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
On the 21st of the same month I heard a full account of the incident
given above from Mr. Godfrey, and on the day following from Mrs. ----.
Mrs. ---- told me that the figure appeared quite distinct and life-like
at first, though she could not remember to have noticed more than the
upper part of the body. As she looked it grew more and more shadowy,
and finally faded away. Mrs. ----, it should be added, told me that
she had previously seen two phantasmal figures, representing a parent
whom she had recently lost.[110]
Mr. Godfrey at our request made two other trials, without, of course,
letting Mrs. ---- know his intention. The first of these attempts was
without result, owing perhaps to the date chosen, as he was aware at
the time, being unsuitable. But a trial made on the 7th December 1886
succeeded completely. Mrs. ----, writing on December 8th, states that
she was awakened by hearing a voice cry, "Wake," and by feeling a hand
rest on the left side of her head. She then saw stooping over her a
figure which she recognised as Mr. Godfrey's.
In this last case the dress of the figure does not seem to have been
seen distinctly. But in the apparition of the 16th November, it will
be observed that the dress was that ordinarily worn in the daytime
by Mr. Godfrey, and that in which the percipient would be accustomed
to see him, _not_ the dress which he was actually wearing at the
time. If the apparition is in truth nothing more than an expression
of the percipient's thought this is what we should expect to find,
and as a matter of fact in the majority of well evidenced narratives
of telepathic hallucination this is what we actually do find. The
dress and surroundings of the phantasm represent, not the dress and
surroundings of the agent at the moment, but those with which the
percipient is familiar. If other proof were wanting, this fact would in
itself seem a sufficient argument that we have to deal, not with ghosts
but with hallucinations. It is to be regretted, however, that most
recent experimenters in this direction have succeeded only in producing
apparitions of themselves. But a crucial experiment of the kind desired
is to be found in an account published in 1822 by H. M. Wesermann,
Government Assessor and Chief Inspector of Roads at Düsseldorf. He
records five successful trials with different percipients, of which the
fifth seems worth quoting in full.[111]
No. 62.--From H. M. WESERMANN.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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