The Spiritualist newspaper > No.413, July 23rd 1880

48
July 23, 1880
THE SPIRITUALIST.
THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF PROFESSOR ZOLLNER’S EXPERIMENTS.
LIST OF ENGRAVINGS.
FRONTISPIECE :—The room at Leipsio in "which, most of the
Experiments were conducted.
PLATE I:—Experiments with an Endless String1-
PLATE II:—Leather Bands Interlinked and Knotted under
Professor Zollner’s Hands.
PLATE III :—Experiments with an Endless Bladder-band
and Wooden Rings.
PLATE IY :—Result of the Experiment.
PLATE V:—Result of the Experiment on an Enlarged Scale.
PLATE VI:—Experiments with Coins in a Secured Box.
PLATE VII:—The Representation of Test Circumstances,
under which Slate-writing was obtained.
PLATE VIII:—Slate-writing Extraordinary.
PLATE IX :—Slate-writing in Five Different Languages.
PLATE X : —Details of the Experiment with an Endless band
and Wooden Rings.
PREFACES.
TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE :—Professor ZoUner and his
Works—The Value of Testimony considered—Sources of Fallacy
—How can Medial Phenomena be Explained ?—The Value of
Scientific Authority—Mr. A. R. Wallace’s answer to Hume’s
Essay on Miracles—Spiritualism an Aggregation of Proven Facts.
—The Attack upon Henry Slade—Spirit Messages—Slade’s
Career after leaving England—Professor Zollner’s Polemic--
Items relating to the English Translation.
PROFESSOR ZOLLNER’S PREFACE (Dedication of the
Work to Mr. William Crookes) :—Workers in a New Field of
Research—Thoroughness of the Labours of Mr. Crookes—The
Moral Necessity of the Strife about Spiritualism—The Immor¬
tality of the Best Works of Human Genius.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I:—Gauss’s and Kant’s Theory of Space—The
practical application of the Theory in Experiments with Henry
Slade—True Knots produced upon a Cord while its ends were in
view and sealed together—The principles involved in the tying
of knots in Space of One, Two, Three and Four Dimensions—
Berkeley’s Theory of Vision—The Conception of Space derived
from Experience—Kant on Spiritual Existence.
CHAPTER II:—Henry Slade’s first visit to Leipsic—Professor
Fechner’s observations of the movements of a Magnetic Needle
in proximity to Madame Ruf, a Mesmeric Sensitive—Professor
Erdmann’s observations of the Phenomenon—The Experiment
repeated with Henry Slade—The Observations of Professors
Biaune, Fechner, Weber and Scheibner—A Spirit Apology—
Destruction of a large Screen by Spirits—Experiments with a
Compass—Apparition of a Living Hand—Experiments with a
Bell and lighted Candles—Slade and the Grand Duke Constantine
—Testimony of the Hon. Alexandre Aksakof—A Test Experi¬
ment in Slate-writing—Impartation of Permanent Magnetism to
an Iron Needle by Medial Power.
CHAPTER III:—Permanent Impressions obtained of Tem¬
porarily Materialised Hands and Feet—A proposed Chemical
Experiment—Slade’s Abnormal Vision—Physical Impressions in
a Closed Space—Enclosed Space of Three Dimensions, open to
Four-dimensional Beings—The Muscular Power of a Spirit Hand
—A Test with Flour—Experiments with a Polariscope—Flight
of Objects through the Air—A Clue to Research
CHAPTER IV:—Conditions of Investigation—The Know¬
ledge of our Ignorance—Unscientific Men of Science—Herr
Virchow’s Precept and Practice—“ The Martyrology of Mediums,”
a book of the Future—Slade’s reply to Professor Barrett—A
Medium’s enunciation of the First Rules of Experimentation in
Natural Science.
CHAPTER V:—Production of Knots in an Endless String-
Further Experiments—Experiments of the same Nature in Lon¬
don—A Dining Table Floating in the Air in Daylight—Manifes¬
tations in the House of a Physician—A Medium in Seclusion—
The Imposition of d priori Conditions—The Apparition of a Pale
Hand for Three Minutes—The Knotting together of Leather
Bands beneath the Hands of the Author—Professor Weber’s
Experiences with a Spirit Hand—Disappearance and Reappear¬
ance of Ponderable Objects—A Book Vanishes and Reappears—
A Table Vanishes ; it Reappears in Mid-air.
CHAPTER VI:—Theoretical Considerations—The Axiom of
“ The Conservation of Energy ” valid in Four-dimensional Space
—Projected Experiments to prove the Fourth Dimension—The
Unexpected in Nature and Life—Scientific Passivity—Schopen¬
hauer’s “ Transcendent Fate ”—Goethe on the Veil of Nature.
