'Twixt two worlds : a narrative of the life and work of William Eglinton

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CHAPTER IX.
SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION ON THE CONTINENT.
HOLIDAY visit to Mrs. Nichols followed the return from Ostend and Bruges,
which was, however, soon curtailed ; the success attending his public work having
become the subject of much interesting speculation in scientific circles in Sweden,
he received and accepted, shortly after his return, a very pressing and cordial
invitation to visit that country. The seances there caused no little sensation
amongst the general public, and particularly in scientific circles, the experiments
taking place at the houses of the elite in Stockholm. A very cordial welcome was extended to
him by, amongst others, M. Pilo, Herr Schildknecht, the Countess Pohlmann, Miss Valerius (an
eminent painter), and the Countess Wachmeister. Reports by well-known scientific men, such
as Professors Tornebom, Edland, Berlin, and Commander Lindmark, in favour of spiritual
phenomena, were communicated to the higher class papers. Nineteen seances were given
without any intermission of rest—all of them extremely satisfactory to those who attended them
;
the
sitters including, besides those already mentioned, many Swedish literary men, artists, and poets.
The testimony borne by Professors Tornebom and Edland is especially noteworthy, inasmuch
as prior to Mr. Eglinton's visit they were both entirely sceptical as regards spiritual phenomena.
Their report appeared in the Aftoiiblad (Evening Post) of the 30th October, which is one of the
best daily papers in Sweden. After calmly and dispassionately pleading for candid inquiry in the
matter, and pointing out that although humbug and charlatanry are sometimes associated with
the subject through fraudulent mediums, they insist that in spite of the prevalent idea that deceit
and hallucination are at the bottom of spiritual phenomena, such hypotheses are not in accord
with a judicial survey of all the facts and the circumstances surrounding them. They then proceeded
to substantiate their argument, first, by alluding to the investigations of Wallace, Crookes,
and Zollner, and many more. These men, undertaking to examine seriously and without any
preconceived opinions these inexplicable facts, which were again and again occurring, had come
to the decision that such things really take place. " These investigators," say Professors Tornebom
and Edland, "were at last quite convinced that things could happen impossible to be explained by
the science of our day, and quite incredible, if there had not been indisputable facts to prove them."
Having thus cleared the ground, they then relate the results of their own personal experience :
" The seances were given at the house of an honoured family here. The room in which they took
place was closely inspected before the beginning of the seance, but nothing unusual was discovered.
The circle was composed of ten persons, including the medium. Everybody sat down at the table,
the conversation going on all the time, without any mystical preparations whatever. On the table