telepathy have 
 been published in t he Proc. S.PJi. The following 
 case of “ voice ” Telepathy, received in the waking state 
 of the percipient, is of interest (vol. i. page 6, Proc. 
 S.P.P.). 
 
 “ On September 9th, 1848, at the siege of Mooltan, 
 
248 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 Major-General E-, C.B., then adjutant of his 
 
 regiment, was severely wounded, and thought himself 
 to be dying, and requested that his ring be taken off 
 and sent to his wife. At the same time she was 
 in Ferozepore (150 miles distant), lying on her bed 
 between sleeping and waking, and distinctly saw her 
 husband being carried off the field, and heard his voice 
 saying, ‘ Take this ring oft' my finger and send it to my 
 wife. ’ ” 
 
 This case was fully verified, and all the names are 
 known to the Society. It will be observed that the 
 lady both heard and saio, and that in all the preceding 
 cases the percipients were either awake or in reverie, 
 or in an appropriate receptive state. A few now will 
 be taken in dream states. 
 
 TELEPATHY IN DREAMS 
 
 Of dreams there is no end, and the causes of dreams 
 are too numerous to enter into : the state of the health, 
 of the brain, and of the stomach will readily account 
 for the bulk of dreams. There are dreams which can 
 be readily traced to their source; and although in 
 character wonderful enough, such as the recovery of 
 lost articles (for which neither Telepathy nor Spirit 
 influence are required to account), still they all belong 
 to the range of psychical investigation, except special 
 dreams already referred to. All these must be left 
 aside for a few cases more distinctly telepathic in 
 character. The following from Camille Flammarion’s 
 work. The Unknown, illustrates seeing and Itearing. 
 
rSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 249 
 
 “ Between my father and myself,” writes one well 
 known to the author, “ there was the strongest tie of 
 affection, stronger than usually exists between father 
 and son. The night when he fell down the stair¬ 
 case, I had got home from business about 8 o’clock, 
 after a day of very hard work, and I went to bed 
 immediately after supper. I always slept next the 
 wall. I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the 
 pillow, and slept a heavy, deep sleep, not even hearing 
 my wife when she came to bed. f knew nothing until 
 my father appeared to me at the to]) of a staircase, 
 about to fall. 1 sprang to seize hold of him, and 
 jumped out at the foot of the bed, making a good deal 
 of noise. My wife awoke and asked, ‘ What the 
 mischief are you doing ? ’ 
 
 “ I lighted a lamp and looked at my watch. It was a 
 quarter past 2. I told her what I had seen, and she 
 tried to make me laugh it off, but did not succeed. 
 
 “ I slept no more that night. I did not even go to 
 bed again, the impression being so strong that 1 could 
 not doubt but that my father had hurt himself 
 seriously. 
 
 “ I went early to town next morning, and telegraphed 
 to him asking if all were well. I got a reply which 
 exactly corresponded with what I had seen in my 
 vision, and the very moment as well. 
 
 “ The sad conseciuence of the fall we know too well; 
 but how, at the distance of so many mil es, could 1 have 
 seen my father fall ? That is a matter entirely beyond 
 my comprehension.” 
 
250 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 Heaving combined with vwtor action and feeling .— 
 The late Mrs Burton, in her Inner Life in Syria, 
 gives several instances of Telepathy from the living. 
 Her husband, Captain Burton, had been ordered to give 
 up his consulship at Damascus at a moment’s notice. 
 His wife was at her country-house, sixty miles away. 
 He had to go to Beyrout on his way to England, and 
 wrote to his wife to get ready and follow him, and, 
 under ordinary circumstances, he might have been well 
 on his journey before his wife could possibly join him. 
 Mrs Burton said :— 
 
 “ I went to bed as usual, and tried to be philosophical. 
 When I went I had one of my dreams. I thought 
 some one pulled me, and I awoke and sat up in my bed, 
 and I could still see and feel it ; and it said in a loud 
 whisper, ‘ Why do you lie there ? your husband wants 
 you ; get up and go to him ! ’ I tried to lie down again, 
 but it happened three successive times, and big drops 
 were on my forehead, with a sort of fear. My maid, 
 who slept in my room, said :— 
 
 “ ‘ Are you walking about and talking, madame ? ’ 
 
 “ ‘No,’ I said, ‘ but somebody is. Are you ?’ 
 
 “ ‘ No,’ she replied. ‘ I have not stirred, but you are 
 talking with somebody.’ 
 
 “ After the third time, I grew to believe that the 
 presence was real. I jumped up, saddled my horse, 
 and, though everybody said I was mad, and wanted to 
 put me to bed, I rode a journey five miles across 
 country, as if I was riding for a doctor, over rocks and 
 through swamps, making for the diligence half-way 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 251 
 
 house. . . . The diligence was just alwut to start, hut 
 God was good to me. Just as the coachman was about 
 to raise his wliip, lie turned his head and saw me 
 coming—hot, torn, and covered with mud and dirt from 
 head to foot—but he knew me. 1 held up both arms; 
 he saw the signal, waited and took me in, and told the 
 ostler to lead my deail-heat horse to the stables. I 
 reached Beyrout twenty-four hours before the steamer 
 sailed.” 
 
 In consequence of the vivid message, Mrs Burton 
 was able to confer with her husband, and understand 
 his plans fully before he left for England. The "Tele¬ 
 pathy came more in this case while the lady was in a 
 dream reverie than in a dream state; she was practi¬ 
 cally awake. Her servant also heard the jj-rescncc 
 w alking and talking . 
 
 It is a common experience for letters to cross, their 
 authors dealing with allied and similar subjects. But 
 we do not often hear of allied dreams of a simnltaneous 
 and telepathic character. One reliable case of the 
 kind is recorded by me in my small book, Uoiu to 
 Tlwuijht-rcad. "The following, from a correspondent 
 well known to the editor of the Christian World, is 
 interesting;— 
 
 “ Sir,—I have read with much interest in the 
 Christian World the valuable paper upon ‘ Dreams’ by 
 ‘J. B.,’together with other more recent contributions 
 upon the same subject from various persons, and am 
 inwardly persuaded to give you a short chapter from 
 my own recent experience. 
 
252 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 “ I have ill the western lieniisphere a frieiul of fortij 
 years staiuUny. Fourteen years ago a niisunderstanding 
 occurred, and all correspondence thereu})on ceased. 
 One night in the month of November 1898 I had a 
 very clear and impressive dream about this quondam 
 friend, who at that time was over 5000 miles distant, 
 and of whom nothing had just then occurred to remind 
 me. In my dream this old friend stood before me as 
 of old, and expressed very great sorrow and regret at 
 what had occurred, and in a tone of passionate pleading 
 said to me, ‘Lei bygones he bygones’ and there and then 
 a perfect reconciliation seemed to take place between 
 us. I awoke, and to my great disappointment dis¬ 
 covered it was hut a dream ! The next morning, at the 
 breakfast table, I related my dream, and expressed 
 regret that it was only a dream, and not a reality. 
 
 “ Two weeks after my dream, to my great astonish¬ 
 ment and delight, I received a letter from this very 
 same friend, saying:—‘ I have had a most remarkable 
 dream about you, and I saw you as you used to be 
 fourteen years ago, and you said to me, ‘ Let bygones 
 be bygones.’ I do not know what it means, but I am 
 just leaving for England, and trust to find my dream 
 fulfilled.’ This friend came to England. The drea ms 
 were related by each to the other . We compared notes, 
 and found, as nearly as could be ascertained, that these 
 dreams were not merely strangely similar , but were 
 also simultaneou s ; that is, at the very same moment of 
 time two distinct minds were occupied by the same 
 thought, feeling the same desire, listening to the same 
 
I'SYCHIC FACULTY AXD TELEPATHY 253 
 
 words, and all this without anything leading either the 
 one or the other mind in this direction. 
 
 “ I feel perfectly certain of the existence of forces of 
 which, as yet, we know very little, but which will in 
 days to come reveal themselves, and operate towards 
 the elevation and unification of the human race, and 
 that as soon as mankind is in a position to rightly 
 understand, control, and utilise these forces ” 
 
 I will now close this selection of dreams with a case 
 of unconscious Telepathy from the living to a most 
 suitable and practical percipient. It is recorded by 
 Dr Horace Bushnell, author of Nature and the Super¬ 
 natural. 
 
 “ Captain Yount,” ho said, “a patriarch in the Valley 
 of California, told him that six or seven years before 
 their conversation he had seen a vision which had 
 saved several lives. He (Captain Yount) had a dream 
 in which he saw what appeared to be a company of 
 emigrants arrested l)y cold and hunger. He noted the 
 very cast of the scenery, marked by a huge perpen¬ 
 dicular front of white rock cliff; the men were cutting 
 off what appeared to be tree-tops rising out of the deep 
 gulfs of snow. He distinguished the very features of 
 the persons and the look of their particular distress. 
 He awoke profoundly impressed by the distinctness and 
 a])parent reality of the dream. He at length fell fast 
 asleep, and dreamt exactly the same dream over again. 
 
 “ In the morning he could not expel it from his 
 mind. Falling in, shortly after, with an oM hunter 
 comrade, be told his story, and was oidy the more im- 
 
254 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 pressed by his recognising without liesitation the 
 scenery of the dream. This comrade came over the 
 Sierra, by the Carson Valley pass, and declared that 
 a spot in the pass answered exactly the description. 
 By this the unsophistical patriarch was decided. He 
 immediately collected a company of men with mules 
 and blankets and all the necessary provisions. 
 
 “ The neighbours were laughing meanwhile at his 
 credulity. ‘ No matter,’ he said, ‘ I am able to do this, 
 aird I will; for I verily believe that the fact is accord¬ 
 ing to my dream.’ The men were sent into the 
 mountains 150 miles distant, directly, to the Carson 
 Valley pass, and tliere they found the company exactly 
 in the condition of the dream, and brought in the 
 remnant alive.” 
 
 APPARITIONS, GHOSTS, AND HAUNTINGS 
 
 I do not say that the spirits of the departed never 
 visit us, for that would be to fly in the face of an amount 
 of valuable present-day evidence, to say nothing of the 
 well-authenticated records of the past. But I venture 
 to think that many so-called apparitions, ghosts, are not 
 “ shades ” of the departed, but mere shadows of a shade 
 —not the departed, but merely pictures of them seen 
 subjectively in Nature’s invisible biograph. When 
 Mrs Denton saw “ monsters in the deep,” it would be 
 the deepest folly to imagine that slie was seeing anything 
 which existed at the present time. When the late 
 Miss Eowan Vincent had no difficulty in recognising 
 Napoleon, she saw no ghost, but merely a picture of 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 255 
 
 what Iiacl been, and her Napoleon was no more a reality 
 than her St Clouds. She gazed on a scene—a terrene 
 experience—in the past, and psychometrically sensed a 
 picture of what had been, but saw no true apparition. 
 
