LITERARY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 251, 20 October 1923, Page 18

LITERARY.

1 1 , PSYCHICAL RESEARCH. 1 J PROFESSOR RICKETS i[ INVESTIGATIONS. [ c s SIR OLIVER LODGE'S CONCLUSIONS t CHALLENGED. ' Professor Ricliet, whose name has been t intimately associated with psychical re- , search for thirty years, has given the , results of his own inquiries, and those ] of other eminent men of science, in a volume extending to more than six hun- ] dred pages. The takes up the ] attitude of pursuing these investigations , with a.completely unbiassed mind. Ho { claime that there are certain pheno- j mena connected with human psychology j ' which demand the attention of men of science with as much insistence as the j problems of the physical world, which ( have yielded such amazing results in response to scientific research. In pur- ' suing his inquiries, he has collated from authoritative sources particulars of the i experiments carried out by other not- 1 able investigators, and the conclusions 1 at which they arrived. It is needless to j say that the works of Sir William i Crookes and Frederick Myers, to whose j .jnemory the book is dedicated, are freely j quoted, and that the names of Sir Oliver - Lodge, Sir William Barrett, Alfred Rus- j sell Wallace, Professor Zollner, Dr. Geley and other well-known writers figure prominently in these pages. Tho out- , standing feature of the book is the fact • ■ that, while Professor Richct maintains < that there is conclusive evidence sup- j porting the reality of the psychic phenomena upon which spiritualists base ( their belief in communications from dis- ■ carnate spirits, he definitely discredits ' the suggestion that these furnish proof | ' of the existence of conscious existence < nfter death. The movement of objects without personal contact and even materialisations achieved through the 1 agency of mediums, together with clairvoyanco or telepathy, monitions of ] death, and premonitions, have, he thinks, ( been established by an overwhelming < weight of reliable testimony, even after i making the most liberal allowance for 1 fraud, coincidence, delusion, and defective 3 observation. He does not give any final I judgment regarding the nature and I cau* of these phenomena, but leans to I the theory that they are mainly attributable to faculties possessed by tho human brain and body, which have not j yet been scientifically defined and clae- j sified. He also devotes a chapter to j the divining-rod, the efficacy of which ( [ in discovering water and metals cannot, i. in his opinion, be doubted. j ( ! SIR OLIVER LODGE AND RAYMOND.!' I In the course of hie inquiry, Professor i Richet discusses very fully the views advanced by Sir Oliver Lodge in hi 3 book "Raymond," and ho rejects Sir Oliver's claim that the evidence offered supports the theory that the consciousness of t \ Raymond has survived. As a more ac- 1 ceptable explanation ho suggests that: ( ' "If we accept the two facts—that some . mediums are aware of thinga that nor- i mal channels cannot convey, and that ; they tend to group both normal and j supernormal knowledge round real or , j imaginary personalities, that amply suf- j fices to explain everything." j j I "Alas, no !" he adds, "survival is not ( to.be proved thus; and despite tlie j genius of its author, and his noble faith j in the future life, this able book has | not supplied tho decisive data. If it , were incumbent on mo to formulate a conclusion, the very fragmentary, sym- , i bolical. and uncertain nature of these i messages that claim to be from survjv- ! ing minds, and their astonishing lack of precise detail, would lead mc to infer J that there is no survival of conscious- ; ness. This inference is made with deep j regTet, for it cost mc much to separate myself from Myers and Lodge, who have my entire confidence and admiration." i Professor Richets' position is that i" every normal hypothesis must be :x- ---' hausted, and also the subconscious work of the mind and the resources of an in- £ , fallible memory, before we can daro ' affirm the intervention of another in- ! telligenee." He quotee a number of the c messages attributed to great men, and * comments on their poverty of language I and astonishing ignorance of matters in : which the writers were once passion- 1 ately interested, and remarks: " Except 1 in a few rare cases, the inconsistency « between the past and the present men- < tality is so great that in the immenso I majority of