LUMINOUS PHENOMENA
The curious glimmering lights, which I am going to describe in this
chapter, can only be obtained in total obscurity. They are generally
feeble, and appear to be at the limit of visibility.
I will begin by describing a rather curious phenomenon, which is easily
observable. I am not quite sure of its objective reality; nevertheless,
I will point it out, and give my reasons for doing so.
Certain hand-movements are necessary to bring it into evidence; we must
proceed in the following manner:—
1. Face the light.
2. Put a dark object with a mat surface between yourself and the light.
Do not place the object so as to screen the light from the operators,
simply place it between the experimenters and the light. An arm-chair
covered with dark velvet will suit; place it so that its back is turned
to the light.
3. Open the hands, put them against the dark background, palms turned
towards the chest. Join the hands at the finger-tips; withdraw the
hands very slowly, always keeping the fingers stretched out.
4. Place behind you the person with whom the experiment is to be made,
his head on a level with the operator’s head, that is, in the centre of
the plane occupied by the hands.
Under these conditions, when the fingers are drawn apart, seven or
eight out of ten persons will see a sort of grey mist uniting the tips
of the fingers. The person with whom we are experimenting must not be
told what he is expected to see; the experiment would be vitiated by
introducing therein a suggestive or imaginative element.
Three-fourths of those with whom I have experimented perceived a slight
mist, passing from the tip of one finger to another or corresponding
finger on the other hand. I myself perceive this mist very plainly:
to me it resembles cigarette smoke; it has the same greyish colour,
the same appearance, but much more tenuity. The majority of people see
it in this way; but I have met with some, who fancied it a different
colour. Those who see the effluvium as coloured are generally gifted
with psychic faculties. I have not been able to come to any positive
conclusions on this point; but I have some reasons for believing
that the coloured perception of what I call, for want of a better
term, ‘digital effluvium,’ indicates a highly psychical temperament.
A young doctor, who has remarkable medianic powers, sees it as red.
I also found two persons who saw it as yellow. I have many reasons
for thinking that one of these two is a medium; but he refuses to
experiment, and declares _a priori_ that psychical phenomena are—to
use his own familiar expression—all ‘humbug.’ The other person is
an eminent magistrate. I have found some people to whom the digital
effluvium appears as blue. On the whole, from the experiments I have
made I reckon that out of 300 people of both sexes, 240 to 250 perceive
the effluvium; 2 to 3 out of 100 see it as blue. I have found two who
saw it as yellow; and one who saw it as red.
I did not remark that the colour of the effluvium was different from
one hand to the other; but in reality I did not question much on the
subject, as I was most anxious to avoid anything like suggestion. I
have never therefore made inquiries upon the possible difference of
coloration in the two hands; but I think it would have been pointed out
to me, had it been perceived.
Generally the effluvium appears to unite the tips of the fingers of
each hand. But it is not always so. Often two or three digital effluvia
converge into one of the fingers of the opposite hand, instead of
uniting the corresponding fingers.
I noticed that the meteorological conditions and variations of
temperature had a decided influence upon the visibility of the
effluvia. When the seance-room is very cold, or when the weather is
damp or rainy, the effluvia are scarcely perceptible. They appear to
reach a maximum intensity in summer, when the temperature is high, and
especially when the air is sultry. When the weather is threatening
and stormy, the effluvium is thick and clearly visible to me; when
the storm has burst, and the atmosphere has cleared, its intensity
diminishes.
It often varies according to the individual. Some people give forth an
effluvium, which is more visible than that of others. I have not been
able to seize any relation between the appearance of the effluvium and
the sex, age, and temperament of the various persons with whom I have
experimented; on the contrary, a relation seems to exist between the
state of health or fatigue and the emission of this mist; it is rarely
visible, when the person who emits it is tired or ill.
Such are the principal remarks, which observation of this curious
phenomenon has allowed me to make. I have summed them up carefully,
but I ought to say, that to me the reality of this appearance does not
seem to be demonstrated. After all it may only be due to an effect of
contrast. The conditions under which it is observed with the greatest
convenience are those, where the hands stand out clearly on a dark
background. In drawing the hands away one from the other, the image of
the fingers persists perhaps on the retina, and gives rise, maybe, to
an illusion; but this explanation is not always sufficient.
There is an _optima_ distance for the realisation of this effluvium. As
a rule the effluvium appears denser when the fingers are fairly close
together; as they move away the density diminishes; it becomes thinner
and more attenuated. But if the hands cease to move, the effluvium
disappears. This is the case as long as the tips of the fingers are
not more than 2 to 3 centimetres away. If the movement of withdrawal
ceases when the finger-tips are within 10 to 15 centimetres proximity,
the effluvium remains visible for a longer time. This is what generally
happens, but the facts have not always the same regularity. There is,
in psychical phenomena, the same diversity and variability, which are
observed in other biological phenomena.
I have said that the effluvium persists longer and is best seen when
the finger-tips of each hand are within 10 centimetres proximity. Under
these conditions, the movement of separation being suspended, the
slight mist, which I described, persists several seconds. Sometimes the
effluvium is clearly visible, when the fingers are 25 to 30 centimetres
apart.
I am inclined to think, that this effluvium is not altogether an
imaginary phenomenon. It seems to me to exclude, at least, the
hypothesis of the persistence of the retinal image; for the false image
does not last so long as the effluvium, under the conditions mentioned
by me.
There is yet another explanation. This is that the eye automatically
prolongs the clear impression of the fingers on the dark background
separating them. This would be analogous to the expansion by
irradiation of clear images upon a dark background.
Other reasons, however, make me discard this hypothesis. In the first
place, why do some people see the supposed false image vividly coloured
and not white? Secondly, if the phenomenon is of retinal origin,
why—instead of being thinner, as is the case—does not the image
reproduce the form of the finger? Why is it a blue-grey colour and not
black, as should be the complimentary image of a finger which appears
to be white?
Why is not the phenomenon produced with certain objects coloured in
white? In vain might we experiment with them as with the hands; they
would never leave effluvium between them. There is an exception,
however: if we hold cotton or wood in the hands, we will often perceive
this appearance of effluvium. It is not obtained, as far as I have
been able to judge, with metal objects. From this, it may be inferred,
though I do not affirm it, as my experiments are not sufficiently
conclusive—that wood and cotton conduct the effluvium as well as flesh.
This seems to me very probable with cotton; by holding a crumpled
handkerchief in the hand, and presenting it to the background as I have
recommended doing with the fingers, we will notice a slight mist round
the cotton, which seems to soften off the outlines.
Finally, another more serious reason for considering these effluvia
as probably objective, is the frequent absence of parallelism between
the effluvia of corresponding fingers. I have often observed distinct
divergencies, and it sometimes struck me as though the will might be
able to influence the direction of the effluvia to a certain extent.
It often happens that all the experimenters see the effluvia under the
same aspect. The phenomenon can show great variability in appearance,
the middle finger of one hand, for example, becoming connected with
two, three, or four fingers of the opposite one.
As the aspect of this effluvium usually appears the same to the
observers, there is room to presume that its existence and direction
are not illusory phenomena. In the contrary case, we would have to
suppose collective hallucination, or a most improbable transmission of
impression, which my personal observations do not dispose me to admit.
The phenomenon, which I have called ‘visibility of the digital
effluvium’ for the sake of convenience, is very easy to observe. I make
great reserves on its objectivity, although I think its reality is more
probable than its non-existence. It is most desirable that competent
experimenters should verify these observations, which I only present as
uncertain.
I would have no doubt whatever of the phenomenon, if the accounts of
the persons with whom I experimented had always concorded as to the
direction taken by the effluvia; but it was not so. Though there is a
good proportion of corroboration, I have often observed contradictions
in the descriptions which were given me.
Although the digital effluvium does not yet appear to me to be
demonstrated, I think it will be interesting to point out the analogies
it presents with phenomena already mentioned by diverse experimenters,
notably by Reichenbach and de Rochas. These two experimenters operated
under very different conditions to mine. The one placed his sensitive
in profound obscurity and left him there for a time; then he made him
look at living beings, flowers, magnets, ends of cords, and metal
wires, opposite ends of which were in the sun; his sensitives generally
saw—especially with human hands, crystals, and magnetic poles—a kind
of flame or luminous mist surrounding them, or issuing from them.
