THE REALITY OF 
 
 PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 RAPS, LEVITATIONS, ETC. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 The Library of Congress 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/realityofpsychicOOcraw 
 
MISS KATHLEEN GOLIGHKR 
 
 Through whose wonderful physical niediumship the experiments 
 described in this book were rendered possible. 
 
 ^Frontispiece 
 
THE REALITY OF 
 
 PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 RAPS, LEVITATIONS, ETC. 
 
 
 " BY 
 
 W! J. CRAWFORD, D.Sc. 
 
 LECTURER IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, THE MUNICIPAL TECHNICAL INSTITUTE, 
 
 BELFAST ; EXTRA-MURAL LECTURER IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 
 
 queen's university of BELFAST ; 
 
 AUTHOR OF "elementary GRAPHIC STATICS," 
 
 "calculations on THE ENTROPY-TEMPERATURE CHART," ETC. 
 
 LONDON 
 JOHN M. WATKINS 
 
 21 CECIL COURT, CHARING CROSS ROAD 
 1916 
 

 
 SIFT 
 MAURICE BU PORT lEg 
 
 IVoperty of the 
 2.ibrary of Congres 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The experiments described were carried out 
 during portions of the years 1915 and 1916, 
 many of them being recorded in the pages of 
 Light at the time. I have endeavoured in 
 this work to put them more or less in logical 
 sequence so that the reader may understand the 
 processes that led me to enunciate the cantilever 
 theory. Much of the text is, however, now 
 published for the first time. 
 
 I am indebted to Mr Seamus Stoupe of the 
 Art Department of the Technical Institute, 
 Belfast, for the two photographs of apparatus ; 
 and I have to express my thanks to Messrs 
 W. & T. Avery, Ltd., for the use of their 
 weighing and measuring machines. 
 
 I do not discuss in this book the question of 
 the identity of the invisible operators. That is 
 left for another occasion. But in order that 
 there may be no misapprehension, I wish to 
 state explicitly that I am personally satisfied 
 they are the spirits of human beings who have 
 passed into the Beyond. 
 
 W. J. CRAWFORD. 
 
 Belfast, Sept. 1916. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAP. PA<3K 
 
 1. PRELIMINARY REMARKS ON THE COMPOSITION 
 
 OF THE CIRCLE, THE PHENOMENA, ETC. . I 
 
 2. PHONOGRAPH RECORD OF THE NOISES . 2/] 
 
 3. REACTION DURING LEVITATION OF THE TABLE 34 
 
 4. SOME MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS, OB- 
 
 SERVATIONS, AND CALCULATIONS . . 60 
 
 5. CONDITIONS ABOVE, UNDER, AND ROUND 
 
 THE LEVITATED TABLE .... 79 
 
 6. LEVITATION DIRECTLY ABOVE THE PLATFORM 
 
 OF A WEIGHING MACHINE ... 95 
 
 7. EXPERIMENTS WITH COMPRESSION SPRING 
 
 BALANCE UNDERNEATH THE LEVITATED 
 TABLE 107 
 
 8. COMPLETION OF THE EXPERIMENTS ON LEVI- 
 
 TATION 138 
 
 9. A CANTILEVER THEORY FOR LEVITATION . 15I 
 
 10. RAPS 181 
 
 11. THE ROD THEORY FOR RAPS . . . 193 
 
 12. MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS . . . 210 
 
 13. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS .... 221 
 
 vii 
 
THE REALITY OF 
 
 PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 PRELIMINARY REMARKS ON THE COMPOSITION 
 OF THE CIRCLE, THE PHENOMENA, ETC. 
 
 The circle with whose voluntary co-operation 
 I have carried out the experiments recorded 
 in this book, consists of seven members, as 
 follows : — Mr Morrison, Mrs Morrison, Miss 
 Kathleen Goligher, Miss Lily Goligher, Miss 
 Anna Goligher, Mr Goligher, and Master 
 Samuel Goligher. It is altogether a family 
 affair, being composed of father, four daughters, 
 son, and son-in-law, for Mrs Morrison is the 
 sister of the medium. All the members are 
 mediums in a greater or less degree, the various 
 phases of the phenomena presented consisting 
 of trance speaking, automatic writing, table 
 movements, and so on. One member of the 
 family. Miss Kathleen Goligher, the youngest 
 of the four daughters, is, however, a medium 
 of outstanding merit. This young lady was 
 
 1 
 
2 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 born on June 27, 1898. She has probably 
 inherited her mediumistic tendencies, for there 
 are psychic traditions in the family on the 
 mother's side. Her mediumship was discovered, 
 as so often happens, more or less by accident. 
 Some three years ago the family was desirous 
 of sitting for physical phenomena, and formed, 
 in the ordinary way, a circle. Rappings were 
 obtained almost at once, and then by a process 
 of elimination — in which the medium was 
 eliminated amongst others — her gift was dis- 
 covered. Since then the family has regularly 
 conducted its development, week by week, with 
 the result that the physical phenomena now 
 presented are powerful and well regulated. 
 
 The whole of the family look upon Spiritualism 
 as their religion, They attend no church other 
 than the Spiritualistic, but they are devoted in 
 their attachment to that — several of the young 
 ladies being members of the choir or serving in 
 other capacities, while Mr Morrison is a member 
 of the Committee, and works hard in the 
 interests of the Society. They are simple and 
 harmonious in their home life, and are in every 
 way fit recipients of the extraordinary pheno- 
 mena obtained through their instrumentality. 
 
 The seances for my experimental work were 
 mostly held in an attic in the house occupied 
 by the medium's family, though I have occasion- 
 ally held them in my own house, and I have also 
 witnessed the phenomena in the houses of friends. 
 The room or house where the seances are held 
 
PRELIMINARY REMARKS 3 
 
 seems to make little or no difference, for a few 
 minutes after the circle is formed, wherever it 
 be, phenomena begin to be produced. The attic 
 above referred to was, however, most suitable, 
 as it is kept for no other purpose than for use 
 as a stance-room, and the family also find it 
 more convenient to assemble in their own house. 
 For it must be remembered that each one of my 
 experimental sittings necessitated the attendance 
 and co-operation of eight persons, and in addition 
 there was a great deal of preliminary work to be 
 attended to, such as the provision of apparatus, 
 etc. For psychical research is like no other 
 kind of research. Before we can expect any- 
 thing worth having in the way of results we 
 must have the following set of conditions as 
 nearly perfect as possible : — 
 (a) A very powerful medium. 
 {b) A circle of sitters supporting the medium. 
 (c) The medium and sitters to be imbued with 
 the seriousness and wonder of the pheno- 
 mena presented — to be linked together, 
 as it were, by the one object of getting 
 the most out of the phenomena for the 
 common good. 
 {d) A band of operators who have the same 
 objects in view as those mentioned in (c). 
 Mischievous operators or others who will 
 not or cannot co-operate with the experi- 
 menter are useless. 
 (e) The phenomena must not be produced spon- 
 taneously, but must be under command. 
 
4 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 I need hardly say that if money be the chief 
 and only object of the medium's ambition, prac- 
 tically no experimental work can be done. It is 
 a matter of experience — my experience, anyway 
 — that the medium and sitters must not develop 
 any form of material greed, or the phenomena 
 become undependable and unreliable. This 
 does not mean, of course, that a medium 
 may not take reasonable remuneration ; but it 
 decidedly means that if she is purely and 
 absolutely concerned with the amount of 
 money she can make out of her psychic gifts, 
 her phenomena suffer. 
 
 The five conditions given above for successful 
 experimental work in the psychic realm are, in 
 my opinion, absolutely essential. Omit any one 
 of them, and the results suffer from a scientific 
 point of view. This is probably the reason 
 why so little such work is done. The required 
 conditions are generally too much for the 
 experimenter. 
 
 Unless the invisible operators co-operate 
 heartily in experimental work, the results are 
 likely to be of small value, for it goes without 
 saying that spontaneous phenomena are of little 
 use. I think that the thing which has chiefly 
 struck me, during the course of my investigation, 
 has been the wonderful co-operation between the 
 operators and myself. One scarcely becomes 
 used, no matter how long one works at psychical 
 phenomena, to having one's behests attended to 
 by beings who are entirely beyond the confines 
 
PRELIMINARY REMARKS 5 
 
 of bodily sight. But I can say truly that during 
 all my experimental seances every demand I 
 made of the operators was either successfully 
 carried out or was attempted. They were 
 evidently anxious to submit to every scientific 
 test imposed. Sometimes, but very occasionally, 
 when something stood in the way of the accom- 
 plishment of some of my requests, they would 
 spell out a word or sentence which would enable 
 me to understand the obstruction in the way of 
 the production of the phenomenon I particularly 
 wanted. Sometimes I have reason to suppose 
 they would, of their own volition, bring to my 
 attention phases of an experiment which I had 
 overlooked. In the whole of the five conditions 
 enumerated above I have been fortunate in ob- 
 taining a very high degree of perfection. Indeed, 
 I cannot see how they could have been greatly 
 improved upon. 
 
 I have said that most of my experimental 
 seances were held in an attic in the house occupied 
 by the medium's family. The floor of the room 
 is bare. Each member of the circle possesses a 
 special wooden chair and sits on no other (except 
 on special occasions when I altered the arrange- 
 ment). Besides the chairs the only other furni- 
 ture in the room consists of the seance table and 
 a few ornaments on the mantelpiece (except of 
 course when I brought in apparatus). [During 
 the last experimental sitting, however, there was 
 a small cabinet in a corner of the room, the circle 
 having commenced to sit for materialisations ; 
 
6 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 but during all the other stances the room was 
 as I have described.] 
 
 For the general purpose of lighting the seance 
 chamber, a gas jet enclosed in a lantern having 
 a red glass sliding front and side is used. The 
 intensity of the light can thus be considerably 
 varied by means of an ordinary cock. When 
 one becomes used to the red light, the visibility 
 becomes quite good — most objects in the room 
 are quite plainly seen. It is to be regretted that 
 psychical phenomena cannot as a rule be pro- 
 duced in full white light ; but we have to take 
 this matter as we find it and submit to the con- 
 ditions imposed by nature. 
 
 For reading small numbers and graduations, 
 such as those on the steelyard of a weighing- 
 machine, I most often employed an electric 
 pocket-lamp with the lens covered with a piece 
 of red tissue-paper. 
 
 The seance is opened with the singing of a 
 hymn and a prayer. In a few minutes light raps 
 are usually heard near the medium, which quickly 
 increase in intensity. Within a quarter of an 
 hour most of the phenomena are often in full 
 swing. A hymn is sung occasionally during the 
 course of the seance. The sitting is closed by 
 prayer. 
 
 The method of conducting the circle is as 
 simple as possible. The members simply sit 
 round in approximately circle formation and clasp 
 each other's hands in chain order. The seance 
 table is placed on the floor within the circle. 
 
PRELIMINARY REMARKS 7 
 
 1 have found by experience that for the first 
 thirty minutes or so of the sitting, quickest and 
 best results are obtained if the chain formation 
 of hands is adhered to ; after that it matters 
 very Httle whether the circle clasp hands or 
 whether they put hands on knees. This points 
 to the likelihood that during the commencement 
 of a seance processes are in operation which are 
 more or less in abeyance later on, when a condi- 
 tion of psychic equilibrium has been established. 
 I will describe an experiment which would 
 appear to verify this, where the medium was 
 seated on a weighing-machine near the com- 
 mencement of the stance. 
 
 The phenomena presented are purely physical, 
 and physical in the sense that the results depend 
 upon the action of psychic force upon material 
 bodies. No materialisations or partial material- 
 isations have so far occurred. Therefore such 
 phenomena, being due to the action of psychic 
 force alone, can be studied in a more satisfactory 
 manner than would be the case if they were 
 complicated by more advanced types. I hold 
 strongly to the opinion that if the processes 
 resulting in the application of psychic force 
 are once really discovered, then the rest of 
 psychic phenomena will rapidly fall into place 
 and be understandable. Psychic energy — as 
 evidenced in good physical seances — is at the 
 root of the whole thing, and it is useless to 
 expect any great advance until its laws have 
 been unravelled. The Goligher circle allows of 
 
8 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 the display of psychic force to the very best 
 advantage. Not only is the force exerted of 
 large magnitude, but it is also accurate, under 
 command, and infinitely variable. Further, all 
 the movements of matter produced by it are 
 telekinetic, or produced without material con- 
 tact. This is to be thoroughly understood. In 
 no eocperiment which I describe in this booh was 
 there any contact between any portion of the 
 body or dress of the medium or sitters and the 
 7naterial body under psychic action. 
 
 1 would, speaking broadly, divide the pheno- 
 mena produced into two classes: (1) impacts, and 
 (2) movements of material bodies against the 
 action of forces such as those of friction and 
 gravity. The impact phenomena consist of raps 
 and their variations, and are not caused by the 
 action of matter on matter ; for instance, I 
 would not term the action of a table leg being 
 raised and being struck on the floor (which I 
 have often observed) an impact phenomenon. 
 The impact type is that where a blow is 
 caused by psychic force being applied suddenly 
 to a material body. 
 
 Examples of this type are many at the 
 Goligher circle ; amongst others the following 
 variations commonly occur : — {a) raps of all 
 degrees of loudness from the slightest taps to 
 blows which might verily be produced by a 
 sledge-hammer ; {b) combinations of raps, such 
 as single knocks, double knocks, treble knocks 
 (two fast, one slow), volleys of raps, imitations 
 
PRELIMINARY REMARKS 9 
 
 of tunes and dances (the latter including the 
 sand-dance, from the kind of shuffling pro- 
 duced) — in fact, every kind and combination of 
 rap it is possible to imagine ; (c) specialities, 
 such as the imitation of a bouncing ball (most 
 perfect in sound quality), imitation of a match 
 being struck, imitation of a man walking and a 
 horse trotting, imitation of the leg of the table 
 being sawn, of the floor being rubbed with sand- 
 paper, and so on. 
 
 To the second class belong all movements of 
 material bodies due to the action of psychic 
 force upon them. The levitation of a table is 
 the most spectacular and common, but there 
 are also all kinds of motions of the table upon 
 the floor — translational, rotational, and combina- 
 tions of these two. The table is sometimes 
 gently lowered about two legs to the floor and 
 replaced in position. A metal trumpet is waved 
 about in the air. A small handbell is taken up 
 and rung. The sitters are sometimes psychically 
 " touched." 
 
 A great many people have now seen the 
 phenomena produced through the circle, and I 
 have yet to meet the person who was not deeply 
 impressed. The unseen operators seem to enjoy 
 convincing the believer and sceptic alike of the 
 reality of psychic force. In this connection the 
 reader will be interested to hear how they treat 
 the ordinary lay visitor. The visitor is usually 
 invited to enter the circle, to lay hold of the 
 table (at the moment stationary) and to en- 
 
10 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 deavour to prevent it from moving. Then the 
 tussle begins. If he is very muscular and has 
 his weight nicely placed over the centre of the 
 table, the experimenter may have the better of 
 matters for a short time, though it is amusing 
 to the onlookers to see how hard he is pressed. 
 But sooner or later (usually sooner) the table 
 eludes him, jumps this way and that about the 
 floor, tilts, twists, and, if his muscular pressure 
 is momentarily relaxed, levitates. Then there is 
 more trouble. The table, once levitated, strongly 
 objects to be pushed to the floor, and few persons 
 can push it there, no matter how they try. Then 
 after a struggle with the levitating force the 
 table again becomes tranquil on the floor and 
 the visitor is invited to sit on it. But he does 
 not sit long. In a moment or two it gently 
 rises on two legs and slides him off. Finally 
 it escorts him outside the circle, the " escorting " 
 consisting of forcible ejectment by an over- 
 whelming pressure against his body. 
 
 Fraud 
 
 Of course, all the experiments recorded in this 
 book depend for any value they may have on 
 the fact that the table movements, levitations, 
 raps, blows, and other phenomena are genuine 
 productions due to the action of psychic force, 
 and are in no way caused by fraudulent action 
 on the part of the medium or members of the 
 circle ; and by fraudulent action I refer not only 
 to conscious but also to unconscious imposture. 
 
PRELIMINARY REMARKS 11 
 
 for without doubt there are cases in which a 
 medium, quite unconsciously to herself, uses 
 methods for the production of phenomena that 
 amount to fraud. 
 
 I propose to give here briefly a few of the 
 facts which show that the phenomena produced 
 at the Goligher circle are the genuine thing and 
 are in no way due to conscious or unconscious 
 action on the part of the medium or sitters. 
 
 (1) The medium and her family are upright, 
 religious-minded people, who keep to a high 
 moral standard in their daily lives. Each and 
 every one of them is incapable of any wrong 
 action with regard to the ordinary affairs of life. 
 They all look upon the phenomena as specially 
 presented to show that life is continuous after 
 bodily death, of which they are all now ab- 
 solutely certain ; in other words, they are all 
 convinced Spiritualists, and I could not imagine 
 anything that could alter their convictions in 
 this matter. 
 
 (2) All the stances are looked upon as religious 
 institutions. They are invariably opened and 
 closed by prayer. No levity is permitted. 
 
 (3) All the members of the circle are my 
 personal friends, and I have had an intimate 
 knowledge of them for three years. I under- 
 stand exactly their views of life and of things in 
 general, their idiosyncrasies, their high standard 
 of rectitude, and their attitude regarding the 
 phenomena and its relation to themselves. 
 
 (4) The medium is the least enthusiastic 
 
12 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 member of the circle. She is the only one who 
 cares little about the phenomena. I think she 
 sits more as an obligation to the others than for 
 any innate satisfaction to herself. Whether 
 phenomena are obtained at the stances or not 
 does not affect her in the least. 
 
 (5) The medium is a private one. She charges 
 nothing. I have never paid her one penny for 
 any of the seances she has so kindly given me. 
 She is very averse to looking upon her medium- 
 ship as a commercial asset. 
 
 (6) No dark seances are held. The light is 
 usually strong enough — after the eyes get accus- 
 tomed to its red colour — to see quite plainly all 
 the sitters. It is a subdued kind of light, issuing 
 from a large surface of oiliinary gas flame. The 
 only difficulty in the visibility is where a table 
 or other large body casts a shadow over a portion 
 of the floor. The hands of the sitters can nearly 
 always be quite plainly seen, and it is a simple 
 experiment, while the stance table is levitated a 
 foot or more in the air, to ask the sitters to raise 
 their hands (joined in chain order) up to the level 
 of their heads, so that the observer can be quite 
 sure that the hands have nothing whatever to 
 do with the phenomenon. The observer at this 
 time may be within the circle, and he may 
 move anywhere inside it so long as he does not 
 get immediately in front of the medium. The 
 only place in shadow, if the table is com- 
 paratively large (if it is a small one he can see 
 right round it), is between the foot of the table 
 
PRELIMINARY REMARKS 13 
 
 and the medium. But even with the largest 
 table it is sometimes possible to see completely 
 under it (as I have done), to see the feet and 
 bodies of all present at rest and hands held 
 together in chain order, while the table has been 
 steadily levitated. It comes to this, then, that 
 the only region not always visible (and this is 
 only sometimes the case) is the region in the 
 neighbourhood of the medium just above and 
 on the floor. In many cases of levitation, the 
 levitated table, the space all round, above, and 
 over it, and all the sitters are quite plainly 
 visible. 
 
 (7-) The medium was quite conscious during all 
 my experimental investigations, and any fraud 
 presented would therefore be in the nature of 
 deliberate action. She herself was always keenly 
 interested in the experiments, and has told me 
 she enjoys such sittings much more than ordinary 
 development seances. It was amusing to watch 
 how interested she was when, say, an electric 
 bell was rung by the reaction under a levitated 
 table, or when other experimental work was in 
 progress. Many times I have observed the 
 keenness with which she followed what went on, 
 evidently forgetting for the time being that she 
 herself was the prime cause of all the pheno- 
 mena, and that without her there would have 
 been nothing. 
 
 (8) It matters not one whit whether the 
 members of the circle come to the seance-room 
 in their ordinary boots or shoes, in their stocking 
 
14 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 soles, or in soft felt slippers. The thunderous 
 blows on the floor within the circle are not in 
 the least affected as regards magnitude. One 
 distinguished visitor to the circle, after hearing 
 the tremendous din caused by the "raps," had 
 the fact pointed out to him that all the members 
 wore soft felt slippers, and that with hands all 
 visibly joined it was an impossibility to produce 
 such noises normally. The medium on this oc- 
 casion was asked to remove her slippers in order 
 that it might be shown no hard substance was 
 concealed therein ; which, of course, she im- 
 mediately did, with results evidently satisfactory 
 to the visitor. 
 
 (9) A great many people have been invited 
 to visit the circle and witness the phenomena. 
 I think I can say that not one of all these has 
 come away from it without the assurance that 
 "there is something in psychic force," be he 
 previously sceptic, believer, or a sitter " on the 
 fence." Of course, the visitor is not always 
 certain that the phenomena are produced by 
 spirits of the dead ; but at least he is sure of this, 
 that they are genuine and in no way due to 
 normal action on the part of the medium or 
 members of the circle. 
 
 (10) The magnitude of the motions applied to 
 the table must be seen to be believed. Often a 
 force approximating a hundredweight is exerted. 
 A visitor is invited to enter the circle, as already 
 explained, to lay hold of the table, and to try to 
 prevent its motion. I have never yet seen this 
 
PRELIMINARY REMARKS 15 
 
 successfully accomplished. Now, the only way 
 such movements could be given normally to the 
 table is by the feet of the medium, for all hands 
 and bodies of sitters and medium are quite 
 plainly seen, and the only part that may be in 
 shadow is near the feet of the medium. It can 
 be proved conclusively by direct experiment that 
 even if the medium were to lie back in her chair, 
 spread her feet out so that they were under the 
 surface of the table, eighteen inches or more 
 away, and endeavour to levitate it or move 
 it about, such motion of her body would be 
 immediately detected, and that a man pressing 
 immediately over the table could prevent even 
 the slightest motion by a ridiculously small effort, 
 whereas, as already mentioned, the strongest 
 man cannot in reality do so. The leverage from 
 the medium's feet to her body is so great that 
 a very small force only is required to prevent 
 motion. 
 
 (11) If the medium leans back in her chair 
 and endeavours to levitate the table with her 
 feet, she may do so for a few seconds, in a stilted, 
 jerky kind of fashion ; but the real levitation is 
 quite different in character and quality from the 
 spurious one, and the latter can only be main- 
 tained for a very short time. 
 
 (12) I have spent many hours within the circle 
 in all places round it, and I have continually 
 worked under the levitated table and between 
 the levitated table and the medium ; I have 
 had complicated instruments below the table ; I 
 
16 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 have often placed my arm and hand in the space 
 between medium and table and felt her feet and 
 legs absolutely still during the course of experi- 
 ments in which the table was levitated and the 
 instruments were registering below it ; and I 
 say finally that if the medium had desired to 
 impose, she could not, no matter how she tried, 
 have kept the table levitated and the instruments 
 registering at the same time, while my hands 
 were on such instruments and I myself close 
 to her feet and working between her and the 
 table. 
 
 (13) It is well to analyse a few of the experi- 
 mental results with regard to the theory of fraud. 
 The experiments in Chapter III. show conclusively 
 that while the table is steadily levitated nearly 
 the whole of its weight is upon the medium. 
 Therefore it follows that if anyone is lifting 
 the table with any part of his body, it is the 
 medium, and the others are not concerned. The 
 medium's hands are always quite visible, and the 
 only part of her sometimes in deep shadow (if 
 the table is a comparatively large one) is from 
 her knees downwards. Now, it is impossible for 
 her to put her feet below the surface of the table 
 unless she leans back in her chair and sprawls 
 her body forward into the circle space (as already 
 mentioned), and such a manoeuvre would be 
 instantly detected. But if we suppose (taking 
 the most unfavourable case) that she could do 
 this, the only way in which she could levitate 
 the table would be with her feet. We therefore 
 
PRELIMINARY REMARKS 17 
 
 narrow down any theory of fraud to the surrepti- 
 tious use by the medium of her feet. 
 
 Consider Experiment 50, where there was a 
 large compression balance below the table during 
 levitation. The balance was reading SO lbs. 
 while the table was in the air a foot above the 
 floor. How could this be accomplished by 
 fraudulent means on the part of the medium ? 
 Only in one way. One foot would have to be 
 levitating the table and the other would have to 
 be pressing down on the pan of the balance, an 
 exceedingly difficult matter indeed, and practi- 
 cally impossible, as experiment proves, even when 
 all possible help is given to the medium, includ- 
 ing holding her arms tight to prevent her falling. 
 Supposing, however, that she could accomplish 
 this, how is it that for the same table and the same 
 balance, the balance read the same amount within 
 half a pound every time I tried the experiment, 
 and I tried it often ? How could she gauge 
 the downward force so accurately each time ? 
 Would there not be a variation of several pounds 
 at least ? 
 
 Experiment further shows that the downward 
 force on the balance is applied gradually and at 
 a uniform rate, and that the table always springs 
 into the air at the same instant, i.e. when the 
 balance reads just about SO lbs,, and that there 
 is never any variation during successful levitation 
 in this arrangement. If the medium pressed 
 down on the balance with one foot, would she 
 be able to apply the pressure so gradually and 
 
18 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 uniformly, and would she be able to levitate the 
 table always at the same relative instant ? 
 
 In Experiment 46 (E) I actually placed my 
 hand and part of my arm in the scale-pan of the 
 balance while it was registering and while the 
 table was levitated above it. There was nothing 
 in the pan, and furthermore both the levitation 
 and the reading on the balance were in this 
 instance unaffected. 
 
 Take Experiments 48 and 49. The medium's 
 feet were near the nail N on the floor. I 
 placed them there and felt them from time to 
 time, and they never moved. There were three 
 sets of phenomena in simultaneous operation 
 in these experiments: (1) table levitated; (2) 
 balance B reading ; (3) balance S reading. My 
 position was near S, and my hands were continu- 
 ally moving to and fro in front of the medium's 
 feet and between her feet and the table. Further- 
 more, during half a dozen readings or more I 
 took, the readings on the balances hardly varied 
 at all. 
 
 Take Experiments 51 and 52. Those show 
 conclusively that when the table is levitated 
 above the platform E, there is no reaction on 
 the platform until it reaches a height of about 
 three inches above the floor. That is to say, 
 if the medium is frauding, she lifts the table 
 with one foot only, until E is about three inches 
 above the floor, and then (and not until then) 
 places the other foot on E and (as the tabulation 
 of Experiment 52 shows) increases with that foot 
 
PRELIMINARY REMARKS 19 
 
 the pressure on the platform as the latter is 
 gradually raised in height. This would be a 
 silly procedure, as (if the thing were possible 
 at all, which it is not) she would naturally press 
 on the platform at its lowest position, and would 
 not wait until it was about three inches above 
 the floor and then nicely regulate her pressure 
 to about three-quarters of a pound. 
 
 In Experiment 22 it is shown that the table 
 may have its weight so greatly increased that a 
 strong man leaning over it cannot raise it from 
 the floor. How can this be done by fraud with 
 a table consisting of a top and four legs only ? 
 Again, a favourite test for visitors is to grasp 
 the table while it is levitated eighteen inches 
 up in the air and to try to prevent it reaching 
 the floor again. This is impossible, as the table 
 is pulled down so powerfully that a strong man 
 cannot hold it back. This experiment is im- 
 possible by fraud under the conditions of the 
 stance-room. 
 
 In Experiments 34, 35, 36, and 37 it is shown 
 that I moved my arms, my hands, and rods 
 freely below the levitated table and encountered 
 no solid body whatever. 
 
 In Experiments 59 and 60 I moved apparatus 
 freely in front of the medium between her and 
 the table, and / could plainly see the whole space 
 and also the table. 
 
 In general I have worked for the best part of 
 a year below and round about the levitated 
 table ; I have explored the whole space sur- 
 
20 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 rounding it on many occasions ; I have thoroughly 
 observed by sight and by the use of instruments 
 all that is to be noted ; and I say now finally 
 that every phenomenon occurring at the Goligher 
 circle is absolutely genuine to the minutest detail. 
 So conscientious are the medium and members 
 of the circle that any accidental movement of 
 the foot or body on the part of any is always 
 immediately mentioned. It is, as I have said, a 
 private family circle, and the greatest harmony 
 exists amongst all the sitters. They have volun- 
 tarily allowed me to carry out the experiments 
 without hope or thought of gain on their part, 
 their idea being that since so many and such high- 
 grade phenomena have been presented through 
 them, they should do a little to help others not so 
 fortunately placed ; and they consider they have 
 done this by allowing me to experiment. 
 
 To Miss Kathleen Goligher, one of the 
 greatest and best of physical mediums, I feel 
 that it is necessary publicly to apologise for 
 having, in her case, even to mention the fraud 
 hypothesis. She knows, however, that I must 
 do so. The truth, of course, is that nobody who 
 has not visited the circle can have even the 
 faintest idea of the magnitude of the forces 
 involved, and the extraordinary variety and 
 intensity of the phenomena produced. To all 
 visitors the phenomena are so manifestly aud 
 palpably genuine that they are never troubled 
 again with doubts as to whether there is such a 
 thing as psychic force. 
 
PRELIMINARY REMARKS 21 
 
 I will conclude my brief references to this 
 matter by reproducing an article of mine from 
 Light, written in reply to some of the usual 
 sceptics who will believe nothing unless they 
 themselves are witnesses: — 
 
 " Where was the Imposture, Conscious or 
 Unconscious ? 
 
 " I would like to say here that it is naturally 
 repugnant both to myself and to Miss Goligher 
 that any aspersions should be cast upon the 
 genuineness of her mediumship. She is an 
 upright and honourable young woman, has 
 received no monetary recompense for what she 
 has done, and has always been willing to give 
 me her services freely in the cause of science. 
 Her mediumship is absolutely beyond dispute, 
 as many people, some of them well known, are 
 able with certainty to say. However, she knows 
 it is my duty to set at rest the minds of those 
 who are afraid of unconscious mediumistic action 
 and the like ; of those who, not having been 
 able to attend her seances and see for them- 
 selves what actually happens, wish to know what 
 precautions have been taken, and what inde- 
 pendent witnesses have to say. 
 
 " Fig. 1 represents in plan the following : — 
 " {a) The medium (M) and sitters (S . . . S) 
 in position for the seance, the approximate 
 diameter of the circle being 5 ft., the sitters 
 seated on chairs ; the medium seated on a chair 
 placed on top of a drawing-board fastened to the 
 
22 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 platform of a weighing-machine. The square 
 round the circle for the medium represents the 
 weighing-machine. X is my position with 
 
 © 
 
 ® 
 
 Stool 
 
 © 
 
 Fig. 1. 
 
 ® ® 
 
 ® 
 
 reference to the medium, close to her right side. 
 The weighing-machine was one of Avery's latest 
 patterns, new, tested before being sent to me, 
 tested by me before use, reading to 4 cwt., and 
 sensitive to less than 2 oz. 
 
 " (b) The light (L), an ordinary gas jet burn- 
 ing in a box behind |red glass, the box being 
 
PRELIMINARY REMARKS 28 
 
 placed on a mantelpiece about 4 ft. high, and in 
 the approximate position shown. The visibility- 
 was such that from my position I could clearly 
 see each sitter. 
 
 (c) In the centre of the circle the stool, with 
 whose levitation we are concerned. It was a 
 small wooden one weighing 2 lb. 12 oz. 
 
 " (d) Two observers marked O, O standing out- 
 side the circle, behind it, on the side opposite to me. 
 
 " Time of Experiment. — About an hour from 
 opening of seance, with psychic energy at a 
 maximum. 
 
 ^^ Preliminary Arrangement. — Sitters unclasped 
 hands and sat with hands on knees. Medium 
 seated upright on chair on weighing-machine, 
 with her feet close together on drawing-board 
 (which was tied to platform of machine) and 
 a hand, palm downwards, flat on each knee. 
 Medium and machine completely isolated from 
 other members of the circle. My instructions 
 to her were to remain perfectly still. Having 
 placed her in position, I carefully took the 
 combined weight of medium, chair, and drawing- 
 board. It was 9 St. 10 lb. 12 oz. The steelyard 
 was just on the quiver. I placed the stool in 
 the centre of the circle on the floor and came 
 back and stood by the medium. 
 
 " Instructions to Operators. — To levitate the 
 stool as high as possible and to keep it levitated 
 until I desired it to be lowered. 
 
 " The Phenomenon. — The stool immediately 
 rose vertically into the air, until its height, at 
 
24 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 a conservative estimate, was 4 ft. above the 
 floor. It obligingly rose just opposite the light, 
 so that I could see plainly over it, beyond it 
 on each side, and under it. I placed my head 
 close to that of my medium, and saw that the 
 legs of the stool were just about on a level with 
 the top of her head. 
 
 '^Effect on the JVeighing- Machine. — Immedi- 
 ately the stool levitated the lever of the weighing- 
 machine rose with a click, plainly audible, against 
 the top stop of the machine, indicating that the 
 medium's weight had been increased. I adjusted 
 the rider so that the lever again just balanced. 
 
 " Control of Medium, — I placed my hand on 
 the medium's right arm near the shoulder, passed 
 it down her arm to her wrist, felt both wrists 
 on her knees, and her knees and lower limbs 
 perfectly still, as I had placed them. (The only 
 difference was that her arms during the levita- 
 tion were rigidly stiiF — a characteristic of all 
 levitations.) This I did two or three times. I 
 could also, of course, see the medium, as, the 
 stool being so small and so high in the air, 
 practically no shadows were cast. While I 
 was doing this I kept looking at the stool, 
 which remained nearly immovable about 4 ft. 
 up in the air. While my hand was controlling 
 her arm and knees, I carefully looked round 
 every member of the circle and saw that all 
 hands were accounted for, each on the owner's 
 knees. The nearest edge of the levitated stool 
 was at least 3|^ ft. from the medium's knees. 
 
PRELIMINARY REMARKS 25 
 
 It is to be remembered that the stool was 
 floating on a level with the heads of the sitters. 
 
 " Instructions to Operators. — When the stool 
 had been thus up for about 1^ minutes, and every- 
 body had examined it, I asked the operators to 
 move it gently up and down in the air. 
 
 '' Ejfect on Weighing- Machine. — The lever 
 went gently up and down against the stop in 
 synchronism with the up-and-down movement 
 of the stool. Everybody saw the up-and-down 
 motion of the stool in the air quite plainly. 
 Everybody could plainly see over, under, and 
 all round the stool. 
 
 "The stool became steady in the air again. 
 Finally, when I had examined it to my heart's 
 content, and also the members of the circle 
 and the medium, 1 asked the operators to 
 lower the stool gently to the floor. This they 
 immediately did, the stool slowly descending 
 and softly touching the floor. 
 
 '^^ Effect on Weighing- Machine. — Lever im- 
 mediately fell against bottom stop, indicating 
 decreased weight of medium. 
 
 " Weighing-machine readings : — 
 
 Weight of medium -l- chair 
 
 4- board before levitation = 9 st. 10 lb. 12 oz. 
 Weight of medium + chair 
 
 + board during steady 
 
 levitation . . . = 9 st. 13 lb. 10 oz. 
 
 Increased weight of medium = 2 lb. 14 oz. 
 
 Weight of stool . . =^ 2 lb. 12 oz. 
 
26 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 " General. — The space between the medium 
 and the levitated stool was not dark. I have 
 been careful to understate rather than to over- 
 state. 1 invite anyone to say where the fraud 
 was in this particular case. If letters be kindly 
 sent to me, care of Editor, I will go into any 
 of the points raised. I would warn amateurs, 
 however, that their explanations must cover at 
 least 50 per cent, of the facts, including the 
 results on the weighing-machine.'' 
 
 1 wish to add finally that I fully satisfied 
 myself, during each of the experiments described 
 in this book, there was absolutely no fraud, and 
 that the phenomena were due to the action of 
 psychic force alone. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 PHONOGRAPH RECORD OF THE NOISES 
 
 Experiment 1 : Using a phonograph to verify 
 the objective character of the noises. 
 
 A matter that required attention at the very 
 beginning of the investigation was the question 
 of the objective character of the phenomena. 
 For one Une of argument against the reaUty of 
 psychic phenomena is to ascribe them to false 
 sense-impressions received during a species of 
 hypnotic trance induced by the pecuhar condi- 
 tions of the seance-room. Its advocates have it 
 that the brain of man is so complex, so relatively 
 unexplored, and so subject to deception, that 
 it is incapable of dealing in simple fashion with 
 psychic occurrences. In other words, the raps, 
 knocks, levitations, and other manifestations are 
 not objective but are hallucinatory effects pro- 
 duced on the subjective consciousness. This 
 kind of argument, however, as the result of the 
 great number of observations being continually 
 made, and the common sense of the people who 
 make them, as well as by reason of our advance 
 
 27 
 
28 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 in the knowledge of the laws of hypnotism, is 
 losing most of its grip. Almost everybody who 
 studies psychic phenomena is convinced, by the 
 evidence of his senses, of their objective reality. 
 Various pieces of apparatus have been devised 
 in the past to render this objectivity certain. 
 Flashlight photographs have been taken of 
 levitated tables. Movements due to psychic 
 action have been recorded automatically. There 
 is therefore little ground for any such hypothesis 
 as that of collective hallucination. Nevertheless, 
 I thought it wise to perform one experiment 
 to satisfy myself that the noises — raps, knocks, 
 blows, shufflings, and so forth — were really objec- 
 tive sounds and not figments of the imagination. 
 In order to accomplish this I made use of the 
 phonograph. 
 
