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{{Style P-HPB SB. Title continued |An Oracular Standard|10-415}} | {{Style P-HPB SB. Title continued |An Oracular Standard|10-415}} | ||
... | {{Style P-Quote|For instance, Mr. Purdon says:—“It appears necessary to the adoption of my theory of mediumship to allow that particular cortical areas and those parts of the brain where sign co-ordination is localised, must be very materially influenced; ” and if any one refused to allow this, and Mr. Purdon asked him why, the defeat of the challenger would be assured. It is very pleasant to follow Mr. Purdon for a moment now and then without being landed in a scientific quagmire. He ends the following little argument with a gleam of common sense, for example. “Let the objector ask himself what it is that prevents him from moving a chair at the other side of the room. The answer, that the nature of his constitution is such that he cannot do work beyond the reach of his arm becomes a fallacy—''i.e.'', the tacit assumption (an induction from previous experience) that it cannot be made long enough or otherwise modified, or that a something quite independent of the muscular system cannot be employed. The true answer to the question is that he does not know how to do it.” That certainly is the point: he does not. When Mr. Purdon and his audience have found out how to do it, and can lift a chair from the other side of the room in broad daylight and in the presence of honest men, we will cordially believe in any nitrogenised principle he likes to name.}} | ||
Does the daily press gain anything by indulging in mental gymnastics over everything it does not understand? Would a clown in a pantomime add to his popularity by the same line of action? Mr. Vokes, who has made such a name for himself, has succeeded in that direction by showing to the more appreciative observers a delicate sense of refinement, while indulging in the eccentricities of his profession; and the clown at Covent Garden in the last pantomime, achieved respect in his vocation from the same cause. Similarly, although a daily newspaper editor dare not write far above the dead level of the average public—that weary dead level which it takes centuries to raise a few inches—still he might covertly show intelligent readers that he has a soul above his vocation, and knows what ought to be, even while the means do not exist to achieve his desired results. ''The Standard'' has greatly improved within the past year or two, and as it professes to represent cultured readers, it might do well to act up to its professions by ceasing to pour newspaper abuse over truths about which the general public are ignorant. | |||
{{HPB-SB-item | {{HPB-SB-item | ||
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| item = 1 | | item = 1 | ||
| type = letter | | type = letter | ||
| status = | | status = proofread | ||
| continues = | | continues = | ||
| author = Carter Blake, C. | | author = Carter Blake, C. | ||
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| subtitle = | | subtitle = | ||
| untitled = yes | | untitled = yes | ||
| source title = Spiritualist | | source title = London Spiritualist | ||
| source details = No. 404, May 21, 1880, p. 243 | | source details = No. 404, May 21, 1880, p. 243 | ||
| publication date = 1880-05-21 | | publication date = 1880-05-21 | ||
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}} | }} | ||
... | Sir,—Those persons who, like myself, have consistently opposed the “ghost theory” of the true manifestations which have been so often produced in our midst, may derive much cause for thankfulness from the results of the experiments which Dr. Purdon has given to us. | ||
I take it that we may condense his paper into one mathematical formula. | |||
One human body minus 100 per cent. urea = normal action, and | |||
One human body minus 70 per cent. urea = “dreamself.” | |||
Or in other words, when 30 per cent. urea is kept in, the “materialised spirit” does not go out. The importance of this view, as considered side by side with the experiments of Dr. Haughton, must be tested by accurate physiological experiment on recognised psychics; and it must not be forgotten that if it should be proven to be true, the “charnel-house odour” so familiar to the witnesses to some materialisations is at once accounted for on grounds which do not require the introduction of the supernatural element, and are reconcilable with a theory of the good faith and honesty of the psychics. Further, it is of use to know that a clean glass test-tube and a few inches of test-paper are more than sufficient to lay a few ghosts, and that a strong tincture of ''Leontodon taraxacum'' will eliminate them altogether. | |||
But my especial object is to ask Dr. Purdon to kindly give us his facts and figures in detail, in order that they may be carefully examined. The care and patience with which on all occasions he has examined the phenomena of materialisation, will induce him, no doubt, to supply detailed information on a subject which is well worthy the attention of Physiologists and Spiritualists. | |||
{{Style P-Signature in capitals|C. Carter Blake.}} | |||
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