 Many sensitive persons—whether aware of psycho- 
 metrical impressionability or not—placed in a room, or 
 otherwise in proximity to a place, strongly impregnated 
 by the emanations of “ a departed,” having articles of 
 furniture, wearing apparel, and possibly their very 
 bones—we can believe that such an one may have 
 seen a scene in which there were appearances of the 
 dead, and may also have heard voices, noises, and all 
 that. Nay, more, such an one may have seen a dreadful 
 tragedy enacted, all apparently too real and terrifying 
 in effect, and which was, for all that, iiothiTig more than 
 a living picture, thrown up by the films of the invisible 
 biograph to psychic vision. 
 
 Some apparitions are thought-forms, but not the 
 discarnate self. A distressed memory of intensest 
 anguish, some unatoned evil, may cause the spirit— 
 IN THOUGHT —to revisit once, nay, again and again, the 
 unhallowed spot, and that thought, that memory, 
 hecome impressed on some sensitive. This seems to 
 me to be more likely than that the spirit, with its 
 innocent victims, should be tied to the place, and be con¬ 
 stantly re-enacting the crime again and again. I am 
 sustained in this idea by the fact that the ghost comes 
 on an apparently purposeless errand ; it re-enacts the 
 old crime, which, like a fixed idea, has hypnotised it; it 
 wears the garments (E a terrene memory, and all the 
 
256 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 attitudes and postures belong to the long-gone period 
 of the departed’s earthly existence; not only so, but the 
 part played by such apparitions bears no relation to the 
 embodied witness or witnesses. In a similar fashion 
 the so-called apparitions—Queen Elizabeth,Henry VIII., 
 at Windsor, and spectres at Hampden Court—play 
 their meaningless part, all unconscious of those in the 
 flesh who have an aivareness of their presence. 
 
 In the foregoing there is some explanation in defence 
 of the sanity of the observers, but there are many 
 instances in which it is clear that the visions and the 
 apparitions are wholly hallucinary—a creature of mind¬ 
 wandering—an outward projection of some unconsciously 
 evolved thought, and therefore bearing no relation to 
 “ veridical hallucinations,” of which some instances will 
 be given of the true double and the apparition. 
 
 A DEEAM-VISION 
 
 At the age of nineteen, when crossing the Atlantic on 
 a sailing-ship, I had something akin to a dream-vision. 
 I was not sleeping. I was on the look-out, and the 
 night was calm and beautiful. Although I was quite 
 alert, the calm stillness of the surroundings induced in 
 me something of reverie, and I became conscious of a 
 cloudy, hazy appearance in front of me. It came 
 nearer and grew more distinct, and then it opened and 
 I saw what appeared to me to be the face of a sister 
 whom I thouglit much of. The vision-face smiled 
 sweetly at me and disappeared as suddenly as it came, 
 I did not know what to make of it, but some months 
 
PRYCITIC FACULTY AM) TKLFPATTIY 257 
 
 afterwards I learnt tliat she had died al)oat the time I 
 had that dream-vision. The hour and tlio date were 
 not taken by me, I regret to say, as my mind was not 
 given to the consideration of psychical research problems 
 in those days. I cannot tell whether this was a case 
 of telepathy from my dying or departed sister. 
 
 There is the double of the living and the true 
 apparition of the dead; and through these, as through 
 all hom fide psychic e.xperiences, we are brought to the 
 profound conviction that man is not what he seems, 
 but is himself a spiritual being, dwelling in a ])sychic 
 body, and manifesting himself through a physiological 
 organisation by which he is related to his fellows and 
 present terrestrial environment. That while in the 
 body, and manifesting himself in modes pertaining to it, 
 he also at times has been able to show his indei)endence 
 of the external self by the exhibition of Psychic Faculty 
 —by the double; and when he has left the body, by a 
 further exerci.se of these faculties—by intellectual ])er- 
 sistencc, and undoubted apparition ap])earances after 
 death. 
 
 All the same, the double and the apparition may 
 not be the true Psychic Self, but they appear to me to 
 be modes by which they reveal that Self—the True 
 Me—^to the ordinary conscious Me, in present modes of 
 existence. 
 
 THE DOUBLE 
 
 The celebrated Dr Abercrombie, of Edinburgh, 
 related the following. In this case the agent, the 
 
 17 
 
258 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 Eev. Joseph, dreamed a dream, and his mother, the 
 percipient, was awake wlien she saw her son. The 
 Bsychic Faculties of seeing and hearing are indicated. 
 
 “Joseph Wilkins, while a young man, absent from 
 home, dreamt, without any apparent reason, that he 
 returned home, reached the house at night, found the 
 front door locked, entered by the back door, visited 
 his mother’s room, found her awake, and said to her: 
 
 ‘ Mother, I am going on a long journey, and am come 
 to bid you good-bye.’ A day or two afterwards this 
 young man received a letter from his father, asking 
 how he was, and alleging his mother’s anxiety on 
 account of a vision which had visited her on a night, 
 which was, in fact, that of his son’s dream. The 
 mother, lying awake in bed, had heard some one try 
 the front door and enter by the back door, and had 
 then seen the son enter her room, heard him say to 
 her, ‘ Mother, I am going on a long journey, and am 
 come to bid you good-bye,’ and Irad answered, 
 
 ‘ Oh, dear son, thou art dead.’ Words which the son 
 also heard her say in his dream.” 
 
 Mr Terry, the editor of the Harbinger of Light, who 
 has reported so many cases of the double, and allied 
 phenomena, retails an interesting experience he had 
 in his office with a sensitive, who saw and described a 
 lady unknown to him, and who was writing to him 
 in America. She saw this lady in his office. It 
 turned out to be (the late) Mrs Britten, the famous 
 inspirational lecturess, so well known in every city 
 and town of importance at home and abroad. When 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 259 
 
 she arrived in Melbonrne, Mr Terry questioned her 
 on the subject, when she informed liim it was a 
 common occurrence for lier to be seen under similar 
 circumstances at distant places by people in whom she 
 was interested. 
 
 Mr Andrew Lang, the genial Scotch writer, philosopher, 
 and friend, testifies to seeing his friend “ Q.” on one 
 occasion opening his garden gate, coming up the path 
 which led towards the window where he (Mr Lang) 
 was writing. It was in broad daylight. Mr Lang 
 got up to welcome him, and not more than five or ten 
 seconds could elapse between his rising and going to 
 the door to let Q. in. Put there was no Q. there. 
 All this Mr Lang fully descriljes in detail. He also 
 tells ns of going out to dine that day, and meeting 
 with Mrs (.}. and learning from her that Q. had not 
 been out all day, that he was ill in bed, and had been 
 there at the very time his double was seen. Mr 
 Lang had his usual fun at some of the late Mr Myei’s’ 
 psychical terms, but seriously testifies to the fact of 
 the double, and indeed to other phenomena. 
 
 The ghost within each of us can manifest itself 
 without, and deliver a message, perhaps of no moment, 
 or maybe indeed something of vital import—a pre¬ 
 sentiment or a warning, so inten.se that the emotion 
 carries the thought-form or double with it. In the 
 following story in 'f.F.’s Weekly, the editor vouches 
 for the facts, but suppresses the name.s. I think it 
 best to give it in the words of the writer:— 
 
 “ Here is a spirit story whose truth I can guarantee— 
 
2G0 
 
 SRETNG THE THVTRTP.TH 
 
 so far at least a,s T can guarantee the truthfulness of 
 the friend who told it me. A young girl on her way 
 to Cambridge to meet her fiance started up at every 
 station where the train stopped, and looked so wildly 
 out of the window that an old gentleman in the 
 carriage at last asked her what was the matter. ‘ Oh,’ 
 she answered, in great agitation, ‘ I have seen at every 
 station the friend I am going to meet at Cambridge on 
 the platform, beckoning me to get out, in a kind of 
 terror.’ ‘ Then take my advice,’ said the old gentleman, 
 ‘ and if you see him at the next station still beckoning 
 to you, get out at once.’ At the next station there 
 was still the spectre l)eckoning to her in even wilder 
 excitement than ever. She hesitated no longer, got 
 out at once—as indeed did the old gentleman—and 
 waited for the next train to take her to Cambridge. 
 On her arrival she learned that an accident had 
 happened to the preceding train, and especially to the 
 carriage in which she had been seated, and from which, 
 indeed, she had only and barely escaped with her life. 
 The odd thing was that her fiance, when his SYurit was 
 aYipearing to warn her, was himself so sound asleep in 
 the waiting-room at Cambridge that he had not even 
 dreamed of anything of the sort.” 
 
 There is no Y>kase of psychical phenomenon more 
 substantially vouched for in the Proc. S.P.E. than the 
 Double. 
 
 Mr Podmore, whatever his attitude towards the 
 bulk of the evidence for the disincarnate self, offers 
 abundant evidence for Telepathy, including the double 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY l^Gl 
 
 and apparitions. He gives cases of where the double 
 has been projected by an effort of the will, so tliat it 
 has been seen fiy the party for whom the experiment 
 was intended. It is not my intention to deal witli 
 experiments of the kind, however interesting, but I 
 will give one case as suggestive of the possibility of 
 claiming too much for Telepathy in the Podmorean 
 sense. 
 
 Mr Podmore gives the case of a certain lieutenant 
 seeing a lady wlio had b een dead five years. Not only 
 did the lieutenant see her, but a companion who was 
 with him saw her too. Loth men were wide awake, 
 talking over tlie French campaign, when suddenly the 
 door opened and the lady entered. She was dressed in 
 white, head uncovered, and she smilingly bowed to the 
 young lieutenant three times, and passed througli the 
 doorway and disai)peared. It is true an experiment 
 was attempted, and missed fire. It was intended by 
 the agent (?) that by the exercise of his will he 
 should make the lieutenant dream aliout the young- 
 lady at a certain hour. Instead of that her apparit ion 
 is seen by two persons, not in a dream , as a solitary 
 percipient, as i ntended. The foregoing would be better 
 evidence of an Apparition, than that of the Thought- 
 form or Double. The facts are interesting. 
 
 The late Lev. H. 11. Haweis gave a remarkable 
 instance of his own double appearing in his church, 
 “ My I’ulpit Experiences," Temple Mapizine, August 
 1900:— 
 
 “ The oddest thing that ever occurred to me in the 
 
262 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 pulpit,” he says, “ was being seen there when I was 
 elsewhere. It was one Sunday morning, when a 
 severe cold held me a prisoner at Queen’s House, 
 Chelsea, and my curate preached. Two members, at 
 least, in the congregation remarked that no sooner had 
 the curate got into the pulpit, when I appeared for a 
 short time standing Ijehind him ; and on leaving church 
 they met, and comparing notes, each remarked how odd 
 it was that I had been there and done nothing, and 
 what could my motive possibly be ? All that time I 
 was sitting over the fire in Chelsea, worrying at not 
 being in my place at sermon time, having been for 
 once over-persuaded to stop indoors, which I very 
 seldom am, however ill I may be.” 
 