 I recognised that the taking of a satisfactory 
 phonographic record would be a somewhat 
 difficult matter, as the experimenter would 
 have to submit to the hard-and-fast condi- 
 tions of the seance-room, and would be un- 
 able, in any appreciable degree, to modify these 
 conditions to his own advantage. I therefore 
 called upon Mr T. Edens Osborne, who deals in 
 large quantities of phonographs, and who knows 
 as much about such instruments as any man in 
 Belfast, and together we made some experiments 
 in a small uncarpeted room at the top of his 
 premises. We found that with the phonograph 
 on the floor (it was an Edison " Standard ") rough 
 imitations of raps made with the handle of a pen- 
 
PHONOGRAPH RECORD OF THE NOISES 29 
 
 knife came fairly clear, so long as the origin of 
 the sounds was not more than a foot or so dis- 
 tant from the recording trumpet. We experi- 
 mented for a considerable time, trying variations 
 of height of the phonograph, and variations in 
 character and position of the noises. Then I 
 spoke a few words into the machine to the effect 
 that I took the record (to follow) on 11th June 
 1915, and giving the name of the medium. This 
 occupied only a short length of the cylinder, and 
 the remainder was left blank. 
 
 The seance was held at eight o'clock on the 
 evening of the date mentioned. The instrument 
 was taken to the seance-room and placed on 
 the floor in front of the seance-table, which 
 was itself just in front of the medium (the table 
 was afterwards removed). I placed some folded 
 newspapers under it to deaden any vibration that 
 might be caused by the more intense blows to 
 be anticipated when the phenomena were in full 
 operation. Then I inserted the cylinder above 
 alluded to. The red gaslight was turned on and 
 the seance commenced. In the usual way, slight 
 raps were soon given in the vicinity of the 
 medium, which quickly increased in intensity 
 and volume. I may mention that the operators 
 appeared to know all about this particular seance 
 and its object, and had seemingly made prepara- 
 tions for it and were even keenly interested in 
 it. At the suggestion of one of the circle, I 
 explained to them the mechanism of the phono- 
 graph. This, however, did not appear to be 
 
30 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 altogether necessary. Then I asked for a re- 
 hearsal. This was immediately given — a little 
 of everything in the way of knocks ; and in 
 addition, a small hand-bell was unexpectedly 
 taken up and rung, which finally satisfied me 
 that I had not much to tell the invisible entities 
 as to what was required of them on this particular 
 occasion. Then the question of time came in, 
 and I found that the operators were not accur- 
 ately able to gauge the minute and a half which 
 was to be allowed them on each record. Accord- 
 ingly, as a rough guide, a time duration of a 
 minute and a half was measured to them by a 
 watch. I then asked them to give a rap when 
 they were ready for me to enter the circle (I 
 recognised that 1 was ignorant of the psychic 
 conditions obtaining within the circle, and I 
 have made it an invariable rule always to let 
 the operators arrange matters to suit themselves 
 before carrying out an experiment, so long as 
 the conditions I imposed were not broken). In 
 five minutes or so, the summoning knock being 
 heard, I moved into the circle, placed the re- 
 corder on the cylinder, and put my finger on 
 the starting-lever. I then asked the operators 
 if all was ready, and on their replying by three 
 raps in the affirmative I called out, " Start." 
 Immediately a thunderous blow resounded on 
 the floor and I started the machine. Half a 
 dozen sledge-hammer blows, varieties of double 
 and treble knocks, and shufflings like sand-paper 
 rubbing the floor were given in succession ; the 
 
PHONOGRAPH RECORD OF THE NOISES 81 
 
 hand-bell was lifted and rung ; the legs of the 
 table were raised and knocked on the floor ; the 
 sound of wood being apparently sawn was heard ; 
 and so on. They kept up this terrific noise 
 until I called out, " Stop " ; when, at the word, 
 perfect silence reigned. We then tried the 
 record, and found that most of the noises had 
 been recorded ; but the bell, owing to its being 
 rung too far away, was almost inaudible. I 
 therefore suggested to the operators that they 
 should ring the bell right in the middle of the 
 circle and as near the trumpet of the phono- 
 graph as possible, and I promised not to upset 
 their conditions of equilibrium by attempting 
 to touch it. Accordingly, during the taking 
 of the next record the bell was rung within 
 an inch or two of my hand, and so close to 
 the trumpet that it accidentally touched it and 
 knocked it off the instrument. This partly 
 spoiled the record. 
 
 In all, three good records and the partly 
 spoiled one were taken, and these show beyond 
 dispute, as was anticipated, that the sounds are 
 ordinary objective sounds. Of course, the volume 
 and intensity of the reproduced sounds are as 
 nothing to the original ones, and the bell comes 
 out only faintly ; but they are all there, and 
 on these four records we have, although in 
 greatly diminished strength, nearly the whole 
 gamut of phenomenal noises produced at the 
 circle. The actual noises are said to have been 
 the loudest ever given at the circle, and were 
 
32 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 heard quite easily two stories down, and even 
 outside the house. 
 
 I append the following note by the Editor 
 which appeared in Light of 7th Aug. 1915 : — 
 
 *' It will be remembered that in Light of 
 June 26th last (p. 304) Dr Crawford described 
 an experiment in which he had taken phono- 
 graph records of the raps, bell-ringing, and other 
 sounds produced at the seances for the physical 
 phenomena which he is investigating. On Thurs- 
 day, 29th ult., Mr Horace I^eaf, who has re- 
 cently visited Ireland, called upon us with one 
 of the records kindly sent by Dr Crawford, and 
 this was tested on a phonograph — the various 
 sounds (with the exception of the bell-ringing, 
 which was very faint) being clearly audible. 
 
 " Dr Crawford has thus proved to the satis- 
 faction of himself and his fellow-investigators 
 that the noises produced are objective sounds 
 and not the result of collective hallucination — 
 an important matter to the scientific investigator 
 who desires to check his results at every step." 
 
 At lectures in Belfast and Dublin I have 
 made use of the records for demonstration 
 purposes. The sounds recorded are quite 
 clearly audible in a hall holding up to five 
 hundred people. 
 
 The matter is referred to in the following 
 extract from the hish Times of 13th March 
 1916:— 
 
 "A meeting of the Dublin Section of the 
 Psychical Research Society was held on Saturday 
 
PHONOGRAPH RECORD OF THE NOISES 33 
 
 evening in the Mills' Hall, Marion Row. The 
 Rev. E. Savill Hicks presided. Dr W. J. 
 Crawford, of Belfast, gave a lecture on some 
 experiments which have been conducted in 
 Belfast during the past couple of years. He 
 described how seven persons, all very religious 
 people, sat from time to time in an attic, where 
 there was no furniture but a plain wooden table 
 and the chairs they sat on. The experiments 
 had been conducted in good light and under 
 the best conditions, and had been verified by 
 instrumental means. A phonograph had been 
 used to take a record of the raps that were heard 
 on the table. (These raps were reproduced on 
 an instrument here for the benefit of the 
 audience.) The lecturer told how the table had 
 been lifted and held suspended in the air for 
 nearly five minutes, and how it defied the 
 strength of a man to prevent the levitation. A 
 stool had been lifted and a bell had been rung 
 in the same mysterious way. Sometimes the 
 * raps' were as loud as the blows of a sledge- 
 hammer, and could be heard outside the house. 
 The object of the whole research, he said, was 
 to find, if possible, the laws underlying the phe- 
 nomena. Investigation had been going on for 
 two years, and had not yet been concluded," 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 REACTION DURING LEVITATION OF THE TABLE 
 
 One of the first questions I asked myself when 
 I decided to undertake a series of experiments 
 was, naturally, the whereabouts of the seat of 
 the reaction during levitation of the table. 1 
 had seen the table floating in the air, as it were, 
 off and on for a period of over a year, and often 
 I had wondered if the reaction was on the floor 
 immediately below the table, or if it was on the 
 medium herself, or if, indeed, it was located in 
 neither of these positions. At that date I had 
 not the slightest idea where I would find it, and 
 any theorising I did usually ended in placing it 
 in a different position on each occasion. Indeed, 
 I do not desire to conceal the fact that even 
 after eighteen months' observation I felt entirely 
 ignorant of the mechanics of the whole pheno- 
 menon, the consequence being that I had at 
 first to follow the " hit-or-miss " principle, 
 trusting to luck that I might alight on some- 
 thing which would put me on the right track. 
 I decided, therefore, that the best thing to do 
 would be to seat the medium on the platform 
 
 u 
 
REACTION DURING LEVITATION 35 
 
 of a weighing-machine and see what would 
 happen to her weight when the table was 
 levitated. I did not know if the placing of the 
 medium on the weighing-machine would inhibit 
 the levitation, and I did not know at that period 
 if the breaking of the chain formation of the 
 circle, i.e. the unclasping of hands and placing 
 them on the knees (for it is obvious that it 
 would be useless to take readings of the 
 medium's weight unless she was completely 
 isolated from the sitters on each side of her), 
 would likewise prevent the phenomenon. I had 
 to trust to luck in these things. 
 
 Before describing as carefully as I can the 
 experiments I made in an endeavour to ascertain 
 the seat of the reaction, I will briefly state, even 
 at the risk of recapitulation, the motions I have 
 observed — and often observed — with regard to 
 the levitated table. The table may be steadily 
 stable, i.e. it may remain fixed practically im- 
 movable in the air without apparent support, 
 for a minute or more. I do not think I have 
 ever observed the table absolutely immovable 
 over this period of time ; there have always 
 been minute movements and tremors in it ; 
 but for practical purposes it can be suspended, 
 as it were, so as to be at rest. Then while 
 levitated it can be moved up and down in a 
 vertical line, and it can be moved to and fro 
 practically horizontally (this latter motion is, 
 however, not exactly a true one in a horizontal 
 plane, for the table seems to be moved more 
 
36 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 or less with its base as a pivot). Then the 
 table may rock about in the air exactly like 
 a boat pitching on a somewhat stormy sea, the 
 analogy being so close that the observer can 
 almost visualise the " waves " beneath it. There 
 are also various other movements which I have 
 often observed, such as a to-and-fro motion in 
 the air with one end steadily tilted, and so on, 
 but for the purposes of the experiments those 
 mentioned above are the most important. And 
 it is to be remembered that any of these various 
 movements can be obtained at will, i,e. the 
 experimenter has only to ask the operators for 
 the particular motion he wishes, and it is given 
 immediately. 
 
 The Apparatus. — A platform weighing- 
 machine ; a drawing-board ; some string ; four 
 tables. 
 
 The platform weighing-machine was kindly 
 lent me by Messrs W. & T. Avery, Ltd. It 
 is known as the light, portable, platform type, 
 and an illustration is given herewith (fig. 2). 
 It reads up to 4 cwt. and is sensitive to less 
 than 2 oz., although the smallest movement of 
 the rider is equivalent to exactly 2 oz. The 
 machine was quite new, and was, of course, 
 tested by the makers for accuracy before being 
 sent to me. The dimensions of its platform 
 were 22 in. by 17 in. 
 
 The drawing-board was an ordinary wooden 
 one of half-imperial size, viz. 24 in. by 18 in., 
 about an inch thick. I placed this upon the 
 
REACTION DURING LEVITATION 37 
 
 platform of the weighing-machine, for I con- 
 sidered the dimensions of the platform were 
 rather small for the work in hand. 
 
 Fig. 2. 
 
 The string was used to'^fix loosely the drawing- 
 board to the back-rail of the machine to prevent 
 it falling if I required to move the machine 
 about the room. The vertical distance from 
 
 ^J 
 
38 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 the floor to the top surface of the drawing- 
 board was approximately 7 in. 
 
 The particulars of the tables used were as 
 follows : — 
 
 Table 1. — The ordinary rectangular deal 
 seance-table ; four straight legs ; surface, 24 in. 
 X 17 in. ; dimensions outside legs, 17^ in. x 
 15^ in. ; height, 2 ft. 5 in. ; area of surface, 
 408 sq. in. ; area of base, 271 sq. in. ; weight, 
 10 lb. 6 oz. This was the table used for a 
 variety of experiments besides the particular 
 ones I am describing now, and when I hence- 
 forth refer to the seance-table I mean this 
 one. 
 
 Table 2. — Octagonal bamboo table ; four legs ; 
 length of octagonal edge, 7^ in. ; dimensions 
 outside legs, 12 in. x 12 in. ; height, 27^ in. ; area 
 of surface, 271 sq. in. ; area of base, 144 sq. in. ; 
 weight, 6 lb. 
 
 liable 3. — Bamboo table for holding orna- 
 ments. Besides the ordinary surface it had an 
 underleaf for supporting a flower-pot ; four legs ; 
 top surface, 17 in. x 17 in. ; lower surface, 9^ in. x 
 9|^ in. ; dimensions outside legs, 12 in. x 12 in. ; 
 height, 2 ft. 5 in. ; area of top surface, 289 sq. in. ; 
 area of lower surface, 90 sq. in. ; area of base, 1 44 
 sq. in. ; weight, 6 lb. 4 oz. 
 
 Table 4. — More strictly, a rectangular wooden 
 stool ; four legs ; surface, 12f in. x 13f in. ; dimen- 
 sions outside legs, 8 in. x 8 in. ; height 11^ in. ; 
 area of surface, 175 sq. in. ; area of base, 64 sq. 
 in. ; weight, 2 lb. 12 oz. 
 
KEACTION DURING LEVITATION 39 
 
 The experiments on reaction were not com- 
 pleted at one seance, but were done in three 
 stages at three different sittings ; which method, 
 it seems to me, is helpful in eliminating sources 
 of error that might go undetected on any single 
 occasion. 
 
 Method. — I placed a table on the floor in the 
 centre of the circle, and seated the medium on a 
 chair placed on top of the drawing-board, which 
 rested on the platform of the weighing-machine. 
 Her feet were planted firmly on the surface of 
 the board. The circle held each other's hands in 
 chain order for half an hour or so with the object 
 of allowing the seance to be well started and 
 psychic energy to be fully developed. At the 
 end of that time I asked the members of the 
 circle to unclasp hands and to place them firmly 
 on their knees. I personally placed the medium's 
 hands squarely on her knees and saw that each 
 sitter had his or hers similarly fixed. I told the 
 medium to sit perfectly still during the experi- 
 ment, and this she did, not perceptibly moving 
 throughout the tests. She was then physically 
 isolated from all the members of the circle. 
 During all the experiments I stood quite close 
 to her at her right side. 
 
 I describe the tests from notes taken at the 
 time. The reader must be prepared for a certain 
 amount of recapitulation; but as experiments 
 such as these on levitation under such ideal 
 conditions can so rarely be carried out, and as 
 therefore all details and data concerning them 
 
40 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 should in my opinion be carefully preserved, I 
 do not think it is necessary to apologise. In 
 other classes of scientific research 1 would not 
 think of publishing details so much alike, but in 
 psychic work we are far removed from all the 
 ordinary scientific conventions. 
 
 Experivient 2 : Reaction on the medium during 
 levitation. 
 
 The table used was No. 1 (the ordinary seance- 
 table, see p. 38). I accurately balanced the 
 weight of medium, chair on which she was sitting, 
 and drawing-board. The medium sitting per- 
 fectly still, I asked the operators to levitate the 
 table and keep it as steadily levitated as they 
 possibly could, i.e. without up-and-down or to- 
 and-fro motion, while I was making my observa- 
 tions. Immediately on request the table rose 
 about 8 in. into the air in an approximately 
 horizontal plane (the levitations in general varied 
 from about 8 in. to 12 in. in height, though in 
 the case of the stool much higher results were 
 obtained), and became to all appearance quite 
 steady in the air. As soon as I was satisfied 
 that all was right and that the medium was 
 sitting perfectly still as 1 had placed her, I 
 examined the weighing-machine. The steelyard, 
 which before the levitation was just on the 
 balance, was now hard up against the top stop. 
 I moved the rider along until it again just 
 balanced. The following are the readings : — 
 
9 St. 4 lb. 14 
 
 oz. 
 
 10 St. lb. 
 
 10 
 
 oz. 
 
 9 1b. 
 
 12 
 
 oz. 
 
 10 lb. 
 
 6 
 
 oz. 
 
 REACTION DURING LEVITATION 41 
 
 Weight of medium + chair 
 
 + drawing-board before 
 
 levitation 
 Weight of medium + chair 
 
 + drawing-board during 
 
 steady levitation 
 Increase in medium's weight 
 
 due to levitation 
 Weight of table 
 
 Conclusion. — The increase in weight of the 
 medium due to levitation is 10 oz. short of the 
 weight of table. 
 
 Notes. — The levitation was as nearly perfect 
 as could be, and time was not a factor, as I had 
 concluded my observations and there were no 
 signs of the table descending. I had, in fact, 
 to inform the operators that I had finished and 
 to ask them to drop the table, which they 
 did suddenly, so that it reached the floor with 
 a crash. 
 
 Experiment 3 : Reaction on medium during 
 levitation. 
 
 The table used was No. 1 (the ordinary seance- 
 table). The method was exactly the same as 
 in Experiment 2, but the date was some weeks 
 later. The following were the readings : — 
 
 Weight of medium -I- chair 
 4- drawing-board before 
 levitation . . . = 9 st. 4 lb. oz. 
 
42 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 Weight of medium + chair 
 
 + drawing-board during 
 
 steady levitation . . = 10 st. lb. 8 oz. 
 Increase in medium'sweight 
 
 due to levitation . . = 10 lb. 8 oz. 
 
 Weight of table . . = 10 lb. 6 oz. 
 
 Weight of medium + chair 
 
 + drawing-board at end 
 
 of experiment . . = 9 st. 4 lb. oz. 
 
 Conclusion. — The increase in the medium's 
 weight due to levitation is 2 oz. in excess of 
 the weight of the table. 
 
 Notes. — At the conclusion of the test it will be 
 seen that I again took the dead weight of medium 
 4- chair + drawing-board, and that I found no 
 alteration. There seems from this case to be no 
 doubt that during levitation the medium increases 
 in weight by an amount practically equal to the 
 weight of the table. In Experiment 2 her in- 
 creased weight was 10 oz. short of the weight of 
 the table. But during that experiment the full 
 circle was present, and on this occasion Master 
 Sam Goligher was absent on holiday ; so that in 
 the former case some or all of the 10 oz. may 
 have been upon him, or the difference may have 
 been due to experimental errors. 
 
 Eocperivient 4 : Reaction on the medium during 
 levitation. 
 
 The tables used were Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 in 
 rotation, and the date was some weeks later 
 
REACTION DURING LEVITATION 
 
 43 
 
 than for Experiment 3. The method used was 
 much the same, the only difference being that 
 as soon as I had obtained the result for one 
 table I removed it from the centre of the circle 
 and placed the next in its place, and so on. The 
 following were the readings : — 
 
 Weight of medium + chair 
 + drawing-board before 
 levitation . . . = 9 st. 10 lb. 12 oz. 
 
 (It will be noticed that the medium was increas- 
 ing in weight during the interval of about three 
 months separating Experiments 2 and 4.) 
 
 
 Description. 
 
 Weight of 
 medium + chair 
 + board during 
 
 levitation. 
 
 Additional 
 
 weight of 
 
 medium 
 
 due to 
 
 levitation. 
 
 Weight of 
 table. 
 
 1 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 
 Ordinary seance 
 Octagonal bamboo . 
 Ornamental , , 
 Stool . 
 
 10 St. 61b. 14oz. 
 
 10 ,, 2 ,, 6 ,, 
 
 10 „ 2 „10 „ 
 
 9 „ 13 „10 „ 
 
 10 lb. 2 oz. 
 5 M 10 „ 
 5 ,, 14 „ 
 2 „ 14 „ 
 
 10 lb. 8 oz. 
 6 „ „ 
 
 6 „ 4 „ 
 2 „ 12 „ 
 
 The dead weights given above for the tables 
 were taken at the end of the seance, and tables 
 2, 3, and 4 agreed absolutely in weight with 
 values obtained on previous occasions, while 
 table 1 was on this occasion 2 oz. heavier. 
 
 Conclusion. — The weight of each levitated 
 table is practically added to the weight of the 
 medium. 
 
 Notes. — All the levitations were as nearly 
 
44 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 perfect as possible, and were maintained as long 
 as I desired. I was not in the least hurried 
 over my observations. The levitation of the 
 stool was the most spectacular case of the 
 phenomenon I have seen. So high was the 
 stool in the air, it is no exaggeration to say that 
 if I had bent my head I could have walked 
 right under it from one side of the room to 
 the other. 
 
 It is convenient to compare the results of 
 Experiments 2, 3, and 4 by a percentage 
 method. 
 
 Table. 
 
 Weight of 
 table. 
 
 Additional 
 
 weight of 
 
 medium during 
 
 levitation. 
 
 Percentage addi- 
 tional weight 
 of medium to 
 
 weight of table. 
 
 1, Experiment 2 
 1, „ 3 
 
 1, „ 4 
 
 2, „ 4 
 
 3, „ 4 
 
 4, „ 4 
 
 10 lb. 6 oz. 
 
 10 „ 6 „ 
 
 10 „ 8 ,, 
 
 6 „ „ 
 
 6 „ 4 „ 
 
 2 „ 12 „ 
 
 9 lb. 12 oz. 
 10 „ 8 „ 
 10 „ 2 „ 
 5 „ 10 „ 
 5 „ 14 „ 
 2 „ 14 „ 
 
 93-9 
 
 101-2 
 
 96-4 
 
 93 7 
 
 94 
 104-5 
 
 An average of the percentages in the last 
 column of the tabulation gives for the six cases 
 97*3 per cent, as the percentage of additional 
 weight of medium to weight of table. 
 
 The general conclusions from Experiments 
 2, 3, and 4 are as follows : — 
 
 A. When the table is steadily levitated, a 
 weight is added to the medium very 
 nearly equal to the weight of the table. 
 
REACTION DURING LEVITATION 45 
 
 B. The seat of the reaction would therefore 
 
 appear to be chiefly the medium herself. 
 
 C. Taking an average over the six cases, the 
 
 increased weight on the medium seems 
 to be about 3 per cent, less than the 
 weight of the levitated table. 
 
 After having thus satisfied myself that the 
 seat of the reaction was principally the medium, 
 I wished to discover if the slight diminution of 
 about 3 per cent, in weight indicated in con- 
 clusion C was a real quantity or was simply due 
 to experimental inaccuracies. First, let us take 
 the sources of error likely to arise during the 
 experiment. 
 
 (1) Time. — There was no undue hurry in ob- 
 taining any result. The table was always levi- 
 tated for a much longer time than I required 
 to leisurely carry out the experiment. In fact, 
 in all six cases I had to ask the operators to 
 drop the table at the conclusion of the test. 
 A levitation lasting from two to three minutes 
 gives ample time to obtain a fairly accurate 
 balance on a weighing-machine. 
 
 (2) Errors due to Table moving about slightly 
 in the air. — This is a positive source of error, and 
 has to be guarded against very carefully. Every 
 movement in the air of the levitated table causes 
 an alteration in the weight of the medium. I 
 will consider this point in more detail presently. 
 Meanwhile it is sufficient to say that during the 
 six levitations recorded above the table was as 
 
46 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 steadily levitated as could be. No doubt there 
 were little jerks and tremors, for, according to 
 my observation, it is impossible to have perfectly 
 immobile suspension ; but, if so, they were not 
 apparent, and one could say that for all practical 
 purposes the table was on each occasion perfectly 
 at rest in the air. 
 
 (3) Ordinary Eocperimental Errors. — These are 
 fairly well guarded against by taking an average 
 of several results. 
 
 The question, then, as to whether the additional 
 weight on the medium is a little less than the 
 weight of the levitated table seems not so much 
 a matter of experimental errors as of something 
 due to some other cause. What this other cause 
 is can be readily surmised. Do the other sitters 
 in the circle, i.e. those exclusive of the medium, 
 take any of the weight of the table ? While 
 most of the reaction undoubtedly finds its seat 
 upon the medium, is there a small part located 
 upon the other sitters ? It is not an unreasonable 
 supposition. A ccordingly I endeavoured to carry 
 out an experiment to discover if there was any 
 foundation for it. 
 
 Ejoperiment 5 : To ascertain if any of the weight 
 of the steadily levitated table was added 
 to one of the members of the circle other 
 than the medium. 
 
 Method. — I experimented with Mr Morrison, 
 whose place in the circle is on the immediate 
 right of the medium. At nearly the conclusion 
 
REACTION DURING LEVITATION 47 
 
 of the stance I seated Mr Morrison on the chair 
 on the weighing-machine, and the medium took 
 her ordinary chair. All hands being on their 
 owners' knees, he was thus isolated from the 
 medium and from all the sitters. I carefully 
 took his weight + weight of chair and drawing- 
 board. Then, having carefully balanced the 
 machine, I asked the operators to levitate the table 
 steadily in the ordinary way. This they did. 
 The following were the readings (the table was 
 the ordinary seance one, weight 10 lb. 6 oz.) : — 
 
 Weight of Mr Morrison 
 
 + chair + board before 
 
 levitation . . . = 10 st, 7 lb. 6 oz. 
 
 Weight of Mr Morrison 
 
 + chair + board during 
 
 steady levitation . . = 10 st. 7 lb. 8 oz. 
 
 Difference . . . . 2 oz. 
 
 The difference of 2 oz. here registered is too small 
 for any conclusion to be drawn, but taken in con- 
 junction with the following experiment would 
 seem to place the result beyond dispute : — 
 
 Experiment 6 : The result of Experiment 5 being 
 inconclusive, to see if a vertical motion 
 of table in the air would have any effect 
 on Mr Morrison's weight while he was 
 seated on the weighing-machine. 
 
 Method. — With conditions as they were in 
 Experiment 5, 1 asked the operators to jerk 
 
48 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 the levitated table up and down in the air, 
 which they did. The steelyard of the weighing- 
 machine, previously balanced, went up and down 
 lightly against the stops in synchronism with 
 the movements of the table. I repeated the 
 experiment several times until I was perfectly 
 sure of the result. 
 
 Conclusion. — A very small part of the reaction 
 of the levitated table is located upon Mr Mor- 
 rison. By inference, therefore, a small part of 
 the reaction is located on all or on several of the 
 sitters exclusive of the medium. 
 
 I therefore draw the complete conclusion from 
 the results of Experiments 2 to 6, that when the 
 table is steadily levitated, the reaction falls to the 
 extent of at least 95 per cent, upon the body of 
 the medium, and that a very small proportion, 
 not more than 5 per cent., is distributed over the 
 bodies of the other sitters. As Admiral Moore 
 suggests, when a table is steadily levitated the 
 effect is precisely the same as it would be if the 
 medium lifted it herself with her hands, aided 
 by a very slight assistance from the members 
 constituting the circle — say, the help that could 
 be given by a force applied by one finger each. 
 It is, however, to be remembered that Experiment 
 6 does not show absolutely that each member 
 actually helps in the levitation. One or more of 
 them may be neutrals. Experiments 2 to 5 have 
 dealt with a system in equilibrium, i.e. with the 
 table steadily levitated in the air and as nearly 
 without motion as possible. It is evident, how- 
 
REACTION DURING LEVITATION 49 
 
 ever, that the apparatus used in those experiments 
 was quite suitable for obtaining results — not so 
 accurate, perhaps, but nevertheless of much 
 value — when the table was purposely given 
 various motions while suspended in the air, or 
 while it was moved in various directions along 
 the floor. The following results, therefore, have 
 to do with alteration in the medium's weight due 
 to such motions. It is to be remembered that 
 if the particular movement of the table desired 
 by the experimenter was a possible one, it was 
 almost always immediately given by the operators 
 on request. 
 
 Eocperiment 7 : The effect on the medium's 
 weight of levitated table jerking vertically 
 up and down in the air. 
 
 The table used was No. 1 (the ordinary stance 
 table). 
 
 Method. — The medium being seated quietly 
 on the weighing-machine with hands on knees 
 as in Experiment 2, I asked for steady levita- 
 tion of the table, which was immediately given. 
 The weight of the medium + chair + drawing- 
 board before levitation was 9 st. 4 lb. During 
 the period of steady levitation the combined 
 weight was 10 st. lb. 8 oz. Having balanced 
 the machine at this, I asked the operators to 
 jerk the table (which up to then was steadily 
 levitated) vertically upwards into the air. 
 This they at once did, the table rising quickly 
 from 6 in. to 8 in. into the air. I asked them 
 
 4. 
 
50 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 to do it several times. The result was always 
 the same. At each upward jerk of the table 
 the steelyard of the weighing-machine rose 
 and pressed against the top stop and then 
 returned to its position of balance. 
 
 I also asked the operators to let the table 
 slowly sag vertically in the air, and to arrest its 
 motion suddenly before it reached the floor. 
 This they did several times. I found that this 
 motion also synchronised with instantaneous and 
 temporary increase of the medium's weight in 
 addition to the increased weight due to steady 
 levitation. 
 
 Conclusion. — When the table is steadily 
 levitated, the medium's weight is increased by 
 an amount practically equal to the weight of 
 the table. If the table is jerked up and down 
 in the air, there is an additional instantaneous 
 weight on the medium while the jerking is 
 proceeding. 
 
 Experiment 8 : The purpose was as in Experi- 
 ment 7. 
 
 Method. — As in Experiment 7. 
 
 The table used was the ordinary seance table. 
 
 The date of the experiment was some months 
 later than the date of Experiment 7. 
 
 While the table was being jerked up and 
 down in the air, a temporarily increased weight 
 (above that required for steady levitation) was 
 on the medium. 
 
REACTION DURING LEVITATION 51 
 
 Experiment 9 : The purpose was as in Experi- 
 ment 7. 
 
 Method. — As in Experiment 7. 
 
 The table used was No. 4, the stool. 
 
 The stool being steadily levitated, I asked the 
 operators to move it vertically up and down in 
 the air, which they did. The lever of the 
 weighing-machine, previously balanced for in- 
 creased weight of medium due to steady levita- 
 tion, went up against top stop in synchronism, 
 fell to bottom stop, rose to top stop again, and 
 so on during the period of time in which the 
 stool was in motion. The result was identical 
 with the results of Experiments 7 and 8, although 
 there was one point of variation in the method 
 which was noticeable. It was this : the motion 
 of the seance table (weight 10 lb. 6 oz.) caused 
 vigorous temporary movements of the steelyard 
 against the stops, while the motion of the 
 stool (weight 2 lb. 12 oz.) caused movements 
 which, although quite apparent, were feeble in 
 comparison. 
 
 Besides the cases given in Experiments 7, 8, 
 and 9, I have often at other times during my 
 experimental work observed the effect on the 
 medium's weight of tables 1, 2, 3, and 4 moving 
 up and down vertically in the air. The result 
 in all such cases was as stated above. 
 
 The following results arose out of the very 
 complete Experiment 4. They were observed 
 before and after the main results were obtained. 
 
52 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 Each was carefully verified at the time and on 
 many subsequent occasions. I am designating 
 each particular observation a separate experi- 
 ment for the purpose of facilitating references. 
 
 Experiment 10 : Movement of table along the 
 floor. 
 
 At the commencement of the levitation experi- 
 ments, the position of the table (No. 1) within 
 the circle as I had placed it evidently did not 
 suit the operators, for it was gently pulled along 
 the floor until apparently the exact place desired 
 was reached. The medium was at the time 
 seated on the weighing-machine with hands on 
 knees and body perfectly still, and the steelyard 
 was balanced for her dead weight, weight of 
 chair and of drawing-board. While the gentle 
 shifting of the table was in progress, the steel- 
 yard rose up against the top stop and remained 
 there while the movement was going on, and 
 fell as soon as it was over. This indicated, of 
 course, that during the movement of the table 
 along the floor the medium's weight underwent 
 an increase. By my sense of touch on the end 
 of the steelyard I judged that the increase of 
 weight on the medium was from 3 to 4 lb., 
 which would be about the magnitude of the 
 force required to move the table along the floor 
 against friction. 
 
REACTION DURING LEVITATION 53 
 
 Experiment 11 : Various movements of table. 
 
 The table used was the ordinary seance one 
 (weight 10 ]b. 6 oz.). I placed it on the floor 
 within the circle. Having balanced the weigh- 
 ing-machine at the value due to the weight 
 of mediunH- chair + drawing-board, I asked the 
 operators to produce various movements of 
 the table from slight shiftings and tiltings up to 
 full levitation, in order to enable me to note 
 roughly the effects on the medium's weight. 
 Results were as follows : — 
 
 {a) Table tilted steadily on two legs (two legs 
 on the floor and two in the air) : medium's 
 weight increased. 
 
 (h) Table tilted higher than in (a) : alteration in 
 amount of increased weight. 
 
 (c) Table tilted with three legs in the air and 
 
 one on the floor : further alteration in 
 amount of increased weight. 
 
 For (a), (b), and (c) I did not read the values 
 of the amount of additional weight on the 
 medium, due to the tiltings, on the scale of the 
 steelyard, but I balanced the steelyard on each 
 occasion with the rider. None of these addi- 
 tional amounts of weight reached the magnitude 
 of the weight of the table. 
 
 (d) The table was given translational movements 
 
 along the floor ; it was also moved rota- 
 tionally 30 degrees or so over the floor: 
 in all these cases the weight of the 
 
54 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 medium was increased during the time 
 of the movement. 
 
 Conclusion. — It is certain that each movement 
 of the table produces increased weight on the 
 medium, whether it be levitation, partial levita- 
 tion, or movement along the floor; and with 
 regard to movements which require a psychic 
 opposition to the force of gravity, the increased 
 weight may be anything up to the approximate 
 weight of the table, according to the degree of 
 levitation, whether it be partial or complete. 
 
 Experiment 12 : Inference that levitation is 
 in progress by observing the weighing- 
 machine. 
 
 Having set the weighing-machine to balance 
 at the dead weight of medium + chair -}- drawing- 
 board, I several times purposely kept my eyes 
 away from the table and fixed them on the 
 steelyard of the machine. As soon as the 
 steelyard rose against the top stop I would look 
 around and either find the table levitated or 
 partly levitated ; i.e. by observing when increased 
 weight was on the medium I was always certain 
 by that fact alone to find a levitation in progress. 
 
 Experiment 13 : Table tilted on two legs. 
 
 On one occasion, at the end of a seance, the 
 operators unexpectedly tilted the seance table 
 on two legs and kept it in that position for a 
 minute or so while the closing prayer was being 
 
REACTION DURING LEVITATION 55 
 
 pronounced. As the medium was at the time 
 seated on the weighing-machine, I noticed that 
 her weight, as evidenced by the steelyard press- 
 ing up tightly against top stop, was greatly in- 
 creased, although I did not take the amount of 
 the increase. 
 
 To find the effect on the medium's weight 
 when the table was moved along the floor in 
 given directions : — 
 
 Eocperiment 14 : The table pulled along the 
 floor towards medium. 
 
 Having balanced weight of medium, chair, and 
 drawing-board as in previous experiments, I 
 asked the operators to gently pull in the table 
 directly towards medium. 
 
 Result. — While table was moving in towards 
 medium from somewhere near the centre of the 
 circle, the steelyard rose and kept pressed 
 against the top stop, thus indicating that during 
 that time her weight was increased. 
 
 Eocperiment 15 : The table pushed along the 
 floor directly away from medium. 
 
 The operators at request moved the table 
 gently along the floor directly away from 
 medium. 
 
 Result. — As in Experiment 14, a continuous 
 increase of weight of medium during the progress 
 of the movement. 
 
 The general conclusion from Experiments 6 
 to 15 seems to be that all motions of the table 
 
56 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHEMONENA 
 
 whatever along the floor and all movements of 
 the table in the air cause temporary increase of 
 the medium's weight. In other words, forces 
 which would be required in the ordinary way to 
 accomplish these movements are reflected some- 
 how or other on the body of the medium. 
 
 The Distance of the 3Iediiim from the Table. — 
 I have already mentioned (Experiment 10) 
 that the distance of the table from the medium 
 seems to be an important factor during levita- 
 tion. It is a mistake to assume that the closer 
 the medium to the table the easier and quicker 
 will the phenomenon occur. There seems to be 
 a critical distance at which the best result takes 
 place. For, under the mistaken notion that the 
 closer the medium the better the result, I con- 
 tracted the circle on several occasions when 
 I required extra-powerful phenomena, i.e. I 
 diminished the diameter of the circle by making 
 the members sit closer together. But before any 
 table phenomena occurred, the medium's chair 
 (with the medium on it) was pulled or pushed 
 back bodily along the floor for a distance of 
 about a foot. This extraordinary phenomenon 
 I have witnessed on many occasions. It tempts 
 one to ask where the reaction can possibly be in 
 such a case. I hope some time in the future to 
 investigate it more fully. 
 
 On other occasions, with the normal diameter 
 of circle, if the table happened to be too close to, 
 or too far from, the medium, it would be pulled 
 along the floor until the distance for levitation 
 
REACTION DURING LEVITATION 57 
 
 was apparently correct. I have witnessed this 
 preHminary movement of the table along the 
 floor dozens of times ; in fact, it is not too much 
 to say that it takes place just previously to every 
 levitation, for the experimenter, when he places 
 the table on the floor, hardly ever seems to 
 strike the exact place desired by the operators. 
 As small a distance as an inch or two seems to 
 make a difference. 
 