spiritist experiences it is j impossible to admit survival, even as a { very tentative hypothesis." | c ! " Nothing has been revealed by de- ' j ceased personalities that was not already known to the generality of man- j kind. They have not helped us to a f single step forward in geometry, in physics, in physiology, or even in meta- ( physics. They have never been able to , prove that they know more than the ordinary man on any subject soever. . , No unexpected discovery has been indicated; no revelation has been made. " The answers, with the rarest exceptions, c ' are desperately commonplace. Not the I smallest atom of scientific knowledge , , has been anticipated." r j " We shall presently consider whether I materialisation and telekinesis may I give some support to the spiritist r theory; but from this time forth we can r say that, taking subjective facts alone, a it is not demonstrated; and the trying t thing is that one does not see how it fi could be demonstrated —how it could be r proved that human consciousness with ;, its remembrances and its personality c could survive the death of the brain." j • MATERIALISATIONS. ■ je In view of the author's sceptical atti- • 'tude in relation, to tho intervention of.? ' discarnate spirits at spiritualistic ' ; seances, and his admission of the fre- *> quent practice of fraud by mediums, his s ; conclusion with regard to matcrialisa- " tions are surprising. They appear to be based principally upon experiments carried out by himself and Dr. Geley. He c states: "There is ample proof that gxperimental materialisation (ectoplasmic) should take definite rank as a scientific s fact. Assuredly we do not understand P it. It is very absurd, if a truth can be c absurd. Spiritualists have blamed mc " I for using this word 'absurd'; and have T , not been able to understand that to r admit the reality of these phenomena * was to mc actual pain; but to ask a * physiologist, a physicist, or a chemist to * admit that a form that has a circulation, of blood, warmth, and muscles, that ex- j hales carbonic acid, has weights, speaks and thinks, can issue from a human body is to ask of him an intellectual * effort that is really painful. Yes, it is absurd; but no matter —it is true." : COINCIDENCE, FRAUD AND |H DELUSION. ' I ]( We may grant without hesitation the o spirit of patient inquiry which charac- w terisee Dr. Richet's investigations, but h we doubt whether the. evidence arrayed a will be generally accepted as affording c< conclusive proof of the phenomena a which, in the opinion of the author, & have been scientifically established, n

Coincidence is such an incalculable quantity, and the disposition and faculty for deliberate deception are so strongly developed in certain natures that the strongest assertions of personal experiences of a mysterious character must be accepted with great hesitation. Some of the extraordinary cases of wilful lying, credulty and illusion with which the Criminal.lnvestigation Department at Scotland Yard had to deal in war years, as narrated by Basil Thomson In his book, "Queer People," throws a good deal of light upon the difficulties which beset investigators into obscure phases of human mentality. Nevertheless Dr. Richet's book pro%'ides a complete answer to people who consider such matters as being too ridiculous for serious inquiry. He has also placed at the disposal of the average reader, who has no time nor aptitude for personal inquiries, the main facts relating to psychical research during the past half century. "Thirty years of Psychical Research," by Professor Richet, Collins, Sons and Co., per Whitcombe and Tombs. "The Call-Box Mystery," by John Ironside (Methuen), is based on a sensational "murder mystery," the assassination of Paula Lady Rawson in a telephone box. It is of a most unusual type by reason of the strong psychological interest which is maintained from beginning to end. The characters are also well drawn, and include some interesting types. Messrs. Mills and Boon have in preparation for the autumn a book entitled "Kings of Arabia: The Rise and Set of the Turkish Sovranty in the Arabian Peninsula," by Lieutenant-Colonel Harold F. Jacob, C.5.1., who has been in the closest touch with Arabia for many years, and during the Great War was Political Adviser in South-West Arabia, first to Sir Reginald Wingate and afterwards to Lord Allenby. Under the title, "Mark Sykes: His Life and Letters," the biography of this world traveller and authority on the