the unknown guest-第4章

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　which　we　believe　to　be　our　world；　of　a　new　force　that　would　explain　more　than　one　thing　which　we　are　still　far　from　understanding。　If　the　dead　interfere　at　one　point；　there　is　a　reason　why　they　should　not　interfere　at　every　other　point。　We　should　no　longer　be　alone；　among　ourselves；　in　our　hermetically…closed　sphere；　as　we　are　perhaps　only　too　ready　to　imagine　it。　We　should　have　to　alter　more　than　one　of　our　physical　and　moral　laws；　more　than　one　of　our　ideas；　and　it　would　no　doubt　be　the　most　important　and　the　most　extraordinary　revelation　that　would　be　expected　in　the　present　state　of　our　knowledge　and　since　the　disappearance　of　the　old　positive　religions。　But　we　are　not　there　yet：　the　proof　of　all　this　is　still　in　the　nursery…stage；　and　I　do　not　know　if　it　will　ever　get　beyond　that。　Nevertheless　the　fact　remains　that；　in　these　impenetrable　regions　of　mystery　which　we　are　now　exploring；　the　one　weak　spot　lies　here；　the　one　wall　in　which　there　seems　to　be　a　chinka　strange　one　enoughgiving　a　glimpse　into　the　other　world。　It　is　narrow　and　vague　and　behind　it　there　is　still　darkness；　but　it　is　not　without　significance　and　we　shall　do　well　not　to　lose　sight　of　it。

6

Let　us　observe　that　this　survival　of　the　dead；　as　the　neospiritualists　conceive　it；　seems　much　less　improbable　since　we　have　been　studying　more　closely　the　manifestations　of　the　extraordinary　and　incontestable　spiritual　force　that　lies　hidden　within　ourselves。　It　is　not　dependent　in　our　thought；　nor　on　our　consciousness；　nor　on　our　will；　and　very　possibly　it　is　not　dependent　either　on　our　life。　While　we　are　still　breathing　on　this　earth　it　is　already　surmounting　most　of　the　great　obstacles　that　limit　and　paralyse　our　existence。　It　acts　at　a　distance　and　so　to　speak　without　organs。　It　passes　through　matter；　disaggregates　it　and　reconstitutes　it。　It　seems　to　possess；　the　gift　of　ubiquity。　It　is　not　subject　to　the　laws　of　gravity　and　lifts　weights　out　of　all　proportion　with　the　real　and　measurable　strength　of　the　body　whence　it　is　believed　to　emanate。　It　releases　and　removes　itself　from　that　body；　it　comes　and　goes　freely　and　takes　to　itself　substances　and　shapes　which　it　borrows　all　around　it；　and　therefore　it　is　no　longer　so　strange　to　see　it　surviving　for　a　time　that　body　to　which　it　does　not　appear　to　be　as　indissolubly　bound　as　is　our　conscious　existence。　Is　it　necessary　to　add　that　this　survival　of　a　part　of　ourselves　which　we　hardly　know　and　which　besides　seems　incomplete；　incoherent　and　ephemeral　is　wholly　without　prejudice　to　nor　fate　in　the　eternity　of　the　worlds？　But　this　is　a　question　which　we　are　not　called　upon　to　study　here。

I　shall　perhaps　be　asked：

〃If　it　is　becoming　increasingly　difficult　for　all　these　factsand　there　are　more　of　them　accumulating　every　dayto　be　embraced　in　the　telepathic　or　psychometric　theory；　why　not　frankly　accept　the　spiritualistic　explanation；　which　is　the　simplest；　which　has　an　answer　for　everything　and　which　is　gradually　encroaching　on　all　the　others？〃

