the unknown guest-第25章

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e　day　to　explain　others。　It　is　in　this　way　that　science　goes　to　work。　We　must　not　blame　it：　it　does　what　it　can；　and　it　does　not　appear　that　there　are　other　ways。

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If　we　assent　to　this　explanation　by　means　of　the　subliminal　consciousness；　which　is　a　sort　of　mysterious　participation　in　all　that　happens　in　this　world　and　the　others；　many　obstacles　disappear　and　we　enter　into　a　new　region　in　which　we　draw　strangely　nearer　to　the　animals　and　really　become　their　brothers　by　closer　links；　perhaps　the　only　essential　links　in　life。　They　take　part　from　that　moment　in　the　great　human　problems；　in　the　extraordinary　actions　of　our　unknown　guest；　and；　if；　since　we　have　been　observing　the　indwelling　force　more　attentively；　nothing　any　longer　surprises　us　of　that　which　it　realizes　in　us；　no　more　should　anything　surprise　us　of　that　which　it　realizes　in　them。　We　are　on　the　same　plane　with　them；　in　some　as　yet　undetermined　element；　when　it　is　no　longer　the　intelligence　that　reigns　alone；　but　another　spiritual　power；　which　pays　no　heed　to　the　brain；　which　passes　by　other　roads　and　which　might　rather　be　the　psychic　substance　of　the　universe　itself；　no　longer　set　in　grooves；　isolated　and　specialized　by　man；　but　diffused；　multiform　and　perhaps；　if　we　could　trace　it；　equal　in　everything　that　exists。

There　is；　henceforth；　no　reason　why　the　horses　should　not　participate　in　most　of　the　mediumistic；　phenomena　which　we　find　existing　between　man　and　man；　and　their　mystery　ceases　to　be　distinct　from　those　of　human　metaphysics。　If　their　subliminal　is　akin　to　ours；　we　can　begin　by　extending　to　its　utmost　limits　the　telepathic　theory；　which　has；　so　to　speak；　no　limits；　for；　in　the　matter　of　telepathy；　as　Myers　has　said；　all　that　we　are　permitted　to　declare　is　that　〃life　has　the　power　of　manifesting　itself　to　life。〃　We　may　ask　ourselves；　therefore；　if　the　problem　which　I　set　to　the　horse；　without　knowing　the　terms　of　it；　is　not　communicated　to　my　subliminal；　which　is　ignorant　of　it；　by　that　of　the　horse；　who　has　read　it。　It　is　practically　certain　that　this　is　possible　between　human　subliminals。　Is　it　I　who　see　the　solution　and　transmit　it　to　the　horse；　who　only　repeats　it　to　me？　But；　suppose　that　it　is　a　problem　which　I　myself　am　incapable　of　solving？　Whence　does　the　solution　come；　then？　I　do　not　know　if　the　experiment　has　been　attempted；　under　the　same　conditions；　with　a　human　medium。　For　that　matter；　if　it　succeeded；　it　would　be　very　much　the　same　as　the　no　less　subliminal　phenomenon　of　the　arithmetical　prodigies；　or　lightning　calculators；　with　which；　in　this　rather　superhuman　atmosphere；　we　are　almost　forced　to　compare　the　riddle　of　the　mathematical　horses。　Of　all　the　interpretations；　it　is　the　one　which；　for　the　moment；　appears　to　me　the　least　eccentric　and　the　most　natural。

We　have　seen　that　the　gift　of　handling　colossal　figures　is　almost　foreign　to　the　intelligence　proper；　one　can；　even　declare　that；　in　certain　cases；　it　is　evidently　and　completely　independent　of　such　intelligence。　In　these　cases；　the　gift　is　manifested　prior　to　any　education　and　from　the　earliest　years　of　childhood。　If　we　refer　to　the　list　of　arithmetical　prodigies　given　by　Dr。　Scripure；＇1＇　we　see　that　the　faculty　made　its　appearance　in　Ampere　at　the　age　of　three；　in　Colburn　at　six；　in　Gauss　at　three；　in　Mangiamele　at　ten；　in　Safford　at　six；　in　Whateley　at　three；　and　so　on。　Generally；　it　lasts　for　only　a　few　years；　becoming　rapidly　enfeebled　with　age　and　usually　vanishing　suddenly　at　the　moment　when　its　possessor　begins　to　go　to　school。

