ItiswelltoaddthatbothMme。Buscarlet’sletterandthereplieswhichcamefromRussiawerecommunicatedtoProfessorFlournoyandbearthepostmarkdates。

Suchpremonitorydreamsarefrequent；butitdoesnotoftenhappenthatcircumstancesandespeciallytheexistenceofadocumentdatedprevioustotheirfulfilmentgivethemsuchincontestableauthenticity。

Wemayremarkinpassingtheoddcharacterofthispremonition，whichhoweverisfullyinaccordancewiththehabitsofourunknownguest。Thedateisfixedprecisely；butonlyaveiledandmysteriousallusion（thewomanlyingacrossthecarriageandcloakedinwhite）ismadetotheessentialpartoftheprediction，theillnessanddeath。

Wasthereacoincidence，avisionofthefuturepureandsimple，oravisionofthefuturesuggestedbytelepathicinfluence？Thetheoryofcoincidencecanbedefended，ifneedbe，hereaseverywhereelse，butwouldbeveryextraordinaryinthiscase。Asfortelepathicinfluence，weshouldhavetosupposethat，onthe9thofDecember，aweekbeforeherdeath，Mme。Nitchinofhadinhersubconsciousnessapresentimentofherendandthatshetransmittedthispresentimentacrosssomethousandsofmiles，fromKazantoGeneva，toapersonwithwhomshehadneverbeenintimate。Itisverycomplex，butpossible，fortelepathyoftenhasthesedisconcertingways。Ifthiswereso，thecasewhichwouldbeoneoflatentillnessorevenofself-suggestion；andthepreexistenceofthefuture，withoutbeingentirelydisproved，wouldbelessclearlyestablished。

5

Letuspasstootherexamples。Iquotefromanexcellentarticleoftheimportanceofprecognitions，byMessrs。PickeringandSadgrove，whichappearedintheAnnalesdesSciencesPsychiquesfor1February1908，thesummaryofanexperimentbyMrs。A。W。

VerralltoldinfulldetailinVol。XXoftheProceedings。Mrs。

Verrallisacelebrated"automatist"；andher"cross-correspondence"occupyawholevolumeoftheProceedings。

Hergoodfaith，hersincerity，herfairnessandherscientificprecisionareabovesuspicion；andsheisoneofthemostactiveandrespectedmembersoftheSocietyforPsychicalResearch。

Onthe11thofMay，1901，at11。10p。m。，Mrs。Verrallwroteasfollows：

"Donothurrydatethishocestquodvolui——tandem。{greekhere}A。W。V。{greekhere}。calxpedibusinhaerensdifficultatemsuperavit。magnopereadiuvaspersectandosemper。Nomeninscribereiampossum——sic，entibi！"[1]

[1]Xenoglossyiswellknownnottobeunusualinautomaticwriting；sometimeseventhe’automatist’speaksorwriteslanguagesofwhichheiscompletelyignorant。TheLatinandGreekpassagesaretranslatedasfollows：

"ThisiswhatIhavewantedatlast。Justiceandjoyspeakawordtothewise。A。W。V。andperhapssomeoneelse。Chalkstickingtothefeethasgotoverthedifficulty。Youhelpgreatlybyalwayspersevering。NowIcanwriteaname——thus，hereitis！"

Afterthewritingcomesahumorousdrawingrepresentingabirdwalking。

Thatsamenight，asthereweresaidtobe"uncannyhappenings"insomeroomsneartheLondonLawCourts，thewatchersarrangedtositthroughthenightintheemptyrooms。Precautionsweretakentopreventintrusionandpowderedchalkwasspreadonthefloorofthetwosmallerrooms，"totraceanybodyoranythingthatmightcomeorgo。"Mrs。Verrallknewnothingofthematter。Thephenomenabeganat12：43A。M。andendedat2：09A。M。Thewatchersnoticedmarksonthepowderedchalk。Onexaminationitwasseenthatthemarkswere"clearlydefinedbird’sfootprintsinthemiddleofthefloor，threeintheleft-handroomandfiveintheright-handroom。"Themarkswereidenticalandexactly23/4

inchesinwidth；theymightbecomparedtothefootprintsofabirdaboutthesizeofaturkey。Thefootprintswereobservedat2：30A。M。；theunexplainedphenomenahadbegunat12：43thatsamemorning。Thewordsabout"chalkstickingtothefeet"areasingularlyappropriatecommentontheevents；buttheremarkablepointisthatMrs。VerrallwrotewhatwehavesaidONEHOURAND

