Apparitions and thought-transference: an examination of the evidence for telepathy — John Shaqi
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 experiments which follow were made by Dr. Blair Thaw, M.D., of New
York. The series quoted, which took place on the 28th of April 1892,
comprises all the trials in which Dr. Thaw was himself the percipient.
Dr. Thaw had his eyes blindfolded and his ears muffled, and the agent,
Mrs. Thaw, and Mr. M. H. Wyatt, who was present but took no part in
the agency, kept silent, except when it was necessary to state whether
an object, card, number, or colour was to be guessed. The objects were
in all cases actually looked at by the agent, the "colour" being a
coloured disc, and the numbers being printed on separate cards.[20]
_1st Object._ SILK PINCUSHION, in form of Orange-Red Apple, quite
round.--Percipient: _A Disc_. When asked what colour, said, _Red or
Orange_. When asked what object, named _Pincushion_.
_2nd Object._ A SHORT LEAD PENCIL, nearly covered by the nickel cover.
Never seen by percipient. Percipient: _Something white or light. A
card. I thought of Mr. Wyatt's silver pencil_.
_3rd Object._ A DARK VIOLET in Mr. Wyatt's button-hole, but not known
to be in the house by percipient. Percipient: _Something dark. Not very
big. Longish. Narrow. Soft. It can't be a cigarette because it is dark
brown. A dirty colour._ Asked about smell, said: _Not strong, but what
you might call pungent; a clean smell_.
Percipient had not noticed smell before, though sitting by Mr. Wyatt
some time, but when afterwards told of the violet knew that this was
the odour noticed in experiment.
Asked to spell name, percipient said: _Phrygian, Phrigid, or first
letter V if not Ph_.
_4th Object._ WATCH, dull silver with filigree. Percipient: _Yellow
or dirty ivory. Not very big. Like carving on it._ Watch is opened by
agent, and percipient is asked what was done. Percipient says: _You
opened it. It is shaped like a_ _butterfly_. Percipient held finger
and thumb of each hand making figure much like that of opened watch.
Percipient asked to spell it, said: _I get r-i-n-g with a W at first_.
PLAYING CARDS.
KING SPADES.--_Spades. Spot in middle and spots outside. 7 Spades. 9
Spades._
4 CLUBS.--_4 Clubs._
5 SPADES.--_5 Diamonds._
NUMBERS OUT OF NINE DIGITS.
4.--Percipient said: _It stands up straight. 4_.
6.--Percipient said: _Those two are too much alike, only a little gap
in one of them. It is either 5 or 6_.
3.--_3._
1.--Percipient said: _Cover up that upper part if it is the 1. It is
either 7 or 1_.
2.--_9, 8._
[From acting so much as agent in previous trials, I knew the shapes of
these numbers printed on cardboard, and as agent found the 5 and 6 too
much alike. After looking hard at one of them I can hardly tell the
difference, and always cover the upper projection of the I because it
is so much like a 7.
The numbers were printed on separate pieces of cardboard, and there
were about a hundred in the box, being made for some game.]
COLOURS, CHOSEN AT RANDOM.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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