been
made to the series of Thought-Transference Drawings. A revival of
similar experiments would be of great interest and value.

The question may fairly be asked, What have these Thought-Transference
Drawings to do with the Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism? A reply is
easily given. The reader is referred to a passage in the concluding
chapter, quoted from Mr. Myers, in which he claims an exalted position
for Telepathy, as almost the fundamental doctrine of Spiritualistic
Philosophy. He speaks of the beginning of Telepathy as a
"quasi-mechanical transference of ideas and images from one to another
brain." The Thought-Transference Drawings constitute the primary
evidence of this. They may be looked upon as constituting the physical
basis of a belief in Thought-Transference, and therefore as the physical
basis of a belief in Telepathy, the action of which, as Mr. Myers says,
"was traced across a gulf greater than any space of earth or ocean--it
bridged the interval between spirits incarnate and discarnate." Thus we
may look upon these Thought-Transference Drawings as supplying the
chief--perhaps the only--physical basis for a belief in one of the main
doctrines of spiritualism. Hence they legitimately find a place in the
present examination.

FOOTNOTES:

[64] _Proceedings S.P.R._, vol. i. p. 13.

[65] A list of all the publications of the Society for Psychical
Research, with prices of the different volumes and parts, can be
obtained from the Secretary, at the Society's Rooms, 20 Hanover Square,
London, W.

CHAPTER IX

MATERIALISATIONS

By "materialisation," in this chapter, is not meant the production of
more or less complete portions of the human body--generally hands--a
phenomenon alleged to be frequent in spiritualistic circles. A
"materialisation" of the whole figure is meant, the production of a
figure which to the spectator appears as a new human being, so to speak,
occasionally exhibiting signs of independent organic life. Such a
phenomenon would be the most astounding that can well be imagined. I am
not in a position to offer any scientific evidence in its support. By
far the majority of the accounts which have been published of full form
"materialisations" are destitute of any evidential value, and in many
cases the circumstantial evidence for fraud is strong. Were it not for a
small number of cases which present _prima facie_ evidence of a
different character, the question of the reality o