LIFE AFTER DEATH.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 787, 9 April 1910, Page 14

LIFE AFTER DEATH.

THE SURVIVAL OF MAN. COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH A MEDIUM. VIEWS OF SIB OLIVER LODGE. In the course of. an interesting review of "The Survival of Man.' A btudy in uiLrecuyuitied Human faculty," by Sir Uuver .Lodge, and "Mors Janua Vitaer" by W. A. Dallas; with an Introduction by Professor IV. F. Barrett, the "ChurcJi 'limes" states: ' by an unrecognised human faculty, Sir Oliver Lodge means one which is not yet acknowledged in current, manuals of natural science. But ho is himself a Fellow of tie itoyal Society; Professor Barrett has the same distinction; Sir William Crookes, also of that company, has explored their field in a different spirit, but with equal sympathy; fortified by various American -professors, these men may fairly claim that what they have recognised shall not be held unknown to scionce. Indeed, there seems to be a touch of irony in Sir Oliver Lodge's subtitle. Are these men of science who affect to ignore phenomena so plainly observed and so carefully recorded? It is but a small part of the record, that is here presented; some details are ordered into a consecutive argument, and for the rest the reader is referred to the voluminous reports of the Society, for Psychical Besearch. 'With Sir Oliver Lodge's book wo haye coupled one by Miss DaUas, who treats a small part of the field in a less critical manner, but not with greater conviction. , She is concerned exclusively with supposed' communications from the late F. VV. H. Myers. For that is the conclusion of Sir' Oliver Lodge's argument. He is'convinced that the departed can and do communicate by means'of trance-speech, and.automatic writing, with those who are. still, in'the flesh; he is' convinced that he. himself has received .message's from his'friend Myers. If the thing be possible, nothing could be more probable. . Myers, :it is well known, was keenly and even morbidly interested in the study of such communications: he passionately desired a phonomenal and scientific proof that death is not the end of conscious existence: he elaborated a system of tests by which such communications might' bo verified, ' error and ■ fraud being eliminated; moreover; he had openly avowed his intention, should he,-,find-'himself-in a state ot conscious existence'after death' of-endeavouring his ' utmost: to ■ get' into • contact. with. those who. had' • shared -.'his ' interest in: such, studies. ■;:■ From',- him, ; : theiji. if from- anyone,'. - communications' ■ might be ..expected. But, .on tho other Hand, this very .expectation makes it the more imperative -:to.. subject all supposed -' communications .from, him .to the most searching tests;.the fact that they were ■' expected would encourage 'credulitv, -and ' would lend: itself, either.'to conscious-'or ■ unconscious fraud.' ■ ' , ..,■■..

t J T]l6 ,', ( ? 3m ? o »Pi a s«. says: Sir . Oliver Lodge, is_iteelf.fnU.of marvel." Phan-' tasms, and. dreams,; and ghosts, icrystaland - .clairvoyance, have, hilierto/belonged- to'-'-the region of superstition, but also, perhaps, to tho "region of fact.. ':•.. r •,- "As taxes on. credulity'they are trifles compared, to things 'with.: which we are already familiar; only too familiar, for oar mmiliarity has made us stupidly and inanely ..inappreciativo. of Hhem... , ■ ■ Ihoro, is a standing difficulty in 'the way °i verification, for in the.pursuit of these things there, is; found:'to ; .bd. extraordinary scope for various.kinds/of trickery, ranging, from, hysterical '.-.eelf-deception to downright, fraud. v Tho averted, gaze, of .science is/natural-.and;inteUigible;-but.it ,is, a mistake, to ? suppose: that-even awle-tected-,impostor./,:is. -'always.: fraudulent; Browning-, seems"••to'.oiave , '.:hit the' mark with hislsludge.A.Tihere.'are' cases where no such easy ..explanation As) possible; Mrs.. Verral is.hot to : be* suspected-of conscious trickery, and close investigation', has completely, eliminated, in Mrs. Piper's case the hypothesis • cither,, of this-or of hysterical hallucination; ' ! .': The bare facts are indisputable. Persons relate' in ..trance; things of which ;.they have no_ conscious knowledge, and of which- they can ' have • no' 'sub-conscious memory; persons, entranced or. conscious, write automatically/words', which- seem 'to; them nonsense;'but/which are found to; interweave. s with other-words, .written in'tho same.way.Jiy.others,,so;'as'to produce a connected .sense.-,. •'-■' ','■-.:,. ■•'.•' . -.:-;..

