MYSTERIOUS PSYCHIC FORCES
MYSTERIOUS
PSYCHIC FORCES
AN ACCOUNT OF THE AUTHOR'S INVESTIGATIONS IN
PSYCHICAL RESEARCH, TOGETHER WITH THOSE
OF OTHER EUROPEAN SAVANTS
BY
CAMILLE FLAMMARION
Director of Observatory of Jovisy,
France. Author of "The Unknown,"
"The Atmosphere," etc.
BOSTON
SMALL, MAYNARD AND COMPANY
1909
Copyright, 1907,
By Small, Maynard & Co.
All rights reserved.
THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.
He who pronounces anything to be "impossible," outside of the field ofpure mathematics, is wanting in prudence.
Francois Arago.
A learned pedant who laughs at the possible comes very near being anidiot. To purposely shun a fact, and turn one's back upon it with asupercilious smile, is to bankrupt Truth.
Victor Hugo.
Science is under bonds, by the eternal principles of honor, to lookfearlessly in the face every problem that is presented to her.
Sir William Thompson.
PREFACE
The subject treated in the following pages has made great progress in thecourse of forty years. Now what we are concerned with in psychical studiesis always unknown forces, and these forces must belong to the naturalorder, for nature embraces the entire universe, and everything istherefore under the sway of her sceptre.
I do not conceal from myself, however, that the present work will excitediscussion and bring forth legimate objections, and will only satisfyindependent and unbiased investigators. But nothing is rarer upon ourplanet than an independent and absolutely untrammelled mind, nor isanything rarer than a true scientific spirit of inquiry, freed from allpersonal interest. Most readers will say: "What is there in these studies,anyway? The lifting of tables, the moving of various pieces of furniture,the displacement of easy-chairs, the rising and falling of pianos, theblowing about of curtains, mysterious rappings, responses to mentalquestions, dictations of sentences in reverse order, apparitions of hands,of heads, or of spectral figures,—these are only common placetrivialities or cheap hoaxes, unworthy to occupy the attention of ascientist or scholar. And what would it all prove even if it were true?That kind of thing does not interest us."
Well, there are people upon whose heads the sky might tumble withoutcausing them any unusual emotion.
But I reply: What! is it nothing to know, to prove, to see with one's owneyes, that there are unknown forces around us? Is it nothing to study ourown proper nature and our[Pg vi] own faculties? Are not the mysterious problemsof our being such as are worthy to be inscribed on the program of ourinvestigation, and of having devoted to them laborious nights and days? Ofcourse, the independent seeker gets no thanks from anybody for his toil.But what of that? We work for the pleasure of working, of fathoming thesecrets of nature, and of instructing ourselves. When, in studying thedouble stars