 One more case will suffice—-the Double of T. P. 
 O’Connor, M.P., seen in the House of Commons. Mr 
 J. G. Swift M‘Neill, M.P., tells the tale in M.A.P. 
 Mr. M'Neill says:—■ 
 
 “ And once again let me tell the editor of M.A.P. a 
 ghost story of himself. I remember one evening, in 
 the spring of 1897, looking from the bar of the House 
 of Commons at ‘ T. P. ’ sitting in his accustomed place 
 on the third bench on the Opposition side, below the 
 gangway. ‘ T. P.’ was not there, however. He had 
 been summoned over to Ireland by telegraph, without 
 my knowledge, to take the last farewell of a dying 
 parent. Nor was I alone in thinking I saw him. He 
 was seen sitting in the same place from the Press 
 Gallery by an intimate, to whom his features are as 
 well known as they ai’e to me. It is said that the 
 
rSYCniC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 2G3 
 
 originals are in states of mental snit'ering, aiul certainly, 
 at that time, with a beloved father’s life in the balance, 
 my kindly and atfectionate friend ‘ T. P.’ abnndantly 
 fulfilled that sad condition. 
 
 “ ‘ T. P.’s ’ ])ersonal appearance is striking, and once 
 seen is not easily forgotten, and it is not likely that 
 two such intimate friends would be deceived as to the 
 fact. Tlie evidence for the double does not de))end 
 solely on what I can advance, and the cases given will 
 serve to illustrate this phase of Telepathy. ” 
 
 TELEPATHY EROM THE DEAD, APPARITIONS,— 
 PHANTASMS OF THE DEAD 
 
 P’roin the Double, it is an easy transition to that of 
 the Apparition. IMrs Edmund Adam (Juliette Lam¬ 
 bert), in her interesting book, The luimancc of viy 
 Chihlhood and Yoath, referring to the tragic death of 
 her grandmother, relates the following:— 
 
 “One night about ten o’clock I bad just [)ut my 
 daughter in her crib, had returned to bed, and was 
 about to go to sleep, when by the light of a night 
 lamp that was always burning I saw my grandmother 
 come into my room. ‘ Ah, gramlmother, is it yon ? ’ 
 1 cried. With a slow gesture she put her hand up to 
 her eyes. The sockets were empty! 1 jumped out of 
 bed and went toward her—she hail disappeared. I 
 rushed into my husband’s study, where he was writing. 
 ‘My grandmother, my grandmother, where is she? 1 
 have just seen her, with empty eyes, in my room! ’ 
 ‘You are crazy,’ Monsieur Lamessine said. ‘Your 
 
264 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 graudinother cannot be here. Your mother vviites me 
 tliat she is ill, and begs me, on account of your nursing, 
 not to inform you of it.’ The next day I heard that 
 my grandmother had died at the very hour she had 
 appeared to me.” 
 
 Madame Adam considered this a real vision, so real 
 indeed that she thought it one of the strongest proofs 
 of a hereafter. 
 
 Mrs Coates had many experiences, which I could 
 relate as told me, which she had before she knew 
 anything about these subjects, or dreamt she was one 
 of those now called a 2 ^sychic. This incident happened 
 before we became acquainted, and was related to me 
 after this lady became my wife. 
 
 About three months after the death of her husband 
 she had the following experience, which might, perhaps, 
 be called “ a collective hallucination.” She had been 
 left with three little ones alive, and for comfort, and 
 because these little ones would feel the loss of their 
 father, she liad arranged that they should all sleep in 
 her bedroom. A little daughter about four years of 
 age slept with her mother, and the two boys in little 
 cribs close at hand. There was plenty of room in the 
 house, but this suited all best. On this particular night 
 the children were sound asleep when she retired. She 
 was awakened suddenly from a sound sleep as if by an 
 electric shock, and found herself looking upon a hand 
 which rested on her little daughter’s breast. She 
 instantly recognised the hand, which was natural as 
 in life, as that of her late husband. The child was a 
 
rSYCinC FACULTY AND TFLFPATHY 265 
 
 great favourite of his. Mrs S. was greatly startled 
 to see tlie hand and to recognise it, and the hand 
 started too, as if conscious of the recognition. Her 
 eyes followed the hand to the arm, and then she saw 
 the whole figure, which, while distinct, was shadowy, 
 except the head and face, which were almost as 
 fully defined and as opaque as the hand. The body 
 was between the bed and the wall, which the bed 
 touched. She could see the wall, as it were, through 
 the liody, and the veridical hallucination lasted suffi¬ 
 ciently long for her to distinctly recognise her husband’s 
 face and every movement. She was much terrified, and 
 as the hand was lifted the little girl became restless, 
 and murmured in her sleep, “Papa is away; he is in 
 heaven,” and smiled and fell into sound sleep again. 
 Mrs S. fell asleep too, and about three o’clock she was 
 awakened by the elder boy saying, “ Mamma, I saw 
 papa at the foot of the bed.” “ When ? ” she asked. 
 “Just now,” he replied. “I woke up and saw papa 
 come into the room and stand at the foot of the bed, 
 and he said to me, ‘Be good to your mother, John.’” 
 The bedroom door was shut and locked. 
 
 The foregoing has been confirmed by other members 
 of tbe family. I can safely say I believe the story to 
 be true, since I have had proof, in the presence of 
 witnesses, of her gifts—intuitive or psychical—during 
 the last quarter of a century. 
 
 Herr P. Leithal seiir., writing on March 2Sth {TAykt. 
 April 9th, 1898), from Freiburg, Baden, contributed the 
 following:— 
 
266 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 “ On Wednesday last the servant girl of one of niy 
 friends told her mistress in the morning that, awaken¬ 
 ing the night preceding, she saw her deceased father 
 standing beside her bed. He told her, ‘Your sister- 
 in-law is very sick and near to death.’ On her asking 
 if she ought to go to attend to her, he replied, ‘ No. 
 Your sister Rosa will come for that purpose.’ Towards 
 noon of the same day a telegram from the girl’s brother 
 arrived, in which he said, ‘ My wife is very bad, come 
 instantly.’ 
 
 “ The girl took train, biit returned next evening and 
 said, ‘ I found my sister-in-law very bad; she had 
 been confined, and the physician attending her had 
 had to stay the two preceding nights with her. My 
 sister Rosa arrived unexpectedly. I was enabled to 
 intrust my sister-in-law to her care.’” 
 
 Herr Leithal adds that the girl, as well as the family 
 with whom she lives, have no idea of Spiritualism. In 
 this case the percipient was awake, as in Madame 
 Adam’s experience. She saw and conversed with the 
 Apparition. It informed her of what was, and indi¬ 
 cated what would be, and everything turned out as 
 indicated. 
 
 Less distinct in purport is the following, but the 
 Apparition is seen and the time-coincidence is sug¬ 
 gestive. The percipients may not have been in a 
 suitable state to get a correct impression. In Lord 
 Tennyson’s memoir of his father. Lord Tennyson, he 
 says:— 
 
 “A. went to London. Tilly (Matilda Tennyson) in 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 2G7 
 
 the evening told me how, on an autumn evening, at 
 Somerhy, just before Arthur Hallam’s death, slie and 
 her sister iMary saw a tall figure, clothed from head to 
 foot in white, and they followed it down the lane, and 
 saw it pass through the hedge where there was no gaj); 
 and how she was so awed that on reaching home she 
 hurst into tears. She then related how, lieing at 
 Spilahy for her dancing lessons, she brought home the 
 letters, and one of these was from Clevedon. This was 
 addressed to A. She gave it to him as he sat at dinner, 
 and went to take off her bonnet, and she heard after¬ 
 wards that he had left the table, and that poor Emily 
 was then summoned to him to have the terrible news 
 broken to her.” 
 
 In the following case the two percipients obtain a 
 simultaneously correct impression of their brother. 
 From the meagreness of the report it is impossible to 
 say whether the appearance was coincidental, or really 
 subsequent to the doctor’s death abroad. 
 
 Preaching in the Congregational Church, Seaford, on 
 Sunday, 12th August 19UG, Mr Comjiton Pickett, M.P., 
 related in his sermon the following e.xtraordinary 
 coincidence, which he vouched for as true;—“A 
 gentleman, whose son was attached to the Pritish 
 force in South Africa as doctor during the Poer war, 
 paid a visit to two of his sisters. They remarked that 
 they were glad his son had returned home. On the 
 father replying that his son was still in South Africa, 
 they exclaimed that they had seen him looking through 
 the glass panel of the door of the corridor, about G p.m.. 
 
268 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 just before the father’s arrival. The old gentleman at 
 once returned to London, and next morning called at 
 the War Office for inquiries. He was told information 
 had just been received that his son had died the 
 previous evening from enteric fever, the time of his 
 death being 6 p.m. English time.” 
 
 The following account by Captain G. F. Eussell 
 Colt, of Gartsherrie, Coatbridge, although somewhat 
 abridged, tells its own story :— 
 
 “ I was at home for my holidays, and residing with 
 
 my father and liiother. My bedroom was a 
 
 curious old room, long and narrow, with a window at 
 one end and a door at the other. My bed was on tlie 
 right of the window, looking toward the door. I had 
 a very dear brother, Oliver, lieutenant in the Seventh 
 Eoyal Fusiliers. He was about nineteen years old, and 
 had at that time been some months before Sebastopol. 
 I corresponded frequently with him, and once when he 
 wrote in low spirits, not being well, I said in answer 
 that he was to cheer up, but that if anything did 
 happen to him he must let me know by appearing to 
 me in my room, where we had often as boys together 
 sat at night. This letter (I found subsequently) he 
 received as he was starting to receive the sacrament 
 from a clergyman, who has since related the fact to 
 me. Having done this, he went to the entrenchments 
 and never returned, as in a few hours afterwards tlie 
 storming of the Eedan commenced. He, on the captain 
 of his company falling, took his place and led his men 
 bravely on. He had just led them within the walls. 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TEI.EPATHY 269 
 
 tliougli already wounded in several places, when a 
 bullet struck him on the right temple and he fell 
 among heaps of others, where he was found in a sort of 
 kneeling posture (Ijeing propped u}) by other dead 
 bodies) thirty-six hours afterwards. His death took 
 place, or rather he fell, on the 8th of September 1855. 
 
 “ That night I awoke suddenly and saw, facing the 
 window of my room, by my bedside, surrounded by a 
 light sort of phosphorescent mist as it were, my brother 
 kneeling. I tried to speak, but could not. I buried 
 my head in the bed-clothes, not at all afraid (because 
 we hail all been brought up not to believe in ghosts and 
 apparitions), but simply to collect my ideas, because I 
 had not been thinking or dreaming of him, and, indeed, 
 had forgotten all about what I had written to him a 
 fortnight before. I decided that it must be fancy. 
 
