the unknown guest-第10章

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ng　peasant　from　the　neighbourhood　of　Ghent；　two　months　before　the　drawing　for　the　conscription；　announces　to　all　and　sundry　that　he　will　draw　number　90　from　the　urn。　On　entering　the　presence　of　the　district…commissioner　in　charge；　he　asks　if　number　90　is　still　in。　The　answer　is　yes。

＇1＇　Proceedings；　vol。　xi。；　p。　545。


〃Well　then；　I　shall　have　it！〃

And；　to　the　general　amazement；　he　does　draw　number　90。

Questioned　as　to　the　manner　in　which　he　acquired　this　strange　certainty；　he　declared　that；　two　months　ago；　just　after　he　had　gone　to　bed；　he　saw　a　huge；　indescribable　form　appear　in　a　corner　of　his　room；　with　the　number　90　standing　out　plainly　in　the　middle；　in　figures　the　size　of　a　man's　hand。　He　sat　up　in　bed　and　shut　and　opened　his　eyes　to　persuade　himself　that　he　was　not　dreaming。　The　apparition　remained　in　the　same　place；　distinctly　and　undeniably。

Professor　Georges　Hulin；　of　the　university　of　Ghent；　and　M。　Jules　van　Dooren；　the　district　commissioner；　who　report　the　incident；　mention　three　other　similar　and　equally　striking　cases　witnessed　by　M。　van　Dooren　during　his　term　of　office。　I　am　the　less　inclined　to　doubt　their　declaration　inasmuch　as　I　am　personally　acquainted　with　them　and　know　that　their　statements；　as　regards　the　objective　reality　of　the　facts；　are　so　to　speak　equivalent　to　a　legal　deposition。　M。　Bozzano　mentions　some　previsions　which　are　quite　as　remarkable　in　connection　with　the　gaming…tables　at　Monte　Carlo。

I　repeat；　I　am　aware　that；　in　the　case　of　these　occurrences　and　those　which　resemble　them；　it　is　possible　once　again　to　invoke　the　theory　of　coincidence。　It　will　be　contended　that　there　are　probably　a　thousand　predictions　of　this　kind　which　are　never　talked　about；　because　they　were　not　fulfilled；　whereas；　if　one　of　them　is　accomplished；　which　is　bound　by　the　law　of　probabilities　to　happen　some　day　or　other；　the　astonishment　is　general　and　free　rein　is　given　to　the　imagination。　This　is　true；　nevertheless；　it　is　well　to　enquire　whether　these　predictions　are　as　frequent　as　is　loosely　stated。　In　the　matter　of　those　which　concern　the　conscription…drawings；　for　instance；　I　have　had　the　opportunity　of　interrogating　more　than　we　constant　witness　of　these　little　dramas　of　fate；　and　all　admitted　that；　on　the　whole；　they　are　much　clearer　than　one　would　believe。　Next；　we　must　not　forget　that　there　can　be　no　question　here　of　scientific　proofs。　We　are　in　the　midst　of　a　slippery　and　nebulous　region；　where　we　would　not　dare　to　risk　a　step　if　we　were　not　allowing　ourselves　to　be　guided　by　our　feelings　rather　than　by　certainties　which　we　are　not　forbidden　to　hope　for；　but　which　are　not　yet　in　sight。