Rochas has chiefly experimented with sensitives plunged in deep sleep;
every one has read of his experiments,—the blue and red coloration
which his sensitives gave to the gleams of light which are emitted by
magnetic poles, and the right and left sides of the body. My conditions
of experimentation were very different from those under which
Reichenbach and Rochas worked. I took the first comer and operated in
broad daylight. But my observations tend to confirm theirs, at least in
what concerns the radiation of something at the finger-tips.
Another interesting observation remains to be made. I have shown that
very probably linen, and perhaps wood also, were easily impregnated
with that substance of which the effluvium is constituted. This fact
may be compared with those I pointed out, when dealing with telekinetic
movements: particularly the approach of a small table which touched
the cloth of the table at which I was breakfasting; the approach of
the chair which was touched by a wooden newspaper-holder lying on the
table; and lastly, the curious bulging out of mediums’ dresses, which
grazed the feet of the table in some cases of telekinesis. Without
forming any premature hypothesis, it is allowable to look upon the
digital effluvium as having some connection with the force, which is
the determining cause of movements without contact.
The effluvium is visible under other conditions, which are worth
noting. It can be seen, when passes are made over a person or an
object. The appearance is again similar to smoke; it is a bluish-grey
mist, which seems to form prolongations of the fingers.
The effluvium is not a luminous phenomenon. I have described it in
order to be complete, and not to omit a fact which is interesting for
more than one reason. It can, moreover, be seen by certain subjects in
the dark. Here is an interesting experiment, which I have sometimes
realised, but which presents certain difficulties.
One of the mediums, with whom I experimented, appeared to have an
exceptional acuteness of vision in reference to the effluvium. He
saw it escape from the hands of the sitters, and spread itself over
the seance-table. Desirous of finding out what the medium would see
in total darkness, I put out all the lights, and invited the medium
to touch my hand if he saw it. The experiment did not succeed every
time, but the proportion of success was superior to probabilities; but
as the medium might have been able to guide himself by the sense of
hearing, I thought of testing him by touching the table. The sensitive
quickly recognised the finger-tips, claiming to perceive a kind of
milky phosphorescence at the spot where my finger was. To make doubly
sure I tested him still further by tracing letters on the table with
the tip of my forefinger, taking the precaution to avoid all sound. The
medium read nearly all the letters drawn. I then traced some words; he
read them off also. I was able to make him read words of five letters;
he was not able to read longer words, he recognised the last letters,
but declared that the first were blotted out. Nearly all the words of
three or four letters were read correctly, and the errors were often
significant: _e.g._ the word ‘foi’ became ‘loi.’ Now, in a running
hand-writing, it suffices to suppress the lower part of the ‘f’ for the
letter thus amputated to take the aspect of an ‘l.’ I cannot say if
the sensitive really saw what he claimed to see, or if he were guided
by the sound of my finger. I am obliged to trust to his sincerity on
this point; but I have reason to believe that this medium is sincere
and honourable. He is a man of education, and is not a professional
medium; he follows a liberal profession, and does not wish his name to
be mentioned. I have much esteem for him. On the other hand, his senses
would need to have been extraordinarily developed, to have enabled him
to recognise the movement of my finger from the very slight sound it
may have made. No sound was perceptible to myself. I wrote on a small
varnished table of blackwood, on which my finger glided easily and
silently. Again, the errors made now and then—by reading ‘loi’ for
‘foi,’ etc., seem to prove that the sense of sight and not sound was in
operation.
Sometimes it happens, that it is no longer the effluvium which is
perceived, but the whole hand itself becomes phosphorescent. Rays come
and go like gleams on the back of the hands, or on the fingers, and
sometimes, but very rarely, on the face or body of the sitters. These
phosphorescences and the digital effluvia appear to me to belong to the
same order of phenomena. Frequently, they are but fleeting gleams seen
at the finger-tips, when the hands are resting on the table. Though
I and others who have experimented with me, have often verified this
appearance, I have some doubts upon its reality. In obscurity, the eye
tires quickly, and phosphenes soon appear; still, I have nearly always
observed, that these glimmering lights were perceived by other persons
in the same spot I saw them in.
I have rarely observed those glimmering lights, some people see, on the
garments and faces of sitters.
I have not yet been able to verify, in a positive manner, the
phosphorescence of the hands in ordinary seances; though observers
in whom I have the greatest confidence, have assured me that they
had remarked it. We must not lose sight of the fact that the eyes
tire quickly; when the obscurity is not complete, the white hands are
vaguely perceived on the dark background, the eyes, growing tired,
accentuate the contrast between the two shades, and the palest has a
tendency to appear slightly luminous.
Sometimes, but very seldom, I have observed sparks which seemed to
coincide with raps. This phenomena appears to have an objective
reality. I was not the only one to notice these sparks; others saw them
also; their apparition at the moment the raps were heard was constant.
These circumstances permitted us to think, that the phenomenon ought to
have an objective substratum of some kind.
However, I have observed luminous phenomena which were decidedly
objective. At Choisy, we obtained them under special conditions, which
Rochas has indicated, and which are rather significative. These lights,
which were very brilliant, looked like large phosphorescent drops
gliding about on Eusapia’s bodice, after having floated for some time
in the air. This phenomenon did not appear to me to be very convincing,
because during the sitting, a strong odour of phosphorus permeated the
room. When Eusapia had left, I returned to the room, where I found MM.
de Gramont and de Watteville, who were as inquisitive as I was. We
searched but found nothing on the floor.
Our suspicions had been aroused by the phosphorescent odour, which was
diffused in the room. Since then, I have noticed it in seances, where
fraud seemed to be impossible. This odour is characteristic; it is
more like the odour of ozone than that of phosphorus. It is like the
odour perceptible in the vicinity of static electrical machines when in
activity.
These flitting lights can be easily imitated. A prudent experimenter
ought never to lose sight of the fact, that it is possible to employ
diverse substances in order to produce phosphorescent effects. The
use of phosphorescent oil, for example, will give fictitious luminous
phenomena. I remember a seance at which the medical student, of whom I
have already spoken, was present. I noticed that one of his finger-tips
shone for a moment. I afterwards learnt, that this young man had a
phial of phosphorescent oil in one of his pockets. On another occasion,
long narrow lights were, from time to time, seen on his body. I think
these were produced by matches or straws dipped in the luminous liquid.
Phosphorescent preparations, as a rule, have the advantage of only
becoming very luminous, when they are shaken about in the air; for the
lights, which are given forth by the phosphorus they contain, are only
produced when there are phenomena of oxydation.
Objects coated over with sulphide of calcium, strontium, or baryum,
become luminous in obscurity, when they have been previously exposed
to light. This is the principle of luminous dials, match-boxes and
candle-sticks. There are also other substances which permit of
simulating luminous phenomena.
I was once present at some seances, which were very curious from the
point of view of the luminous phenomena which I observed. These seances
were of the series of which I have already spoken. The two young
tricksters, some of whose misdeeds I have related, were present, and
as one of them is an excellent chemist, it is possible that the superb
phenomena I observed were not altogether authentic. I confess, I do not
see how fraud was committed; but, given the conditions under which I
experimented, I think I ought to abstain from expressing a favourable
opinion upon the reality of the facts observed. I will describe them
succinctly, indicating the phenomena which could have been simulated,
and those which did not appear to be so.
The medium is a young man of twenty-four years of age, of good family,
and fairly well-educated. He has been well brought up, and his manners
are good. He is a commercial clerk. He is a tall, strong, well-built
young man, apparently in robust health. He is intelligent, but does
not strike me as having a very strong will. He is easily influenced
by his comrades, and was particularly so by the medical student whose
irrepressible tendency to cheating I have already spoken about. The
student had a great ascendency over the medium, and, in spite of my
advice, induced him to experiment too frequently, almost daily. It
was easy to foresee the result: the imprudent student and medium
both presented visible nervous troubles at the end of a few weeks.
The seances were held in the evening with a round table which had a
double top; they began in the light, but, in obedience to the behests
of the table, total obscurity was speedily obtained. I have always
thought that obscurity was asked for by one of the two tricksters,
who was then able to give himself up to his heart’s delight, and do
as he pleased with his confiding group. They had invited some of
their friends—students or doctors—and I was extremely sorry for these
new-comers, in that they should have been present at such suspicious
seances.
