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| continues = 58 | | continues = 58 | ||
| author = Professor Fechner | | author = Professor Fechner | ||
| title = Dr. Slade in Germany | | title = Dr. Slade in Germany* | ||
| subtitle = | | subtitle = | ||
| untitled = | | untitled = | ||
| source title =Spiritualist | | source title = London Spiritualist | ||
| source details = | | source details = No. 370, September 26, 1879, pp. 145-47 | ||
| publication date =1879-09-26 | | publication date = 1879-09-26 | ||
| original date = | | original date = | ||
| notes = | | notes = | ||
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}} | }} | ||
... | <center>By Professor Fechner.</center> | ||
To state more precisely the grounds of my recognition of the facts upon which Spiritualism is founded, I add the following general remarks upon that subject. | |||
In the report which Professor Zollner has given in his work ''(Scientific Treatises') ''on the Spiritualistic ''seances ''which were held in Leipsic and Breslau with the American medium Slade, he has, besides printing the testimony of Professors Weber and Scheibner, also mentioned my observations in their favour, and I do not withdraw my testimony, although it does not reach nearly so far, and even to myself carries much less weight, than that of Professor Zollner and his fellow observers. I was, in point of fact, only present at a few of the first of the ''seances ''which were not the most decisive, and I was present more' as a spectator than as an experimentalist. Those ''seances ''did not, even to myself, amount to demonstration in the face of the suspicion of jugglery. | |||
If, however, I take what after all I have seen myself, without being able to detect any deception in spite of the keenest attention, and add to it the results of the continued observations and real experiments of my scientific friends in their subsequent sittings, and also those of the English men of science; and if, moreover, I remember that the phenomena which in Leipzic have been questioned by being called humbug and jugglery, have in other places been demonstrated to be facts by good observers, when mediums were employed who were above suspicion, then all this reacts upon me with a force of conviction which I am not able to withstand, however much, as regards certain phenomena, I should like to do so. | |||
Indeed, however incredible the spiritual facts may at first sight appear to be, we must altogether give up trust in human testimony, and the possibility of proving facts by observation, and thus part with all knowledge derived from experience, if we do not accept the mass of testimony lying before us in favour of the reality of spiritual phenomena. | |||
Without adverting to the greater number of the witnesses, I will here mention only a few, to whom it is natural to refer at this time. | |||
If Professor Zollner, who may be taken to be the chief spokesman for the reality of spiritual phenomena in Germany (as well as myself, who do not lay claim to independent authority as an observer in this field, but who supports his observations), is declared to be a visionary who sees what he wishes to see, it should be shown firstly in what region of observation he has ever proved himself to be one; and, secondly, {{Style S-HPB SB. Continues on|10-58}} | |||
{{Footnotes start}} | |||
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Translated from Professor Fechner’s work, ''The Philosophy of Light as Opposed to the Philosophy of Night.'' | |||
{{Footnotes end}} | |||
{{HPB-SB-footer-footnotes}} | {{HPB-SB-footer-footnotes}} | ||
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<gallery widths=300px heights=300px> | <gallery widths=300px heights=300px> | ||
london_spiritualist_n.370_1879-09-26.pdf|page=13|London Spiritualist, No. 370, September 26, 1879, p. 155 | london_spiritualist_n.370_1879-09-26.pdf|page=13|London Spiritualist, No. 370, September 26, 1879, p. 155 | ||
london_spiritualist_n.370_1879-09-26.pdf|page=3|London Spiritualist, No. 370, September 26, 1879, pp. 145-47 | |||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||