8

We　will　abridge　our　subject　still　further；　referring　readers　who　wish　to　know　the　details　to　the　originals；　lest　we　should　never　have　done；　or　rather；　instead　of　attempting　an　abridgment；　which　would　still　be　too　long；　so　plentiful　are　the　materials；　we　will　content　ourselves　with　enumerating　a　few　instances；　all　taken　from　Bozzano's　Des　Phenomenes　premonitoires。　We　read　there　of　a　funeral　procession　seen　on　a　high…road　several　days　before　it　actually　passed　that　way；　or；　again；　of　a　young　mechanic　who；　in　the　beginning　of　November；　dreamt　that　he　came　home　at　half…past　five　in　the　afternoon　and　saw　his　sister's　little　girl　run　over　by　a　tram…car　while　crossing　the　street　in　front　of　the　house。　He　told　his　dream；　in　great　distress；　and；　on　the　13th　of　the　same　month；　in　spite　of　all　the　precautions　that　had　been　taken；　the　child　was　run　over　by　the　tram…car　and　killed　at　the　hour　named。　We　find　the　ghost；　the　phantom　animal　or　the　mysterious　noise　which；　in　certain　families；　is　the　traditional　herald　of　a　death　or　of　an　imminent　catastrophe。　We　find　the　celebrated　vision　which　the　painter　Segantini　had　thirteen　days　before　his　decease；　every　detail　of　which　remained　in　his　mind　and　was　represented　in　his　last　picture；　Death。　We　find　the　Messina　disaster　dearly　foreseen；　twice　over；　by　a　little　girl　who　perished　under　the　ruins　of　the　ill…fated　city；　and　we　read　of　a　dream　which；　three　months　before　the　French　invasion　of　Russia；　foretold　to　Countess　Toutschkoff　that　her　husband　would　fall　at　Borodino；　a　village　so　little　known　at　the　time　that　those　interested　in　the　dream　looked　in　vain　for　its　name　on　the　maps。　Until　now　we　have　spoken　only　of　the　spontaneous　manifestations　of　the　future。　It　would　seem　as　though　coming　events；　gathered　in　front　of　our　lives；　bear　with　crushing　weight　upon　the　uncertain　and　deceptive　dike　of　the　present；　which　is　no　longer　able　to　contain　them。　They　ooze　through；　they　seek　a　crevice　by　which　to　reach　us。　But；　side　by　side　with　these　passive；　independent　and　intractable　premonitions；　which　are　but　so　many　vagrant　and　furtive　emanations　of　the　unknown；　are　others　which　do　yield　to　entreaty；　allow　themselves　to　be　directed　into　channels；　are　more　or　less　obedient　to　our　orders　and　will　sometimes　reply　to　the　questions　which　we　put　to　them。　They　come　from　the　same　inaccessible　reservoir；　are　no　less　mysterious；　but　yet　appear　a　little　more　human　than　the　others；　and；　without　drugging　ourselves　with　puerile　or　dangerous　illusions；　we　may　be　permitted　to　hope　that；　if　we　follow　them　and　study　them　attentively；　they　will　one　day　open　to　us　the　hidden　paths　that　join　that　which　is　no　more　to　that　which　is　not　yet。

It　is　true　that　here；　where　we　must　needs　mix　with　the　somewhat　lawless　world　of　professional　mystery…mongers；　we　have　to　increase　our　caution　and　walk　with　measured　steps　on　very　suspicious　ground。　But　in　this　region　of　pitfalls　we　glean　a　certain　number　of　facts　that　cannot　reasonably　be　contested。　It　will　be　enough　to　recall；　for　instance；　the　symbolic　premonitions　of　the　famous　〃seeress　of　Prevorst；〃　Frau　Hauffe；　whose　prophetic　spirit　was　awakened　by　soap　bubbles；　crystals　and　mirrors；＇1＇　the　clairvoyant　who；　eighteen　years　before　the　event；　foretold　the　death　of　a　girl　by　the　hand　of　her　rival　in　1907；　in　a　written　prophecy　which　was　presented　to　the　court　by　the　mother　of　the　murdered　girl；＇1＇　A。　J。　C。　Kerner：　Die　Scherin　von　Prevorst　141　＇1＇　the　gypsy　who；　also　in　writing；　foretold　all　the　events　in　Miss　Isabel　Arundel's　life；　including　the　name　of　her　husband；　Burton；　the　famous　explorer；＇2＇　the　sealed　letter　addressed　to　M。　Morin；　vice…president　of　the　Societe　du　Mesmerisme；　describing　the　most　unexpected　circumstances　of　a　death　that　occurred　a　month　later；＇3＇　the　famous　〃Marmontel　prediction；〃　obtained　by　Mrs。　Verrall's　cross…correspondences；　which　gives　a　vision；　two　months　and　a　half　before　their　accomplishment；　of　the　most　insignificant　actions　of　a　traveller　in　an　hotel　bedroom；＇4＇　and　many　others。

＇1＇　Light；　1907；　p。　219。　The　crime　was　committed　in　Paris　and　made　a　great　stir　at　the　time。

＇2＇　Lady　Burton：　The　Life　of　Captain　Sir　Richd。　F。　Burton；　K。C。M。G。；　vol。i。；　p。253。