 I was rather amused on one occasion when I 
 was engaged on some rather delicate levitation 
 experiments. I was inside the circle as usual, 
 and, thinking from long experience that the table 
 was not just in the proper spot for the pheno- 
 menon, I moved it to the left for a distance of 
 about six inches. No sooner had I done so than 
 it was moved back by the operators to its original 
 position. I thoughtlessly shifted it over again, 
 and instantly it was again moved back. The 
 fact was, of course, that the table happened in 
 the first instance to be in the exact position 
 desired by the operators, a thing which very 
 seldom happened. 
 
 Conclusions. — There is a critical distance in 
 front of the medium, neither too close to her nor 
 too far from her, at which levitation of the table 
 occurs. If the distance is in the first instance 
 incorrect, the table itself is moved by the operators 
 if the disposition of the circle allows of it ; and if 
 the disposition of the sitters does not allow of 
 it, the medium and her chair are moved back 
 bodily. 
 
58 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 The Height of the Levitation. — The height to 
 which a levitated table rises above the floor is 
 important from several points of view. As in 
 the case of the distance of the table from the 
 medium, there appears also to be a critical 
 height, which I should put, by rough estimation, 
 at about 8 in. from the floor, whereat the ex- 
 penditure of psychic energy is a minimum ; for 
 if levitation is asked for, 1 have noticed that the 
 distance mentioned is about the usual rise given, 
 at any rate with tables weighing from 6 to 10 lb. 
 But if a specially high levitation is demanded, or 
 if the operators are giving an ordinary general 
 demonstration, on which occasions they seem to 
 desire to produce the most spectacular results 
 possible, the height may be greatly increased, 
 especially towards the end of the seance. On 
 such occasions I have seen the surface of the 
 table shoulder-high. However, with high levita- 
 tions there is not such a degree of steadiness 
 as with low ones, the table generally twisting 
 about with slow and sinuous motions this way 
 and that. If we call the critical height about 
 8 in. for the ordinary seance table (as it appears 
 to be), i.e. the height at which a steady levitation 
 can occur with surface of table approximately 
 level, then I have often noticed that if I ask, 
 say for experimental purposes, a higher levitation 
 than this, the operators seem to have to put 
 forth a distinct eiFort. If success results, the 
 table is jerked, not slowly raised, to the height 
 demanded, and during the time it is at this 
 
REACTION DURING LEVITATION 59 
 
 extra height abnormal effort on the part of the 
 operators seems to be necessary. The highest 
 levitation I have ever seen was about 4 ft., 
 which was the rise on one occasion in the case 
 of table 4 (the stool, Experiment 4). It is 
 certain that there is a maximum height beyond 
 which levitation cannot occur ; that maximum, 
 so far as 1 have observed, being, as mentioned, 
 about 4 ft. above the floor. 
 
 I have observed all sorts of freak levitations. 
 For instance, on one occasion when the table 
 had been levitated for about three minutes with 
 the bottom of the legs about level with the knees 
 of the sitters, the surface commenced gradually 
 to incline about a horizontal axis, and continued 
 to do so until it was nearly vertical ; then the 
 table moved over, in the air, to the chair where 
 I was sitting, rested the lower edge of its surface 
 on my knees, and then moved back and dropped 
 to the floor. 
 
 Co7iclusion. — There seems to be a critical 
 height at which the operators can produce most 
 easily levitation of the table — or at anyrate a 
 height at which they can obtain the steadiest 
 and most prolonged form of the levitation. Any- 
 thing above that height is a distinct effort. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 SOME MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS, OBSERVA- 
 TIONS, AND CALCULATIONS 
 
 Eooperimcnt 16 : Observation of levitation with 
 calculation of upward pressure on under 
 surface to account for it. 
 
 The table used was the ordinary seance one. 
 Top surface 24 in. x 17 in. ; height 2 ft. 5 in. ; 
 weight lOf lb. ; material, deal (see Chapter III.). 
 
 Time. — Near opening of seance, with psychic 
 energy not fully developed. 
 
 Commencement of Levitation. — Table shook, 
 rose on two legs, dropped and rose on the other 
 two, dropped and rose on one, fell back on two, 
 jerked rapidly about, and finally rose unevenly 
 but completely into the air, the end which was 
 lower being continually pushed upwards in order, 
 apparently, to get the surface level. After a 
 little time the jerking ceased and table remained 
 practically level and stationary in the air at a 
 height of about 12 in. from the floor. 
 
 Duration of Levitation. — 4 minutes 30 seconds, 
 during about 4 minutes of which time the table 
 
 60 
 
SOME MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 61 
 
 remained almost immovable in the air, a result 
 evidently desired by the operators as indicative 
 of their ability to maintain steady magnitude 
 and direction of the psychic force. During the 
 first minute the time was taken by calling out 
 the seconds, one, two, three, etc., by guesswork, 
 and for the remaining 3^ minutes or so by a 
 watch ; the error may amount to a few seconds. 
 
 The Psychic Pressure. — The table during the 
 greater portion of the levitation was practically 
 stationary in the air, with its surface nearly level. 
 If we assume that the levitation is effected by a 
 uniform upward pressure on the under surface, 
 we may make the following calculations : — 
 
 Weight of table . . =10flb. 
 
 Area of under surface of table = 24 in. x 17 in. 
 
 = 408 sq. in. 
 Psychic pressure (approx.) =10fH-408 
 
 = '025 lbs. per sq. in. 
 
 This is of course quite a small pressure, and 
 would be somev/hat difficult to detect by 
 mechanical means. For the sake of argument 
 1 am assuming that the pressure would be of 
 the fluid type, though it is apparent that such 
 a supposition is practically unthinkable. There 
 is, moreover, good experimental reason to 
 believe that the pressure, whatever its nature, 
 is not applied to the table uniformly, but more 
 or less over only a part of the under surface, 
 evidenced, for instance, by the upward jerks 
 given at any required corner during the com- 
 
62 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 mencement of levitation. Again, the pressure 
 may be applied at two or three places on the 
 under surface, or the single area over which it 
 is exerted may be capable of altering its location 
 on the under surface in order to get the resultant 
 under the centre of gravity. Or again, there 
 may be no force on the under surface at all, and 
 the table may in that case be supported by an 
 upward force under each leg (although this 
 hypothesis is rather extravagant), or it may be 
 held in position in the air by rods projecting 
 from the medium and gripping some part of 
 the legs ; or the levitation may even be brought 
 about by an upward force from the top surface 
 of the table. I mention all these suppositions 
 so that the reader will understand I am not 
 making assumptions light-heartedly. Each of 
 them will be examined later on. Meanwhile 
 the most reasonable hypothesis seems to be that 
 there is some kind of an upward force below 
 the surface of table, and it is useful to make 
 calculations accordingly. 
 
 Experiment 17 : Observation of levitation with 
 calculation of upward pressure on under 
 surface to account for it. 
 
 The seance was held in my own house, in the 
 drawing-room. 
 
 The table used was a square-topped one with 
 four curved legs, with a lower surface near the 
 bottom of the legs. During the evening it was 
 levitated many times, the longest period being 
 
SOME MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 63 
 
 certainly well over a minute (although I did 
 not time it). 
 
 Weight of table . . = 16 lb. 
 Dimensions of top surface = 20 in. x 20 in. 
 Height . . . .= 2 ft. 5 in. 
 
 The psychic upward pressure, assuming it to be 
 uniform as in the previous case, would then be 
 
 16 -4- (20x20) = 16^400 
 
 = '04 lb. per sq. in. 
 
 It is therefore seen from the calculations that 
 if we assume a uniform upward pressure on 
 under surface of such tables as I have used in 
 my experiments, the magnitude of that pressure 
 is in all cases quite small, which fact I have 
 found of some importance in working out the 
 theory of levitation. The 16-lb. table of this 
 test is the heaviest I have used during any of 
 my experiments. 
 
 Experiment 18 : Muscular force applied verti- 
 cally downwards on top of levitated table. 
 
 During one of the levitations referred to in 
 Experiment 17, near the conclusion of the sitting 
 (with psychic energy therefore at a maximum), 
 and with the surface of the table nearly shoulder- 
 high in the air, I entered the circle and pressed 
 down with my hands on the top of the table. 
 Although I exerted all my strength, I could 
 not depress the table to the floor. A friend 
 who is over six feet in height then leaned over 
 
64 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 the circle and helped me to press downwards, 
 when our combined efforts exerted to the limit 
 just caused it to touch the floor. The kind of 
 resistance encountered was an elastic one. 
 
 The table then stood up on two legs (with 
 two legs in the air), and I used all my muscular 
 force in an endeavour to depress the raised end, 
 but I was quite unable to do so. It seemed as 
 though a cushion of compressed air were below 
 the raised portion. 
 
 It will be noticed that the levitation I have 
 described in Experiment 16 occurred near the 
 commencement of the seance, and that there 
 was a considerable amount of preliminary jerk- 
 ing and jumping about of the table before true 
 levitation took place {i.e. the whole table at 
 rest in the air, with no part of it in contact with 
 the floor or with any solid body whatsoever). 
 According to my observations extending over 
 two years, during which time I have seen 
 hundreds of levitations under all conditions, 
 levitations near the commencement of the sitting 
 are nearly always of that type. It would seem 
 that the psychic energy is not fully developed 
 for half an hour or so after the opening, or at 
 anyrate that the operators cannot work so 
 easily as they can at a later period of the sitting. 
 About an hour from the commencement I have 
 on many occasions had a series of ideal levita- 
 tions, with no initial jerks or movements of any 
 kind whatsoever. It would seem that in such 
 cases the operators had their adjustments accu- 
 
SOME MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 65 
 
 rate and complete, and that they did not require 
 any preliminary trials such as are common at 
 the beginning of the seance. 
 
 The following is an exact account of ideal 
 levitations I have on several occasions obtained 
 near the conclusion of seances, with all con- 
 ditions for the production of the phenomenon 
 at their best, the mental harmony of the sitters 
 perfect, their bodily health good, and all things 
 seeming to flow with everybody and everything 
 in the manner they sometimes do : — 
 
 (1) The table is stationary on the floor within 
 
 the circle. 
 
 (2) I enter the circle and sit down beside the 
 
 table. 
 
 (3) I utter the word " Rise " (or equivalent word 
 
 or words). 
 
 (4) The table almost immediately rises three or 
 
 four inches vertically into the air, without 
 jerk or side movement or " fuss " of any 
 kind, and remains fixed there without 
 sensible motion (though doubtless there 
 are a few unnoticed tremors). 
 
 (5) At the conclusion of the experiment, lasting 
 
 perhaps half a minute, I utter the word 
 " Fall " (or equivalent word or words). 
 
 (6) The table sinks gently to the floor. 
 
 (7) The processes (1) to (6) may be gone through 
 
 half a dozen times in succession at intervals 
 of a minute or two. 
 
 The reason for the instant response to the 
 
 5 
 
66 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 words "Rise" and "Fall" was because of previ- 
 ous arrangement with the operators, with the 
 idea, on both sides, of economising words and 
 explanations. 
 
 Experiment 19 : The two kinds of resistance 
 for a levitated table. 
 
 The table used was the one referred to in 
 Experiment 17, and the seance took place in my 
 own house. During one of the powerful levita- 
 tions I entered the circle and stood over the 
 table. Endeavouring to press it down vertically 
 to the floor, I felt an elastic resistance, as already 
 described. I then thought of pushing it inwards 
 towards the medium. I was much surprised to 
 find that the resistance to push in that direc- 
 tion was not an elastic one, but one of quite a 
 different order. The resistance was a solid or 
 rigid one, and, as a matter of fact, the table 
 appeared to be "locked." As the results of this 
 experiment are so important in the theory of 
 levitation, it is necessary that the reader should 
 be perfectly certain as to what I mean. 
 
 In fig. 3, M is the medium, and T the levitated 
 table. If the observer stands over the table and 
 presses down in the direction A, he experiences 
 a perfectly elastic resistance. If he presses in 
 direction B, he experiences a solid and unyield- 
 ing resistance. The actual direction of B I have 
 not determined. It is not parallel to the surface 
 of the table, but is downwards and inwards at 
 some angle approximating to that shown. The 
 
SOME MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 67 
 
 N 
 
68 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 direction probably varies somewhat with the 
 height of the levitation. So soHd and unyielding 
 is the resistance in this direction that it gave me 
 the impression that steel bars were connecting 
 the table with the medium, and that T was push- 
 ing along the longitudinal axes of such bars. 
 
 Eooperiment 20 : Another test for the unyielding 
 resistance of levitated table. 
 
 The table used was the ordinary seance one. 
 I pressed inwards in a direction approximating 
 to B (fig. 3), and again experienced the rigid type 
 of resistance. It felt exactly as though I was 
 pushing against a solid rod which had gripped 
 the table from the body of the medium. 
 
 Experiment 21 : Overturning table to floor and 
 raising it again. 
 
 The table used was the ordinary stance one. 
 For ordinary experimental work it stands on the 
 floor with its long edge parallel to the front 
 of the body of the medium. The operators 
 were asked to overturn it on to its side and to 
 raise it into its normal position again. They 
 first shifted the table round until its short edge 
 was more or less parallel to the front of the body 
 of the medium, and then they gently tipped it 
 up on two legs and gradually turned it about 
 these two legs until it lay on its side on the floor. 
 The whole thing was done quietly and without 
 fuss. Then the opposite process commenced. 
 The operators endeavoured to raise the table 
 
SOME MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 69 
 
 into its normal position. But it was obvious 
 this process was a difficult one, and there was 
 nothing gentle about it, the table being given, 
 apparently at the lower edge, what appeared to 
 be sudden shoves and pushes, most of which 
 were not successful or only partly successful 
 (in the latter case the edge was only raised a little 
 from the floor). Finally a shove more powerful 
 than the others, or delivered at a better spot, 
 accomplished what was required, and the table 
 was again upright and standing on its four legs. 
 
 I have noticed that the table is, in this experi- 
 ment, almost invariably turned over to the floor 
 towards the left hand of the medium. I think 
 there is a reason for choosing the left hand 
 which I will refer to later on. I have observed 
 the experiment at least a dozen times, and I saw 
 it also on one occasion in my own house. We 
 had formed an impromptu circle in a corner of 
 the room. Only three members of the circle 
 were present, including the medium. My wife, 
 a young lady friend, and myself made up the 
 circle, and a light bamboo table was placed 
 in the centre. After a series of levitations, 
 knocks, and so on, the table was turned over 
 by the operators on its side, shifted about 
 the floor until it was evidently just in the 
 position required, then given one big heave 
 which placed it upright on its feet. In this 
 case there were no preliminary pushes or abor- 
 tive shoves, for one movement accomplished the 
 whole process. 
 
70 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 Experiment 22 : Increased and decreased weight 
 of table standing on the floor. 
 
 While the table was standing on the floor, I 
 asked the operators to increase its weight. This 
 they immediately did, for on trying to lift it 
 I found it impossible or nearly impossible to do 
 so. The table seemed to be glued to the floor. 
 Likewise, on asking the operators to reduce the 
 table's weight 1 found I could lift it by a muscu- 
 lar eflbrt of a few ounces. That is, the operators 
 can apparently increase or decrease the weight 
 of the table at will. 
 
 Experiment 23 : Table levitated upside down. 
 
 This levitation was accomplished at the con- 
 clusion of a seance at which I was carrying out 
 some experiments on phosphorescence, fluores- 
 cence, etc., for which purpose the room had been 
 made perfectly dark. The levitation was therefore 
 in complete darkness. So powerful was the levi- 
 tating force that the table actually turned over 
 and rose nearly a couple of feet into the air 
 upside down, with the legs sticking upwards. I 
 and three members of the circle each grasped a 
 leg, and we tried to depress the table to the 
 floor, but found it perfectly impossible. Further- 
 more, the table moved up and down and to 
 and fro in the air with such powerful motions 
 that we, who had hold of it, might as well have 
 tried to stop the movements of a locomotive. 
 
SOME MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 71 
 
 Experiment 24 : Table on floor upside down. 
 Visitor invited to raise it. 
 
 The ordinary seance-table, weight lOf lb., was 
 used. It was placed on the floor upside down, 
 and a muscular visitor to the circle was asked to 
 catch hold of the legs and to raise it ; he was 
 unable to do so. I do not think I have seen 
 anybody yet succeed in this attempt, and I have 
 watched many try. The table seems to be glued 
 to the floor, or to be held to the floor by some 
 kind of suction between surface and floor, although 
 this is not the correct explanation, as I shall 
 attempt to show later on. This little test is 
 really a most remarkable one, and most import- 
 ant and helpful in the forming of a satisfactory 
 theory. 
 
 Experiment 25 : Movements of table with ex- 
 perimenter sitting on it. 
 
 The table was standing on the floor. I sat 
 upon it. The table was slid and jerked about 
 the floor apparently with considerable ease, 
 against obviously fairly large friction forces. I 
 have seen many people other than myself sit 
 upon the table and be thus moved about. A 
 favourite experiment is to ask the visitor to sit 
 steadily upon the table and to await calmly what 
 shall happen. In a short time, usually inside a 
 minute, the table gently rises on two legs and 
 slides him ofl' to the floor. 
 
 Ki 
 
72 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 Experiment 26 : Position in which tiie operators 
 like the table to be placed when they 
 desire to exert the greatest psychic force 
 possible on it. 
 
 I have watched the following process on many 
 occasions. A visitor enters the circle and lays 
 hold of the table, and is told by the sitters to do 
 all he can to prevent it moving. If he is very 
 muscular he may succeed for half a minute or 
 so in preventing motion ; but sooner or later, 
 usually sooner, the table eludes him and gets 
 into motion, jerking this way and that, levitat- 
 ing and dancing about in the air, and so on, and 
 this in spite of the greatest restraining force he 
 can exert. 
 
 Now, when such a visitor enters the circle, 
 what usually happens is that the table, before 
 he touches it, or by its first movement after 
 he touches it, rises on the two legs remote 
 from the medium and at an angle of about 
 40 degrees to the horizontal. It remains in 
 this position for perhaps ten seconds, and 
 then immediately afterwards the tussle begins. 
 This preliminary rising on two legs at the 
 stated angle is no mere chance movement. It 
 has a deep significance. 
 
 In fig. 4, M represents the medium and T the 
 table tilted as explained. Does it not seem 
 possible, nay, almost probable, that the reason 
 for the initial tilt is to allow some projection 
 from the medium to get the best grip possible 
 
SOME MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 73 
 
 on the under sur- 
 face of the table, as 
 indicated in the dia- 
 gram? The object 
 of the tilting would 
 thus be to put the 
 under surface of 
 table at the inclina- 
 tion most suitable 
 for this projection to 
 obtain the shortest 
 and most powerful 
 grip. The experi- 
 menter may stand 
 anywhere round the 
 table except directly 
 before the medium, 
 and not interfere to 
 any extent with the 
 intensity of the 
 phenomena ; but he 
 may not stand be- 
 tween medium and 
 table. I do not wish 
 to say anything more 
 definite than the 
 above at this point, 
 but I would, even at 
 this stage, draw the ^ 
 reader's attention to 
 the importance of 
 the experiment. 
 
74 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 Experiment 27 : Adjustment of levitating force 
 to suit an unsymmetrical loading of table. 
 
 This experiment was not arranged by me, but 
 was given spontaneously by the operators. I 
 had brought a wooden box about 3 in. x 3 in. and 
 9 in. high, containing an electric bell and dry 
 battery, which 1 intended to use for another 
 experiment. The weight of the box, which I 
 placed on the table near the edge, was 3*8 lb. 
 Suddenly levitation of the table unexpectedly 
 began. Now, it is obvious that as the table 
 weighed lOf lb., and the box 3*8 lb., the centre of 
 gravity of the two was some distance from the 
 centre of the table. The operators, however, 
 managed to keep the surface of the table nearly 
 level, and they accomplished this by strong up- 
 ward jerks if one of the edges sagged. They 
 did not seem able to gauge the position of the 
 combined centre of gravity with any accuracy, 
 and so uncongenial did the uneven distribution 
 of weight seem to be that they tried to jerk the 
 electric-bell box over to the centre of the table, 
 but failed. 
 
 JExperiment 28 : To see if the operators could 
 ring an electric bell. 
 
 An electric bell and dry cell were compactly 
 fitted into a box (see Experiment 27), and the 
 bell-push with contact button was fitted to the 
 outside. The disposition of weight of the articles 
 within the box, and the position of the push 
 
SOME MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 75 
 
 without, were so arranged that the bell could 
 not be rung by human finger without knocking 
 the box over ; i.e. in order to ring the bell the 
 box would have to be held. Furthermore, the 
 bell could only be rung by a force acting 
 normally to button, for the wooden sleeve into 
 which it fitted only allowed of in-and-out 
 motion. Fig. 5 shows how the apparatus was 
 arranged. 
 
 Box 
 
 conl-aininq 
 
 Electric Bell 
 
 and 
 
 Dry cell 
 
 .j asdrnta 
 
 Direction 
 of- 
 
 Push 
 
 Fig. 5. 
 
 I placed the box on the floor near the medium, 
 into what I conjectured was the strongest part 
 of the psychic field. Then I asked the operators 
 to ring the bell. After a little wait the box was 
 shuffled here and there about the floor. Then 
 the bell was rung for an instant. After a further 
 wait it was rung again and for a slightly longer 
 time. Afterwards it was more easily rung, and 
 towards the end of the seance quite easily. The 
 longest continuous ring was for about sixty 
 seconds. The box remained upright the whole 
 
76 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 time. I was rather surprised that the operators 
 evidently found some little difficulty at first in 
 ringing the bell, but the reason was at anyrate 
 partly apparent when I went into quantities. I 
 found by experiment that the mechanical force 
 required to cause electric contact was 0*8 lb. 
 The area of the button v/as '246 sq. in., and 
 (assuming uniform pressure) the psychic pressure 
 was 0-8 -^ "246 = 3*24, say S^ lb. per sq. in., which 
 was greatly in excess of the uniform pressure 
 required to cause levitation of the table (the 
 maximum value of the latter for my heaviest 
 table was '04 lb. per sq. in. ; see Experiment 17). 
 A peculiar fact about this test was that while 
 the bell was ringing, the push-button was not 
 directly facing the medium, but was nearly 
 opposite me, or perhaps at an angle of about 
 80° with the medium. The operators placed the 
 box in this position themselves, so evidently it 
 was in the most suitable place for the ringing 
 of the bell. Perhaps the fact that, in order to 
 prevent toppling over, the box had to be held 
 from the back, had something to do with it. 
 
 Expe7iment 29 : A small metal trumpet pulled 
 when held in the hand. 
 
 The circle possessed for demonstration pur- 
 poses, and for "direct" voice manifestations 
 should such occur, a small conical metal trumpet 
 about 18 in. long, open at both ends, about 
 2^ in. diameter at the large end and f in. at the 
 small end. (See fig. 6.) 
 
SOME MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 77 
 
 I held this small trumpet firmly by the hand 
 at its small end, with the big end pointing 
 into the air near the medium, at an angle of 
 about 30° to the horizontal. I asked the oper- 
 ators to pull it. Nothing happened for some 
 
 twenty seconds or so, and then suddenly it 
 was given a strong forward jerk which almost 
 snatched it from my grasp. Further trials 
 gave similar results. The angular direction 
 in which I held the trumpet seemed to make 
 little difference. 
 
78 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 Experiment 30 : Attempt to prevent table re- 
 turning to centre of circle from far end 
 opposite the medium. 
 
 Sometimes the table would move of itself to 
 the edge of the circle opposite the medium. I, 
 sitting outside the ring of sitters, w^ould then 
 lay hold of it, and, exerting all my strength, 
 vi^ould endeavour to prevent its return to the 
 centre. I usually found this to be impossible. 
 Some overwhelming force was evidently pulling 
 in opposition — a force which appeared to be of 
 the nature of a suction. 
 
 Eocpeiiment 31 : A handkerchief placed on floor 
 near medium. 
 
 I placed an ordinary white handkerchief on 
 the floor near the medium, and asked the 
 operators to move it about the room. Although 
 I left it there for nearly half an hour it did 
 not move perceptibly. At the time this seemed 
 very strange, as one would naturally think that 
 such a light article as a handkerchief could be 
 easily moved about, when solid tables weighing 
 over 10 lb. could be levitated and moved over 
 the floor at a much greater distance from the 
 medium. 1 think I now know the reason for this 
 negative result, and I will refer to it later on. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 CONDITIONS ABOVE, UNDER, AND ROUND THE 
 LEVITATED TABLE 
 
 The experimenter, when he observes a table 
 steadily at rest in the air, is confronted with a 
 problem such as this : " How is the table 
 supported ? " There is obviously nothing material 
 supporting it, for the space above it, underneath 
 it, and all round it, is empty of anything which 
 in the ordinary course of events could keep it 
 levitated. How then is the levitation accom- 
 plished ? The obvious thing to do is to examine 
 as carefully as possible the regions above, below, 
 and all round the table in the hope that during 
 the investigation some fact may be struck which 
 either may completely solve the matter by itself, 
 or which in conjunction with other and allied 
 facts will solve it. My method in this research 
 was to get as many facts together as possible 
 and to deduce the most likely solution from 
 them. 
 
 The Region above the Levitated Table. — In my 
 mind there is no doubt whatever that the region 
 of space above the levitated table has nothing 
 
 79 
 
80 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 to do with the levitation ; or if it has anything 
 to do with it, it is only of very secondary im- 
 portance. My reasons for this conclusion are 
 as follows : — 
 
 (1) An experimenter may enter the circle, 
 may grasp the table from the top, may sit upon 
 it, and in fact may do practically anything he 
 likes so long as he keeps his arms and body 
 above the top surface. 
 
 (2) Fairly strong light may be flashed upon 
 the top surface without affecting the levitation, 
 while the same amount of light flashed beneath 
 the table will immediately cause it to drop. 
 
 The operators have no objection whatever to 
 the experimenter placing his hand anywhere he 
 pleases on the top of the table, or he can place 
 foreign bodies upon it, can rest a pocket lamp 
 upon it, and so on. 
 
 The Region round the Levitated Table. — There 
 is only one place round the table which the 
 observer may not cross, and that is the region 
 between the medium and the levitated table. 
 I myself many times while levitation has been 
 in progress have moved inside the circle right 
 round three sides of the table ; and a visitor at 
 an ordinary demonstration seance is allowed to 
 walk inside the circle anywhere he pleases so 
 long as he does not cross the line table to 
 medium. In fact, the instructions to the visitor 
 are as follows : " Get inside the circle (two of 
 the sitters raise their arms to allow him to slip 
 under and in), grip the table from the top any 
 
ABOVE, UNDER, AND ROUND TABLE 81 
 
 way you please, and try to prevent it moving. 
 You may move inside the circle anywhere you 
 please so long as you don't get directly in front 
 of the medium." 
 
 Therefore it is obvious that the only region 
 of vital importance round the levitated table is 
 that between table and medium. I will show 
 later that the whole space between table and 
 sitters has really some value — a very secondary 
 one, it is true, but nevertheless a real and sub- 
 stantial value, — and that, on occasions, some at 
 least of this space, other than that in front of 
 the medium, is made use of by the operators. 
 
 The Region below the Table. — There is no doubt 
 whatever that the space below the table is of 
 prime importance to the levitation, and to move- 
 ments of the table generally. I have many ex- 
 periments to describe dealing with this region. 
 
 Conclusion. — Thus, by a simple process of 
 observation and deduction, it is easily seen that 
 while a table is levitated the regions of space 
 about it really vital to the phenomenon are the 
 space between medium and table and the space 
 beneath the table. All other regions are either 
 of secondary importance or are of no importance 
 at all. 
 
 Experiment 32 : A fairly strong light placed on 
 
 top of levitated table and on leaf under 
 
 top surface. 
 
 I took a pocket electric flashlight, covered the 
 
 lens with a few thicknesses of thin red tissue 
 
 6 
 
82 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 paper, and placed the lamp upright on the 
 levitated table. There it remained while the 
 table moved gently up and down in the air, for 
 quite a minute. On another occasion, when the 
 battery was quite new, and the lens was covered 
 only with two thicknesses of the thin red paper, 
 I placed the lamp on the table before levita- 
 tion, and then asked that levitation should be 
 given. This, however, proved to be impossible. 
 The light was too strong, and was shining too 
 directly upon the medium. Generally speaking, 
 it may be said that small concentrated sources 
 of light close to the medium are bad for 
 phenomena, but that a diffused light from some 
 distance away, whose source is not concentrated 
 but spread over a large area, such as a flame 
 surface, is least inhibitive. When the table 
 failed to levitate with the electric lamp standing 
 vertically, I placed the lamp flatwise on its side 
 on the table, with the lens end pointing away 
 from the medium, when levitation immediately 
 occurred and was kept up for a long time. The 
 table had a lower leaf (the seance was held in 
 my own drawing-room) about 9 in. from the 
 floor, and the lamp was then placed on this 
 flatwise, with illuminated end pointing away 
 from the medium. After a little while the 
 table was again levitated, and remained so for 
 a fairly long time, although there seemed more 
 difliculty in starting levitation with the light 
 placed thus than when it was on the top surface. 
 This would indicate that it is the lower portion 
 
ABOVE, UNDER, AND ROUND TABLE 83 
 
 of the body of the medium which is most con- 
 cerned in the phenomenon. These experiments 
 also show that it is the end of the table nearest 
 the medium and the region under the table near 
 her that are affected during levitation. 
 
 Experiment 33 : The table being steadily levi- 
 tated, to discover what effect is produced 
 on the levitation by sliding a body of con- 
 siderable volume under the table. 
 
 The table used was the ordinary seance one. 
 When it was steadily levitated, 1 gently moved 
 a spring balance of the compression type 8^ in. 
 high, and with a rectangular top surface 8 in. x 
 6 in., along the floor until it was underneath the 
 table. No part of the balance was in contact 
 with the legs or the under surface of the table 
 or any part of it at all. There was a clear space 
 of at least 18 in. between pan of balance and 
 under surface of table (the reason I used a 
 balance rather than a small wooden box or any- 
 thing else, was because the balance was handy, 
 as I was that evening doing other experiments 
 with it). There was a positive result. The table, 
 which before the experiment, was tranquil a few 
 inches up in the air, fluttered (that is the only 
 word which describes its motion) like a wounded 
 bird and dropped gently to the floor. 
 
 Conclusion. — The space displaced by the 
 balance is a factor in the levitation, and the 
 levitation is in effect produced by some kind of 
 an upward force upon the under surface of the 
 
84 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 table ; also, the region somewhat near the floor 
 beneath the table is of importance in the produc- 
 tion of the phenomenon. 
 
 Generally speaking, for the production of good 
 phenomena the space underneath the table must 
 be kept relatively darker than the rest of the 
 room. This, in the case of the larger tables, is 
 accomplished automatically, for the compara- 
 tively large area of surface places the under 
 region in shadow. Therefore this region is the 
 most troublesome to deal with throughout the 
 whole room. Nevertheless, the light is strong 
 enough for most purposes ; and although scale 
 readings cannot be obtained by sight, the sense 
 of touch can be called in, as will be explained 
 hereafter. 
 
 In order to discover, if possible, the kind and 
 position of application of the supposed upward 
 force applied to the table to levitate it, I per- 
 formed a number of experiments which I shall 
 now describe. 
 
 Experiment 34 : Exploring the region under the 
 legs of the levitated table by the hand. 
 
 The table used was the ordinary seance one, 
 which weighs about 10^ lb. If the upward 
 psychic force were exerted upon the bottom of 
 the legs only, and not upon the under surface, 
 there would be an upward force upon each leg 
 of (10^-^4) lb., say about 2^ lb. If a hand be 
 placed under a leg with, say, palm upwards, 
 it is reasonable to suppose that the reaction of 
 
ABOVE, UNDER, AND ROUND TABLE 85 
 
 2| lb. immediately under the leg and exerted 
 upon the palm of the hand would be perfectly 
 apparent. To test this, then, when the table 
 was steadily levitated I placed my right hand 
 upon the floor, palm uppermost, immediately 
 under each leg in succession, keeping the hand 
 in each position for five or six seconds. (While 
 carrying out these experiments I may mention 
 that I was sitting inside the circle beside the 
 table on the side remote from the medium ; my 
 reason for this particular position being that I 
 might not disturb the field between medium 
 and table.) The result of this experiment was 
 entirely negative. I felt not the least sign of 
 pressure upon my hand when it was under any 
 of the legs, or when I gradually raised it from 
 the floor till it touched the bottom of the legs, 
 which would indicate that the phenomenon of 
 levitation is not produced by an upward force on 
 each leg, or, if there is such an upward force, it 
 is a small one and only subsidiary to the main 
 levitating force. 
 
 Experiment 35 : Exploring the region under 
 levitated table by the hand and arm. 
 
 If we suppose that the levitation is produced 
 by a uniform upward pressure upon the under 
 surface of the table, we find, from dividing the 
 weight of the table by the area of its surface, 
 that this upward pressure, in the case of the 
 seance-table, would amount to '025 lb. per sq. in. 
 (see Experiment 16). During steady levitation, 
 
86 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 I placed the back of my open hand with palm 
 presented to the field (a) upon the floor in various 
 places under the table, and (b) upon the under 
 surface of the table, but I experienced no sense 
 of pressure anywhere. As, however, a pressure 
 of '025 lb. per sq. in. over the few square inches 
 of the palm would amount to very little, this 
 result is not to be wondered at. 
 
 I put my arm right underneath the table from 
 end to end near the floor, moving it gently to 
 and fro, but I experienced, as before, no sense 
 of pressure anywhere. 
 
 The general conclusion from Experiments 34 
 and 35 seems to be that the table is not levitated 
 by means of forces applied under the legs only, 
 for the forces would be comparatively large in 
 that case, and the mere fact of the hand moving 
 up from floor to bottom of the leg would 
 certainly interfere with the levitation (see Experi- 
 ment 33). This would still be the case if we 
 are to suppose that psychic force cannot act on 
 the bare human hand, owing, let us say, to some 
 kind of an aura surrounding it which neutralises 
 its effects. So it is pretty evident that any theory 
 which bases levitation upon vertical upward 
 psychic force upon the bottom of the legs is 
 untenable. There is a special reason why no 
 force should be felt on the hand when the 
 latter is on the floor under the levitated table, 
 which I shall deal with later on. Why there 
 should be no sense of pressure experienced 
 when my hand was touching various places 
 
ABOVE, UNDER, AND ROUND TABLE 87 
 
 on the under surface of table may be due to the 
 following reasons : — 
 
 (1) The upward force was too small in mag- 
 nitude. 
 
 (2) The upward force was actually present, but 
 owing to an aura from the hand (or hand and 
 arm) the psychic force was neutralised over the 
 hand, and was slightly increased in magnitude 
 over the rest of the under surface in compensa- 
 tion, with the consequence that the table re- 
 mained levitated. The volume of the hand and 
 part of the arm beneath the table was probably 
 too small to seriously interfere with the levitation 
 (see Experiment 33). 
 
 Eocperiment 36 : The effect of crossing the space 
 beneath levitated table with a thin glass 
 tube. 
 
 The table used was the ordinary seance one. 
 When it was steadily levitated 1 took a thin 
 glass tube, about f in. outside diameter and about 
 14 in. long, and, grasping the end of it in my 
 hand, I moved it about below the table at various 
 heights. Then 1 made a wide sweeping move- 
 ment with it immediately under the legs, and 
 beyond the base of the table on all sides, stretch- 
 ing my arm until the end of the rod came into 
 contact one by one with the feet of the sitters. 
 During this process the levitation was unaffected. 
 
 Conclusion. — A body of small area and bulk 
 may be inserted below the table while it is 
 levitated without affecting the phenomenon. I 
 
88 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 have, however, reason to believe that this is not 
 generally true, but only true when the levitation 
 is a powerful one. To an uninstructed observer 
 it might appear that there cannot be such a 
 thing as reserve of force with regard to a levitated 
 table, i.e. that a force of exact magnitude is re- 
 quired for the phenomenon, neither more nor 
 less. But such a view does not go far enough. 
 Sometimes there seems to be just sufficient force 
 exerted to keep the table levitated and no more, 
 in which case any disturbance, such as a hand 
 being placed beneath it, causes it to drop ; at 
 other times, and most often, there seems to be 
 a reserve of force to draw upon, so that there is 
 immediate compensation for any small disturb- 
 ance, and the table remains in the air. 
 
 Eooperiment 37 : Exploring the region of space 
 beneath the levitated table with a mano- 
 meter. 
 
 Fig. 7 shows diagrammatically the main por- 
 tions of the instrument. 
 
 A is a U-tube of glass, connected to a straight 
 tube of glass C by a small piece of thick rubber 
 tube at B. The free end of C is turned up at 
 right angles. Both ends of the apparatus X and 
 
 Y are open to the atmosphere. A is half filled 
 with water, and when there is equal gaseous 
 pressure at X and Y the water remains at the 
 same level in both limbs of the U-tube. If, 
 however, there is greater gaseous pressure upon 
 
 Y than X, the water rises in the left-hand limb 
 
ABOVE, UNDER, AND ROUND TABLE 89 
 
 of the U-tube and falls in the right-hand one, 
 and the difference of heights is a measure of the 
 difference of pressure. The length of the tube C 
 was 14|^ in. Fig. 7 shows the elements of the 
 apparatus only. As a matter of fact, the mano- 
 meter used was a fine instrument required for 
 measuring the pressure of the gases in steam- 
 boiler flues. It has a cock which can be rotated 
 by finger and thumb, so that the gaseous pressure 
 
 Fig. 7. 
 
 can be held at any instant, and thus the difference 
 in heights of the columns of water examined at 
 leisure. 
 
