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{{Style P-HPB SB. Title continued |An Anglo-Indian’s Spiritualistic Experiences in London|10-267}} | |||
{{Style P-No indent|its ordinary resources, as applied to conjuring, are very familiar to me. No optical effects of the conjuror’s kind will bear looking at ''all round''—as we looked at what was said to be “John King” while he remained over the table, descending low down on to it, too, so that the head was no more than two feet above the surface of the table. And a collateral fact that has impressed me is this: once at one of our quite private ''seances, ''with no medium or stranger present, we saw little sparks in the air just like the more vivid spirit lights of Williams’s ''stance, ''though in our private case, for want, as a Spiritualist would say, of sufficient mediumship, they did not develop into visible faces.}} | |||
Again, on one occasion when Williams was present at a private house where I attended a ''seance, ''the “John King” face appeared just as I saw it at Williams’s lodgings. That is a striking fact to me, because at the house in question Williams could have had no apparatus. | |||
In the midst of my researches I was introduced to a lady, whose name I think I may mention here, because she has become so very celebrated in connection with this subject—I mean Mrs. Guppy. Mrs. Guppy, since remarried, was at that time a widow of ample private means, living at Kensington, and ''suivie ''by hunters after Spiritualism to that degree that though she used to hold ''seances ''about three evenings a week, one had to get permission to attend these some time in advance. People had no conscience about begging to be allowed to come. However, during my stay in London, Mrs. Guppy kindly invited me on three occasions. It would take columns to describe all that occurred. Mrs. Guppy has been described as the “Empress of Physical Mediums,” and all the physical phenomena so often referred to in writings on this subject occur in her presence in myriads. Such a Castle of Enchantment as I found that comfortable house in Kensington to be, I can hardly expect your readers to realise. Mrs. Guppy’s guests would assemble in the drawing-room about 8 or 9 o’clock, and when all were there we used to go up to an almost empty room on the upper floor, where the ''stances ''were held. The phenomena in the habit of occurring' would have been ruination in a drawing-room with much furniture and ornaments about. Two or three gentlemen would sometimes go up first to look about the room, and Mrs. Guppy, I remember, sent me up in this way in advance of the rest on the first evening I was present. The room was of moderate size, with one window and one door. A jet of gas turned over the mantelpiece, a bare round table with a hole in the middle, and a dozen or so of common cane chairs, constituted all the furniture. The window shutter was in one large solid piece of wood, going over the whole window, and fastened into its place with long iron screws. I assisted to put it up on the evening of which I speak. Then the party all came up, about fifteen in number; some sat round the table, some stood about. While these arrangements were being made loud raps, as loud as might have been made with a small hammer, were clattering all round the room, on walls, floor, and ceiling. Trifles of that sort were not much noticed at Mrs. Guppy’s. Then the gas was turned out, and the door shut. I may mention that the door was fastened in a more effectual manner than by bolts or bars. If it was opened an inch, light streamed in from the hall below. There could never be any doubt as to whether it was shut or open. Well; closed in as we were by four bare walls and that huge shutter, darkness was no sooner established than we heard a swishing through the room. I felt drops of water on my face, and felt myself brushed about in an unintelligible way, and people began calling out for a light. One of the gentlemen appointed to the charge of the candle and match box struck a light, and we found the room strewn all over with the branches of trees—large branches several feet long, wet with rain, and freshly torn from wherever they had been growing. There were not two or three, you will understand, but more than one person could have carried on his arms, all over the floor and table. Darkness was re-established, and other things came; quantities of flowers; and on one occasion, with a tremendous smash on the table, a big block of ice weighing many pounds. I cannot now relate all that occurred in the order of its occurrence, but as I go on I record my recollections of the whole series of three evenings when I was present. “Spirit hands” came touching us once, and then to see something that had been brought a light was called for. While the candle was still burning spirit hands showed themselves at the hole in the middle of the table. Many of us, as I myself, rested our hands on the table at the edge of this hole, and the spirit hands would flutter up and touch them, thus coming plainly into sight. Much time would be spent in conversation by raps between various persons present and spirits with whom they found themselves, or thought themselves in communication. One evening we had a professional medium present—a Mrs. Hardy—who went into a trance, and spoke in strange voices, but I was not interested much in this. Quantities of little objects would be brought to some of the sitters from their own houses at a distance, but this did not happen to me. Then people would suddenly feel their rings taken off, and these would be as suddenly slipped on to the fingers of people in a different part of the room. All this sort of childishness is very irritating to a person seriously trying to make out the truth about great marvels, apparently hinging on to mysteries of the supremest importance. But unfortunately Spiritualism has a great attraction for foolish as well as for intelligent persons, and large ''stances'' will generally be leavened with a painful element of silliness. When the ''seances ''used to be over, and we went downstairs, raps and other phenomena would follow us. It used to be Mrs. Guppy’s hospitable practice to have supper laid out in the dining-room on ''stance ''evenings. Once I remember about fourteen people had gathered sitting round this supper table, and a few others, of whom I was one, were standing about the room, when the table began to jerk and jump. Our hostess was more anxious for the safety of her glass and china than for further manifestations just then, and we all, as far as appearance went, tried to hold down the table. I know that one intimate friend of my own, sitting at the end of the table, tried to do this, all he knew; and that I, standing behind and leaning over his shoulder with both hands on the table, pressed down on it with my whole {{Style S-HPB SB. Continues on|10-269}} | |||
Latest revision as of 12:03, 13 November 2024
Legend
< An Anglo-Indian’s Spiritualistic Experiences in London (continued from page 10-267) >
its ordinary resources, as applied to conjuring, are very familiar to me. No optical effects of the conjuror’s kind will bear looking at all round—as we looked at what was said to be “John King” while he remained over the table, descending low down on to it, too, so that the head was no more than two feet above the surface of the table. And a collateral fact that has impressed me is this: once at one of our quite private seances, with no medium or stranger present, we saw little sparks in the air just like the more vivid spirit lights of Williams’s stance, though in our private case, for want, as a Spiritualist would say, of sufficient mediumship, they did not develop into visible faces.