That　is　true：　it　is　the　simplest　theory；　perhaps　too　simple；　and；　like　the　religious　theory；　it　dispenses　as　from　all　effort　or　seeking。　We　have　nothing　to　set　against　it　but　the　mediumistic　theory；　which　doubtless　does　not　account　exactly　for　a　good　many　things；　but　which　at　least　is　on　the　same　side　of　the　hill　of　life　as　ourselves　and　remains　among　us；　upon　our　earth；　within　reach　of　our　eyes；　our　hands；　our　thoughts　and　our　researches。　There　was　a　time　when　lightning；　epidemics　and　earthquakes　were　attributed　without　distinction　to　the　wrath　of　Heaven。　Nowadays；　when　we　are　more　or　less　familiar　with　the　source　of　the　great　infectious　diseases；　the　hand　of　Providence　knows　them　no　more；　and；　though　we　are　still　ignorant　of　the　nature　of　electricity　and　the　laws　that　regulate　seismic　shocks；　we　no　longer　dream；　while　waiting　to　learn　more　about　them；　of　looking　for　their　causes　in　the　judgment　or　anger　of　an　imaginary　Being。　Let　us　act　likewise　in　the　present　case。　It　behooves　us　above　all　to　avoid　those　rash　explanations　which；　in　their　haste；　leave　by　the　roadside　a　host　of　things　that　appear　to　be　unknown　or　unknowable　only　because　the　necessary　effort　has　not　yet　been　made　to　know　them。　After　all；　while　we　must　not　eliminate　the　spiritualistic　theory；　neither　must　we　content　ourselves　with　it。　It　is　even　preferable　not　to　linger　over　it　until　it　has　supplied　us　with　decisive　arguments；　for　it　is　the　duty　of　this　theory　which　sweeps　us　roughly　out　of　our　sphere　to　furnish　us　with　such　arguments。　For　the　present；　it　simply　relegates　to　posthumous　regions；　phenomena　that　appear　to　occur　within　ourselves；　it　adds　superfluous　mystery　and　needless　difficulty　to　the　mediumistic　mystery　whence　it　springs。　If　we　were　concerned　with　facts　that　had　no　footing　in　this　world；　we　should　certainly　have　to　turn　our　eyes　in　another　direction；　but　we　see　a　large　number　of　actions　performed　which　are　of　the　same　nature　as　those　attributed　to　the　spirits　and　equally　inexplicable；　actions　with　which；　however；　we　know　that　they　have　nothing　to　do。　When　it　is　proved　that　the　dead　exercise　some　intervention；　we　will　bow　before　the　fact　as　willingly　as　we　bow　before　the　mediumistic　mysteries：　it　is　a　question　of　order；　of　internal　policy　and　of　scientific　method　much　more　than　of　probability；　preference　or　fear。　The　hour　has　not　yet　come　to　abandon　the　principle　which　I　have　formulated　elsewhere　with　respect　to　our　communications　with　the　dead；　namely；　that　it　is　natural　that　we　should　remain　at　home；　in　our　own　world；　as　long　as　we　can；　as　long　as　we　are　not　violently　driven　from　it　by　a　series　of　irresistible　and　incontrovertible　proofs　coming　from　the　neighbouring　abyss。　The　survival　of　a　spirit　is　no　more　improbable　than　the　prodigious　faculties　which　we　are　obliged　to　attribute　to　the　mediums　if　we　deny　them　to　the　dead。　But　the　existence　of　mediums　is　beyond　dispute；　whereas　that　of　spirits　is　not；　and　it　is　therefore　for　the　spirits　or　for　those　who　make　use　of　their　name　to　begin　by　proving　that　they　must。　Before　turning　towards　the　mystery　beyond　the　grave；　let　us　first　exhaust　the　possibilities　of　the　mystery　here　on　earth。


CHAPTER　II。　PSYCHOMETRY

1

Now　that　we　have　eliminated　the　gods　and　the　dead；　what　have　we　left？　Ourselves　and　all　the　life　around　us；　and　that　is　perhaps　enough。　It　is；　at　any　rate；　much　more　than　we　are　able　to　grasp。

Let　us　now　study　certain　manifestations　that　are　absolutely　similar　to　those　which　we　attribute　to　the　spirits　and　quite　as　surprising。　As　for　these　manifestations；　there　is　not　the　least　doubt　of　their　origin。　They　do　not　come　from　the　other　world；　they　are　born　and　die　upon　this　earth；　and　they　arise　solely　and　incontestably　from　our　own　actual　living　mystery。　They　are；　moreover；　of　all　psychic　manifestations；　those　which　are　easiest　to　examine　and　verify；　seeing　that　they　can　be　repeated　almost　indefinitely　and　that　a　number　of　excellent　and　well…known　mediums　are　always　ready　to　reproduce　them　in　the　presence　of　any　one　interested　in　the　question。　It　is　no　longer　a　case　of　uncertain　and　casual　observation；　but　of　scientific　experiment。

The　manifestations　in　question　are　so　many　phenomena　of　intuition；　of　clairvoyance　or　clairaudience；　of　seeing　at　a　distance　and　even　of　seeing　the　future。　These　phenomena　may　either　be　due　to　pure；　spontaneous　intuition　on　the　part　of　the　medium；　in　an　hypnotic　or　waking　state；　or　else　produced　or　facilitated　by　one　of　the　various　empirical　methods　which　apparently　see　only　to　arouse　the　medium's　subconscious　faculties　and　to　release　in　some　way　his　subliminal　clairvoyance。　Among　such　methods；　those　most　often　employed　are；　as　we　all　know；　cards；　coffee…grounds；　pins；　the　lines　of　the　hand；　crystal　globes；　astrology；　and　so　on。　They　possess　no　importance　in　themselves；　no　intrinsic　virtue；　and　are　worth　exactly　what　the　medium　who　uses　them　is　worth。　As　M。　Duchatel　well　says：