＇3＇　Journal　of　the　Society　for　Psychical　Research；　vol。　ix。；　p。　15。

＇4＇　Proceedings；　vol。　xx。；　p。　331。


9

I　will　not　review　the　various　and　very　often　grotesque　methods　of　interrogating　the　future　that　are　most　frequently　practised　to…day：　cards；　palmistry；　crystal…gazing；　fortune…telling　by　means　of　coffee…grounds；　tea…leaves；　magnetic　needles　and　white　of　egg；　graphology；　astrology　and　the　rest。　These　methods；　as　I　have　already　said；　are　worth　exactly　what　the　medium　who　employs　them　is　worth。　They　have　no　other　object　than　to　arouse　the　medium's　subconsciousness　and　to　bring　it　into　relation　with　that　of　the　person　questioning　him。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　all　these　purely　empirical　processes　are　but　so　many；　often　puerile　forms　of　self…manifestation　adopted　by　the　undeniable　gift　which　is　known　as　intuition；　clairvoyance　or；　in　certain　cases；　psychometry。　I　have　spoken　at　sufficient　length　of　this　last　faculty　not　to　linger　over　it　now。　All　that　we　have　still　to　do　is　to　consider　it　for　a　moment　in　its　relations　with　the　foretelling　of　the　future。　A　large　number　of　investigations；　notably　those　conducted　by　M。　Duchatel　and　Dr。　Osty；　show　that；　in　psychometry；　the　notion　of　time；　as　Dr。　Joseph　Maxwell　observes；　is　very　loose；　that　is　to　say；　the　past；　present　and　future　nearly　always　overlap。　Most　of　the　clairvoyant　or　psychometric　subjects；　when　they　are　honest；　do　not　know；　〃do　not　feel；〃　as　M。　Duchatel　very　ably　remarks；　〃what　the　future　is。　They　do　not　distinguish　it　from　the　other　tenses；　and　consequently　they　succeed　in　being　prophets；　but　unconscious　prophets。〃　In　a　wordand　this　is　a　very　important　indication　from　the　point　of　view　of　the　probable　coexistence　of　the　three　tensesit　appears　that　they　see　that　which　is　not　yet　with　the　same　clearness　and　on　the　same　plane　as　that　which　is　no　more；　but　are　incapable　of　separating　the　two　visions　and　picking　out　the　future　which　alone　interests　us。　For　a　still　stronger　reason；　it　is　impossible　for　them　to　state　dates　with　precision。　Nevertheless；　the　fact　remains　that；　when　we　take　the　trouble　to　sift　their　evidence　and　have　the　patience　to　await　the　realization　of　certain　events　which　are　sometimes　not　due　for　a　long　time　to　come；　the　future　is　fairly　often　perceived　by　some　of　these　strange　soothsayers。

There　are　psychometers；　however；　and　notably　Mme。　M；　Dr。　Osty's　favorite　medium；　who　never　confuse　the　future　and　the　past。　Mme。　M　places　her　visions　in　time　according　to　the　position　which　they　occupy　in　space。　Thus　she　sees　the　future　in　front　of　her；　the　past　behind　her　and　the　present　beside　her。　But；　notwithstanding　these　distinctly…graded　visions；　she　also　is　incapable　of　naming　her　dates　exactly；　in　fact；　her　mistakes　in　this　respect　are　so　general　that　Dr。　Osty　looks　upon　it　as　a　pure　chronological　coincidence　when　a　prediction　is　realized　at　the　moment　foretold。

We　should　also　observe　that；　in　psychometry；　only　those　events　can　be　perceived　which　relate　directly　to　the　individual　communicating　with　the　percipient；　for　it　is　not　so　much　the　percipient　that　sees　into　us　as　we　that　read　in　our　own　subconsciousness；　which　is　momentarily　lighted　by　his　presence。　We　must　not　therefore　ask　him　for　predictions　of　a　general　character；　whether；　for　instance；　there　will　be　a　war　in　the　spring；　an　epidemic　in　the　summer　or　an　earthquake　in　the　autumn。　The　moment　the　question　concerns　events；　however　important；　with　which　we　are　not　intimately　connected；　he　is　bound　to　answer；　as　do　all　the　genuine　mediums；　that　he　sees　nothing。

The　area　of　his　vision　being　thus　limited；　does　he　really　discover　the　future　in　it？　After　three　years　of　numerous；　cautious　and　systematic　experiments　with　some　twenty　mediums；　Dr。　Osty　categorically　declares　that　he　does：

〃All　the　incidents；〃　he　says；　〃which　filled　these　three　years　of　my　life；　whether　wished　for　by　me　or　not；　or　even　absolutely　contrary　to　the　ordinary　routine　of　my　life；　had　always　been　foretold　to　me；　not　all　by　each　of　the　clairvoyant　subjects；　but　all　by　one　or　other　of　them。　As　I　have　been　practising　these　tests　continually；　it　seems　to　me　that　the　experience　of　three　years　wholly　devoted　to　this　object　should　give　some　weight　to　my　opinion　on　the　subject　of　predictions。〃

This　is　incontestable；　and　the　sincerity；　scientific　conscientiousness　and　high　intellectual　value　of　Dr。　Osty's　fine　work　inspire　one　with　the　most　entire　confidence。　Unfortunately；　he　contents　himse