< Another Eminent Convert (continued from page 3-215) >
Not lets extraordinary is the phenomenon of increasing or diminishing the weight of the table, in obedience to the desire of those present. To one of its four sides was a screwed dynamometer, and the weight of this side alone was equal to 7 kilos. When the table increased its weight, dynamometers bowed from 25 to 30 kilos. In order to prove that this extra weight had nothing to do with the hands of those present, we all of ns held our hands above the table without touching it
The most convincing of all the proofs though, is the motion of objects which are at a certain distance from the table around/which we sat. For instance, a very large table, which stood beside me and at a distance of more than half a yard from our little seance table, moved sufficiently towards me and struck my chair with such force, that it left marks on its back.
Very remarkable too, are the noises and raps, which take place at nearly every spiritual seance. They are generally in accord with the movement of the table in such way that the one performs the office of the other. The more powerful the mediumistic manifestations, the louder and more noisy are the raps. Weak minds are unable to produce them, and they begin to be heard only after the table has commenced moving. The intensity and character of these raps are exceedingly various. Sometimes they are very dull, indefinite, vague, as if produced by something very soft, and are heard proceeding from the table, the walls, the bookcases and from the floor. In other cases, they are sharp, determined knocks, as with a hard object, and they are heard in all parts of the table, but always from its inner fibers. In some cases, they remind you of the tapping of finger nails against a board or the under side of the table. The most interesting, of these manifestations are the imitations of various noises.
I f some one present thumps the table, with a key for instance, or, making with it a circle, gives a low knock in the centre of the same, immediately you will hear beneath the table-top the same noise, only more dull.
But the most astonishing of the mediumistic phenomena are those intelligent signs prepared and agreed upon beforehand, which constitute the substance of table-talking. To myself, as I said before, this phase of manifestations, was perfectly incredible, and only a long series of care, full experiments and tests led me to the firm belief in its reality and existence. The table is as evidently the instrument of some inteligent power, which talked with us more or less reasonably and had answered our questions. We had agreed that one rap should mean “no” two raps a “doubt” and three an emphatic “yes.” Our questions were to be answered either by raps in the table, or by the tipping of its legs. Very often the table used to approach the place where Dr. A. was sitting, and knock with its leg against the Doctor’s chair. He tried to avoid such a troublesome neighbor, but the table followed him obstinately about the room, and seem decided to have its own way. At the request of this table, one of us began to read the letter of an alphabet, either Russian, French or German, and the table tipped as the desired letter was pronounced. Very often we used to put aside such a tedious method of talking, and to respite the tired reader of the alphabet we got hold of a printed A B C, the letters of which were slowly pointed out by one of us. Very often, also, the table would at our special desire tip out very long phrases in reverse, order, beginning with the last letter of the word, and concluding with the first letter, or spell with Russian letters sentences in French or Italian. Once it spelt out with Russian letters a whole verse from Dante’s poem:
“Nessun maggior dolore |
which I give as a good specimen of table talk. 1 will present here a conversation that we had with it at one of our first sittings. The table asked for the French alphabet, which desire was complied with by Brediff, and it spelt perfectly, grammatically and correctly the following German words: “Licht mehr Licht!” (Light, more light!) to the utmost astonishment of every one of us, who knew perfectly well that the medium Brediff did not know a word of German. We understood this injunction literally, and taking up the candle that stood at one side placed it on the table. Only at the end of the seance we remembered that those words were the last pronounced by Goethe when dying.
“Goethe hergeben,” spelt the table.
“Do you want the works of Goethe?” asked Prof. Boutleroff, in German; and the table said “Yes."
“Which volume?”
The table tipped three times.
“Which then, poetry or prose?”
“Poetry.”
“On which page shall we read?"
The table indicated the twenty-first page.
“From the beginning?”
“Yes.”
“To whom do you address what you find therein?"
Dr. A—'s name was immediately spelt out. After we
had read aloud the poetry that had beenindicated, the table spelt out:
“Du zollst der wissenschaft mit zait und geduld!”
From the above specimen one can have a correct idea of the general character of the communications that one gets at such seances. In such conversations one is constantly groping his way in the mysteriousness of vague and illusive answers. If you ask a direct question, you will seldom get a direct answer. Dr. A. had prepared a whole list of questions, on the answers to which he had reckoned to help in clearing up some of the mystery. The table either answered him evasively, or did not answer at all. True enough, all those questions were offered mentally, having been first written out But the same occurs with verbal questions. For instance, on being asked what was the cause of this power which produced the spiritual manifestations, the table replied thus:
“Geist und stoff.'” (Spirit and matter.) To Dr. A—'s
suggestion that the word “geist" (spirit) was the synomyn in this case of “force,” the table said:
“Kraft ist nicht immer Geist; Geist ist immer Kraft." (Force is not always Spirit; Spirit is always a force).
Several times the phrases spelt out, exhibited evident signs of childishness, sometimes, even of absurdity. These interviews with the table remind me wonderfully of those other incoherent conversations, with no head or tail to them, that we follow up sometimes in our dreams.
Allow me here a short digression, for 1 now want to say a few words about the universality of these mediumistic phenomena, and discuss it as well as any slight knowledge of the subject will permit. I repeat again, I am thoroughly convinced of the reality of these manifestations, for my con viction formed itself slowly, was brought about by reasoning, and enforced itself upon me by a long series of individual proofs, all of which were carefully revised, verified and examined by myself under every aspect When some manifestation happened to leave me at the time of one seance in the slightest doubt, I watched it more carefully than ever at the next one; and if its genuineness offered the slightest ground for suspicion, I never recorded it with the rest of those which remained in my eyes indisputable. Therefore, I do not mention here any of those manifestations that I could not most positively vouch for.
All these phenomena have most certainly their origin in general physical laws and therefore are subordinate to the latter. Certain outward conditions must influence them, undoubtedly. For instance, the cold or the dryness of the atmosphere affect their progress. That the power, which calls out these manifestations is centred in the mediums is another undeniable fact, as the mediums present to us individuals in whom the activity of the nervous system has peculiarities which are not to be found in others. By this I do not mean to imply that the said action differs substantially from the same action in other nervous people. Not at all! It even seems to me probable that all such persons are more or less mediumistic; but developed mediums are apt to display the manifestations of this action in a maximum degree. In their presence especially in the presence pf such strong mediums as D. D. Home for instance, the manifestations can be produced unconditionally, without either spiritual apparatus, seances or tables. But the occurrence of this action evidently is subject to variations. That is why spiritual seances very often turn out to be so fruitless. Home told me himself that his mediumistic powers left him altogether for months at a time.
This power is supported, strengthened and develops <... continues on page 3-217 >