follows:--"_It_ is the body; it is _I_ who am the spirit."

MANIFESTATION OF THE HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE PHENOMENA OF
POSSESSION AND MATERIALISATION.

In these strange phenomena, not only manifestations of the higher
consciousness, analogous with or similar to those just cited, have
been noted, but also a number of facts which prove, to some extent,
the casual presence in a normal human body or in materialised abnormal
forms, of beings other than that which constitutes the personality of
the one possessed, or of the medium who conditions these
materialisations. On this point, we would mention the well-known
investigations of Sir W. Crookes (_Katie King_), those of Colonel de
Rochas (Vincent, _Un cas de changement de personnalite, Lotus Bleu_
1896), and similar experiments of other savants.

"Incarnation mediums" have often lent their physical bodies to
disincarnated human entities, whose account of what happened or whose
identity it has been possible to verify. Here I will mention only one
case amongst several others, I heard it from my friend, D. A. Courmes,
a retired naval captain, a man who is well-informed in these matters,
thoroughly sincere, and of unquestioned veracity.

In 1895, he happened to be off Algiers, on a training vessel. A boat
had sunk in the harbour, and a man was drowned. His body had not been
recovered. On the evening of the accident, my friend, accompanied by a
doctor, a professor, and the vice-president of the Court of Algiers,
attended a spiritualistic meeting in the town. One of these
"incarnation mediums" happened to be present. M. Courmes suggested
that the drowned man should be called up. The latter answered to the
call, entered the medium, whose voice and attitude immediately
changed. He gave the following account of what had taken place: "When
the boat sank, I was on the ladder. I was hurled down, my right leg
passed between two bars, occasioning fracture of the leg, and
preventing me from releasing myself. My body will be found caught in
the ladder when the boat is brought to the surface. It is useless to
seek elsewhere."

This account was shortly afterwards confirmed.

These phenomena are more frequent than one would imagine; a sufficient
number might be given to show that, judging from the theory of
probabilities, serious consideration should be given to them.

MANIFESTATIONS OF THE HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS IN APPARITIONS.

A final group of phenomena to which I wish to call