the unknown guest-第3节

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　these　manifestations；　however　astonishing　they　may　be；　do　not　pierce　the　terrestrial　sphere　wherein　we　are　imprisoned。

3

Setting　aside　the　religious　hypotheses；　which　we　are　not　examining　here；　for　they　belong　to　a　different　order　of　ideas；＇1＇　we　find；　as　an　explanation　of　the　Majority　of　these　phenomena；　or　at　least　as　a　means　of　avoiding　an　absolute　and　depressing　silence　in　regard　to　them；　two　hypotheses　which　reach　the　unknown　by　more　or　less　divergent　paths；　to　wit；　the　spiritualistic　hypothesis　and　the　mediumistic　hypothesis。　The　spiritualists；　or　rather　the　neospiritualists　or　scientific　spiritualists；　who　must　not　be　confused　with　the　somewhat　over…credulous　disciples　of　Allan　Kardec；　maintain　that　the　dead　do　not　die　entirely；　that　their　spiritual　or　animistic　entity　neither　departs　nor　disperses　into　space　after　the　dissolution　of　the　body；　but　continues　an　active　though　invisible　existence　around　us。　The　neospiritualistic　theory；　however；　professes　only　very　vague　notions　as　to　the　life　led　by　these　discarnate　spirits。　Are　they　more　intelligent　than　they　were　when　they　inhabited　their　flesh？　Do　they　possess　a　wider　understanding　and　mightier　faculties　than　ours？　Up　to　the　present；　we　have　not　the　unimpeachable　facts　that　would　permit　us　to　say　so。　It　would　seem；　on　the　contrary；　if　the　discarnate　spirits　really　continue　to　exist；　that　their　life　is　circumscribed；　frail；　precarious；　incoherent　and；　above　all；　not　very　long。　To　this　the　objection　is　raised　that　it　only　appears　so　to　our　feeble　eyes。　The　dead　among　whom　we　move　without　knowing　it　struggle　to　make　themselves　understood；　to　manifest　themselves；　but　dash　themselves　against　the　inpenetrable　wall　of　our　senses；　which；　created　solely　to　perceive　matter；　remain　hopelessly　ignorant　of　all　the　rest；　though　this　is　doubtless　the　essential　part　of　the　universe。　That　which　will　survive　in　us；　imprisoned　in　our　body；　is　absolutely　inaccessible　to　that　which　survives　in　them。　The　utmost　that　they　can　do　is　occasionally　to　cause　a　few　glimmers　of　their　existence　to　penetrate　the　fissures　of　those　singular　organisms　known　as　mediums。　But　these　vagrant；　fleeting；　venturous；　stifled；　deformed　glimmers　can　but　give　us　a　ludicrous　idea　of　a　life　which　has　no　longer　anything　in　common　with　the　lifepurely　animal　for　the　most　part…　which　we　lead　on　this　earth。　It　is　possible；　and　there　is　something　to　be　said　for　the　theory。　It　is　at　any　rate　remarkable　that　certain　communications；　certain　manifestations　have　shaken　the　scepticism　of　the　coldest　and　most　dispassionate　men　of　science；　men　utterly　hostile　to　supernatural　influences。　In　order　to　some　extent　to　understand　their　uneasiness　and　their　astonishment；　we　need　only　readto　quote　but　one　instance　among　a　thousanda　disquieting　but　unassailable　article；　entitled；　Dans　les　regions　inexplorees　de　la　biologic　humaine。　Observations　et　experiences　sur　Eusapia　Paladino；　by　Professor　Bottazzi；　Director　of　the　Physiological　Institute　of　the　University　of　Naples。＇2＇　Seldom　have　experiments　in　the　domain　of　mediums　or　spirits　been　conducted　with　more　distrustful　suspicion　or　with　more　implacable　scientific　strictness。　Nevertheless；　scattered　limbs；　pale；　diaphanous　but　capable　hands；　suddenly　appeared　in　the　little　physiological　laboratory　of　Naples　University；　with　its　doors　heavily　padlocked　and　sealed；　as　it　were；　mathematically　excluding　any　possibility　of　fraud；　these　same　hands　worked　apparatus　specially　intended　to　register　their　touches；　lastly；　the　outline　of　something　black；　of　a　head；　uprose　between　the　curtains　of　the　mediumistic　cabinet；　remained　visible　for　several　seconds　and　did　not　retire　until　itself　apparently　frightened　by　the　exclamations　of　surprise　drawn　from　a　group　of　scientists　who；　after　all；　were　prepared　for　anything；　and　Professor　Bottazzi　confesses　that　it　was　then　that；　to　quote　his　own　wordsmeasured　words；　as　beseems　a　votary　of　science；　but　expressivehe　felt　〃a　shiver　all　through　his　body。〃

＇1＇　On　the　same　grounds；　we　will　also　leave　on　one　side　the　theosophical　hypothesis；　which；　like　the　others；　begins　by　calling　for　an　act　of　adherence；　of　blind　faith。　Its　explanations；　though　often　ingenious；　are　no　more　than　forcible　but　gratuitous　asservations　and；　as　I　said　in　Our　Eternity；　do　not　give　us　the　shadow　of　the　commencement　of　a　proof。

