Hours with the Ghosts or, Nineteenth Century Witchcraft: Illustrated Investigations into the Phenomena of Spiritualism and Theosophy — John Shaqi
Hours with the Ghosts or, Nineteenth Century Witchcraft: Illustrated Investigations into the Phenomena of Spiritualism and TheosophyEvans, Henry Ridgely
Religion
Hours with the Ghosts or, Nineteenth Century Witchcraft: Illustrated Investigations into the Phenomena of Spiritualism and Theosophy
Evans, Henry Ridgely
Blavatsky, H. P. (Helena Petrovna), 1831-1891; Spiritualism; Theosophy
There is one more phase of Home's mediumship, the moving of heavy pieces
of furniture without physical contact, that must be spoken of. In
mentioning it, Dr. Max Dessoir, author of the "Psychology of
Conjuring,"[1] says: "We must admit that _a few_ feats, such as those of
Prof. Crookes with Home, concerning the possibility of setting inanimate
objects in motion without touching them, _appear_ to lie entirely outside
the sphere of jugglery." In the year 1871, Prof. William Crookes, (now Sir
William Crookes) Fellow of the Royal Society, a very eminent scientist,
subjected Home to some elaborate tests in order to prove or disprove by
means of scientific apparatus the reality of phenomena connected with
variations in the weight of bodies, with or without contact. He declared
the tests to be entirely satisfactory, but ascribed the phenomena not to
spiritual agency, but to a new force, "in some unknown manner connected
with the human organization," which for convenience he called the "Psychic
Force." He said in his "Researches in the Phenomena of Spiritualism:" "Of
all the persons endowed with a powerful development of this Psychic Force,
and who have been termed 'mediums' upon quite another theory of its
origin, Mr. Daniel Dunglas Home is the most remarkable, and it is mainly
owing to the many opportunities I have had of carrying on my
investigations in his presence that I am enabled to affirm so conclusively
the existence of this force." Prof. Crookes' experiments were conducted,
as he says, in the full light, and in the presence of witnesses, among
them being the famous English barrister, Sergeant Cox, and the
astronomer, Dr. Huggins. Heavy articles became light and light articles
heavy when the medium came near them. In some cases he lightly touched
them, in others refrained from contact.
[Illustration: FIG. 8. CROOKES' APPARATUS.]
The first piece of the apparatus constructed by Crookes to test this
psychic force consisted of a mahogany board 36 inches long by 9-1/2 inches
wide and 1 inch thick. A strip of mahogany was screwed on at one end, to
form a foot, the length being equal to the width of the board. This end of
the board was placed on a table, while the other end was upheld by a
spring balance, fastened to a strong tripod stand, as will be seen in
Fig. 8.
"Mr. Home," writes Prof. Crookes, "placed the tips of his fingers lightly
on the extreme end of the mahogany board which was resting on the support,
whilst Dr. A. B. [Dr. Huggins] and myself sat, one on each side of it,
watching for any effect which might be produced. Almost immediately the
pointer of the balance was seen to descend. After a few seconds it rose
again. This movement was repeated several times, as if by successive waves
of the psychic force. The end of the board was observed to oscillate
slowly up and down during the experiment.
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