To be quite exact, I ought to say that, though I was convinced these
young men frauded, I was not always able to bring it home to them. I
generally seated myself beside the most turbulent of the two young men,
and the hand which I held never once left mine. But the other hand and
the other trickster had more liberty, and some of my co-experimenters
verified fraud.
Moreover, I suspected fraud, because of the appearance of the
phenomena, which were of an extremely rough character. The table,
raised from the floor, was at times thrown against the observers with
so much force, that they have occasionally been seriously hurt. This
never happens with true phenomena. The thin top of the table was
broken; a ‘phenomenon’ which was caused by exaggerated pressure or
violent blows destined to imitate loud raps. Real raps never break a
table; its feet are sometimes demolished, when the levitated table
falls abruptly, but this is the only damage I have ever observed at
serious seances.
Notwithstanding the more than suspicious conditions under which we
operated, I am not sure that all the phenomena were simulated. In these
seances, there seems to have been a mixture of much that was false with
a little that was true. A longer observation would have permitted me to
come to a more definite conclusion, but the seances were discontinued.
Of the phenomena, the authenticity of which appeared probable to me, I
will mention raps. Many of them were obtained in the light and without
apparent contact; they had all the aspect of the authentic raps I have
so frequently observed. But owing to insufficient control, I do not
feel able to affirm their reality.
As for luminous phenomena, I cannot help wondering how some of them
could have been simulated. In order to give a precise physiognomy of
the conditions under which they were observed, I will briefly relate
one of the most curious seances of the series.
There were about a dozen persons present. Five or six sat down to the
table, and raps were obtained, now on the table, now on the floor.
Obscurity was asked for and gradually given. The phenomena increased
in intensity as the darkness deepened. When we could no longer see,
the usual levitations, violent knocking, and displacement of furniture
had their own way. The seance was discontinued for a few minutes, and
resumed towards eleven o’clock. The table requested that the medium
might be placed in the cabinet, which was in a corner of the room, and
made of white curtains. The medium was placed as requested. The table
then asked the experimenters to withdraw from the vicinity of the
cabinet; when giving these directions, the table appeared to strike the
floor of its own accord. It told us to seat ourselves at a distance
of 6 feet from the cabinet, and then asked us to sing. We droned out
the air, ‘Frère Jacques, dormez-vous?’ At the end of ten or fifteen
minutes, milky-looking phosphorescent lights were seen on the curtains
of the cabinet; then luminous hands appeared. One very luminous hand
rose rapidly outside the curtains and seized a bell, which had been
hooked on to a nail at about 7 feet 6 inches above the floor. This hand
was visible to every one.
Then the milky-lights were again seen, larger and more brilliant
than before. One of these lights, the outlines of which were very
indistinct, floated about the room, and withdrew to about 9 feet
from the cabinet, along the wall opposite the one near which the
experimenters were grouped. This light appeared to be 4 feet above the
ground; it was about 3 feet high by 10 inches broad, and appeared to
float in the air. It remained visible for several seconds.
Afterwards, other lights were seen near the curtains; finally, one
extremely brilliant light appeared above the curtains near the
ceiling. This light was about 1 foot 6 inches high by 1 foot 2 inches
wide. The outlines of this luminosity were more clearly defined than
those of the light which floated about the room.
These phenomena were clearly visible to every one. Some of the
experimenters thought they could see shadowy forms in these lights.
As for me, I could distinguish no human appearance therein. The first
light I described gave me the impression of a luminous pillar; the
second, whose outlines were better defined, awakened no idea of any
definite form. We ceased experimenting shortly after this seance.
Were they genuine, these phenomena? I am not sure, but I cannot
help wondering how they could have been simulated! There are some
distinctions to be made between these appearances, of which I have
only described the principal. The luminous hand, which unhooked the
bell, was well defined: it was very distinct and one mass of light. I
quite understand that suspicion might fall on the medium; he might have
covered his own hand with some phosphorescent substance, and, thanks
to his height, unhooked the bell himself. Let us try to find out what
substance he could have used. We must, I think, put aside the idea
of phosphorescent oil. This would have left traces on the medium’s
hands and clothes, on the curtains of the cabinet, on the bell, on the
wall where the bell was hung. Now there was nothing of the sort. The
medium’s hands and garments bore no trace whatsoever of oil. Besides,
the light which is given forth by preparations which have phosphorus as
their basis, has neither the duration, nor the uniformity of the lights
I observed.
Is it a preparation with a basis of sulphides of the calcium class?
Sulphides, in order to be phosphorescent, ought to be in a dry state.
They are usually reduced to a powder, and this powder is pasted on to
the substance we wish to render luminous. The appearance of a hand
might be given by a glove done over with sulphide of strontium or
calcium. But I need not say how difficult it would be to put on this
glove. True, the glove could be stuffed with horsehair, dipped in
paste and sprinkled over with sulphide in the desired position. The
phenomenon which I observed, could then be explained in the following
manner: The medium might have moved the luminous glove about with one
hand, and unhooked the bell with the other. This is possible, and yet
it does not appear to me to explain what I saw.
In any case, this explanation ceases to be satisfactory, when we
consider the case of the floating lights. I know of no system which
allows of imitating the immaterial, fugitive, diaphanous appearance
of these curious lights. My chemical knowledge, it is true, is very
rudimentary; and one of the young men I speak of is a clever chemist;
it may be he knows of a more perfect process than those just mentioned.
Nevertheless, it seems to me that a piece of cloth done over with some
luminous preparation or other, would not have the aspect of the light
which I saw floating about the room. I think it is very difficult
to reproduce these vague, ill-defined lights, which are more like a
luminous cloud than a phosphorescent material object.
The outlines of the last appearance I described were well defined,
and in its upper part reminded one of the folds of material. Some
of my co-experimenters thought they recognised a masculine, bearded
head therein, covered with a turban or burnoose. If we had been in
the presence of an artificial phenomenon, the luminous object should
have presented the same aspect to every observer. It was not so in
reality; for some of us could distinguish no recognisable form in
the luminosity. I know that the imagination can be the cause of much
visual illusion. It makes us complete imperfect images, and see faces
and forms in plays of light and shade which only faintly recall these
forms and faces. I have not observed the curious phenomena which I
describe, under conditions sufficiently precise to enable me to affirm
their objectivity, and I can only repeat what I said just now, that
their reality appeared probable to me, in spite of the frauds of
which I knew, and those which I suspected; in spite of my intellect’s
prejudice, I was favourably impressed.
I will add that the luminosity, which floated about the room, moved
about up and down, and lasted for several seconds. That part of the
room where it floated about was blocked up with the table, chairs and
other furniture, which had been taken there from the recess adjoining
the seance-room. All the experimenters were grouped together in one
part of the room. None of them left their seats during the production
of these phenomena. Had the medium left the cabinet and manœuvred
the light we perceived, he would have knocked against the scattered
furniture. We kept the strictest silence, when luminous phenomena were
being produced, and we would certainly have heard the medium moving
about, had he left the cabinet. Now, we heard no noise whatsoever;
neither of the footsteps he would have been obliged to make, nor of the
furniture which he would have knocked against, unless he be able to see
remarkably well in the dark.
Such are the observations I have to present upon this curious seance.
One of my friends, an eminent savant, well acquainted with this kind of
phenomena, had, like myself, the impression that those I have depicted
were real.
Moreover, in other seances this medium gave us similar luminosities.
I will even point out that one of the suspected sitters—the medical
student—the clever chemist—having been eliminated, and the experiments
taking place at the house of one of my medical friends, we observed
globular lights on the curtains of the cabinet behind which the medium
was sitting. These lights were much smaller than those I have just
described—they were as large as a walnut—but were easily observable.
I hope to be able to resume my experiments with this medium; for to me
he seems to be one of the most powerful I have ever seen. It is really
a pity he should have fallen into the hands of imprudent and ignorant
young men; they have abused his force, worn him out, and made him ill.
Judiciously handled, he might have become extraordinary. It remains to
be seen, if the bad conditions under which he has been developed have
not had the effect of destroying the rare faculty he possessed. I will
return to these considerations later on.
