Apparitions and thought-transference: an examination of the evidence for telepathyPodmore, Frank
Philosophy
Apparitions and thought-transference: an examination of the evidence for telepathy
Podmore, Frank
Apparitions; Telepathy
The coincidence is, no doubt, not of the strongest kind. But in
estimating its value it should not be overlooked that the impression
was sufficiently intense to produce a decided feeling of discomfort.
And though Miss X. unfortunately omitted to send an account of her
experience until after she had learnt of its partial correspondence
with the event, she did not know at the time when the first letter was
written that her impression was correct as regards the details of the
absence of husband and nurse. Whatever the value of the coincidence,
therefore, it seems clear that the account owes nothing to exaggeration
or unconscious reading back of details. With this may be compared a
narrative sent to me in December 1891, by the Rev. A. Sloman, Master
of Birkenhead School. On the 12th of the month, whilst Mrs. Sloman was
absent at a concert, a chimney in the school-house had caught fire,
and Mr. Sloman had been summoned from his work to give directions
for dealing with the mischief. On the matter being mentioned to Mrs.
Sloman on her return, she at once explained that during the concert,
just about the actual time of the fire, "I suddenly began to think
what you would do if the house took fire, and I distinctly pictured
you going into the kitchen and speaking about a wet blanket." The
account was written down and signed by both Mr. and Mrs. Sloman on the
day of the occurrence, and the coincidence in time between event and
impression seems to be well established. It must be admitted that the
apprehension of fire may not improbably have a more or less permanent
place in the background of a housewife's consciousness; still, even a
slight outbreak of fire is not in an ordinary household a matter of
common occurrence.
The next case is interesting as presenting evidence of the transference
of an auditory impression. The account was originally published in the
_Spectator_ of June 24th, 1882:--
No. 44.--From MRS. BARBER.
"FERNDENE, ABBEYDALE, near SHEFFIELD,
_June_ 22_nd_, 1882.
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