THE JUMPING TABLE

Evening Star, Issue 17087, 4 July 1919, Page 6

THE JUMPING TABLE

LORD RAYLEKMTS SEANCEX In his presidential address to the Society of Psychical Poesea-ch in "London, I>ord Raleigh said he had no definite conclusions to announce. He had attended seanoes at which a Mrs Jencken was the medium, and the results were disappointing, although it was not easv to explain nil that happened. Coat-tails w«re pulled, paper-cutters flew about, chair* were shaken and so forth. What struck him most was the floating about of lights. A table at which they had been ratting gradually tipped over until the circular top nearly touched the floor, and then rose .learn to the normal position. Mrs Jencken was apparently standms; quite clear of them. The medium was si small woman without much mnscuilar development, and the table was heavy. Ilicy had been for a Ions: time in semidarkness. He (Lord Payleigh) repudiated the idea of hallucination; the incidents ware always unexpected. After pome supposed spirit-writing, he arranged pencils and paper inside a large glass retort, with the neck hermetically seiled, and placed it in a, wooden box. This was set on a table during sever;)! w.'in-es but. there was no writing inFide the retort. He found on recent investigation that the opportunity had remained neglected for 45 years. (Laughter). Seldom or never did Mts Jencken make an intelligent remark. Her interest se-pmed to ho limited to the spirits and her baby. No pains should be spared to establish the realitv of telepathy. Telepathy will) the dead would present comparatively little difficulty i" it were admitted with regard to the, livinjr. .Sir Oliver Lodge, referring to the vanishing hand, said that Mr Gilbert Murray \ - ... ■i;i:i;.ii(-:l not "to lot go of it. The k;;nd drew liini up. and he crot on a chair. Then the hand vanished in his grasp, leaving nothhg. .Evidence showed that words and sentences could bo Tend inside a dosed book. There was no reason for rejecting a fact because they had not a theory to account for it.