Mysterious Psychic Forces: An Account of the Author's Investigations in Psychical Research, Together with Those of Other European Savants
John Stuart Mill · en
An important question here forces itself upon the attention. _Are the
movements and sounds governed by intelligence?_ At a very early stage
of the inquiry, it was seen that the power producing the phenomena was
not merely a blind force, but was associated with or governed by
intelligence. Thus the sounds to which I have just alluded will be
repeated a definite number of times. They will come loud or faint, and
in different places at request; and by a pre-arranged code of signals,
questions are answered, and messages given with more or less accuracy.
The intelligence governing the phenomena is sometimes manifestly below
that of the medium. It is frequently in direct opposition to the
wishes of the medium. When a determination has been expressed to do
something which might not be considered quite right, I have known
urgent messages given to induce a reconsideration. The intelligence is
sometimes of such a character as to lead to the belief that it does
not emanate from any person present.
THIRD CLASS: _The Alteration of Weights of Bodies._--(Experiments
which have been already described.)
FOURTH CLASS: _Movements of Heavy Substances when at a distance from
the Medium._--The instances in which heavy bodies, such as tables,
chairs, sofas, etc., have been moved, when the medium has not been
touching them, are very numerous. I will briefly mention a few of the
most striking. My own chair has been twisted partly round, whilst my
feet were off the floor. A chair was seen by all present to move
slowly up to the table from a far corner, when all were watching it.
On another occasion an arm-chair moved to where we were sitting, and
then moved slowly back again (a distance of about three feet) at my
request. On three successive evenings a small table moved slowly
across the room, under conditions which I had specially pre-arranged,
so as to answer any objection which might be raised to the evidence. I
have had several repetitions of the experiment considered by the
Committee of the Dialectical Society to be conclusive, viz., the
movement of a heavy table, in full light, the chairs turned with their
backs to the table, about a foot off, and each person kneeling on his
chair, with hands resting over the back of the chair, but not touching
the table. On one occasion this took place when I was moving about so
as to see how everyone was placed.
FIFTH CLASS: _The Rising of Tables and Chairs off the Ground, without
Contact with any Person._
(We need not recur to these matters.)