In these ESP tests the receiving impressions are the symbols on the
various cards in a deck. Basically, the tests in ESP experiments all
come down to one thing--the participants try, without seeing the
cards, to identify the symbols on each card in a deck as they draw them
from the pack.
In reviewing the results of these tests, it often happens that
participants, extra-ordinarily gifted with what is called 'psychic
ability,' have long runs of picking exact cards. But these runs are
sometimes on the cards--_before the one that is being turned, or on the
one after the one turned_.
In other words, if cards A-B-C-D-E-F-G have been turned, many times the
participant will call B when C is turned, C when D is turned, E when F
is turned, and so forth. There are various theories for the cause of
this factor. It is a factor that comes up time and again. Marsten knew
that. But in that intense moment he must have overlooked it. It hadn't
occurred to any of the others there, either. We were all too close to
the forest to see the trees....
And I screamed at the Professor against the wind and the morning:
S-D-K-D-O-A-S-G-X form an acrostic, and they are all one letter in the
alphabet _before_ the letters that spell out T-E-L-E-P-A-T-H-Y! Except
in the letter A, for Adler. There could not be a letter before A in the
alphabet. So, there was no displacement factor on Adler's card.
"Marsten, listen to me! Can you hear? Can't you understand? The
_displacement factor, Marsten_! The _Displacement Factor_--"
He never saw me, never heard me of that I am certain. Everything seemed
too late for Marsten. I saw him lean forward, drop off the ledge.
My words followed him crazily down as he fell: "_The displacement
factor_--"
Maybe before he struck the concrete down there he realized that he had
been right, that the experiment had not failed. I hope so. But I think,
in view of his tragic death, that Professor Marsten deserves this
explanation, this proof that his work was not in vain. And because of
what his hypothesis may mean to scientists of the future.
It isn't conclusive enough for the strictly disciplined scientific
method. But though others may think his experiment inconclusive, I
_know_ that Professor Marsten proved the existence of Mental Telepathy.
So I'm going to take up where Marsten ended his experiment--and his
life--and I'm going to do it even though it may mean the end of my
career in orthodox science.
And maybe if I keep working at it, and thinking about it long enough
and steadily enough, Marsten will receive my thought. Then, wherever he
is now, if he doesn't already know, maybe I'll be able to tell him that
he didn't fail....