 If we suppose that there is a uniform upward 
 pressure of "025 lb. per sq. in. under the table, 
 and if we further suppose that this pressure is 
 exerted by something of the nature of a gas, and 
 that this gas is contained within limits beneath 
 the table (although such suppositions appear 
 unthinkable), then we might expect to see a 
 difference of pressure indicated on the manometer 
 of about '7 in. 
 
90 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 During periods when the table was steadily 
 levitated, I inserted the end Y of the manometer, 
 with this end always pointing vertically upright, 
 (a) immediately under a leg of the table, {b) at 
 various places near the under surface of the table, 
 (c) at several points in space between the floor 
 and the surface of the table. The placing the 
 tube in these positions in nowise affected the 
 levitations. When I had held the tube in any 
 one of the above-mentioned positions for a few 
 seconds, I turned the tap (which would hold the 
 gaseous pressure if such was there, and thus 
 keep the difference in columnar heights of the 
 water fixed), removed the instrument from below 
 the table, and examined it in strong light. The 
 results were entirely negative. There were no 
 indications of difference of gaseous pressure 
 anywhere. 
 
 Conclusion. — It would appear from this ex- 
 periment that the levitation is not due to the 
 static pressure of a fluid. 
 
 The results of several of the previous experi- 
 ments gave me some reason to think that on the 
 floor or close to the floor beneath the levitated 
 table there might be a region where there was no 
 psychic force acting, or that the levitating force 
 was confined, as regards space, to a location just 
 under the surface of the table. The question 
 uppermost in my mind was : " Is there a direct re- 
 action upon the floor, or does the region of psychic 
 force end above the floor ? " It is very natural to 
 suppose, of course, that there is some kind of a 
 
ABOVE, UNDER, AND ROUND TABLE 91 
 
 field extending between the under surface of the 
 table and the floor immediately beneath, and 
 that there is a direct stress across this medium. 
 The hand might not be a sufficiently delicate 
 instrument for cognising such a reaction suppos- 
 ing it to be in reality present, or there might be 
 something about the human hand, such as an 
 aura or an emanation, that would neutralise or 
 nullify the action of psychic force in its vicinity. 
 For a long time, so ignorant was I of the 
 mechanics of the whole phenomenon, 1 was fully 
 under the impression — or delusion, as I now 
 know it to have been — that there was direct 
 reaction on the floor under the levitated table. 
 
 Experivient 38 : To discover if there is a reaction 
 upon the floor or in the immediate neigh- 
 bourhood of the floor under a levitated 
 table. 
 
 The apparatus consists of (1) an electric bell 
 and wires; (2) a dry battery ; (3) the bell-push with 
 button removed ; (4) a piece of thin wood 5 in. 
 square, with a small circular piece let into it at 
 the centre which took the place of the button of 
 the push. 
 
 In fig. 8, A is the elevation of the thin piece 
 of square wood, B is the circular piece fixed to 
 it, C is the bell-push, W the wires running to 
 bell and battery. A piece of rough red cloth 
 was tacked to the top of A, for I had found 
 from experience that a piece of coarse coloured 
 or dark cloth fixed to any body which is to be 
 
92 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 acted on by psychic force facili- 
 tates the application of the 
 force. The piece B rested on 
 the top contact of the bell- 
 push, and the consequence was 
 that, when a slight downward 
 force was applied to any part 
 of A, electric contact was made 
 and the bell rang. I so ar- 
 ranged matters that the weight 
 of even the little finger resting 
 on any part of the surface of 
 A caused the bell to ring. The 
 total height of the apparatus 
 when it rested on the floor was 
 not more than 2 in. 
 
 Method. — The table used 
 was the one in my drawing- 
 room, weight 16 lb., and 
 the seance was held in my 
 house. 
 
 Fig. 9 shows a rough sketch 
 of it, levitated about a foot 
 above the floor. It is to be 
 noted that this table has a 
 lower leaf as shown. When 
 the table was levitated I slid 
 the pressure apparatus along 
 the floor, to and fro, here, 
 there, and everywhere beneath 
 the table. (The bell and bat- 
 tery were outside the circle.) 
 
ABOVE, UNDER, AND ROUND TABLE 93 
 
 The result was that while the mechanism was 
 beneath the table the bell did not ring. 
 
 Conclusion. — There is no reaction on the floor 
 beneath the levitated table. This is a most 
 important result — so important, indeed, that I 
 have verified it completely by three other experi- 
 
 FiG. 9. 
 
 ments (Experiments 51, 52, 61), which I do not 
 describe here as they fit in better in connection 
 with other and somewhat different tests. It 
 will be seen that the question of a human 
 hand with its possible aura does not come in 
 here ; the reaction, had it been present, would 
 have been exerted on a wooden surface covered 
 
 with 
 
 rough cloth 
 
 the best kind of surface, 
 
94 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 as experience shows, for the application of 
 psychic force. 
 
 That the operators could make use of the 
 pressure apparatus, and that the bell would have 
 rung vigorously had there been the smallest 
 psychic reaction upon it, is seen from the follow- 
 ing experiment. 
 
 Experiment 39 : To see if the operators could 
 use the apparatus of Experiment 38 to 
 ring the bell by the direct action of psychic 
 force upon it. 
 
 I placed the apparatus on the floor away from 
 the table, and asked the operators to reply to 
 questions by ringing the bell instead of by their 
 customary manner of raps on the floor. Im- 
 mediately on request the bell was rung, and from 
 then to the conclusion of the seance the operators 
 communicated in that manner (and seemed, 
 indeed, rather to enjoy the change). Likewise 
 they wished us good-night by long rings on the 
 bell instead of by their usual method of raps. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 LEVITATION DIRECTLY ABOVE THE PLATFORM 
 OF A WEIGHING-MACHINE 
 
 Before I came to the conclusion that during 
 a normal levitation above the floor there was no 
 reaction or pressure upon the floor under the 
 table, I was of the opinion, as I have already 
 mentioned, that some kind of equilibrium was 
 established between the medium and the table 
 involving a reaction upon the floor. This view, 
 which I now know to have been erroneous, 
 was nevertheless a fortunate one for me to 
 adopt as it turned out, because I thereby learned, 
 by experimental work, much more about the 
 mechanism of levitation than I otherwise would. 
 My purpose in this chapter is to describe and 
 discuss experiments I carried out in which I ob- 
 tained levitation immediately over the platform 
 of the Avery weighing-machine (the machine 
 already described in Chapter III.). 
 
 It will be remembered that the dimensions 
 
 of the platform of this machine were 22 in. 
 
 X 17 in. The ordinary seance-table measured 
 
 on top 24 in. x 17 in., and round the legs 17| in. 
 
 95 
 
96 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 X 151 in. In order, therefore, to increase the 
 effective area of the platform the drawing-board 
 already mentioned (see Chapter 111.), 24 in. x 18 
 in., was tied to it. 
 
 Experiment 40 : Preliminary trial of apparatus 
 
 to see if the operators were likely to be 
 
 able to carry out the required levitations. 
 
 This test was carried out with only four of 
 
 the members of the circle present, the medium 
 
 being included. 
 
 Fig. 10 shows the essential arrangements. A 
 is the platform of the machine, B the drawing- 
 board fixed to platform, C the back-rail of 
 
 Fig. 10. 
 
 machine, and D the table standing on drawing- 
 board. The position of the medium throughout 
 these tests is indicated by the letter M, the front 
 of her body being parallel to the long edge of 
 the table, and she sitting on her chair looking 
 across the platform and not at the backrail. 
 
LEVITATION OVER PLATFORM 97 
 
 The weight of the drawing-board = 5 lb. 
 The weight of the table . . = 10 lb. 6 oz. 
 
 The table having been placed neatly on the 
 board, the seance opened. 
 
 The machine was balanced for the total weight 
 of table + drawing-board, viz. 15 lb. 6 oz. After 
 some time two legs of the table were lifted up 
 into the air, the other two remaining on the 
 platform. The steelyard immediately went hard 
 up against the top stop, indicating a greatly 
 increased weight upon the machine. 
 
 {a) During one particular tilting (there were 
 several of them) I balanced the steelyard at 
 about 26 lb. Now the dead weight being 15 lb. 
 6 oz., and the table still resting on two legs on 
 the platform, it was obvious that some kind of 
 a force much in excess of that due to direct 
 reaction was in operation. 
 
 (6) In another case of tilting, the weight 
 registered on the machine was greater than 
 26 lb., though I did not actually measure it. 
 
 I got the impression, from observing pretty 
 carefully some half a dozen cases of tilting at 
 various angles, that with increasing height of 
 raised end an increasing weight was put on the 
 machine. Complete levitation did not occur. It 
 seemed to me that the mere fact of partial levi- 
 tation caused an extra back pressure, as it were, 
 on the platform, a pressure that was always 
 greater than the static load of 15 lb. 6 oz. 
 
 From the result of this experiment it seemed 
 
 7 
 
98 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 to me likely that with the full circle present 
 complete levitation would be obtained. Accord- 
 ingly the next test was carried out with the 
 full circle present. 
 
 Eaiperiment 41 : The seance-table being levitated 
 directly over the platform of the weighing- 
 machine, to measure the reaction on the 
 platform. 
 
 Weight of table . . . = 10 lb. 6 oz. 
 
 Weight of drawing-board . . = 5 lb. oz. 
 Total dead weight . . . = 15 lb. 6 oz. 
 
 The table was placed symmetrically on the 
 drawing-board and the seance commenced. 
 With the table in position there was only an 
 inch or two of space outside the legs, and thus 
 very little room for side play or for manipu- 
 lation. The steelyard was balanced for the dead 
 weight of 15 lb. 6 oz. 
 
 (A) Within a few minutes psychic force was 
 being somewhere applied to the platform, for 
 the steelyard was oscillated to and fro against 
 the top stop. The table also jerked about on 
 the narrow platform, and now and then an end 
 was slightly raised but quickly lowered. This 
 sort of thing continued off and on for a quarter 
 of an hour or so, and I was beginning to think 
 the operators would be unable to effect the 
 required levitation. Then I heard seven or 
 eight raps on the floor in succession, the pre- 
 arranged signal that they wished to give a 
 
LEVITATION OVER PLATFORM 99 
 
 message. By means of raps the following was 
 spelt out : " Cover the drawing-board with a 
 dark cloth." Now the drawing-board was white 
 in colour, the original wood not having been 
 varnished or touched in any way, and the trouble 
 was apparently due to some kind of reflected 
 white rays coming from its surface (see Ex- 
 periment 31). The circle was accordingly broken 
 for a few minutes while one of the members 
 went downstairs for a thin piece of dark cloth, 
 which was placed over the drawing-board. Its 
 weight being only an ounce or two, did not 
 materially affect the dead load. The experiment 
 now proceeded much more successfully. The 
 table was again oscillated on the platform, and 
 was then lifted on two legs (two legs thus re- 
 maining on the machine and two in the air 
 above it). 
 
 (B) This lifting coincided with a large apparent 
 increase of weight, as much as 14 lb. additional 
 to the value of the dead load being registered 
 (compare Experiment 40). Several times was an 
 end of the table thus raised, and on each occasion 
 the sudden corresponding increase of weight, 
 varying from a few pounds up to a maximum of 
 about 14 lb., was noted. Complete levitation 
 did not occur until about forty minutes after the 
 opening of the seance, and then it only lasted for 
 four or five seconds and was of a rather jerky type. 
 (It was very evident that the phenomenon could 
 only be produced with difficulty, owing chiefly, 
 I believe, to the close approximation of areas of 
 
100 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 base of table and of the platform, which allowed 
 of very little manipulation. ) 
 
 (C) But immediately it occurred, the registered 
 weight, which was the previous instant several 
 pounds above the dead-load value of 15 lb. 6 oz. 
 (due no doubt to the preliminary tilting just 
 before levitation, see Experiment 40 and (A) 
 and (B) above), came back, and the steelyard 
 balanced at something like the original load. 
 During the next few minutes levitation took 
 place several times, on each occasion increasing 
 in duration and steadiness. At length almost 
 perfect levitation, about 6 in. in height, was ob- 
 tained, lasting for fully half a minute, with the 
 surface of table almost level, and the table nearly 
 steady and just covering the platform. With 
 the exception of one case to be described later, 
 it was the most wonderful levitation I have wit- 
 nessed in the course of my investigation. 
 
 (D) Immediately it occurred the steelyard 
 balanced at about 15^ lb., oscillating a pound 
 or so on either side of this, in correspondence, 
 apparently, with the slight up-and-down tremors 
 of the table in the air. 
 
 Conclusions. — (1) With table tilted — only half 
 levitated ((A) and (B) above) — there is on each 
 occasion a reaction on the machine many pounds 
 greater than the static load, and the magnitude 
 of this reaction varies in some manner with the 
 height of the tilting. This agrees absolutely 
 with the result of Experiment 40. 
 
 (2) During fairly steady levitation the reaction 
 
LEVITATION OVER PLATFORM 101 
 
 of the levitated table on platform is apparently 
 nearly equal to the weight of the table (see (C) 
 and (D) above). 
 
 (3) The movement of the table up and down 
 in the air above the platform causes variations 
 of a few pounds in the reaction as measured on 
 the weighing-machine. 
 
 Experiment 42 : Levitation of table No. 2 over 
 platform of weighing-machine. 
 
 At the conclusion of Experiment 41, 1 removed 
 the ordinary seance-table — which, on account of 
 its nearness in size to the platform, required most 
 careful manipulation and was on that account 
 difficult to levitate — and placed a smaller bam- 
 boo table (table 2, p. 38) on the platform of 
 the machine. The base area of this was much 
 less than the other table, and there was conse- 
 quently more room round it on the platform. I 
 then balanced the steelyard for dead weight of 
 table and drawing-board. 
 
 Weight of table . . . = 6 lb. 
 Weight of drawing-board . = 5 lb. 
 Total dead weight . . . =11 lb. 
 
 The seance was now near its conclusion and 
 the psychic energy available was evidently at a 
 maximum, for no sooner had I placed the table 
 on the platform then it immediately rose into the 
 air, and the levitation could apparently have been 
 kept up for several minutes if I had desired it. 
 
 (A) With the exception of variations of a 
 
102 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 pound or so, which seemed to correspond with 
 small up-and-down jerks of the table in the air, 
 the steelyard remained balanced as for the 
 initial dead load of 11 lb. I watched with 
 interest the small variations in registered weight, 
 balanced by moving the rider a trifle this way 
 and that, as the table sagged a little or was raised 
 a little in the air. 
 
 Conclusion. — As in Experiment 41, the reaction 
 on the platform of the weighing-machine appears 
 to be about equal to the weight of the levitated 
 table. 
 
 Expei^iment 43. — About a month after the date 
 of Experiments 41 and 42, I carried 
 out further similar tests on two more 
 tables : {a) the ornamental bamboo table 
 and {b) the stool (tables Nos. 3 and 4, 
 p. 38). 
 
 Weights :— Table 3, 6 lb. 4 oz. 
 Table 4, 2 lb. 12 oz. 
 
 With table 3 the levitation was prolonged, 
 quite steady, and of an average height of about 
 7 in. The surface was not level but was in- 
 clined at an angle of about 30° to the horizontal, 
 the lower edge, being towards the side of the 
 platform farthest from the medium. When 
 equilibrium was established, with the table 
 steady in the air, the weighing-machine 
 registered (subtracting the dead load of 
 drawing-board) a reaction of about 13 lb. 6 oz., 
 
LEVITATION OVER PLATFORM 
 
 103 
 
 or more than double the weight of the table. 
 But it was noticeable that the steelyard was 
 just a little stiff, as though there was a side- 
 thrust somewhere on the mechanism supporting 
 the platform. 
 
 With table 4 (the stool) the levitation was 
 also very good and prolonged, and of an average 
 height of 9 to 10 in. The surface was also in 
 this case inclined at an angle of about 30° to 
 the horizontal, the sagging edge as before being 
 farthest from the medium. A very heavy re- 
 action was registered on the weighing-machine, 
 and the steelyard was quite stiff. The average 
 reaction (between weight needed to allow steel- 
 yard to rise and that necessary to cause it to 
 fall) was no less than about 31 lb. 10 oz. 
 (excluding weight of drawing-board). As soon 
 as levitation was over, the machine instantly 
 regained its usual sensitiveness. The following 
 tabulation will enable results to be compared : — 
 
 Experi- 
 m ent No. 
 
 Table 
 No. 
 
 Character of 
 levitation. 
 
 Weight of 
 table. 
 
 Reaction due 
 to levitated 
 table (about) 
 
 41 
 
 42 
 43 
 
 43 . 
 
 1 
 2 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 Level. 
 
 Level. 
 
 Inclined at about 
 
 30° to horizontal. 
 
 Inclined at about 
 
 30° to horizontal. 
 
 10 lb. 6 oz. 
 6 „ 4 „ 
 2 ,, 12 „ 
 
 10 1b. Soz. 
 13 „ 6 „ 
 31 „ 10 ,, 
 
 In all cases I had plenty of time to make my 
 observations, and I believe the results are ac- 
 curate. With tables 1 and 2 I did not notice 
 
104 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 any loss of sensitiveness of steelyard while 
 measuring the reaction, but with table 3 there 
 may have been a slight loss, and with table 4 
 there was certainly a great loss. 
 
 General Conclusions from the Four Levita- 
 tions. — The results given above in the tabulation 
 are, or were at the time I obtained them, ex- 
 tremely puzzling. The following are some 
 observations I made at the time : — 
 
 It would seem that when the table is com- 
 paratively large — i.e. when its surface and base 
 area bear some resemblance to the area of the 
 platform— the reaction is practically equal to 
 the weight of the table. (In the light of later 
 and different experiments I do not now think 
 this statement is altogether accurate. I now 
 know that the height of the platform above the 
 floor is the all-determining factor.) A rough 
 comparison may be helpful. The area of the 
 platform is 432 sq. in. The areas of the surfaces 
 of tables 1 and 2 are 408 sq. in. and 271 sq. in. re- 
 spectively, and their heights 29 in. and 27|^ in., and 
 in each of these cases the reaction is about equal 
 to the weight of the table. In table 3 the area 
 of the lower surface (there are two surfaces in 
 this case, and it is reasonable to suppose that it 
 is the lower one upon which the psychic pressure 
 is exerted) is 90 sq. in., the area of the base is 
 144 sq. in., height 29 in., and there was a little 
 sluggishness of the steelyard and a reaction 
 about equal to twice the weight of the table. 
 In the case of table 4 (the stool), whose surface 
 
LEVITATION OVER PLATFORM 105 
 
 area is 175 sq. in., base area 64 sq. in., height 
 11|^ in., there was very pronounced sluggishness 
 of the steelyard and a reaction of about 11 times 
 the weight of the table. 
 
 In the case of the stool the obvious stiffness of 
 the steelyard showed that there was friction 
 somewhere during levitation. Accordingly I 
 carefully examined the balancing mechanism of 
 the machine, and I have come to the conclusion 
 that the temporary want of sensitiveness was 
 due to a twist having been applied by the 
 operators to the platform during the experi- 
 ment. It is to be noted, as mentioned above, 
 that immediately levitation was over, the machine 
 was perfectly sensitive again. From this con- 
 sideration I am obliged to think that a large 
 part of the reaction as measured on the machine 
 in the case of the stool was fictitious, and re- 
 presents the effects of friction on the mechanism 
 due to the twist, or to the reaction pressure 
 being applied other than vertically to the plat- 
 form, and that in the case of table 3 some of 
 the reaction is due to the same cause. 
 
 I will show later that during an abnormal 
 levitation, i.e. one efi^ected from a higher surface 
 than the floor level (which I call a normal one), 
 there is usually a horizontal component of the 
 reaction acting on the platform straight out- 
 wards from the medium. This component would 
 push the platform over on its fulcra and cause 
 friction. 
 
 It remains to conjecture why with the stool 
 
106 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 there should be such pronounced evidence of twist 
 or oblique reaction on the platform, and none 
 in the case of the large seance-table. After 
 much consideration of the phenomenon, I have 
 come to the conclusion that levitation of a 
 table over a raised platform is much more 
 difficult than over a level wooden floor. There 
 seems to be a normal levitating level with re- 
 ference to the position of medium. Any alter- 
 ation in this normal relation of medium and 
 table, such as putting the table on a raised 
 platform, increases the inherent difficulty of 
 the phenomenon. I think also that we have 
 some slight evidence in the friction noticeable 
 in the case of the stool that something in the 
 nature of a " structure " is being used. The 
 preliminary increases of weight registered during 
 the beginning of levitation would also suggest 
 this. 
 
 As already mentioned, I have satisfied myself 
 that in the general case of levitation over the 
 floor there is no back pressure or reaction upon 
 the floor. It is to be noted that in levitation 
 over the platform of the weighing-machine, 
 whose surface is some 7 in. above the floor, the 
 smallest reaction was equal to the weight of 
 the table, and the largest was much greater. In 
 experiments which I shall describe later I shall 
 hope to give a reason for this apparently anoma- 
 lous condition of things. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 EXPERIMENTS WITH COMPRESSION SPRING 
 BALANCE UNDERNEATH THE LEVITATED TABLE 
 
 Owing to the results of experiments in which 
 levitation was effected over the platform of a 
 weighing-machine not proving decisive, due to 
 what appeared to be oblique reaction forces 
 exerted on the platform causing twist and friction 
 of the mechanism, I thought I would place an 
 ordinary compression balance below the table 
 and see what would happen during levitation, 
 if indeed the phenomenon were possible with 
 the balance there at all. I thought of using 
 such a balance because only the vertical com- 
 ponent of any reaction could be registered on 
 it, and the machine was not delicate enough to 
 be much affected by small horizontal com- 
 ponents, assuming that such were present. The 
 whole thing was merely guesswork, and I am 
 sure I was as surprised as anybody when I 
 found it came off successfully, and not only 
 came off but gave exceedingly valuable results. 
 In the experiments I am now going to describe 
 there will be a certain amount of repetition, 
 
 107 
 
108 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 but, as I have already said, such repetition in 
 psychic research is valuable and indeed necessary, 
 for opportunities of obtaining similar results are 
 very limited, and every observation that shows 
 the least trace of value should therefore be 
 strictly preserved. Moreover, I only arrived 
 at the proper capacity of balance required, and 
 the best conditions for carrying out the experi- 
 ments, by a system of trial and error ; but during 
 all these preliminary tests many results of much 
 importance, not in the direct line of the main 
 purpose of the experiments, were obtained. 
 
 Eocperiment 44 : A spring compression balance 
 being placed below the table, to see if 
 the table could be levitated without re- 
 action on the balance. 
 
 The table was the stance one, weight lOf lb. 
 The balance used was of the type employed 
 in many households for weighing groceries. It 
 had a circular dial registering up to 14 lb. by 
 means of a pointer, and the material to be 
 weighed was placed in a circular metal pan on 
 top, the diameter of the pan being 9^ in. The 
 total height of the balance (illustrated in fig. 11) 
 was 13 in. when there was no weight in the 
 pan. 
 
 Before levitation, the balance was placed on 
 the floor as nearly under the centre of the table 
 as could be judged by the eye. Fig. 12 indicates 
 the relative positions and dimensions. 
 
 The plan of the surface of the table is shown 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 109 
 
 by the full lines, the position of the legs by the 
 crosses, and the pan of the compression balance 
 by the circle. My position is indicated by the 
 letter A, immediately in front of the table and 
 on the side remote from 
 the medium. There was a 
 clear space of at least 15 in. 
 between the top of the 
 balance and the under sur- 
 face of the table, and of 
 course no other part of the 
 balance was in contact with 
 any part of the table. 
 
 I asked the operators to 
 levitate the table immedi- 
 ately above the balance. 
 
 I placed my finger on the 
 pointer whose movement 
 registers the weights in the pan of the balance, 
 and awaited events. Some minutes elapsed, 
 and then the table gave a few heaves at either 
 end. It finally levitated a few inches from 
 the floor, and, after remaining in the air some 
 seconds, dropped. Some minutes passed before 
 the levitation was again successful, and there 
 was a lot of preliminary jerking before it was 
 accomplished, and, as on the previous occa- 
 sion, it only lasted for the briefest of periods. 
 But during each of these evidently difficult 
 levitations there was no pressure on the 
 balance beneath the table, for the pointer re- 
 mained stationary in its zero position. Thus 
 
 Fig. 11. 
 
110 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 the operators had accomplished what was re- 
 quired of them, but apparently only after much 
 trouble. 
 
 Co7iclusion. — The table may be levitated and 
 no reaction pressure be put on the pan of the 
 
 
 <■ - - 
 + 
 
 - - - 24" 
 
 - - - 
 
 - ■ ■^\ 
 
 r 
 
 
 
 + 
 
 ' 
 
 
 
 >N 
 
 
 t- 
 
 
 
 J 
 
 
 ±.. 
 
 + 
 
 
 
 + 
 
 A 
 
 Fig. 12. 
 
 balance, but such a levitation seems difficult and 
 not in accordance with the usual method. 
 
 In thinking over this result it occurred to 
 me that the operators were making use of that 
 part of the surface underneath the table out- 
 side a circle projected upwards from the pan 
 of the balance, and that this was not their 
 normal method of levitation. On inquiring if 
 this was the case, they replied by raps in the 
 affirmative. 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 111 
 
 Experiment 45 : The operators were told not to 
 take any notice of the balance, but to 
 levitate in their normal manner. To find 
 the vertical reaction. 
 
 The seance-table and the 14-lb. balance were 
 used. 
 
 I placed a piece of dark cloth on the pan of 
 the balance, as experience has shown that 
 reflected rays from any surface upon which 
 psychic force is exerted interfere with the ease 
 and intensity of the phenomena. My finger 
 was pressing lightly on the pointer on the dial 
 of the balance, and in a very few seconds I felt 
 the pointer moving round the dial. It moved 
 completely round at a fairly uniform speed and 
 clicked against the stop, the time occupied being 
 about three seconds. Almost immediately v/ith 
 the completed revolution of the pointer the table 
 rose into the air, swaying slightly backwards and 
 forwards, the pointer remaining all the time 
 against the stop. After some time the table 
 suddenly dropped, and synchronously the pointer 
 flew back round the dial to its normal zero posi- 
 tion, nearly catching my finger in the process 
 and nipping it between the pointer and the face 
 of the dial. The maximum reading of the 
 balance was 14 lb., and in order to reach the 
 stop the pointer would have to travel a further 
 distance equivalent to about | lb., so that while 
 levitation was in progress there was a direct 
 downward force upon the pan of the balance of 
 
112 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 at least 14^ lb. ; how much more than the 14^ 
 lb. might have been registered if the balance had 
 had the capacity to record it, I was unable to 
 say. I did not think, however, that it would 
 have been very much more, as the table seemed 
 to spring up into the air almost immediately 
 after the completion of the revolution of the 
 pointer round the dial. The levitation in this 
 case was strikingly easier than that recorded in 
 Experiment 44. The operators said it was their 
 normal method, and there can be little doubt 
 it is so, at least approximately, because the 
 levitations (there were several of them) were 
 apparently all fairly easy. The degree of 
 difficulty seemed little more than with ordinary 
 levitation without apparatus under the table, the 
 only difference, so far as I could see, lying in the 
 fact that the steadiness was not so pronounced, 
 there being a swaying action during suspension 
 of a character I had not noticed in the ordinary 
 case. I think this swaying action is due to the 
 table being supported on an area of under surface 
 about equal to the area of the pan of the balance, 
 whereas in the ordinary case the supporting force 
 is somewhat more uniform over the surface. 
 
 I have said that the pointer took about three 
 or four seconds to get round the dial while 
 levitation was occurring. I examined the pheno- 
 menon many times during a period of about 
 a quarter of an hour, and always found that, 
 if the balance was approximately central with 
 respect to the table, the levitation was almost 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 113 
 
 invariably good and the speed of the pointer 
 round the dial was always about the same ; so 
 much so, in fact, was this the case, that I had 
 time to call out that a levitation was about to 
 occur, well before it did occur. It is to be 
 noted that when the pointer completed the 
 circuit and became fast on the stop, the table 
 appeared to spring into the air ; that is the 
 only word for it. The important fact is here 
 brought out that the psychic force producing 
 levitation is not applied instantly, but requires 
 an appreciable time (about three to four seconds 
 in this case) to reach the maximum required 
 for levitation. 
 
 Conclusions. — (1) As the weight of the table 
 was 10 1 lb., and as the vertical reaction during 
 levitation was always greater than 14^ lb., it does 
 not seem likely that there is any kind of direct 
 stress across anything resembling a fluidic field, 
 unless the weight of the field itself is a con- 
 siderable factor. 
 
 (2) The psychic force producing levitation, 
 judging from the augmentation of reaction, is 
 applied gradually. 
 
 (3) At the correct instant the table seems to 
 spring into the air. 
 
 (4) The table sways slightly when levitated 
 above the pan of the balance. 
 
 (5) The levitating force can be removed in- 
 stantly. 
 
114 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 Eocperiment 46 : Two legs of the table remain- 
 ing on the floor, the other two rise in 
 the air and move up and down. To 
 find the effect on spring balance placed 
 underneath the table. 
 
 The ordinary seance-table and 14-lb. balance 
 were used. 
 
 The raised end of the table was jerking quickly 
 up and down in the air. The pointer of the 
 compression balance under the table moved 
 quickly to and fro over the dial in correspond- 
 ence with the movements of the raised end, 
 the maximum reading being about 7 lb. and 
 the range being about 3 lb. 
 
 On another occasion of partial levitation with 
 the same jerking motion the balance was not 
 affected at all, which would seem to show that 
 in that case the psychic force was applied some- 
 where outside the projection from pan to under 
 surface of table. 
 
 During the series of levitations with the 
 14-lb. compression balance below the table, 
 several points were noticed which I put down 
 under letter headings : — 
 
 (A) On two occasions of good levitation the 
 pointer of the balance remained steady for the 
 duration of levitation at about 12 lb. instead 
 of going up against the stop and remaining 
 hard pressed against it. This may have been 
 due to the whole of the reaction not being 
 upon the pan of the balance. 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 115 
 
 (B) With the table steadily tilted on two 
 legs, the pointer on several trials indicated a 
 downward force of about 7 lb. 
 
 (C) Sometimes if there was a hitch in the 
 levitation the pointer would gradually move 
 round to 7 lb. or 8 lb., the table either not rising 
 at all, or tilting just a little, and then the 
 pointer would fly back to zero. The operators 
 would then try again for complete levitation, 
 usually successfully. 
 
 (D) I asked on one occasion that the oper- 
 ators should lower the table gently and remove 
 the psychic force gradually, instead of suddenly, 
 as was usually done. The result was that the 
 table descended to the floor slowly, and then 
 the pointer of the balance moved slowly and 
 uniformly back round the dial to zero, taking 
 about six seconds in the process. 
 
 (E) When the table was levitated and the 
 pointer against the stop at 14|^ lb., I placed 
 my hand and part of my arm in the scale-pan 
 of the balance. I felt no pressure at all, and 
 both the levitation and the reaction were un- 
 affected. 
 
 (F) 1 grasped the near edge of the scale-pan, 
 and felt it moving down while the table was 
 being levitated and moving up when the psychic 
 force was being removed. 
 
 Experiment 47 : This is, strictly speaking, a 
 series of experiments, similar in the main to Ex- 
 periments 45 and 46, but with this difference, that 
 
116 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 a compression balance reading up to 28 lb. was 
 used in place of the one whose maximum read- 
 ing was 14 lb. In the previous experiments 
 the capacity of the balance was too small to 
 enable the maximum reading to be obtained 
 when the table was levitated, although it was 
 large enough to allow of many interesting points 
 being noted. Therefore, on this occasion I 
 brought to the seance room a balance which 
 read to 28 lb., and I expected that this would 
 be quite large enough to measure the vertical 
 reaction. There was no substantial difference 
 in size or shape of the two balances. During 
 a series of levitations and partial levitations, 
 using this new balance, I found that all the 
 results 1 have mentioned in Experiments 45 
 and 46 (with the exception of (A), Experiment 
 46) were completely verified. There was one 
 important misconception, however. When actual 
 levitation occurred, the pointer on the balance 
 did not read a few pounds over 14, as I thought 
 it would, but actually went round the scale 
 and on to the stop, and only just when at 
 the stop were there signs that levitation was 
 imminent. I was much surprised, because I 
 felt almost certain that the vertical reaction 
 was not much greater than 14 lb. However, 
 there was no doubt about the matter, for during 
 four or five levitations the same thing occurred. 
 It would appear that this 'balance was just on 
 the small side for registering the levitation 
 reaction. 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 117 
 
 Conclusion. — The vertical reaction for the 
 seance-table, weighing 10| lb., is greater than 
 28 lb., though probably only a little greater. 
 
 I had noticed what I thought was a pushing 
 force on the body of the balance during levita- 
 tion from the direction of the medium. To 
 see if there was in reality a horizontal pushing 
 force as well as a vertical force, I carried out 
 the following experiment. 
 
 Experiment 48 : To find the horizontal com- 
 ponent of the reaction. 
 
 The apparatus employed is that shown diagram- 
 matically in fig. 13, and a photograph is also 
 given in fig. 14. 
 
 ^ - - . . 17" = . » - > 
 
 To Medium 
 ^ 
 
 Fig. 13. 
 
 B is the compression balance (reading to 14 
 lb.) placed on top of an iron carriage C, which 
 runs on ball bearings, and which is so free from 
 friction that a force of ^ lb. suffices to pull it 
 
118 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 along the floor. N is a nail driven into the floor. 
 S is an ordinary Salter tension spring balance read- 
 ing to 20 lb., tied to the nail N and to the carriage 
 C. T is the levitated table. Between A and N 
 is my approximate position of observation. 
 
 I placed a finger of the right hand on the 
 pointer of the tension balance S, and a finger 
 of the left hand on the pointer of the com- 
 pression balance B. I then asked the operators 
 to levitate the table, when in the usual way 
 the pointer on B gradually moved round to 
 14|^ lb. against the stop, and then the table 
 sprang up into the air. The pointer on the 
 tension balance also simultaneously moved along 
 the scale, and the average of half a dozen levi- 
 tations gave for it a rough value of about 4 lb. 
 To confirm roughly this reading, I pushed back- 
 wards on the compression balance B, and dis- 
 tinctly felt a force of about that magnitude 
 pushing against me. 
 
 That the horizontal pushing force on the 
 balance B is not an independent force may be 
 inferred from the following: — Several times 
 during levitation strong upward jerks of the 
 table were given. On all such occasions the 
 pointer on the tension balance S indicated a 
 sudden increase of a pound or two, and when 
 the jerking motion was completed it went 
 back to the normal reading of about 4 lb. 
 steady pull. 
 
 Conclusion. — The horizontal component of the 
 reaction when the seance-table of weight lOf lb. 
 
The Reality of Psychic Phenomena. ] 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 119 
 
 is levitated above the 14-lb. balance is apparently 
 about 4 lb. ; and this component acts directly 
 outwards from the medium. 
 
 At a later date I made a further experiment 
 with the object of determining accurately the 
 horizontal component of the reaction. 
 
 Eojperiment 49 : To endeavour to determine 
 accurately the horizontal component of 
 the reaction. 
 
 I rigged up the apparatus as shown in figs. 13 
 and 14. The balances were, however, different. 
 The compression balance was the one reading 
 to 28 lb. (not to 14 lb.), although its over-all 
 dimensions were about the same ; and the tension 
 balance was a much larger one, with larger scale 
 divisions than that used in the previous experi- 
 ment. It was new, and read up to 20 lb. 
 
 During the course of this experiment I proved 
 to my satisfaction that the horizontal and vertical 
 forces are only components of a single force. In 
 three or four cases, with a finger of one hand on 
 the tension pointer and a finger of the other on 
 the compression pointer, 1 felt the absolutely 
 synchronous and proportionate movements of 
 the two : when a hitch in the levitation occurred 
 and one stopped, the other stopped also ; when 
 levitation occurred, the tension pointer stopped 
 (or very nearly stopped), the compression pointer 
 being against the stop ; they started simultane- 
 ously, and I could tell when a levitation was 
 about to occur by the forward movement of the 
 
120 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 tension pointer just as well as by that of the 
 compression pointer. 
 
 The correct values of the pushing force from 
 medium when the table is steadily levitated 
 above the 28-lb. balance is 5J lb., and this is 
 certainly correct within |; lb. (I followed up the 
 movement of the pointer by a piece of chalk 
 behind it, and this left a sharp straight mark on 
 the scale. ) This value of 5^ lb. is the result of 
 many careful readings. A value of about 4 lb. 
 was obtained in Experiment 48, but the spring 
 balance used in that test was not so accurate as 
 that employed in the present one ; also, the two 
 compression balances, although very much alike, 
 varied a little in height and other particulars ; 
 and again, there may be special reasons why on 
 different evenings the horizontal component of 
 the reaction should vary a little, even though 
 all the apparatus, and its disposition with refer- 
 ence to the medium, remained constant. 
 
 Eocperiment 50 : To find the exact value of the 
 vertical downward force on the pan of the 
 balance while the seance-table, weight 
 lOf lb., was steadily levitated above it. 
 
