General Note
Returning to the kind of family records here given, in which evidence is sporadic rather than systematic though none the less effective, one of the minor points, which yet is of interest, is the appropriate way in which different youths greet their relatives. Thus, while Paul calls his father 'Daddy' and his mother by pet names, as he used to; and while Raymond calls us simply 'Father' and 'Mother,' as he used to; another youth named Ralph—an athlete who had fallen after splendid service in the war—greeted his father, when at length that gentleman was induced to attend a sitting, with the extraordinary salutation "Ullo 'Erb!," spelt out as one word through the table; though, to the astonishment of the medium, it was admitted to be consistent and evidential. The ease and freedom with which this Ralph managed to communicate are astonishing, and I am tempted to add as an appendix some records which his family have kindly allowed me to see, but I refrain, as they have nothing to do with Raymond.
CHAPTER XIII
AN O. J. L. SITTING WITH PETERS
ON the 29th of October I had a sitting with Peters alone, unknown to the family, who I felt sure were still sceptical concerning the whole subject. It was arranged for, as an anonymous sitting, by my friend Mr. J. Arthur Hill of Bradford. The things said were remarkable, and distinctly pointed to clairvoyance. I am doubtful about reporting more than a few lines, however. There was a great deal that might be taken as encouraging and stimulating, intermixed with the more evidential portions. A small part of this sitting is already reported in [Chapter III], and might now be read by anyone interested in the historical sequence.
A few unimportant opening lines I think it necessary to report, because of their connexion with another sitting:—
Anonymous O. J. L. Sitting with A. Vout Peters at 15 Devereux Court, Fleet Street, on Friday,
29 October 1915, from 10.30 to 11.45 a.m.
(Sitter only spoken of as a friend of Mr. Hill)[21]
PETERS.—Before we begin, I must say something: I feel that I have a certain fear of you, I don't know what it is, but you affect me in a most curious way. I must tell you the honest truth before I am controlled....
[Whatever this may mean it corresponds with what was said at the previous M. F. A. L. Sitting, p. [132], though M. F. A. L. had sat as a friend of Mrs. Kennedy in her house, and I sat as a friend of Mr. Hill in Peters's room, and no sort of connexion was indicated between us].
(Soon afterwards the medium twitched, snapped his fingers, and began to speak as 'Moonstone':—)
"I come to speak to you, but I must get my Medie deep; we get superficial control first, and then go deeper and deeper; with your strong personality you frighten him a little; I find a little fear in the medium.... You bring with you a tremendous amount of work and business," etc.
Now I get a new influence: an old lady, medium height, rounded face; light eyes; grey hair; small nose; lips somewhat thin, or held together as suppressed; a lady with very strong will; tremendously forcible she is. She passed away after leading a very active life....
She's a very good woman. It is not the first time she has come back. She tells me to tell you that they are all here. All. Because they are trying to reach out to you their love and sympathy at the present occasion, and they are thanking you both for the opportunity of getting back to you. "We are trying all we can also to bring him back to you, to let you realise that your faith, which you have held as a theory"—it is curious, but she wants me to say her message word for word—"as a theory for years, shall be justified." Then she rejoices ... (and refers to religious matters, etc.). [This clearly suggested the relative whose first utterance of this kind is reported so long ago as 1889 in Proc., S.P.R., vol. vi. p. 468 & 470.]
Now she brings up a young man from the back. I must explain what we mean by 'the back' some time.
O. J. L.—But I understand.
He is of medium height; somewhat light eyes; the face browned somewhat; fairly long nose; the lips a little full; nice teeth. He is standing pretty quiet.
Look here, I know this man! And it is not the first time he has been to us. Now he smiles, 'cos I recsonise him [so pronounced], but he comes back very, very strongly. He tells me that he is pushing the door open wider. Now he wants me to give you a message. He is going to try to come down with you; because it looks to me as though you are travelling to-day. "Down," he says. "I come down with you. We will try" (he says 'we,' not 'I'), "we will try to bring our united power to prove to you that I am here; I and the other young man who helped me, and who will help me."
[The association of Raymond with 'another young man,' and his intention to come 'down' with me when I travelled back home on the same day to meet Mrs. Kennedy there, are entirely appropriate.—O. J. L.]
Look here, it is your boy! Because he calls you 'Father'; not 'Pa,' nor anything, but 'Father.' [True.]
O. J. L.—Yes, my son.
Wait a minute; now he wants to tell me one thing: "I am so glad that you took such a common-sense view of the subject, and that you didn't force it on mother. But you spoke of it as an actuality. She treated it like she treats all your things that she couldn't understand; giving you, as she always has done, the credit of being more clever than herself. But when I came over as I did, and in her despair, she came to you for help; but she wanted to get away from anything that you should influence."
[Unfortunately, some one knocked at the door—a servant probably, wanted to come in and clear the room. The medium jerked and said, "Tell them to go away." I called out, "Can't come in now, private, engaged." Some talking continued outside for a little time—very likely it was some one wanting an interview with Peters. After a time the disturbance ceased. It was not very loud; the medium ignored it, except for the rather loud and strong knock, which certainly perturbed him.]
Tell me where I was.
(I repeated: "She wanted to get away from anything that you should influence.")
Oh yes. He wants to say that you were quite right in staying away and letting her work altogether by herself. She was able to do better than if you had been there. You would have spoilt it.
Your common-sense method of approaching the subject in the family has been the means of helping him to come back as he has been able to do; and had he not known what you had told him, then it would have been far more difficult for him to come back. He is very deliberate in what he says. He is a young man that knows what he is saying.
Do you know F. W. M.?
O. J. L.—Yes, I do.
[The next portion, relating to Myers, has been already reported in [Chapter III]; and the concluding portion, which is rather puzzling, shall be suppressed, as it relates to other people.]
Towards the end 'Moonstone' began talking about himself, which he does in an interesting manner, and I shall perhaps give him an opportunity of saying more about the assumption of 'control' from his point of view. Meanwhile I quote this further extract:—