THIRTY-THREEMINUTESBEFORETHEEVENTSTOOKPLACE。

ThepersonswhowatchedinthetworoomswerequestionedbyMr。

J。G。Piddington，amemberofthecounciloftheS。P。R。，anddeclaredthattheyhadnotanyexpectationofwhattheydiscovered。

IneedhardlyaddthatMrs。VerrallhadneverheardanythingaboutthehappeningsinthehauntedhouseandthatthewatcherswerecompletelyignorantofMrs。Verrall’sexistence。

Herethenisawrycuriouspredictionofanevent，insignificantinitself，whichistohappen，inahouseunknowntotheonewhoforetellsit，topeoplewhomshedoesnotknoweither。Thespiritualists，whoscoreinthiscase，notwithoutsomereason，willhaveitthataspirit，inordertoproveitsexistenceanditsintelligence，organizedthislittlesceneinwhichthefuture，thepresentandthepastareallmixeduptogether。Aretheyright？OrisMrs。Verrall’ssubconsciousnessroaminglikethis，atrandom，inthefuture？Itiscertainthattheproblemhasseldomappearedunderamorebafflingaspect。

6

Wewillnowtakeanotherpremonitorydream，strictlycontrolledbythecommitteeoftheS。P。R。[1]EarlyinSeptember，1893，Annette，wifeofWalterJones，tobacconist，ofOldGravelLane，EastLondon，hadherlittleboyill。Onenightshedreamtthatshesawacartdriveupandstopnearwhenshewas。Itcontainedthreecoffins，"twowhiteandoneblue。Onewhitecoffinwasbiggerthantheother；andthebluewasthebiggestofthethree。"Thedrivertookoutthebiggerwhitecoffinandleftitatthemother’sfeet，drivingoffwiththeothers。Mrs。Jonestoldherdreamtoherhusbandandtoaneighbour，layingparticularstressonthecuriouscircumstancethatoneofthecoffinswasblue。

[1]Proceedings，vol。xi。，p。493。

Onthe10thofSeptember，afriendofMr。andMrs。Joneswasconfinedofaboy，whodiedonthe29thofthesamemonth。TheirownlittleboydiedonthefollowingMonday，the2ndofOctober，beingthensixteenmonthsold。Itwasdecidedtoburythetwochildrenonthesameday。Onthemorningofthedaychosen，theparishpriestinformedMr。andMrs。Jonesthatanotherchildhaddiedintheneighbourhoodandthatitsbodywouldbebroughtintochurchalongwiththetwoothers。Mrs。Jonesremarkedtoherhusband：

"Ifthecoffinisblue，thenmydreamwillcometrue。Forthetwoothercoffinswerewhite。"

Thethirdcoffinwasbrought；itwasblue。Itremainstobeobservedthatthedimensionsofthecoffinscorrespondedexactlywiththedreampremonitions，thesmallestbeingthatofthechildwhodiedfirst，thenextthatofthelittleJonesboy，whowassixteenmonthsold，andthelargest，theblueone，thatofaboysixyearsofage。

Letustake，moreorlessatrandom，anothercasefromtheinexhaustibleProceedings。[1]ThereportiswrittenbyMr。AlfredCooperandattestedbytheDuchessofHamilton，theDukeofManchesterandanothergentlemantowhomtheduchessrelatedtheincidentbeforethefulfilmentofthepropheticvision：

[1]Proceedings，vol。xi。，p。505。

"AfortnightbeforethedeathofthelateEarlofL。——，"saysMr。

Cooper，"in1882，IcalledupontheDukeofHamilton，inHillStreet，toseehimprofessionally。AfterIhadfinishedseeinghim，wewentintothedrawing-roomwheretheduchesswas，andthedukesaidtome：

"’Oh，Cooper，howistheearl？’

"Theduchesssaid，’Whatearl？’and，onmyanswering，’LordL——，’

shereplied：

"’Thatisveryodd。Ihavehadamostextraordinaryvision。I

wenttobed，but，afterbeinginbedashorttime，Iwasnotexactlyasleep，butthoughtIsawasceneasiffromaplaybeforeme。TheactorsinitwereLordL——，inachair，asifinafit，withamanstandingnearhimwitharedbeard。Hewasbythesideofabath，overwhichbatharedlampwasdistinctlyshown。’

