consciousness
returned; I vaguely discerned the audience and apparatus, and, by the
help of these external appearances, immediately concluded that I had
received the battery discharge. The intellectual consciousness of my
position was restored with exceeding rapidity, but not so the optical
consciousness. To prevent the audience from being alarmed, I observed
that it had often been my desire to receive accidentally such a shock,
and that my wish had at length been fulfilled. But, while making this
remark, the appearance which my body presented to my eyes was that of
a number of separate pieces. The arms, for example, were detached
from the trunk, and seemed suspended in the air. In fact, memory and
the power of reasoning appeared to be complete long before the optic
nerve was restored to healthy action. But what I wish chiefly to
dwell upon here is, the absolute painlessness of the shock; and there
cannot, I think, be a doubt that, to a person struck dead by
lightning, the passage from life to death occurs without consciousness
being in the least degree implicated. It is an abrupt stoppage of
sensation, unaccompanied by a pang.

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XXII. SCIENCE AND THE 'SPIRITS.'

THEIR refusal to investigate 'spiritual phenomena' is often urged as a
reproach against scientific men. I here propose to give a sketch of
an attempt to apply to the 'phenomena' those methods of enquiry which
are found available in dealing with natural truth.

Some years ago, when the spirits were particularly active in this
country, Faraday was invited, or rather entreated, by one of his
friends to meet and question them. He had, however, already made
their acquaintance, and did not wish to renew it. I had not been so
privileged, and he therefore kindly arranged a transfer of the
invitation to me. The spirits themselves named the time of meeting,
and I was conducted to the place at the day and hour appointed.

Absolute unbelief in the facts was by no means my condition of mind.
On the contrary, I thought it probable that some physical principle,
not evident to the spiritualists themselves, might underlie their
manifestations. Extraordinary effects are produced by the
accumulation of small impulses. Galileo set a heavy pendulum in
motion by the well-timed puffs of his breath. Ellicot set one clock
going by the ticks of another, even when the two clocks were separated
by a wall. Preconceived notions, can, moreover, vit