CHAPTER VII:—Various Instances of the so-called Passage
of Matter through Matter—An Unexpected Phenomenon—The
Heat sometimes produced by the Operation—The Burning
Power of Psychic Force—That Evidence the best which can be
appreciated without the Testimony of Experts—Failures at seances
an Argument against Trickery—A na'ive Misconception—The
Moral Responsibility of Mediums—The nature of the Phenomena
inconsistent with Trickery—The Limits of Physical Human
Strength—A Force of Tension of 198 cwts. exercised by Psychic
Power—A Force equal to that of two Horses exercised in Slade's
presence—Catalytic Forces—Galileo on the Perverseness of the
Philosophers at Padua.
CHAPTER VIII : —The Phenomena suitable for Scientific
Research—Their Reproduction at different Times and Places—
Dr. Friese’s and Professor Wagner's Experiments in Confir¬
mation of the Author's—Experiments with Private Mediums—
Manifestations observed by Professor Nicolaus Wagner at St.
Petersburg—Blind Faith and Blind Scepticism—Professor Wagner
on the Fanaticism of Blind Sceptics—Investigation of Spiritual
Manifestations in a Private Family—Spiritualism a Foe to
Atheism—Form Materialisations through a Private Medium—
Appearance of the Spirit of Olga—Effect of strong Manifestations
upon a Medium—Repetition of one of Professor Zollner'a Experi¬
ments by Professor Wagner—Psyohography—Spirit Identity—
Impression made by the Materialised Hand of a Deceased
Person—The Value of the Facts.
CHAPTER IX:—Theoretical—The Fourth Dimension of
Space—A Miracle to Two-Dimensional Beings—The Experiments
of Professor Hare—A Ball of Platinum introduced into a Her¬
metically Sealed Glass Tube by Spirits—An Experiment with
Coins—Several Examples of the Passage of Solid Matter through
Solid Matter—Clairvoyance—The Fourth Dimensional Theory
explains Clairvoyance—The part taken by Slade's Soul in a
Manifestation—The Spatial Widening of the Three Dimensional
Circle of Sight to Clairvoyants—Why Bodies gradually become
Transparent to Clairvoyants—Illustration in the case of Andrew
Jackson Davis—The Criterion of Objectivity—The Influence of
one Will upon another—Hansen's Experiments—The Pliilosophy
of Berkeley applied to Spiritual Phenomena.
CHAPTER X:—An Experiment for Sceptics—A Wager—
Slade’s Scruples—A Rebuke by the Spirits—An Unexpected
Result—Captious Objections—The Experiment of Professor
Waoh—Example of the Apparent Penetrability of Matter.
CHAPTER XI:—The Facility with which Material Bodies
apparently pass through each other in Slade’s presence—Writing
through a Table—A Test in Slate-writing conclusively disprov¬
ing Slade’s agency—A Description of the Trance State.
CHAPTER XII:—A Fault” in the Cable—Jets of Water—
Remarkable Heating Effects through Slade’s Mediumship—
Smoke—Sulphurous Vapours—“Fire Everywhere”—A Bluish-
white Light—Abnormal Shadows—A Philosophical Explanation
—A Materialised Spirit Hand—A Luminous Form.
CHAPTERXIII:—Phenomena Witnessed by other Observers
than the Author—Manifestations in Bohemia—The Narrative of
Herr Heinrich Gossmann—Spirit Identity—Heavy Stones brought
into the Seance Room—Extraordinary Manifestations—Spirit
Writing in Five Languages.
APPENDICES.
APPENDIX A:—The Value of Testimony in Matters Extra¬
ordinary—The Proportional Strength of Evidence—The Con¬
tradiction of Experience by Alleged Facts—Mr. Starkie’s Treatise
on the LojW of Evidence—Hume’s Essay on Miracles—The In¬
fluence of Preconception—Hume’s Principle Mathematically
Refuted by Mr. Babbage—The “ Uniformity ” of Nature—The
Lord Lindsay’s Experiences—Dr. Lockhart Robertson’s Experi¬
ments—The Cumulative Force of Testimony—The Universal
Belief of Mankind—Obstruction of Truth by Scientific Men—
The Testing of Evidence.
APPENDIX B:—Evidence of Samuel Bellachini, Court Con¬
juror at Berlin.
APPENDIX C:—Admissions by John Nevil Maskelyno and
other Professional Conjurors—Houdin—Jacobs.
APPENDIX D:—Plate X--Experiment with Sealed Cords
and Endless Bands.
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