AN HOUR WITH PROFESSOR BALDWIN.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1665, 21 June 1879, Page 3

AN HOUR WITH PROFESSOR BALDWIN.

Yesterday afternoon, by invitation of Professor Baldwin, two of the staff of the Pbess attended a private seance given by that gentleman at his rooms, Commercial Hotel. The usual formal introduction over, in which, by the way, no names were used, the visitors being introduced simply as representatives of the Phess, the Professor requested them to be seated at one side of the tablo_ in the centre of the apartment, he_ occupying the other, a position which he maintained during the whole of the sitting. After a little general conversation, the professor came to the business. He explained that ho was not always successful in these sittings, and that the inclemency of the weather and his stat e of health militated somewhat against perfect success on the present occasion. However, he would do his best to show some manifestations of the power which he termed “ mind*

reading." He then drew attention to a number of email slip* of ordinary printing paper which were on the table, together with some pencils. These, he explained, were to be need for writing any questions desired to bo put to deceased persons, whether relatives, friends, or otherwise, The only condition imposed by the Professor was that the visitors should sit at the table in contact; that, in fact, they should touch each other. This was done by sitting with knees touching. He then handed slips, and requested that they would write, say, four questions each in the form of a letter to any one deceased, while he retired from the table ; the slips, when written on, to be folded six times into a small compass. This was done, and Professor Baldwin having resumed his seat, each in turn handed him the slips folded as described, and he placed them against his forehead. With one he said he would be able to obtain better results than the other. In a few seconds, turning to the one who had written a question addressed to Sir Isaac Newton, he said, “ You have asked a question relative to science, on a subject concerning which you had a conversation with another person lately. It is addressed to Sir Isaac Newton, and he will answer you presently.” As the Professor had only been in Christchurch a couple of hours, the fact of such a conversation having taken place, which was really a fact, could not have been known to him. To the second question he said, “You have written to your mother; she will speak with you presently.” Ho then asked that a number of names should be written upon a slip, including those of the two present, when Professor Baldwin picked out both of them, and the same result followed on the writing of the Christian names. Then the Professor moving the pellets on the table with his pencil requested one of the visitors to place a finger on any one, and to place it in the palm of the hand which was done, and he then wrote rapidly on a half sheet of note paper which was on the table, the pellet meanwhile, remaining unopened in the closed hand of the gentleman who had selected it. The Professor then said—“ Open the pellet, and here is the answer to the question you wrote, which was to your mother.” This was found to he the fact. The Professor then wrote rapidly for a few seconds, and said to the gentleman who had written the question to Sir Isaac Newton —“ Take this answer, and now I will find the question.” He then moved the pellets, of which there were seven on the table rapidly about, and at last said—“ Here it is,” On being opened it was found to be at follows —“ Sir Isaac Newton, Sir—ls the moon inhabited ?” The answer which it will be seen was written before the pellet was taken from the number on the table, was as follows “My dear sir,— The moon is inhabited. It is surrounded by an atmosphere something nearly like the earth and does support life. In the year eighteen hundred and ninety-nine a telescope will be finished that will enable men to discover the habitations of the dwellers in the moon, and communication will ultimately be established by means of geometrical figures laid out in the vast Siberian plains. lam glad you wrote such a question.- Yours truly, Sir Isaac Newton.” Another question was answered in a similar way, which if it is to be accepted as authentic goes far to settle a disputed point. This was as follows : “ Shakspeare—Sir, Are the plays attributed to you genuine ? ” The answer being—“ Not all of them. * Andromeda’ and 1 Taming of the Shrew,’ and several others were written by Bacon.—Yours, W. Shakspero. N.B,— You spell my name wrong. It is spelled correctly above. —W. S.” Then followed what was perhaps the most inexplicable of all the tests. Six pellets remained on the table. The Professor had not moved nor left the table and all the pellets were directly under the eyes of the visitors, who kept a keen watch on all his movements to see if by any means they could discover the way the results were obtained. “ Now,” said the Professor to one of them, “ Shake the pellets up in your hand so as to mix them, and throw them on the table. Put your finger on one, and take it in your hand. Do you know whether it was written by yourself or the other gentleman ?” An answer havingbeen given in the negative, the Professor continued, “ Now clasp it tightly in the palm of your hand, and place your hand under the table.” This being done, the Professor said “ You will find that it is a question addressed by you to your mother, who is dead, and the answer is underneath it in her handwriting.” On opening the pellet an answer to the question was found as stated. Some other tests were also given, as the relation of incidents which were known, so far as those concerned were aware, only to themselves, and then the seance closed. Professor Baldwin, it may be stated, does not appear to be under any clairvoyant influence during the sitting, though at times ho writes rapidly as if the ideas came too fast to he recorded, and also appears abstracted as if in deep thought. Altogether the seance was a most interesting one, and at the same time inexplicable as to the means employed to produce the results observed.