"Ithensaid：

"’IamattendingLordL——atpresent；thereisverylittlethematterwithhim；heisnotgoingtodie；hewillbeallrightverysoon。’

"Well，hegotbetterforaweekandwasnearlywell，but，attheendofsixorsevendaysafterthis，Iwascalledtoseehimsuddenly。Hehadinflammationofbothlungs。

"IcalledinSirWilliamJenner，butinsixdayshewasadeadman。Thereweretwomalenursesattendingonhim；onehadbeentakenill。But，whenIsawtheother，thedreamoftheduchesswasexactlyrepresented。Hewasstandingnearabathovertheearland，strangetosay，hisbeardwasred。Therewasthebathwiththeredlampoverit；andthisbroughtthestorytomymind。

"ThevisionseenbytheduchesswastoldtwoweeksbeforethedeathofLordL——。Itisamostremarkablething。"

7

Butitisimpossibletofindspaceforthemanyinstancesrelated。AsIhavesaid，therearehundredsofthem，makingtheirtracksineverydirectionacrosstheplainsofthefuture。ThosewhichIhavequotedgiveasufficientideaofthepredominatingtoneandthegeneralaspectofthissortofstory。Itisneverthelessrighttoaddthatmanyofthemarenotatalltragicandthatpremonitionopensitsmysteriousandcapriciousvistasofthefutureinconnectionwiththemostdiverseandinsignificantevents。Itcaresbutlittleforthehumanvalueoftheoccurrenceandputsthevisionofanumberinalotteryinthesameplaneasthemostdramaticdeath。Theroadsbywhichitreachesusarealsounexpectedandvaried。Often，asintheexamplesquoted，itcomestousinadream。Sometimes，itisanauditoryorvisualhallucinationwhichseizesuponuswhileawake；sometimes，anindefinablebutclearandirresistiblepresentiment，ashapelessbutpowerfulobsession，anabsurdbutimperativecertaintywhichrisesfromthedepthsofourinnerdarkness，whereperhapslieshiddenthefinalanswertoeveryriddle。

Onemightillustrateeachofthesemanifestationswithnumerousexamples。Iwillmentiononlyafew，selectednotamongthemoststrikingorthemostattractive，butamongthosewhichhavebeenmoststrictlytestedandinvestigated。[1]AyoungpeasantfromtheneighbourhoodofGhent，twomonthsbeforethedrawingfortheconscription，announcestoallandsundrythathewilldrawnumber90fromtheurn。Onenteringthepresenceofthedistrict-commissionerincharge，heasksifnumber90isstillin。Theanswerisyes。

[1]Proceedings，vol。xi。，p。545。

"Wellthen，Ishallhaveit！"

And，tothegeneralamazement，hedoesdrawnumber90。

Questionedastothemannerinwhichheacquiredthisstrangecertainty，hedeclaredthat，twomonthsago，justafterhehadgonetobed，hesawahuge，indescribableformappearinacornerofhisroom，withthenumber90standingoutplainlyinthemiddle，infiguresthesizeofaman’shand。Hesatupinbedandshutandopenedhiseyestopersuadehimselfthathewasnotdreaming。Theapparitionremainedinthesameplace，distinctlyandundeniably。

ProfessorGeorgesHulin，oftheuniversityofGhent，andM。JulesvanDooren，thedistrictcommissioner，whoreporttheincident，mentionthreeothersimilarandequallystrikingcaseswitnessedbyM。vanDoorenduringhistermofoffice。IamthelessinclinedtodoubttheirdeclarationinasmuchasIampersonallyacquaintedwiththemandknowthattheirstatements，asregardstheobjectiverealityofthefacts，aresotospeakequivalenttoalegaldeposition。M。Bozzanomentionssomeprevisionswhicharequiteasremarkableinconnectionwiththegaming-tablesatMonteCarlo。

Irepeat，Iamawarethat，inthecaseoftheseoccurrencesandthosewhichresemblethem，itispossibleonceagaintoinvokethetheoryofcoincidence。Itwillbecontendedthatthereareprobablyathousandpredictionsofthiskindwhicharenevertalkedabout，becausetheywerenotfulfilled，whereas，ifoneofthemisaccomplished，whichisboundbythelawofprobabilitiestohappensomedayorother，theastonishmentisgeneralandfreereinisgiventotheimagination。Thisistrue；nevertheless，itiswelltoenquirewhetherthesepredictionsareasfrequentasislooselystated。Inthematterofthosewhichconcerntheconscription-drawings，forinstance，Ihavehadtheopportunityofinterrogatingmorethanweconstantwitnessoftheselittledramasoffate；andalladmittedthat，onthewhole，theyaremuchclearerthanonewouldbelieve。Next，wemustnotforgetthattherecanbenoquestionhereofscientificproofs。Weareinthemidstofaslipperyandnebulousregion，wherewewouldnotdaretoriskastepifwewerenotallowingourselvestobeguidedbyourfeelingsratherthanbycertaintieswhichwearenotforbiddentohopefor，butwhicharenotyetinsight。

