the unknown guest-第34节

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be　everywhere　if　one　so　pleases。〃

We　see；　it　has　a　reply　to　everything；　it　takes　every　name　that　we　wish　and　there　is　nothing　to　limit　it；　because　it　lives　in　a　world　wherein　bounds　are　as　illusory　as　the　useless　words　which　we　employ　on　earth。

4

While　it　has　a　reply　to　everything；　certain　manifestations　which　it　deliberately　ascribes　to　the　spirits　have　brought　upon　it　a　not　undeserved　reproach。　To　begin　with；　as　Dr。　Maxwell　observes；　it　has　no　absolutely　fixed　doctrine。　In　nearly　every　country　in　the　world；　when　it　speaks　in　the　name　of　the　spirits；　it　declares　that　they　undergo　reincarnation　and　readily　relates　their　past　existences。　In　England；　on　the　contrary；　it　usually　asserts　that　they　do　not　become　reincarnated。　What　does　this　mean？　Surely　this　ignorance　or　this　inconsistency　on　the　part　of　that　which　appears　to　know　everything　is　very　strange！　And　worse；　sometimes　it　attributes　to　the　spirits；　sometimes　to　itself　or　any　one　or　anything　the　revelations　which　it　makes　to　us。　When　exactly　is　it　speaking　the　truth？　At　least　on　two　occasions　out　of　three；　it　deludes　itself　or　deludes　us。　If　it　deceive　itself；　if　it　is　mistaken　about　a　matter　in　which　it　should　be　easy　for　it　to　know　the　truth；　what　can　it　teach　us　on　the　subject　of　a　world　of　whose　most　elementary　laws　it　is　ignorant；　since　it　does　not　even　know　whether　it　is　itself　or　another　that　speaks　to　us　in　the　name　of　that　world？　Are　we　to　believe　that　it　was　in　the　same　darkness　as　our　poor　superficial　ego；　which　it　pretends　so　often　to　enlighten　and　which　it　does　in　fact　inspire　in　most　of　the　great　events　of　life？　If　it　deceives　us；　why　does　it　do　so？　We　can　see　no　object：　it　asks　for　nothing；　not　for　alms；　nor　prayers；　nor　thoughts；　on　behalf　of　those　whose　mantle　it　assumes　for　the　sole　purpose　of　leading　us　astray。　What　is　the　use　of　those　mischievous　and　puerile　pranks；　of　those　ghastly　graveyard　pleasantries？　It　must　lie　then　for　the　mere　pleasure　of　lying；　and　our　unknown　guest；　that　infinite　and　doubtless　immortal　subconsciousness　in　which　we　have　placed　out　last　hopes；　is　after　all　but　an　imbecile；　a　buffoon　or　a　rank　swindler！

5

I　do　not　believe　that　the　truth　is　as　hideous　as　this。　Our　unknown　guest　does　not　deceive　itself　any　more　than　it　deceives　us；　but　it　is　we　who　deceive　ourselves。　It　has　not　the　stage　to　itself；　and　its　voice　is　not　the　voice　that　sounds　in　our　ears；　which　were　never　made　to　catch　the　echoes　of　a　world　that　is　not　like　ours。　If　it　could　speak　to　us　itself　and　tell　us　what　it　knows；　we　should　probably　at　that　instant　cease　to　be　on　this　earth。　But　we　are　immersed　in　our　bodies；　entombed　prisoners　with　whom　it　cannot　communicate　at　will。　It　roams　around　the　walls；　it　utters　warning　cries。　It　knocks　at　every　door；　but　all　that　reaches　us　is　a　vague　disquiet；　an　indistinct　murmur　that　is　sometimes　translated　to　us　by　a　half…awakened　gaoler　who；　like　ourselves；　is　a　lifelong　captive。　The　gaoler　does　his　best；　he　has　his　own　way　of　speaking；　his　familiar　expressions；　he　knows；　and；　with　the　aid　of　the　words　which　he　possesses　and　those　which　he　hears　repeated；　he　tries　to　make　us　understand　what　he　hardly　understands　himself。　He　does　not　know　exactly　whence　the　sounds　come　which　he　hears；　and；　according　as　tempests；　wars　or　riots　happen　to　be　uppermost　at　the　moment；　he　attributes　them　to　the　winds；　to　tramping　soldiers　or　to　frenzied　crowds。　In　other　words　and　speaking　without　metaphor；　it　is　the　medium　who　draws　from　his　habitual　language　and　from　that　suggested　to　him　by　his　audience　the　wherewithal　to　clothe　and　identify　the　strange　presentiments；　the　unfamiliar　visions　that　come　from　some　unknown　region。　If　he　believes　that　the　dead　survive；　he　will　naturally　imagine　that　it　is　the　dead　who　speak　to　him。　If　he　has　a　favourite　spirit；　angel；　demon　or　god；　he　will　express　himself　in　its　name；　if　he　has　no　preconceived　opinion；　he　will　not　even　allude　to　the　origin　of　the　revelations　which　he　is　making。　The　inarticulate　language　of　the　subconsciousness　necessarily　borrows　that　of　the　normal　consciousness；　and　the　two　become　confused　into　a　sort　of　shifting　and　multiform　jargon。　And　our　unknown　guest；　which　is　not　thinking　of　delivering　a　course　of　lectures　upon　its　entity；　but　simply　giving　us　as　best　it　can　a　more　or　less　warning　or　mark　of　its　existence；　seems　to　care　but　little　as　to　the　garments　in　which　it　is　rigged　out；　having　indeed　no　choice　in　the　matter；　for；　either　because　it　is　unable　to　manifest　itself　or　because　we　are　incapable　of　understanding　it；　it　has　to　be　content　with　whatever　comes　to　hand。

