the unknown guest-第36节

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absolutely　or　peculiarly　refractory　to　them。　One　would　be　inclined　to　say；　however；　that　they　manifest　themselves　by　preference　among　the　most　civilized　nationsperhaps　because　that　is　where　they　are　most　carefully　sought　afterand　among　the　most　primitive。　In　short；　it　cannot　be　denied　that　we　are　in　the　presence　of　faculties　or　senses；　more　or　less　latent　but　at　the　same　time　universally　distributed；　which　form　part　of　the　general　and　unvarying　inheritance　of　mankind。　But　have　these　faculties　or　senses　undergone　evolution；　like　most　of　the　others？　And；　if　they　have　not　done　so　on　our　earth；　do　they　show　traces　of　an　extraplanetary　evolution？　Is　there　progress　or　reaction？　Are　they　withered　and　useless　branches；　or　buds　swollen　with　sap　and　promise？　Are　they　retreating　before　the　march　of　intelligence　or　invading　its　domain？


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M。　Ernest　Bozzano；　one　of　the　most　learned；　most　daring　and　most　subtle　exponents　of　the　new　science　that　is　in　process　of　formation；　in　the　course　of　a　remarkable　essay　in　the　Annales　des　sciences　psychiques；＇1＇　gives　it　as　his　opinion　that　they　have　remained　stationary　and　unchanged。　He　considers　that　they　have　become　in　no　way　diffused；　generalized　and　refined；　like　so　many　others　that　are　much　less　important　and　useful　from　the　point　of　view　of　the　struggle　for　life；　such　as　the　musical　faculty；　for　instance。　It　does　not　even　seem；　says　M。　Bozzano；　that　it　is　possible　to　cultivate　or　develop　them　systematically。　The　Hindu　race　in　particular；　who　for　thousands　of　years　have　been　devoting　themselves　to　the　study　of　these　manifestations；　have　arrived　at　nothing　but　a　better　knowledge　of　the　empirical　methods　calculated　to　produce　them　in　individuals　already　endowed　with　these　supernormal　faculties。　I　do　not　know　to　what　extent　M。　Bozzano's　assertions　are　beyond　dispute。　They　concern　historical　or　remote　facts　which　it　is　very　difficult　to　verify。　In　any　case；　it　is　something　to　have　perfected　；　as　has　been　done　in　India；　the　empirical　methods　favourable　to　the　production　of　supernormal　phenomena。　One　might　even　say　that　it　is　about　all　that　we　have　the　right　to　expect；　seeing　that；　by　the　author's　own　admission；　these　faculties　are　latent　in　every　man　and　that；　as　has　frequently　been　seen；　it　needs　but　an　illness；　a　lesion；　or　sometimes　even　the　slightest　emotion　or　a　mere　passing　faintness　to　make　them　suddenly　reveal　themselves　in　an　individual　who　seemed　most　hopelessly　devoid　of　them。　It　is　therefore　quite　possible　that；　by　improving　the　methods；　by　attacking　the　mystery　from　other　quarters；　we　might　obtain　more　decisive　results　than　the　Hindus。　We　must　remember　that　our　western　science　has　but　lately　interested　itself　in　these　problems　and　that　it　has　means　of　investigating　and　experimenting　which　the　Asiatics　never　possessed。　It　may　even　be　declared　that　at　no　time　in　the　existence　of　our　world　has　the　scientific　mind　been　better…equipped；　better…suited　to　cope　with　every　task；　or　more　exact；　more　skilful　and　more　penetrating　than　it　is　today。　Because　the　oriental　empirics　have　failed；　there　is　no　reason　to　believe　that　it　will　not　succeed　in　awakening　and　cultivating　in　every　man　those　faculties　which　would　often　be　of　greater　use　to　him　than　those　of　the　intellect　itself。　It　is　not　overbold　to　suggest　that；　from　certain　points　of　view；　the　true　history　of　mankind　has　hardly　begun。

＇1＇　September；　1906。



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Nevertheless；　in　so　far　as　concerns　the　natural　evolution　of　those　faculties；　M。　Bozzano's　assertion　seem　fairly　well…　justified。　We　do　not；　in　fact；　observe　a　startling　or　even　appreciable　difference　between　what　they　were　and　what　they　are。　And　this　anomaly　is　the　more　surprising　in　as　much　as　it　is　almost　universally　accepted　that　a　sense　or　a　faculty　becomes　developed　in　proportion　to　its　usefulness；　and　there　are　few；　I　think；　that　would　have　been　not　only　more　useful　but　even　more　necessary　to　man。　He　has　always　had　a　keen　and　primitive　interest　in　knowing　without　delay　the　most　secret　thoughts　of　his　fellow…man；　who　is　often　his　adversary　and　sometimes　his　mortal　enemy。　He　has　always　had　an　interest　no　less　great　in　immediately　transmitting　those　thoughts　through　space；　in　seeing　beyond　the　continents　and　seas；　in　going　back　into　the　past；　in　advancing　into　the　future；　in　being　able　to　find　in　his　memory　at　will　not　only　all　the　acquirements　of　his　personal　experience　but　also　those　of　his　ancestors；　in　communicating　with　the　dead　and　perhaps　with　the　sovereign　intelligence　diffused　over　the　universe；　in　discovering　hidden　springs　and　treasures；　in　escaping　the　harsh　and　depressing　laws　of　matter　and　gravity；　in　relieving　pain；　in　curing　the　greater　number　of　his　disorders　and　even　in　restoring　his　limbs；　not　to　mention　many　other　miracles　which　he　could　work　if　he　knew　all　the　mighty　forces　that　doubtless　slumber　in　the　dark　recesses　of　his　life。