 “ But, on looking up, there he was again, looking 
 lovingly, imploringly, and sadly at me. I tried again 
 to speak, but found myself tongue-tied. I could not 
 utter a sound. I sprang out of bed and glanced 
 through the window, and saw that there was no moon, 
 but it was very dark and raining hard. I turned and 
 still saw poor Oliver. T shut my eyes, walked through 
 it, and reached the door of my room. As I turned the 
 handle, before leaving the room, 1 looked once more 
 back. The apparition turned around his head slowly 
 and again looked anxiously and lovingly at me, and _I 
 saw then, for the first time, a wound on the right 
 temple, w ith a red stream from it. . . . I left the 
 room and went into a friend’s room, and lay on the 
 
270 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 sofa tlie rest of the night. I told him why. I told 
 others in the house, but when I told my father he 
 ordered me especially not to let my mother know. On 
 the Monday following (communication with the Crimea 
 was then conducted by telegraph for only part of the 
 way) he received a note from Sir Alexander Milne to 
 say that the Redan was stormed, but no particulars. 
 I told my friend to let me know if he saw the name 
 among the killed and wounded before me. About a 
 fortnight later he came to my bedroom in his mother’s 
 liouse in Athol! Crescent, in Edinburgh, with a very 
 grave face. I said, ‘ I suppose it is to tell the sad 
 news I expect ? ’ and he said, ‘ Yes.’ 
 
 “ Both the colonel of the regiment and one or two of 
 tlie officers who saw the body confirmed the fact that 
 the appearance was much according to my description, 
 and the death wound was exactly where I had seen it. 
 But none could say whether he actually died at the 
 moment. His cvppeiirance {to me), if so, must have been 
 some hours after death,, as he appeared to me a few 
 minutes after two in the morning. Months later his 
 small prayer-book and the letter I had written to him 
 were returned (to me), found in the inner breast-pocket 
 of the tunic which he wore at his death.” 
 
 This account is substantiated by independent evi¬ 
 dence given in full, vol. i., Proe. tS.P.Ii. 
 
 The late Father Walter, of Washington, related the 
 following experience to a fellow priest, and it found its 
 way into the Catholic Press at his death a few years 
 ago, and pulilic attention was recalled to it by the 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 271 
 
 WiK/rinfjfon Post on tlie death of the priest. This is 
 the story condensed. 
 
 P'atlier Walter had retired for the night, one stormy 
 night in winter, and liad been lying down, when he 
 was aroused by a violent pull at the door hell. At the 
 sound he jumped up, opened the window and looked 
 out, and saw two thinly clad children, a hoy and a girl, 
 on tlie doorstep below. 
 
 “ What do you want ?” asked the priest, of his small 
 visitors. “ Our father is dying, and wants you to come 
 to him immediately,” one replied. “ We will show you 
 the way.” 
 
 In a shoi t time the pi'iest was out in the street with 
 the children, who led the way to a brokendown tene¬ 
 ment in a low (piarter of the city. The hoy opened the 
 door hut did not enter, simply saying to Father Walter, 
 “ My father’s door is at the top of the house. You will 
 see a light shining through the keyhole; yon cannot 
 miss it.” The priest, intent on his mission, did not 
 notice the absence f)f the children, and stumbled and 
 groped his way up the rickety stairs, and found the 
 door as described. Pushing it open, a piteous sight 
 met his gaze. A hare room with a broken chair and 
 some other things, and the dying man covered with 
 rags, lying in a corner, was faintly revealed liy the 
 feeble light of a candle stuck in a bottle. 
 
 “Who ai'e you?” demandeil the man, in a whisper. 
 Father Walter said that he was sent for to come to 
 him. “ I did not send for you. I had no one to send 
 —1 am—alone—dying.” 
 
SKEINa THE THVISIBLE 
 
 070 
 
 “That is strange,” said the priest, “ for two children, 
 a boy and a girl, came to my house and told me that 
 their father was dying, and showed me the way.” 
 
 “Two children!” gasped the man, almost springing 
 lip. “ What did they look like ? ” The priest told him, 
 and the dying man covered his face with his hands and 
 wept silently, and the tears trickled through his hands, 
 and his whole frame was convulsed. When he could 
 speak, he said, “ They were my children 1 My poor, 
 dear children,” and he fell on his bed, exhausted. Then 
 came the sad, wretclied, and wonderful story of his 
 taking drink after his wife’s death, of his neglected 
 children, and their death nearly two years before. 
 “ They were my dead children who came to you. Father.” 
 He added, in a broken voice, “ My poor children were 
 sent by heaven to bring you to their dying father. ” 
 
 The story ends simply in the announcement that the 
 repentant sinner was received into the Church, and all 
 good Catholics will know what that means. 
 
 But such incidents are not the monopoly of the 
 Catholics, although they are more inclined to that sort 
 of thing than Protestants. Coming near home, I have 
 an incident of more recent date, and told to me by my 
 old friend, the late Eev. D. M'Kinnon, to whom refer¬ 
 ence has already been made in this book. He told us 
 this story one evening in the winter of 1890. I 
 remember that he was in some excitement over it. 
 He had been perturbed over certain knockings and 
 sounds in his own house, Craigiebank, Crossbill, but a 
 short time before, but they were nothing to this new 
 
rSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATTIY 273 
 
 experience. He had been making pa.storal visits in 
 connection with his church, and, according to custom, 
 announced the Sunday before the particular district he 
 would visit. On this day he had just completed his 
 calls and was on the way home. Passing through a 
 street, not in the district of his calls, his attention was 
 arrested by a young woman in a grey dress, with turban 
 or hat, also greyish, who, standing in a “ close mouth,” 
 motioned to him. On crossing over to her, she asked him 
 to visit her mother. Tie hesitated, and then complied. 
 The young woman, who appeared real and natural to 
 him, led the way upstairs, and rang a bell at a house 
 (two up), and on the door being opened, he was surprised 
 on looking round to see that his guide had fled, Init 
 thinking that she must have passed him in some way, 
 he told the old woman who opened the door that he 
 
 had come to see Mrs-. He entered and saw that 
 
 lady, ill in bed, and talked and prayed with her, and 
 when al)Out to leave, spoke about the young woman in 
 the grey dress, and asked about her. He was aston¬ 
 ished to learn that there was no such person living. 
 
 But Mrs-had a daughter, wdiose app(‘arance and the 
 
 favourite dress she last wore corresponded to the 
 description given, and she liad died six months before, 
 
 VISIONS OF THE DYING—APPAKITIONS 
 
 The Lev. Minot J. Savage, in Life, Beyond Death 
 says:—“I have known cases where a friend who was 
 living at a distance has appeared after the fact of 
 death to someone in another town or in another State, 
 
 18 
 
274 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 I liave mj^self personally investigated and satisfied 
 myself of the truth of happenings of the sort. 
 
 “ In this connection it may be worth while to speak 
 of the visions of the dying. It is well known, of course, 
 that persons suffering from fever and different kinds 
 of illness have visions which are probably caused by 
 the disease, and so are purely subjective. It is held 
 by many that all visions of the dying are of this 
 order. 
 
 “ A good many cases have come under my personal 
 observation. Most of them were not of a nature to 
 prove that the dying person actually saw the friends 
 whose names they called, or whose faces and forms 
 seemed to be present. But I have known one or two 
 cases that seemed to me to possess very remarkable 
 features in the direction of proof. I will simply give 
 one of them as a specimen. 
 
 “ There were two little girls, about eight or nine 
 years of age, who lived in a city of Massachusetts. 
 They were not relatives, but very close friends. Both 
 were taken ill at the same time with diphtheria. One, 
 whose name I will speak of as Jeanie, died on Wednes¬ 
 day. The family, the nurses, and the physicians all 
 took special pains to keep the fact from her playmate, 
 fearing the effect of it might stand in the way of 
 recovery. It proved that they were successful in their 
 efforts, for on the Saturday morning, not long after 
 the death of the other child, she went through the form 
 of making her little will. She spoke of certain things 
 ihat she wished to give to the different fi'iends—-her 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 275 
 
 brothers and sisters and playmates. Among these slie 
 pointed out certain things of which she was very fond 
 that were to go to Jeanie, thus settling all possible 
 question as to whether or no she had found ont that 
 Jeanie was still living. A little later she seemed to 
 he between the two worlds, seeing the friends that 
 were about the bed, and also seeing those who are 
 ordinarily invisible. She spoke of her grandfather and 
 of her grandmother, and of others, expressing her 
 delight to see them. And then she turned to her 
 father, with a face and voice both expressing the 
 greatest surprise, and exclaimed, ‘ Why, papa, why 
 didn’t you tell mo Jeanie had gone ? Jea nie is here 
 with the rest. Why didn’t you tell me of it?’ This 
 seems to be a case a little out of the ordinary. If she 
 had known that her friend was among the dead, wo 
 might say, with some reason, that she was merely 
 imayining that she saw her face among the others that 
 she believed had long been inhabitants of the other 
 world. But her surprise at seeing this particular face 
 carries with it the suggestion of reality such as does 
 not attach itself to ordinary cases. 
 
 “ I know also of a little l)oy, but two or three years 
 old, who had been put to bed and was asleep. He had 
 a friend, a Judge of some prominence, living in the 
 place, who, having no children of his own, was very 
 fond of this particular little boy; used to come often 
 to see him, and bring him presents, and make a pet of 
 him. On this evening the father and mother were 
 sitting in the next room, when they heard the little 
 
276 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 boy crying violently, as though suddenly aroused from 
 his sleep. They went in and found him sobbing as if 
 his heart would lireak. They asked him what was the 
 
 matter, and he called out, ‘Judge-says he’s dead ! 
 
 He has been here and told me that he is dead ! ’ Next 
 morning it was found that the Judge had died at about 
 that time the night before.” 
 
 The Eev. Mr Savage thought that these cases were 
 more evidential than if the matter had come under his 
 notice from older persons, who might have ideas on 
 these subjects, and I agree with him. 
 
 I have had many experiences myself, but should not 
 think of putting them forward as being of evidential 
 value, for, being somewhat prejudiced, I have got to 
 believe in the possibility of many things which in 
 youth and manhood I should have pooh-poohed. I 
 cannot possibly vouch for all the cases given in this 
 book, but I can most assuredly assert that I have 
 offered nothing to my readers half as strange or as 
 wonderful, or as likely to cause “ wiseacres ” to shake 
 their heads, as the well-authenticated cases presented 
 to the public by the Proc. S.P.R., and a greater range 
 still with which I am familiar as an investigator of the 
 psychical phenomena of modern Spiritualism. I have 
 only touched the fringe of a profoundly interesting 
 subject—the true nature of man and his possible sur¬ 
 vival in “ other-world states.” I will now present two 
 or three more cases illustrative of other phases. 
 
 Hecently Mrs Terelinck, of King’s Lynn, had a 
 dream three nights in succession. In that dream she 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 277 
 
 saw her husband’s uncle standing by her bedside, and 
 on awakenina: after the last dream declared that he 
 “still was there,”—the vision in the dream state 
 obtruding into the waking state. So steadfast was 
 she in this, and so certain that something had happened 
 to this person, that her husband was prompted to make 
 inquiries. Failing to get information from other 
 quarters of the whereabouts of his uncle, he had 
 recourse to the police. He was shown a photograph 
 and some clothes, and identified them as his uncle’s, 
 John Irvin, of Broad Street, Cambridge, whose body 
 was found in the Ouse, at Lynn, on Whit Monday, 
 1903. 
 
 Why Mr Terelinck, the relative, did not dream the 
 dream, and his wife did, can only be explained in this 
 way. That lady was the more susceptible of the two 
 to perceive apparitions, and could more readily sense 
 the message of the dead. 
 