8

Wewillabridgeoursubjectstillfurther，referringreaderswhowishtoknowthedetailstotheoriginals，lestweshouldneverhavedone；orrather，insteadofattemptinganabridgment，whichwouldstillbetoolong，soplentifularethematerials，wewillcontentourselveswithenumeratingafewinstances，alltakenfromBozzano’sDesPhenomenespremonitoires。Wereadthereofafuneralprocessionseenonahigh-roadseveraldaysbeforeitactuallypassedthatway；or，again，ofayoungmechanicwho，inthebeginningofNovember，dreamtthathecamehomeathalf-pastfiveintheafternoonandsawhissister’slittlegirlrunoverbyatram-carwhilecrossingthestreetinfrontofthehouse。Hetoldhisdream，ingreatdistress；and，onthe13thofthesamemonth，inspiteofalltheprecautionsthathadbeentaken，thechildwasrunoverbythetram-carandkilledatthehournamed。

Wefindtheghost，thephantomanimalorthemysteriousnoisewhich，incertainfamilies，isthetraditionalheraldofadeathorofanimminentcatastrophe。WefindthecelebratedvisionwhichthepainterSegantinihadthirteendaysbeforehisdecease，everydetailofwhichremainedinhismindandwasrepresentedinhislastpicture，Death。WefindtheMessinadisasterdearlyforeseen，twiceover，byalittlegirlwhoperishedundertheruinsoftheill-fatedcity；andwereadofadreamwhich，threemonthsbeforetheFrenchinvasionofRussia，foretoldtoCountessToutschkoffthatherhusbandwouldfallatBorodino，avillagesolittleknownatthetimethatthoseinterestedinthedreamlookedinvainforitsnameonthemaps。Untilnowwehavespokenonlyofthespontaneousmanifestationsofthefuture。Itwouldseemasthoughcomingevents，gatheredinfrontofourlives，bearwithcrushingweightupontheuncertainanddeceptivedikeofthepresent，whichisnolongerabletocontainthem。Theyoozethrough，theyseekacrevicebywhichtoreachus。But，sidebysidewiththesepassive，independentandintractablepremonitions，whicharebutsomanyvagrantandfurtiveemanationsoftheunknown，areotherswhichdoyieldtoentreaty，allowthemselvestobedirectedintochannels，aremoreorlessobedienttoourordersandwillsometimesreplytothequestionswhichweputtothem。Theycomefromthesameinaccessiblereservoir，arenolessmysterious，butyetappearalittlemorehumanthantheothers；and，withoutdruggingourselveswithpuerileordangerousillusions，wemaybepermittedtohopethat，ifwefollowthemandstudythemattentively，theywillonedayopentousthehiddenpathsthatjointhatwhichisnomoretothatwhichisnotyet。

Itistruethathere，wherewemustneedsmixwiththesomewhatlawlessworldofprofessionalmystery-mongers，wehavetoincreaseourcautionandwalkwithmeasuredstepsonverysuspiciousground。Butinthisregionofpitfallswegleanacertainnumberoffactsthatcannotreasonablybecontested。Itwillbeenoughtorecall，forinstance，thesymbolicpremonitionsofthefamous"seeressofPrevorst，"FrauHauffe，whosepropheticspiritwasawakenedbysoapbubbles，crystalsandmirrors；[1]theclairvoyantwho，eighteenyearsbeforetheevent，foretoldthedeathofagirlbythehandofherrivalin1907，inawrittenprophecywhichwaspresentedtothecourtbythemotherofthemurderedgirl；[1]A。J。C。Kerner：DieScherinvonPrevorst141

[1]thegypsywho，alsoinwriting，foretoldalltheeventsinMissIsabelArundel’slife，includingthenameofherhusband，Burton，thefamousexplorer；[2]thesealedletteraddressedtoM。

