HPB-SB-10-569

H. P. Blavatsky Scrapbooks

from Adyar archives of the International Theosophical Society

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vol. 10, p. 569	volume 10, page 569 vol. title: vol. period: 1879-1880 pages in vol.: 577
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< Spiritualism and Theosophy (continued from page 10-568) >

Nichol and a Mr. Humphrey to prevent any vibration. Mr. Wallace tells us that, “after a short interval of silence an exquisitely delicate sound as of tapping a glass was heard, which increased to clear silvery notes like the tinkling of a glass bell. These continued in varying degrees for some minutes, &c.” Again, Mr. Wallace says that when a German lady sang some of her national songs “most delicate music like a fairy music box, accompanied her throughout. . . . This was in the dark, but hands were joined all the time.” Several of the persons in this present audience have been permitted by Madame Blavatsky to hear these dulcet fairy-bells tinkle since she came to Simla. But they have heard them in full light, without any joining of hands, and in whatsoever place she chose to order them. The phenomenon is the same as that of Miss Nichol, but the conditions very different; and of that I will have something to say further on.

Mr. Crookes found the force-current to be extremely variable in the same medium on different days, and in the medium from minute to minute its flow was highly erratic. In his book he gives a number of cuts to illustrate these variations as well as of the ingenious apparatus he employed to detect them.

spirit messages.

Among many thousands of communications from the alleged spirits that have been given to the public, and which for the most part contain only trivial messages about family or other personal affairs the details of which were at least known to the enquirers to whom addressed, and which might be attributed to thought-reading, we occasionally come across some that require some other explanation. I refer to those the details mentioned in which are unknown to any one present at the sitting. Mr. Stainton Moses records one such—a case in which a message was given in London, purporting to come from an old man who had been a soldier in America in the war of 1812 and to have died there. No one in London had ever heard of such a person, but upon causing a search to be made in the records of the American War Department, at Washington, the man’s name was found and full corroborative proofs of the London message were obtained. Not having access to books here, I am obliged to quote from memory, but I think you will find my facts essentially correct. In another case, for which Mr. J. M. Peebles vouches, that gentleman received, either in America, or somewhere else far away from England, a message from an alleged spirit who said he lived and died at York, and that if Mr. Peebles would search the records of that ancient city the spirit’s statement would be found strictly true. In process of time he did visit York and search old birth and burial registers, and there, sure enough he found just the data he had been promised.

henry slade’s mediumship.

Besides communicating by the raps, the alleged spirits have employed many other devices to impart intelligence to the living. Such among others, are the independent writing of messages upon paper laid on the floor under a table or in a closed drawer, between the leaves of a closed book, or on the ceiling or walls, or one’s linen; in neither of these cases there being any human hand near by when the writing has been done. All these phenomena I have seen occurred in full light and under circumstances where trickery or deception was impossible. I have also had satisfactory experience of the rare mediumistic powers of Dr. Henry Slade, who, you recollect, was arrested on a trumped-up charge of dishonesty in London, but afterwards gave Zöllner and his brother savants, of Leipzig, Aksakof, Boutlerof and Wagner, of St. Petersburg, and the Grand Duke Constantine, a series of most complete tests. It was Madame Blavatsky and I who sent Slade from America to Europe in 1876. A very high personage having ordered a scientific investigation of Spiritualism, the professors of the Imperial University of St. Petersburg organised an experimental committee and we two were specially requested by this Committee to select out of the best American mediums one whom we could recommend for the tests. After much investigation we chose Dr. Slade, and the necessary funds for his expenses having been remitted to me, he was in due time sent abroad. Before I would recommend him I exacted the condition that he should place himself in the hands of a committee of the Theosophical Society for testing. I purposely selected as members of that Committee men who were either pronounced sceptics or quite unacquainted with spiritualistic phenomena. Slade was tested thoroughly for several weeks, and when the Committee’s report was finally made, the following facts were certified to as having occurred. Messages were written inside double slates, sometimes tied and sealed together, while they either lay upon the table in full view of all, or were laid upon the heads of members of the Committee, or held flat against

(Continued on page 322.)