Near East has been written by his cousin, Shane Leslie, and Mr. Winston Churchill has contributed a preface to it. A number of amusing cartoons are reproduced in this interesting "life," for Mark was a political cartoonist as well as a globe trotter and a great mimic and conversationalist. Cassell and Co. are the publishers. A very attractive volume of fairy talcs by Edith Howes, illustrated in colour, is among Ward, Lock's latest announcements. Through "The Dream Girl's Garden," "trip the pert fairies and the dapper elves" all the clear tiny folk poets and babies dream about, fragile as gossamer, but real as the little girl next door. It is a book which all children with imagination—and what child has not ? —will read with delight. No one among writers of current fiction can evolve a more gripping plot than Mr. Paul Trent, and this ia well exemplified in his latest novel "Workers All" (Ward, Lock). The issue raised in it is tho question whether an oath of revenge taken at the insistence of one's father, should bo allowed to outweigh one's love for the innocent eon of the man you had sworn to ruin. Involved in this problem is the struggle between capital and labour, which gives an added interest to tKe story. "The Riddle of the River," by J. Weare-Gifard (Jarralds) tells of the smuggling fraternity on the North Devon coast. It was common knowledge that smuggled goods found their way up the Torridge estuary to Bideford town. A high-placed Admiralty official, to oblige a lady of rank and find a "cushy job" for her son, a young naval officer, much against his will, sent him down to North Devon to assist the head of the Weet Preventive force, who had grown old and crochety in tho Service. After many thrilling adventures, the smugglers' secret was disclosed, and the smugglers captured. But serious complications arose from the discovery of the secret, and the unravelling of these complications adds much interest to tne narrative. Mrs. Gene Stratton-Porter, in "The White Flag" (John Murray), again finds romance in the sayings and doings of a small American town, dominated by an unscrupulous banker, whose schemes had given him autocratic power over a large part of the business and farming community. His son, a chip of the old block, is as unscrupulous as his father, and when the daughter of the leading storekeeper in the town refuses to marry him, father and son conspire to ruin the man's business and bring disgrace on his child. They succeed in both designs, but the weapons they' employ have a boomerang effect and strike down the men who used them. The characters are well drawn, and there is plenty of incident to engross the reader's attention. "Rosamund," by Lord Gorcll (Murray's Imperial Library), is a story of English life among the leisured classes. It is divided into two distinct periods representing county society, in tho midst of which' Rosamund, daughter of a man of moderate "estate and literary tastes, spent her early years, and London, to which father and daughter removed. The chief theme of the book is the influence which a good woman can exercise over a man's views of life. Rosamund married an author -whoso early experiences had soured his nature, but her generous disposition affected his writings, and when pecuniary losses involved domestic economies aiid drudgery these reverses were faced in a spirit which brought unexpected happiness. The English illustrated magazines received through Messrs. Gordon and Gotch, contain many new features. The "London" for September is an enlarged i summer fiction number, to which ten popular writers contribute stories, including Mr. Hutchinson, author of "If Winter Domes," Elinor Glynn and Beatrice Grimshaw. The "Red" also relies on its short stories, of wliich there is a well-assorted budget. In the "Yellow" a new serial, "The Red Lodge," by Victor Bridges, is begun, with an instalment full of promise. Of special literary interest in the "Cornhill Magazine" for September are the articles on "A Last Memory of Sir Walter Scott" by Blayney Owen Cole, from, the "Memorial'ofa Tour," written by his. grandfather, Owen Blayney Cole, Who met Scott more than once on his last journey to Italy in 1832, in search of health, and travelled the same road with him;, 'TTjuigi Pirandello," a study in Italian, literature by Orlo Williams; and some- Unpublished Letters from the correspondence between T. H. Huxley and.;.his friend Alexander Agassiz, the American man of science, edited by Leonard . - - ■ .....'