Morin，vice-presidentoftheSocieteduMesmerisme，describingthemostunexpectedcircumstancesofadeaththatoccurredamonthlater；[3]thefamous"Marmontelprediction，"obtainedbyMrs。Verrall’scross-correspondences，whichgivesavision，twomonthsandahalfbeforetheiraccomplishment，ofthemostinsignificantactionsofatravellerinanhotelbedroom；[4]andmanyothers。

[1]Light，1907，p。219。ThecrimewascommittedinParisandmadeagreatstiratthetime。

[2]LadyBurton：TheLifeofCaptainSirRichd。F。Burton，K。C。M。G。，vol。i。，p。253。

[3]JournaloftheSocietyforPsychicalResearch，vol。ix。，p。

15。

[4]Proceedings，vol。xx。，p。331。

9

Iwillnotreviewthevariousandveryoftengrotesquemethodsofinterrogatingthefuturethataremostfrequentlypractisedto-day：cards，palmistry，crystal-gazing，fortune-tellingbymeansofcoffee-grounds，tea-leaves，magneticneedlesandwhiteofegg，graphology，astrologyandtherest。Thesemethods，asI

havealreadysaid，areworthexactlywhatthemediumwhoemploysthemisworth。Theyhavenootherobjectthantoarousethemedium’ssubconsciousnessandtobringitintorelationwiththatofthepersonquestioninghim。Asamatteroffact，allthesepurelyempiricalprocessesarebutsomany，oftenpuerileformsofself-manifestationadoptedbytheundeniablegiftwhichisknownasintuition，clairvoyanceor，incertaincases，psychometry。Ihavespokenatsufficientlengthofthislastfacultynottolingeroveritnow。Allthatwehavestilltodoistoconsideritforamomentinitsrelationswiththeforetellingofthefuture。Alargenumberofinvestigations，notablythoseconductedbyM。DuchatelandDr。Osty，showthat，inpsychometry，thenotionoftime，asDr。JosephMaxwellobserves，isveryloose，thatistosay，thepast，presentandfuturenearlyalwaysoverlap。Mostoftheclairvoyantorpsychometricsubjects，whentheyarehonest，donotknow，"donotfeel，"asM。Duchatelveryablyremarks，"whatthefutureis。

Theydonotdistinguishitfromtheothertenses；andconsequentlytheysucceedinbeingprophets，butunconsciousprophets。"Inaword——andthisisaveryimportantindicationfromthepointofviewoftheprobablecoexistenceofthethreetenses——itappearsthattheyseethatwhichisnotyetwiththesameclearnessandonthesameplaneasthatwhichisnomore，butareincapableofseparatingthetwovisionsandpickingoutthefuturewhichaloneinterestsus。Forastillstrongerreason，itisimpossibleforthemtostatedateswithprecision。

Nevertheless，thefactremainsthat，whenwetakethetroubletosifttheirevidenceandhavethepatiencetoawaittherealizationofcertaineventswhicharesometimesnotdueforalongtimetocome，thefutureisfairlyoftenperceivedbysomeofthesestrangesoothsayers。

Therearepsychometers，however，andnotablyMme。M——，Dr。Osty’sfavoritemedium，whoneverconfusethefutureandthepast。Mme。

M——placeshervisionsintimeaccordingtothepositionwhichtheyoccupyinspace。Thussheseesthefutureinfrontofher，thepastbehindherandthepresentbesideher。But，notwithstandingthesedistinctly-gradedvisions，shealsoisincapableofnamingherdatesexactly；infact，hermistakesinthisrespectaresogeneralthatDr。Ostylooksuponitasapurechronologicalcoincidencewhenapredictionisrealizedatthemomentforetold。

Weshouldalsoobservethat，inpsychometry，onlythoseeventscanbeperceivedwhichrelatedirectlytotheindividualcommunicatingwiththepercipient，foritisnotsomuchthepercipientthatseesintousaswethatreadinourownsubconsciousness，whichismomentarilylightedbyhispresence。

Wemustnotthereforeaskhimforpredictionsofageneralcharacter，whether，forinstance，therewillbeawarinthespring，anepidemicinthesummeroranearthquakeintheautumn。

Themomentthequestionconcernsevents，howeverimportant，withwhichwearenotintimatelyconnected，heisboundtoanswer，asdoallthegenuinemediums，thatheseesnothing。

Theareaofhisvisionbeingthuslimited，doeshereallydiscoverthefutureinit？Afterthreeyearsofnumerous，cautiousandsystematicexperimentswithsometwentymediums，Dr。

