Raymond; or, Life and Death: With examples of the evidence for survival of memory and affection after death.Lodge, Oliver, Sir
Religion
Raymond; or, Life and Death: With examples of the evidence for survival of memory and affection after death.
Lodge, Oliver, Sir
Future life; Lodge, Raymond, 1889-1915 (Spirit); Spiritualism; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, British
At a sitting which I had with Mrs. Leonard on 3 December 1915,
information was given about the photograph--as already reported,
Chapter IV. In all these 'Feda' sittings, the remarks styled _sotto
voce_ represent conversation between Feda and the communicator,
not addressed to the sitter at all. I always try to record these
scraps when I can overhear them; for they are often interesting, and
sometimes better than what is subsequently reported as the result
of the brief conversation. For she appears to be uttering under her
breath not only her own question or comment, but also what she is
being told; and sometimes names are in that way mentioned correctly,
when afterwards she muddles them. For instance, on one occasion she
said _sotto voce_, "What you say? Rowland?" (in a clear whisper);
and then, aloud, "He says something like Ronald." Whereas in this
case 'Rowland' proved to be correct. The dramatically childlike
character of Feda seems to carry with it a certain amount of childish
irresponsibility. Raymond says that he "has to talk to her seriously
about it sometimes."
A few other portions, not about the photograph, are included in
the record of this sitting, some of a very non-evidential and
perhaps ridiculous kind, but I do not feel inclined to suppress
them. (For reasons, see Chapter XII.) Some of them are rather
amusing. Unverifiable statements have hitherto been generally
suppressed, in reporting Piper and other sittings; but here, in
deference partly to the opinion of Professor Bergson-- who when
he was in England urged that statements about life on the other
side, properly studied, like travellers' tales, might ultimately
furnish proof more logically cogent than was possible from mere
access to earth memories--they are for the most part reproduced.
I should think, myself, that they are of very varying degrees of
value, and peculiarly liable to unintentional sophistication by the
medium. They cannot be really satisfactory, as we have no means of
bringing them to book. The difficulty is that Feda encounters many
sitters, and though the majority are just inquirers, taking what
comes and saying very little, one or two may be themselves full
of theories, and may either intentionally or unconsciously convey
them to the 'control'; who may thereafter retail them as actual
information, without perhaps being sure whence they were derived.
Some books, moreover, have been published of late, purporting to give
information about ill-understood things in a positive and assured
manner, and it is possible that the medium has read these and may be
influenced by them. It will be regrettable if these books are taken
as authoritative by people unable to judge of the scientific errors
which are conspicuous in their more normal portions; and the books
themselves seem likely to retard the development of the subject in
the minds of critical persons.
_Sitting with Mrs. Leonard at her House on Friday, 3 December 1915,
from 6.10 p.m. to 8.20 p.m._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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