Again, on one occasion when Williams was present at a private house where I attended a seance, the “John King” face appeared just as I saw it at Williams’s lodgings. That is a striking fact to me, because at the house in question Williams could have had no apparatus.
In the midst of my researches I was introduced to a lady, whose name I think I may mention here, because she has become so very celebrated in connection with this subject—I mean Mrs. Guppy. Mrs. Guppy, since remarried, was at that time a widow of ample private means, living at Kensington, and suivie by hunters after Spiritualism to that degree that though she used to hold seances about three evenings a week, one had to get permission to attend these some time in advance. People had no conscience about begging to be allowed to come. However, during my stay in London, Mrs. Guppy kindly invited me on three occasions. It would take columns to describe all that occurred. Mrs. Guppy has been described as the “Empress of Physical Mediums,” and all the physical phenomena so often referred to in writings on this subject occur in her presence in myriads. Such a Castle of Enchantment as I found that comfortable house in Kensington to be, I can hardly expect your readers to realise. Mrs. Guppy’s guests would assemble in the drawing-room about 8 or 9 o’clock, and when all were there we used to go up to an almost empty room on the upper floor, where the stances were held. The phenomena in the habit of occurring' would have been ruination in a drawing-room with much furniture and ornaments about. Two or three gentlemen would sometimes go up first to look about the room, and Mrs. Guppy, I remember, sent me up in this way in advance of the rest on the first evening I was present. The room was of moderate size, with one window and one door. A jet of gas turned over the mantelpiece, a bare round table with a hole in the middle, and a dozen or so of common cane chairs, constituted all the furniture. The window shutter was in one large solid piece of wood, going over the whole window, and fastened into its place with long iron screws. I assisted to put it up on the evening of which I speak. Then the party all came up, about fifteen in number; some sat round the table, some stood about. While these arrangements were being made loud raps, as loud as might have been made with a small hammer, were clattering all round the room, on walls, floor, and ceiling. Trifles of that sort were not much noticed at Mrs. Guppy’s. Then the gas was turned out, and the door shut. I may mention that the door was fastened in a more effectual manner than by bolts or bars. If it was opened an inch, light streamed in from the hall below. There could never be any doubt as to whether it was shut or open. Well; closed in as we were by four bare walls and that huge shutter, darkness was no sooner established than we heard a swishing through the room. I felt drops of water on my face, and felt myself brushed about in an unintelligible way, and people began calling out for a light. One of the gentlemen appointed to the charge of the candle and match box struck a light, and we found the room strewn all over with the branches of trees—large branches several feet long, wet with rain, and freshly torn from wherever they had been growing. There were not two or three, you will understand, but more than one person could have carried on his arms, all over the floor and table. Darkness was re-established, and other things came; quantities of flowers; and on one occasion, with a tremendous smash on the table, a big block of ice weighing many pounds. I cannot now relate all that occurred in the order of its occurrence, but as I go on I record my recollections of the whole series of three evenings when I was present. “Spirit hands” came touching us once, and then to see something that had been brought a light was called for. While the candle was still burning spirit hands showed themselves at the hole in the middle of the table. Many of us, as I myself, rested our hands on the table at the edge of this hole, and the spirit hands would flutter up and touch them, thus coming plainly into sight. Much time would be spent in conversation by raps between various persons present and spirits with whom they found themselves, or thought themselves in communication. One evening we had a professional medium present—a Mrs. Hardy—who went into a trance, and spoke in strange voices, but I was not interested much in this. Quantities of little objects would be brought to some of the sitters from their own houses at a distance, but this did not happen to me. Then people would suddenly feel their rings taken off, and these would be as suddenly slipped on to the fingers of people in a different part of the room. All this sort of childishness is very irritating to a person seriously trying to make out the truth about great marvels, apparently hinging on to mysteries of the supremest importance. But unfortunately Spiritualism has a great attraction for foolish as well as for intelligent persons, and large stances will generally be leavened with a painful element of silliness. When the seances used to be over, and we went downstairs, raps and other phenomena would follow us. It used to be Mrs. Guppy’s hospitable practice to have supper laid out in the dining-room on stance evenings. Once I remember about fourteen people had gathered sitting round this supper table, and a few others, of whom I was one, were standing about the room, when the table began to jerk and jump. Our hostess was more anxious for the safety of her glass and china than for further manifestations just then, and we all, as far as appearance went, tried to hold down the table. I know that one intimate friend of my own, sitting at the end of the table, tried to do this, all he knew; and that I, standing behind and leaning over his shoulder with both hands on the table, pressed down on it with my whole <... continues on page 10-269 >