ave been later found to be exact. And
besides, the incidents of a transcendental and consequently unverifiable
nature might have been omitted from these tables. But in this case again
it has been thought better to give the false and doubtful facts full
play. The reader must draw from these results whatever conclusion seems
to him the most correct.

FOOTNOTES:

[80] _See_ Professor Hyslop's Report, _Proc. of S.P.R._, vol. xvi. p.
90, etc., for "Carruthers."

[81] Name of one of Professor Hyslop's brothers.

[82] _Proc. of S.P.R._, vol. xvi. p. 115.

[83] _Proc. of S.P.R._, vol. xvi. p. 121.

CHAPTER XVI

Examination of the telepathic hypothesis--Some arguments which render
its acceptance difficult.

I have mentioned in passing what should be understood by the word
_telepathy_. I shall repeat my explanation; it is necessary that the
reader should have it well in mind, as in this chapter I am about to
examine the telepathic hypothesis and endeavour to find out if it will
cover the facts which we are studying. By telepathy is here meant, not
only the power of obtaining information from the consciousness and
subconsciousness of the sitters on the part of the secondary
personalities of Mrs Piper, but also their power to read the
consciousness and subconsciousness of persons somewhere or anywhere else
on earth, no matter where, distance in no way increasing the difficulty
of this reading. This is evidently among hypotheses a wide and
far-reaching one, and yet, if we reject the spiritualistic hypothesis,
there is no other which will cover all the facts.

The following arguments here briefly indicated are, with others,
developed at length in Professor Hyslop's book. I shall not again go
over those which circumstances have necessitated my explaining with
sufficient clearness before in the course of this work.

To begin with, what is the origin of this telepathic hypothesis? Is it
justified by the facts of experimental or spontaneous observation among
psychologists? Certainly not; if we only reckoned the experiments and
observations of official psychology, the hypothesis of telepathy, as we
understand it, would be almost unfounded. This hypothesis is in reality
founded on our ignorance; we may admit it temporarily, because we are
ignorant of the latent powers of the human mind, and because we have
every reason to think these latent powers great and numerous. I think
that the first wide use of it was made in th