"It is absurd to say that no one but
these physicists has ever properly studied spiritualistic phenomena;
spiritists themselves have put the screws on quite as effectively as
ever Crookes or Richet has done. Some of the best investigators ever
known have been spiritists."

"Even if that were true, their testimony would lack the convincing power
that flames from Morselli's book or Bottazzi's report. The essential
weakness of the spiritist's testimony lies in the fact that for the most
part he assumes that the facts of mediumship are somehow, and
necessarily, in opposition to somebody's religion. He finds it sustained
(or opposed) by the Bible, or he fancies it mixed with deviltry or the
black art. He trembles for fear it will affect the scheme of redemption
or assist some theosophical system. Whereas, a man like Bottazzi is
engaged merely with the facts; he lets the inferences fall where they
may. He is not concerned with whether Eusapia's manifestations oppose
Christian theology or not; he wants the phenomena. He is alert to note
their effect on biologic science, but he does not shrink from any report
of them. So far as I am concerned, my lot is cast with these men who put
the clamps on the fact and wait for larger knowledge before constructing
a system of religion on the half-discovered."

"I'm with you there," said Miller. "And if our university officials
took the same view, we Americans would hold higher rank in the world's
thought."

"Bottazzi himself says, with reference to his experiments: 'In spite of
all the hundreds of those who have observed Eusapia, it still remained
true to say that hitherto she had been free to throw things about as she
pleased.' But all this took a sharp turn when she came into Bottazzi's
laboratory."

"Just who is Bottazzi?" Harris asked.

"He's the head of the Physiological Institute of the University of
Naples; of his age and general character I am not precisely informed,
but he writes delightfully of his experiments. Morselli, who preceded
him in his study of Eusapia, is the Professor of Psychology in the
University of Genoa. Foa and Herlitzka are of the same university.
Within the last two years Eusapia has also been rigorously studied in
Lombroso's clinical laboratory at Turin. All honor to her for breaking
away from the traditions of mediumship!"

Mrs. Quigg caught me up on this: "What do you mean by 'traditions of
mediumship'?"

"I mean that for the most part investigators