LETTER TO , THE EDITOR.
MR. CROOKES' ARTICLE IN THE " QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF SCIENCE."
[To THE EDITOR OF THE"SPECTATOR."]
Sin,—Allow me to draw the attention of your readers to two points,—one physical, the other psychical,—of importance in any attempt to determine scientifically the bearing of such " manifes- tations" as those of Mr. Home. Whatever power is exerted upon material objects by contact of the medium or through ontact with him is of a pulling, drawing character, very much
as we see in a magnet and anything of iron or steel. In a seance here in my presence the table was lifted up at the medium's end while his hands were both spread out on its surface, and one of the party of three were watching his knees. To my mind this accounts for the accordion being such a favourite instrument with professional mediums.
The other point is of more importance. The precaution taken
by Mr. Crookes, which you note, of having the elaborate cage for the accordion constructed without the possible knowledge of Mr. Home was entirely thrown away, as it may be assumed that its testing character would cause Mr. Crookes' mind to be full of it, and it is just this "being full of it" that causes a medium, when once en rapport, to have the information he wants. If he is a clever man, he may piece in what his own experi- ence may suggest ; but the mystery remains how he becomes possessed of the facts passing through the other man's mind. That it is plain he has somehow this power I am con- vinced from experiment, but from the same experience I
am equally convinced he cannot tell what you do not know .yourself or do not afford, by the operation of your own mind while in accord with him for the time being, the materials out of which he can weave an answer or a statement that has sometimes a staggering effect.
In this way the tune played on the accordion might be one known to Mr. Crookes and not to Mr. Home, but if a distinct tune at all, the more eagerly, though silently, Mr. Crookes tried to detect a tune would the notes shape themselves into one he knew.-
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