Experimental investigation of the spirit manifestations, [electronic ...

164 OF MEDIUMSIIIP.medium upon delicate rollers,so that no horizontal movement would affectthe base board supporting the rollers and actuating the index. To givegreater cfl&cacy to the aura, a plate of glass was supported in a woodenframe or sash by means of four screw rods fixed upright on the base board,each furnished with two screw nuts.The screw rods passed through foursuitable holes, so as to have one nut beneath, the other above, the sash.Thus situated, by adjusting the nuts, the sash could be regulated to anyhorizontal level, so as try be near the upper surfaces of the hands withoutany contact therewith.833. On trying this arrangement, it was found as difficult for a spirit toactuate it as if the glazed sash had not been employed.834. Under these circumstances, I had the glass plate or pane slit lengthwiseinto two equal strips. These being restored to the position previouslyoccupied in the sash, I interposed between their edges a piece of sheet-tin,with teeth cut in one of itsedges, (Plate 4, kk,) so as to make it look like along narrow saw, such as are used by sawyers in frames.With the aid of aleaden joint,(such as is used by glaziers to join glass panes,) to which thesaw was soldered, the teeth of this projected about the eighth of an inchbelow the glass, so as to be near the upper surface of any hand, resting onthe sliding board.835. It was with no small degree of satisfaction that I found the apparatusnow sufficiently susceptible of actuation by my spirit friends.836. From this result it would seem that the saw-shaped metallic conductor,operated precisely as it would have acted had it been necessary toimpart to the pane those means of electric discharge of which, as at firstused, itwas deficient.837. As soon as I had introduced the serrated conductor, my spiritfather corroborated the impression that it promoted the influence of themedium.838. This was the first instance in which I have discovered any analogybetween the laws governing the communication of the medium of thespirit will-power, and those obeyed by electrical phenomena.839. An account is given in my narrative of an experiment in which aboard, suspended at one end from a spring-balance, was made to descendwith a force of three pounds, through the instrumentality of a medium whohad no connection with the board, excepting water which was interposed.Hence, as the hook screwed into the board, by which it was secured tothe hook of the balance, was six times as far from the fulcrum as thehands of the medium, the forceexerted by the officiating spirit was equalto 3 X 6 = 18 pounds. (See Plate 3, and description.) Nevertheless,no upward reaction was perceptible to me, nor was any experienced by themedium, Henry Gordon, as he declared.840. In the case of the boy (Plate 3,) a downward action of seven poundswas observed, which, multiplied by the difi"erence of distance, amounted to