i_ reasoning? All
that we can reasonably hope, is to wrench from nature some of the
secrets nearest to us, surrounding ourselves with a thousand precautions
in order not grossly to deceive ourselves.

I rank the spiritualistic philosophy with other philosophies. Perhaps
some of its dicta proceed from spirits, if spirits exist, but the system
as a whole most surely does not. But then, it will be said, the people
who have elaborated this philosophy must have been impostors. No, not
inevitably; I will even venture to say that imposture is unlikely. The
key to the mystery may be found in other characteristics of humanity.

The most formidable obstacle to the admission of the spiritualist
hypothesis is in the messages which tend to represent the other world,
in which, it appears, matter is not perceived, and space and time are
unknown, as being all the same a servile copy of this, or a sketch of
it. If Phinuit or another control is asked to describe a communicator,
the description is generally given with exactness, and is the same there
as it was here; sometimes the communicator even goes so far as to wear
the same clothes, made of the same material. But these descriptions are
without importance, as it may be replied that the communicators or
controls give these details purely to prove identity. However, I know of
no message in which the communicator has been frank enough to say, "Of
course you may suppose that the form I have here is not the same as I
had in your world." Or again, "The idea of form differs totally in our
world and in yours; I cannot make you understand what that idea is here,
so it is of no use to question me." Unfortunately neither communicators
nor controls speak thus; they all say or allow it to be supposed that
the human form is the same in both worlds.

But when action and events in that world are represented as being the
same as in this, then our credulity cries out in remonstrance. That a
deceased doctor should tell us that he continues to visit his patients,
a painter that he continues to daub canvas, is more than we can admit.
But, it may be explained, the doctor and the painter are temporarily
delirious; they do not know what they are saying. Unfortunately these
passages are too numerous to be always attributed to delirium. Certain
communicators say, with all the gravity in the world, and when they seem
in full possession of themselves, that they breathe, live in houses,
listen to lectures, and