the unknown guest-第14节

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ely　abusing　their　accommodating　elasticity；　we　do　not　succeed　in　illumining　by　their　aid　more　than　a　rather　restricted　portion　of　the　vast　undiscovered　land。　We　must　therefore　look　for　something　else。

The　first　theory　which　suggests　itself　and　which　on　the　surface　seems　rather　attractive　is　that　of　spiritualism；　which　may　be　extended　until　it　is　scarcely　distinguishable　from　the　theosophical　theory　and　other　religious　suppositions。　It　assumes　the　revival　of　spirits；　the　existence　of　discarnate　or　other　superior　and　more　mysterious　entities　which　surround　us；　interest　themselves　in　our　fate；　guide　our　thoughts　and　our　actions　and；　above　all；　know　the　future。　It　is；　as　we　recognized　when　speaking　of　ghosts　and　hanted　houses；　a　very　acceptable　theory；　and　any　one　to　whom　it　appears　can　adopt　it　without　doing　violence　to　his　intelligence。　But　we　must　confess　that　it　seems　less　necessary　and　perhaps　even　less　clearly　proved　in　this　region　than　in　that。　It　starts　by　begging　the　question：　without　the　intervention　of　discarnate　beings；　the　spiritualists　say；　it　is　impossible　to　explain　the　majority　of　the　premonitory　phenomena；　therefore　we　must　admit　the　existence　of　these　discarnate　beings。　Let　us　grant　it　for　the　moment；　for　to　beg　the　question；　which　is　merely　an　indefensible　trick　of　the　superficial　logic　of　our　brain；　does　not　necessarily　condemn　a　theory　and　neither　takes　away　from　nor　adds　to　the　reality　of　things。　Besides；　as　we　shall　insist　later；　the　intervention　or　non…intervention　of　the　spirits　is　not　the　point　at　issue；　and　the　crux　of　the　mystery　does　not　lie　there。　What　most　interest　us　is　far　less　the　paths　or　intermediaries　by　which　prophetic　warnings　reach　us　than　the　actual　existence　of　the　future　in　the　present。　It　is　trueto　do　complete　justice　to　neospiritualismthat　its　position　offers　certain　advantages　from　the　point　of　view　of　the　almost　inconceivable　problem　of　the　preexistence　of　the　future。　It　can　evade　or　divert　some　of　the　consequences　of　that　problem。　The　spirits；　it　declares；　do　not　necessarily　see　the　future　as　a　whole；　as　a　total　past　or　present；　motionless　and　immovable；　but　they　know　infinitely　better　than　we　do　the　numberless　causes　that　determine　any　agent；　so　that；　finding　themselves　at　the　luminous　source　of　those　causes；　they　have　no　difficulty　in　foreseeing　their　effects。　They　are；　with　respect　to　the　incidents　still　in　process　of　formation；　in　the　position　of　an　astronomer　who　foretells；　within　a　second；　all　the　phases　of　an　eclipse　in　which　a　savage　sees　nothing　but　an　unprecedented　catastrophe　which　he　attributes　to　the　anger　of　his　idols　of　straw　or　clay。　It　is　indeed　possible　that　this　acquaintance　with　a　greater　number　of　causes　explains　certain　predictions；　but　there　are　plenty　of　others　which　presume　a　knowledge　of　so　many　causes；　causes　so　remote　and　so　profound；　that　this　knowledge　is　hardly　to　be　distinguished　from　a　knowledge　of　the　future　pure　and　simple。　In　any　case；　beyond　certain　limits；　the　preexistence　of　causes　seems　no　clearer　than　that　of　effects。　Nevertheless；　it　must　be　admitted　that　the　spiritualists　gain　a　slight　advantage　here。

They　believe　that　they　gain　another　when　they　say　or　might　say　that　it　is　still　possible　that　the　spirits　stimulate　us　to　realize　the　events　which　they　foretell　without　themselves　clearly　perceiving　them　in　the　future。　After　announcing；　for　instance；　that　on　a　certain　day　we　shall　go　to　a　certain　place　and　do　a　certain　thing；　they　urge　us　irresistibly　to　proceed　to　the　spot　named　and　there　to　perform　the　act　prophesied。　But　this　theory；　like　those　of　self…suggestion　and　telepathy；　would　explain　only　a　few　phenomena　and　would　leave　in　obscurity　all　those　cases；　infinitely　more　numerous　because　they　make　up　almost　the　whole　of　our　future；　in　which　either　chance　intervenes　or　some　event　in　no　way　dependent　upon　our　will　or　the　spirit's；　unless　indeed　we　suppose　that　the　latter　possesses　an　omniscience　and　an　omnipotence　which　take　us　back　to　the　original　mysteries　of　the　problem。

Besides；　in　the　gloomy　regions　of　precognition；　it　is　almost　always　a　matter　of　anticipating　a　misfortune　and　very　rarely；　if　ever；　of　meeting　with　a　pleasure　or　a　joy。　We　should　therefore　have　to　admit　that　the　spirits　which　drag　me　to　the　fatal　place　and　compel　me　to　do　the　act　that　will　have　tragic　consequences　are　deliberately　hostile　to　me　and　find　diversion　only　in　the　spectacle　of　my　suffering。　What　could　those　spirits　be；　from　what　evil　world　would　they　arise　and　how　should　we　explain　why　our　brothers　and　friends　of　yesterday；　after　passing　through　the　august　and　peace…bestowing　gates　of　death；　suddenly　become　transformed　into　crafty　and　malevolent　demons？　Can　the　great　spiritual　kingdom；　in　which　all　passions　born　of　the　flesh　should　be　stilled；　be　but　a　dismal　abode　of　hatred；　spite　and　envy？　It　will　perhaps　be　said　that　they　lead　us　into　misfortune　in　order　to　purify　us；　but　this　brings　us　to　religious　theories　which　it　is　not　our　intention　to　examine。

