Robert was throughout life a warm friend and admirer of his younger brother, and not a whit envious at seeing himself passed in the social scale by him. One day he was sitting in the Royal Institution just previous to a lecture by the young and rising philosopher, when he heard a couple of gentlemen behind him descanting on the natural gifts and rapid rise of the lecturer. The brother--perhaps not fully apprehending the purport of their talk--listened with growing indignation while one of them dilated on the lowness of Faraday’s origin. “Why,” said the speaker, “I believe he was a mere shoeblack at one time.” Robert could endure this no longer; but turning sharply round he demanded: “Pray, sir, did he ever black your shoes?” “Oh! dear no, certainly not,” replied the gentleman, much abashed at the sudden inquisition into the facts of the case. [Sidenote: SPIRIT MEDIUMS EXPOSED.] In 1853 Faraday came before the public in a novel manner--as the exposer of the then rampant charlatanry of table-turning and spirit-rapping. The _Athenæum_ for July 2nd contains a long letter from him on table-turning. He experimentally investigated the alleged phenomena as produced by three skilful mediums in _séances_ at the house of a friend. His mechanical skill was more than a match, however, for that of the supposed spirits. When the observers assembled around the table placed their hands in the orthodox way upon the table-top, the table turned, apparently without any effort on the part of any one of the party. This was eminently satisfactory for the spirits. But when Faraday interposed between each hand and the table-top a simple roller-mechanism which, if any individual in the circle applied muscular forces tending to turn it, instantly indicated the fact, the table remained immovable. Faraday wrote merely describing the facts, and saying that the test apparatus was now on public view at 122, Regent Street. He ends thus:-- I must bring this long description to a close. I am a little ashamed of it, for I think, in the present age, and in this part of the world, it ought not to have been required. Nevertheless, I hope it may be useful. There are many whom I do not expect to convince; but I may be allowed to say that I cannot undertake to answer such objections as may be made. I state my own convictions as an experimental philosopher, and find it no more necessary to enter into controversy on this point than on any other in science, as the nature of matter, or inertia, or the magnetisation of light, on which I may differ from others. The world will decide sooner or later in all such cases, and I have no doubt very soon and correctly in the present instance.