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
Miss X. is a lady resident in London, who is known personally to the
present writer and other members of the S.P.R. She has experienced all
her life frequent interchange of telepathic impressions with some of
her friends. At the request of Mr. F. W. H. Myers, Miss X. and a friend
D., also living in London, throughout the year 1888, with the exception
of three months during which they were living in the same house,
kept diaries in which any incident or feeling which might seem to be
telepathically connected with the other was recorded. The ladies during
a great part of the time saw each other constantly, and compared notes
of their experience. In D.'s diary for the year there are thirty-five
entries of the kind, of which twenty are believed to have been recorded
before it was known whether or not there was any actual event to
correspond with the impression. Of the twenty entries fourteen refer
to hearing music played by Miss X., and two to reading books at, as D.
believed, her telepathic instigation.
The entries in D.'s diary are given in italics. The degree of
correspondence with the entries in Miss X.'s diary is indicated in the
words included between brackets.[66]
(1) _Jan._ 6_th. Tried several books ... finally took to "Villette."_
(From Miss X.'s diary it appears that she willed D. to read _The
Professor_, also by Charlotte Brontë.)
(2) _Jan._ 23_rd. Sonnets, E.B.B._ 10.30 P.M.
(In Miss X.'s diary, written at about 10 P.M., appears the entry,
"Sonnets viii.-ix., E.B.B.")
(3) _March_ 6_th. Hellers_, 7.30. (_i.e._, D. had an impression of
hearing Miss X. playing. Miss X. states that she was actually
playing Hellers at the time, but there is no note in her diary of
the fact.)
(4) _March_ 7_th. Beethoven waltzes_, 10. (Correct--recorded in X.'s
diary after seeing D.'s entry.)
(5) _March_ 8_th. No practice._ (_i.e._, X., contrary to her custom,
was not playing at this hour: correct.)
(6) _March_ 9_th. Music_ 7.30-8. (Correct.)
(7) _March_ 10_th._ ?_Music_ 9.30-10 A.M. (Correct. Miss X. had told
D. that she would be out at that hour, and had subsequently changed
her plans, so that the music was unexpected to D., hence the note
of interrogation.)
(8) _March_ 13_th._ 7.40. _Music._ (Correct.)
(9) _March_ 14_th._ 9.30 A.M. [Music.] _Evening of same day. Nothing
but organs and bands, popular airs and Mikado_. ?_Flash of Henselt_
9 (P.M.)
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