the unknown guest-第24章

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gives　you；　one　after　the　other；　five　or　six　correct　solutions；　as　he　did　to　me　and　many　others；　you　will　not　go　away　with　the　conviction　that　the　animal　is　able　by　its　intelligence　to　extract　those　roots；　because　that　conviction　would　upset　too　thoroughly　the　greater　part　of　the　certainties　on　which　your　life　is　based；　but　you　will；　at　any　rate；　be　persuaded　that　you　have　been　for　a　few　minutes　in　the　presence　of　one　of　the　greatest　and　strangest　riddles　that　can　disturb　the　mind　of　man；　and　it　is　always　a　good　and　salutary　thing　to　come　into　contact　with　emotions　of　this　order。〃

28　

Truth　to　say；　the　theory　of　intelligence　in　the　animal　would　be　so　extraordinary　as　to　be　almost　untenable。　If　we　are　determined；　at　whatever　cost；　to　pin　our　faith　to　it；　we　are　bound　to　call　in　the　aid　of　other　ideas；　to　appeal；　for　instance；　to　the　extremely　mysterious　and　essentially　uncomprehended　and　incomprehensible　nature　of　numbers。　It　is　almost　certain　that　the　science　of　mathematics　lies　outside　the　intelligence。　It　forms　a　mechanical　and　abstract　whole；　more　spiritual　than　material　and　more　material　than　spiritual；　visible　only　through　its　shadow　and　yet　constituting　the　most　immovable　of　the　realities　that　govern　the　universe。　From　first　to　last　it　declares　itself　a　very　strange　force　and；　as　it　were；　the　sovereign　of　another　element　than　that　which　nourishes　our　brain。　Secret；　indifferent；　imperious　and　implacable；　it　subjugates　and　oppresses　us　from　a　great　height　or　a　great　depth；　in　any　case；　from　very　far；　without　telling　us　why。　One　might　say　that　figures　place　those　who　handle　them　in　a　special　condition。　They　draw　the　cabalistic　circle　around　their　victim。　Henceforth；　he　is　no　longer　his　own　master；　he　renounces　his　liberty；　he　is　literally　〃possessed〃　by　the　powers　which　he　invokes。　He　is　dragged　he　knows　not　whither；　into　a　formless；　boundless　immensity；　subject　to　laws　that　have　nothing　human　about　them；　in　which　each　of　those　lively　and　tyrannical　little　signs　which　move　and　dance　in　their　thousands　under　the　pen　represents　nameless；　but　eternal；　invincible　and　inevitable　verities。　We　think　that　we　are　directing　them　and　they　enslave　us。　We　become　weary　and　breathless　following　them　into　their　uninhabitable　spaces。　When　we　touch　them；　we　let　loose　a　force　which　we　are　no　longer　able　to　control。　They　do　with　us　what　they　will　and　always　end　by　hurling　us；　blinded　and　benumbed；　into　blank　infinity　or　upon　a　wall　of　ice　against　which　every　effort　of　our　mind　and　will　is　shattered。

It　is　possible；　therefore；　in　the　last　resort；　to　explain　the　Elberfeld　mystery　by　the　no　less　obscure　mystery　that　surrounds　numbers。　This　really　only　means　moving　to　another　spot　in　the　gloom；　but　it　is　often　just　by　that　moving　to　another　spot　that　we　end　by　discovering　the　little　gleam　of　light　which　shows　us　a　thoroughfare。　In　any　case；　and　to　return　to　more　precise　ideas；　more　than　one　instance　has　been　cited　to　prove　that　the　gift　of　handling　great　groups　of　figures　is　almost　independent　of　the　intelligence　proper。　One　of　the　most　curious　is　that　of　an　Italian　shepherd　boy；　Vito　Mangiamele；　who　was　brought　before　the　Paris　Academy　of　Science　in　1837　and　who；　at　the　age　of　ten；　though　devoid　of　the　most　rudimentary　education；　was　able　in　half　a　minute　to　extract　the　cubic　root　of　a　number　of　seven　figures。　Another；　more　striking　still；　also　mentioned　by　Dr。　Clarapede　in　his　paper　on　the　learned　horses；　is　that　of　a　man　blind　from　birth；　an　inmate　of　the　lunatic…asylum；　at　Armentieres。　This　blind　man；　whose　name　is　Fleury；　a　degenerate　and　nearly　an　idiot；　can　calculate　in　one　minute　and　fifteen　seconds　the　number　of　seconds　in　thirty…nine　years；　three　months　and　twelve　days；　not　forgetting　the　leap…years。　They　explain　to　him　what　a　square　root　is；　without　telling　him　the　conventional　method　of　finding　it；　and　soon　he　extracts　almost　as　rapidly　as　Inaudi　himself；　without　a　blunder；　the　square　roots　of　numbers　of　four　figures；　giving　the　remainder。　On　the　other　hand；　we　know　that　a　mathematical　genius　like　Henri　Pomcare　confessed　himself　incapable　of　adding　up　a　column　of　figures　without　a　mistake。