 The 14-lb. and 28-lb. balances being both 
 insufficient to measure the vertical reaction 
 under the levitated seance-table, it was necessary 
 to employ a balance having a still larger capacity. 
 Accordingly, I next chose for this purpose what 
 is known as a parcel balance, because, as its name 
 implies, it is used for weighing parcels. Its 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 121 
 
 maximum reading was 56 lb., and instead of 
 having a circular scale-pan it had a flat weighing 
 surface of rectangular planished steel 14 in. x 
 9 in. Its height from base to top, unloaded, was 
 13j in. A photograph of it in connection with 
 other apparatus is given in fig. 17. 
 
 Fig. 15 shows the plan of seance-table and pan 
 of balance. The final experiments with this 
 
 Fig. 15. 
 
 balance were made in conjunction with those for 
 evaluating the horizontal component of the 
 reaction (see Experiments 48 and 49 and figs, 
 13 and 14). 
 
 The parcel balance was placed on top of the 
 little frictionless carriage C, immediately under 
 the table. The total height of pan of balance 
 from floor was then about 15j^ in. First of all 
 I sat outside the circle and asked for levitation, 
 which after a time was given. An interesting 
 feature of this levitation was the audible click of 
 
122 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 the mechanism of both tension and compression 
 balances as they took up their loads. Having 
 therefore seen that the operators could produce 
 the phenomenon under the difficult circumstances 
 named, i.e. with a large balance under the table 
 and a tension balance near medium (see fig. 13), 
 1 entered the circle and placed myself at the 
 position, with reference to the table, of the letter 
 B (fig. 15), and not A as in Experiment 44, fig. 12, 
 the reason being that the pan of the parcel 
 balance was so large that it was more convenient 
 to put it under the table, so that the dial was 
 facing at right angles to the medium and not 
 directly opposite her. I put the piece of black 
 cloth over the pan and my finger on the pointer 
 of the balance. I had also a piece of chalk for 
 marking the pointer position. I asked for levita- 
 tion, but, contrary to custom, did not get it. It 
 would seem that my entering the circle had in- 
 terfered in some way with its psychic equilibrium ; 
 and although the operators tried hard and often, 
 as was evidenced by the pointer travelling a 
 good way round the dial, they did not actually 
 succeed in securing a levitation. I suggested to 
 them that I should lower the balance a little, 
 and asked them if that would help. They 
 answered, " Yes." So I took the balance off the 
 carriage and placed it on the floor, which reduced 
 its total height about 2 in. This was immediately 
 efficacious, and levitation soon occurred. I took 
 the value of the downward force on the pan for 
 about half a dozen steady levitations. 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 123 
 
 Result. — The vertical downward force on pan 
 is 30 lb., and this value is correct to Ij lb. either 
 way, and probably correct to J lb. either way. 
 
 The machine was tested for accuracy before 
 the experiment. 
 
 The reader must not think that the obtaining 
 of the above result — on which I place much 
 importance — was an easy matter. Because of 
 the size of the balance beneath the table it was 
 difficult, and called for much patience and ac- 
 curacy on the part of the operators. About four 
 seance hours were occupied altogether in obtain- 
 ing it and in verifying and reverifying it on 
 different evenings. 
 
 Conclusion. — 
 Weight of table . . . . = lOf lb. 
 
 Vertical downward force on compres- 
 sion balance during steady levitation = 30 lb. 
 Horizontal pushing force on balance 
 
 during steady levitation . . = 5^ lb. 
 
 The next thing I wished to find out was 
 whether there was a quantitative relation between 
 the height above the floor of the platform from 
 which levitation was effected and the vertical 
 downward reaction on the platform. 
 
 Experiment 51 : To find the relation between 
 height of platform and vertical downward 
 reaction during levitation. 
 
 Fig. 16 gives a diagrammatic sketch of the 
 apparatus employed, whilst a photograph is also 
 shown (fig. 17). 
 
124 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 A is the parcel spring balance (see Experiment 
 50) reading up to 56 lb., with a flat rectangular 
 planished steel pan 1 4 in. x 9 in. 
 
 B is a flat iron bar clamped firmly to the pan 
 of the balance. 
 
 C is a circular iron rod which can slide up and 
 
 Fig. 16. 
 
 down through a hole in the end of B, and which 
 can be fixed to B by a pin arrangement at in- 
 tervals in height of 2 in. 
 
 D is a flat iron bar fixed at right angles to C. 
 
 E is a flat rectangular-shaped piece of wood 
 fixed to the top of D. 
 
 The method of carrying out the experiment 
 was as follows : — The apparatus was placed on 
 the floor, to which the base of the balance was 
 
The Eeality of Psychic Phenomena.'] 
 
 ■^ 
 
n 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 125 
 
 tightly clamped in order to prevent motion as 
 the psychic reaction was exerted on E. The 
 table was then placed on the floor centrally over 
 the rectangular wooden surface E, with the con- 
 sequence that the edge of the table came to 
 about the line MM, all that part of the apparatus 
 to the left of MM being below the table. The 
 idea was that the reaction would be exerted on 
 the flat surface E ; and as E could be gradually 
 raised, the various reactions for the different 
 heights could be read on the balance A. 
 
 Needless to say, the whole apparatus was 
 made exceedingly rigid, and, in spite of the large 
 overhang, when tested in the laboratory was 
 found to be practically accurate. 
 
 This experiment is so important, and the 
 chance of performing it occurs so seldom, that 
 I will not apologise for going somewhat minutely 
 into details. In the first test, the rectangular 
 piece of wood E was ordinary soft wood, and 
 measured 12 in. x 9 in. It was fixed to the 
 flat iron bar D by two ordinary screws through 
 holes in D. The apparatus was placed under 
 the table so that the lower surface of D just 
 cleared the floor. I kept my finger firmly on the 
 pointer of the balance A. Levitation was then 
 asked for and obtained. When I was sure of 
 the result for this position, I raised the platform 
 E 2 in. by sliding C up through the hole in the 
 end of B and fixing C in the new position by 
 the pin arrangement provided. Then I obtained 
 levitation for this position. Then the platform 
 
126 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 was raised another 2 in., and the experiment 
 proceeded as before. I always took care that 
 E was practically centrally under the table. I 
 usually, for each position, took about three levi- 
 tations to ensure accuracy. The following is the 
 result of the first experiment. Heights may be 
 considered accurate to ^ in. 
 
 Weight of table . . . = lOf lb. 
 
 Dimensions of platform E . . = 12 in. x 9 in. 
 Initial no-load reading on balance 
 
 due to weight of apparatus . = 8f lb. 
 
 Height of platform 
 from floor (in inches). 
 
 Net vertical reaction on 
 
 platform during levita- 
 
 tion (in lbs. ). 
 
 1^ 
 
 7h 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 23i 
 
 During one of the last tests at the height 
 of 7^ in., the operators evidently applied the 
 psychic pressure a little off the centre of the 
 platform, for the two screws which held it in 
 position on the flat iron bar D were wrenched 
 out of the wood. Accordingly, further tests 
 could not be proceeded with that evening. 
 
 For the next series of tests I substituted for 
 the soft wood a piece of 5-ply wood, and for the 
 screws a couple of ^-in. bolts. 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 127 
 
 Experivient 52 : Second experiment to find the 
 quantitative relation between height of 
 platform and vertical reaction. Time: 
 some weeks later than the date of Ex- 
 periment 51. 
 
 Before I carried out the second experiment 
 I made a slight alteration on the seance-table, 
 which affected its weight a little. Up to that 
 time the table had possessed two light wooden 
 bars across its width at either end near the floor, 
 their object being, of course, to add rigidity to 
 the legs. In order to show that these were not 
 essential to levitation I had them sawn off. 
 
 Weight of table . . . = 10 lb. 
 
 Dimensions of platform (see 
 
 fig. 16) = 12 in. x 9 in. 
 
 Initial no-load reading on balance 
 
 due to weight of apparatus . = 9 lb. 
 
 Height of platform from 
 
 which levitation is effected 
 
 (in inches). 
 
 Net vertical reaction on platform 
 during levitation (in pounds). 
 
 Test A. 
 
 Test B. 
 
 1 
 3 
 5 
 7 
 9 
 11 
 
 
 
 f 
 22 
 
 27 
 
 36^ 
 
 
 
 26 
 31 
 33 
 38 
 
 The method of carrying out the two tests A 
 
128 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 and B was as follows : — I first did test A, com- 
 mencing with the platform at its nearest distance 
 to the floor and taking either two or three 
 levitations for each height, so as to obtain the 
 results as accm-ately as possible. When I had 
 worked through all the heights in this way, I 
 went right through them again from bottom to 
 top (test B). It will be observed that there is a 
 variation of a few pounds in some of the heavier 
 readings between the two sets. 
 
 During the course of the seance, over twenty 
 separate levitations were given by the operators. 
 
 I wish to emphasise a particular point with 
 regard to this experiment — a point which I think 
 will eventually prove to be of great importance 
 in the elucidation of the mystery of psychic 
 force. It is this : At the greater heights — those 
 in which the reactions are heavy — the downward 
 vertical force on the platform did not become 
 steady (as might have been expected) as soon as 
 levitation was effected. On the contrary, the 
 force in all cases continued to increase for a 
 couple of seconds or so after levitation. From 
 5 lb. to 8 lb. is my estimate of the amount of 
 downward force added after levitation was com- 
 plete, and before the pointer on the balance 
 ceased moving, which it, however, eventually 
 did in all cases. The readings given above 
 represent the final steady values. 
 
 And now a word or two on the interpretation 
 of the results of Experiments 51 and 52. The 
 three tests, although they do not give identical 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 129 
 
 results for the different heights, are, however, 
 fairly consistent. They all show — 
 
 (1) That on the floor, and for two or three 
 inches above it, there is no reaction (thus verify- 
 ing the results of Experiment 38). 
 
 O' Height of platform from floor. 
 
 Fig. 18. 
 
 (2) A very slight reaction is just noticeable at 
 a height of three inches from the floor. 
 
 (3) The reaction in all three cases suddenly 
 increases. For instance, in Experiment 51, from 
 inch 5^ to inch 7^> it changes from 3 lb. to 23^ 
 lb. ; in Experiment 52, test A, from inch 3 to 
 inch 5, it changes from f lb. to 22 lb. ; in test B, 
 from inch 3 to inch 5, from f lb. to 26 lb. 
 
130 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 (4) After the sudden increase of reaction 
 pressure referred to in (3), the rate of increase 
 of pressure with height greatly diminishes. 
 
 The graph, fig. 18, shows roughly how the 
 reaction varies. There seems first to be a 
 gradual rise of pressure (A), then a sudden rise 
 (B), and then a slower and fairly uniform in- 
 crease (C). 
 
 Experiment 53 : To find the vertical component 
 of the reaction when a small stool is 
 levitated immediately above a compres- 
 sion balance. 
 
 I placed the drawing-board (covered with a 
 piece of rough dark carpet) on top of the 56-lb. 
 parcel balance (see Experiment 50), and the stool 
 (table 4, p. 38) on top of the board, and asked 
 for levitation. 
 
 Fig. 19 indicates the arrangement. This 
 levitation was evidently a most difficult one for 
 the operators ; in fact, I think it was the most 
 difficult one I have come across, not even ex- 
 cepting that of the seance table over the platform 
 of the weighing-machine (see Experiment 41). 
 It was attempted at least a dozen times before 
 being finally successful. What usually happened 
 was that the pointer on the balance would move 
 round to 20 lb. or so, and then, just when levita- 
 tion was evidently about to occur, the little stool 
 would topple over, when I would have to place 
 it upright again. It seemed to me that some- 
 thing was trying to get under the stool, but. 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 131 
 
 owing to the small amount of space available, 
 and to the height of the platform, was unsuc- 
 cessful. At length, however, just when I was 
 about to give up the experiment, even in spite 
 of the desire of the operators, who told me by 
 
 ->- Levitated Stool. 
 Weight, 21b. 12o2. 
 
 13 
 
 i 
 
 -^ Drawing 
 Board, 
 weight, 5*2 lb. 
 
 -> Pointer reading 24i4lb. 
 
 Fig. 19. 
 
 raps to hold on, the stool went up about 8 in. 
 into the air and remained there quite steady for 
 from 8 to 10 seconds. Two such levitations 
 gave for the vertical downward force on the 
 balance 24 lb., and two others gave 24^ lb. The 
 weight of the board (with carpet) was 5^ lb., so 
 that the vertical downward force on the balance 
 while the stool was steadily levitated was 24^ 
 
132 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 (the average) — 5^- = 18f lb., or 6-8 times the 
 weight of the stool. 
 
 In order to make sure that this value of ISf 
 lb. was not fictitious, during several of the 
 unsuccessful attempts at levitation referred to 
 above I grasped the edge of the drawing-board 
 and lifted it a little. I found, as I anticipated, 
 that my estimate of the downward force on the 
 board agreed roughly with the reading on the 
 balance. 
 
 Eocperiment 54 : The work done in the previous 
 tests gave me a fairly accurate idea as to 
 what was happening below the table. In 
 order to see if I could deduce what 
 exactly would happen under certain con- 
 ditions, I arranged an experiment in 
 which the vertical reaction on the com- 
 pression balance was indicated by the 
 ringing of an electric bell. 
 
 Appai^atus. — 
 
 {a) The seance-table, weight 10 lb. 
 
 (6) A compression balance reading to 28 lb. 
 
 (c) An electric bell and battery with about 
 
 20 ft. of insulated wire. 
 
 {d) A paper-clip made of metal, such as is 
 
 used to hold numbers of sheets of 
 
 paper together. 
 
 Method. — I took the little weighing-machine 
 
 or balance, and, having scraped the insulation off 
 
 the end of one of the electric-bell wires, attached 
 
 the wire to the pointer of the balance. This was 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 133 
 
 done by taking out the screw at the centre, 
 twisting the end of the wire round it, and then 
 screwing it back securely in place. The end of 
 the other electric-bell wire was fastened securely 
 to the paper-clip. The clip itself was fixed over 
 the edge of the dial, and was insulated from it by 
 
 Fig, 20. 
 
 pieces of brown paper being placed between it 
 and the surface of the dial. 
 
 In fig. 20, P is the pan of the balance, D the 
 dial, B the pointer, WW the wires going to the 
 electric bell, and C the clip. The clip was fixed 
 about the 20-lb. mark on the dial. The idea of 
 the whole thing was that when the pointer should 
 turn round sufficiently to come into contact with 
 the clip, electric contact would be made and 
 
134 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 the bell would ring. With the seance-table of 
 weight 10 lb., the actual vertical reaction was 
 greater than 20 lb. (see Experiment 50), but I 
 set the clip at 20 lb. so as to make sure of good 
 mechanical contact. 
 
 I placed the balance on the floor centrally 
 under the table, and the bell and battery on the 
 mantelpiece, letting the wires run along the 
 floor. There was a clear space of at least 15 in. 
 between pan of balance and under surface of 
 table. I placed a piece of rough dark cloth 
 on the pan. I expected to find the following 
 results during levitation of the table over the 
 balance : — 
 
 (1) The bell would start ringing a second or 
 two before levitation actually took place. 
 
 (2) During levitation the bell would probably 
 ring continuously. 
 
 (3) The varying height of the levitation would 
 probably make no diflerence to the ringing of 
 the bell. 
 
 As a matter of fact, when levitation was in 
 progress the above three results were exactly 
 what were obtained. 
 
 I recommend an experimenter, if he has a 
 levitating medium at hand, to carry out this ex- 
 periment. It is simple and also effective, for the 
 observer can take a stroll round the circle while 
 it is going on, can see the table levitated, can 
 hear the bell ringing, and can see that all hands 
 are held in chain order and that feet are on the 
 floor. He can also ask the members of the circle 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 135 
 
 to hold their hands up to the level of their heads, 
 and make other tests that occur to him. 
 
 Experiment 55 : To discover what would happen 
 when, the medium having been placed 
 on weighing-machine, and a compression 
 balance having been placed under the 
 table, the table levitated. 
 
 Fig. 21 shows the arrangement. M is the 
 medium seated on the weighing-machine, T is 
 
 Fig. 21. 
 
 the levitated table, and B is the compression 
 balance. 
 
 I first of all balanced exactly the weight of 
 medium, chair, and drawing-board (it was 9 st. 
 10 lb. 12 oz.), and allowed the steelyard to rest 
 lightly on the bottom stop. Then 1 placed the 
 14-lb. compression balance (see Experiment 44) 
 under the table and asked for levitation. I kept 
 my finger tightly on the pointer of the balance. 
 Unfortunately, this experiment is in nowise 
 complete, and I never had an opportunity of 
 
136 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 repeating it (though I may hope for one in the 
 future), and the result obtained, while accurate 
 so far as it goes, is not exact as regards figures. 
 During levitation the pointer of the compression 
 balance was hard up against the stop. I asked 
 the operators to drop the table suddenly, which 
 they did, and the pointer on the compression 
 balance immediately flew back round the dial 
 to zero. Four seconds afterwards the click of 
 the steelyard of the weighing-machine was heard 
 as it fell on the bottom stop ; that is to say, 
 while the table was levitated there was a vertical 
 reaction on the compression balance, and also an 
 increased weight on the medium. 
 
 The four seconds was the computation from 
 three similar tests, and was made by me and also 
 by an independent observer. This time lag has, 
 I think, no significance, being due solely to the 
 inertia of the moving parts of the weighing- 
 machine. 
 
 How much extra weight was on the medium 
 while the table was in the air above the balance 
 I am unable to say ; probably, as I shall show 
 later on, not an amount equal to the weight of 
 the table. 
 
 Experiment 56 : Crackling sound in the wood 
 of surface of table during levitation. 
 
 During one of the tests mentioned in this 
 chapter, I heard a sort of crackling sound in 
 the wood of the under surface of the table just 
 when levitation was commencing, as though 
 
COMPRESSION SPRING BALANCE 137 
 
 the fibres were being subjected to stress — to a 
 stress which was pushing them apart from one 
 another, as it were. I have only heard this 
 particular kind of sound on two occasions. 
 
 Experiment 57 : Thud under table at com- 
 mencement of levitation. 
 
 During one of the levitations 1 heard a soft 
 thud under the centre of the top of the table 
 as if a column of some softish substance had 
 been pushed on it. I remarked on this to the 
 members of the circle, and on the very next 
 levitation I again heard the same light thud. 
 It would seem that the operators had heard 
 what I had said and had repeated the perform- 
 ance for my benefit. These were the only occa- 
 sions on which I ever heard the noise. Possibly 
 it was the impact of the levitating force delivered 
 a little more heavily than usual. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 COMPLETION OF THE EXPERIMENTS ON 
 LEVITATION 
 
 Experiment 58 : The effect of placing a charged 
 electroscope under the levitated table. 
 
 I took an electroscope of the disc type, charged 
 it, and placed it nearly centrally under the 
 steadily levitated table, allowing it to remain 
 there for about half a minute. Result : no effect 
 on the electroscope, the leaves remaining as 
 far apart as before. 
 
 The investigation of the space between the 
 medium and the levitated table is a most im- 
 portant matter. Unfortunately, this region is 
 a most difficult place in which to experiment, 
 for the placing of apparatus within it, or rather 
 within the vital part of it, immediately breaks 
 down the line of communication ; and as this 
 line, or these lines, seem difficult to form, and 
 once broken cause the cessation of phenomena 
 for quite a long period of time, the experimenter 
 has to be careful what he is doing. Also the 
 unscientific meddling^with this parL of space 
 is apt to be pBysically injurious to the med ium. 
 
 138 
 
COMPLETION OF EXPERIMENTS 139 
 
 Experiment 59 : Investigation of the space be- 
 tween the medium and the table jerking 
 about on the floor. 
 
 Apparatus. — I had constructed a very delicate 
 electric contact, consisting of two pieces of flat 
 clock spring, separated from each 
 other by a distance of about ^ in. 
 A piece of light cardboard about 
 3 in. X 3^ in. was hinged at its top 
 end to a flat piece of wood, and 
 rested on the top spring. The con- j| J^W 
 tact was placed in an electric-bell 
 circuit, and it was so adjusted that 
 breathing upon it strongly was 
 sufficient to make the bell ring. 
 
 In fig. 22, W is the flat piece 
 of wood ; C the piece of cardboard 
 hinged at A ; S S the two pieces 
 of flat spring the coming into con- 
 tact of which rang the electric bell 
 (not shown). 
 
 The table was jerking about 
 on the floor. I moved the con- fig. 22. 
 tact-maker here and there in the 
 air in front of the medium, keeping the sur- 
 face of the cardboard nearest to her and 
 roughly parallel to her body and perpendicular 
 to any stress line likely to come from her. At 
 a certain spot about 2 ft. above the floor the 
 bell rang, and simultaneously the table stopped 
 its movements along the floor. 
 
 ^7>S.S. 
 
140 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 Eooperiment 60 : Investigation of space between 
 medium and levitated table. 
 
 Appai^atus. — Same as in Experiment 59. 
 
 I asked for levitation of the seance-table, and 
 while it was in progress I moved the contact- 
 maker about in front of the medium as in the 
 previous test. At practically the same spot the 
 bell rang again and the table instantly dropped. 
 The operators would not allow me to proceed 
 with the experiment. They affirmed, by means 
 of raps, that the contact-maker was in the stress- 
 line from medium to table. 
 
 Experiments 59 and 60 show two things very 
 plainly: (1) that the contact-maker was cutting 
 across a link connecting medium to table, and 
 (2) along this link there was mechanical pressure 
 ^'rom medium to table. 
 
 I append some remarks I made in Light when 
 describing the above experiments : — 
 
 " I have some reason to believe that the 
 establishing of these stress-lines (the links) is for 
 the operators a difficult process, and that once 
 formed they remain more or less in situ for the 
 duration of the stance. I think they may be 
 likened to tunnels somewhat laboriously cut 
 through resisting material. Their basis seems to 
 be physical, for I have actually felt the motion 
 of material particles near the ankles (and pro- 
 ceeding outwards from them) of the medium 
 (the stress-lines seem to commence sometimes at 
 the wrists and ankles of my medium), and I have 
 
COMPLETION OF EXPERIMENTS 141 
 
 noticed during the rapping that when my hand 
 interferes with the particle flow — which seems 
 to correspond with a stress-line — the rapping has 
 ceased for quite a long time and could seemingly 
 only be restarted with difficulty. In other 
 words, the path had been obliterated. I do not 
 think the particles of matter (for such I am 
 assuming them to be) are the cause of the 
 pressure which lifts the table. I think they are 
 the connecting links which allo\, the psychic 
 pressure to be transmitted, much in the manner 
 that a wire is the path which enables electricity 
 to flow." 
 
 Experiment 61 : Reaction on the floor below 
 levitated table. 
 
 To verify the results of previous experiments 
 which showed that when the seance-table was 
 levitated above the floor there was no reaction 
 on the floor, I took advantage of the delicate 
 contact-maker used in Experiment 59. Having 
 placed it on the floor under the table, I asked for 
 levitation. During the preliminary jerkings, etc., 
 and also during levitation, the bell did not ring — 
 showing, as was expected, that there was no 
 pressure on the floor. 
 
 Experiment 62 : Condition of the medium 
 during levitation. 
 
 During many of the levitations mentioned 
 in the previous experiments I examined the 
 
142 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 medium. Her arms, whether held by the sitters 
 on either side of her, or resting on lier knees, 
 were always stiff, i.e. the muscles seemed to be 
 under great stress, making the arms even some- 
 times iron-like in their rigidity. Especially was 
 this rigidity noticeable at the bend of the arm, 
 though right from shoulder to wrist the amount 
 of the muscular tension was surprising. While 
 the stool was steadily levitated at the abnormal 
 height of 4 feet, her arms were excessively stiff, 
 even stiffer than when the seance-table, nearly 
 four times as heavy, was suspended. The 
 medium herself says that high levitations affect 
 her muscular system most. She says the 
 muscular rigidity is not confined to her arms 
 but occurs all over her body, although not to 
 the same extent. 
 
 Of late months I am inclined to think that a 
 change has been occurring. I do not think her 
 arms are at present so rigid during levitation as 
 they once were. Perhaps this is due to the re- 
 action upon her becoming more diffused. 
 
 JSrperiment 63 : Possible weight of structure 
 used to levitate the table. 
 
 I said to the operators, " I wish you to put the 
 'power' you use for levitating the table under 
 the table, but not to levitate it or act on it in 
 any way." I repeated the request slowly several 
 times. They said they thoroughly understood 
 what I required. 1 had previously balanced the 
 
COMPLETION OF EXPERIMENTS 143 
 
 weight of medium (who was sitting on the 
 weighing-machine), chair, and drawing-board 
 (see Experiments in Chapter III.). The com- 
 bined weight was 9 st. 10 lb. 12 oz. I watched 
 the machine carefully. The medium's weight 
 began to decrease, slowly and a little spasmodi- 
 cally, and it became fairly steady again at 8 st. 
 10 lb., though there were fluxes below this. 
 Hence, according to the operators, the weight of 
 the field or structure required for levitation of 
 the seance-table was about 14 lb. or 15 lb. 
 But, as they may have been doubtful of my 
 meaning — though they did not appear to be so, — 
 I do not propose to pay much attention to this 
 result. 
 
 Experime7it 64 : Evidence of some sort of 
 preparation on the part of the operators 
 just previous to levitation. 
 
 The observing of many levitation experiments 
 has shown me that the operators have to make 
 a preparation for the phenomenon. The follow- 
 ing test, which has occurred often, will enable 
 the reader to understand what I mean. The 
 pan of the 28-lb. compression balance (used in 
 some of the experiments already described) was 
 not fixed tightly on the stem of the balance, 
 but was a loose fit upon it. 
 
 In fig. 23 the pan P is shown fitting 
 loosely over the circular socket A, from which 
 it can be removed by simply raising it up. The 
 
144 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 consequence of the loose fit is that if the pan 
 is Hghtly shaken it rattles. When I placed 
 this balance below the table and asked for 
 levitation, what usually happened was that from 
 half a minute to a minute before levitation the 
 pan M^'ould rattle, although of course no one 
 was touching it. On these occasions no pressure 
 was registered on the balance. So regularly was 
 
 Fig. 23. 
 
 this the case with levitation over this particular 
 balance, that I had to come to the conclusion 
 that what was happening was that the operators 
 were laying some kind of a line, structure, sub- 
 stratum — call it what you will — from the medium 
 to the pan of the balance, and that this was 
 an essential and necessary preliminary to the 
 accomplishment of the phenomenon. 
 
 The following notes are taken from one of 
 my articles in Light on this same matter, and 
 deal in a general way with other balances than 
 
COMPLETION OF EXPERIMENTS 145 
 
 the one mentioned above — i.e. balances in which 
 the pan was rigidly fixed : — 
 
 "Suppose I am working at compression- 
 balance experiments below the table. At the 
 conclusion of each test I usually bring a fairly 
 strong light right into the centre of the circle, 
 in order thoroughly to examine instruments and 
 so on. When I do this, the next levitation 
 required does not commence at once, but may 
 take a few minutes. Before it commences I 
 become conscious that preparations are being 
 made for it, by a kind of shock being given to 
 the apparatus, a shock which does not produce 
 pressure. Perhaps a quarter or half a minute 
 later levitation occurs. It would seem that a 
 line was being made, so to speak, and that the 
 phenomenon could not ensue until it was 
 properly in position. Witness the thud of the 
 supposed column, well before levitation (see 
 Experiment 57). If I do not bring a white light 
 into the circle, levitations follow one another 
 rapidly, for the structure seems not to be dis- 
 turbed and therefore does not require to be 
 renewed or partially renewed." 
 
 Experivient Q5 : The presence of actual matter 
 below the levitated table. 
 
 On one occasion, while the table was levitated 
 (it was a difficult case of the phenomenon over 
 a compression balance) I placed my hand under 
 it near the top. As in previous tests, I felt no 
 
 10 
 
146 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 sense of pressure whatever, but I did feel a 
 clammy, cold, almost oily sensation — in fact, an 
 indescribable sensation, as though the air there 
 were mixed with particles of dead and dis- 
 agreeable matter. Perhaps the best word to 
 describe the feeling is "reptilian." I have felt 
 the same substance often — and I think it is a 
 substance — in the vicinity of the medium, but 
 there it has appeared to me to be moving out- 
 wards from her. Once felt, the experimenter 
 always recognises it again. This was the only 
 occasion on which I have felt it under the 
 levitated table, though perhaps it is always 
 there, but not usually in such an intense 
 form. Its presence under the table and also 
 in the vicinity of the medium shows that it 
 has something to do with the levitation ; and 
 in short I think there can be little doubt that 
 it is actual matter temporarily taken from the 
 medium's body and put back at the end of the 
 seance, and that it is the basic principle under- 
 lying the transmission of psychic force. 
 
 The table soon dropped when I moved my 
 hand to and fro in amongst this psychic stuiF. 
 
 Experiment QQ : To find how much weight is 
 permanently lost by each sitter during 
 the seance. 
 
 I took the weight of each sitter at the begin- 
 ning and the end of the seance, which lasted for 
 about an hour and a half. The following are the 
 results : — 
 
COMPLETION OF EXPERIMENTS 147 
 
 Names of sitters. 
 
 Weight before 
 seance. 
 
 Weight after 
 seance. 
 
 Miss Kathleen Goligher (medium) 
 
 Mr Goligher .... 
 
 Miss Anna Goligher . 
 
 Miss Lily Goligher . 
 
 Mrs Morrison .... 
 
 Mr Morrison .... 
 
 8 St. 6 lb. 6 oz. 
 8 ,, 13 ,, 8 ,, 
 7„ 1 „ 4 „ 
 5,, 7 ,, 4 ,, 
 7 ,, 5 ,, 12 ,, 
 9„ 9 „ 12 „ 
 
 8 St. 6 lb. 4 oz. 
 
 8 ,, 13 „ 8 „ 
 7,, 1 ,, 2 „ 
 5 ,, 7 ,, 2 „ 
 7,, 5 „ 6 ,, 
 
 9 ,, 9 ,, 11 ,, 
 
 Dr Crawford .... 
 
 10 „ 9 ,, 14 „ 
 
 10,, 9 ,, 8 ,, 
 
 At the close of the seance, and just before the 
 re-weighing, Mr Morrison in a moment of forget- 
 fulness drank half a glass of water. This was 
 weighed and the amount subtracted from his 
 final weight, which may, however, be an ounce 
 or two out. One of the members of the circle, 
 Master Sam Goligher, was absent on holiday. 
 
 Most careful weighings were made. All pre- 
 cautions were taken that nobody should possess 
 a handkerchief, say, at the conclusion of the 
 sitting who did not possess it at the beginning. 
 
 It will be seen that I have included myself in 
 the weighings, although I was not a member of 
 the circle but was moving in and out of it all 
 the time attending to the experimental work 
 on hand. 
 
 When we study this result we see that there is 
 an almost general permanent loss of weight, for, 
 with the exception of one sitter, everybody lost 
 a little. In no case does it amount to much 
 more than a few ounces. It will be noted with 
 interest that the medium lost only two ounces. 
 
148 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 The greatest sufferers seem to have been Mrs 
 Morrison and myself, who both lost six ounces, 
 the maximum in any individual case. 
 
 Total weight of sitters, 
 
 including myself, 
 
 before seance. 
 
 Total weight of sitters, 
 
 including myself, 
 
 after seance. 
 
 Total loss of 
 
 weight at end 
 
 of seance. 
 
 57 St. 11 lb. 12 oz. 
 
 57 St. 10 lb. 9 oz. 
 
 1 lb. 3 oz. 
 
 Now, the question arises with regard to this 
 experiment how far this permanent loss of weight 
 of 19 oz. is due to phenomenal activities and how 
 far to natural causes. The sitting was held on a 
 very warm evening (temperature about 70° F.), 
 and the room was somewhat small. There was 
 a considerable amount of phenomena. 
 
 As to the losses of weight due to natural 
 causes I am not able to speak. Personally, while 
 without expert knowledge on the subject, I 
 would not have thought there could have been 
 such a loss by natural causes alone, even on a 
 warm summer evening in a small room. 
 
 The next question that arises is regarding my 
 own loss of weight. 1 was not a member of the 
 circle. I was moving about the room practically 
 all the time, in and out of the circle, attending to 
 the experimental work on hand. Now, were the 
 entities taking matter from me ? That is, if 
 people other than the regular sitters are in the 
 room, altogether outside the chain of the circle, 
 can the operators abstract matter from them for 
 
COMPLETION OF EXPERIMENTS 149 
 
 the production of psychic energy ? Or is the 
 abstraction confined to members of the circle? 
 It looks as though the former is the case. 
 
 It is not so much a question as to whether the 
 members of the circle are used in some way by 
 the operating entities, as to whether matter is 
 permanently extracted from the bodies of the 
 members. That the members of the circle are 
 of some use may easily be observed. Occasion- 
 ally when I have experimented with a member 
 short I think I have noticed that phenomena 
 were not so powerful or prolonged. But a 
 surer sign that the members of the circle are 
 used is the tremendous spasmodic jerk that goes 
 round the whole circle just previous to a difficult 
 levitation being attempted by the operators, 
 especially when psychic energy has been some- 
 what wanting and there does not seem to be any 
 reservoir of it to draw upon, so to speak. At 
 such a time I have asked the operators to produce 
 levitation. In a few seconds the members would 
 be overtaken with a severe spasmodic jerk which 
 seemed to travel right round the circle. Then 
 perhaps a quarter of a minute afterwards levita- 
 tion would occur. I have noticed this too often 
 to be deceived about it. 
 
 During the opening of a stance, say for the 
 first quarter of an hour, the bodies of the sitters 
 are usually subjected to intermittent muscular 
 jerking. After that period of time this ceases 
 altogether, or only takes place occasionally. It 
 seems to me that the meaning of the process is 
 
150 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 that something is being loosened from the bodies 
 of the members of the circle — a something which 
 then circulates round the sitters either through 
 their bodies or in space immediately surrounding 
 their bodies. 
 
 Experiment 67 : An X-ray fluorescent screen 
 (platino-cyanide of barium) placed below 
 levitated table. 
 
 While the table was steadily levitated, I placed 
 an X-ray fluorescent screen below it and in space 
 surrounding it (the room was darkened for the 
 purpose.) 
 
 Result. — There was no sign of fluorescence. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 A CANTILEVER THEORY FOR LEVITATION 
 
 I PROPOSE in this chapter to bring forward a 
 theory for levitation based chiefly on the results 
 of the sixty-seven experiments already described. 
 Let us first of all consider for a little the 
 results of Experiment 50. It will be remem- 
 bered that the seance-table was steadily levitated 
 over a compression balance, and that a large 
 vertical downward force was noted ; experiment 
 also showed that there was a pushing force from 
 the medium. The values, as the result of much 
 careful experimenting, were as follows : — 
 
 Weight of seance-table . . . = lOf lb. 
 Vertical downward force on compres- 
 sion balance during levitation . = 30 lb. 
 Horizontal pushing force from medium = 5^ lb. 
 
 Besides obtaining the above values, I also 
 took the distance of medium from table, the 
 height of the top of her head from the floor, 
 distance of her knees from the table, and so on. 
 I then set out a scale diagram of her position, 
 and the positions of table and of compression 
 
 151 
 
152 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 balance. The first point in the inquiry was to 
 see if the levitation of the table could be ex- 
 plained by any system of two, three, or even 
 four forces in equilibrium, taking the three 
 known quantities enumerated above derived 
 from experiment. The result, however, was 
 failure. No system of simple statics will ex- 
 
 Fig. 24. 
 
 plain the phenomenon — at any rate, so far as 
 I can see. 
 
 When I had convinced myself of this, I had 
 to look around for another theory, and the one 
 that seemed to me most likely was the " beam " 
 theory, and in particular the " cantilever." 
 
 A cantilever is a beam firmly fixed at one 
 end and free at the other. 
 
 In fig. 24, A is the cantilever firmly built into 
 the wall K. A weight W is shown suspended 
 from the free end. Let us suppose the medium 
 
A CANTILEVER THEORY 153 
 
 takes the place of the wall and that the canti- 
 lever projects from her in the manner shown, 
 and that the table during levitation takes the 
 place of the weight W. As to the structure 
 of this psychic cantilever I am not at present 
 concerned, and am only dealing with the idea 
 that a cantilever — resembling in its qualities 
 a rigid beam — is in reality present. I propose 
 to see, in effect, if the theory of the cantilever 
 explains the mechanics of the levitated table. 
 
 (1) During steady levitation above the floor 
 with no apparatus below the table, the weight 
 of the table is practically added to that of the 
 medium (Experiments 2, 3, 4). 
 
 This agrees with the cantilever theory. The 
 beam being free at the end, it is obvious that 
 the weight added to it is in effect added to 
 the medium. 
 
 (2) The medium is under stress. The muscles 
 of her arms from wrist to shoulder are stiff 
 and often iron-like in their rigidity, and other 
 parts of her body are affected similarly, though 
 to a less degree (Experiment 62). 
 
 At the root of the cantilever there is a shear- 
 ing force W and a bending moment Wl ; hence 
 we would expect to see some signs of distress 
 on the part of the medium. The bending 
 moment, although somewhat variable, is seldom 
 less than 250 lb. -in., if we take the psychic 
 cantilever as fixed to the trunk of the medium. 
 
 (3) There is no reaction on the floor under 
 the table (Experiments 38, 51, 52, 61). 
 