The lights produced by this young man were the most brilliant I
have ever seen. Their colour has been well compared to the light of
the nebula by one of my co-experimenters, a distinguished amateur
astronomer. This experimenter had a good spectroscope, but he has never
been able to succeed in analysing, spectroscopically, the lights we
have seen. They were too unsteady and fugitive.
I now come to some visual phenomena, which have not the same luminous
feature as those I have been speaking about, but which present another
very curious feature: they give representations of objects or of human
forms.
I have not seen any phosphorescent human forms such as certain
observers affirm to have seen. I have said that the Bordeaux medium,
in presence of whom I had seen such fine luminous phenomena, had also
given us a luminous hand. At Choisy in 1896, I saw the same thing with
Eusapia. There was enough light in the room to see Eusapia’s hands.
Under these conditions—the hands of the medium being not only held by
her right- and left-hand neighbours, but visible all the time on the
table—we perceived at about 1 foot 9 inches above Eusapia’s head a
slightly phosphorescent hand, which shook about in the opening between
the two curtains. This appearance was very distinct, and was perceived
by all those whose positions allowed them to see it.
This was not the first time I had seen the form of a hand. In 1895,
at l’Agnélas, I saw a hand and bare forearm, which showed itself in
profile above M. Sabatier, seated in front of me, and touched him
on the forehead. At the same moment, M. Sabatier mentioned having
been touched on the head. My perception was clear and decided; I
was positive of having seen this hand and forearm. I remember that
my co-experimenters—two of them at least—hesitated to admit my
observation, because I had been the only one to see it. In 1895, I was
not so accustomed to seances as I became later on, and I was inclined
to listen with deference to my friends’ remarks, but I was so positive
of the reality of my observation, that it was inserted in the report.
Subsequent experience has multiplied observations of this order: they
recall to mind the round head seen at Carqueiranne. The hand and
forearm which I saw at l’Agnélas were black and opaque. They were
projected on to the clear background of the room where we experimented;
we were seated in such a way that only I could see them.
I did not see anything quite like this in 1896; for, it will be
remembered that the hand we saw at Choisy was slightly phosphorescent,
and presented quite a different appearance to the dark, solid-looking
arm and hand which I saw at l’Agnélas. I remember one day at Choisy,
when M. de Gramont was in the cabinet behind Eusapia, the latter told
us to blow hard. At the same moment, M. de Gramont saw the shape of a
pair of bellows.
At Bordeaux, in 1897, we again saw black, opaque forms under excellent
conditions. A few extracts from the reports of these seances will be
found in the Appendix. I refer my readers to this for the detail of the
material conditions under which we operated. I will simply indicate
here that the room, in which we held our seances, is lighted up by
a very large bay-window. The persian shutters were closed for the
seances; but the gas-light, from the kitchen premises, was reflected
through the persians on to the window-panes, and cast a faint light in
the seance-room. In consequence of this reflection on the panes, the
window formed a kind of clear background, upon which the silhouettes of
certain black forms could be seen by at least half of the experimenters.
We all saw these forms, or rather the form; for it was always the
same form which was shown, the profile of a long bearded face with
a strongly arched nose. This appearance is said to be the head of
‘John,’ Eusapia’s habitual personification. It is an extraordinary
phenomenon; and the first idea which presents itself to the mind
is that of a collective hallucination. But then it remains to be
asked, why it was manifested under the very special conditions I have
indicated. Moreover, the care with which we observed this curious
phenomenon, and—it seems to me superfluous to add—the calm with which
we experimented, render the hypothesis of hallucination a most unlikely
one.
The hypothesis of fraud is still less admissible. The head we perceived
was of natural size, and measured about 1 foot 6 inches from the
forehead to the extremity of the beard. If the phenomenon is to be
attributed to fraud, we must explain how Eusapia hid the necessary
mask on her person; we must also explain how she could have drawn it
out unknown to us, and further, how she manœuvred it. Eusapia did not
go into trance at our Bordeaux seances. She sometimes saw the profile
in question, and manifested her satisfaction at being able to look on,
for the first time I think, at the phenomena which was produced through
her. The light from the window was sufficient to enable us to see
Eusapia’s hands. I have no need to say that her hands were carefully
held by her right and left controllers. If this profile had been
concealed on her person, it would have been absolutely impossible for
her to manœuvre it. The profile we observed appeared to form itself at
the top of the cabinet, at a height of about 3 feet 9 inches _above_
Eusapia’s head; it descended slowly and placed itself just above and
in front of her; at the end of a few seconds it disappeared only to
reappear later on under the same conditions. We always carefully
assured ourselves of the relative immobility of the medium’s hands
and arms; and the strange phenomenon I relate is one of the most
irreproachable I have ever verified, so utterly incompatible is the
hypothesis of fraud with the conditions under which we observed it.
Two or three times a slightly luminous phenomenon was noticed. It
was formed on the curtain, near which my friend M. de Pontaud and I
were sitting; it was a whitish, milky-looking spot, visible to every
one, at least to those whose positions allowed them to perceive it
conveniently. This luminosity appeared to shrink up quickly, and
disappeared on a level with our heads.
Evidently I have no explanation to offer. The apparition of these human
forms raises a problem, which is far more complicated than the problem
of raps and movements without contact, and I think the study of this
problem cannot be profitably undertaken at present. Nothing authorises
me to consider these curious phenomena as demonstrating the exactness
of the spirit hypothesis; I think their cause lies elsewhere than in
the intervention of the spirit of a deceased person; but I am not
yet able to formulate any rational opinion on this subject. However,
I will point out the close connection, which appears to me to exist
between the production of these forms, and the production of raps and
movements without contact. These relations tend to persuade me, that
all these phenomena belong to the same order, and depend upon the
same agent, and the same cause. Before, however, analysing summarily
the observations on which I base this opinion, I ought to describe a
series of experiments, which have given me most curious results. These
experiments were made with a medium, a man of deep intelligence and
refined nature, of whose medianity I have already spoken, pages 74,
79, 81-2, 101-3. I obtained with him: (_a_) raps, faint at first, but
very clear and well verified, with and without contact; (_b_) movements
without contact of feeble amplitude, but very well observed; (_c_)
faint luminous phenomena; (_d_) finally, the production of diverse
forms. The first two categories of facts have already been dealt with,
I will now describe the last two. They confirm, to a certain extent,
the experiments already related in this chapter.
The first time luminous phenomena were seen, we were holding a seance
in a small room, but were not using a table. The medium perceived
several lights and even faces on the wall in front of him. These lights
and faces were not visible to me. Sometimes I thought I saw lights, but
extremely faint ones, and at the limit of visibility; I think these
lights were subjective. And yet, I have often asked the medium where
he saw the light, to describe its shape, and the direction it took if
it moved about, and I have remarked that the indications given by the
medium concorded with my own observations; but, curiously enough—and
it is my duty as a witness to point this out—I could often see these
lights, just as well when my eyes were closed, as when they were open.
This circumstance seems to me conclusive, and makes me think these
lights were subjective. In reality, I do not think that the light
emitted by the gleams I saw was of such a nature, that its rays could
penetrate through closed eyelids. This interior visibility should exist
in every case; now this is not so, and I have only observed it with
this particular medium, though I had once or twice suspected it in a
former series of experiments.
On the other hand, I cannot consider these visions as hallucinations,
unless I also admit that this entoptic hallucination is collective. But
then, why are not these illusions met with in other seances? Why is the
manifestation of lights or forms accompanied by abundant raps without
contact? These raps immediately precede the apparition of the forms,
and behave as though they were signals destined to draw the attention
of the observers. This is a coincidence which is not fortuitous, for it
is almost constant.
