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CHAPTER II.

RAPPING AND TABLE-MOVING- - REALITY OF PHENOMENA.

IT

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T is now ten years since I began attentively to observe the phenomena of Spiritualism.' My first experience occurred in the presence of Mrs. Hayden from New York. I never heard a word which could shake my strong conviction of Mrs. Hayden's honesty; indeed, the result of our first interview, when my name was quite unknown to her, was sufficient to prove that I was not on that occasion the victim of her imposture, or my own credulity.

A party of friends, many of them known in the literary world, permitted me to join them, and another literary friend, Mr. James,* a man of unimpeachable truthfulness, undertook to arrange a meeting with Mrs. Hayden, whom we were to visit at her lodging near Cavendish Square. At the appointed time we went, and were shown into a scantily furnished drawingroom.. We had ample opportunity, of which we availed

* All names are changed or suppressed through every experience narrated.

ourselves, for examining the old Pembroke table and the other furniture before Mrs. Hayden and our friend Mr. James made their appearance. She was introduced to us, but was evidently a stranger to any of our names, which were never mentioned. As my own experience is to be narrated, I may premise, that I had determined not to ask for nor to dwell in thought on the name of any departed friend, and when the rest sat down I begged leave to sit out of the circle. This per

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mission was not given, Mrs. Hayden saying, as we have since proved, that perfect unanimity was a necessary condition of success. I then took my place at the table with my friends. We sat for at least a quarter of an hour, and were beginning to apprehend a failure, when a very small throbbing or patting sound was heard, apparently in the centre of the table. Great was our pleasure when Mrs. Hayden, who had before seemed rather anxious, said "They are coming.' Who were coming?' Neither she nor we could tell. As the sounds gathered strength, which they seemed to do with our necessary conviction of their genuineness, whatever might be their origin, Mrs. Hayden said, 'There is a spirit who wishes to speak with some one here, but as I do not know the names of the gentlemen and ladies, I must point to each in turn, and when I come to the right one, beg that the spirit will rap.' This was agreed to by our invisible companion, who rapped in assent. Mrs. Hayden then pointed to each of the party in turn.

To my surprise, and even annoyance, (for I did not wish this, and many of my friends did,) no sounds were heard until she indicated myself, the last in the circle. I was seated at her right hand; she had gone round from the left. I was then directed to point to the letters of a large type alphabet, and I may add, that, having no wish to obtain the name of any dear friend or relation, I certainly did not rest, as it has been surmised is often done, on any letter. However, to my astonishment, the not common name of a dear relation who had left this world seventeen years before, and whose surname was that of my father's, not my husband's family, was spelt. Then this sentence-'I am happy, and with F. and G.' (names at length). I then received a promise of future communication with all three spirits; the two last had left the world twenty and twelve years before. Other persons present then received communications by rapping; of these some were as singularly truthful and satisfactory as that to myself, while others were false and even mischievous. One, if I remember rightly, contained an accusation of murder against a living person; another professed to come from a 'spirit' which was quite unknown to the lady thus visited, and who was then, and I believe remains to this time, quite incredulous on the subject.

The occurrences of this first sitting are narrated in this detailed manner because the experiment was tried under very favourable circumstances, and because the

various successes and failures on that occasion served afterwards to indicate the simpler laws regulating the appearance of the phenomenon. After this meeting our names were made known to Mrs. Hayden.

We agreed next to meet at the house of one of those who had been present on the first evening. As before, I narrate my own share in the proceedings.

We had not sat for many minutes when the same sound was heard as on the previous occasion, and again it was for me. The presence of the other two friends was announced by the first 'spirit,' and each rapped at my request, a very decided difference being perceptible in the sounds, such as might be expected between the influence of a man of firm and energetic will, and that of one much younger, less powerful, and more imaginative. The first heard sound was different from both. Each of the two who had not hitherto spoken was to give some sentence by which I might recognise him. The older 'spirit,' which gave the name of one who during his stay on earth was constantly occupied in religious thought, and in anticipations of the fulfilments of the promises of Scripture, gave this sentence: "My why do you doubt the holy attributes of God, when this is in perfect accordance with His teaching?'

This was certainly the sort of sentiment, but not the phraseology, likely to have been used by the person, whose name, I ought to have said, had been correctly given by the raps.

The name of the younger spirit was very peculiar, and very unlikely to have been heard by anyone present, with all of whom I had become acquainted many years subsequently to my relation's death, and I had never been in the habit of speaking of him. With Mrs. Hayden's permission I took a writing portfolio, and set it upright between her eyes and the alphabet so as completely to prevent her seeing the letters. The singular name was given with perfect accuracy. I asked then for a proof of identity, and received this:'D, e, α, r, e, 8, t.' Every one wrote and expected 'Dearest,' and all but myself were puzzled and annoyed when, instead of my name, the three letters 'h, e, r,' were given. This completed the name of an attached friend of my communicant, from whom he had received much kindness, and who did not long survive him. The sentence was :

"Dear Esther is with me, and we long to clasp you in our arms in this bright world of glory.'

Here again a mixture and an incongruity. The identification of the two 'spirits,' both by name and the meaning of the sentences, was complete; but then,

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clasp you in our arms,' &c., was so wholly unlike any language used by my relations when with us, that it puzzled me. I afterwards found that this was a phrase of Mrs. Hayden's; and it occurred more than once in communications given by raps in her presence. Some of my friends thought this improbable phraseology a