FATAL FEAR OF THE OCCULT.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 31 March 1926, Page 12

FATAL FEAR OF THE OCCULT.

TANKS KXBOSKD. •1-1,0 evidenco given at the inquest cm ’ B,.cruft, who drowned herself* aV Soutlnvood, that she livet ill' fear of spirits and j*»t wttmition ot many mmi ll,< l)i." Jlawla Brown, the neurologist, holds a diametrically opposite \mi to that of Kir A. Conan Doyle ‘•The whole question. lie *•'.}*, 1 one that calls for a pubhe inqUIlA and it necessary, legislation “Time and time again do neurologists encounter eases oi ■ brain . minders duo to the patient's >mlu gemsin seances and their interest in p-D lh ‘‘AVonicu form hv far the mTionty of these eases and a. neurotic woman suffering from spiritualistic delusion.. is the saddest sight ol all. . , , “One can imagine how a hi„l>l> st rium- girl or woman pel haps U my circumstances over "h. h she lias no control, would turn to t ie unseen* for help and guidance and so embark on the dreadlul \o.ya_i . “The whole fabric of spincunhsm, this so-called religion, is based on , v hi,i stride to delusions, and Imllucimit ions, the latter being 1 first stage of insanity. There are a. largo mimbei of people who. in fare id the vei> u'nuu liable and unexplained phenomena which lake place at .seances, will not ho inclined to dismiss spni--I'ualism so abruptly hut the inch,awes of fraud .that ocxm ihai throw,, great disc,-edit upon the ru t and many sincere spiritualists ate gravely eoncerued.

TUI.: TIU'AIPET T'AKK. One of the oldest, bill stall, most prevalent and eiieclive. lakes is r trumpet seance. .This is . remark:,l: A simple when it is exphtine. I n wonder is that year nllei 'ca ' should he found hearthi-okeii nun and women who accept it rs genuine Before the lights, are exUngu..s!u< ltn ordinary spoakinrfjtriiinpcl is liassmt round for the msp,.(€io:i ol the .nt ers ” who arc invited to write messages to the dead person with whom the; wish lo communicate. ~ (. These messages are placed m I rout or the medium, who, when the room is in absolute darkness, produces a jjijchi't cnntrivimro winch i>U nito end sf tlie' trumpet. ' This emitrivanee has a fell bottom and contnins a. small electric hull, At the proper moment, it is the easiest thing in the world lor the medium to place the messages on n , felt, switch oil the SO,al light a rea.i the,n by looking through the top of the trumpet. „i In ,If <M - a few minutes leignetL reverie’, lie will boldly anno,,nee. that “Kliza Smith’s’’ mother is speakintr fro!n the “oLlit-r Hilo. SDH! IT PI 10T0K I! A BI I V. “Of all the various |,hases ol phenomena I have witnessed, psychic photo., rnphv has so la r proved to he 1)\ fai” the least convincing. MTer veals' investigation m inanv eouiiirim, .Mr Hanw Price, the Jen ling British psychical iv-cajcli worker, and director ol the wonderful list oniil laboratory .which has jusf been opened al Kensington with | || l( . ( ,i,j,.ri nl' placing spiritualism mi

a .scientific basis, thus suras up bis experiences. Writing in the private journal ;ot tiio. American Psychical .Research Society be says: “Supernormal photographs- are the one phenomena which will'not, apparently, stand the test oi : pure, scientihe inestigution. “Markings on plates have been recorded under good test conditions, but ‘extras’ in the shape of human faces, have not yet been produced satisfactorily.” Mr Price points out that fraudulent ‘psychics’ have been known to photograph windows and showcases to get photos of recently-de-ceased persons who lived in the same town as the “siters” at the seance. STUDIO TR LCKERV. Apart from trickery in the darkroom which has proved to be common, there can also be trickery in the studio or room where the photographs are taken. “There can he trapdoors, projected images; a mirror behind the ‘sitter’ which is reflecting another person suitably screened; faked hackgrounds through which the ‘.spirit’ pokes its head, or in which is a trap, opened at the .moment of exposure, and revealing the face of a dummy who duly appears on the negative.” Mr Price recalls a case where a windawclcnner, in the course of his employment, “snapped” an oilpainting, the portrait, somewhat faked, appearing eventually as a. recognised “extra” on a sitter's own plate.