Ostycategoricallydeclaresthathedoes：

"Alltheincidents，"hesays，"whichfilledthesethreeyearsofmylife，whetherwishedforbymeornot，orevenabsolutelycontrarytotheordinaryroutineofmylife，hadalwaysbeenforetoldtome，notallbyeachoftheclairvoyantsubjects，butallbyoneorotherofthem。AsIhavebeenpractisingthesetestscontinually，itseemstomethattheexperienceofthreeyearswhollydevotedtothisobjectshouldgivesomeweighttomyopiniononthesubjectofpredictions。"

Thisisincontestable；andthesincerity，scientificconscientiousnessandhighintellectualvalueofDr。Osty’sfineworkinspireonewiththemostentireconfidence。Unfortunately，hecontentshimselfwithquotingtoosummarilyafewfactsanddoesnot，asheought，giveusinextensothedetailsofhisexperiments，controlsandtests。Iamwellawarethatthiswouldbeathanklessandwearisometask，necessitatingalargevolumewhichamassofpuerileincidentsandinevitablerepetitionswouldmakealmostreadable。Moreover，itcouldscarcelyhelptakingtheformofanintimateandindiscreetautobiography；anditisnoteasytobringone’sselftomakethissortofpublicconfession。Butithastobedone。Inasciencewhichisonlyinitsearlystages，itisnotenoughtoshowtheobjectattainedandtostateone’sconviction；itisnecessaryabovealltodescribeeverypaththathasbeentakenand，byanincessantandinfiniteaccumulationofinvestigatedandattestedfacts，toenableeveryonetodrawhisownconclusions。ThishasbeenthecumbrousandlaboriousmethodoftheProceedingsforoverthirtyyears；anditistheonlyrightone。Discussionispossibleandfruitfulonlyatthatprice。Inalltheseextraconsciousmatters，wehavenotyetreachedthestageofdefinitededuction，wearestillbringingupmaterialstothesceneofoperations。

Oncemore，Iknowthat，inthesecases，asIhaveseenformyself，thereallyconvincingfactsarenecessarilyveryrare；

indeed，nowhereelsedowemeetwiththesamedifficulty。Ifthemediumtellsyou，forinstance，asMme。M。seemseasilytodo，howyouwillemployyourdayfromthemorningonwards，ifsheseesyouinacertainhouseinacertainstreetmeetingthisorthatperson，itisimpossibletosaythat，ontheonehand，sheisnotalreadyreadingyourasyetunconsciousplansorintentions，orthat，ontheotherhand，bydoingwhatshehasforeseen，youarenotobeyingasuggestionagainstwhichyoucouldnotfightexceptbyviolentlydoingtheoppositetowhatitdemandsofyou，whichagainwouldbeacaseofinvertedsuggestion。Nonethereforewouldhaveanyvaluesavepredictionsofunlikelyhappenings，clearlydefinedandoutsidethesphereofthepersoninterested。AsDr。Ostysays：

"Theidealprognosticationwouldobviouslybethatofaneventsorare，sosuddenandunexpected，implyingsuchachangeinone’smodeoflifethatthetheoryofcoincidencecouldnotdecentlybeputforward。But，aseverybodyisnot，inthepeacefulcourseofhisthreatenedbysuchanabsolutelyconvincingevent，theclairvoyantcannotalwaysrevealtothepersonexperimenting——andrevealitforamoreorlessapproximatedate——oneofthoseincidentswhoseaccomplishmentwouldcarryirresistibleconviction。"

Inanycase，thequestionofpsychometricprognosticationscallsforfurtherenquiry，althoughitiseasyevenatthepresentdaytoforseetheresults。

10

Letusnowreturntoourspontaneouspremonitions，inwhichthefuturecomestoseekusofitsownaccordand，sotospeak，tochallengeusathome。Iknowfrompersonalexperiencethat，whenweembarkuponthesedisconcertingmatters，thefirstimpressionisscarcelyfavourable。Weareverymuchinclinedtolaugh，totreataswearisometales，ashystericalhallucinations，asingeniousorinterestedfictionsmostorthoseincidentswhichgivetooviolentashocktothenarrowandlimitedideawhichwehaveofourhumanlife。Tosmile，torejecteverythingbeforehandandtopassbywithavertedhead，aswasdone，Iremember，inthetimeofGalvani，andintheearlydaysofhypnotism，ismuchmoreeasyandseemsmorerespectableandprudentthantostop，admitandexamine。Neverthelesswemustnotforgetthatitistosomewhodidnotsmilesolightlythatweowethebestpartofthemarvelsfromwhoseheightswearepreparingtosmileinourturn。