154 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 This agrees with the cantilever theory. The 
 free end being up in the air, the weight W 
 depresses it a Httle, but does not affect the 
 floor in any way. For a long time I was under 
 the impression that some kind of psychic equi- 
 librium was established, and that there was a 
 reaction upon the floor ; that, in fact, the read- 
 ings on the compression balances represented 
 the reaction upon the floor. This, however, was 
 not so. Close to the floor, and on the floor, in 
 normal levitation, there is no reaction. 
 
 Likewise there is no reaction or pressure on 
 the floor between the table and the medium ; 
 for I have often moved my arms, hands, and 
 experimental apparatus freely in this space, and 
 so long as I kept them on or near the floor the 
 phenomenon was not in the least affected. 
 
 (4) Besides the reaction on the medium practi- 
 cally equal to the weight of the table, there is a 
 slight reaction upon other members of the circle. 
 It would appear that about 95 per cent, of the 
 weight of the table is on the medium and the 
 remaining 5 per cent, on the sitters (Experi- 
 ments 5 and 6). This involves slight modifica- 
 tion of the cantilever theory. The free end is 
 actually not quite free, but is supported very 
 slightly by weak cantilevers from other members 
 of the circle. However, the amount of support 
 is so small that it may be neglected. 
 
 (5) I have sometimes noticed, during powerful 
 levitation, that if muscular force is applied to 
 the table somewhere in a line towards the 
 
A CANTILEVER THEORY 155 
 
 medium a solid resistance is encountered, 
 whereas if the table is depressed vertically 
 an elastic resistance is felt (Experiments 18, 
 19, 20). 
 
 This agrees with the cantilever theory. The 
 beam would be more or less rigid to forces along 
 its length and elastic to forces applied perpen- 
 dicular to its length. 
 
 (6) The cantilever itself, though invisible, may 
 have weight (Experiment 63). 
 
 The material of the psychic cantilever, if 
 taken from the medium, would not affect the 
 weight of the medium, as it projects from her 
 and is not supported anywhere over its length. 
 This would agree with all experiments, indi- 
 cating as they do that during levitation no 
 diminution of the weight of the medium is 
 ever noted. 
 
 (7) There is a critical distance of the medium 
 from table required for levitation (Experiment 
 10, and p. 56). This may have to do with the 
 structure of the cantilever. It is possibly not 
 a simple rod as shown in fig. 24, but may be 
 compounded of several arms, and the coalescing 
 of these arms may require that the medium be 
 not too far from nor too near the table. 
 
 (8) 1 will now go into the puzzling results de- 
 scribed in Chapter VII. (Experiments 50 and 
 53) ; they are as follows : — 
 
 (a) While the seance-table, weight lOf lb., was 
 steadily levitated, there was, upon a compres- 
 sion balance placed centrally on the floor beneath 
 
156 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 it, a vertical downward force of 30 lb., or 
 2*89 times the weight of the table ; there was 
 also a horizontal pushing force of 5^ lb. from 
 the medium ; and the vertical and horizontal 
 forces were not separate and distinct, but were 
 components of a single force. 
 
 {b) While a stool, of weight 2 lb. 12 oz., was 
 steadily levitated over a drawing-board placed 
 
 Fig. 25. 
 
 on top of a compression balance, there was a 
 vertical downward force upon the balance of 
 18f lb., or 6*8 times the weight of the stool. 
 
 How are these experimental values, of whose 
 practical correctness there can be no doubt, to 
 be explained on the cantilever theory? 
 
 Fig. 25 indicates the cantilever A projecting 
 from the medium M. It is shown in its 
 unstrained normal position. The free end B 
 is probably, on its under side, within 6 in. of 
 the floor. 
 
 Fig. 26 shows the cantilever when in a 
 
A CANTILEVER THEORY 
 
 157 
 
 strained unnatural position owing to the end 
 B ha^dng to be raised to the level of the pan 
 of the compression balance. As the beam is 
 elastic, it will in this latter position press 
 downwards and outwards on the top of the 
 balance, as indicated by the direction line of 
 the force P. It is obvious that the force P 
 can be resolved into vertical and horizontal 
 
 Fig. 26. 
 
 components, and I think there can be little 
 doubt that the &0 lb. and 5\ lb. of Experiment 
 50 are these components. 
 
 On this theory, then, the stiffness of the 
 structure of the cantilever accounts for the 
 mystifying readings on the compression balances. 
 The reader can form a very fair idea of what 
 is occurring by a simple experiment. Let him 
 take a long flat wooden or steel rule, firmly 
 hold one end, and press the other end against 
 some small article placed above the level of 
 the end which he is holding. When the rule 
 
158 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 bends, as shown on fig. 26, he will be able to 
 appreciate that he is applying a downward and 
 outward force as mentioned above. 
 
 In both experiments {a) and (b) the height of 
 the platform from which levitation was effected 
 was about the same, viz. 13^ in. and 14 in. re- 
 spectively. In case (a) the downward force was 
 30 lb., and in {b) 18f lb. ; why, if the heights 
 are about the same, are the downward forces not 
 the same ? The cantilever end would have to be 
 bent upwards practically the same amount in 
 each case. The answer to this, of course, is that 
 the cantilever is not so stiff in case (b) as in {a). 
 The weight of the levitated body in {a) is lOf lb., 
 and in {b) 2f lb. Hence the operators would 
 not require to devise such a stiff cantilever in {b) 
 as in (a), and therefore such a cantilever would 
 be more easily bent upwards from its normal 
 position, and would not exert such a large down- 
 ward force on the balance. 
 
 The following paragraph was written before 
 Experijne7its 51 and 52 were devised and carried 
 out : — 
 
 " The question arises as to how the vertical 
 downward force on the compression balance 
 varies quantitatively with the height of the pan 
 of the balance. If the cantilever proposition 
 be true, I would expect that (1) on the floor 
 there would be no force — which seems from ex- 
 periment to be the case ; (2) as the pan of the 
 balance is gradually raised in height there would 
 
A CANTILEVER THEORY 159 
 
 be a position for it when the bottom of the end 
 of the cantilever would be reached, at which 
 point downward force^ would begin to be regis- 
 tered on the balance ; and (3) as the pan is further 
 raised the vertical force would become greater 
 and greater as the end of the cantilever was 
 continually bent upwards." 
 
 It is satisfactory to find that when Experi- 
 ments 51 and 52 were carried out, the three 
 suppositions above mentioned were found to be 
 actually and literally true. The only thing I 
 found at variance with expectations was that the 
 vertical downward force did not increase in any 
 regular fashion, but there was gradual and then 
 quick and then again a gradual period of increase 
 with varying height. Furthermore, the three 
 tests did not give identical readings for the same 
 size of platform and the same height, yet they 
 gave the same kind of general conclusion. It is 
 not to be expected that the results would be 
 identical, for it is reasonable to suppose that the 
 length of the cantilever would vary somewhat on 
 different evenings, and even at different times on 
 the same evening, and its general shape might be 
 subject to some slight alteration also. 
 
 It is seen from fig. 26 that the horizontal 
 component of the outward reaction force on the 
 end of the cantilever is only present when its end 
 is bent upwards. There would be no horizontal 
 component with normal levitation over the floor 
 when the free end is unconstrained. I have not 
 
160 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 had an opportunity of carrying out experiments 
 for the purpose of discovering the quantitative 
 relation between the horizontal component and 
 the height of the platform, but I expect it would 
 be a gradually increasing one, commencing at 
 zero where the height of the platform was such 
 as to register no vertical reaction, and increasing 
 more or less proportionally with the vertical re- 
 action. I intend, if I have the chance, to carry 
 out this experiment some time in the future. 
 
 Experiments 59 and 60 show clearly that in 
 the space between the medium and the levitated 
 table there are one or more lines or tubes of stress 
 (I think it is better to call them tubes), for the 
 table instantly dropped when the electric contact- 
 maker got in the way, and simultaneously the 
 bell rang, indicating mechanical pressure (although 
 it may be of very small magnitude) from the 
 medium. The tube of stress did not seem to be 
 of very large cross-section, perhaps not more than 
 a few square inches ; for I had to move the ap- 
 paratus here and there in front of the medium 
 before I struck it, and I did not strike it at once. 
 Close to the medium the stress tube was about 
 two feet above the floor (in the neighbourhood of 
 her knees). On the other hand. Experiments 51 
 and 52 show that under the table mechanical 
 pressure is first apparent on the pan of a com- 
 pression balance when the pan is about 3 inches 
 above floor level. These two sets of results, there- 
 fore, point to a cantilever theory of levitation. 
 They indicate that a cantilever begins somewhere 
 
A CANTILEVER THEORY 161 
 
 in the body of the medium and projects in a 
 downward direction until it is below the table 
 and a few inches above the floor. All experi- 
 ments show that on the floor itself, under the 
 table, and between table and medium there is 
 absolutely no pressure, and that the structure is 
 a true cantilever and is not supported anywhere 
 over its length. 
 
 The question then arises as to whether the 
 cantilever is straight or curved. Does it re- 
 semble a simple straight rod inclining down- 
 wards from the medium, or is its shape more 
 complex ? On this point I have not such 
 definite evidence as I have on the points 
 already discussed. Reviewing all the experi- 
 ments and deducing the most likely results, 
 I think the shape of the levitating structure 
 beneath the table is not far off that shown in 
 the accompanying fig. 27, which indicates the 
 cantilever diagrammatically. It consists of two 
 main portions, A and B. A is a slightly curved 
 arm springing from and firmly fixed to the 
 medium M, while B is a vertical column rising 
 from and continuous with its extremity C. The 
 levitated table is supported at the summit T 
 of the column. The reason for the slightly 
 arched shape of the arm is to give additional 
 rigidity to the structure. When the pan of 
 a compression balance is under the table at a 
 height greater than three inches from the floor, 
 the end C presses downwards on it and causes 
 forces to be registered such as those given in 
 
 11 
 
162 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 the tabulation to Experiments 51 and 52. In 
 Experiments 59 and 60 the electric contact- 
 maker when the bell rang was cutting across 
 the arm A. 
 
 I say nothing here as to how a structure 
 possessing the characteristics of a cantilever 
 such as that sketched, and which can support 
 at its extremity for five minutes or more a body 
 
 Fig. 27. 
 
 weighing 10 lb., can be produced from apparently 
 nothing. I will have something to say about 
 that later on. 
 
 The cantilever above sketched is in my 
 opinion only a particular case of the method 
 by which the operators produce nearly all their 
 phenomena. Levitation of the table is a 
 delicate piece of work, inasmuch as a very nice 
 balance has to be obtained ; it is not simply 
 a question of shoving the table here and there 
 
A CANTILEVER THEORY 163 
 
 without consideration of such things as equi- 
 Ubrium and balance. 
 
 Accordingly we find, as might have been 
 expected, that the preliminary operations before 
 levitation occurs at all occupy some little time. 
 A line or physical means of communication 
 seems to be put down from medium to table 
 (see Experiment 64); and when this is "well 
 and truly laid," psychic force is exerted along 
 it {i.e. it is stiffened into a rigid cantilever). 
 
 The whole arm A C T in fig. 27 takes the 
 shape shown in order that the particular 
 phenomenon in hand (levitation) may be most 
 accurately accomplished, but that is not the 
 only shape it may have. It is only the best 
 shape for levitation purposes. 
 
 Let us suppose that the operators desired 
 to grip the table in the strongest possible 
 manner — that is to say, to move it about the 
 room in the most powerful way in order to 
 impress a visitor who has hold of it by the top 
 and who is endeavouring to prevent motion. 
 What do we find ? Turn to Experiment 26. 
 
 The diagram in that experiment is reproduced 
 in fig. 28. We find that the operators under 
 such conditions, when delicate balancing work 
 is not required, but when magnitude of psychic 
 force is the all-important thing, tilt the edge of 
 the table some 40 degrees with the horizontal 
 in the direction of the medium. I think there 
 can be absolutely no doubt they do this in 
 order that they may take the strongest possible 
 
164 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 grip with the canti- 
 lever arm. No pre- 
 Hminary operations 
 are needed ; the 
 table simply tilts, 
 and a short, almost 
 straight arm pro- 
 jects from medium 
 on to the under sur- 
 face of table. 
 
 Many other ex- 
 periments and ob- 
 servations also sug- 
 gest that the shape 
 of the cantilever 
 arm required for 
 levitation is only one 
 particular shape of 
 the arm, and that 
 certain other shapes 
 are possible. A very 
 rough analogy is the 
 trunk of an ele- 
 phant. For delicate 
 levitation work the 
 trunk is made into 
 the shape shown 
 in fig. 27, while 
 for rough powerful 
 work it is made 
 straight, short, and 
 thick. The ex- 
 
A CANTILEVER THEORY 165 
 
 tremity of the arm projecting from the medium 
 seems able to grip by some adhesive power the 
 wood of the table or certain other articles with 
 which it comes into contact ; i.e. there is reason 
 to believe that a levitated table is not simply 
 resting upon the suinmit of the cantilever 
 column, but that it is firmly fixed to it, as 
 though glued. The following experiments on 
 psychic pull and push will make this matter and 
 other matters dealt with in this chapter clearer ; 
 for it often happens that observations of the 
 most elementary nature give us information of 
 the highest importance where so little has been 
 done and so much remains to be accomplished. 
 
 Experiment 68 : To make some investigations 
 on the psychic pull. 
 
 When the seance table stands on the floor 
 within the circle the operators can pull it along 
 the floor right up to the body of the medium. 
 
 How is this done ? 
 
 Fig. 29 gives the position of the table with 
 reference to the medium. MN represents its 
 long edge. Round the legs of the top runs the 
 framework, about 2^ in. deep (not shown). The 
 table was placed within the circle on the floor 
 so that its length MN was parallel to the front 
 of the medium's body, with its nearest edge 
 about 2 ft. distant from her. I stood behind 
 the table directly opposite her. 1 said to the 
 operators, " Please pull table in towards medium." 
 I slightly held the edge nearest me. The table 
 
 ,jyg. 
 
166 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 was immediately pulled in towards the medium, 
 but it did not go in with the edge MN parallel 
 to her body. As it began to move, the corner 
 N got ahead, and consequently the motion was 
 a more or less cornerwise one. I said to the 
 members of the circle, " It looks as though the 
 leg (at N) has something to do with the move- 
 ment. Let us see if the table can be pulled in 
 from the other corner M." No sooner had I 
 spoken than the operators pulled it in towards 
 
 Fig. 29. 
 
 the medium with the corner M projecting and 
 the table tending to turn about that corner. 
 I said to the operators, " Have you a rod 
 projecting round one of the legs, and do you 
 pull the table in in that fashion ? " Answer, 
 vehemently, " No." Question : " Can you pull 
 the table in to the medium so that the edge 
 MN remains parallel to her body, and so that 
 the table does not go in cornerwise with one 
 leg in advance of the other ? " This was no 
 sooner asked than the table was pulled in as 
 I desired, with the edge MN parallel to her 
 body during the whole movement. It was done 
 
A CANTILEVER THEORY 167 
 
 half a dozen times, so that I might make quite 
 certain of it. The table could be pulled right 
 up to her body until it was in contact with her, 
 or the forward motion could be stopped at any 
 instant or at any desired place. There could, 
 therefore, be no doubt that the table could be 
 drawn in straight to the medium in such a way 
 that it was difficult to imagine anything in the 
 nature of a slightly flexible rod getting round 
 a leg. I (and the members of the circle, includ- 
 ing the medium) began to ask questions of the 
 operators and comment on how it was done. 
 We asked if a grip was taken behind the frame- 
 work. They answered, " No." We exhausted 
 all the methods we could think of for applying 
 a direct pull round any projection. The uniform 
 reply was, "No." They said the grip was taken 
 on the under surface of the table. At last 1 
 asked, "Is the table brought in by a suction 
 effect ? " There were immediately three loud 
 and almost joyous raps in the affirmative. 
 Further inquiries and tests make me almost 
 certain that it is even as the operators say. 
 What happens is, in my estimation, as follows 
 (see fig. 27) : — The cantilever arm gets under 
 the table — probably a more or less straight arm 
 in this case, as there is little stress. Whatever 
 the physical composition of the substratum of 
 the end of the arm may be, it has the power 
 to take an adhesive grip on certain substances, 
 such as wood, with which it comes into contact. 
 The broad columnar end of the arm grips 
 
168 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 adhesively the under surface of the table, and 
 the operators simply pull the whole psychic arm 
 into the body of the medium. In other words, 
 the psychic arm or cantilever can be moved 
 straight into and out from the body of the 
 medium — can be absorbed in her or projected 
 from her. 
 
 Let me now state the motions which are 
 possible to the table standing on the floor within 
 the circle — motions which I have experimentally 
 verified in every case. The table may be moved 
 by psychic force : — 
 
 (1) Directly inwards towards medium until 
 it is in contact with her body ; (2) directly out- 
 wards from medium ; (3) in a sideways direction 
 either to right or left (this is a very common 
 movement, for if, during levitation experiments, 
 I place the table on the floor not exactly in 
 the position desired by the operators, they 
 promptly move it a little to one side — see p. 56) ; 
 (4) practically any direction within the circle, 
 as is evidently possible from combinations of 
 the three principal movements enumerated in 
 (1), (2), and (3). 
 
 Returning now to the psychic pull. In 
 Experiment 68 the table was pulled directly 
 inwards towards medium, against friction. 
 
 Experiment 69 : To investigate the pyschic pull 
 when the table is lifted. 
 
 I lifted the table into the air and asked the 
 operators to pull in as before, which they did 
 
A CANTILEVER THEORY 
 
 169 
 
 immediately. The pull was very perceptible, 
 and, contrary to my expectations, its place of 
 application seemed somewhat low down under 
 the table, perhaps about a foot above the floor. 
 Several tests gave the same kind of result. 
 Moreover, the pulling body (if I may so 
 express it) seemed to my sense of feeling as 
 though it were pretty solid and not at all soft 
 and elastic. The table, in fact, was well and 
 solidly gripped. Now, the cantilever theory 
 shows a psychic arm like this — 
 
 Table here 
 
 K^ ^--,.=««™«-_ Column 
 
 M 
 
 Fig. 30. 
 
 Can the psychic pull be explained on this 
 theory? I think so. The column gets under 
 the table and grips by adhesion its under 
 surface ; the operators then absorb the arm 
 bit by bit into the body of the medium. 
 
170 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 the whole cantilever being thus continually 
 shortened, and finally disappearing into the 
 body of the medium ; the place of application 
 of the pulling force is C, at the foot of the 
 column, and this accounts for the direction 
 of pull appearing to be from well beneath 
 the surface of the table. The psychic push 
 is the opposite process, the cantilever being 
 pushed out from the body of the medium. 
 The arm can also move to and fro sideways. 
 It is thus obvious that the arm has a range of 
 action practically over the whole region within 
 the circle, as well as over a considerable 
 space outside the circle in the vicinity of the 
 medium. 
 
 Let us now apply the cantilever theory to 
 some more of the experimental results with 
 regard to levitation and see how it fits in. 
 
 Take the case of the four tables levitated 
 over the platform of the weighing-machine 
 (Chapter VI. ). Two of these tables were levitated 
 with the surface practically level, and two with 
 the surface at angles of about 30 degrees with 
 the horizonal. It is to be noted it was with the 
 smaller-sized tables (tables 3 and 4) that the 
 inclination occurred. Does it not seem likely 
 that the operators experienced difficulty in get- 
 ting their levitating structure properly beneath 
 these tables, owing to the relatively small area of 
 surface and to the fact that the tables were rest- 
 ing on the top of the platform of the machine, 
 a height of about 7 in. ? And that in conse- 
 
A CANTILEVER THEORY 
 
 171 
 
 quence the cantilever, instead of being* what 
 I may call the standard shape of fig. 27, was 
 for convenience more like fig. 31 ? 
 
 The reader should bear in mind that the thick- 
 ness of the arm shown in figs. 27-31 has 
 no significance. The real thickness of the arms 
 is probably very much greater than that 
 
 Levitated 
 
 Table. 
 
 Fig. 31. 
 
 sketched, perhaps being in the vicinity of that 
 shown in fig. 32. 
 
 The part A is probably narrow, and the arm 
 broadens and deepens out below the table 
 at B ; the part A may even consist of two 
 or three arms springing from various parts of 
 the body of the medium and coalescing into 
 one large portion in the neighbourhood of 
 the table. 
 
172 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 The cantilever theory throws some light on 
 the anomalous results of Chapter VI. In the 
 case of the levitation of the stool over the 
 platform of the w^eighing-machine, it will be 
 remembered that the steelyard was quite stiff 
 during the levitation, and immediately regained 
 
 Fig. 32. 
 
 its sensitiveness when the levitation was over 
 (Experiment 43). Probably what was happen- 
 ing was that the levitating structure was in- 
 clined at some such angle as is shown in 
 fig. 31, with the consequence that there was 
 a rather heavy horizontal component of the 
 reaction which pushed the platform over on its 
 bearings and caused friction ; for it must be 
 
A CANTILEVER THEORY 173 
 
 remembered that to suit special cases and 
 conditions the levitating cantilever is likely to 
 assume various shapes and forms in conformity 
 to the principle of least work, and that thereby 
 the magnitude and direction of reaction under 
 it are liable to vary. 
 
 In Experiment 55 it was shown that while a 
 compression balance on the floor under the table 
 was registering vertical reaction during levitation, 
 the medium herself was heavier than she normally 
 is. Unfortunately, I did not find the actual 
 increase of her weight for this levitation, which 
 increase was probably due to the strained condi- 
 tion of the cantilever. 
 
 In Experiment 57 a thud was heard on the 
 under surface of the table just before levitation. 
 Is this not likely to have been the top of the 
 broad column beneath the table being applied 
 rather more vigorously than usual to the under- 
 surface ? When I remarked on the thud it 
 was immediately repeated for my edification. I 
 take it that it was audible demonstration of 
 the preliminary preparation required for the 
 phenomenon. 
 
 In Experiment 24 I have shown that the table 
 may be turned upside down on the floor, and 
 that the experimenter may seize hold of the 
 legs and try to lift it and be unable to do so. 
 Fig. 33 shows what probably happens in that 
 case. The psychic arm emanating from medium 
 broadens out on to the under surface of table 
 and presses directly upon it, for it must be re- 
 
 ^sssim^mi, 
 
174 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 membered that experiment shows the arm may 
 (1) push directly outwards from medium, (2) pull 
 directly inwards, (3) move about with medium 
 as fulcrum within the circle. For levitation and 
 similar phenomena the arm is locked (fixed) 
 within the body of the medium. 
 
 Fig. 33. 
 
 In Experiment 29 I held a small metal trumpet 
 out into the air, and in a short time it was given 
 a strong forward pull that almost snatched it 
 from my grip. What happened then was, on 
 the present theory, that a psychic arm was pro- 
 jected from the medium, and the end of this, 
 after a little manoeuvring, gripped by adhesion 
 the end of the trumpet ; the arm was then pulled 
 quickly into the body of the medium ; and so 
 strong was the pull that the adhesion gave way 
 
A CANTILEVER THEORY 175 
 
 and the experimenter only felt a sudden snatch. 
 It is to be noted that some twenty seconds elapsed 
 from the commencement of this experiment until 
 the jerk occurred, indicating that a period of 
 preparation was needed, much in the way that a 
 period of preparation is required for levitation. 
 
 I have sometimes observed another experiment 
 with the trumpet which has interesting features 
 in connection with it. 
 
 Experiment 70 : The trumpet waving to and fro 
 in the air and endeavouring to place itself 
 on the surface of the table. 
 
 The trumpet is at the commencement of the 
 seance placed on the floor under the table. 
 After a while it rises and the thin end pro- 
 jects well from below the table (fig. 34) on the 
 side remote from the medium and waves to 
 and fro in the air horizontally, beating time to 
 a tune for five minutes or more. This has 
 happened many times. But the next process is 
 not so common — I have only seen it some three 
 times. After waving about in the air for some 
 time, the small end of the trumpet — that project- 
 ing beyond the table — rises until it touches the 
 edge of the table, then the trumpet slides bodily 
 up the ledge, by short sharp jerks, at the same 
 time bending over to the top surface, while the 
 thick end comes out from below the table. 
 
 Three successive positions are shown on fig. 
 35 which will make the description clearer. 
 When it gets into the position (3), the whole 
 
176 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 trumpet can be clearly seen apparently in contact 
 with nothing. Further strong shoves are then 
 given it in an endeavour to slide it up the ledge 
 and jerk it on to the surface of the table. I my- 
 self have observed the trumpet one stage farther 
 advanced on its journey than (3), but I have not 
 
 Fig. 34. 
 
 seen the actual completion of the experiment. 
 On the occasions I have witnessed the pheno- 
 menon the operators were unable to succeed with 
 the final necessary jerk. However, the sitters 
 inform me that it has been completely successful 
 on one occasion. 
 
 I take it that the psychic arm had hold of the 
 trumpet by adhesion at its thick end, and that 
 the various motions given to it were more or 
 less those I have dealt with already. 
 
 This experiment of the movement of the 
 trumpet, the waving to and fro in the air keeping 
 
A CANTILEVER THEORY 
 
 177 
 
 time to a tune, and the motions described above 
 about the ledge of the table may be interesting 
 to those who at " dark " seances have heard the 
 " voices " through a trumpet which was presum- 
 ably moving about the room. 
 
 In Experiment 22 it was stated that when the 
 table stands on the floor within the circle it can 
 
 Fig. 35, 
 
 be made on request almost as light as a feather 
 or so heavy that it cannot be lifted. 
 
 Now, it has been shown (Chapter VII, Ex- 
 periments 45, 47, etc.) that when a compres- 
 sion balance is on the floor below the table, if, 
 say, 30 lb. is the normal vertical reaction for 
 steady levitation, this reaction is not applied sud- 
 denly, but, in other words, grows steadily for 
 about five to six seconds, and that the table 
 seems to spring into the air when the growth 
 
 1% 
 
178 REAJLITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 of psychic force is complete. According to the 
 cantilever theory this growth of the reaction is 
 synonymous with the making of the cantilever 
 rigid enough to withstand the weight of the levi- 
 tated table. Suppose, now, that the growth of 
 this psychic force is stopped at a value which 
 does not make the cantilever sufficiently rigid to 
 lift the table, but which nevertheless makes it 
 sufficiently strong to exert a considerable up- 
 ward force on the table — but less than its weight, 
 — then we have the apparent decrease of the 
 weight of the table explained. The operators 
 can as a matter of fact stop the growth of the 
 psychic force at any magnitude they wish, as 
 abundant experimental results amply testify. 
 
 The increasing of the weight of the table may 
 be explained thus : the cantilever end grips the 
 under surface of the table by adhesion, and is 
 then pressed downwards towards the floor. 
 
 A point I have already remarked on several 
 times IS the fact that when the psychic pressure 
 becomes sufficiently great, the table seems actu- 
 ally to spring into the air. It does not rise 
 gradually, as might have been supposed. The 
 experimenter almost feels, when he watches it, 
 that some restraining force had been suddenly 
 removed which was keeping it from levitating. 
 Perhaps the following idea, which seems to me 
 at least feasible, may partly explain it : — 
 
 During the preparation for levitation the line 
 of communication (whatever it may consist of) 
 is loose and soft ; a flexible connection A is made 
 
A CANTILEVER THEORY 179 
 
 M 
 
 Fig. 36, 
 
 "Fig. 37. 
 
180 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 with the under surface of the table (fig. 36). 
 Psychic force is extended along the line and a 
 stiff cantilever is gradually formed. At a certain 
 instant, depending upon the rigidity attained by 
 the end A, the end A suddenly opens out (fig. 
 37) and becomes straight and vertical. As it is 
 attached to the table, the latter of course rises 
 with it and appears to levitate with a jerk or 
 spring. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 RAPS 
 
 At my experimental circles all kinds and 
 degrees of rapping occurred, varying in sound 
 from the slightest audible ticks to blows such 
 as might have been produced (judging by the 
 noise) by a sledge-hammer ; dances and tunes 
 were rapped out on the floor or table, sounds 
 as of a bouncing ball were heard in the room, 
 the leg of the table was apparently sawn, the 
 floor was rubbed as though with sand-paper, 
 a man was heard walking and a horse trotting 
 over the floor, and so on (see Chapter I.). 
 
 1 intend now to describe the experimental 
 work I have carried out in connection with this 
 matter, and to evolve a theory to account 
 for it. 
 
 Experiment 71 : The medium sitting quietly on 
 the weighing-machine, to observe how 
 her weight was affected when rapping 
 was occurring. 
 
 The small, accurate weighing - machine 
 described in Chapter III., lent by Messrs 
 
 181 
 
182 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 W. & T. Avery, Ltd., was used. The draw- 
 ing-board (see Chapter III.) was tied to the plat- 
 form and a piece of dark carpet was tacked 
 to it, as there was reason to beheve that white 
 light rays from its surface were interfering with 
 the intensity of the phenomena. The circle 
 sat throughout the experiments with hands on 
 knees, so that each member was physically 
 isolated from the rest. The medium's hands 
 were flat on her knees, and at my request she 
 sat perfectly still. 
 
 Initial weight of medium 
 -f chair + drawing- 
 board . . . . = 9 St. 4 lb. oz. 
 
 Having balanced accurately, I asked the 
 operators to rap on the floor, as I wished to 
 discover if a rap synchronised with increase 
 or decrease of weight as registered on the 
 weighing-machine. One or two raps were 
 given, but of an intensity only just audible. 
 Thereafter there were raps at intervals of a few 
 seconds. As they became gradually louder I 
 noticed a peculiar effect. Sometimes coincid- 
 ing with each rap or blow on the floor the 
 steelyard would rise against the top stop, and 
 would sometimes fall against the bottom stop. 
 1 did not understand what was going on until 
 I noticed that the weight of the medium as 
 balanced between the raps was diminishing. 
 With the increasing loudness of raps the 
 weight of the medium continued to decrease. 
 
RAPS 183 
 
 this process going on until the loudest sledge- 
 hammer blows were being given, when the 
 weight became stationary and did not decrease 
 further, and thereafter, until the end of the 
 experiment, remained steady. The time occu- 
 pied in the process was about a minute. 
 
 Final weight of medium 
 + chair + drawing- 
 board . . . . = 8 St. 10 lb. oz. 
 
 Therefore final steady de- 
 crease in weight . . = 8 lb. 
 
 When conditions became steady I informed 
 the operators that I was going to watch the 
 process again. T accordingly turned on white 
 light rays into the circle, which process always 
 effectively prevents phenomena. Then I 
 weighed medium, chair and drawing-board 
 again. The new weight was 9 st. 4 lb. I 
 then asked the operators to " set conditions " 
 and to rap at intervals. Again the weight 
 began gradually to decrease and the loudness 
 of the raps to increase, the loudness, so far as 
 could be judged, being directly proportional 
 to decrease of weight. When sledge-hammer 
 intensity was reached, the weight became steady 
 again at 8 st. 10 lb. It seems therefore neces- 
 sary to conclude that (1) raps, blows, etc., 
 cannot be produced unless the medium's weight 
 is reduced ; (2) the intensity of the rap depends 
 upon the decrease of weight and is apparently 
 directly proportional to it ; (3) the loss of weight 
 
184 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 is merely temporary, as on each occasion of re- 
 weighing after tlie experiment the initial dead 
 weight of 9 st. 4 lb. was obtained ; (4) the loss of 
 weight is not effected suddenly, but on the 
 contrary quite gradually ; (5) after a time the loss 
 of weight reaches a final amount and thereafter 
 does not vary. 
 
 It seems to me that the loss represents actual 
 matter temporarily detached from the medium 
 and used in some manner in the production of 
 raps, blows, etc. 
 
 Expeiiment 72 : The effect of raps, blows, etc., 
 given on the floor, upon the weight of the 
 medium. 
 
 Initial weight of medium 
 
 + chair + board . . = 9 st. 4 lb. oz. 
 
 When the reduction in weight, as mentioned 
 in Experiment 71, had reached a maximum, and 
 the steelyard balanced at 8 st. 10 lb., I asked 
 the operators to produce raps of various inten- 
 sities on the floor. The results were as follows : 
 Raps of all degrees of loudness cause corre- 
 sponding and synchronous increase of weight of 
 medium, indicated by steelyard pressing for a 
 second against the top stop, the pressure roughly 
 proportional to loudness of rap, varying from the 
 slightest upward movement of steelyard to a 
 force (as judged by the sense of touch) of many 
 pounds. Impacts on the floor, such as the 
 bouncing-ball imitation, sand-paper noise on floor, 
 and so on (Chapter I.), all cause synchronous and 
 
RAPS 185 
 
 temporary additional weight, the lever again 
 balancing after each blow. 
 
 How are we to reconcile the results of Experi- 
 ment 71 and the experiments dealing with levita- 
 tion, where in the one case the medium loses weight 
 and in the other gains it ? The only reasonable 
 conclusion is that the process during levitation is 
 different from that during the production of raps 
 and impacts generally. During the process of 
 levitation I have never observed any initial or 
 other decrease in the weight of the medium, but, 
 on the contrary, always an increase> Again, in 
 Experiment 71 the operators knew that raps and 
 blows only were expected, and no levitation was 
 attempted ; hence it is to be presumed that the 
 reduction in weight then noted was that neces- 
 sary for the work in hand alone. Also I would 
 add that during levitation raps are very seldom 
 given, and then only of the feeblest type. 
 
 Experiment 73 : What happened to the medium's 
 weight at the commencement of a seance, 
 and the effect of rapping, etc. 
 
 In this experiment (which was carried out at 
 a later date than Experiments 71 and 72) I am 
 going to describe what occurred near the com- 
 mencement of a seance in which for some reason 
 or other — perhaps partly owing to the extremely 
 wet weather — phenomena were slower than usual 
 in getting under way. Probably the processes 
 noted in this case occur during all seances, but 
 on ordinary occasions they are soon finished and 
 
186 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 psychical equilibrium is quickly established. On 
 the present occasion, after the circle had held 
 hands in the chain formation for some little time 
 and a few levitations had been obtained, I seated 
 the medium on the chair on the weighing- 
 machine. I then altered the chain order and 
 asked each member of the circle to place hands 
 on knees. Owing to the somewhat unfavourable 
 conditions prevailing, this seemed to break up 
 what psychic balance had existed, with the con- 
 sequence that, to all intents and purposes, the 
 seance had to commence over again. The 
 initial weight of medium -I- chair + drawing- 
 board was 9 st. 10 lb. 12 oz. I carefully watched 
 the balan ce of the weighing-machine. During the 
 first five minutes or so there was no decrease or 
 increase of weight registered, and no replies by raps 
 in answer to repeated requests. Then the weight 
 began very slowly to diminish, and light raps 
 began to be heard. I wish to emphasise the fact 
 that until this first slight diminution in weight 
 occurred, absolutely no raps were given. Soon 
 after the process had commenced the weight 
 began to decrease in successive fluxes of from 
 2 lb. to 5 lb. or slightly more, and at the 
 termination of each decrease to come back some- 
 what. It would seem that as soon as a little 
 weight is removed the drawing action upon the 
 medium becomes easier ; in other words, that the 
 establishing of even a weak psychic field facilitates 
 greatly the preliminary operations. The process 
 once started, I asked the operators to rap at 
 
RAPS 
 
 187 
 
 intervals. The fluxes of decreasing weight con- 
 tinued, becoming gradually greater and greater. 
 I noticed that when a loud blow was given on 
 the floor the weight would greatly diminish — as 
 much as 20 lb. or even more — and would then 
 usually come back, or nearly come back, to what 
 
 9st. lOlb. 12oz 
 
 About 6st. 
 
 it was before the blow was struck. The weight 
 did not flow back instantly after the blow, but if 
 it did come back it did so slowly, taking perhaps 
 six or seven seconds. Now and then it did not 
 come back for about half a minute, and on those 
 occasions it did not return so far as the original 
 amount registered before the blow. The weight, 
 generally speaking, decreased in waves, irregularly 
 (see fig. 38). 
 
188 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 The final fairly steady value — which lasted for 
 a few minutes — was about 6 st., although there 
 were fluxes somewhat below this. 
 
 It seems to me that in this experiment we 
 witness two processes in combination : — 
 
 (1) The process of getting the medium into 
 condition — the loosening of the psychic stuff by 
 strong fluxes of upward force upon her body ; and 
 (2) the removal of sufficient material from her 
 body for the production of raps. 
 
 When the processes outlined above had been 
 going on for about a quarter of an hour, and the 
 total weight had been fairly steady at about 6 st. 
 for a minute or so, the medium began to regain 
 her lost weight. I watched the process with 
 great interest, because it was quite unexpected so 
 far as I was concerned. The regaining process 
 was very slow, occupying I should say about 
 two minutes, and it was quite regular, in sharp 
 contradistinction to the decreasing process. I 
 quite easily kept the lever balanced by the rider 
 as the weight grew, and I followed it up until 
 exactly the original value of 9 st. 10 lb. 12 oz. 
 was reached. 
 
 I expect that in ordinary seances, with con- 
 ditions normal, the initial drawing process is 
 finished very quickly. The final action, that in 
 which the medium gradually regained her weight, 
 was probably the conclusion of the preliminary 
 operations, for phenomena soon started, and pro- 
 ceeded with much their usual vigour. The results 
 of this experiment seem to me to give us some 
 
RAPS 189 
 
 positive notions as to the meaning of the fluxes 
 of nervous and muscular stress so many people 
 experience at the opening of a seance. 
 
