Apparently that “unquestionably honest” Boston medium, who until recently, to all except a few friends and investigators, was known only as “Margery,” has excited doubts in the minds of those who were looking into the nature of her claims to supernatural or at least supernormal powers. Some of them have seen as yet no clear reason for denying that something or somebody most conveniently called a spirit is concerned in the “phenomena” of which she is the centre, but it has been discovered that when precautions against deception have been taken that content mr. houdini, much experienced in mediumistic trickery, the spirits refuse to perform.

“Margery” and all true believers can say, “That proves nothing, one way or the other,” and they are quite right. If there are any spirits with the leisure for ringing bells, throwing assorted articles about and materializing pigeons out of nothing, they have a right to insist on the conditions that suit them, and it is natural enough that they should be more than a bit particular about lights and such things.

But therein lies the next to complete hopelessness of all research in this field. Nothing in it ever is or can be settled. The “exposure” of one medium leaves the others who still are unexposed free to assert honestly to the satisfaction of those who want to communicate with the dead.

At most only a probability can be established and that—a very high one—was done long ago. And still the attempt to prove a universal negative goes on!

This article is reproduced here only for educational purposes. Please do not copy the text or accompanying images for commercial use.