 There was an account given of a proposed tour of 
 Mr Alex. Bull, son of Ole Bull, the celebrated musician, 
 in the American Press. In the notice which appearetl 
 in the Banner of LiijlU, there was also a personal 
 sketch of Mr Bull. Of his experiences one is note¬ 
 worthy as of psychical interest. 'That gentleman was 
 enjoying himself, in the spring of 1895, at an evening 
 party in Oottenburg, Denmark. While dancing with 
 the daughter of his host, he stopped as if suddenly shot, 
 for a voiee at that moment told him his brother was 
 killed. The article goes on to say: “At the exact 
 moment when he himself had been informed of the 
 
278 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 sad occurrence, and at the time when the ship in which 
 it occurred was hundreds of miles away at sea, his 
 brother Thorwald liad fallen from the ship’s mast and 
 was killed.” Three weeks afterwards the psychical 
 experience was con tinned. 
 
 Ella Macmahon, a writer of some repute, and a 
 contributor to Cassell’s Family Mayazme, told the 
 following, in all apparent sincerity (Jan. 1896), in an 
 article entitled “A Voice from the Dead.” She told 
 how she and her little sister Annie were saved from 
 sudden death by hearing their mother’s voice calling 
 them. They were wandering in semi-darkness through 
 an old castle, and had reached the edge of a pit which 
 was full of water and slime, and they would have 
 been instantly drowned had they not heard their 
 mother’s voice softly calling them l)y their names, 
 one after the other. They turned and followed the 
 voice, and were saved. Their mother had been dead 
 four months. The authoress does not attempt to 
 explain the mystery. She was nine years of age then, 
 but there were three things which she knew—her 
 mother’s voice, that her mother had been dead four 
 months, and that both herself and her sister had 
 escaped an untimely death through that voice. The 
 transparent honesty of the writer is equalled by her 
 intelligence. 
 
 I will now conclude my illustrations of Telepathy— 
 and something more—from the dead in the sele3tion of 
 one given by Miss Goodrich-Freer, now Mrs Spoer, in 
 the Occult Rcvicio, July 1906. I may say, this 
 
rSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 279 
 
 ])articuliir inciileiit is one out of many the late 
 Marquess of Bute had urged tliis lady to publish. 1 
 will condense, and leave the story to tell its own tale. 
 
 Colonel Brown-Ferris tells, in 1893, that he and a 
 brother officer in India one day were making out a 
 list of the effects of a Ijrother officer who had died of 
 cholera. 
 
 “ ‘ We were sitting one at e.ach eml of the table with 
 writing materials, and as each article was named, put 
 it down on the list. While we were so engaged we 
 heard a step on the veramlah. We looked u}» and 
 
 said to each other, ‘ If we diil not know-was dead, 
 
 we should say he was coming in now.’ He ilid come 
 in, and spoke; and the strange thing is that he seemed 
 to think it tpiite natural that he should Ije there and 
 speak, although he knew he was dead. He said, ‘I 
 cannot he at rest because there is something I ought 
 to tell and to do. Will you write it down ? Before I 
 
 left England I was privately married in -church,’ 
 
 giving the name and date. ‘My wife lives there mnv, 
 and I have a hoy. I wish this to he known, and that 
 the property I have here should be sold and the money 
 sent to her. I could not rest till this was done, as no 
 one knows I was married.’ This was all, and he was 
 gone. We had both written the directions, and they 
 were word for word the same. We made impiiries in 
 England: it was all true, he had been married, and at 
 the place and date given. Of course, the money was 
 given to the wife. If he had not come back to tell us, 
 no one would ever have known anything about it.’ ” 
 
280 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 This is a purposeful and intelligent return of the 
 Soul-man—apparition—or phantasm of the dead (?); 
 and with it—not from want of material, but from 
 want of space—I must close my tale of Telepathy from 
 the dead. 
 
 MODERN SPIRITUALISM—TELEPATHY 
 
 Ill the foregoing references to Telepathy I have 
 dealt with spontaneous psychic phenomena, but I do 
 not think it advisable to conclude this chapter without 
 a word or two concerning induced Telepathy, having 
 for its object possible intercommunications with the 
 departed. 
 
 Telepathy from the living and the dead has been 
 adequately demonstrated in the past to most thoughtful 
 inquirers, and the persistence of human existence 
 beyond bodily death has been established in these 
 latter d ays by a body of scientifically accepted evidence, 
 the rejection of which would only proclaim one’s 
 ign orance. None who have investigated these pheno¬ 
 mena do reject them ; only those who have not are 
 found to declare their opposition and scepticism. 
 
 Accepted or rejected. Telepathy from the Dead by 
 induced states is fraught with difficulties, and mixed 
 with varied play of Psychic Faculty, not always clearly 
 attributable to the action or the influence of deceased 
 persons. Nevertheless, amid all this there is evidence 
 —evidence which is accumulative and most convincing. 
 This evidence is not to be obtained by the casual 
 iiKjuirer, but by the patient clear-headed investigator. 
 
PSYCHIC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 281 
 
 by many months or years of tliligent and thonghtfnl 
 research. 
 
 Telepathy from the dead is not always coherent, 
 clear, and decisive ; it may be dim, as that between 
 living persons communicating through a third person, 
 or even more dim and more fragmentary. Still is 
 there enough gathered together from various sittings 
 with approved psychics—such as Mrs Thompson with 
 the late Mr Myers, Mrs Piper with the late Dr 
 Hodgson, and others—to prove the persistence of the 
 conscious intelligence of the once embodied mind, now 
 beyond the veil. In passing, I have mentioned the 
 names of Mrs Thompson and Mrs I’iper because 
 these are best known to the reading public; not that 
 relialde communications are confined to these sensitives. 
 There are hosts of good psychics — in the United 
 Kingdom and the civilised world—through whom or 
 by whom we can obtain similar evidence. 
 
 In the majority of cases where communications are 
 received, the psychic or medium is in a trance, semi¬ 
 trance, or in a receptive state, similar to psychometric 
 reverie and allied states, to which attention has already 
 been called. It is of little importance whether these 
 states are in the first instance self-induced—as the 
 majority are—-or whether they are the residt of a 
 discarnate intelligence, hypnotising or otherwise, tele- 
 pathically impressing the psychic by subjective sugges¬ 
 tion, so long as messages, and verifiable messages, are 
 communicated. 
 
 Possibly only a portion of the Psychic Faculties of a 
 
282 
 
 SEEING 'rHE INVISIBLE 
 
 sensitive is adapted for the transmission of the message 
 desired by the spirit or agent on the other side. Then 
 it is possible that the spirit of the deceased person may 
 be in a trance or dream-like state, and not he con¬ 
 sciously aware—as we have already noted in ordinary 
 cases of Telepathy—of transmitting a message at all. 
 Maybe there lias been a thought, an anxiety perhaps, 
 to communicate some apparent message—some loving 
 or protecting thought—but beyond that no awareness 
 of doing so. The message received may have been 
 transmitted when the spirit’s intelligence was in 
 such a dream-like or trance state that only a 
 portion of that message found a way by Psychic 
 Faculty, and was interpreted by the sensitive to the 
 interviewer—either pantomimically, verbally, inspira¬ 
 tionally, or per automatic writing, as the case may be. 
 Such messages, although fragmentary, present enough, 
 here and there, to make an intelligent communication 
 characteristic and apposite of the sender; a touch here 
 and a touch there of knowledge, of personality, of 
 intimate acquaintance, till the accumulated evidence 
 becomes proof of identity of the departed. 
 
 One can think of the difficulty that the late William 
 Ewart Gladstone would have in communicating through 
 an ordinary psychic a message of import to the nation. 
 Could the latter send a message to the nation departing 
 from the paths of peace and retrenchment, of liberty 
 and free trade, to warn it to pause and count the cost 
 before entering upon a wild career of conquest, im¬ 
 perialism, and all that, but without presenting some 
 
PSYCfITC FACULTY AND TELEPATHY 2<S3 
 
 phase of personality sufficient to assure those who 
 might be interested and attinitised to himself, tlie 
 whole would he ])ointless as demonstrating continued 
 existence. The former thoughts, however valuable, 
 would he unnecessary, as furnishing no evidence of 
 identity ; and without the latter, there would he no 
 convincing proof that the late “G.O.]\L”was himself 
 communicating with his friends. Still it is conceivable 
 that such a statesman, being human, might communi¬ 
 cate both on national and personal ai’lairs. 'I'he great 
 difficulty would be in finding a suitable sensitive 
 capable of manifesting or even reflecting the thoughts 
 either of the statesmanship or scholarship of a man like 
 Gladstone, but it is not impossible that he might make 
 himself known by many little characteristics to his 
 personal friends thi’ough a suitable medium. 
 
 It is not from the great ones of the earth, the good 
 and noble departed only, that the evidence for con¬ 
 tinued existence conies. If there be any real evidence 
 to us through ti’ance-lucidity or similar induced 
 states, it must come from those whom we knew on 
 earth, or from someone in the unseen to someone we 
 know now on earth. Tliose messages are most con¬ 
 vincing which come to us from among those who have 
 gone out from us. And yet, truth to tell, what may 
 he most convincing evidence to us who remain is of 
 little value to others outside that circle, unless, 
 perhaps, they still remain convinced of both our sanity 
 and proliity. Therefore the whole subject of lelepathy 
 from the Dead is beset with difficulties—difficulties 
 
284 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 of transmission and reception, and of acceptation by 
 third parties. 
 
 While there can be no doubt of the persistence of 
 the real “Me” when freed from'this earthly taber¬ 
 nacle,—a persistence which has been revealed to us in 
 telepathic dashes from the world of spirit without us 
 to the world of spirit within us, and expressed in 
 various ways to our ordinary consciousness,—we, after 
 all, learn but little of the so-called dead. What we 
 think we know is little better than the redex of the 
 Psychic’s Inner Vision, crudely translated into the 
 “ letter ” of our daily experiences here. That “ letter,” 
 if it does not kill, surely obscures spiritual facts. 
 
 What St Paul knew of the third heaven he declared 
 was unlawful to utter. I siispect he could not. The 
 consciousness of trance vision and dream states seldom 
 presents an unbroken front in the ordinary waking 
 states. Whatever the actual experience of Lazarus, 
 he may or may not have told Martha and Mary, but 
 there is no I’ecord. As Tennyson, in “ In Memoriam,” 
 says :— 
 
 “ Behold a man raised up by Christ! 
 
 The rest remaiiieth unrevealed ; 
 
 He told it not; or something sealed 
 The lips of that evangelist.” 
 
 Whatever the state or states of the dead, we are 
 content to know that they live. A fuller and deeper 
 consideration of this subject brings us into close contact 
 with the facts, phenomena, and the lessons to be derived 
 from a study of modern Spiritualism, which indeed 
 
PSYCTTin FACULTY AND TELEFATTIY 285 
 
 has been the forerunner, if not the actual cause, of 
 the world’s acceptance of Telepathy to-day. 
 