〃In　reality；　there　is　only　one　solitary　MANCY。　The　faculty　of　seeing　in　TIME；　like　the　faculty　of　seeing　in　SPACE；　is　ONE；　whatever　its　outward　form　or　the　process　employed。〃

We　will　not　linger　now　over　those　manifestations　which；　under　appearances　that　are　sometimes　childish　and　vulgar；　often　conceal　surprising　and　incontestable　truths；　but　will　devote　the　present　chapter　exclusively　to　a　series　of　phenomena　which　includes　almost　all　the　others　and　which　has　been　classed　under　the　generic　and　rather　ill…chosen　and　ill…constructed　title　of　〃psychometry。〃　Psychometry；　to　borrow　Dr。　Maxwell's　excellent　definition；　is　〃the　faculty　possessed　by　certain　persons　of　placing　themselves　in　relation；　either　spontaneously　or；　for　the　most　part；　through　the　intermediary　of　some　object；　with　unknown　and　often　very　distant　things　and　people。〃

The　existence　of　this　faculty　is　no　longer　seriously　denied；　and　it　is　easy　for　any　one　who　cares　to　do　so　to　verify　it　for　himself；　for　the　mediums　who　possess　it　are　not　extremely　rare；　nor　are　they　inaccessible。　It　has　formed　the　subject　of　a　number　of　experiments　（see；　among　others；　M。　Warcollier's　report　in　the　Annales　des　Sciences　Psychiques　of　July；　1911）　and　of　a　few　treatises；　in　the　front　rank　of　which　I　would　mention　M。　Duchatel's　Enquete　sur　des　Cas　de　Psychometrie　and　Dr。　Otty's　recently　published　book；　Lucidite　et　Intuition；　which　is　the　fullest；　most　profound　and　most　conscientious　work　that　we　possess　on　the　matter　up　to　the　present。　Nevertheless　it　may　be　said　that　these　regions　quite　lately　annexed　by　metaphysical　science　are　as　yet　hardly　explored　and　that　fruitful　surprises　are　doubtless　awaiting　earnest　seekers。

2

The　faculty　in　question　is　one　of　the　strangest　faculties　of　our　subconsciousness　and　beyond　a　doubt　contains　the　key　to　most　of　the　manifestations　that　seem　to　proceed　from　another　world。　Let　us　begin　by　seeing；　with　the　aid　of　a　living　and　typical　example；　how　it　is　exercised。

Mme。　M；　one　of　the　best　mediums　mentioned　by　Dr。　Osty；　is　given　an　object　which　belonged　to　or　which　has　been　touched　and　handled　by　a　person　about　whom　it　is　proposed　to　question　her。　Mme。　M　operates　in　a　state　of　trance；　but　there　are　other　noted　psychometers；　such　as　Mme。　F　and　M。　Ph。　M。　de　F；　who　retain　all　their　normal　consciousness；　so　that　hypnotism　or　the　somnambulistic　state　is　in　no　way　indispensable　to　the　awakening　of　this　extraordinary　faculty　of　clairvoyance。

When　the　object；　which　is　usually　a　letter；　has　been　handed　to　Mme。　M；　she　is　asked　to　place　herself　in　communication　with　the　writer　of　the　letter　or　the　owner　of　the　object。　Forthwith；　Mme。　M　not　only　sees　the　person　in　question；　his　physical　appearance；　his　character；　his　habits；　his　interests；　his　state　of　health；　but　also；　in　a　series　of　rapid　and　changing　visions　that　follow　upon　one　another　like　cinematograph　pictures；　perceives　and　describes　exactly　his　immediate　surroundings；　the　scenery　outside　his　window；　the　rooms　in　which　he　lives；　the　people　who　live　with　him　and　who　wish　him　well　or　ill；　the　psychology　and　the　most　secret　and　unexpected　intentions　of　all　those　who　figure　in　his　existence。　If；　by　means　of　your　questions；　you　direct　her　towards　the　past；　she　traces　the　whole　course　of　the　subject's　history。　If　you　turn　her　towards　the　future；　she　seems　often　to　discover　it　as　clearly　as　the　past。　But　we