rimentalists are of any
value, the teleplastic theory is on the point of winning acceptance."

"I will not admit that," rejoined Fowler. "For, even if you throw out
all the enormous mass of evidence accumulated by spiritistic
investigators, you still have the conversion of Wallace, Lodge, and
Lombroso, not to speak of De Vesme, Venzano, and other well-known men of
science, to account for. Even Crookes himself admits that nothing but
some form of spirit hypothesis is capable of explaining _all_ the
phenomena; and in a recent issue of the _Annals of Psychic Science_
Lombroso writes a paper making several very strong points against the
biologic theory. One of these is the simultaneous occurrence of
phenomena. 'Can the subconscious self act in several places at once?' he
asks. A second objection lies in the fact that movements occur in
opposition to the will of the psychic--as, for example, when Eusapia was
transported in her chair. 'Can a man lift himself by his boot-straps?'
is the question. 'The centre of gravity of a body cannot be altered in
space unless acted upon by an external force. Therefore, the phenomena
of levitation cannot be considered to be produced by energy emanating
from the medium.'"

"I don't think that follows," I argued. "Force may be exerted
unconsciously and invisibly. Because the psychic does not _consciously_
will to do a certain thing is no proof that the action does not
originate in the deeps of her personality. We know very little of this
obscure region of our minds."

Fowler was ready with his answer: "But let us take the case that
Lombroso cites of the beautiful woman spirit whose hand twice dashed the
photographic plates from the grasp of those who wished to secure her
picture. Here was plainly an opposing will, for the psychic was lending
herself to the experiment, and the spectators were eager for its
success. Notwithstanding which co-operation this phantom bitterly
opposed the wishes of every one present, and it was _afterward_ learned
that there was a special reason why she did not wish to leave positive
proofs of her identity. 'It is evident, therefore,' concludes Lombroso,
'that a third will can intervene in spiritistic phenomena.'

"Furthermore, Dr. Venzano, as well as De Vesme, have taken up the same
body of facts upon which Foa and Morselli base their theory, and arrive
at a totally different conclusion. They call attention to a dozen events
that can be explained only on the the