＇1＇　American　Journal　of　Psychology；　1　April　1891。


When　you　ask　those　children　and　even　most　of　the　lightning　calculators　who　have　come　to　man's　estate　how　they　go　to　work　to　solve　the　huge　and　complicated　problems　set　them；　they　reply　that　they　know　nothing　about　it。　Bidder；　for　instance；　declares　that　it　is　impossible　for　him　to　say　how　he　can　instinctively　tell　the　logarithm　of　a　number　consisting　of　seven　or　eight　figures。　It　is　the　same　with　Safford；　who；　at　the　age　of　ten；　used　to　do　in　his　head；　without　ever　making　a　mistake；　multiplication…sums　the　result　of　which　ran　into　thirty…six　figures。　The　solution　presents　itself　authoritatively　and　spontaneously；　it　is　a　vision；　an　impression；　an　inspiration；　an　intuition　coming　one　knows　not　whence；　suddenly　and　indubitably。　As　a　role；　they　do　not　even　try　to　calculate。　Contrary　to　the　general　belief；　they　have　no　peculiar　methods；　or；　if　method　there　be；　it　is　more　a　practical　way　of　subdividing　the　intuition。　One　would　think　that　the　solution　springs　suddenly　from　the　very　enunciation　of　the　problem；　in　the　same　way　as　a　veridical　hallucination。　It　appears　to　rise；　infallible　and　ready…done；　from　a　sort　of　eternal　and　cosmic　reservoir　wherein　the　answers　to　every　question　lie　dormant。　It　must；　therefore；　be　admitted　that　we　have　here　a　phenomenon　that　occurs　above　or　below　the　brain；　by　the　side　of　the　consciousness　and　the　mind；　outside　all　the　intellectual　methods　and　habits；　and　it　is　precisely　for　phenomena　of　this　kind　that　Myers　invented　the　word　〃subliminal。〃＇1＇

＇1＇　I　have　no　need　to　recall　the　derivation　of　the　term　subliminal：　beneath　（sub）　the　threshold　（limen）　of　consciousness。　Let　us　add；　as　M。　de　Vesme　very　rightly　remarks；　that　the　subliminal　is　not　exactly　what　classical　psychology　calls　the　subconsciousness；　which　latter　records　only　notions　that　are　normally　perceived　and　possesses　only　normal　faculties；　that　is　to　say；　faculties　recognized　to…day　by　orthodox　science。


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Does　not　all　this　bring　us　a　little　nearer　to　our　calculating　horses？　From　the　moment　that　it　is　demonstrated　that　the　solution　of　a　mathematical　problem　no　longer　depends　exclusively　on　the　brain；　but　on　another　faculty；　another　spiritual　power　whose　presence　under　various　forms　has　been　ascertained　beyond　a　doubt　in　certain　animals；　it　ceases　to　be　wholly　rash　or　extravagant　to　suggest　that　perhaps；　in　the　horse；　the　same　phenomenon　is　reproduced　and　developed　in　the　same　unknown；　wherein　moreover　the　mysteries　of　numbers　and　those　of　subconsciousness　mingle　in　a　like　darkness。　I　am　well　aware　that　an　explanation　laden　to　such　an　extent　with　mysteries　explains　but　very　little　more　than　silence　does；　nevertheless；　it　is　at　least　a　silence　traversed　by　restless　murmurs；　and　sedulous　whispers　that　are　better　than　the　gloomy　and　hopeless　ignorance　to　which　we　would　have　perforce　to　resign　ourselves　if　we　did　not；　in　spite　of　all；　to　perform　the　great　duty　of　man；　which　is　to　discover　a　spark　in　the　darkness。

