HPB-SB-8-38

T i

vol. 8, p. 38

H. P. Blavatsky Scrapbooks

from Adyar archives of the International Theosophical Society

vol. 8 (September 1878 - September 1879)

 

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< Experimental Spiritualism (continued from page 8-37) >

9.0—Peter said he was outside cabinet.

9.3—Peter said he was gradually subsiding. Medium shuddered.

9.4—Peter said “Good night” to everybody in turn.

9.4½—Threw out paper tube.

9.5—Medium coughed.

9.5½—Medium spoke.

9.7—Medium left the cabinet.

On this seance, one fact may be noted which is rather of interest to those who are students of Theosophy than to the others. Certain persons who do not claim to be “mediums” or psychics are occasionally able, either voluntarily or (perhaps) involuntarily, to produce manifestations, which some call “spiritual,” on their own account. The method used is known to themselves, and has been known to “adepts” for several thousands of years. It is very curious that at 8.38, during this seance, such an experiment was commenced by one person, and carried on without inter mission till 8.52½, precisely the time when the greatest manifestations took place. Similar experiments have been often repeated, and agree in showing that the action which brought forth “Peter,” and made him perform his unseemly gambols, was not at that moment an action merely proceeding from the medium himself, who knew nothing of the experiment, and that one person, at least, in the circle had control over this fourteen minutes and a half of experiment. It may, of course, be a mere coincidence; but it is curious that the lines observable on the diagram during the period which I have marked with a bracket should be so different from those of any other part of the seance. The vehement vibratory motion of the pencil, coupled with the extraordinary diminution of the weight of the “psychic,” seem to indicate that some other force was at action than that which was evolving some “spirit” from the body of Mr. Williams, or in any way according to his volition. Mr. Harrison, whose careful description and philosophical interpretation of the nature of these phenomena, leaves nothing to be desired in its purely scientific and exact method, has admitted that during this time, “from 8.89 to 8.56, the weight of the medium was constantly altering; sometimes he weighed about 30 lbs., at other times about 60 lbs., but his weight was constantly changing, as if some vibrating force were acting upon him all the time.” Possibly the nature of this force is that for which we seek. Some attention should be paid to the nature of the long thin lines in this diagram, which appear prior to 8.38 to have been frequent, but which undoubtedly merely represent jolts, or oscillations in the apparatus. The new machine will doubtless make these lines a little less frequent. I must again call your attention to the time 8.52½, when a box was given to a person present at the seance, as at that precise moment there was a pull on the weight of the psychic, which has drawn a vertically straight line, which, however, does not come down to zero by 28 or 30 lbs. It is evident, by this registry, that something at that moment was inside the cabinet.

The termination of this seance is not the less remarkable, Although the experiment of which I had made mention terminated at 8.52½, the “vibratory force” exercised continued its action until 8.56. Of this I venture to offer no explanation, as the apparent discrepancy between the appearance of the contour lines in the diagram and those towards the termination of the experiment is to me inexplicable, except on the theory that the “loose forces” generated during the experiment, which had come into action precisely at 8.38, when Peter’s light had come out, required three minutes and a half to settle down.

I next proceed to notice the seance which was held by Mr. G. 0. Joad and Mr. Harrison with Mr. C. E. Williams alone, and quote Mr. Harrison’s record of it, at the same time that I hand round diagram №. 6.

[Extract read.]

The value of this experiment chiefly consists in the recorded fact that while a body which appeared, to use the words of Mr. Joad, to be moving about “clad in ordinary dark male costume,” a weight existed in the cabinet of 35 lbs. on the machine, being 7 lbs. greater than that in the experiment of the 5th of April. The nature of the weight so left requires some examination, and those who have had far greater experience of form-manifestations than the past twenty-two years have afforded me suggest that some examination should be made by critical observers, at the moment when the so-called “spirit” is about, of the psychic’s body. Let me here protest against the thoroughly unscientific and brutal habit of seizing the “spirit” and solving a dynamical question by a game at fisticuffs. Nothing has ever occurred from such a method of procedure (except in the Liverpool cases) but confusion. It is not the “Dasyu,” or temporarily vitalised, imitation form, that requires in such circumstances to be examined and its position recorded, but the medium or “psychic” himself. Ordinary eyes and ears aided, if necessary, by scales and weights, will be sufficient to watch the course of another human being, and the “spirit” may be left to follow its own devices. It may be safely averred that, between this world and the next, room enough can be found both for ourselves and for any materialised “spirit” form to pursue our respective careers unchecked by interruption.

The great advantage, and it is one on which I cannot insist to you too strongly, of experiments carried on in the method of the present, is that we are free from the complications which often arise through the conduct of enthusiastic advocates of any theory whatever. There can be no preconceived opinion, no fixed idea, no arriere pensee in a weighing machine. A machine of itself has no prejudice, and can only record the variations which its own unbiased pencil can note. The value, therefore, of a series of deliberate records like the present can be estimated by its probable effect on those persons who are outside the ranks of Spiritualism. When reasonable men (and I would fain hope that many of those who are opposed to us in personal feeling may possess habits of thought not on the whole inferior to those of the London costermonger, who has the habit of weighing his goods, whether truly or falsely, at least with precision) perceive that Spiritualists exist, whom no tediousness of experiment, no weary watching and waiting in the dark, no repeated failures, can daunt in the careful pursuit of an investigation which may prove of interest to the lovers of truth. The habitual scientific man is perhaps slow to express his ideas, and his habits of thought are not such as may conduce to readiness in didactic utterance. Still those men, who

Among the "wicked, have dared to stand at bay; Who alone have borne the heat and the burden of the day; By an evil generation for a scorn and bye-word named, They have set their faces like a flint, and will not be ashamed,

have some reason why they should bear testimony to others. There is no reason why any stranger, no matter how prejudiced or how ignorant, should not be able to examine the experiments we have made, and are making; no reason why he should not repeat those experiments by himself at his own cost. The results of themselves may attract investigators, if they are gifted with a patent scientific spirit. Above all, the advantage which such experiments as these possess above the loose test conditions which so often are given, ought to convince scientific observers of their purity as well as of their exactitude.

My time alone will preclude my allusion at length to another experiment, which appears to be of the highest value. If the wires of a deflecting galvanometer are attached round the wrists of a “medium” during a cabinet seance, an apparatus has been used by Mr. Harrison which projects two bright spots on the wall of the room, which spots, so long as they continue to be fixed, are of themselves proof that the psychic, to whose hands the wires are attached, cannot in any way move from his seat without the fact being noted on the wall. Such experiments have in past time been successful, and they may probably in the future lead to some good results.

These experiments, therefore, which have been recently carried on have had the effect of increasing our stock of knowledge, of making more certain the conclusions to which many have been led from other grounds, and of giving at least some certain facts which will show to the outside world that we at least have the consciousness that we do not “do our work negligently.” If those minds who can only be convinced of the truth of an experiment by its constant repetition, and who are willing that the facts of Spiritualism should be taken out of the domain of the wonder-seeker, and rendered as simple as a telephone or a steam-engine, are in any way disposed to admit that there is something in our science worth careful inquiry and scientific investigation, your time at least will not have been wasted in listening to some at least of the facts I have had the honour imperfectly to bring before you.