• The. system,'of ,' suggested , by -Myers,' and'-(purporting to have been used by Mm since his death, furnishes an admirable check; Sir Oliver Lodge is-satisfied that it has been tried with sufficient care . and with success; he.is convinced . that, messages from Myers have been received. The operation of any other human, intelligence than that of Myers-does,-';indeed,--eeem\ to be excluded; but.; there is ' one hypothesis which Sir Oliver Lodge ignores. It is the hypothesis of demonic intelligence playing tricks. Let it'.be granted that Sir Oliver Lodge's conclusion is.right, that Myers and .'others have communicated with, the living; what are. the results? These, investigations are not undertaken merely to satisfy a morbid curiosity. A. religious value is claimed for them. Miss Dallas, writes in a completely'religious and Christian spirit. . Sir Oliver Lodge hopes that his discoveries' may "enable humanity to rise to a greater height of aspiration, and' even of relgion." Myers was more moderate in his expectations, hoping to "prove the preamble of all religions," to prove—namely, the exist-' enoe of spiritual beings: other than our own embodied solves..,'

We assume the reality of' the communications: what do they reveal A sad and melancholy existence; an existence of futile endeavour; a shadowy reproduction of the conditions of life as now lived. Myers,speaks in .one place of a' prolonged period of unconsciousness, after death, followed by. a struggle ■ for .'self-expression. He spends his,.time labouring, in spite of immense difficulties, to communicate with thoso on earth." He speaks of Sidgwick, now onoe more'his'companion, in a way that would be amusing but for its deep pathos; that prince of sceptics, who doubted the validity of his own mental process, is still of the same'mind. 'Myers speaks through a medium:—

I want to convince Sidgwick. Ho says, "Myers, now we are together, you convince me that I am sending my messages, and that she is not getting them from us some way." He still wants me to show him. .... I am trying to show him the way. . . " ' ,

Here is Sir- Oliver .Lodge's own comment:— , '•■'.-'

"Granted the most, completely spiritistic hypothesis, it would appear that'the state after death is not a sudden plunge into a stately, dignified, ' and specially religious atmosphere. The .environment, like the character, appears to be much more like what it is here'than some folk imagine." ,

Myers, in life, panted'after-a proof that conscious existence continues after death. Sir Oliver Lodge has the same interest, his subject is "the survival of man." But is mere survival a message of salvation? If anyone thinks that, let him read Swift's account of.the Struldbru'gs of Luggnagg. Tho promise of the Gospel is not only life, but life more abundant. What has. Myers achieved? We still follow the communications. Hero is a pitiful sentence coming among several disjointed utterances: "The first shock to my dearest hopes." Here is heaviness of spirit:— '• ■• "I was confused when I came here. I groped my way as if through passages, before I knew I was dead. I thought I had lost my way' in a-strange town, and I groped my way along the -passage. And even when I saw people that 1 knew were dead, I thought, they were only visions." '

Hero is yearning, and future seeking:— "I wished you would all write to me. I was so far away.. I pined to hear from you all. "My philosophy did not help mo much. "I feel just as lonely. Lodge, it is jnst as they say, you grope in fog and darkness."l , "I feel I am selfish still. "I wanted it for my own satisfaction. ■ "I seemed to bo taken from all my: pain arid suffering into light. ■ "I hardly like to tell you what I wanted to do, it seems so selfish now, but I wanted to go and talk to Tennyson, whom I idolised. Bnt I was told that I must suffer for my promises, and then I could have" what I wanted." Bnt has he no desire beyond talking with Tennyson?' Is this the whole revelation? Is this, the substitute for the hope of the Gospel? If we ore to be content with this, Miss Dallas may well put a note of interrogation to her title; is this dentil Hie gateway to life, and to life abundant?