f any psychic
sense involves. To some favoured few these supernormal faculties
appear to be given without any cost to themselves. Perhaps they
are direct evolutional products, possibly psychic inheritances;
but to such as have them no price is asked or penalty imposed.

Others there are who are impelled by their own evolutional
process to seek the development in themselves of these psychic
powers; and to these a word of warning seems necessary, so that
at the risk of appearing didactic I must essay the task. To some it
may seem unwelcome, to others redundant and supererogatory.
But we are dealing with a new stage in evolutional progress--the
waking up of new forces in ourselves and the prospective use of a
new set of faculties. It is of course open to anybody to
experiment blindly, and none will seek to deter them save those
who have some knowledge of the attendant dangers, and which
knowledge alone can help us to avoid. I should consider the man
more fool than hero who, in entire ignorance of mechanics and
aeronautics, stepped on board an aeroplane and started the
engines running. Even the most skilful in any new field of
experiment or research consciously faces certain but unknown
dangers. The victims of the aeroplane--brave pioneers of human
enterprise and endeavour that they were--fell by lack of
knowledge. By lack of knowledge also have the humane efforts
of many physicians been cut short at the outset of what might
have been a successful career. It was this very lack of knowledge
they knew to be the greatest of all dangers, and it was this they
had set out to remedy.

It is not less dangerous when we begin to pursue a course of
psychic development. The ordinary functions of the mind are
well within our knowledge and control. There is always the will
by which we may police the territory under our jurisdiction and
government. It is another matter when we seek to govern a
territory whose peculiar features and native laws and customs are
entirely unknown to us. It is obvious that here the will-power, if
directed at all, is as likely to be effectual for evil as for good.
The psychic faculties may indeed be opened up and the unknown
region explored, but at fatal cost, it may be, to all that constitutes
normal sanity and physical well-being; in which case one may
say with Hamlet it be better to "bear those ills we have, than fly
to others that we know not of."

Some of the conditions imposed upon those who, not bei