 T must now leave the subject as it gets interesting, 
 to come hack some day and have an incursion into 
 “ Modern Spiritualism :—A study of Facts and Fancies.’" 
 I will conclude hy saying, that as man evidently 
 possesses powers transcending sense-perceptions, and 
 avenues of knowledge superior to them, which render 
 him superior to Time and Space environment, and that 
 as he is aide to show independence of the physical 
 form here and now, it is conceivable, nay, probable, 
 that he may persist—a conscious intelligent being, in 
 an immortal, not dying state—beyond the veil, in some 
 sphere of life and progression suited or adapted to his 
 risen or discaniate condition—may be dwelling in one 
 or some of the “ many mansions ” which Jesus of 
 Nazareth taught His disciples would be prepared for 
 them, and which many gooil peo))le still believe are not 
 chimerical. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
Appendix No. I 
 
 {P- 7) 
 
 PROFESSOR JOSEPH ROBES BUCHANAN, M.D. 
 
 Having frequently referred to Br Joseph Rodes Buclianan 
 in these pages, a brief outline of this American and his 
 career seems necessary for the henefit of many British 
 readers who have not heard of him. In America he 
 survived the zenith of his fame hy many years, as a lecturer, 
 author, and accom[)lished medical man, and was not so 
 well known hy the rising generation in the States as in the 
 two previous ones. 
 
 Br Buchanan was born in Frankfort, Ky., U.S.A., on 
 11th Becemher 1814, and closed a long and eventful life in 
 in San Jose, Cal., on 26th Becemher 1899. He lived eighty- 
 five years, a ripe, busy, earnest life of medical, social reform, 
 and of cerebral exploration and psychical research. Possibly 
 no man has done so much in the nineteenth century for 
 Psychic Science in the United States as Br Buchanan. His 
 great discovery of Psychometry alone was sufficient to hand 
 his name down to posterity with honours. In his greater 
 work, Therapen.tir Sareognomy, he has not only demon¬ 
 strated the intimate interrelations of the body, brain, and 
 soul, but he has given to the medical faculty most important 
 discoveries of incalculable value in treating the sick. 
 Buchanan’s Anthropology, which sets forth his discoveries 
 
 286 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 in cerePral psychology, i)asse(l into several editions. Neto 
 F.ihyation was another able and masterly volume, in which 
 he outlined the importance of ethical, moral, and spiritual 
 training going hand in hand with intellectual culture. 
 
 He edited and published the Buchanan Journals of Man 
 from 1850 to 1855, and from 1887 to 1889, a fresh, able, and 
 scientifically conducted magazine, devoted to the object of 
 its title—Man. 
 
 Professor Buchanan, from his intimate knowledge of the 
 psychical side of man’s nature revealed by experimentation, 
 was a Spiritualist before the “rappings” at Hydesville 
 knocked conviction home—of the reality of the continuity 
 of life—of life after death—to a materialistic generation. 
 He lived to see Professors Crookes, Imdge, Barrett, Sitlg- 
 wick. Dr Alfred Bussell Wallace, Camille Flammarion, and 
 a host of “ agnostic ” Professors in American and Continental 
 universities range themselves among the advocates of the 
 new advent of Spiritualism. He saw many more 'proclaim 
 their faith in the reality of the phenome7ia, hut ivho were not 
 ready to accept the spirihialistie theory. It was a great 
 triumph. 
 
 The last work of importance issued by this original 
 thinker was Primitive Christianity, in two large volumes, 
 a remarkable achievement for a semi-paralysed man of eighty- 
 two years of age. A review of its claims or defects woidd 
 he out of place here. 
 
 Primitive Christianity was followed with a small work on 
 Periodicity, showing the good and evil periods in the lives 
 of men and in the history of nations. It is a curious and 
 ingenious speculation, and admiraldy sustained by cases in 
 point. Tested in a series of exj)erinients by me, T have 
 been surprised at the re.sults. 
 
 In addition to his professional work. Dr J. B. Buchanan 
 found time to contribute original articles to the press on 
 
288 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 psychic subjects, laiiil, social reform, and sanitation. He lias 
 left, he informed me, some 20,000 pages of MSS., which 
 may yet see the light. 
 
 In medicine and in philosophy he was ever in advance. 
 He was founder of the eclectic medical system in America 
 —the Dean of four medical colleges—founder of the 
 Buchanan Therapeutic Institutes—President of several 
 learned societies. The pioneer of the admission of women 
 into the medical faculty—an advocate of the rights of labour 
 and of man, white or black—an opponent of slavery. A 
 most able and most unselfish man, of intellect amounting to 
 genius, he lived as he died—a man of spotless reputation. 
 It is our loss that he was not known to the British public, 
 but he had many scientific friends and admirers in the 
 United Kingdom and abroad, such as Dr Franz Hartmann of 
 Germany, the late Dr Eadon of Bristol, Rev. J. Melville in 
 Scotland, W. T. Stead, Esq., of the Review of Reviews, and 
 many others. Like many good and great men, his ideas did 
 not appeal to those clothed in purple and fine linen, and he 
 died a comparatively poor man. 
 
Appendix No. II 
 
 ip. 11 ) 
 
 EXrERi:\lENTS AYITII AIEDICIXES 
 
 In Dr Buchanan’s earlier experiments in Psyclionietry, lie 
 became conxincecl that sensitive jiersons could he influenced 
 hy medicines of the nature and character of which they 
 were ignorant. 1 he matter was tested hy innumerahle 
 experiments before influential committees throughout the 
 United States, as reported in the Orujinal Sliefcli, of 
 Psuchomefrij, and in the Journal of J\Ia 7 i. It was a re¬ 
 markable discovery, and performed with persons in normal 
 conditions — the first of its kind in the history of medicine. 
 
 In these experiments the Doctor u.sed great precautioms. 
 lie said ; — 
 
 •‘The desire to guard against delusions led me to adopt 
 precautions to |)revent the individuals experimented upon 
 from knowing the name and nature of the medicine used. 
 It was either concealed from their sight or so enveloped in 
 paper as to he invisible, and thus the experiment was made 
 in such a manner that any play of imagination would have 
 been immediately detected. Sometimes, as in the experi¬ 
 ments in New York, the medicine was uidniown to all 
 liresent until the close of the exiieriment. 
 
 “ It was thus fully established that a large jiortion of the 
 human race may be affected by medicinal substances ereu 
 
 • 28 <) 19 
 
290 
 
 SEEING THE INVISIBLE 
 
 without immediate contact —a fact ■wliich I now consider as 
 well settled and familiar as any other in medical science— 
 so mnch so as to become a necessary subject of medical 
 instruction, and in every course of lectures .... I stated 
 these principles and accompanied them by immediate demon¬ 
 stration upon the members of the class. Medicinal substances 
 enveloped in paper v'ere distributed among the members of 
 the class, Avbo held them in their bands while sitting at 
 ease, listening to the lecture and waiting for the effect. It 
 freqtientl}^ happens when a vigorous emetic, cathartic, or 
 stimulant is distributed in this manner, its impression Avill be 
 so distinctly recognised by some members of the class as to 
 enable them to name it correctly if they have ever before 
 experienced its operation, as in medicine.” 
 
 Without being aAvare of the experiments of Professor 
 J. P. Buchanan, Drs Bourru and Burot conducted experi¬ 
 ments in France to test the influence of medicines en 
 distance. The sensitives Avere nervous and hysterical 
 patients, avIio Avere hypnotised. The medicines employed 
 —liquids in small vials, the solid sAibstances in paper— 
 Avere not put into the patient’s hands, but Avere held by 
 the experimenting physicians three inches or so behind 
 the patient’s head. The doctors kncAV Avhat these medicines 
 Avere; the patients did not. These experiments Avere 
 carried out at Rochefort in 1885, and an elaborate report 
 of these experiments Avas made to the French Association 
 for the Advancement of Science, held at Grenoble that same 
 year. It Avas claimed for tliese experiments that they Avere 
 successful, and the remarkable and apposite action of each 
 medicine Avas carefully noted and detailed in this report. 
 
 The subject excited some attention, and Avas brought before 
 the French Academy of Medicine in 1887 by the late Dr 
 J. L. Buys in a paper on “ The d’ranscorporeal Action of 
 Drugs, or the Action of certain Substances Avhich act at a 
 
AITENDTX 
 
 291 
 
 distance upon Hypnotised Subjects.” The members of the 
 Academy were interested in the account of the later 
 experiments conducted l)y Luys. A commission was ap¬ 
 pointed to conduct anotlier series, and medicinal substances 
 were prepared, but ncitlier Dr Luys nor the committee were 
 to have any knowledge of the medicines to be employed in 
 the second series of experiments. The first course was to 
 be carried on by Dr Ijuys and assistants without interference, 
 the second under conditions drawn np by the commission. 
 One tube ernpJoijed was an empty one. The experiments 
 were failures. The report, wliile giving credit to the e.x[ieri- 
 menters for good faitli, said ; “ 'I’he, ell’ects prodnceil by 
 drugs held at a distance in hypnotisable subjects seemed 
 to depend more upon the vagaries of imagination and 
 memory than anything else.” 
 
 That these experiments failed is not to be wondered at, 
 considering the manner in which they were conducted, and 
 the subjects with whom they were carried out. The experi¬ 
 ments of Drs Bourru and Ibirot were fairly succe.ssful, as 
 also were those snbsecpiently reiteated in good faith by 
 Dr Luys. But, without needle.ssly discussing the matter, 
 had the whole of these latter experiments been failures, 
 they would not affect the integrity of the experiments 
 carried out so scientifically and thoroughly by the late 
 Dr Buchanan, and repeated before committee after committee 
 all over the States, with well-balanced, rational, and reliable 
 persons — medical students, I’lajfessors of INfedicine, literary 
 and scientific men, and refined and intelligent women— for 
 his subjects. 
 
