OUT OF THE COMMON.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 860, 24 August 1888, Page 8

OUT OF THE COMMON.

from; here to heaven by tele-

GRAPH.

A Scientific Investigation of Occult Telegraphy and Kindred Topics.

Paper No. 6.—(Continued). (From the Religio-Philosopbical Journal.)

•8. That the intelligences controlling this instrument derive that current from Mr Rowley’s body.’ Proved by testing Mr Rowley’s hand with iron filings as explained in paper referred to above, and also with strips of tissue paper as explained in Paper No. 1; see Journal of Dec. 31. These tests show that such a force resides in his body.

Also, as explained in Paper No. 3. I have frequently observed when Mr Rowley was ill or much exhausted that a slight shook often affecting his whole body is experienced for every dot or dash made on the sounder. These symptoms are different at different times, bnt are such as cannot be simulated. In a few instances, I have seen the veins of his forehead so affected by these currents, that when looking at them, I could lead the letters by sight as when receiving cable dis. patches ; and they were always in unison with the letters heard on the sounder. Also, when sitting with my own hands on my own box attached to his sounder, and with my own ear on the slate where I could hear my own key lever move, I felt these shocks passing through my own system slightly in advance of every dot or dash as given by .the sounder, and I continued to feel this sensation for some fifteen minutes, and a much more weakening sensation while I sat at his box and he at mine for some twenty minutes longer; and it required more than three hours for me to recover from these effects so as to feel reasonably comfortable again [See Paper No. 4, Journal of Jan. 21, Personal Proof of Source of Power.] * 9. That the intelligences controlling this instrument can propel that current where they please, use it outside the box or inside, or divide it np and use different parts of it in different ways at the same time.’ Proved by the experiment with tissue paper given at leugth in Paper No. 1. Six strips of white tissue paper were suspended above the box and hidden from Mr Rowley’s view by a large piece of cardboard. The strips were manipulated by some invisible force different from air currents, and they were so moved as to exhibit marks of design in doing it. Mr Rowley neither saw nor touched them, and he was therefore unable either to move the strips or to carry out the design. Some of the peculiar contortions which they were made to exhibit could not possibly be duplicated by any material means, much less without visible means and without the opportunity to observe them

during the progress of their performance. For instance, while one would stand still, its neighbour on one Bide would dance up and down, one on the other Bide would swing from side to side, another would twist and untwist, and still another would quiver fiom end to end. One of them at ons time exhibited beautiful undulationß running through its entire length, such as could not be duplicated in such material by mechanical means under any conditions, much less under these conditions where one end of the strip was fast and the other end free. These undulations slightly resembled the waves in a flag, though much more perfect and regular ; but the most remarkable part, when considered in that light, was that they began at the free end and ran the other way. * 10. Thatt here is an electric current m the spiral wire which runs across the inside of the box.’ Proved by the experiment with magnetic needle, fully explained iu Paper No. 2. [See Journal of January 7.] A common needle was suspended horizontally by a silk thread tied around the middle. It was then hung beside the iron screw in the negative storage plate, and. before the needle ■was magnetised it was used to prove that the screw is not magnetic whether the instrument is operating or not. The needle was then magnetised and clung to the screw when the instrument was not operating, because of the magnetism itji. the needle. When the instrument was • operating the same end of the needle was repelled from the same screw, proving by the principle known as ‘ Oersted’s Discovery 1 that while the instruments are in operation, a current of electricity comes to that storage plate. The needle was held in various places above the slate, and by the dipping of the other end of the needle it was proved that the same current reaches that storage plate by traversing the spiral wire across the inside of the box.

When the spiral wire is left out (as it may be) the current of animal magnetism is propelled through the air. Even when the wire is in, the return is made by propelling the current through the air, from the negative storage plate, over the branch lever to the positive storage plate. The electric current in the wire is induced by the animal magnitism being propelled spirally around the spiral wire as an axis. ‘ll. That the slate top has a constant charge of residual magnetism. ’ Proved by the experiment with iron filing already referred to. The filings when spread evenly over the slate top, adhered almost uniformly to all pftirts When the instrument Was not in operation. Some of them ‘bristled up.’ None of them bounded or rolled about, but stuck right where they fell. Scattered on paper they performed thus differently, hut when the paper was laid on the slate and then covered, they performed on the paper as they did ou the slate, showing that their action was not due to any sticky substance on the surface of the slate. * 12. That the slate top is more highly charged when the key is being operated than when not.’ Proved by the fact that it required much more force to remove or dislodge the filings when the instruments were in operation. Also, by the fact that when dislodged by rapping violently on the bottom of the box, many of them gathered into two nodes over the end of the branch lever, and a ridge over the spiral wire, whereas, when the instruments were not operating, there was no such tendency. ‘ 13. That this charge is animal magnetism, not mineral magnetism.’ Proved by tracing its origin to Rowley’s hand and body as explained in No. 8 above. Also by the fact that mineral magnetism will take no effect on slate, nor paper, nor any such materials, and that if mineral magnetism could be made to reside therein, its laws of solarity would preclude the possibility of any such results as are described under this head in Paper No. 3. ‘ 14. The physical rationale of the operation.’

Under this head it is proposed to give, so far as we understand it, the means and methods by which these intelligences operate this telegraph key. When I say ‘so far as we understand it,’ the reader must not infer that we understand it any less perfectly than we understand any other electrical apparatus. In the first paper, a parallelism was set up between this instrument and the ordinary instruments used in sending a message from New York to Omaha. We are accustomed to say that we understand how ordinary telegraph instruments operate, but if I should undertake to explain them to you in all their details, as to how or why they perform as they do, I should be met at every turn by something that all men admit, because it is proven true, but that no man knows anything about, as to how or why it is as it is. Thus, at the very threshold, I should have to say that when a current of electricity is passed spirally around an iron bar, the bar becomes a magnet. If the bar be of soft iron, it will lose its magnetism immediately the current of electricity ceases ; but if it be of hard iron or steel, it will retain its magnetism permanently after the current of electricity ceases to flow. This is the basis principle upon which the ordinary electromagnet telegraph ' depends. No man can dispute its truth for a moment. No man, however sceptical on things which he does not fully know the cause of, has any doubt of the truth of this. But no man can vouchsafe a single word of explanation as to how the electric current magnetizes the iron bar, or why the soft iron loses its magnetism and the hard iron retains it.

So in explaining the Spirit telegraph, when I say that the spirit operator propels the current cf animal magnetism thus and so, I cannot explain how he propels it; but I have proved by the experiment with tissue papers and in various other ways that he oan and dees do it. There is no longer any room for doubt as to what is the cause or what is the effect, • but why that cause produces that effect we may never know. Neither should we reject it in the least because they who do it, do not fully understand, or at least cannot make us fully understand how they do it ; for we are daily using the electromagnetic forces above mentioned, over which we have perfect control, but about which we can explain nothing to each other, much less to beings whose capabilities of understanding are more limited than our own.

(To be continued.

The Bishop of Peterborough, speaking at Kettering the other day, urged the importance of regular systematic giving toward the church. Ho said he heartily wished the church could do without bazaars and fancy fairs, which he thought most, objectionable contrivances for raising money. He could not believe in many cases they were necessary. It would be better to induce men to give cheerfully for the sake of God and the church than for pleasure, excitement, or amusement received.