Is　this　once　more　an　unexpected　character　of　the　eccentric　physiology　of　our　unknown　guest？　Here　are　faculties　more　precious　than　the　most　precious　faculties　that　have　made　us　what　we　are；　faculties　whose　magic　buds　sprout　on　every　side　underneath　our　intelligence　but　have　never　burst　into　flower；　as　though　a　wind　from　another　sphere　had　killed　them　with　its　icy　breath。　Is　it　because　it　occupies　itself　first　and　foremost　with　the　species　that　it　thus　neglects　the　individual？　But；　after　all；　the　species　is　only　an　aggregate　of　successive　individuals；　and　its　evolution　consequently　depends　upon　their　evolution。　There　would　therefore　have　been　an　evident　advantage　to　the　species　in　developing　faculties　that　would　perhaps　have　carried　it　much　farther　and　much　higher　than　has　been　done　by　its　brain…power；　which　alone　has　progressed。　If　there　is　no　evolution　for　them　here；　do　they　develop　elsewhere？　What　are　those　powers　which　exist　outside　and　independent　of　the　laws　of　this　earth？　Do　they　then　belong　to　other　worlds？　But；　if　so；　what　are　they　doing　in　ours？　One　would　sometimes　think；　at　the　sight　of　so　much　neglectfulness；　uncertainty　and　inconsistency；　that　man's　evolution　had　been　intentionally　retarded　by　a　superior　will；　as　though　that　will　feared　that　he　was　going　too　fast；　that　he　was　anticipating　some　pre　established　order　and　moving　prematurely　out　of　his　appointed　plane。

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And　the　riddles　accumulate　which　we　cannot　hope　to　solve。　It　has　been　said　that　these　abnormal　faculties　are　communications　or　infiltrations；　themselves　abnormal；　which　have　found　their　way　through　the　partitions　that　separate　our　consciousness　from　our　subconsciousness。　This　is　very　likely；　but　it　is　only　a　minor　side　of　the　question。　It　would　be　important　before　all　to　know　what　that　subconsciousness　represents；　whither　it　tends　and　with　what　it　itself　is　communicating。　Is　the　impersonal　form　of　knowledge　a　necessary　or　an　accidental　stage？　Is　the　impersonal　form　which　it　takes　in　the　subconsciousness　the　only　true　one？　Is　there　really；　as　everything　seems　to　prove；　a　hopeless　incompatibility　between　our　intellectual　faculties　and　those　families　of　uncertain　origin；　to　such　an　extent　that　the　latter　are　unable　to　manifest　themselves　except　when　the　former　are　weakened　or　temporarily　suspended？　It　has；　at　any　rate；　been　observed　that　they　are　hardly　ever　exercised　simultaneously。　Are　we　to　believe　that；　at　a　given　moment；　mankind　or　the　genius　that　presides　over　its　destinies　had　to　make　an　exclusive　and　awful　choice　between　cerebral　energy　and　the　mysterious　forces　of　the　subconsciousness　and　that　we　still　find　traces　of　its　hesitations　in　our　organism？　What　would　have　become　of　a　race　of　man　in　which　the　subconsciousness　had　triumphed　over　the　brain？　Is　not　this　the　case　with　animals；　and　would　not　the　race　have　remained　purely　animal？　Or　else　would　not　this　preponderance　of　a　subconscious　more　powerful　than　that　of　the　animals　and　almost　independent　of　our　body　have　resulted　in　the　disappearance　of　life　as　we　know　it；　and　should　we　not　even　now　be　trading　the　life　which　we　shall　probably　lead　when　we　are　dead？　Here　are　a　number　of　questions　to　which　there　are　no　answers　and　which　are　nevertheless　perhaps　not　so　idle　as　one　might　at　first　believe。

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Amidst　this　antagonism；　whose　triumph　are　we　to　hope　for？　Is　any　alliance　between　the　two　opposing　forces　for　ever　impossible　so　long　as　we　are　in　the　flesh？　What　are　we　to　do　meanwhile？　If　a　choice　be　inevitable；　which　way　will　our　choice　incline；　and　which　victim　shall　we　sacrifice？　Shall　we　listen　to　those　who　tell　us　that　there　is　nothing　more　to　be　gained　or　learnt　in　those　inhospitable　regions　where　all　our　bewildering　phenomena　have　been　known　since　man　first　was　man？　Is　it　true　that　occultismas　it　is　very　improperly　called；　for　the　knowledge　which　it　seeks　is　no　more　occult　than　any　otheris　it　true　that　occultism　is　marking　time；　that　it　is　becoming　hopelessly　entangled　in　the　same　doubtful　facts　and　that　it　has　not　taken　a　single　step　forward　since　its　renaissance　more　than　fifty　years　ago？　One　must　be　entirely　ignorant　of　the　wonderful　efforts　of　those　fruitful　years　to　venture　upon　such　an　assertion。　This　is　not　the　place　to　discuss　the　question；　which　would　require　full　and　careful　treatment；　but　we　may　safely　say　that　until　now　there　is　no　science　which　in　so　short　a　time　has　brought