The first time that a more or less definite form was observed with
this medium, no seance was being held. The medium saw on the wall the
apparition of one of his ‘personifications,’ and the word _curtain_
traced in luminous letters. The sensitive could not interpret the
meaning of this word, for he had never been present at any spiritistic
seance. I told him to continue observing, for I thought I understood
the meaning of this message. I immediately arranged, as well as I
could, a kind of cabinet in a corner of the room with the help of some
black curtains. We darkened the room and sat down before a table, the
medium having his back turned to the cabinet. In a short time we heard
raps on the table, the medium’s chair, the floor, and on the wall
inside the cabinet. The medium, interested, turned half round towards
the cabinet, when all at once, after the production of some very faint,
flitting lights, I perceived the beautiful face of a woman, pale, the
eyes up-raised as though in prayer. The eyes and hair were black; the
hair was parted in the centre and dressed in the style of fifty or
sixty years ago. The face was draped in a white veil which also covered
the head, forming a kind of frame for the face. The physiognomy was
of the sweetest, and of rare beauty. The apparition appeared to be
slightly luminous, of a whitish, milky hue. It showed itself to the
left of the medium, but high above him, near the ceiling. It remained
visible for a very short time. Prudently interrogated, the medium
gave me the exact description of the face I had just perceived. The
details concorded in every way. Inquiry as to who it was elicited the
information, given in raps, that it was the face of one of the group of
four fairies of whom I spoke on page 81.
It is not often I have had such a clear vision. I have, indeed, very
rarely obtained this curious phenomenon: still, I have observed it
distinctly three times with this medium. The second time, the faces
seemed to be only partially materialised; I only saw portions of faces
unknown to me: the medium recognised one of these faces. The third
time, the medium saw the apparitions plainly, and described them,
but I saw only faint lights; suddenly, however, I saw a face, the
forehead, eyes, and nose, reproducing the traits of a very dear friend
I had recently lost. The medium saw the whole face. He did not know my
friend when he was alive, but he has had curious and strange posthumous
apparitions of him under conditions which it would be interesting to
relate, but, unfortunately, I am not authorised to do so completely.
It is not only the forms of human beings which I have seen with this
medium, but also those of animals, more or less strange. I cannot
help thinking that these are due to imagination. But the curious fact
is, that there is concordance between the medium’s visions and the
appearances perceived by the sitters.
Finally, under the same conditions, I once saw a copper lantern, of
well-defined shape, and in a particular position. This vision was
also seen by the medium in the same way. Here, again, I cannot form
any satisfactory explanation. I am inclined to think, that I am the
victim of hallucination, though the circumstances do not favour that
hypothesis. The vision of the lantern is analogous to that of the pair
of bellows seen by M. de Gramont with Eusapia. I refer my readers to
what I said further back concerning the concordance between the raps
and the apparitions; this simultaneousness existed with the apparitions
of animal-like forms and material objects, as well as with those of
human faces. This is a fact which is of a nature to set aside the
hypothesis of pure illusion. But then!
I have mentioned these strange experiences in order to be complete and
sincere. I do not conceal the fact, that it costs me much to relate
this, because I do not find herein the conditions of precision, which
my experiments in telekinesis, for example, appeared to present. I
will add that I do not try to obtain these phenomena of more or less
complete materialisations. I suffer them: for the facts do not proceed
altogether according to the liking of the experimenter. I cannot say
that these apparitions leave me indifferent; on the contrary, they
interest me immensely; but I have the impression of being in the
presence of a fact, which is too complicated to be usefully observed.
It is not the same with raps and telekinesis: and I put forth all
my efforts in order to restrict my studies and researches to these
phenomena; for I have the feeling that we may be able to arrive at
discovering the conditions of their production. I imagine—perhaps
wrongly—that, henceforth, we can submit them to scientific discipline;
I think that the study of raps and telekinetic phenomena is the
necessary preliminary to the study of other, less comprehensible,
facts. Therefore, I have devoted myself almost exclusively to their
observation; nevertheless, I did not think I was able to dispense
with relating everything I had seen. I am entirely ignorant of the
signification of these diverse appearances; I may have made a mistake,
though I do not think so, but it seems to me I have not the right to
make a choice in my experiments, to withhold the one and relate the
other. It behoves those who read me to put themselves in the same
conditions under which I was placed, and observe in their turn. I
confine myself to relating what I have seen. I will add that certain
facts have appeared to me more certain than others, but my rôle of
witness ends there.
The ascertainments I have made in what concerns luminous phenomena,
permit me to give some useful indications. The first concern the
methods of operation; the others are conclusions which I have drawn
from my own experiences.
When seeking for simple, luminous phenomena, it is advisable to proceed
as I have done for parakinetic and telekinetic phenomena. The sitters
group themselves around a table, leaning their hands on it, or form
a chain round the table without touching it. Needless to say, the
obscurity ought to be as complete as possible. Under these conditions,
lights can be obtained; and it is in this way, I observed the woman’s
face I have described.
The very fine lights which I saw with the young Bordeaux medium (pages
141 and following) were obtained in another manner, which seems to
me better still. It is, moreover, the method adopted by professional
mediums, perhaps because it favours the execution of fraudulent even
more than genuine phenomena. This method consists in placing the medium
in the cabinet and forming the chain, either round the table or in a
half-circle, in which latter case the chain is not closed.
I have noticed that music and singing in common have a favourable
influence on the production of the phenomena. This circumstance is,
however, another cause for suspicion, because the noise of music and
singing can drown that made by the medium in moving about.
Although I cannot consider the reality of the luminous phenomena
observed by me as being so well established as that of certain other
phenomena, I will none the less give the result of the ascertainments
I think I have made thereon. I indicate them with every reserve; but
the analogy they present with the ascertainments I made relative to
raps and movements without contact, appeared to me useful to point out.
It is one of the reasons which made me believe in their probability
first of all; it is also the indication of the presumable existence of
some general law governing all these phenomena, however different in
appearance they may be.
The most important observations I have to make are, as before, the
synchronism between the muscular action and the phenomenon; the
tendency to personification; the physical fatigue experienced by all
the experimenters after a successful seance.
The reasons why I conclude in the existence of this synchronism, are
based upon a great number of observations made with Eusapia and other
mediums. It seemed to me, in my experiments with Eusapia Paladino,
that this latter preferred the breath to any other movement for the
production of lights. This conclusion is uncertain, because I have not
had occasion to examine many luminous phenomena with the Neapolitan
medium.
My observations were more precise with the Bordeaux medium. Rubbing
the hands together, rubbing the feet on the floor, breathing hard,
squeezing hands tightly when the chain is formed; all this provoked the
apparition of the curious luminosities I have spoken about. True, these
were also produced spontaneously; but the movements executed appeared
to me to have an action upon their manifestation.
Here again, the relation with the muscular contraction rather than
with the movement itself seemed to me to exist, but I could not verify
this point with the same certitude as with raps and movements without
contact.
At all events, all reserves made for fraud, which I recognise possible
though improbable, chanting or singing in common has appeared to
me to have a favourable influence on the phenomena. I have had
occasion of verifying this effect of intoned words; I am unable to
give its explanation, although we may suspect what it is likely to
be. I will simply recall to mind the rôle which intoning or singing
plays in religious ceremonies and in magical operations: the words
‘incantations,’ ‘enchantments,’ are very significative, from that point
of view. The erudite will remember the magic songs of the 11th eclogue
of Theocritus, and of the 8th of Virgil. The Hindoo magicians intone
their mentrams. Nothing is more widespread than this belief in the
supernatural virtue of singing, of the cadenced and modulated word. As
the supernormal facts which I relate appear to me to have been known
from the earliest times—however ill-interpreted they may have been—I
am inclined to believe, that the superstitions relative to the magical
power of song are not without a foundation of truth. This appears most
improbable, and no one is more astonished than myself, to find myself
admitting this possibility. I admit it nevertheless. I am inclined to
think, that the greater part of popular beliefs have some foundation;
the particle of truth which they contain is often very feeble, because
ignorance, fear, imagination mask it under accessory and unreasonable
beliefs, which smother it. There would be many interesting analogies to
point out on this subject, if I had not systematically forbidden myself
all manner of theoretical commentary. All the same, I will remark that
the most worthy spiritists recommend singing or music during seances. I
will cease, for I can only repeat here the considerations which I have
already presented concerning the relation between the nervous energy,
whatever it may be, and luminous phenomena; the connection appears to
be very close indeed.
The physiognomical aspect of these phenomena is similar to that of
sonorous and motor phenomena: It tends to personification, and it is
probable, that imperfect luminous forms are but rude outlines of a
real form. That form is not always human, although it appears to be so
as a rule. I have given examples, where the appearance was that of an
animal or of an object. I have never been able to converse with the
form itself, when it was human; but I have experimented with mediums
who thought they conversed with the forms. These all claim to be the
spirits of deceased persons. What renders this unanimity particularly
interesting is that one of the mediums, with whom I have observed the
finest phenomena of human appearances, is by no means a spiritist.
