The Society for Psychical Research : its rise & progress & a sketch of its work / by Edward T. Bennett.

  • Bennett, Edward T.
Date:
1903
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Society for Psychical Research : its rise & progress & a sketch of its work / by Edward T. Bennett. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    special case selected for quotation is described in an article by Dr. P. Van Eeden, of Bussum, Holland. The substance of it was read at a meeting of the Society on April 19th, 1901. Referring to his visits to Mrs. Thompson in November and December, 1S99, and in June, 1900, Dr. Van Eeden says:— I brought a piece of clothing that had belonged to a young man who had committed suicide. Nobody in the world knew that I had kept it, nor that I had taken it to England with me for this purpose, and yet I got an exact description of the young man and the manner of his suicide, and even his Christian name was given, * Dr. Van Eeden proceeds to discuss the possible telepathic explanation. Again, he says :— Up to the sitting of June 7th [1900], all the information came through Nelly, Mrs. Thompson's so-called spirit-control. But on thai date the deceased tried, as he had promised, to take the control himself, as the technical term goes. The evidence then became very striking. During a few minutes —though a few minutes only— I felt absolutely as if I were speaking to my friend himself. I spoke Dutch, and got immediate and correct answers. The expression of satisfaction and gratification in face and gesture, when we seemed to understand each other, was too true and vivid to be acted. Quite unexpected Dutch words were pronounced, details were given which were far from my mind, some of which . . I had never known, and found to be true only on enquiry afterwards. t In concluding his article Dr. Van Eeden says :— And here, I think, I may make a definite and clear statement of my present opinion, which has been wavering between the two sides for a long time. I should not give any definite statement if I did not feel prepared to do so, however eagerly it might be desired, for I think it the first duty of a scientist and philosopher to abstain from definite statements in uncertain matters. And in observations like these we must reckon with a very general inclination to deny, on second thoughts, what seemed absolutely convincing on the spot and at the moment. Every phenomenon or occurrence of a very extraordinary character is only believed after repeated observation. After the first experience one's mind refuses to stay in the unaccustomed channel of thought, and next morning we say :—' I must have been mistaken, I must have overlooked this or that, there must be some ordinary explanation.' But at this present moment it is about eight months since I had my last sitting with Mrs. Thompson, in Paris, and yet when I read the notes again it is impossible for me to abstain from the * Proceedings, S.P.R., vol, xvii. pp. 77-78.
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