Fortherest，Igrantthat，thuspresented，hastilyandsummarily，withoutthedetailsthatthrowlightuponthemandtheproofsthatsupportthem，theincidentsinquestiondonotshowtoadvantageand，inasmuchastheyareisolatedandsparinglychosen，losealltheweightandauthorityderivedfromthecompactandimposingmasswhencetheyarearbitrarilydetached。

AsIsaidabove，nearlyathousandcaseshavebeencollected，representingprobablynotthetenthpartofthosewhichamoreactiveandgeneralsearchmightbringtogether。Thenumberisevidentlyofimportanceanddenotestheenormouspressureofthemystery；but，iftherewereonlyhalfadozengenuinecases——andDr。Maxwell’s，ProfessorFlournoy’s，Mrs。Verrall’s，theMarmontel，JonesandHamiltoncasesandsomeothersareundoubtedlygenuine——theywouldbeenoughtoshowthat，undertheerroneousideawhichweformofthepastandthepresent，anewverityislivingandmoving，eagertocometolight。

Theeffortsofthatverity，Ineedhardlysay，displayaverydifferentsortofforceafterwehaveactuallyandattentivelyreadthosehundredsofextraordinarystorieswhich，withoutappearingtodoso，striketotheveryrootsofhistory。Wesoonloseallinclinationtodoubt。Wepenetrateintoanotherworldandcometoastopalloutofcountenance。Wenolongerknowwherewestand；beforeandafteroverlapandmingle。Wenolongerdistinguishtheinsidiousandfactitiousbutindispensablelinewhichseparatestheyearsthathavegonebyfromtheyearsthataretocome。Weclutchatthehoursanddaysofthepastandpresenttoreassureourselves，tofastenontosomecertainty，toconvinceourselvesthatwearestillinourrightplaceinthislifewherethatwhichisnotyetseemsassubstantial，asreal，aspositive，aspowerfulasthatwhichisnomore。Wediscoverwithuneasinessthattime，onwhichwebasedourwholeexistence，itselfnolongerexists。Itisnolongertheswiftestofourgods，knowntousonlybyitsflightacrossallthings：italtersitspositionnomorethanspace，ofwhichitisdoubtlessbuttheincomprehensiblereflex。Itreignsinthecentreofeveryevent；

andeveryeventisfixedinitscentre；andallthatcomesandallthatgoespassesfromendtoendofourlittlelifewithoutmovingbyahair’sbreadtharounditsmotionlesspivot。Itisentitledtobutoneofthethousandnameswhichwehavebeenwonttolavishuponitspower，apowerthatseemedtousmanifoldandinnumerable：yesterday，recently，formerly，erewhile，after，before，tomorrow，soon，never，laterfalllikechildishmasks，whereasto-dayandalwayscompletelycoverwiththeirunitedshadowstheideawhichweformintheendofadurationwhichhasnosubdivisions，nobreaksandnostages，whichispulseless，motionlessandboundless。

11

Manyarethetheorieswhichmenhaveimaginedintheirattemptstoexplaintheworkingofthestrangephenomenon；andmanyothersmightbeimagined。

Aswehaveseen，self-suggestionandtelepathyexplaincertaincaseswhichconcerneventsalreadyinexistence，butstilllatentandperceivedbeforetheknowledgeofthemcanreachusbythenormalprocessofthesensesortheintelligence。But，evenbyextendingthesetwotheoriestotheiruttermostpointandpositivelyabusingtheiraccommodatingelasticity，wedonotsucceedinilluminingbytheiraidmorethanaratherrestrictedportionofthevastundiscoveredland。Wemustthereforelookforsomethingelse。

Thefirsttheorywhichsuggestsitselfandwhichonthesurfaceseemsratherattractiveisthatofspiritualism，whichmaybeextendeduntilitisscarcelydistinguishablefromthetheosophicaltheoryandotherreligioussuppositions。Itassumestherevivalofspirits，theexistenceofdiscarnateorothersuperiorandmoremysteriousentitieswhichsurroundus，interestthemselvesinourfate，guideourthoughtsandouractionsand，aboveall，knowthefuture。Itis，aswerecognizedwhenspeakingofghostsandhantedhouses，averyacceptabletheory；andanyonetowhomitappearscanadoptitwithoutdoingviolencetohisintelligence。Butwemustconfessthatitseemslessnecessaryandperhapsevenlessclearlyprovedinthisregionthaninthat。