 There is just the possibility that the operators 
 were acting directly upon the lever of the weigh- 
 ing-machine. The chances against this are, how- 
 ever, very great. The operators knew that to do 
 so would be to render the results valueless ; they 
 were as keen on the experiments as myself, and 
 if at any time they were unable to carry out any 
 test they always told me. Moreover, during 
 much of the time I had fairly strong light 
 upon the lever of the machine. Then the corre- 
 spondence between the loudness of the raps 
 and the decrease of weight, the synchronism 
 between the raps and the fluxes of decreased 
 weight, and so on, all show quite plainly that 
 the forces registered were due to actions upon 
 the medium alone. 
 
 It is fairly evident that the main processes in- 
 cluded in levitation of the table and in rapping 
 are somewhat diflerent ; indeed, an actual tem- 
 porary loss of the medium's weight seems essential 
 for rapping (Experiments 71 and 73), and further- 
 more the intensity of the rap seems directly pro- 
 portional to the amount of the loss of weight. I 
 have on several occasions noted the distinction 
 between the two processes, and at one seance in 
 my own house I made some particular observa- 
 tions on it 
 
190 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 Experiment 74 : Distinction between the levita- 
 tion and rapping processes. 
 
 Levitation phenomena had been in progress 
 for some time. Just after a levitation was over 
 I asked a question of the operators. There was 
 no answer for half a minute or so. Then a reply 
 was given by gentle raps. In a few seconds the 
 raps increased in intensity, and before long were 
 sharp and distinct — that is to say, the change from 
 the processes involved in levitation to those made 
 use of in rapping required time. I watched this 
 change on several occasions on this particular 
 evening, and I had observed it often before. 1 
 am now quite certain that it takes appreciable 
 and measurable time to effect. As further corro- 
 boration, I have noted that sometimes, instead of 
 going to the trouble of " changing over," the 
 operators would prefer to answer questions by 
 tilting the end of the table, which is a much more 
 cumbersome method of holding a conversation 
 than the method of raps. 
 
 Experiment 75 : " Bombardment " of the medium 
 during rapping. 
 
 This experiment was conducted in my own 
 house. The medium was sitting at the head of 
 the circle, and I placed myself almost directly 
 opposite her. The light was good, and I could 
 observe her thoroughly. The operators were 
 producing heavy thuds on the floor in front of 
 her at intervals of a few seconds. At each 
 
RAPS 191 
 
 thud the medium was pushed backwards on her 
 chair — even violently pushed backwards, for the 
 movement was quite obvious. She seemed to be 
 struck in the region of the chest, and the motion 
 given to her was very similar to that given to 
 any large body which, being free to move, is 
 struck by a small one travelling with considerable 
 velocity. In other words, a back force seemed to 
 react on her for each rap. I watched the process 
 for quite a long time, and the result was never 
 in doubt. When the raps became lighter and 
 quicker, she still received pushes which caused 
 lier to swing backwards — motions which were 
 quite visible, evidently one for each rap ; and at 
 one time she was under a veritable bombardment 
 from the reactions. When the raps were pro- 
 duced in her immediate neighbourhood, instead 
 of out in the circle, I noticed that she seemed to 
 be hit in more nearly a vertical direction than 
 was the case for the latter position — that is, the 
 reaction for the rap seems to be transmitted from 
 the floor in a straight line to somewhere near the 
 chest of the medium. If the rap is produced far 
 out in the circle, this straight line is not so much 
 inclined to the Hoor as when it is produced near 
 the medium ; all of which is very natural and in 
 agreement with the laws of mechanics if we 
 suppose something in the nature of a semi-rigid 
 body or rod projects itself from the medium to 
 the point on the Hoor where the rapping is to 
 occur. 
 
 In addition to observing the bombardment of 
 
192 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 the medium, I went over to her while it was in 
 progress and felt the various motions of her body. 
 She experiences no inconvenience from the rap 
 reactions, and nothing of the stress she undergoes 
 when a table levitates. 
 
 Experiment 76 : To endeavour to discover the 
 " shape " of a rap. 
 
 In order to test the result of a rap on paper, I 
 procured a couple of brass rings about six inches 
 in diameter, placed a piece of brown paper be- 
 tween them, and fixed the rings together by a 
 couple of bolts through projecting lugs. The 
 paper was then taut, somewhat like the end of 
 drum. The rap was duly delivered upon the 
 paper, which on examination was found to be in- 
 dented heavily, and slightly torn downwards in a 
 curved line about an inch long, as though it had 
 received a slanting blow from something of an 
 oval shape about two square inches in area and 
 moving comparatively slowly. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE HOD THEORY FOR RAPS 
 
 The theory to account for the phenomenon of 
 raps which I am now going to discuss is as 
 follows : — 
 
 From various parts of the body of the medium 
 psychic semi-flexible rods are projected, the end 
 portions of which, being struck sharply on the 
 floor, table, chair, or other body, cause the sharp 
 sounds known generally as raps. 
 
 These rods have apparently all the character- 
 istics of solid bodies ; they are more or less 
 flexible, and can be varied in length and diameter. 
 Several of the smaller rods, or one of the largest 
 size, may project from the medium at any one 
 time. Each one, especially near its extremity, 
 is more or less rigid, and the rigidity can be 
 varied within limits depending upon conditions 
 of light, the psychic energy available, and so 
 forth. The rigidity is probably ultimately 
 brought about by some kind of molecular action 
 concerning which we are as yet perfectly ignor- 
 ant — the kind of action that produces the same 
 effect on the cantilever. 
 
 193 13 
 
194 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 I have heard of various "explosion" theories 
 for raps. I disagree completely with all such. 
 If what occurs at my circle is typical — and I 
 expect it is — there is not the vestige of any 
 evidence for explosions, but, on the other hand, 
 an overwhelming testimony for direct impacts 
 by a body resembling a solid one. Let me go 
 over some of this evidence in detail. 
 
 (1) The raps (by which term I include little 
 light raps, knocks, sledge-hammer blows, and 
 all intermediate varieties) cause vibration of 
 the floor or other body upon which they are 
 produced. The heavier blows cause such pro- 
 nounced vibration that the boards of the floor 
 sensibly shake. All visitors to the seance room 
 notice this. 
 
 (2) The Psychic Touch. — Touches are some- 
 times experienced at the circle. I have carefully ' 
 analysed their impression on the sense of feeling. 
 A psychic touch feels exactly as though the 
 rounded end of a material rod was pushed on 
 one's arm, or foot, or other part of the body. 
 The "solidity" of the touching body is what 
 impresses the experimenter ; for no matter how 
 carefully or softly the operators apply the touch, 
 one feels as though the blunted end of a hard 
 something — a something even made of metal — 
 were being used. On my theory this touching 
 apparatus is, in fact, the end of a " rapping " rod 
 projecting from the medium, the end of a rod 
 which in some unknown manner is made half 
 rigid. When the experimenter has felt this 
 
THE ROD THEORY FOR RAPS 195 
 
 unexpectedly solid touch he begins to understand 
 a little about the process of the rap in general. 
 
 (3) The rigidity of the rapping rod varies with 
 the amount of light to which it is subjected. 
 This statement may appear curious. Perhaps 
 I had better illustrate by an example. Some- 
 times we have formed an impromptu circle in 
 the dining-room or other room where a fire was 
 burning and w^here light was coming in through 
 the blinds from street lamps outside. On such 
 occasions the operators either rap on the medium's 
 chair or on the floor between her chair and 
 that of Mr Morrison — that is to say, in either 
 case in close proximity to the medium. When 
 at such times the light is too strong or is badly 
 regulated (as usually happens), the raps resemble 
 soft, dull thuds, and cannot seemingly be made 
 sharp and distinct. I cannot overcome the con- 
 viction that the rapping rod in such cases is 
 not so rigid as usual; that in fact it becomes 
 soft, or even, as it were, partially melted on 
 its periphery, where it is exposed to the light, 
 and that its core is the only part of it remaining 
 solid. Hence the dull, softish sound of its free 
 end when it strikes the floor. 
 
 (4) The rapping rods issue from various parts 
 of the body of the medium. When the amount 
 of psychic energy is low, or w^hen the quantity 
 available is small, such as near the commence- 
 ment of a seance, the rods are naturally of the 
 shortest length possible consistent with the pro- 
 duction of the phenomenon. Accordingly, at 
 
196 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 the beginning of operations in the seance room 
 the raps are first heard quite close to the 
 medium's feet, for the rods in that case issue, 
 as I have reason to beheve, from her ankles or 
 from some part in close proximity. My reason 
 for thus locating the starting-place of such 
 rods is due to the mechanical reactions of the 
 raps (Experiments 72, 73). These particular 
 mechanical reactions cause her to make slight 
 involuntary motions with her feet, motions which 
 a careless observer would set down to imposture. 
 After a little time, when further stores of 
 psychic energy become available, the raps are 
 produced further out in the circle — on the chairs 
 of the sitters, or on the under surface of the 
 table within the circle. The starting-point of 
 the rod then seems to be much higher up her 
 body, for the reactionary movements are then 
 visible on the trunk. 
 
 (5) Raps vary in intensity from the slightest 
 audible sounds to blows such as could be struck 
 — judging by the sound — by a sledge-hammer. 
 (Of course, the intensity of the latter blows is 
 not that which would be obtained from an actual 
 sledge-hammer, or the floor boards would be split. 
 I expect the end of the rod in such cases " gives," 
 i.e. is slightly elastic, with the result that only 
 violent vibration of the floor occurs, and that there 
 is in reality more noise than actual force.) 
 
 The beating of a carpet by a flexible cane seems 
 to be somewhat analogous to the actual process. 
 
 I have noted often that the heaviest blows 
 
THE ROD THEORY FOR RAPS 197 
 
 are not usually delivered quickly. Two such 
 blows are seldom struck in series — that is, one 
 following the other immediately, in the manner 
 of what is called the double knock. There is 
 an interval of a second or two between them, 
 and while the blows are in progress no other 
 phenomena can be produced. On my theory, 
 what is here happening is that one large rod 
 is projecting from the medium, a rod of such 
 large dimensions that all the psychic energy 
 available is used in its construction. In other 
 words, it is a sledge-hammer and not a tack- 
 hammer. When the raps required are light, 
 two or more thin rods may be projecting from 
 the medium simultaneously. Take the case of 
 a jig or other complicated tune being rapped 
 out on floor or table. The raps follow each other 
 so quickly that it is reasonable to suppose that 
 the operator has at his command a series of 
 projecting rods, and uses these as we would 
 use the keys of a piano. Some of the rods used 
 must be very thin. At a rough guess 1 should 
 say they vary from a diameter of about ^ in. 
 to one of 2 in. or 3 in. 
 
 (6) I have carefully watched the phenomenon 
 of raps while the medium has been seated on the 
 weighing-machine. If the reader will refer to 
 Experiments 71, 72, and 73, he will find some 
 relative data. The conclusions from those ex- 
 periments were as follows : — 
 
 {a) Raps, blows, etc., cannot be produced un- 
 less the medium's weight is reduced. 
 
198 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 (b) The intensity of the rap depends upon the 
 medium's decrease of weight, and is apparently 
 directly proportional to it. 
 
 In Experiment 73 I state : "I wish to em- 
 phasise the fact that until this first slight diminu- 
 tion in weight occurred, absolutely no raps were 
 given." Also, " I noticed that when a loud blow 
 was given on the floor the weight would greatly 
 diminish — as much as 20 lb. or more — and would 
 then usually come back, or nearly come back, to 
 what it was before the blow was struck." Hence 
 it will be seen that in this experiment a state of 
 equilibrium had evidently not been arrived at, as 
 was seemingly the case in Experiment 71, where 
 a maximum steady diminution of weight of about 
 8 lb. was maintained during the loudest blows, and 
 where there did not appear to be fluxes of weight 
 diminution accompanying the blows. 
 
 Let us see how the matter works out on the 
 rod theory. 
 
 The Dimimdion of Weight. — The rigidity of the 
 psychic rod is due in some way to material par- 
 ticles temporarily projected from the medium. 
 So soon as a rod is formed, its free end rests on the 
 floor, i.e. part of the body of the medium is sup- 
 ported on the floor beyond the weighing-machine 
 on which she is seated ; she thus apparently loses 
 weight. The thicker the rod the more of the 
 matter of her body is thus externally supported, 
 and, as the thickness of the rod used determines 
 the intensity of the rap, her apparent loss of weight 
 is thus proportional to the intensity of the blow. 
 
THE HOD THEORY FOR RAPS 199 
 
 In Experiment 71, with perfect psychic equi- 
 librium, it was found that, during the period of 
 experimenting for the loudest blows, the medium's 
 weight remained practically steady at a diminu- 
 tion of 8 lb. With the steelyard of the weighing- 
 machine balanced at this diminution, it was found 
 that raps caused corresponding and synchronous 
 increase of weight of the medium, indicated by 
 steelyard pressing for a second against the top 
 stop, the pressure being roughly proportional to 
 loudness of rap, varying from slightest upward 
 movement of steelyard to a force — as judged by 
 the sense of touch — of many pounds. In my 
 opinion this temporary increase of weight was 
 caused (1) by one or more of the rods being lifted 
 from the floor, and (2) by the mechanical reaction 
 on the medium when the rod was impacted on 
 the floor to cause the rap. 
 
 This reaction is a very real matter, and affords 
 further evidence that something mechanical, most 
 likely in the nature of a more or less flexible rod, 
 is in reality used. 
 
 (7) Besides the usual raps, blows, etc., there 
 are various peculiar modifications. For instance, 
 there is the imitation of the bouncing ball, which 
 is so lifelike that the listener would be prepared 
 to declare that a material ball is really present. 
 How is this imitation accounted for on the rod 
 theory ? Probably there is some modification of 
 the terminal of the rod. It is made softer than 
 usual, and its shape is perhaps altered somewhat 
 also. 
 
200 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 The imitation of sand-paper rubbing the floor 
 is not hard to understand. The end of a rod 
 is rubbed along the floor instead of impacting 
 on it. 
 
 The imitation of the table leg being sawn is 
 more difficult. Perhaps this is caused by the rod 
 being moved lengthwise across the leg of the 
 table, i.e. the end of the rod is not used, but the 
 axial surface of it. 
 
 (8) The movements of small objects "without 
 contact " is generally understandable on the rod 
 theory. When the little hand-bell is lifted, as 
 often happens, a couple of rods may be supposed 
 to seize it on either side like a pair of tongs, or 
 a single rod may grip it by adhesion. That such 
 rods have more or less the characteristics of solid 
 bodies may be seen in an experiment with the 
 bell. Sometimes when the bell is lifted it does 
 not ring clearly, but has the dulled sound one 
 would obtain if it were gripped by the metal 
 instead of by the handle. The rod, or rods, are 
 in that case pressing against the metal, and, as 
 they have the properties of solid bodies, they 
 damp the sound vibrations. But the bell can 
 evidently be also seized by the handle, when it 
 rings clearly in the ordinary manner. Some- 
 times the operators ring the bell and rap on the 
 floor simultaneously. 
 
 I will now describe a couple of curious experi- 
 ments in connection with raps, which illustrate 
 some of the points discussed above. 
 
THE ROD THEORY FOR RAPS 201 
 
 Eocperiment 77 : The typewriter experiment. 
 
 I wished to see what the operators could do 
 with a typewriter placed within the circle ; 
 whether the keys could be struck with the 
 precision necessary to imprint letters upon the 
 paper ; whether the mass of metal of which 
 the machine was composed would have a 
 deleterious effect ; whether a rational message 
 could be typed out ; and so on. Accordingly, 
 a Barlock typewriter having been kindly placed 
 at my disposal by Mr T. Edens Osborne, I 
 fixed a sheet of paper in it in the ordinary way, 
 and placed it on the floor near the centre of the 
 circle. No sooner had I done so and turned on 
 the red light, than the keys were struck lightly 
 and rapidly as though a pair of hands were 
 playing over them. This having continued for 
 some little time, I examined the mechanism, but 
 I found that the type levers had become jammed, 
 evidently from several keys having been struck 
 simultaneously, and these had to be disengaged 
 before the experiment could be proceeded with. 
 (The typewriter was rather an old-fashioned one 
 and somewhat complex.) It was apparent that 
 the operators did not know how to use the 
 machine. I therefore explained to them that 
 they must strike each key separately with 
 a sharp blow and allow time for it to come 
 back to its normal position before striking 
 another. They followed this advice carefully 
 on the next occasion — with an exactness that 
 
202 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 was even surprising — and succeeded in typing 
 the following: — 
 
 mbx : gcsq' 
 
 There is nothing in the nature of a message in 
 the foregoing, and the experiment is chiefly in- 
 teresting as showing that the keys can be struck 
 with just the force necessary to produce such a 
 result. The mass of metal composing the type- 
 writer seems to have no injurious effects on the 
 transmission and application of the force. I will 
 add that the letters on the keys were in some 
 cases much worn ; perhaps the operators found 
 some difficulty in reading them. 
 
 Expe7iment 78: I smoothed out a lump of rather 
 soft putty into a saucer and placed the saucer on 
 the floor near the middle of the circle. I asked 
 the operators to " rap " on the putty. Three im- 
 pressions were made on it. They were similar 
 in form, each consisting of an oblong cavity 
 about f in. long and ^ in. wide at its widest 
 part, sloping down gradually from the periphery 
 to a maximum depth of \ in. or so. The near 
 edges of the two outside impressions impinged 
 upon the middle one. The floor of each cavity 
 was not smooth, but was lined by two series of 
 grooves or waves (although I call them " waves," 
 I do so for convenience of description only ; the 
 reader should understand that I have no inten- 
 tion of asserting that the pulse is transmitted in 
 wave form) : {a) long, comparatively deep waves, 
 and {b) waves crossing the crests of the former 
 
THE ROD THEORY FOR RAPS 
 
 203 
 
 at right angles. The long waves were all 
 practically parallel to one another and straight 
 for the greater portion of their length, though 
 they showed a tendency to curl round near the 
 long ends of the cavity. 
 
 Fig. 39 represents diagrammatically three of 
 the long waves A, B, C, near the middle of 
 the cavity. The dark lines repre- 
 sent the crests, and the white 
 spaces the troughs of the waves, 
 which are nearly equally spaced. 
 Three cross waves are shown by 
 the lines 1, 2, 3. Careful measure- 
 ment shows that there are about 
 thirteen of the long waves per 
 inch of width, and about thirty- 
 two cross waves per inch. The 
 latter cut through the crests of 
 the long waves at right angles, 
 and reach a depth of about one- 
 third the height of the long wave 
 as measured from trough to crest. 
 The measurements were difficult 
 owing to the curvature of the holes, but are 
 correct approximately. 
 
 These waves were evidently not made by a 
 sliding motion parallel to their length, but seem 
 to have been impressed by a force acting approxi- 
 mately perpendicularly to the putty, for the putty 
 is not heaped up or abraded anywhere, as would 
 result if the former were the case. 
 
 On thinking the matter over, I remembered 
 
 ABC 
 
 Fig. 39. 
 
 
204 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 that the markings were very similar to those on 
 the human finger and thumb. Accordingly I 
 examined my own fingers and thumb through a 
 magnifying glass. A magnification of three or 
 four diameters indicated a great degree of 
 correspondence. Assuming that the markings 
 were impressions of part of a finger or thumb, it 
 has to be remembered that crests on the finger 
 correspond to troughs in the cavity and vice 
 versa ; but even so, there are indications that 
 the cross notches or waves in the cavity are 
 produced by similar notches faintly showing at 
 the base of the troughs of the long waves on the 
 finger. If, then, as seems most likely to me, 
 these "raps" on the putty are really produced 
 by invisible fingers, the following deductions 
 would seem to be implied : — 
 
 (a) The impressing fingers are not of a normal 
 size, but are at least three times as large as 
 normal ones. This is evident from a comparison 
 of the pitch and depth of the grooves. 
 
 (b) The impressed grooves are so cleanly and 
 regularly cut that we must suppose the im- 
 pressing fingers are " new " ones — i.e. they are 
 in this respect unlike the marks on the human 
 finger, which are more or less worn, as is evident 
 from examination through the magnifying glass. 
 
 (c) The impressions are only a small part of 
 the finger or thumb. 
 
 (d) The impressions may be due to something 
 resembling the large toe on the human foot ; but 
 if so, the deductions (a), (6), and (c) still hold. 
 
THE ROD THEORY FOR RAPS 205 
 
 Now, what are we to make of this ? Does it 
 invahdate the rod theory ? Not so far as I can 
 see. The only point of difference would seem to 
 be that the end of the rapping rod in this case was 
 specially prepared with something resembling a 
 finger-print, just as for the bouncing-ball test and 
 the saw test it would also have to be specially 
 modified. I should have thought that the end 
 of the rod for simple rapping would have been 
 plain and unencumbered with design, following 
 out the principle of least work. Accordingly, I 
 interrogated the operators on the matter. They 
 said decisively and repeatedly that the impres- 
 sions on the putty were finger-prints, but that in 
 ordinary rapping finger-prints were 7iot used ; 
 that, in fact, a simple blunt projection was em- 
 ployed. They produced the finger prints on this 
 occasion to show what they could do and because 
 the putty, being soft, was able to reproduce them. 
 
 While on this subject it may interest my 
 readers to hear that when 1 had worked out the 
 cantilever theory for levitation, I put it to the 
 operators bit by bit in as plain and untechnical 
 language as possible. They say the whole thing 
 is practically accurate. They say they under- 
 stand what I mean when 1 describe the arched 
 rod issuing from the medium, going below the 
 table, and a column rising from its end, and so 
 forth. They also say the rod theory for raps is 
 substantially accurate. Of course, I do not ask 
 anybody to place any scientific value upon this, 
 but only mention it as a matter of interest. 
 
206 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 Once I asked how the cantilever arms, rapping 
 rods, etc., are made rigid. They said they did not 
 know. I asked them if there were any entities 
 who did know. They answered in the affirma- 
 tive. Asked if they could bring these entities to 
 the circle to impart the information to me, they 
 said they were doubtful if they could do so. Up 
 to now I have heard no more of the matter. 
 I now describe some experiments with the 
 
 Fio. 40. 
 
 electroscope on psychic " touching," which in my 
 opinion is only a variation of rapping. 
 
 The electroscope used was of a simple type 
 sufficiently illustrated by fig. 40. 
 
 A is a thin brass disc, B the brass stem, and 
 C C the gold leaves. The whole is enclosed from 
 a little way below the disc in a protecting 
 box with glass front and back and metal sides. 
 Proper insulation, of course, is provided. For 
 the experiments described below I charged the 
 electroscope on each occasion at a small table in 
 
THE ROD THEORY FOR RAPS 207 
 
 the corner of the room, and then took it to what- 
 ever part of the circle I desired. 1 found that 
 throughout the tests I could never charge the 
 instrument fully, i.e. so that the gold leaves 
 would widely diverge ; but that nevertheless I 
 could charge it so that the leaves would open 
 about two-thirds their full amount and remain 
 for an indefinite time at that distance apart. 
 
 Expei^iment 79 : Electroscope placed under table 
 where psychic energy was supposed to be 
 concentrated. 
 
 I charged the electroscope, and then asked the 
 operators to take their attention from the table 
 (they had been levitating it) and to remove as 
 much weight as they could from the body of the 
 medium, and to indicate to me that they had 
 accomplished this by giving a sledge-hammer 
 blow on the floor. The matter removed (used in 
 the production of raps) I asked should be con- 
 centrated under the table standing on the floor. 
 In about one minute a terriflc blow was given 
 upon the floor as a sign to me that the operation 
 was complete. I then placed the charged electro- 
 scope under the table and kept it there for half a 
 minute or so. 
 
 Result. — The electroscope was unaffected. 
 
 Experiment 80 : Psychic touching of disc of the 
 electroscope. 
 
 I took the electroscope to the table in the 
 corner, discharged and recharged it. I then 
 
208 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 placed it within the circle near the centre. I 
 asked the operators to " touch " the disc of the 
 instrument very gently. They did this almost 
 at once, the " touching " consisting of a metallic 
 scraping upon the brass disc, quite audible, 
 similar in type to the imitation of the floor being 
 rubbed with sand-paper, a phenomenon I have 
 often observed. 
 
 Result. — On examination the electroscope was 
 found to be completely discharged. 
 
 Experiment 81 : Further test on " touching " of 
 electroscope. 
 
 I took the electroscope to the table in the 
 corner of the room and tried to recharge it, but 
 I found I was unable to do so even after repeated 
 trials. Accordingly I asked the operators to put 
 back into the body of the medium the matter 
 they had taken out at my request in Experiment 
 79 (for the production of sledge-hammer blows), 
 and to give a few raps when they had done so. 
 In a minute or so some very light raps were 
 given, and when I asked if the process was 
 complete I received no raps in reply at all, 
 which seemed to indicate to me that all the 
 matter used for rapping had been returned to 
 the medium. At any rate, I found that I 
 could now charge the electroscope ; which done, 
 I placed it on the floor as before within the 
 circle, and asked that the disc should be 
 " touched " lightly. After a little time there 
 was the metallic scraping as before, and on 
 
THE ROD THEORY FOR RAPS 209 
 
 examination the electroscope was found to be 
 completely discharged. 
 
 Experiment 82 : Further experiment on " touch- 
 ing " of electroscope. 
 
 I repeated Experiment 80 most carefully. I 
 found the same difficulty in recharging the 
 electroscope, and the same process had to be 
 gone over again before it could be recharged. 
 When " touched " it was discharged as before. 
 
 As a working hypothesis to account for some 
 of the results of Experiments 79-82, it occurs to 
 me that the psychic "touching" of the disc of 
 the electroscope is equivalent to putting the 
 body of the medium in contact with the instru- 
 ment by means of matter abstracted from her 
 for the production of raps and similar effects. 
 No doubt the scraping action referred to belongs 
 to the rapping category of phenomena ; probably 
 the rapping rod is drawn over the surface of the 
 disc instead of impacting it. 
 
 14 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 
 
 Experinient 83 : Electric shock test. 
 
 I placed a small induction coil on the floor 
 within the circle, connected it to a dry cell, and 
 gave the medium one of the terminals to hold in 
 her right hand (the members of the circle were 
 sitting with hands on knees). The other terminal 
 (each of the terminals consisted of a small tube 
 of metal about two inches long) I placed on the 
 floor. I asked the operators to apply psychic 
 force to the terminal on the floor, to "touch" it, 
 and to move it about. They appeared to do all 
 these things. 
 
 Result. — The medium said that on one occa- 
 sion she felt what she afterwards recognised as a 
 weak electric shock in her right arm, and that 
 her wrist gave a jerk. She was most positive 
 that she felt the shock, though it is evident there 
 is much room for self-suggestion in the experi- 
 ment. It is true I took care not to let her 
 see the apparatus before the experiment, but, of 
 course, the test is inconclusive, and I only give 
 it as a matter of interest. 
 
 210 
 
MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 211 
 
 Eocperivient 84 : Phosphorescence. 
 
 I brought to the seance room a small piece 
 of cardboard which had been covered on one 
 surface with powered calcium sulphide, a sub- 
 stance which has the property of phosphorescing 
 for several hours after it has been exposed to 
 sunlight. Previous to the experiment I had 
 kept the cardboard in an envelope in my pocket 
 for twenty-four hours. The gaslight having 
 been turned off in the seance room, we were left 
 in total darkness. I placed the cardboard on 
 the floor within the circle, prepared surface 
 uppermost, and asked the operators to apply 
 psychic force to it, to " touch " it, and to " rap " 
 on it. This they apparently did, judging by the 
 sounds. I then held it in my fingers and asked 
 that it should be pushed. This was done, and I 
 felt the pushes. 
 
 Result. — Absolutely no sign of phosphor- 
 escence. 
 
 Experiment 85 : Fluorescence. 
 
 I also brought an X-ray fluorescent screen 
 (platino-cyanide of barium) to the seance room, 
 and asked the operators to treat it as they had 
 done the prepared cardboard of Experiment 84. 
 They apparently did so. 
 
 Result. — No sign of fluorescence. 
 
 The room being pitch dark at this time — 
 the only occasion in all my experiments, — the 
 operators, at the conclusion of the tests, desired 
 
212 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 to show us what they could do under such 
 conditions. The result was that a small earth- 
 quake seemed to be playing about the room. I 
 need not go into details, but will only say that 
 the table could not be held by any muscular 
 force exerted ; it turned upside down and levitated 
 in that fashion (see Experiment 23), and it per- 
 formed every possible kind of contortion. The 
 blows on the floor were terrific, and such, in fact, 
 was the din that I was glad to light the gas. 
 
 Eivperiment 86 : Delicacy of force actions upon 
 the medium. 
 
 In Experiment 73 will be found an account of 
 what occurred to the weight of the medium near 
 the commencement of a seance in which pheno- 
 mena were slow in starting — a rare occurrence 
 with the circle. Some time after the processes 
 outlined in that experiment had terminated and 
 the medium had regained her weight, I carried 
 out an experiment the results of which are to my 
 mind significant and interesting. 
 
 The medium being seated on the weighing- 
 machine, her weight + chair -f- drawing-board 
 balanced at 9 st. 10 lb. 12 oz. I said to the opera- 
 tors, " Please take 2 lb. or thereabouts off" the 
 weight of the medium, keep her balanced at 
 that, and rap as loudly as you can." In a very 
 short time after my request her weight was re- 
 duced, as evidenced by the steelyard falling 
 against the bottom stop, but I found when I 
 moved the rider back that more than the 2 lb. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 213 
 
 desired had been removed. I therefore told the 
 operators to add a little to her weight, which 
 they immediately did, but they slightly over- 
 stepped the mark, and I had to ask for a trifle to 
 be taken off again. This slight adding and sub- 
 tracting of weight was done at my request three 
 or four times until the machine just about 
 balanced at the required reduction. It was in- 
 teresting to see how steadily the operators could 
 hold the reduced weight when once told they had 
 obtained it. Then they rapped. With 2 lb. off 
 (or within a trifle of 2 lb.) the raps were quite 
 soft ; and on inquiry if that was the loudest they 
 could do, they answered in the affirmative. Then 
 I asked for more weight to be taken off the 
 medium, about 4 lb. total. Approximate balance 
 was obtained as before. The operators over- 
 stepped the mark, and I told them, as before, to 
 add on a little weight, when they went a little 
 too far in the other direction. I had to tell them 
 nearly a dozen times to add or subtract a small 
 amount of weight in order to get the rider 
 just to balance at the 4-lb. reduction required. 
 But finally they were successful. Then they 
 rapped, and this time the raps were louder. I 
 asked for a 7-lb. reduction in weight, when the 
 whole process had to be gone over again. When 
 final balance was obtained the raps were very 
 loud. Then again, with 10 lb. off, the loudest 
 raps, really blows in this case, were heard. The 
 medium's weight could still be greatly diminished, 
 but I noticed that further reduction seemed to 
 
214 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 add little or nothing to the intensity of the raps. 
 The extraordinary part of the experiment was the 
 way the operators could, at my request, take off 
 or add on minute amounts of weight, as small as 
 a quarter of a pound or less, in order to make 
 the medium balance at the amount desired, and 
 how they could hold the reduced weight steady 
 once it was obtained. 
 
 Experime?it 87 : A photograph. 
 
 I am going to describe now a psychic photo- 
 graph. It was taken by a friend of mine, under 
 my supervision, on Saturday evening, 23rd Oct. 
 1915, in my own house. I do not place it in the 
 same category as my other experiments, because 
 I personally am not an expert in photography, 
 and because others had a hand in taking and 
 developing it. Nevertheless, although not up 
 to the standard of test photography, it is an 
 absolutely genuine production. In my articles 
 to Light I left the description of this psychic 
 photograph till near the end of the series, 
 because 1 had hoped to be able to take others 
 and thus corroborate the result obtained. But 
 though I and the circle have gone to great 
 trouble over the matter, we have never been able 
 to duplicate it. Many of my other experiments 
 have been gone over again and again, some as 
 often as a dozen times, and I am prepared at the 
 present moment to carry out any of them with 
 the certainty of success — so long, of course, as the 
 operators and members of the circle are willing. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 215 
 
 But with this photograph it is different. How- 
 ever, as I have already said, it is a perfectly 
 genuine production, as those concerned in it are 
 willing to testify on oath if necessary ; and as it 
 has excited so much interest amongst those of 
 my scientific friends who have examined it, I 
 do not consider myself justified in withholding 
 it, more especially as it is in all likelihood the 
 only one of its kind in existence. 
 
 Although the print shows the structure to be 
 described below quite clearly, I do not think it 
 would reproduce well, and I will use a diagram 
 for descriptive purposes. 
 
 The circle had assembled with the object of 
 obtaining flashlight photographs of the levitated 
 table. During the whole of the day Miss 
 Kathleen Goligher, the principal medium, had 
 been suffering from a cold and a sore throat, and 
 I thought of postponing the seance ; but feeling 
 a little better in the evening, she desired that it 
 should be held. The circle sat in its usual order, 
 with the medium at the top end of the room. 
 The camera was placed in position near the 
 bottom end and focussed upon the table. I 
 decided to wait for the photograph until the 
 latter half of the seance. In the meantime we 
 had a display of rapping, levitation, etc. After 
 half an hour or so of this, phenomena ceased, 
 and I told the operators to rap when they were 
 ready for the photograph. During the period of 
 waiting the operators asked us various questions 
 about the height we desired the table to be 
 
216 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 levitated, the method of procedure with the 
 flashHght, and so on. Then after a time they 
 levitated the table steadily and kept it in the 
 air for several minutes, giving us the impression 
 that they were practising. A further lull fol- 
 lowed, and after a time a request from them 
 that, although the table was not levitated, we 
 should try the flashlight, with the object, as it 
 seemed to me, of discovering what would happen 
 to their psychic system of equilibrium when the 
 powerful light should suddenly burst forth. We 
 decided that it would be well to expose a plate 
 during the flash, although we did not expect any 
 result. The circle was widened a little at the 
 bottom end, Master Goligher and Miss Lily 
 Goligher moving a little apart, though keeping 
 their hands joined in the usual way. The 
 flashlight exposure was made (the reader is to 
 remember that the table was not levitated). 
 Then after a little the operators told us they 
 could do no more that evening owing to the 
 condition of the medium. I did not think there 
 was the least likelihood of anything being on the 
 exposed plate, but a surprise was in store when 
 it was developed, The matter is, in my opinion, 
 worthy of being described in detail. 
 
 It is obvious this kind of experiment has not 
 the same degree of certainty about it as ordinary 
 tests with weighing apparatus, etc. Further 
 photographs may yet reveal discrepancies in 
 some of my conclusions, and the reader must 
 bear this in mind. Fig. 41 will enable the ex- 
 
MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 217 
 
 planation to be the more easily understood. 
 The following are my analysis and interpreta- 
 tion : — 
 
 From about the centre of the left forearm 
 
 Floor 
 
 Fig. 41. 
 
 (A) of Master S. Goligher, who is in trance, is 
 seen issuing a vertical column of whitish trans- 
 lucent material, about 4 in. in diameter. It 
 comes from his arm at right angles to it, rises 
 about a foot into the air, gradually bending over 
 in the form of an arch (B), and proceeding to 
 
218 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 (K), which is just on the camera side of the 
 table (standing on the floor in front of the 
 medium), and about a foot above the floor. 
 From (K) a column of about the same or a 
 little greater diameter, and of the same whitish 
 translucent colour, rises vertically into the air, 
 and terminates at (D), at a height of about 5 ft. 
 from the floor. Up to the point (E) the column 
 is of uniform density throughout, and, though 
 thin, has its boundaries well defined. The 
 pattern of the wall-paper is quite easily seen 
 through it. From (E) upwards the column 
 becomes denser and whiter, and at the summit 
 (D) it becomes opaque, so that the wall-paper 
 can no longer be seen through it. 
 
 At the top it can be seen to be bending over 
 and backwards, and it descends behind the 
 upward column to the point (E). The opacity 
 at the summit is perhaps due to the eye looking 
 through a double thickness of column, the 
 ascending and descending portions, and to the 
 fact that the psychic stuff has exhausted its 
 velocity at the top. In its descent its boundaries 
 are no longer uniform, but sinuous, and its 
 density not uniform, but patchy. The descend- 
 ing column is easily made out behind the 
 ascending one owing to this patchy appearance 
 and wavy outline. At (E) the descending 
 column branches off horizontally to the left, 
 and enters the top of the chest of the medium 
 (F, Miss Kathleen Goligher). 
 
 In the diagram I have drawn a dotted arch 
 
MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 219 
 
 (G) from the medium's arm to the point (K) 
 at the bottom of the column. This is not visible 
 owing to the position of the sitters and to the 
 table intervening, but I am assuming it is there. 
 The very bottom part of the column (K) is 
 also not visible owing to an arm of one of the 
 sitters being in the way ; but the chances are, 
 from the formation of the arch entering it, that 
 it terminates well above the floor. Also, from 
 the point (E) of the column a very faint outline 
 of about the column's diameter can be made 
 out proceeding in the opposite direction to that 
 of the medium, and presumably entering the 
 chest of Miss Anna Goligher. 
 