12

The　only　attempt　at　an　explanation　that　can　hold　its　own　with　spiritualism　has　recourse　once　again　to　the　mysterious　powers　of　our　subconsciousness。　We　must　needs　to　recognize　that；　if　the　future　exists　to…day；　already　such　as　it　will　be　when　it　becomes　for　us　the　present　and　the　past；　the　intervention　of　discarnate　minds　or　of　any　other　spiritual　entity　adrift　from　another　sphere　is　of　little　avail。　We　can　picture　an　infinite　spirit　indifferently　contemplating　the　past　and　future　in　their　coexistence；　we　can　imagine　a　whole　hierarchy　of　intermediate　intelligences　taking　a　more　or　less　extensive　part　in　the　contemplation　and　transmitting　it　to　our　subconsciousness。　But　all　this　is　practically　nothing　more　than　inconsistent　speculation　and　ingenious　dreaming　in　the　dark；　in　any　case；　it　is　adventitious；　secondary　and　provisional。　Let　us　keep　to　the　facts　as　we　see　them：　an　unknown　faculty；　buried　deep　in　our　being　and　generally　inactive；　perceives；　on　rare　occasions；　events　that　have　not　yet　taken　place。　We　possess　but　one　certainty　on　this　subject；　namely；　that　the　phenomenon　actually　occurs　within　ourselves；　it　is　therefore　within　ourselves　that　we　must　first　study　it；　without　burdening　ourselves　with　suppositions　which　remove　it　from　its　centre　and　simply　shift　the　mystery。　The　incomprehensible　mystery　is　the　preexistence　of　the　future；　once　we　admit　thisand　it　seems　very　difficult　to　denythere　is　no　reason　to　attribute　to　imaginary　intermediaries　rather　than　to　ourselves　the　faculty　of　descrying　certain　fragments　of　that　future。　We　see；　in　regard　to　most　of　the　mediumistic　manifestations；　that　we　possess　within　ourselves　all　the　unusual　forces　with　which　the　spiritualists　endow　discarnate　spirits；　and　why　should　it　be　otherwise　as　concerns　the　powers　of　divination？　The　explanation　taken　from　the　subconsciousness　is　the　most　direct；　the　simplest；　the　nearest；　whereas　the　other　is　endlessly　circuitous；　complicated　and　distant。　Until　the　spirits　testify　to　their　existence　in　an　unanswerable　fashion；　there　is　no　advantage　in　seeking　in　the　grave　for　the　solution　of　a　riddle　that　appears　indeed　to　lie　at　the　roots　of　our　own　life。

13

It　is　true　that　this　explanation　does　not　explain　much；　but　the　others　are　just　as　ineffectual　and　are　open　to　the　same　objections。　These　objections　are　many　and　various；　and　it　is　easier　to　raise　them　than　to　reply　to　them。　For　instance；　we　can　ask　ourselves　why　the　subconsciousness　or　the　spirits；　seeing　that　they　read　the　future　and　are　able　to　announce　an　impending　calamity；　hardly　ever　give　us　the　one　useful　and　definite　indication　that　would　allow　us　to　avoid　it。　What　can　be　the　childish　or　mysterious　reason　of　this　strange　reticence？　In　many　cases　it　is　almost　criminal；　for　instance；　in　a　case　related　by　Professor　Hyslop＇1＇　we　see　the　foreboding　of　the　greatest　misfortune　that　can　befall　a　mother　germinating；　growing；　sending　out　shoots；　developing；　like　some　gluttonous　and　deadly　plant；　to　stop　short　on　the　verge　of　the　last　warning；　the　one　detail；　insignificant　in　itself　but　indispensable；　which　would　have　saved　the　child。　It　is　the　case　of　a　woman　who　begins　by　experiencing　a　vague　but　powerful　impression　that　a　grievous　〃burden〃　was　going　to　fall　upon　her　family。　Next　month；　this　premonitory　feeling　repeats　itself　very　frequently；　becomes　more　intense　and　ends　by　concentrating　itself　upon　the　poor　woman's　little　daughter。　Each　time　that　she　is　planning　something　for　the　child's　future；　she　hears　a　voice　saying：

〃She'll　never　need　it。〃

＇1＇　Proceedings；　vol。　xiv。；　p。　266。


A　week　before　the　catastrophe；　a　violent　smell　of　fire　fills　the　house。　From　that　time；　the　mother　begins　to　be　careful　about　matches；　seeing　that　they　are　in　safe　places　and　out　of　reach。　She　looks　all　over　the　house　for　them　and　feels　a　strong　impulse　to　burn　all　matches　of　the　kind　easily　lighted。　About　an　hour　before　the　fatal　disaster；　she　reaches　for　a　box　to　destroy　it；　but　she　says　to　herself　that　her　eldest　boy　is　gone　out；　thinks　that　she　may　need　the　matches　to　light　the　gas…stove　and　decides　to　destroy　them　as　soon　as　he　comes　back。　She　takes　the　child　up　to　its　crib　for　its　morning　sleep　and；　as　she　is　putting　it　into　the　cradle；　she　hears　the　usual　mysterious　voice　whisp