Perhaps Joe Beckett, in taking tlie count in the first round against Carpentier, was acting as a demonstrator for the League of Nations. The "Otago Paily Times" hopes that when Auckland gets the Yale telescope it will discover the South Island, li Otago had it and pointed it in our direction, it would be sure to look through the wrong end. We were gravely informed by cable message the other day that the Duke and Duchess of York, going out to play golf, found themselves without caddies. Possibly the poor young things enjoyed this game more than any other. It is not often that Royalty can do anything unusual. "ITALY TAKES UMBRAGE." That should not surprise us. Mussolini wants so many thing 3 that an old place like Umbrage hardly counts. 1 forget how many times it has been taken since Barries young •uibeditor put up tlie heading "Capture of Umbrage by the Zulus." A copy of a daily paper published in tho United States, the "Middle West Reporter," which has reached Wellington, is said to have created some merriment. The natives, it is remarked, "are quite intelligent, but did not take kindly to motion pictures." Surely it should bo "and," not "but." "Cook Islands, Tahiti, Canada, North America, West Indies, United Kingdom, and Continent of Europe, via San Francisco, at 5 p.m. Mail due London about November 31." I shall carefully avoid a mail that is due on a day that doesn't exist. I suspect Einstein's new idea of time and space are responsible. It is reported that the Communists at Birmingham intend to appeal to the police for protection if the local Fascists show the least disposition to interfere with their meetings. Their wisdom iB greater than their sense of humour. However, the police would enjoy the joke of going to the rescue of their enemies. Refreshing originality in a local advertisement: "Stands on a lovely corner site, only 5 minutes to beach, 1 minute to pub, 2 minutes to tho church, and the bus passes the door." This is reminiscent of the gentleman in "What Happened to Jones," who travelled in playing cards with hymn-books as a side line—"catch 'em coming and going.* . Possibly some prospective buyers of the above property would liko to know how far it is to the school —and the pictures. A trade sign that has interested and sliglitly irritated mc for years is "Prescriptions accurately dispensed." No doubt it is gratifying to have an assuranco that the medicine you obtain from tho chemist will be what your doctor ordered, but isn't that what you expect from the chemist? What would you think if a shipping line advertised, "Rocks carefully avoided?" I have therefore always thought that like "Practical Watchmaker" and "Practical Bootmaker," the notice was rather superfluous. However, I am wrong, for the British Health Ministry announced this week that 22 per cent of prescriptions analysed were inaccurate. But does it matter muchT Often it is not the medicine that cures, but the faith in it, and coloured water •will sometimes serve just as well as a mixture of drugs. There is plenty of comedy in tho story of Harold Ray Milner, the English youth, who, within sis weeks, was alleged to have bought a theatre and mansion in a i Leeds suburb, and to have married and deserted the local beauty. Evidently Milner was much less black than was suggested at first, for the police have let him°go. The Leeds suburb that accepted him must be feeling rather sorry- for itself, but any place is liable to be taken in by smooth audacity. Tlie idyll ends with Milner declaring" that he still loves his wife, and they 'intend to go in for poultry farming. It may seem a prosaic end to a gay adventure, but my friend Mr. R. J. Terry may assure us that there is romance in hens. I have never found it myself, but I am prepared to believe it may be there. I can imagine, however, that Mr. Terry may smile sardonically at the implication that a person who has failed in high finance can succeed at poultry farming. Such farming, he might say —like the caddie addressing the professor unsuccessful at golf —requires a head, and one of the reasons why there are so many failures j is that people take to it as a last resource, without either money or experience.

Tlie number and size of mortgages in New Zealand surprises visitors, who take some time to learn that these are often matters of pride. That pride is not confined to New Zealand. The other day the State of Minnesota caused a sensation by electing to the American Senate a farmer named Magnus Johnson. Mr. Johnson's political creed and philosophy of life are interesting. "I got a pretty big farm," he said to the reporters, "and I got a good-size mortgage on it. and I got a wife and children, and I got twenty-four com, and my wife and children milk those cows too. I don't believe in digging too deep into things. I am for the common people, and I want to be common. I don't give a damn for books. I want things that are alive, not things that have been dead for a thousand ycar3. I have read more histories than any man, but only nbout Lincoln. I stand where he stood. He was a great man. I quote him in my speeches." I think you will agree with mc that this explains a good deal in America's foreign policy. These dear good people who despise the past—they never realise that because something happened long ago it isn't necessarily dead. Some , of the things that-were said thousands of years ago are simply bursting with life to-day. We don't have politicians quite so naively candid as this in New Zealand, but I suspect tfhat some could be found who share Mr. Johnson's opinion of books, , ■