Appendix No. Ill 
 
 {p. 64 ) 
 
 UNCONSCIOUS MENTAL OPERATIONS 
 
 WriAT are called “unconscious operations of the mind” 
 are numerous indeed, and are very far-reaching in their 
 character. The most common are of daily occurrence, and 
 are within tlie experience of most of us, as, for instance, 
 when we endeavour to recollect a name, place, a remark, or 
 a special quotation. After considerahlc wrestling with the 
 effort, we give it up without result, and with this con¬ 
 fession : “ I know, l)ut have forgotten it now,” etc.; and 
 liaving dismissed the matter from further consideration, we 
 find to our surprise—and that, too, while engaged in another 
 train of thought or speech—that the forgotten name, 
 incident, or quotation pops into our mind. This is a 
 common experience, and shows that the operation originally 
 started by our inquiry was carried out by our cerel)ral 
 machinery, “ all unbeknown to us like,” while we were 
 attending to something else on the conscious plane. There 
 are deeper instances of this unconscious cerebration, to 
 which possibly Professor Agassiz refers, viz., the power of 
 the mind to work out clearly and directly—and to us 
 unconsciously — lines of thought during sleeping hours 
 which have baffled our best endeavours while awake. 
 Numerous instances could be furnished, in addition to the 
 
 292 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 293 
 
 few already given in this work, of ministers, lawyers, 
 scholars, inventors, and authors composing sermons, elab¬ 
 orating defences, completing inventions, solving difficult 
 mathematical problems, conceiving plots, etc., all of which 
 had baffled their best endeavours during their waking hours. 
 Then there arc a whole host of experiences of a similar 
 chai’acter—memory of forgotten incidents, revelations of 
 the past—which have taken place at seances, and have been 
 attributed by some to disembodied spirits, and by others to 
 the subconscious self. But none of these instances could 
 possibly explain the uni(pie experience of Professor Agassiz, 
 for the simple reason that he had obtained a knowledge of 
 a fact which had never at any hnaner time been the subject 
 of thought, and was a forgotten incident. It was not a 
 mathematical problem, imperfectly hit at during his waking 
 hours, or an invention, sermon, or essay, which was perfectly 
 carried out in sleep. lie had seen the perfect outlines, 
 indicating every detail of a fossil fish, in a dream-vision 
 which transcended all sense-perception and all processes of 
 reason; for this said fossil fish was probably imbedded 
 in stone before man walked this earth, and was only re¬ 
 vealed to mortal eyes when Professor Agassiz had himself 
 cut away all portions of the stone slab which had concealed 
 it for ages. Thus it was not one of those unconscious 
 operations of the mind which modern science admits to be 
 possible. It is one for lohicli our modern physiologists have 
 yet to account, and for wliieli Psychometry and Psychic 
 Pkaculty so far furnish a satisfactory explanation. 
 
Index 
 
 Agassiz’s dream-vision, G3, 210, 
 293. 
 
 Animal magnetism, 6, 7, 29. 
 
 Animals, emanations of, 34 ; sen¬ 
 sitiveness of man to, 216, 217. 
 
 Apparitions, 19 ; seen by their own 
 light, 45 ; Author’s opinion con¬ 
 cerning, 254 ; Tele})athy from the 
 dead indicated by, 256, 263, 264, 
 265, 268, 270, 272, 273, 279. 
 
 Attitude of mind to receive im¬ 
 pressions, 146. 
 
 Auld, Mr John, 130, 
 
 Aura, 47, 143, 145. 
 
 Automatic writing, 120, 127, 129. 
 
 Babbage, Professor, 51. 
 
 Baraduc, Dr, 190, 191, 200, 201,203. 
 
 Barrett, Professor, 126, 239. 
 
 Becquerel rays, 26, 31, 68. 
 
 Biograph, Nature’s, 38, 41, 50, 51, 
 52, 55, 61, 65. 
 
 Biometre, 191, 200. 
 
 Bloiidlot, M., 203. 
 
 Brewster, Sir David, 35, 70. 
 
 Britten, Mrs, 227, 258. 
 
 Buchanan, Dr, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 
 52, 59, 75, 77, 115, 145, 170, 289, 
 290, 291. 
 
 Buchanan, Mrs, 118, 119, 163. 
 
 Burton, Captain, 217. 
 
 Cakbenter, Dr Wni., 1, 45. 
 
 Clairaudience, 13, 16, 156. 
 
 Clairvoyance, 6, 7, 13, 17, 19, 41, 
 75, 87, 91, 98, 100, 101, 103, 
 105, 106, 127, 131, 214, 235. 
 
 Clairvoyants, 34, 38, 45, 47. 
 
 Coates, Mrs, 106, 109, 110, 111, 
 112, 114, 120, 121, 122, 124, 
 
 125, 130, 134, 137, 143, 164, 
 
 165, 227, 228, 229, 235, 264. 
 
 Columba, St, 212, 213. 
 
 Columbus, 9. 
 
 Community of sense, 177. 
 Conditions, under certain, 121, 
 
 125. 
 
 Constitution of man, 46. 
 
 Credulous sceptics, 42. 
 
 Cridge, Mrs Denton, 75, 78. 
 Crookes, Professor Sir Wm., 25, 
 202, 238. 
 
 Crosland, Mr Newton, 130, 131. 
 Crystal-gazing, 19, 127. 
 
 Dentok, Professor, 17, 51, 59, 75, 
 76, 78, 81, 82, 87, 96, 98, 110, 
 130, 163. 
 
 Denton, Mrs, 78, 80, 82, 92, 96, 
 97, 160, 161, 163. 
 d’Odiardi, M. I')., 201, 203. 
 
 Double, the (Telepathy from the 
 living), 257 ; Joseph Wilkins, 
 
 258 ; Mrs Britten, 258 ; of “ Q.,” 
 
 259 ; Mr T. P. O’Connor’s story, 
 259 ; case by Mr Podmore, 261 ; 
 Rev. H. R. Haweis, 261 ; T. P. 
 O’Connor, M.P., 262. 
 
 Draper, Professor, 51, 115. 
 
 Education of the senses, 3. 
 Emanations, 27, 29, 31, 33, 34, 35, 
 36, 41, 44, 57, 58. 
 j Emner, Mr Julius, 192, 193. 
 
 294 
 
INDEX 
 
 295 
 
 Ether, 43 ; niiiro than one, 44. 
 Experiments, value of, 32. 
 
 Faculties — sec Psychic, also 
 P.sychometric. 
 
 Finch, Mrs Lanra I., 129. 
 
 Fingal’s Cave, 94, 95, 164. 
 
 “ Flames of Od,” 36. 
 
 Fogged sensitives, 40. 
 
 Foote, Mrs, Psychometric readings 
 by, 79. 
 
 “ Force and the magnetic sense,” 7. 
 Foreknowledge, human, 215. 
 
 CtLAHstone, Mr, 28, 282, 283. 
 Greater self, the, 48. 
 
 Haweis, Kev. II. R., 198. 
 
 Healers by nature rich in N-rays, 
 37. 
 
 Ileiron, Professor, 205. 
 
 Ililprecht, Professor, 208, 209. 
 Ililprecht, Mrs, 209. 
 
 Hitchcock, Professor, 61, 62, 63. 
 Housewife Matjaziuc, new feature 
 in, 120. 
 
 Human niagnetisni, 29, 36, 191. 
 
 “ Human foreknowledge,” 215. 
 Human radiant energy, 200, 203. 
 Hutchinson, Dr Berks, 196. 
 
 I.MPKESSIONS, attitude of mind to 
 receive, 146. 
 
 Inanimate objects, action of thought 
 on, 199, 202. 
 
 Intuition, 49, 71, 109, 150, 153, 
 217, 237. 
 
 Intuitive illumination, 100. 
 Invisilile forces, 26, 68, 141 ; con¬ 
 ditions necessary to see, 42 ; see¬ 
 ing the invisible, 24, 99 ; in 
 touch with the invisible, 139. 
 
 Jevons, Professor, 67. 
 
 Jones, Mr J. Eiinmore, 104. 
 
 Lodge, Sir Oliver, 17, 23. 
 
 Magnetic sense, 6, 7, 15, 16. 
 Magnetism, animal, 6, 7, 29. 
 Magnetism, human, 29, 36, 191. 
 
 Me, the, and the Not Me, 1, 2, 3, 
 10, 15, 204. 
 
 Miller, Hugh, 66, 67. 
 
 Mind, attitude of, to receive im¬ 
 pressions, 146, 161. 
 
 Mind, super-activity of, 205, 206. 
 
 Mind-reading, 12, 13, 118, 127, 
 131 ; intluencing mind, 23. 
 
 Myers, Mr Frederic, 129, 130. 
 
 N-kay.s, ix, 32, 37, 38, 191, 203. 
 
 Nermura, 3, 29, 30, 41, 47, 57. 
 
 New sense in mankind, 23. 
 
 Od, 38 ; tlames of, 36, 37- 
 
 Odio light, 45. 
 
 Odylic llames, 30, 145. 
 
 Oswald, Dr Felix L., 211. 
 
 Peters, JMr, 129. 
 
 Podmore, Mr Frank, 177, 183, 
 238, 261. 
 
 Power—“By what power?” 104, 
 105. 
 
 Presentiments and premonitions, 
 217 ; experience of Earl Roberts, 
 217 ; by voices and vague im¬ 
 pressions, 218 ; Sandow’s experi¬ 
 ence, 219 ; tbe case of Mr Elvey, 
 220 ; Mrs Mary Livermore’s voice 
 warning, 220 ; Mrs Sarah .Jane 
 Whitaker, voice warning, 220 ; 
 M. Emile Zola’s, 221 ; in symboli¬ 
 cal dreams, 225 ; Lincoln’s, 226 ; 
 in imblic events, 227 ; terrible 
 disasters, 227 ; Mrs Coates’, re 
 South African war, 228, 229 ; the 
 Coronation, 230 ; Author’s ex- 
 jierience, 231 ; in Mrs Kemp’s 
 dream, 234 ; in the Psychic 
 Faculties of Mrs Besant’s mother, 
 236. 
 
 Psychic Faculty, the play or the 
 functioning in dream-states, 207 ; 
 case of Professor Ililprecht, 208 ; 
 the Rev. Charles Haddon Spur¬ 
 geon, 209 ; Telepathy fails to 
 explain, 210 ; a walciwj up with- 
 in, 210; Dr Felix L. Oswald’s 
 story of two Highlanders, 211 ; 
 dream memory obliterated on 
 
2i)li 
 
 INDEX 
 
 waking,212; St Columba's seconil- 
 siglit, 212; Maeterlinck’s theory 
 of “human foreknowledge,'’ 
 215 ; ]>remonitions in dreams, 
 222 ; Author’s experience, 223 ; 
 second-sight, 228 ; foreshadowing 
 trouble, 233 ; in the tinding of 
 Miss Marjorie Lumsden, 23n. 
 
 Psychic Faculties, 2, 4, 5, 9, 13, 38, 
 4o, 65. 75, 92, 99, 100, 1(I3, 118, 
 127, 131, 142, 151, 163, 182, 
 204, 222, 233, 235, 240, 257, 
 258, 281. 
 
 Psychic photographs. Thought or, 
 189 ; ]iractiee in, 190; Dr 
 Haraduc’s case, 190; experiments 
 generally exhausting, 191 ; Mr 
 ■lulius Emner’s experiments and 
 thought-ihctures, 192 ; Com¬ 
 mandant Tegrad’s exjieriments, 
 193 ; Mr AV. Inglis Rogers’ test 
 of ])Ostage-stamp, 193 ; not al¬ 
 ways due to spirits, 197 ; of the 
 psychometric order, 197, 198. 
 
 Psychometer, scenes witnessed, 44 ; 
 invisible discerned bj% 45 ; range 
 of ])crception of, 54, 70 ; power 
 increased by ]>ractice, 71 ; to ex- 
 ])eriment with, 154 ; ex})eriments 
 of, 155 ; personal exi)erimenta- 
 tion, 160. 
 