Besides；　if　we　attribute　too　exclusively　to　the　spirits　that　which　comes　from　another　quarter；　the　mistake　is　doubtless　no　great　one　in　its　eyes；　for　it　is　not　madness　to　believe　that　it　lives　with　that　which　does　not　die　in　the　dead　even　as　with　that　which　does　not　die　in　ourselves；　with　that　which　does　not　descend　into　the　grave　even　as　with　that　which　does　not　take　flesh　at　the　hour　of　birth。

6

There　is　no　reason　therefore　to　condemn　the　other　theories　entirely。　Most　of　them　doubtless　contain　something　more　than　a　particle　of　truth；　in　particular；　the　great　quarrel　between　the　subconscious　school　and　the　spiritualists　is　based　on　the　whole　upon　a　misunderstanding。　It　is　quite　possible　and　even　very　probable　that　the　dead　are　all　around　us；　since　it　is　impossible　that　the　dead　do　not　live。　Our　subconsciousness　must　mingle　with　all　that　does　not　die　in　them；　and　that　which　dies　in　them　or　rather　disperses　and　loses　all　its　importance　is　but　the　little　consciousness　accumulated　on　this　earth　and　kept　up　until　the　last　hour　by　the　frail　bonds　of　memory。　In　all　those　manifestations　of　our　unknown　guest；　it　is　our　posthumous　ego　that　already　lives　in　us　while　we　are　still　in　the　flesh　and　at　moments　joins　that　which　does　not　die　in　those　who　have　quitted　their　body。　Then　does　the　existence　of　our　unknown　guest　presume　the　immortality　of　a　part　of　ourselves？　Can　one　possibly　doubt　it？　Have　you　ever　imagined　that　you　would　perish　entirely？　As　for　me；　what　I　cannot　picture　is　the　manner　in　which　you　would　picture　that　total　annihilation。　But；　if　you　cannot　perish　entirely；　it　is　no　less　certain　that　those　who　came　before　you　have　not　perished　either；　and　hence　it　is　not　altogether　improbable　that　we　may　be　able　to　discover　them　and　to　communicate　with　them。　In　this　wider　sense；　the　spiritualistic　theory　is　perfectly　admissible；　but　what　is　not　at　all　admissible　is　the　narrow　and　pitiful　interpretation　which　its　proponents　too　often　give　it。　They　see　the　dead　crowding　around　us　like　wretched　puppets　indissolubly　attached　to　the　insignificant　scene　of　their　death　by　the　thousand　little　threads　of　insipid　memories　and　infantile　hobbies。　They　are　supposed　to　be　here；　blocking　up　our　homes；　more　abjectly　human　than　if　they　were　still　alive；　vague；　inconsistent；　garrulous；　derelict；　futile　and　idle；　tossing　hither　and　thither　their　desolate　shadows；　which　are　being　slowly　swallowed　up　by　silence　and　oblivion；　busying　themselves　incessantly　with　what　no　longer　concerns　them；　but　almost　incapable　of　doing　us　a　real　service；　so　much　so　that；　in　short；　they　would　end　by　persuading　us　that　death　serves　no　purpose；　that　it　neither　purifies　nor　exalts；　that　it　brings　no　deliverance　and　that　it　is　indeed　a　thing　of　terror　and　despair。

7

No；　it　is　not　the　dead　who　thus　speak　and　act。　Besides；　why　bring　them　into　the　matter　unnecessarily？　I　could　understand　that　we　should　be　obliged　to　do　so　if　there　were　no　similar　phenomena　outside　them；　but　in　the　intuition　and　clairvoyance　of　nonspiritualistic　mediums　and　particularly　in　psychometry　we　obtain　communications　between　one　subconsciousness　and　another　and　revelations　of　unknown；　forgotten　or　future　incidents　which　are　equally　striking；　though　stripped　of　the　vapid　gossip　and　tedium　reminiscences　with　which　we　are　overwhelmed　by　defunct　persons　who　are　all　the　more　jealous　to　prove　their　identity　inasmuch　as　they　know　that　they　do　not　exist。

It　is　infinitely　more　likely　that　there　is　strange　medley　of　heterogeneous　forces　in　the　uncertain　regions　into　which　we　are　venturing。　The　whole　of　this　ambiguous　drama；　with　its　incoherent　crowds；　is　probably　enacted　round　about　the　dim　estuary　where　our　normal　consciousness　flows　into　our　subconsciousness。　The　consciousness　of　the　mediumfor　we　must　not　forget　that　there　is　necessarily　always　a　medium　at　the　sources　of　these　phenomenathe　consciousness　of　the　medium；　obscured　by　the　condition　of　trance　but　yet　the　only　one　that　possesses　our　human　speech　and　can　make　itself　heard；　takes　in　first　and　almost　exclusively　what　it　best　understands　and　what　most　interests　it　in　the　stifled　and　mutilated　revelations　of　our　unknown　guest；　which　for　its　part　communicates　with　the　dead　and　the　living　and　everything　that　exists。　The　rest；　which　is　the　only　thing　that　matters；　but　which　is　less　clear　and　less　vivid　because　it　comes　from　afar；　only　very　rarely　makes　its　difficult　way　through　a　forest　of　insignificant　talk。　We　may　add　that　our　subconsciousness；　as　Dr。　Geley　very　rightly　observes；　is　formed　of　superposed　elements；　beginning　with　the　unconsciousness　that　governs　the　instinctive　movements　of　the　organic　life　of　both　the　species　and　the　i