It　goes　without　saying　that　objections　are　raised　from　every　side。　Among　men；　arithmetical　prodigies　are　looked　upon　as　monsters；　as　a　sort　of　extremely　rare　teratological　phenomenon。　We　can　count；　at　most；　half…a…dozen　in　a　century；　whereas；　among　horses；　the　faculty　would　appear　to　be　almost　general；　or　at　least　quite　common。　In　fact；　out　of　six　or　seven　stallions　whom　Krall　tried　to　initiate　into　the　secrets　of　mathematics；　he　found　only　two　that　appeared　to　him　too　poorly　gifted　for　him　to　waste　time　on　their　education。　These　were；　I　believe；　two　thoroughbreds　that　were　presented　to　him　by　the　Grand…duke　of　Mecklenburg　and　sent　back　by　Krall　to　their　sumptuous　stables。　In　the　four　or　five　others；　taken　at　random　as　circumstances　supplied　them；　he　met　with　aptitudes　unequal；　it　is　true；　but　easily　developed　and　giving　the　impression　that　they　exist　normally；　latent　and　inactive；　at　the　bottom　of　every　equine　soul。　From　the　mathematical　point　of　view；　is　the　horse's　subliminal　consciousness　then　superior　to　man's？　Why　not？　His　whole　subliminal　being　is　probably　superior　to　one；　of　greater　range；　younger；　fresher；　more　alive　and　less　heavy；　since　it　is　not　incessantly　attacked；　coerced　and　humiliated　by　the　intelligence　which　gnaws　at　it；　stifles　it；　cloaks　it　and　relegates　it　to　a　dark　corner　which　neither　light　nor　air　can　penetrate。　His　subliminal　consciousness　is　always　present；　always　alert；　ours　is　never　there；　is　asleep　at　the　bottom　of　a　deserted　well　and　needs　exceptional　operations；　results　and　events　before　it　can　be　drawn　from　its　slumber　and　its　unremembered　deeps。　All　this　seems　very　extraordinary；　but；　in　any　case；　we　are　here　in　the　midst　of　the　extraordinary；　and　this　outlet　is　perhaps　the　least　hazardous。　It　is　not　a　question；　we　must　remember；　of　a　cerebral　operation；　an　intellectual　performance；　but　of　a　gift　of　divination　closely　allied　to　other　gifts　of　the　same　nature　and　the　same　origin　which　are　not　the　peculiar　attribute　of　man。　No　observation；　no　experiment　enables　us；　up　to　the　present；　to　establish　a　difference　between　the　subliminal　of　human　beings　and　that　of　animals。　On　the　contrary；　the　as　yet　restricted　number　of　actual　cases　reveals　constant　and　striking　analogies　between　the　two。　In　most　of　those　arithmetical　operations；　be　it　noted；　the　subliminal　of　the　horse　behaves　exactly　like　that　of　the　medium　in　a　rate　of　trance。　The　horse　readily　reverses　the　figures　of　the　solution；　he　replies；　〃37；〃　for　instance；　instead　of　〃73；〃　which　is　a　mediumistic　phenomenon　so　well…known　and　so　frequent　that　it　has　been　styled　〃mirror…writing。〃　He　makes　mistakes　fairly　often　in　the　most　elementary　additions；　and　subtractions　and　much　less　frequently　in　the　extraction　of　the　most　complicated　roots；　which　again；　in　similar　cases；　such　as　〃xenoglossy〃　and　psychometry；　is　one　of　the　eccentricities　of　human　mediumism　and　is　explained　by　the　same　cause；　namely；　the　inopportune　intervention　of　the　ever　fallible　intelligence；　which；　by　meddling　in　the　matter；　alters　the　certainties　of　a　subliminal　which；　when　left　to　itself；　never　makes　a　mistake。　It　is；　in　fact；　quite　probable　that　the　horse；　being　really　able　to　do　the　small　sums；　no　longer　relies　solely　on　his　intuition　and；　from　that　moment；　gropes　and　flounders　about。　The　solution　hovers　between　the　intelligence　and　the　subliminal　and；　passing　from　the　one；　which　is　not　quite　sure　of　it；　to　the　other；　which　is　not　urgently　appealed　to；　comes　out　of　the　conflict　as　best　it　may。　The　case　is　the　same　with　the　psychometric　or　spiritualistic　medium　who　seeks　to　profit　by　what　he　knows　in　the　ordinary　way；　so　as　to　complete　the　visions　or　revelations　of　his　subconscious　sensibility。　He；　too；　in　this　instance；　is　nearly　always　guilty　of　flagrant　and　inexplicable　blunders。

Many　other　similarities　will　be　found　to　exist；　notably　the　way　in　which　the　lessons　vary。　Nothing　is　more　uncertain　and　capricious　than　manifestations　of　human　mediumism。　Whether　it　be　a　question　of　automatic　writing；　psychometry；　materializations　or　anything　else；　we　meet　with　series　of　sittings　that　yield　none　but　absurd　results。　Then；　suddenly；　for　reasons　as　yet　obscurethe　state　of　the　weather；　the　presence　of　this　or　that　witness；　or　I　know　not　whatthe　most　undeniable　and　bewildering　manifestations　occur　one　after　the　other。　The　case　is　precisely　the　same　with　the　horses：　their　queer　fancies；　their　unaccountable　and　disconcerting　freaks　drive　poor　Krall　to　despair。　He　never　opens　the　door　of　that　uncertain　stable；　on　important　days；　without　a　sinking　at　the　heart。　Let　the　beard　or　the　frown　of　some　learned　professor　fail　to　please　the　horses：　they　will；　forthwith；　take　an　unholy　delight　in　giving　the　most　irrelevant　answer　to　the　most　elementary　question；　for　hours