 Psychometric experiment, from 
 letters, 75 ; specimen held to 
 forehead, 77 ; i'roni fragment of 
 lava, 77 ; from unknown sj)eci- 
 men, 78 ; Denton’s comments, 
 78, 79, 81 ; from fish-bone by 
 two psychometers, 79; by Mrs 
 IMote, 79 ; by Mr Denton, 80 ; 
 fi’om })ebble, 82 ; some instructive 
 remarks, 82 ; ]iot explained by 
 imagination, 85 ; from unknown 
 clue, 85 ; from small stalactite, 
 86 ; by Mrs De Viel, 87 ; from 
 fragment chamois-horn, 89 ; by 
 Mrs Taylor, 91 ; not explained 
 by thought-reading, 92 ; from 
 unknown clue, 92 ; small piece 
 of basalt, 96 ; from unknown 
 clue, 97 ; by Mr Tetlow, 101, 
 102, 103 ; by Mr J. Ennmoro 
 
 Jones, 104 ; with sealed letters, 
 119 ; under/7o«sf(r//(; conditions, 
 121, 122, 123, 125; a new set, 
 130 ; things to avoid, 133 ; ad¬ 
 vanced, 145 ; by Mrs Stannard, 
 155; personal experimentation, 
 160; apparent failures, 162. 
 
 P.sychometric Faculty, 7, 9, 13, 36, 
 43, 55, 56, 57, 63, 65, 66, 67, 72, 
 73, 99, 115, 119, 125. 
 
 Psychometrical ])ractice, advice to 
 students on, 140, 168, 171. 
 
 Psychometrical process, 148, 153, 
 172. 
 
 P.sycliometry, ignored by science, 
 
 3 ; discovered, 7 ; its faculty of 
 “marked intuition,” 8; no ne4v 
 thing, 10 ; substantiated by 
 independent research, 10 ; key to 
 jierplexing phenomena, 10 ; most 
 favourable conditions for testing, 
 
 12 ; demonstrated by cx|icriment, 
 
 13 ; explains “deferredthought,” 
 20 ; a key to Spiritualism, 22, 23 ; 
 destroys conservati.sm, 41 ; itroves 
 facts, 45 ; transcends sense-])er- 
 ception, 48; in psychic experi¬ 
 ences, 49 ; restores history, 54 ; 
 a revelation, 61 ; helps us to 
 understand impressions, 72; 
 Denton lectures on Psychometry, 
 76, and Clairvoyance, 75, 87, 91 ; 
 heljiful agent to the arcliteologist, 
 96 ; accumulation of proofs, 99 ; 
 distinguished from Clairvoyance 
 and Thought-transference, 100 ; 
 frepuently occurs with medium- 
 istic sensitives, 105 ; investiga¬ 
 tions by Mr AV. T. Stead, 106 ; 
 reply of Miss Ross to those who 
 practise, 106 ; successful readings 
 from blank ])ieces of jiajjer, 107, 
 108, 109 ; Mrs Coates’ test read¬ 
 ings, 109, no, 112, 113, 114; 
 investigation helped by tests, 
 115 ; later developments, 116 ; 
 Denton’s experiments, 115; not 
 infallible, 124 ; diagnosis of 
 disease, 124 ; Mr Thurstan’s 
 meetings for study, 127 ; Mr 
 Newton Crosland’s experiment. 
 
INDEX 
 
 297 
 
 ]31 ; Mr Tlairstau on tlie 
 theory, 132; reading by Mrs 
 Thompson, 133 ; smudged clues, 
 133 ; no need of a far-fetched 
 theory to understand, 138 ; 
 discovei's latent process, 139; 
 hoiv to jiractise, 140 ; Mr 
 Thnrstaii’s suggestion, 144 ; pas¬ 
 sivity and ajititude, 150 ; a simjile 
 illustration, 155 ; Mrs Coates’ 
 first practice, 164 ; Mrs Denton’s 
 lirst ex|ieriment, 161 ; the faculty 
 accidentally discovered, 167; Miss 
 Rowan Vincent’s first ex]ierienco, 
 167 ; Mr Thurstan’s advice in 
 jiractical, 168 ; an experiment, 
 169. 
 
 I’sychonosticism, 177. 
 
 Queen Vktoiua, 71, 218. 
 
 Radiant energy, human, 200, 203. 
 
 Radio-active bodies, ix, 25, 67. 
 
 Radium, ix, 27. 
 
 Rays, N-, ix, 32, 37, 38, 191, 
 203; X-, 26, 29, 37, 68; Recquerel, 
 26, 31, 68. 
 
 Region of sensibility, 8, 9. 
 
 Reid, Dr 11. A., 197. 
 
 Relics, 18, 54, 60. 
 
 Rochas, M. de, 200, 203. 
 
 Rogers, lilr W. Inglis, 193. 
 
 Ro.ss, Miss, 107, 108, 109. 
 
 Rovigo, M. Savary de, 200. 
 
 SuEi'Tics, credulous, 42. 
 
 Second-sight, 16, 61, 153, 212, 214, 
 228, 232. 
 
 Self, the greater, vii, 48 ; the 
 Psychic, ix, 175, 176, 212, 254. 
 
 Sensitiveness, degrees of, 35, 39, 
 63 ; of men to animals, 216, 
 217. 
 
 Sensitives, fogged, 40. 
 
 Spirit ])hotographs, materialised 
 spirit form, 194 ; Dr Alfred 
 Russel Wallace on genuine, 195 ; 
 Dr Berks Hutchinson’s testi¬ 
 mony, 196 ; the bed-rock of fact, 
 
 197 ; the late Rev. II. R. llaweis 
 on, 198 ; some due to misapjilied 
 genius, 199; genuine, obtained 
 under test conditions, 199. 
 
 Sj)irituali,sni, modern. 22, 62, 103, 
 105, 280, 285. 
 
 Stannard, Mrs, 129, 155. 
 
 Stead, Mr W. T., 106, 107, 108, 
 109, 110, 112, 113, 114, 115, 130, 
 187. 
 
 .Students, advice to, 33 ; on P.sy- 
 chomctrical piactice, 140, 168, 
 171. 
 
 Sympathy essential to Thought- 
 transference, 176. 
 
 Tayloe, Mr Traill, 195, 196. 
 
 Tegi'ad, Commandant, 193. 
 
 Teh'ilathy in dreams, 248 ; in¬ 
 stance by Camille Plammarion, 
 248 ; case of simultaneous cross, 
 251 ; incident by Dr Horace 
 Bushnell, 253. 
 
 Telejiathy, 13, 16, 18, 21, 22,23, 
 47, 105, 127, 138, 174, 175, 176, 
 183, 203, 235, 237, 239, 240, 241, 
 242, 243, 246, 263, 264, 265, 268, 
 270, 272, 273, 276, 278, 279, 280. 
 
 Tehqiathy from the dead indicated 
 by ajipai'itions, 256, 263, 264, 
 265, 268, 270, 272, 273, 279. 
 
 Telciiathy, Voice, a Chicago story 
 of, 246 ; another case of, 248. 
 
 Tetluw, Mr .1, B., 101, 102, 103, 
 137. 
 
 Thompson, Mrs, 129. 133, 281. 
 
 Tliought— “ Wliat is tliought?” 
 174. 
 
 Tliought, action of, on inanimate 
 objects, 199, 202. 
 
 Thought or P-sychic jihotographs, 
 189 ; practice in, 190 ; Dr Bara- 
 duc’s case, 190 ; exjieriences 
 generally exhausting, 191 ; Mr 
 Julius Kmner’s exjieriments and 
 thought-pictures, 192; Command¬ 
 ant Tegrad’s ex]ieriments, 193 ; 
 Mr W. Inglis Rogers’ test of 
 jiostage-stamp, 193; not always 
 due to spirits, 197 ; of thep.sycho- 
 metric order, 197, 198. 
 
298 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Tlious'ht-ti'ansfei'fiice, 3, 12, 13, 17, 
 10," 21 , 23, 11, SG, 91, 100, 107 , 
 llo, 117, 118, 119, 120, 126, 127, 
 131, 138, 163, 174, 175, 176, 177, 
 179, 182, 184, 185, 187, 188, 199. 
 
 Thurstaii, Mr Frederic, M.A., 126, 
 127, 128, 129, 132, 133, 137, 
 144, 168, 170. 
 
 Unshen, the, 47, 96. 
 
 Uranium, 26, 33 ; salts of, 26. 
 
 Value of experiments, 32. 
 
 Voice Telepathy, a Chicago story 
 of, 246 ; another case of, 248. 
 
 Victoria, Queen, 71, 218. 
 
 Vital force, 30. 
 
 Wallace, Dr, 187. 
 
 Wallace, Dr Alfred Russel, 194. 
 Wallis, Mr E., 129. 
 
 Wallis, Mrs M. H., 129. 
 
 “ AVhat is thought ?” 174. 
 AVireless telegraphy, 43. 
 Will-power tested, 201. 
 
 Will, N-rays increased by the, 37. 
 
 X-UAYS, 26, 29, 37, 68. 
 
 Zoo-magnetism, 30. 
 
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THE HUMAN AURA 
 
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 Your Mesmeric Forces 
 
 and 
 
 How to Develop Them. 
 
 How to Mesmerise. 
 
 By FRANK H. RANDALL. 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CH.\PTER I. 
 
 Pros and Cons — What is Mesmeric F'orce? 
 — Persons suitable to become Operators 
 —The Forms of Mesmeric Force. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Qualifications for an Operator — Spiritual, 
 Mental, Moral, Physical. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 MlSCELI.ANEf)US QuALIKICATIONS AND 
 
 Advice to Students. 
 Phrenological Arlvice—Most Suitable Age 
 — Suitable L)iet—Qualifications for Mes¬ 
 meric Subjects—Mesmeric F'orce and 
 .'Atmospheric Influences. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Magnetic F'orce and the Conditions 
 necessary for making it active within— 
 How to train the F'.yes — Preparing the 
 Hands and F'ingers—Condition of the 
 F'eei — Respiratory Powers — Mental 
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 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Methods of Developing the Magnetic 
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 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Transmission and Distribution of Mag¬ 
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 local Pass — F'oeussed Magnetism — 
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 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Elementary Flvperimenting in Testing Sus¬ 
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 CHAPTER VTII. 
 
 I'he different Phases, Stages, or Degrees 
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 T'he Practical Applications of yonr Mes¬ 
 meric F’orce — How to procure Subjects 
 — Use of Mesmeric Sleep—Methods of 
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 ist Method—2nd Method—3rd Method 
 
 — How to remove the Mesmeric State. 
 
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 F^xpekimknting. 
 
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 Part II. — Flxperimenting in the First 
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 — F'xperimenting in the Mental Control 
 
 — Illusion and Hallucination — IVoduc- 
 tion of Catalepsy—Removing Catalepsy. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Part I.—The Inner and Higher Mes¬ 
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 Psychic Power and Psychic Su.scepti- 
 hility. 
 
 Pari II. — Experimenting in the Deeper 
 States of Control — Developing the 
 Psychic or Spiritual F'aculties and the 
 F'devated State — Removing Deep States 
 of Control. 
 
HOW TO ATTAIN SUCCESS THROUGH 
 THE STRENGTH OF 
 
 VIBRATION. 
 
 A SYSTEM OF NUMBERS AS TAUGHT BY 
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