Modern spiritism; its science and religion - SpiritArchive.org

36 MODERN SPIRITISM
presence of Lord Crawford, the Earl of Dunraven,
and Captain Wynn, D. D. Home was seen floating
round the room near the ceiling, carrying an armchair
with him.
On December i6th the same people saw Home
float, out of the window, eighty-five feet above the
ground, andtravel 7^ feet to the next window, and
there glide in feet foremost, and then sit down.
This is perhaps the greatest physical marvel known
in Spiritism. For the suggested explanation of this,
and all other wonders, I must ask my readers to
wait in patience till they reach Chapter V.
Materialisation
Materialisation seems to me, if possible, a still
greater wonder, inasmuch as it apparently involves
the production, from some unknown source, of a
living being.
(I may say at once that most of these movements
and physical appearances are delusions or
frauds, as I shall show presently.)
Talking to Mr. Robert King, the well-known
occultist, the other day, he told me that there
were some six mediums in these isles who had
the power to materialise spirits; that all were
drunkards, and would deceive you by fraud if they
could.
The three cases on which apparently genuine
materialisation really rests are Sir Wm. Crookes'
"Katie King," Professor Richet's "Arab" and Dr.
Morselli's mother Eusapia being the medium here.
E,usapia is a Neapolitan peasant woman, publicly
convicted of fraud on several occasions.