Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 29.djvu/503

Rh each other. It was in this way that the society's experiments were conducted.

The most satisfactory results were obtained from the family of a Mr. Creery, a clergyman in Derbyshire, four of whose children—girls whose ages ranged from ten to seventeen, thoroughly healthy, and as free as possible from morbid or hysterical symptoms—were reputed to possess the power of being able to designate correctly, without contact or sign, a card or other object fixed upon in the child's absence. To this family the committee made several visits of several days' duration, and the record of their numerous experiments appears to be absolutely unexceptionable and conclusive, as far as it goes. The active members of this committee were Professor Barrett and Messrs. Gurney and Myers.

Sometimes the inquiry took place at Mr. Creery's house, sometimes at the lodgings of the committee. Their plan was to select at random one child, who was then asked to leave the room and wait at a distance, while they chose a card from a pack, or wrote on paper some number or name which occurred to them at the moment. Sometimes, though not invariably, this was shown to the members of the family present in the room; but no one member was always present, and on many occasions the members of the committee were entirely alone. The child was recalled, it having been made certain that she was at some distance when the number or card was selected. This, too, was an unnecessary precaution, as the habit was to avoid any utterance of the chosen card or name. The child was simply told before leaving the room, "This will be a card," or "This will be a name," as the case might be. On re-entering, she stood in any position she chose, though sometimes, at the committee's direction, with her face to the wall. She was silent for a period ranging from a few seconds to a minute, and then called out some name or number, or whatever the subject chosen was to be. If her answer was correct, the committee said "Right," if not, "No," and a second and sometimes a third trial was allowed.

In the case of a card, the chances are fifty-one to one against the successful guessing of any particular card, assuming that there is no such thing as thought-reading, and that errors of experiment are avoided. Yet, in one case of fourteen trials, nine were guessed rightly the first time, and only three trials can be described as complete failures. Some of the trials that resulted in what may be called partial successes are extremely interesting, and we give a short selection from the committee's record. The card selected is given in italics, the guesses in Roman type, and the only remarks made (those of the committee) in parentheses:

Five of clubs. King of hearts (No). Five of clubs (Right). Two of spades. Two of spades (Right). Three of spades. Three of hearts (No). Ace of spades (No). Eight of spades. Eight of clubs (No). Eight of spades (Right).