 It seems to me that we are possibly witness- 
 ing in this photograph something of the mechan- 
 ism of levitation. The most important matter 
 that it hints at is the circulation of the psychic 
 fluid. This fluid appears to be sent along the 
 arch to the base of the column, and to be pro- 
 jected vertically upwards to the top, where its 
 kinetic energy becomes exhausted, and then 
 to fall downwards behind the uprising column 
 till on a level with the medium's chest, whence 
 it is drawn, in a horizontal stream, into her 
 body. I have for some time suspected that 
 something like this was the case. If the reader 
 will refer to Experiment <o^ he will find in a 
 tabulation there given that after a seance of 
 an hour and a half the medium at the most 
 had only lost two ounces in weight. The whole 
 photograph suggests that the medium is in 
 
220 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 reality a psychic pump, with a complete pressure 
 system. Perhaps, during levitation, the vertical 
 column is under the table, in which case the 
 pressure range would be much greater than is 
 here shown. For in the present example the 
 psychic fluid seems to be losing its energy owing 
 to being projected upwards against its own 
 weight only, much in the way a vertical jet 
 of water does. 
 
 On Sunday, 31st October 1915, I interrogated 
 the operators with reference to the photograph. 
 They informed me positively and emphatically, 
 by means of raps, that they had purposely set up 
 the whole picture as a means of explaining to 
 me the mechanism of levitation ; that the psychic 
 fluid circulates as I have described ; and that my 
 description of the processes involved is accurate. 
 In addition, they declared that an arch proceeds 
 from each person forming the circle, the one 
 from the medium being by far the strongest and 
 most powerful, and that from the part (E) of the 
 column the return psychic stream does not only 
 proceed to the medium, but that other branches 
 go to each sitter, though, as in the case of the 
 arches, the medium is principally involved. They 
 declared that during levitation the column is 
 under the table, but that the processes I have 
 sketched are still in operation, though on a more 
 intensive scale. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 
 
 I HAVE come to the general conclusion from the 
 results of my experimental work, and from ob- 
 servation of the circle extending over two and a 
 half years, that all the phenomena produced are 
 caused by flexible rod-like projections from the 
 body of the medium ; that these rods are the 
 prime cause of the phenomena, whether they 
 consist of levitations, movements of the table 
 about the floor, rappings, touchings, or other 
 variations. The principal characteristics of a 
 rod are as follows : — 
 
 (1) It is capable of being pushed straight out 
 from the body of the medium and being pulled 
 straight into the body of the medium. It has not 
 an indefinite limit of extension, but its end can 
 reach, under favourable conditions, to a distance 
 of about 5 feet from her body, and can there act 
 on the table and move it about. Whether the 
 rod gets thinner as it is pushed out from her 
 body I am not able to say, although I should 
 think it likely. The medium's end of the rod, 
 as it is pulled back into her body, is absorbed in 
 
 221 
 
222 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 her ; perhaps the rod is ultimately made up of 
 great bundles of thread-like projections and the 
 whole rod is anchored to her like the roots of 
 a tree. 
 
 (2) The rod is capable of to-and-fro motion 
 horizontally over a considerable arc, and can 
 thus move bodies about within the circle formed 
 by the sitters ; it has also a limited motion in a 
 vertical plane. 
 
 (3) The rod, while capable of in - and - out 
 movement from the medium's body, can be 
 fixed or locked at any required position within 
 its limits of extension, so that in such position it 
 becomes a cantilever. 
 
 (4) The rod can transmit pulling and pushing 
 forces. 
 
 (5) The free end of the rod is capable (at least 
 sometimes) of gripping bodies by adhesion. 
 
 (6) All the motions of the rod are worked 
 from within the body of the medium. 
 
 (7) The dimensions of the rod can vary 
 greatly ; its cross-section may have different 
 values, and various modifications can be made of 
 the shape and condition of its free end. For 
 ordinary rapping a certain amount of matter 
 seems to be concentrated near the end ; and for 
 other forms of rapping, such as the imitation of 
 the bouncing ball, sawing, scraping, etc., it seems 
 as though other modifications and dispositions 
 were made. For levitation a special form of the 
 rod is used, its free end being bent up and gripping 
 the table by adhesion underneath. Neverthe- 
 
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 223 
 
 less, whether for levitation, rapping, or other 
 phenomena, a rod-Hke projection is always used, 
 though this projection may assume special forms 
 and shapes, and have special terminal modifica- 
 tions, and have different degrees of flexibility 
 and stiffness to suit the production of different 
 phenomena. 
 
 In the light of this theory a large amount of 
 the physical phenomena of the seance room 
 become somewhat more intelligible. Take as 
 an example " direct voice " phenomena, where a 
 metal trumpet some 3 or 4 ft. long is carried 
 round the room in the air for many minutes at a 
 time, while voices purport to speak through it to 
 the sitters. It is possible, and even probable, that 
 the trumpet is gripped adhesively by the free end 
 of a rod-projection from the medium, and is 
 carried about on the end of this rod, all kinds of 
 motion being possible, as explained above. 
 
 Having arrived at the rod -projection theory, it 
 becomes necessary to endeavour to find out a 
 little about the composition of the rod, in what 
 manner it possesses the characteristics of a solid 
 body, and so on ; and I wish to state here that I 
 have no satisfactory theory to offer. In the few 
 remarks I am going to make I will endeavour to 
 summarise some of the facts I have observed, and 
 state a few of the deductions from such facts, so 
 that at a later date they may be co-ordinated 
 with the results of further experimental work, 
 and help, I hope, in the final solution of the 
 problem. 
 
224 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 The first thing I wish to mention in this con- 
 nection is that occasionally during levitation I 
 have felt immediately below the under surface of 
 the table (not near the floor) something that 
 appears to be matter. It has a cold, clammy, 
 reptilian feeling, impossible adequately to describe 
 in words, but which, once felt, the experimenter 
 always recognises again. I was struck, when 
 reading over some of Dr Schrenck-Notzing's ex- 
 periments on materialisation, to notice that in 
 the first stages of materialisation the matter 
 issuing from the medium gave the same or a 
 very similar sensation to the hand ; the feeling 
 being described as cold and clammy, one of the 
 assistants even remarking that it felt as though 
 a small reptile were lying on his hand. There is 
 therefore little doubt in my mind that the stuff 
 issuing from the medium in the first stages of 
 materialisation and the stuff under the top of the 
 levitated table are essentially one and the same. 
 The stuff coming from Dr Schrenck-Notzing's 
 medium was observed issuing sometimes from 
 her mouth, and was perfectly visible, while any 
 such matter under the table is not visible. It 
 must therefore, if essentially the same, be of a 
 more rudimentary quality, a stage further back 
 than that made use of for materialisation. The 
 matter under the table felt quite still and at 
 rest, and, in fact, when I moved my hand to and 
 fro amongst it, the table soon dropped, showing 
 that it was essential to levitation. Indeed, the 
 operators were always very chary about letting 
 
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 225 
 
 me work in amongst it, the only thing in that 
 connection they did not object to greatly being 
 the moving of a thin rod across the space 
 occupied by it. 
 
 In addition to the under surface of the 
 levitated table, I have often felt this same 
 quality of matter, with its same cold, clammy, 
 reptile-like feel, near the ankles of the medium 
 when rapping was taking place close to her 
 feet at the commencement of a seance. For 
 an important seance I have never placed my 
 hand near the place from which this stuif was 
 issuing ; for I soon found by experience in 
 early trials that if I did so the rapping was 
 stopped for quite a long time, and could seem- 
 ingly only be restarted with difficulty. During 
 impromptu circles, however, or because of ignor- 
 ance at the commencement of my experiments, 
 I have often interrupted the flow of this 
 matter, with the inevitable result of temporarily 
 stopping phenomena. The main point, however, 
 is that near the medium, indeed quite close 
 to her body, the same quality of matter is 
 present during rapping phenomena as is present 
 under the levitated table ; and not only so, 
 but in the former case it is in motion in the 
 direction from body of medium outwards, as 
 can easily be observed by the spore-like sensa- 
 tion as of soft particles moving gently against 
 the hand. During levitation of the table I 
 have never actually interrupted the line of 
 stress from medium to table with my hand, 
 
 15 
 
226 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 but I have placed a delicate pressure-recording 
 apparatus in that line (see Experiments 59 and 
 60), with the result that it was shown there was 
 mechanical pressure close to the body of the 
 medium (although the conditions of the experi- 
 ment allow of its being a pressure of very- 
 small magnitude) acting outwards from her to 
 the levitated table ; and furthermore, the placing 
 of the apparatus in the stress-line caused the 
 table to drop. Also, the place of origin of this 
 stress-line in the body of the medium appeared 
 to be near the lower part of the trunk. It 
 seems likely, therefore, that the pressure against 
 the testing apparatus was due to a flow of 
 particles of the same kind of matter as can be 
 felt under the levitated table and such as 
 issues from the ankles of the medium during 
 rapping near her feet. It remains to be added 
 that the operators were annoyed at my inter- 
 ference with the line medium to table, and told 
 me so by vigorous raps. There can be little 
 doubt this is the vital part of the mechanism 
 of levitation, and it is the part that cannot be 
 interfered with if we desire phenomena. 
 
 My proposition, then, is this : — An essential 
 part of the levitating cantilever (or modified rod- 
 projection) consists of particles of cold, clammy, 
 disagreeable matter which in the end of the 
 cantilever near the medium (the fixed end) are 
 in motion outwards from her, and which under 
 the table are at rest. Also, for the construc- 
 tion of the rapping rods the same kind of 
 
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 227 
 
 matter is necessary ; and it likewise, in the end 
 attached to the medium, is moving outwards 
 from her. 
 
 I next wish to call attention to what happens 
 at levitation. 1 have shown during the course 
 of my experiments that it seems as though the 
 preliminary process to actual levitation is the 
 laying of some kind of a loose link from medium 
 to table, or, if a compression balance is under 
 the table, from medium to pan of the balance. 
 Let us suppose that this loose link consists 
 of some fine threads of matter similar to the 
 organic matter that issues from the mouth of 
 Dr Schrenck-Notzing's medium, only much 
 finer and beyond the reach of visibility. Dr 
 Schrenck-Notzing has shown that the thready 
 stuff from his medium can twist and squirm 
 and move about and make purposeful motions 
 as though it were alive and conscious. The 
 levitating threads may also be supposed to 
 find their way by similar movements from 
 the body of the medium to the under surface 
 of the table, and thus to form a foundation 
 for the levitating structure to be immediately 
 erected. For what happens from half a minute 
 to a minute after the preliminary arrangements 
 are complete ? The levitating force is then 
 applied, and grows at a fairly uniform rate until 
 levitation actually occurs, the growth of the 
 force taking from five to six seconds. It seems 
 as though the essential threads, or bundle of 
 threads, being in position, a force is exerted 
 
228 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 along their axis which stiffens them and makes 
 the bundle into a solid rod. 
 
 There are other observations which show that 
 the levitating cantilever consists of a very fine 
 (possibly organic) thread-like structure which is 
 stiffened and made rigid by some kind of force 
 being applied along it, rather than of a system 
 of rays or anything of that nature. One of these 
 is that the structure can transmit both pushing 
 and pulling forces of large magnitude. I cannot 
 imagine any system of stresses, unless they had 
 a physical basis, being able to do this with con- 
 ditions such as they are in the seance room. 
 Then again, the change of direction of the free 
 end of the cantilever as it rises in columnar form 
 beneath the table would seem also to presuppose 
 some kind of interconnected physical structure, 
 perhaps of a cobwebby form, which is filled out 
 and made stiff by its interstices being under 
 some kind of pressure. The fact that the levi- 
 tating force grows from the instant of applica- 
 tion at a fairly slow and uniform rate, and is 
 not applied instantly, would indicate that the 
 force exerted along the structure, whatever its 
 nature, has the function of stiffening it. So 
 that, taking everything into consideration, my 
 basic idea of the rod-projection is this: — It 
 consists fundamentally of a bundle of very fine 
 threads thrust out from the body of the medium, 
 which are practically transparent and hence in- 
 visible ; the threads being intimately connected 
 and touching and adhering to one another. 
 
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 229 
 
 These threads, in the manner of those observed 
 during Dr Schrenck-Notzing's experiments on 
 materiahsation, can move and twist about by- 
 forces appHed to them from within the body of 
 the medium (possibly they are directly connected 
 to the nervous system of the medium by nerve 
 filaments or in some other way) ; the threads 
 are gradually projected to the space beneath the 
 table, and their free ends are attached to its 
 under surface. When this has been attained, 
 a force is applied along their axis, gradually and 
 uniformly, with the result that the system of 
 threads (or cable, it would perhaps be well to 
 call it) is gradually stiffened and becomes a rigid 
 girder projecting from the medium and able to 
 levitate the table. That a preliminary thread- 
 like structure, which is afterwards stiffened, is 
 first sent out from the medium is also likely 
 from the following experimental result : — When 
 the seance table had the two light cross-bars 
 near the bottom of the legs removed (see Ex- 
 periment 52), the operators seemed to have some 
 small difficulty for a little time afterwards in 
 levitating the table as completely and easily as 
 before. They seemed to have to make new 
 adjustments, as it were, and to get used to 
 making these adjustments. I think the pre- 
 liminary thread-like structure from the medium 
 took hold of these cross-bars in the process of 
 shaping the cantilever — i.e. they were used as 
 vantage-points from which to erect the structure. 
 However, it wasn't long before levitation with- 
 
230 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 out them was as strong and powerful as ever ; 
 some new arrangement having undoubtedly been 
 devised by the operators. 
 
 The question then arises : What sort of force 
 is it that is applied along the axis of the threads 
 or fibres ? Is it some mysterious, totally un- 
 known force of which we have not the faintest 
 conception, or is it a force with whose laws we 
 are acquainted ? The only answer I can give 
 is that I do not know. It may turn out 
 eventually to be a very simple matter. 
 
 I wish to state here what a clairvoyante saw 
 at the circle — a clairvoyante who has many 
 claims to recognition, — as she described it to me. 
 She says that under the table, close to the under 
 surface and extending down for a little way, 
 she saw a whitish vapoury substance, somewhat 
 like smoke, and when the table was levitated 
 this substance seemed to increase in density, i.e. 
 in whiteness. When a visitor to the circle sat 
 on the table in order that it should tilt and 
 throw him off, she saw this substance below the 
 table get very white and dense just previous to 
 the movement which actually tilted the table. 
 So much so, in fact, was she able to see the 
 variation in the density and whiteness of the 
 substance, and its relation to the magnitude of 
 the force applied, that she was able to call out 
 that a movement was about to occur before it 
 actually occurred, by noticing the density and 
 opacity increasing. She says that this whitish 
 substance was only to be seen under the top of 
 
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 231 
 
 the table, and did not reach to the floor. Also, 
 a great band of it came from the left side of the 
 medium with a kind of rotary motion, and was 
 continuous with that under the table. From all 
 the other sitters a very thin band, like a ribbon, 
 also came, and was continuous with the mass 
 under the table. Nowhere did any of these 
 bands, the comparatively huge one from the 
 medium, or the thin and paltry ones from the 
 sitters, touch the floor. The clairvoyante says 
 she also saw various spirit forms and spirit hands 
 manipulating the psychic stuff; but we may 
 leave that out of consideration and confine our 
 attention to what is mentioned above. 
 
 The remarkable fact is plain that the clair- 
 voyante's description tallies in an extraordinary 
 way with my deductions from the experiments. 
 In the first place, she says there was none of the 
 white filmy stuff on or near the floor beneath 
 the levitated table. Experiments have absolutely 
 convinced me that there is no psychic pressure 
 on the floor or on a platform placed less than 
 3 in. above the floor, and that the psychic reaction 
 gradually increases with the height of the plat- 
 form. In the second place, she says the different 
 degrees of apparent density of the substance 
 enabled her roughly to gauge the magnitude of 
 the psychic force. Now, it is absolutely certain 
 that the pressure below the table in the act of 
 levitation is applied gradually, and only reaches 
 a maximum after five or six seconds, which gave 
 me time to call out that a levitation was about 
 
232 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOI^IENA 
 
 to occur, well before it did actually occur. In 
 the third place, the great bulk of the whitish 
 substance was seen proceeding from the medium, 
 but there was also a thin band from each sitter. 
 Now, experiment shows that when the table is 
 levitated, about 97 per cent, of the reaction is 
 upon the medium ; that on one of the other 
 sitters there is also a small but nevertheless 
 perceptible reaction. The coincidence, to say 
 the least of it, is thought-provoking. The clair- 
 voyante says she saw the whitish substance 
 issuing from the left side of the medium. As a 
 matter of fact, the medium, during the course 
 of her development, has occasionally been troubled 
 with a soreness in her left side, which may not 
 unreasonably be supposed to be due to the large 
 quantity of psychic stuff which may issue thence 
 during levitation. 
 
 If we may take the vision of the clairvoyante as 
 accurate, it would appear that a whitish substance 
 is present under the top part of the levitated 
 table, the whiteness or density increasing with 
 the magnitude of the psychic force applied. This 
 substance is not visible to normal vision, for 
 often I have looked right below levitated tables 
 from one side of the circle to the other, and 
 have seen nothing. Nevertheless, for all that, 
 as already mentioned, something in the nature 
 of a cold, clammy substance appears to be there. 
 Therefore it is probably this substance that the 
 clairvoyante, with her abnormal perception, 
 really saw. In this connection it is well to 
 
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 233 
 
 remember that the photograph (Experiment 87) 
 shows a white, filmy, translucent substance, ap- 
 parently projected from the body of one of the 
 sitters, and that this substance also has different 
 degrees of density. Possibly the stuif shown 
 in the photograph, the stuff the clairvoyante 
 saw, and the stuff I felt under the table and 
 near the ankles of the medium are one and the 
 same. At any rate, if the clairvoyante really 
 saw this stuff, it is reasonable to believe that 
 the different degrees of density she observed 
 in it are really varying degrees of density of the 
 stuff itself; that is to say, that the magnitude 
 of the applied psychic force is somewhat directly 
 proportional to the density of the matter taken 
 from the medium. From which we arrive at 
 the inference : — the magnitude of the psychic 
 force is directly proportional to the density of 
 the matter in the stress line from medium to 
 table. 
 
 The stiffness of the levitating cantilever would 
 then be more or less proportional to the density 
 of the matter packed into or among the threads 
 or fibres issuing from the medium. 
 
 That some kind of a thread-like base or 
 substratum is used as a foundation for the 
 phenomena at the circle is also inferentially 
 deduced from the following, which, however, 
 I have not personally observed. Mr Morrison, 
 whose place in the circle is on the right-hand 
 side of the medium, and who holds her right 
 hand throughout the seance (except on special 
 
234 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 occasions when hands are on knees), and who 
 has been sitting once a week on an average for 
 a period of over three years, informs me that 
 occasionally, when psychic energy has been weak, 
 he has felt a loose kind of flabby projection 
 striking him on the knee or other part of the 
 body. It is reasonable to suppose that this is 
 a rapping rod which the operators have been 
 unable to make rigid through lack of psychic 
 energy. Mr Morrison being the director of the 
 circle, the operators often gently touch him 
 when they desire to attract his attention to 
 something that is hindering phenomena ; usually 
 their touch is quite firm, but on a few occasions, 
 as mentioned, he has felt the loose, baggy projec- 
 tion flapping against him. 
 
 The efl*ect of light is, generally speaking, so 
 well known on the production of physical 
 phenomena, that I do not intend to say much 
 about it. The obvious fact is that the less light 
 the more intense the phenomena. I have come 
 to the conclusion that light affects the rigidity 
 of the rapping rods, i.e. these rods cannot be 
 made stiff* if strong light is playing upon them. 
 As a case in point, I would refer the reader to 
 p. 195, where it is shown that with too much 
 light, or with badly regulated light, the raps were 
 not sharp and distinct as they should be, but 
 were soft and dull as though the end of the rod 
 itself were soft ; in other words, the rigidity of 
 the rod was affected. I do not think that the 
 light affects the substratum fibres so much as 
 
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 235 
 
 the matter that is packed into them to stiffen 
 them (if there is anything in the fibre theory) ; 
 i.e. I think that the cold, clammy matter above 
 mentioned cannot exist in the presence of strong 
 light. Possibly it is of complicated chemical 
 structure, belonging to the nervous elements 
 of the body, and the action of light causes 
 molecular breakdown. There is the more reason 
 to suppose that something like this takes place 
 inasmuch as it is found by experience that light 
 of long wave-length, i.e. red light, is least 
 deleterious. 
 
 Of course, in the seance room the factors of 
 reflection, refraction, and absorption of the light 
 used have to be taken into consideration. In 
 this regard I will mention a rather curious case 
 which occurred at one of my stances. As 
 already mentioned, I used at my experimental 
 circles an ordinary flame gas-jet enclosed in a 
 metal lantern, two sides of the lantern being 
 replaced by rectangular pieces of red glass which 
 could slide up and down in grooves. The 
 intensity of the red light thus produced could 
 be considerably varied by means of an ordinary 
 gas tap. For most of the seances this lamp was 
 fixed to the mantelpiece ; for a late seance it 
 was taken from the mantelpiece and fixed a 
 foot higher up the wall, with the idea of leaving 
 the floor a little more in shadow and of giving 
 greater luminosity in the higher parts of the 
 room. The seance commenced, but, as after 
 twenty minutes or so very little seemed to be 
 
236 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 doing — a most unusual occurrence, — I began to 
 wonder what was the matter. Shortly after- 
 wards, by means of raps, the operators spelt out 
 the following : — 
 
 " Could you place the lamp lower down ? " 
 After a lot of trouble, we succeeded in fixing 
 the lamp in its original position on the mantel- 
 piece, when phenomena of great intensity 
 commenced. I could see practically no differ- 
 ence in the degree of visibility for the two 
 positions. I think, however, that in its higher 
 position light was being reflected from the white- 
 washed roof to the floor, and this is a matter 
 psychic investigators should bear in mind. I 
 have noticed, also, that the operators find 
 difficulty in applying psychic force to polished 
 bodies, and that they prefer a rough, darkish 
 surface. But this, of course, may have nothing 
 to do with the light, and may be due to the fact 
 that the adhesive qualities of the rod-projection 
 are best suited to rough surfaces. 
 
 The question is often asked : Why do you 
 not apply to the operators themselves for the 
 solution of the problems relating to the pheno- 
 mena ? In fact, this question was raised during 
 the running of my series of articles in Light, 
 and is a perfectly legitimate one. Moreover, 
 I was interested in it during the course of all 
 my work, and always had it in mind ; indeed, 
 the reader of this book will find that here and 
 there I have asked questions of the operators 
 as to modes of procedure, as to how things 
 
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 237 
 
 were done, and so on, and that I have either 
 acted on the suggestions given or have examined 
 any of the statements made. 
 
 In the first place, the operators themselves 
 do not seem to know much about the scientific 
 aspect of the phenomena they produce. If I 
 may hazard an opinion, I would say that they 
 are only aware of the broad outlines of what 
 they are doing, just as we are, for instance, 
 when we send an electric current along a wire. 
 At any rate, I am convinced that the operators 
 know next to nothing of force magnitudes and 
 reactions. Their idea as to the prime cause of 
 the phenomena is " power." For instance, when 
 I inquired how a certain reaction effect was 
 obtained, they spelt out by raps the word 
 "power." That is to say, they have no exact 
 scientific knowledge of details. They are like 
 the workman who knows by experience what 
 depth of cut to take on a job in the lathe, at 
 what speed to run the machine, etc., but who 
 has little idea of the cutting force exerted by 
 the edge of the tool, or of the exact horse-power 
 necessary to drive the machine. Nevertheless, 
 as might be supposed, if some small material 
 thing is interfering with their results they are 
 quick enough to rap out a request that it be 
 rectified, just as a workman would know to 
 sharpen his tool if its cutting quality was 
 defective. Thus on one occasion they asked 
 that a piece of cloth should be placed on the 
 drawing-board, on another that the light should 
 
238 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 be placed nearer the floor, and on another 
 that one of the sitters should alter position. 
 Small things like these, which interfere with 
 the intensity of their phenomena, they seem 
 to understand ; but as to what form of energy 
 it is they utilise to lift the table or cause the 
 rap they seem to know little. 
 
 What I have said above refers to communi- 
 cations received by raps when Miss Goligher 
 was perfectly normal, as she always is at all 
 experimental circles. Occasionally, however, 
 when I have desired it, she has gone into 
 trance, not for physical phenomena, but to 
 allow me to talk to the entities purporting to 
 speak through her. One of these, who says 
 he was a medical man while on earth, and 
 whose function at the circle is to look after 
 the health of the medium during phenomena, 
 has told me (a little obscurely, it is true) that 
 there are two kinds of substance taken from 
 the members of the circle and used in the 
 production of phenomena. One of these is 
 taken in comparatively large quantities from 
 medium and sitters, and is all, or nearly all, 
 returned to them at the close of the seance. 
 The other is taken in minute quantities, and 
 can only be obtained from the medium, and 
 this stuff cannot be returned to her because 
 when it is used for phenomenal purposes its 
 structure is broken up. It consists of the most 
 vital material in the medium's body — stuff from 
 the interior of her nerve cells, — and only the 
 
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 239 
 
 most minute quantity can be removed without 
 injury to the medium. I give his statement, 
 of course, only as a matter of interest. 
 
 One other point. The operators are always 
 strongly affirmative, strongly negative, or strongly 
 doubtful in replies to questions. I have never 
 known them say they could do something and 
 then fail to do it ; likewise, if they say they 
 cannot do a thing, it will not be done ; if they 
 mention the matter as doubtful, they try to 
 accomplish it, usually successfully. So also, in 
 answer to questions with regard to the produc- 
 tion of the phenomena, I have always found them 
 eager to tell me anything they can ; and if they 
 affirm any one of my theories is right, wrong, 
 or doubtful, I have always found, by deduction 
 from the experiments themselves, or by later 
 experiments, that it was as they said. I have 
 never known them volunteer information (with 
 the exception of the case of the " doctor " referred 
 to above), but they are always willing strongly 
 to affirm or strongly to deny the general sense 
 of my conclusions. In addition, I have some- 
 times thought they have brought to my attention 
 in roundabout ways phases of an experiment I 
 should otherwise have overlooked. 
 
 Besides the main processes resulting in levita- 
 tion, rapping, etc., there are various preliminary 
 operations taking place at the circle which I have 
 not studied in any very definite way, but which, 
 nevertheless, are of great interest. I will con- 
 clude by saying a few words about them. 
 
240 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 For the first half-hour or so after the opening 
 of the seance I have found it advisable that the 
 members of the circle should clasp hands in chain 
 order, i.e. the hands of each person should be 
 held by the hands of the persons on either side 
 of him. After the expiration of that time it 
 is usually immaterial whether hands are kept 
 clasped, or whether each sitter places his hands 
 on his knees. I say this is usually the case, but 
 it is not always so. It is only true when the 
 seance has been a good one, with phenomena 
 occurring plentifully. If phenomena have been 
 weak, the unclasping of hands and the placing 
 of them on the knees is usually fatal to further 
 manifestations unless the chain order is resumed. 
 
 All this points to the fact that at a normally 
 good seance the sitting, generally speaking, may 
 be divided into two parts — a part which is more 
 or less unstable, where the operators are chiefly 
 engaged in preparatory work, and a part where 
 psychic affairs have reached a state of equilibrium. 
 I have often watched the two processes — the 
 stage of preliminary operations and the stage of 
 balance. 
 
 To my mind, the two processes suggest 
 physical analogies which are helpful. Let us 
 think of a large tank situated well above the 
 ground level, which has to be filled with water 
 from the ground by means of several varieties 
 of steam pumps. The sitters may be likened 
 to the steam pumps, and their various psychic 
 capacities and conditions may be considered 
 
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 241 
 
 to resemble various classes and designs in 
 the pumps. The filling of the water tank is 
 equivalent to producing a region of psychic 
 pressure in the neighbourhood of the medium. 
 I find that the psychic tank takes about half 
 an hour to fill at the Goligher circle. Very 
 seldom is it completely filled ; when it is, there 
 results a wonderful phenomenal sitting. At 
 seances where the accumulated amount of 
 psychic energy is small — where the tank is only 
 a quarter filled, say — the psychic pumps have to 
 be kept more or less continually going. The 
 spasmodic jerking seen in the bodies of the 
 sitters is in effect the visible working of the 
 psychic pumps. 
 
 Let us suppose that the stance is a good one, 
 and that it is possible for the members of the 
 circle to place hands on knees and thus become 
 physically isolated from one another. In that 
 case the stage of psychic equilibrium has been 
 reached — the psychic tank has been filled, — and 
 a reservoir of psychic energy has been accumu- 
 lated in the neighbourhood of the medium, 
 or within the body of the medium, from which 
 the operators can draw to produce phenomena. 
 Now, what kind of potential energy is it? Is 
 it chemical, pressure, electrical, heat energy, or 
 indeed some form quite unknown to us ? Person- 
 ally — and now the reader must remember I am 
 again in the region of hypothesis, though of 
 hypothesis derived from a considerable amount 
 of observation — I am inclined to think it is a 
 
 16 
 
242 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 form of chemical energy associated with the 
 human nervous system. The opportunities for 
 research here are unHmited. At any rate, I 
 think there can be little doubt that this psychic 
 energy is associated with particles of matter. 
 For instance, a cold wind is often apparent at 
 the commencement of a seance — a cold wind 
 which often disappears after a time. I think it 
 probable that this cold effect is due to material 
 evaporation from the bodies of the sitters ; not 
 to a large or even appreciable amount of evapor- 
 ation, but nevertheless to the evaporation of 
 definite particles of matter. The reservoir of 
 psychic energy accumulated presumably near 
 the medium does not appreciably affect her 
 weight. I have weighed her before the seance, 
 and then again when the seance has been in 
 operation for an hour or so, with psychic equi- 
 librium well established, but / found no appre- 
 ciable difference in the two results. In fact, 
 it would appear that the accumulated psychic 
 energy is only associated with a small and 
 perhaps an inappreciable amount of matter. 
 For all that, of course, it may have consider- 
 able magnitude. 
 
 In order that we may form some kind of 
 mental picture of what occurs to medium and 
 sitters, I offer the following hypothesis. It is 
 very imperfect, but may be useful in the mean- 
 time in default of anything better : — 
 
 Sitters clasp hands. Spasmodic jerking occurs. 
 A cold wind is sometimes felt in the wrists and 
 
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 243 
 
 hands. After half an hour or so the jerking 
 ceases or becomes less pronounced. 
 
 Interpretation. — Operators are acting on the 
 brains of the sitters and thence on their nervous 
 systems. Small particles, it may even be mole- 
 cules, are driven off the nervous system, out 
 through the bodies of sitters at wrists, hands, 
 fingers, or elsewhere. These small particles, now 
 free, have a considerable amount of latent energy 
 inherent in them, an energy which can react on 
 any human nervous system with which they come 
 into contact. This stream of energised particles 
 flows round the circle, probably partly through 
 the bodies of the sitters, and probably partly on 
 the periphery of their bodies. The stream, by 
 gradual augmentation from the sitters, reaches 
 the medium at a high degree of " tension," ener- 
 gises her, receives increment from her, traverses 
 the circle again, and so on. Finally, when the 
 "tension" is sufficiently great, the circulating 
 process ceases, and the energised particles collect 
 on or are attached to the nervous system of 
 the medium, who has henceforth a reservoir 
 from which to draw. The operators having now 
 a good supply of the right kind of energy at 
 their disposal, viz. nerve energy, can act upon 
 the body of the medium, who is so constituted 
 that gross matter from her body can, by means 
 of the nervous tension applied to it, be actually 
 temporarily detached from its usual position and 
 projected into the seance room. 
 
LIST OF EXPERIMENTS 
 
 Experi- 
 
 
 
 ment 
 
 Subject. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Number. 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 Phonograph record of raps .... 
 
 27 
 
 2 
 
 Reaction on medium 
 
 
 40 
 
 3 
 
 )) )> 
 
 
 
 41 
 
 4 
 
 J) j> 
 
 
 
 42 
 
 5 
 
 Reaction on sitter . 
 
 
 
 46 
 
 6 
 
 11 » 
 
 
 
 47 
 
 7 
 
 Reaction on medium 
 
 
 
 49 
 
 8 
 
 » >> 
 
 
 
 50 
 
 9 
 
 " . " 
 
 
 
 51 
 
 lO 
 
 Table moving along floor 
 
 
 52 
 
 II 
 
 Various movements of table . 
 
 
 53 
 
 12 
 
 Observation of weighing-machine . 
 
 
 54 
 
 13 
 
 Table tilted on two legs . 
 
 
 54 
 
 14 
 
 Table pulled towards medium 
 
 
 55 
 
 15 
 
 Table pushed from medium . 
 
 
 55 
 
 16 
 
 Calculation of le\ itating pressure . 
 
 
 60 
 
 17 
 
 5) » J> 
 
 
 62 
 
 18 
 
 Muscular force on table . 
 
 
 63 
 
 19 
 
 Two resistances for table 
 
 
 66 
 
 20 
 
 Unyielding resistance for table 
 
 
 68 
 
 21 
 
 Overturning of table 
 
 
 68 
 
 22 
 
 Increased and decreased weight of table 
 
 
 70 
 
 23 
 
 Table levitated upside down . 
 
 
 70 
 
 24 
 
 Muscular force on upturned table . 
 
 
 71 
 
 25 
 
 Experimenter sitting on table 
 
 71 
 
 244 
 
LIST OF EXPERIMENTS 
 
 245 
 
 Experi- 
 
 
 
 ment 
 
 Subject. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Number. 
 
 
 
 26 
 
 Maximum psychic force on table . 
 
 72 
 
 27 
 
 Unsymmetrical loading of table 
 
 
 74 
 
 28 
 
 Ringing an electric bell . 
 
 
 74 
 
 29 
 
 Trumpet pulled .... 
 
 
 76 
 
 30 
 
 Table pulled from edge of circle . 
 
 
 78 
 
 31 
 
 Handkerchief on floor . 
 
 
 78 
 
 32 
 
 Light placed on table 
 
 
 81 
 
 33 
 
 Sliding body under table 
 
 
 83 
 
 34 
 
 Exploring region below legs of table 
 
 
 84 
 
 35 
 
 Exploring region under table 
 
 
 85 
 
 36 
 
 Glass tube below table . 
 
 
 87 
 
 37 
 
 Manometer below table . 
 
 
 88 
 
 38 
 
 Reaction on floor .... 
 
 
 91 
 
 39 
 
 Ringing electric bell ..." 
 
 
 94 
 
 40 
 
 Levitation above weighing- machine 
 
 
 96 
 
 41 
 
 5) )) » 
 
 
 98 
 
 42 
 
 )> )) >) 
 
 
 lOI 
 
 43 
 
 )5 _ )) 5> • 
 
 
 102 
 
 44 
 
 Compression balance below table . 
 
 
 108 
 
 45 
 
 )5 )> >) 
 
 
 III 
 
 46 
 
 Table tilting above balance . 
 
 
 114 
 
 47 
 
 Compression balance tests 
 
 
 115 
 
 48 
 
 Horizontal component of reaction . 
 
 
 117 
 
 49 
 
 » )} J5 • 
 
 
 119 
 
 50 
 
 Vertical downward reaction . 
 
 
 120 
 
 51 
 
 Reaction and height of platform . 
 
 
 123 
 
 52 
 
 )) 55 )) 
 
 
 127 
 
 53 
 
 Stool levitated above balance 
 
 
 130 
 
 54 
 
 Electrical test for reaction 
 
 
 132 
 
 55 
 
 Reaction on medium 
 
 
 135 
 
 56 
 
 Crackling sound in table 
 
 
 136 
 
 57 
 
 Thud under table 
 
 
 ^Z7 
 
 58 
 
 Electroscope under table 
 
 
 138 
 
 59 
 
 Space between medium and table . 
 
 
 139 
 
 60 
 
 5J >> )» • • 
 
 
 140 
 
 61 
 
 Reaction on floor 
 
 
 141 
 
 62 
 
 Condition of medium .... 
 
 
 141 
 
 63 
 
 Weight of levitating structure 
 
 
 142 
 
246 REALITY OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA 
 
 Experi- 
 
 
 
 ment 
 
 Subject. 
 
 Page., 
 
 Number. 
 
 
 
 64 
 
 Preparation for levitation .... 
 
 143 
 
 65 
 
 Actual matter below table 
 
 
 
 145 
 
 66 
 
 Weight lost by sitters 
 
 
 
 146 
 
 67 
 
 Fluorescence . 
 
 
 
 150 
 
 68 
 
 Psychic pull . 
 
 
 
 16S 
 
 69 
 
 )j » • • 
 
 
 
 168 
 
 70 
 
 Trumpet movements 
 
 
 
 175 
 
 71 
 
 Medium's weight and raps 
 
 
 
 181 
 
 72 
 
 )) >J 5) 
 
 
 
 184 
 
 73 
 
 Medium and commencement of seance 
 
 185 
 
 74 
 
 Distinction between levitation and rapping . 
 
 190 
 
 75 
 
 Bombardment during rapping 
 
 190 
 
 76 
 
 Shape of rap .... 
 
 
 192 
 
 77 
 
 Typewriter test 
 
 
 201 
 
 78 
 
 Raps on putty 
 
 
 202 
 
 79 
 
 Electroscope below table 
 
 
 207 
 
 80 
 
 Psychic touching of electroscope 
 
 
 207 
 
 81 
 
 5> » )5 
 
 
 208 
 
 82 
 
 )» 5> )J 
 
 
 209 
 
 83 
 
 Electric shock test 
 
 
 210 
 
 84 
 
 Phosphorescence . 
 
 
 211 
 
 85 
 
 Fluorescence .... 
 
 
 211 
 
 86 
 
 Delicacy of actions on medium 
 
 
 212 
 
 87 
 
 Psychic photograph 
 
 
 
 214 
 
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