Is he a victim of hallucination? It is possible; but then how are we
to explain the fragment of truth which exists in his hallucination?
I am well aware that impersonal memory is an inexhaustible source of
knowledge, quite unknown to the normal personality; but there are
cases, where the hypothesis of hypermnesia is scarcely acceptable. Here
is an example. The medium, of whom I spoke a little while ago, has
several times had the impression that a deceased person unknown to him,
but known to me, entered his bedroom. The apparition was preceded by
a noise of approaching footsteps, the door appeared to open, and the
form entered. The form sat down at the foot of the bed, caressed the
medium’s arm, and took his hand. The sensitive was alarmed at these
visions, which he looks upon as hallucinations, and does his best to
rid himself of. At the end of three or four visits the form ceased to
show itself, to my great regret, for I had therein the occasion of
making an observation of the highest interest. Unfortunately, I had not
sufficient influence over this remarkable sensitive, to induce him to
lend a hand to the development of this phenomenon. The person reputed
to appear had a very characteristic walk, and it would be sufficient
for me to describe it, for those who knew the man to recognise him at
once; the vision had the same characteristic walk. Again, my friend
wore whiskers. But the vision wore a full short beard, a detail which
the doctor who attended him in his last illness verified; my friend did
not shave towards the end of his life. I was not aware of this.
The medium, living in the same town, could have known the man; but if,
contrary to his assertions, he had known him, how could he have seen
him wearing a beard such as he never used to wear? Interesting detail!
since the apparition, purporting to be my friend, wore a beard just as
my friend had worn, not in his lifetime, but at the time of his death.
Further, the apparition appeared to manifest a desire to speak. It
tried to reassure the alarmed medium; but the latter always got up
and turned on the light, before the phantom had time to speak. Now
at that moment, an event was brewing, of which I would have been
thankful to have been warned. The incident occurred, and the apparition
was not seen again. This is an _ensemble_ of facts of a nature to
arouse attention. I have not been able to submit the case to thorough
analysis, and I give it with reserve. It is the nearest approach to
classical spiritism, which I have personally met with, but to me
it does not seem to be convincing under the conditions in which
I observed it; for the incident I refer to could easily have been
foreseen by the medium.
Other personifications manifested themselves to this medium, but their
character of apparent identity is less certain. One of them, with
curious energy, insists that he is the person he claims to be: namely,
Chappe d’Auteroche, a savant of the last century. His name appears in
Larousse’s Dictionary. The personification gave his name correctly, as
well as the date of his death and where he died. He gave a Christian
name which is not in Larousse, Adhémar instead of Jean, which the
Dictionary gives. It would be interesting to know, if this name Adhémar
is mentioned in other dictionaries. I will add that the apparition
expresses itself in old French, but with a Norman accent. The medium
hears it say ‘moué’ for ‘moi,’ ‘étoué’ for ‘était,’ etc. Now Chappe
was born at Mauriac in Auvergne; therefore I cannot explain why his
apparition should have a Norman accent. So far, however, I have not
carefully analysed this personification.
I would like to have been able to experiment, more than I have been
able to do, with the sensitive through whose medianity I have observed
these curious facts. Perhaps the publication of this book will interest
him, and induce him to give himself up to an attentive examination.[6]
[6] See Chapter vi., ‘Recent Phenomena, etc.’
It must not be concluded from what I have just related, that the
intervention of my friend and of Chappe d’Auteroche appears to me to
be real. Nothing in my experience authorises me to entertain this
opinion. I relate these facts, because the emergence of these two
personifications occurred at seances where I was present, and because
they are closely associated with phenomena directly observed by me.
I think we can draw a conclusion from these phenomena: it will be
noticed that in the manner in which these visions are produced, there
are certain features, which recall to mind the symbolisation and
dramatisation of dreams. This indication is only temporary; I have not
enough elements of appreciation to be able to formulate it with any
degree of certitude, but I point out this feature to experimenters,
who, more favoured than I, may have opportunities for observing
analogous phenomena with more convenience and for a greater length of
time.
I will terminate these remarks by the recital of another fact of
the same order, which I witnessed at Madame Agullana’s. It occurred
during an afternoon seance at her house. The medium, and two or three
persons whom I did not know, were seated round a small table. One of
the visitors was a small landed proprietor near Bordeaux. This visitor
came for the first time; he was accompanied by a rural constable, whom
I knew. All at once Madame Agullana said to the newcomer, ‘I see some
one, who says he is your uncle; he wears a cap; his face is red; he
has a long beard; he has sandy-coloured hair; he smokes a short pipe;
he seems to have something the matter with his right arm, it is bent
across his chest.’ ... She also gave other details. The visitor did not
speak, a fact of which I took pains to assure myself.
When the details were all given, the visitor said that if the
apparition claiming to be his uncle, was really his uncle, would he
kindly say how he was addressed in his family. The table dictated
typtologically, ‘Touton L. P.’ The stranger then said that Madame
Agullana had given him the exact description of a second cousin[7] who
had been dead for some months, and who, because of his inveterate habit
of smoking, was nicknamed ‘Touton-la-Pipe.’
[7] In France, a male cousin once removed is sometimes called
‘oncle à la mode de Bretagne.’
I have seen several sincere, trustworthy people receive facts of the
same kind through Madame Agullana. There is notably the history of
the discovery of a lost debenture, which is curious and interesting;
I was able to follow the different phases of this discovery. The
indication appeared to emanate from the deceased husband of the
owner of the debenture. Notwithstanding the interest which these
observations presented, I cannot analyse them seriously, for they are
insufficiently proved. The character of the medium has always seemed
to me irreproachable, and her good faith above all suspicion; but the
circumstances do not permit of an exact judgment. Neither do I consider
myself authorised to affirm that the personality of ‘Touton-la-Pipe’
was quite unknown to the medium. The discovery of the debenture is
perhaps only a coincidence. I have, however, related these facts to
indicate the possibility of an order of research of a particularly
suggestive nature. Some of the more influential members of the English
Society for Psychical Research, Myers, Lodge, Hodgson, Hyslop, have
entered upon these studies under excellent conditions of observation,
and consider that they have been in communication with their deceased
friends. I have not had the same chances, and my own experiences tend
to make me adopt a different way of thinking. It is very possible that
my colleagues are right, and I am wrong.
Finally, the third statement which my observations permit me to
make, is that the production of forms and luminous phenomena is
accompanied with much fatigue on the part of the observers. I have
already frequently pointed out this circumstance. On the occasion
of the production of the facts described in the present chapter, I
noticed certain peculiarities, which I will point out to the attention
of experimenters. Fatigue is not felt in an equal degree by all the
sitters. Some seem to feel none at all; and, as a rule, these latter
are not good auxiliaries. It looks as though some persons were not
capable of emitting the force employed. Others, on the contrary,
emit it with great facility and tire quickly. I have not been able
to study the relation which may exist, between the temperament of
these two kinds of sitters and the production of the phenomena; but
I have the impression, that this relation ought to exist; it appears
to me in a function of the organism rather than in a _rapport_ with
the mental condition or moods. This makes one think of the belief
professed by spiritists concerning incredulity. In several spiritistic
groups failure is attributed to the presence of incredulous sitters;
I am persuaded, that the beliefs of experimenters have nothing at
all to do with the production of the phenomena observed, though it
is certainly necessary to experiment seriously and without bias. I
touched upon the results of my observations in that respect, when
speaking about the harmony of the circle. The influence of bias would
be explained, if the apparent consciousness of the personification
could be considered as composed of the elementary consciousness of the
sitters. This hypothesis does not appear to me to be demonstrated;
but some of my experiments have made me think of its possibility, and
I consider it ought to be submitted to examination. Things seem to
happen, as though the nervous influx of the sitters created a field of
force around the experimenters, and more especially the medium: Each
experimenter would then act as a dynamogenic element, and would enter,
for a variable part, into the production of the liberated energy.