29　

》From　the　maybe　enchanted　atmosphere　that　surrounds　numbers　we　shall　pass　more　easily　to　the　even　more　magic　mists　of　the　final　theory；　the　only　one　remaining　to　us　for　the　moment：　the　mediumistic　or　subliminal　theory。　This；　we　must　remember；　is　not　the　telepathic　theory　proper　which　decisive　experiments　have　made　us　reject。　Let　us　have　the　courage　to　venture　upon　it。　When　one　can　no　longer　interpret　a　phenomenon　by　the　known；　we　must　needs　try　to　do　so　by　the　unknown。　We；　therefore；　now　enter　a　new　province　of　a　great　unexplored　kingdom；　in　which　we　shall　find　ourselves　without　a　guide。

Mediumistic　phenomena；　manifestations　of　the　secondary　or　the　subliminal　consciousness；　between　man　and　man；　are；　as　we　have　more　than　once　had　occasion　to　assure　ourselves；　capricious；　undisciplined；　evasive　and　uncertain；　but　more　frequent　than　one　thought　and；　to　one　who　examines；　them　seriously　and　honestly；　often　undeniable。　Have　similar　manifestations　been　discovered　between　man　and　the　animals？　The　study　of　these　manifestations；　which　is　very　difficult　even　in　the　case　of　man；　becomes　still　more　so　when　we　question　witnesses　doomed　to　silence。　There　are；　however；　some　animals　which　are　looked　upon　as　〃psychic；〃　which；　in　other　words；　seem　indisputably　to　be　sensitive　to　certain　subliminal　influences。　One　usually　classes　the　cat；　the　dog　and　the　horse　in　this　somewhat　ill…defined　category。　To　these　superstitious　animals　one　might　perhaps　add　certain　birds；　more　or　less　birds　of　omen；　and　even　a　few　insects；　notably　the　bees。　Other　animals；　such　as；　for　instance；　the　elephant　and　the　monkey；　appear　to　be　proof　against　mystery。　Be　this　as　it　may；　M。　Ernest　Bozzano；　in　an　excellent　article　on　Les　Perceptions　psychiques　des　animaux；＇1＇　collected　in　1905　sixty…nine　cases　of　telepathy；　presentiments　and　hallucinations　of　sight　or　hearing　in　which　the　principal　actors　are　cats；　dogs　and　horses。　There　are；　even　among　them；　ghosts　or　phantoms　of　dogs　which；　after　their　death；　return　to　haunt　the　homes　in　which　they　were　happy。　Most　of　these　cases　are　taken　from　the　Proceedings　of　the　S。　P。　R。；　that　is　to　say；　they　have　nearly　all　been　very　strictly　investigated。　It　is　impossible；　short　of　filling　these　pages　with　often　striking　and　touching　but　rather　cumbersome　anecdotes；　to　enumerate　them　here；　however　briefly。　It　will　be　sufficient　to　note　that　sometimes　the　dog　begins　to　howl　at　the　exact　moment　when　his　master　loses　his　life；　for　instance；　on　a　battlefield；　hundreds　of　miles　from　the　place　where　the　dog　is。　More　commonly；　the　cat；　the　dog　and　the　horse　plainly　manifest　that　they　perceive；　often　before　men　do；　telepathic　apparitions；　phantasms　of　the　living　or　the　dead。　Horses　in　particular　seem　very　sensitive　to　places　that　pass　as　haunted　or　uncanny。　On　the　whole；　the　result　of　these　observations　is　that　we　can　hardly　dispute　that　these　animals　communicate　as　much　as　we　do　and　perhaps　in　the　same　fashion　with　the　mystery　that　lies　around　us。　There　are　moments　at　which；　like　man；　they　see　the　invisible　and　perceive　events；　influences　and　emotions　that　are　beyond　the　range　of　their　normal　senses。　It　is；　therefore；　permissible　to　believe　that　their　nervous　system　or　some　remote　or　secret　part　of　their　being　contains　the　same　psychic　elements　connecting　them　with　an　unknown　that　inspires　them　with　as　much　terror　as　it　does　ourselves。　And；　let　us　say　in　passing；　this　terror　is　rather　strange；　for；　after　all；　what　have　they　to　fear　from　a　phantom　or　an　apparition；　they　who；　we　are　convinced　have　no　after…life　and　who　ought；　therefore；　to　remain　perfectly　indifferent　to　the　manifestations；　of　a　world　in　which　they　will　never　set　foot？