＇2＇　Annales　des　Sciences　Psychiques：　April　November　1907。


It　was　one　of　those　moments　in　which　a　doubt　which　one　had　thought　for　ever　abolished　grips　the　most　unbelieving。　For　the　first　time；　perhaps；　he　looked　around　him　with　uncertainty　and　wondered　in　what　world　he　was。　As　for　the　faithful　adherents　of　the　unknown；　who　had　long　understood　that　we　must　resign　ourselves　to　understanding　nothing　and　he　prepared　for　every　sort　of　surprise　there　was　here；　all　the　same；　even　for　them；　a　mystery　of　another　character；　a　bewildering　mystery；　the　only　really　strange　mystery；　more　torturing　than　all　the　others　together；　because　it　verges　upon　ancestral　fears　and　touches　the　most　sensitive　point　of　our　destiny。

4

The　spiritualistic　argument　most　worthy　of　attention　is　that　supplied　by　the　apparitions　of　the　dead　and　by　haunted　houses。　We　will　take　no　account　of　the　phantasms　that　precede；　accompany　or　follow　hard　upon　death：　they　are　explained　by　the　transmission　of　a　violent　motion　from　one　subconsciousness　to　another；　and；　even　when　they　are　not　manifested　until　several　days　after　death；　it　may　still　he　contended　that　they　are　delayed　telepathic　communications。　But　what　are　we　to　say　of　the　ghosts　that　spring　up　more　than　a　year；　nay；　more　than　ten　years　after　the　disappearance　of　the　corpse？　They　are　very　rare；　I　know；　but　after　all　there　are　some　that　are　extremely　difficult　to　deny；　for　the　accounts　of　their　actions　are　attested　and　corroborated　by　numerous　and　trustworthy　witnesses。　It　is　true　that　here　again；　where　it　is　in　most　cases　a　question　of　apparitions　to　relations　or　friends；　we　may　be　told　that　we　are　in　the　presence　of　telepathic　incidents　or　of　hallucinations　of　the　memory。　We　thus　deprive　the　spiritualists　of　a　new　and　considerable　province　of　their　realm。　Nevertheless；　they　retain　certain　private　desmesnes　into　which　our　telepathic　explanations　do　not　penetrate　so　easily。　There　have　in　fact　been　ghosts　that　showed　themselves　to　people　who　had　never　known　or　seen　them　in　the　flesh。　They　are　more　or　less　closely　connected　with　the　ghosts　in　haunted　houses；　to　which　we　must　revert　for　a　moment。

As　I　said　above；　it　is　almost　impossible　honestly　to　deny　the　existence　of　these　houses。　Here　again　the　telepathic　interpretation　enforces　itself　in　the　majority　of　cases。　We　may　even　allow　it　a　strange　but　justifiable　extension；　for　its　limits　are　scarcely　known。　It　has　happened　fairly　often；　for　instance；　that　ghosts　come　to　disturb　a　dwelling　whose　occupiers　find；　in　response　to　their　indications；　bones　hidden　in　the　walls　or　under　the　floors。　It　is　even　possible；　as　in　the　case　of　William　Moir；＇1＇　which　was　as　strictly　conducted　and　supervised　as　a　judicial　enquiry；　that　the　skeleton　is　buried　at　some　distance　from　the　house　and　dates　more　than　forty　years　back。　When　the　remains　are　removed　and　decently　interred；　the　apparitions　cease。

＇1＇　Proceedings；　vol。　vi。；　pp。　35…41。


But　even　in　the　case　of　William　Moir　there　is　no　sufficient　reason　for　abandoning　the　telepathic　theory。　The　medium；　the　〃sensitive；〃　as　the　English　say；　feels　the　presence　or　the　proximity　of　the　bones；　some　relation　established　between　them　and　hima　relation　which　certainly　is　profoundly　mysteriousmakes　him　experience　the　last　emotion　of　the　deceased　and　sometimes　allows　him　to　conjure　up　the　picture　and　the　circumstances　of　the　suicide　or　murder；　even　as；　in　telepathy　between　living　persons；　the　contact　of　an　inanimate　object　is　able　to　bring　him　into　direct　relation　with　the　subconsciousness　of　its　owner。　The　slender　chain　connecting　life　and　death　is　not　yet　entirely　broken；　and　we　might　even　go　so　far　as　to　say　that　everything　is　still　happening　within　our　world。

But　are　there　cases　in　which　every　link；　however　thin；　however　subtle　we　may　deem　it；　is　definitely　shattered？　Who　would　venture　to　maintain　this？　We　are　only　beginning　to　suspect　the　elasticity；　the　flexibility；　the　complexity　of　those　invisible　threads　which　bind　together　objects；　thoughts；　lives；　emotions；　all　that　is　on　this　earth　and　even　that　which　does　not　yet　exist　to　that　which　exists　no　longer。　Let　us　take　an　instance　in　the　first　volume　of　the　Proceedings：　M；　X。　Z。；　who　was　known　to　most　of　the　members　of　the　Committee　on　Haunted　Houses；　and　whose　evidence　was　above　suspicion；　went　to　reside　in　a　large　old　house；　part　of　which　was　occupied　by　his　friend　Mr。　G。　Mr。　X。　Z。　knew　nothing　of　the　history　of　the　place　except　that　two　servants　of　Mr。　G's　had　given　him　notice　on　account　of　strange　noises　which　they　had　heard。　One　nightit　was　the　22nd　of　SeptemberMr。　X。　Z。；　on　his　way　up　to　his　bedroom　in　the　dark；　saw　the　whole　passage　filled　with　a　dazzling　and　uncanny　light；　and　in　this　strange　light　he　saw　the　figure　of　an　old　man　in　a　flowered　dressing…gown。　As　he　looked；　both　figure　and　light　vanished　and　he　was　left　in　pitch　darkness。　The　next　day；　remembering　the　tales　told　by　the　two　servants；　h