A defence of modern spiritualismWallace, Alfred Russel
Religion
A defence of modern spiritualism
Wallace, Alfred Russel
Spiritualism
This is the first spirit-photograph taken in England, and it’s perhaps
more satisfactory on account of the suddenness of the impulse under
which it was taken, and the great white patch which no impostor would
have attempted to produce, and which, taken by itself, utterly spoils
the picture. A few days afterwards, Mr. and Mrs. Guppy and their little
boy went without any notice. Mrs. Guppy sat on the ground holding the
boy on a stool. Her husband stood behind looking on. The picture thus
produced is most remarkable. A tall female figure, finely draped in
white, gauzy robes, stands directly behind and above the sitters,
looking down on them and holding its open hands over their heads, as if
giving a benediction. The face is somewhat Eastern, and, with the hands,
is beautifully defined. The white robes pass behind the sitters’ dark
figures without in the least showing through. A second picture was then
taken as soon as a plate could be prepared; and it was fortunate it was
so, for it resulted in a most remarkable test. Mrs. Guppy again knelt
with the boy; but this time she did not stoop so much, and her head was
higher. The same white figure comes out equally well defined, but _it
has changed its position in a manner exactly corresponding to the slight
change of Mrs. Guppy’s position_. The hands were before on a level; now
one is raised considerably higher than the other, so as to keep it about
the same distance from Mrs. Guppy’s head as it was before. The folds of
the drapery all correspondingly differ, and the head is slightly turned.
Here, then, one of two things is absolutely certain. Either there was a
living, intelligent, but invisible being present, or Mr. and Mrs. Guppy,
the photographer, and some fourth person, planned a wicked imposture,
and have maintained it ever since. Knowing Mr. and Mrs. Guppy so well as
I do, I feel an absolute conviction that they are as incapable of an
imposture of this kind as any earnest inquirer after truth in the
department of natural science.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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