＇1＇　Annales　des　sciences　psychiques；　August；　1905；　pp　422…469。


I　shall　perhaps　be　told　that　it　is　not　certain　that　these　apparitions　are　objective；　that　they　correspond　with　an　external　reality；　but　that　it　is　exceedingly　possible　that　they　spring　solely　from　the　man's　or　the　animal's　brain。　This　is　not　the　moment　to　discuss　this　very　obscure　point；　which　raises　the　whole　question　of　the　supernatural　and　all　the　problems　of　the　hereafter。　The　only　important　thing　to　observe　is　that　at　one　time　it　is　man　who　transmits　his　terror；　his　perception　or　his　idea　of　the　invisible　to　the　animal　and　at　another　the　animal　which　transmits　its　sensations　to　man。　We　have　here；　therefore；　intercommunications　which　spring　from　a　deeper　common　source　than　any　that　we　know　and　which；　to　issue　from　it　or　go　back　to　it；　pass　through　other　channels　than　those　of　our　customary　senses。　Now　all　this　belongs　to　that　unexplained　sensibility；　to　that　secret　treasure；　to　that　as　yet　undetermined　psychic　power　which；　for　lack　of　a　better　term；　we　call　subconsciousness　or　subliminal　consciousness。　Moreover；　it　is　not　surprising　that　in　the　animals；　these　subliminal　faculties　not　only　exist；　but　are　perhaps　keener　and　more　active　than　in　ourselves；　because　it　is　our　conscious　and　abnormally　individualized　life　that　atrophies　them　by　relegating　them　to　a　state　of　idleness　wherein　they　have　fewer　and　fewer　opportunities　of　being　exercised；　whereas　in　our　brothers　who　are　less　detached　from　the　universe；　consciousnessif　we　can　give　that　name　to　a　very　uncertain　and　confused　notion　of　the　egois　reduced　to　a　few　elementary　actions。　They　are　much　less　separated　than　ourselves　from　the　whole　of　the　circumambient　life　and　they　still　possess　a　number　of　those　more　general　and　indeterminate　senses　whereof　we　have　been　deprived　by　the　gradual　encroachment　of　a　narrow　and　intolerant　special　faculty；　our　intelligence。　Among　these　senses　which　up　to　the　present　we　have　described　as　instincts；　for　wantand　it　is　becoming　a　pressing　wantof　a　more　suitable　and　definite　word；　need　I　mention　the　sense　of　direction；　migration；　foreknowledge　of　the　weather；　of　earthquakes　and　avalanches　and　many　others　which　we　doubtless　do　not　even　suspect？　Does　all　this　not　belong　to　a　subconsciousness　which　differs　from　ours　only　in　being　so　much　richer？

30

I　am　fully　aware　that　this　explanation　by　means　of　the　subliminal　consciousness　will　not　explain　very　much　and　will　at　most　invoke　the　aid　of　the　unknown　to　illuminate　the　incomprehensible。　But　to　explain　a　phenomenon；　a　Dr。　J。　de　Modzelwski　very　truly　says；　〃is　to　put　forward　a　theory　which　is　more　familiar　and　more　easily　comprehensible　to　us　than　the　phenomenon　at　issue。〃　This　is　really　what　we　are　constantly　and　almost　exclusively　doing　in　physics；　chemistry；　biology　and　in　every　branch　of　science　without　exception。　To　explain　a　phenomenon　is　not　necessarily　to　make　it　as　clear　and　lucid　as　that　two　and　two　are　four；　and；　even　so；　the　fact　that　two　and　two　are　four　is　not；　when　we　go　to　the　bottom　of　things；　as　clear　and　lucid　as　it　seems。　What　in　this　case；　as　in　most　others；　we　wrongfully　call　explaining　is　simply　confronting　the　unexpected　mystery　which　these　horses　offer　us　with　a　few　phenomena　which　are　themselves　unknown；　but　which　have　been　perceived　longer　and　more　frequently。　And　this　same　mystery；　thus　explained；　will　serve　one　day　to　explain　others。　It　is　in　this　way　that　science　goes　to　work。　We　must　not　blame　it：　it　does