This energy would act beyond the apparent limits of the body, under
conditions analogous to those governing its intracorporal action; that
is to say, it would remain, to a certain extent, in connection with
the superior or inferior nervous centres, conscious or unconscious. In
this case we could understand, how the energy appears to depend, to
a certain extent, upon the will of the sitters or the medium. We can
even explain that it should appear to manifest an independent will,
if its production were due to the activity of the nervous centres,
the action of which is independent of ordinary consciousness. In that
hypothesis, none of the sitters would recognise the trace of their
normal personality in the evolution of the phenomena; and this is what
generally happens. Sometimes, however, the medium or one of the sitters
has the feeling, more or less precise, that a phenomenon is about to
take place. Eusapia Paladino often announces what is coming. In this
case the nervous energy, employed to realise the phenomenon, would be
in connection with the conscious nervous centres of the medium only;
and she would appear to the sitters to be subjected to an extraneous
personal will. Eusapia attributes it to ‘John,’ who seems to have the
characteristics of a secondary personality. Such appears to me to be
the genesis of the personification, in the greater number of cases
observed by me. There are others, however, where this explication is
less satisfactory.
I do not hide from myself how difficult it is to admit the hypothesis
I have just formulated. We are ill-prepared to consider the _psychic
force_ as identical, at least in its essence, with that which
circulates in our nerves; and we are no better prepared to believe,
that this force may be able to serve as a vehicle to a part of our
personal or subliminal consciousness, or to think that it can preserve
any connection with our psychic centres, when it acts beyond the limits
of the body. Nevertheless, it looks as though it were really so, in the
greater number of cases.
These data suffice to render comprehensible the possible mechanism
of raps and movements without contact. It is not even necessary to
suppose that the nervous force acts beyond the limits of the body, if
we admit that the experimenters create around them a sort of magnetic
field. The nervous force would reach a maximum of potentiality in the
experimenters or in the medium; the objects placed within the field
would have a different potentiality; according to the conditions, we
would have phenomena of attraction or repulsion.
In this way we could understand motor phenomena. Raps are less easily
explained, unless we consider them as facts analogous to electrical
discharges. The rap would then be equivalent to the noise of a spark;
it would be invisible, though in some cases it might be perceived.
Lights and forms raise problems much more difficult of solution. They
may be susceptible of the following explanation: we will suppose that
particles of a very attenuated substance, _e.g._ the ether or any other
kind of rarefied matter, existed capable of being acted upon by nerve
force; they would become charged, and dispersed, according to the lines
of force, and these lines would be determined by the action of nerve
centres, and would take form corresponding to those particular centres.
They would have a certain plasticity, if I may thus express myself, and
this plasticity would be in connection with those centres, possessing
preponderating physiological activity.
If this connection existed with the superior ideative centres, we would
have intelligible, definite forms, such as faces of human beings, heads
of animals, and objects; should connection with the inferior centres be
established, undefined forms only would be obtained.
Their luminosity would depend upon the state of condensation of this
rarefied matter of which they are constituted. Those subject to lesser
condensation would be the most luminous; and it might happen, that a
form of greater density would be surrounded by a luminous atmosphere of
lesser density.
One could, in this way, explain the relative independence of the forms,
and phosphorescent nature of the pictures.
These are the hypotheses which might be made. I indicate them with
much reserve, simply to show the theoretical route towards which my
experience tends to direct me. I set them forth summarily, without
discussing them in detail. I do not conceal from myself the fact that
my ideas are far from being definite, and that the hypotheses I timidly
express would fare badly under rigorous analysis. I have found no
better, and I have the impression that they ought to contain a particle
of truth.
I beg to be excused for having again infringed upon the rule I imposed
on myself, for having presented purely theoretical considerations,
which I am the first to acknowledge as premature. I have not seen the
curious facts I relate without trying to penetrate into their cause,
nor have I been able to resist the desire to make known, not what is a
definite opinion, but what is for me a hypothesis worth examining.
Besides the phenomena described in this and preceding chapters, I have
observed others which might be compared with them, for they seem to me
to have a certain connection with them. I refer to tactile sensations
such as touch, contact, and stamped impressions, etc. I will briefly
describe them.
I. It is only with Eusapia Paladino, that I have felt tactile
sensations in a positive manner. With this medium certain sitters,
and especially those seated next to her, have the feeling of being
touched on the back, on the arms, and hands, on the head and body.
The phenomenon is usually produced under the following conditions.
Eusapia’s hands being or appearing to be held by her neighbours, the
latter see the curtains come near them, and then feel themselves
touched. The touch is sometimes given without any movement of the
curtains. The sensation of the touch varies: it is now that of a finger
which is thrust into the thigh, now of a large hand resting on the
back, now fingers pinching you, or seizing you on the head, the neck,
chin, etc. Numerous examples of these contacts will be found in the
report of the l’Agnélas experiments (_Annales des Sciences Psychiques_,
1896).
In our seances at Choisy 1896, the same phenomenon was often
reproduced. In that series we were careful to have as much light as
possible; we arranged a system of different coloured lights. One of the
lights which gave us the best results was that of a lantern, the glass
sides of which were replaced by parchment. It gave a softened yellowish
light. From the private account of these seances I take the following
extracts. Seance of the 8th October:—
‘Eusapia’s hands are still held and seen on the table. The Colonel then
feels several touches, and a large hand rubs him through the curtains,
on the top of his head.’ ... A more curious phenomenon happened before
that; but only one of the medium’s hands was visible.
‘At the medium’s request the lamp is turned in such a way as to
lessen the light, which, however, is still sufficient to enable us to
distinguish faces and hands by their whiteness. MM. de Rochas and de
Gramont change places; Eusapia’s hands are seen and held by General
Thomassin on the left and M. de Gramont on the right. Eusapia frees
her left hand for a moment, brings a part of the curtain on to the
table, and glides her hand underneath it, in order to shelter it from
the light; the General regains possession of the hand—under the
curtain—and does not abandon it any more. The other hand, held by M.
de Gramont, remains visible to every one. Almost instantly, General
Thomassin feels on his thigh—and through the curtains, which bulge
out in consequence—slight contacts; then the sensation of a pinch;
afterwards, he distinguishes the contact of a woman’s small hand,
followed by the contact of a man’s large hand. After that, he is
struck with force on the shoulders and head by a large hand, outside
the curtains. Every one hears the sound of the blows, and sees the
hand; but every one sees the hand in a different fashion. M. de Rochas
hardly sees it at all; General Thomassin sees it as greyish green; M.
Watteville and M. Gramont see it as grey; M. Maxwell as greyish yellow.
Eusapia determines different movements of the fluidic hand by mimicking
them with her right hand, which is held by M. Gramont in sight of every
one.’
This observation is interesting, but at first glance it appears very
suspicious, because of the care taken by the medium to hide her hand
under the curtain. General Thomassin held her hand well; I do not doubt
but that it was Eusapia’s hand he held; but let us accept for a moment
the hypothesis of an artificial hand, which Eusapia had adroitly given
to the General to hold. This is Dr. Hodgson’s explanation. In that
case, how would the hand, which touched General Thomassin, have been
able to move over his back and head and strike him without any movement
of the left arm being perceived? It is to be noted that the light was
sufficient, and that the hand which gave the touches was seen by nearly
all the observers. That hand was outside the curtains. I remember
another seance held in the afternoon, in the course of which touches
were lavished on all the experimenters, even on those who were furthest
away from the medium.
In the three series of experiments, 1895, 1896, and 1897, made with
Eusapia, I have had occasion of repeatedly verifying the phenomenon of
touch. It appeared certain to me in a great number of cases. But it is
a suspicious phenomenon, because of the extreme facility with which it
can be simulated.
I remember a series of fraudulent experiments, in the course of which
several touches were given. The first touches, through the curtains,
made me think of the contacts obtained with Eusapia; but obscurity
reigned complete, and I have reason to believe that the medium’s
left-hand neighbour touched me with a stick. I was also touched on the
knee, but it was by a very natural hand, which belonged to one of the
experimenters, a man of inferior intellect. Inexperienced people are
easily deceived by these contacts; however, the marked difference which
exists between the falsidical and the veridical is quickly perceived,
when we have become accustomed to these phenomena. I do not advise
experimenters to put themselves under the conditions in which these
facts are observed, as they are very unfavourable for the examination
of the phenomenon. These conditions, as far as I have been able to
judge, are:—(1) the formation of a chain around a table, the medium
being seated with his back to the curtains of the cabinet; (2) an
extremely feeble light, or none at all. It is only with Eusapia that I
have obtained touches with light, and even then the light was of the
weakest.
