spell the name by which I was known in the heavenly world. Our host
commenced repeating the alphabet, and when he reached the letter 'P' a
knock was heard. He began again, and the spirits knocked at the
letter 'O.' I was puzzled, but waited for the end. The next letter
knocked down was 'E.' I laughed, and remarked that the spirits were
going to make a poet of me. Admonished for my levity, I was informed
that the frame of mind proper for the occasion ought to have been
superinduced by a perusal of the Bible immediately before the seance.
The spelling, however, went on, and sure enough I came out a poet. But
matters did not end here. Our host continued his repetition of the
alphabet, and the next letter of the name proved to be '0.' Here was
manifestly an unfinished word; and the spirits were apparently in
their most communicative mood. The knocks came from under the table,
but no person present evinced the slightest desire to look under it. I
asked whether I might go underneath; the permission was granted; so I
crept under the table. Some tittered; but the candid old A.
exclaimed, 'He has a right to look into the very dregs of it, to
convince himself.' Having pretty well assured myself that no sound
could be produced under the table without its origin being revealed, I
requested our host to continued his questions. He did so, but in
vain. He adopted a tone of tender entreaty; but the 'dear spirits'
had become dumb dogs, and refused to be entreated. I continued under
that table for at least a quarter of an hour, after which, with a
feeling of despair as regards the prospects of humanity never before
experienced, I regained my chair. Once there, the spirits resumed
their loquacity, and dubbed me 'Poet of Science.'

This, then, is the result of an attempt made by a scientific man to
look into these spiritual phenomena. It is not encouraging; and for
this reason. The present promoters of spiritual phenomena divide
themselves into two classes, one of which needs no demonstration,
while the other is beyond the reach of proof. The victims like to
believe, and they do not like to be undeceived. Science is perfectly
powerless in the presence of this frame of mind. It is, moreover, a
state perfectly compatible with extreme intellectual subtlety and a
capacity for devising hypotheses which only require the hardihood
engendered by strong conviction, or by callous mendacity, to render
them impregnable. The logical f