Table Tilting.

No. 26.—By the AUTHOR.

We pass on to experiments in which the ideas transmitted from the agent find other subterranean channels in the percipient's organism for their expression. Of all forms of intelligent automatism writing, next to speaking, is probably in an educated percipient the easiest, because in normal life the commonest. In the cases, therefore, recorded below the actual movements involved, though of a relatively simple kind, as being unaccustomed called possibly for the exercise of a degree of mental activity as high as would have been the case had writing been the vehicle of expression. In the preceding chapter it was recorded, in the experiments with numbers, that some of the answers were given through the movements of a table on which the percipient's hands rested (p. 73). A series of experiments of this nature was made by the writer in November and December 1873, with the assistance of a few friends, amongst whom were Mr. F. H. Colson, now Head Master of Plymouth College, and the Rev. W. E. Smith, of Corton, near Lowestoft. The following is a description of the methods adopted. Three or four of us would sit round a small centre-legged table, cane-bottomed chair, waste-paper basket, or metal tripod, with our hands resting on it. We found that in a few minutes the table (or other instrument) would tilt on one side, or move round and round, with considerable freedom. When these motions had once been fairly established, one or two of those present in the room would retire to a distance, keeping their backs to the table, and think of a letter of the alphabet. The table would move freely up and down, under the varying pressure of the hands laid on it, in a succession of small tilts. Those sitting at the table would count the tilts—one tilt standing for A, two for B, three for C, and so on. Excluding second trials, there were 70 experiments conducted under these conditions. The right letter was tilted in 27 cases, and in two others the next succeeding letter was given. On some occasions the proportion of successes was much higher; thus, on the 28th November, out of a total of 16 trials, 10 were correct. On the 1st December, on the other hand, 10 trials were made without any success. It was the rule throughout that the agents should stand with their backs to the table at some distance from it, and after the first few experiments we found, or thought we found, that the thought-transference succeeded best with a single agent. In order that the letter might not be guessed from the context, we generally took the initial or initial and final letters only of a word; in four cases only did the agent select as many as three consecutive letters of a word. If the letters had been arbitrarily chosen, the chances against the right letters being indicated would be 25 to 1. But as the letters actually selected were in most cases constituent parts of a word, generally the initial letter, and as in some cases two or three consecutive letters were selected, the adverse chances would be reduced, roughly speaking, to something like 15 to 1. But even so the results attained are sufficiently striking.[51]

In these experiments the percipient or percipients themselves counted the tilts; and it is probable that occasionally one or other of those seated at the table half-consciously guided its movements in conformity with his own ideas of what the letter would be. But in a modified form of the experiment, introduced by Professor Richet, the percipients, two or three in number, were seated at one table and a printed alphabet was placed on another table behind the percipients and out of their range of vision. When the first table tilted,[52] under the automatic movements of the hands resting on it, it caused a bell to ring. M. Richet or some other experimenter sat at the second table and drew a pen slowly backwards and forwards over the printed alphabet. The letters to which the pen was pointing when the bell rang were noted, and it was found that they made up intelligible words and sentences, provided that in some cases the next letter or the next but one were substituted for that actually given.[53] All necessary precautions were taken that the alphabet should be out of sight of the "mediums," who were in most cases personal friends of M. Richet, and whose good faith was, he believes, in all cases unimpeachable. Subjoined is an account of the results obtained on one evening. M. Richet appears from the account to have been one of those seated at the tilting table.

No. 27.—By PROFESSOR RICHET.

"On the 9th of November we took the same precautions, but used an ordinary alphabet, not the circular one.[54] The name of the 'spirit' who came to the table was given as V I L L O N. Then we made a great noise, we repeated poetry, sang, and counted to such good purpose that P., who was at the alphabet, could hardly follow the ringing of the bell. We asked for some French poetry. The reply was—

Q U S N N T K F S N E I G D R D A M S A M
O U, S O N T, L E S, N E I G E S, D A N T A N

That is, "Ou sont les neiges d'Antan?"—a verse of Villon's, obviously known to us all.

We then asked, what were the relations of Villon with the kings of France?

K O U H T L E C R U E L
L O U I S, L E, C R U E L

Louis le cruel.

What book ought we to read?

E S S A Y S U R D A D M O N I N M A N H P
E S S A Y, S U R, D A E M O N I O M A N I E

The reader will understand that if I mention these experiments, it is not because the answers are interesting in themselves, but because the precautions taken seemed sufficient to prevent the medium from gaining any knowledge of the movements of the operator at the alphabet.... I add a few more replies; but the number and intrinsic significance of these replies is a matter of but little importance.

F E S T I N A L E N T E
L O F A M D T M R E I I N A J U B R
I N F A N D U M, R E J I N A, J U B E S
R E N O V A R E D O L O R E M
R E N O V A R E, D O L O R E M

The old spelling of the word "Rejina" should be noticed." (Proc. Soc. Psych. Research, vol. v. pp. 142, 143.)

Q U S N N T K F S N E I G D R D A M S A M
O U, S O N T, L E S, N E I G E S, D A N T A N

K O U H T L E C R U E L
L O U I S, L E, C R U E L

E S S A Y S U R D A D M O N I N M A N H P
E S S A Y, S U R, D A E M O N I O M A N I E

F E S T I N A L E N T E
L O F A M D T M R E I I N A J U B R
I N F A N D U M, R E J I N A, J U B E S
R E N O V A R E D O L O R E M
R E N O V A R E, D O L O R E M