Metapsychical Phenomena: Methods and ObservationsMaxwell, J. (Joseph)
Philosophy
Metapsychical Phenomena: Methods and Observations
Maxwell, J. (Joseph)
Parapsychology -- Investigation
“I desired to write a letter, and, thinking that the phenomena were
probably exhausted for the time being, I begged M. Meurice to allow
me to get off my letter. I was in the act of writing, when he said
he felt he could move another article. I watched him: he took up
another statuette, which stands a foot high; he put this statuette on
a small table which was near me; he kept his hands open, palms turned
towards the object in question. He moved his hands slowly backwards
and forwards, and I observed the statuette bend forward when his hands
receded, and bend backwards when his hands approached it. His hands
were never nearer than ten inches to the object.
“M. Meurice then complained of feeling unwell, and threw himself on
his bed. His hands touched the head of the bed, on the woodwork of
which raps at once resounded. Chappe gave his signal, and dictated:
‘B. MENAGEZ.’ Questioned as to what he meant, he said to take care
of the medium, and not to take advantage of the power. We ceased
experimenting, therefore.
“I have a few remarks to make concerning the above phenomena. When I
held my friend’s hands, I obtained nothing. M. Meurice says he saw
a thread, or rather a sheath of filaments, pass from his fingers on
to the object of experimentation. As a rule, he made passes over the
object he wished to move, as though he were putting a thread of some
kind around it. He did not always do this, _e.g._ if the object to be
moved were light and small, he made no passes over it.
“This movement would be very suspicious, if observation were
superficial; but apart from the purely scientific spirit in which
M. Meurice views his own phenomena, the severe control I exercised
demonstrated the absence of any material link whatever.”
_More Extracts from Dr. Maxwell’s Notes_
“_3rd June 1903._
“A movement without contact was forthcoming this afternoon. I placed a
table upside down upon a linen sheet. M. Meurice and I put our hands
on the sheet, some distance away from the table. The latter turned
completely over; the movement was performed slowly and gently. It was
at four o’clock, the sunlight was streaming in through the open window.
“We also obtained the movement of a heavy wooden stool with slight
contact. M. Meurice and I were sitting on a couch, the stool was near
us; abundant raps were heard on the stool. M. Meurice took up a piece
of linen, put one end on the stool, putting a framed picture on top of
it to keep it in place; he put the other end on his knees. In a few
minutes, the stool swayed about and finally moved a distance of three
inches away from M. Meurice. I watched him well and can affirm he moved
neither hand nor foot during the production of this phenomena.
“M. Meurice experienced much fatigue after this movement. It occurred
at half-past four; the light, I repeat, was excellent.”
“_11th June 1903._
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