In Planchette, public journalists and pamphleteers seem to have caught
the "What is it?" in a new shape, and great has been the expenditure of
printer's ink in the way of narratives, queries, and speculations upon
the subject. There are now lying before me the following publications
and articles, in which the Planchette phenomena are noticed and
discussed,--from which we propose to cull and condense such statements
of fact as appear to possess most intrinsic interest, and promise most
aid in the solution of the mysteries. Afterward we shall discuss the
different theories of these writers, and also some other theories that
have been propounded.
"PLANCHETTE'S DIARY," edited by Kate Field, is an entertaining pamphlet,
consisting of details in the author's experience, with little or no
speculation as to the origin or laws of the phenomena. The author
herself was the principal medium of the communications, but she
occasionally introduces experiences of others. The pamphlet serves to
put one on familiar and companionable terms with the invisible source
of intelligence, whatever that may be, illustrating the leading
peculiarities of the phenomena, giving some tests of an outside
directing influence more or less striking, and candidly recording the
failures of test answers which were mixed up with the successes. We
extract two or three specimens:
"May 26th--Evening. Our trio was reinforced by Mr. B., a clever
young lawyer, who regarded Planchette with no favorable eye--had no
faith whatever in 'Spiritualism,' and maintained that for his part
he thought it quite as sensible, if not more so, to attribute
unknown phenomena to white rabbits as to spirits.... Planchette
addressed herself to Mr. B. thus:
'You do not think that I am a spirit. I tell you that I am. If I am
not an intelligence, in the name of common sense what am I? If you
fancy I am white rabbits, then all I have to say is, that white
rabbits are a deal cleverer than they have the credit of being among
natural historians.'
Later, doubt was thrown upon the possibility of getting mental
questions answered, and Planchette retorted:
'Do you fancy for one moment that I don't know the workings of your
brain? That is not the difficulty. It is the
impossibility--almost--of making two diametrically opposed
magnetisms unite.'
After this rebuke, Mr. B. asked a mental question, and received the
following answer:
'I am impelled to say that if you will persevere in these
investigations, you may be placed _en rapport_ with your wife, who
would undoubtedly communicate with you. If you have any faith in the
immortality of the soul, you can have no doubt of the possibility of
spiritual influences being brought to bear upon mortals. It is no
new thing. Ever since the world began, this power has been exerted
in one way or another; and if you pretend to put any faith in the
Bible, you surely must credit the possibility of establishing this
subtile connection between man and so-called angels.'
This communication was glibly written until within eleven words of
the conclusion, when Planchette stopped, and I asked if she had
finished.
'No,' she replied.
'Then why don't you go on?' I continued. '_I_ can write faster than
this.'
Planchette grew exceeding wroth at this, and dashed off an answer:
'Because, my good gracious! you are not obliged to express yourself
through another's brain.'
I took it for granted that Planchette had shot very wide of the mark
in the supposed response to Mr. B.'s mental query, and hence was not
prepared to be told that it was satisfactory, in proof of which Mr.
B. wrote beneath it:
'Appropriate answer to my mental question, _Will my deceased wife
communicate with me?_--I. A. B.'"
"May 28th. At the breakfast-table Mr. G. expressed a great desire to
see Planchette perform, and she was brought from her box. Miss W.
was also present. After several communications, Miss W. asked a
mental question, and Planchette immediately wrote:
'Miss W., that is hardly possible in the present state of the money
market; but later, I dare say you will accomplish what you desire to
undertake.'
_Miss W._ 'Planchette is entirely off the track. My question was,
_Can you tell me anything about my nephew?_'
_Mr. G._ 'Well, it is certainly very queer. _I_ asked a mental
question to which this is to a certain extent an answer.'
Mr. G. was seated beside me, thoroughly intent upon Planchette. Miss
W. was at a distance, and not in any way _en rapport_ with me. If
this phenomenon of answering mental questions be clairvoyance, the
situation of these two persons may account for the mixed nature of
the answer, beginning with Miss W. and finishing with Mr. G."
_Putnam's Monthly Magazine_ for December, 1868, contains an interesting
article entitled "_Planchette in a New Character_." What the "new
character" is in which it appears, may be learned from the introductory
paragraph, as follows:
"We, too, have a Planchette, and a Planchette with this signal
merit: it disclaims all pretensions to supermundane inspirations; it
operates freely--indeed, with extraordinary freedom; it goes at the
tap of the drum. The first touch of the operators, no matter under
what circumstances it is brought out to reveal its knowledge, sets
it in motion. But it brings no communications from any celestial or
spiritual sources. Its chirography is generally good, and frequently
excellent. Its remarks evince an intelligence often above that of
the operators, and its talent at answering or evading difficult
questions is admirable. We have no theories about it."
It seems, from other passages in the article, that this Planchette
disclaims the ability to tell anything that is not contained in the
minds of the persons present, although it frequently gives theories in
direct contradiction to the opinions of all present, and argues them
with great persistence until driven up into a corner. It simply assumes
the name of "Planchet," leaving off the feminine termination of the
word; and "on being remonstrated with for illiteracy, it defended itself
by saying, 'I always was a bad _speler_,'--an orthographical blunder,"
says the writer, "that no one in the room was capable of making."
Although the writer in the paragraph above quoted disclaims all theories
on the subject, he does propound a theory, such as it is; but of this
we defer our notice until we come to put the several theories that have
been offered into the hopper and grind them up together; at which time
we will take some further notice of the amusing peculiarities of this
writer's Planchette.
The _Ladies' Repository_ of November, 1868, contains an article, written
by Rev. A. D. Field, entitled "Planchette; or, Spirit-Rapping Made
Easy." This writer mentions a number of test questions asked by him of
Planchette, the answers to which were all false. Yet he acknowledges
that "the mysterious little creature called Planchette is no humbug;
that some mysterious will-power causes it to answer questions, and that
it is useless to ignore these things, or to laugh at them." The writer
submits a theory by which he thinks these mysteries may be explained, in
a measure, if not wholly, but this, with others, will be reserved for
notice hereafter.
_Harper's Monthly Magazine_ for December, 1868, contains an article
entitled "_The Confessions of a Reformed Planchettist_." In this
article, the writer, no doubt drawing wholly or in part from his
imagination, details a series of tricks which he had successfully
practiced upon the credulity of others, and concludes by propounding
a very sage and charitable theory to account for _all_ Planchette
phenomena, on which theory we shall yet have a word to offer.
_Hours at Home_, of February, 1869, contains an article, by J. T.
Headley, entitled "_Planchette at the Confessional_." In this article,
the writer cogently argues the claims of these new phenomena upon the
attention of scientific men. He says: "That it [the Planchette] writes
things never dreamed of by the operators, is proved by their own
testimony and the testimony of others, beyond all contradiction;" and
goes so far as to assert that to whatever cause these phenomena may be
attributed, "they will seriously affect the whole science of mental
philosophy." He relates a number of facts, more or less striking, and
propounds a theory in their explanation, to which, with others, we will
recur by-and-by.
The foregoing are a few of the most noted, among the many less
important, lucubrations that have fallen under our notice concerning
this interesting subject--enough, however, to indicate the intense
public interest which the performances of this little board are
exciting. We will now proceed to notice some of the _theories_ that
have been advanced for the solution of the mystery.