These touches, besides having the inconvenience of carrying little
conviction with them, because of the conditions under which they are
obtained, have also the disadvantage of impressioning persons who
are easily moved and frightened. I have seen very courageous people
affected by these touches. Therefore we must not try to obtain them,
until we are already familiarised with the observation of physical
phenomena.
It is to be noted, that the phenomenon of _attouchement_ presents
the characteristics pointed out in those I have already examined. In
the first place, we note the correlation which exists between the
movements of the medium and the contact. I gave an example just now,
when relating the phenomena of which General Thomassin was the object.
The movements of the right hand which touched him were mimicked by
Eusapia’s right hand, which was visible, held by M. de Gramont, and
seen by every one.
Here is another example, taken from my notes, in which synchronous
movements were executed by one of the experimenters:—
‘John’ (the secondary personality) ‘then asks M. Rochas, who holds
Eusapia’s left hand in his right hand, to put his left hand on
Eusapia’s neck, the fingers stretched out as though in the act of
magnetising; he then tells him to lower his fingers. M. Rochas executes
the movement several times, and each time M. Maxwell, who holds the
medium’s right hand, feels synchronous touches on his right shoulder,
which is, at the very least, eighteen inches away from the medium.’
This fact may be compared with those I indicated when dealing with
raps and motor or luminous phenomena. We see how constant the relation
is between the medium’s movements and the phenomenon. This is a first
general ascertainment. If I might venture to use the expression,
I would say that we are in the presence of one of the first laws
governing the production of these paranormal phenomena. I have not
sufficiently observed the phenomenon of touch to be able to say, that
the relation indicated exists between the muscular contraction and
the phenomenon, rather than between the phenomenon and the movement
executed; but some facts, far too few, it is true, tend to make me
think it is so.
Finally, the experimenters, and especially the medium, are very
fatigued after the production of the phenomenon of touch.
The influence of light seems to be very unfavourable. I have not had
occasion of observing touches in full light, as I have so often done
with raps and movements without contact. Almost total obscurity was
necessary with Eusapia. This circumstance brings the phenomenon of
_attouchement_ into conjunction with that of materialisation. This is
interesting, for if the touches are due to the condensation of some
matter, as materialised forms appear to be, there is room to think
that the two phenomena are closely connected, and that it is the same
substance which, in becoming condensed, produces them both. This is
what I have observed, notably at l’Agnélas, when I saw a hand and arm
touch M. Sabatier’s head, at the moment the latter mentioned having
been touched on the head.
We see how much a calm and impartial examination of the facts reveals
common conditions for their production, and similarities between some
among them.
II. Stamped impressions or imprints bring us into the presence of
a category of phenomena of the same order. Pressure appears to be
exercised upon a material substance instead of upon the sitters. If
that substance be soft enough, the impression of the form which has
exercised the pressure may be left upon it. I have only twice observed
this phenomenon, and that was with Eusapia. It was at Choisy in 1896.
The first time, we obtained the impression of the mounts of the fingers
in lamp-black. The conditions of observation were not good. The second
time, the impression was marked in clay. I take the following extract
from our report:—
‘The dish containing the plastic clay is put in the centre of the
table. Almost immediately the dish, which weighs nearly four lbs., is
lifted up and placed in equilibrium on the left arm of M. de Rochas,
whose left hand continues to hold Eusapia’s right hand. M. de Rochas
feels three distinct, successive pressures of the dish resting on his
arm; then a friendly pressure on the back of his arm apprises him, that
the phenomenon is accomplished. We carry the dish away at once, and
in the daylight we see finger-prints in the clay; the prints look as
though the fingers had been enveloped in some material of fine texture,
the woof being distinctly visible in the clay.’ I did not observe this
fact with enough precision to be able to retain it as a demonstrated
fact. I point it out, nevertheless, because it permits one to preserve
the material trace of the phenomenon. Other observers have obtained
better imprints with Eusapia. I have seen some which represent a
distorted likeness of the medium’s face. I think this phenomenon ought
to be observed with care, if one has the occasion to meet with mediums
capable of producing it. I will point out the following fact to the
attention of possible observers: the almost constant presence of a
kind of woof, as if the object which made the impression was covered
with thin gauze. This circumstance is at first sight suspicious; but
here, again, as always when we are in presence of these unfamiliar
manifestations, we must not be in too great a hurry to conclude in
fraud, and say that the medium put a wet piece of gauze over face and
hands, in order to avoid soiling the loam and bearing tell-tale traces
of cheating. But I recognise that this is the explanation which ought
to present itself before any other; and we must not put it to one side,
unless we have sufficient reasons for doing so. At the same time, we
must not jump to the conclusion of fraud solely because of this gauzy
appearance. There is something interesting in the presence of this
gauze. The faces I have seen were all framed in a sort of milky-looking
veil. Personally, I have rarely seen faces free of this. I have not
observed it around material objects nor around animals’ heads. Neither
do I observe it in hypnagogic illusions. I will point out the following
observation of MM. Brincard and Béchade on the subject:—
‘M. de Rochas feels himself touched on the face as though by a beard,
and sees standing out in relief, against the part of the room best
lighted up by the window, a long black lock of wavy hair. MM. Brincard
and Béchade have the sensation that their heads are enveloped in
transparent black gauze, which seems to fall on to their shoulders; it
disappears before they have time to seize it.’
I did not notice these traces of tissue, with the undoubtedly
fraudulent impressions which have been shown me or done in my presence.
I am going to give an example, to show how an attentive examination can
reveal fraud.
At a seance, I was one day shown the impression in some plastic
substance of a small death’s head; a young man presented it to me as
an authentic impression. This appeared abnormal to me, for a death’s
head is not a common thing in serious seances, and for my part I have
never seen a repugnant or painful phenomenon. An attentive examination
revealed to me traces of the finger-tips, which had held the object
while it was being pressed on the plastic substance.
At another seance at which I was present, one of the experimenters
prepared some plates of cement. He placed them himself upon the top of
a wardrobe. At the end of the seance finger-prints were found in the
cement. These prints had been made while the experimenter was placing
the plate on the wardrobe, and, of course, normally made by him. In
these two cases, the impressions were distinct and bore no traces of
woof. Therefore, such traces are not necessarily indications of fraud,
since tricksters do not always use material to preserve themselves from
stains, when they make the fraudulent impression.
As for photographs, I have never obtained any paranormal ones. It is
true I have given no attention to this order of experimentation. I
will say nothing about it therefore, since I have no personal fact of
interest to relate thereon. The existence of paranormal photography
is affirmed by sincere and honourable men, and their experiments
deserve to be resumed. The method of operating is simple. The medium
is photographed in daylight, when in a state of trance; photography
by magnesium light is not to be recommended for many reasons, chiefly
because it renders fraud particularly easy of execution. Never use
any but your own plates, never let them out of your possession for an
instant, change the plates yourself, expose and develop them yourself.
I remember one of my friends, a superior military officer, once showed
me some extraordinary photographs, on which we saw abnormal forms
beside the medium. I told my friend he had been imposed upon. Too
honest himself to admit he could be the victim of disloyal trickery,
the officer put no faith in my criticisms, and assured me that the
photographs had been taken by himself with his own camera, and declared
he had not lost sight of the apparatus for a second. His affirmations
did not modify my opinion. Later on, when carefully discussing the
conditions of the experiment, the officer acknowledged that he had
interrupted the seance for lunch, and had left his camera at the
medium’s house in the meanwhile.—The latter had taken advantage of his
absence either to change the plates and substitute exposed ones, or to
make a fraudulent exposure on my friend’s plates.
The author of this fraud was, moreover, obliged to acknowledge the
imposture. I wonder what motive this young man could have had in
cheating! I believe he acted out of pure childishness—having a
tendency to hysteria.
In photography there are several ways of defrauding; the most usual
is by double exposure. A shrewd use of sulphite of quinine permits of
certain curious operations, it appears. I have not verified this.