Itstartsbybeggingthequestion：withouttheinterventionofdiscarnatebeings，thespiritualistssay，itisimpossibletoexplainthemajorityofthepremonitoryphenomena；thereforewemustadmittheexistenceofthesediscarnatebeings。Letusgrantitforthemoment，fortobegthequestion，whichismerelyanindefensibletrickofthesuperficiallogicofourbrain，doesnotnecessarilycondemnatheoryandneithertakesawayfromnoraddstotherealityofthings。Besides，asweshallinsistlater，theinterventionornon-interventionofthespiritsisnotthepointatissue；andthecruxofthemysterydoesnotliethere。

Whatmostinterestusisfarlessthepathsorintermediariesbywhichpropheticwarningsreachusthantheactualexistenceofthefutureinthepresent。Itistrue——todocompletejusticetoneospiritualism——thatitspositionofferscertainadvantagesfromthepointofviewofthealmostinconceivableproblemofthepreexistenceofthefuture。Itcanevadeordivertsomeoftheconsequencesofthatproblem。Thespirits，itdeclares，donotnecessarilyseethefutureasawhole，asatotalpastorpresent，motionlessandimmovable，buttheyknowinfinitelybetterthanwedothenumberlesscausesthatdetermineanyagent，sothat，findingthemselvesattheluminoussourceofthosecauses，theyhavenodifficultyinforeseeingtheireffects。Theyare，withrespecttotheincidentsstillinprocessofformation，inthepositionofanastronomerwhoforetells，withinasecond，allthephasesofaneclipseinwhichasavageseesnothingbutanunprecedentedcatastrophewhichheattributestotheangerofhisidolsofstraworclay。Itisindeedpossiblethatthisacquaintancewithagreaternumberofcausesexplainscertainpredictions；butthereareplentyofotherswhichpresumeaknowledgeofsomanycauses，causessoremoteandsoprofound，thatthisknowledgeishardlytobedistinguishedfromaknowledgeofthefuturepureandsimple。Inanycase，beyondcertainlimits，thepreexistenceofcausesseemsnoclearerthanthatofeffects。Nevertheless，itmustbeadmittedthatthespiritualistsgainaslightadvantagehere。

Theybelievethattheygainanotherwhentheysayormightsaythatitisstillpossiblethatthespiritsstimulateustorealizetheeventswhichtheyforetellwithoutthemselvesclearlyperceivingtheminthefuture。Afterannouncing，forinstance，thatonacertaindayweshallgotoacertainplaceanddoacertainthing，theyurgeusirresistiblytoproceedtothespotnamedandtheretoperformtheactprophesied。Butthistheory，likethoseofself-suggestionandtelepathy，wouldexplainonlyafewphenomenaandwouldleaveinobscurityallthosecases，infinitelymorenumerousbecausetheymakeupalmostthewholeofourfuture，inwhicheitherchanceintervenesorsomeeventinnowaydependentuponourwillorthespirit’s，unlessindeedwesupposethatthelatterpossessesanomniscienceandanomnipotencewhichtakeusbacktotheoriginalmysteriesoftheproblem。

Besides，inthegloomyregionsofprecognition，itisalmostalwaysamatterofanticipatingamisfortuneandveryrarely，ifever，ofmeetingwithapleasureorajoy。Weshouldthereforehavetoadmitthatthespiritswhichdragmetothefatalplaceandcompelmetodotheactthatwillhavetragicconsequencesaredeliberatelyhostiletomeandfinddiversiononlyinthespectacleofmysuffering。Whatcouldthosespiritsbe，fromwhatevilworldwouldtheyariseandhowshouldweexplainwhyourbrothersandfriendsofyesterday，afterpassingthroughtheaugustandpeace-bestowinggatesofdeath，suddenlybecometransformedintocraftyandmalevolentdemons？Canthegreatspiritualkingdom，inwhichallpassionsbornofthefleshshouldbestilled，bebutadismalabodeofhatred，spiteandenvy？Itwillperhapsbesaidthattheyleadusintomisfortuneinordertopurifyus；butthisbringsustoreligioustheorieswhichitisnotourintentiontoexamine。

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Theonlyattemptatanexplanationthatcanholditsownwithspiritualismhasrecourseonceagaintothemysteriouspowersofoursubconsciousness。Wemustneedstorecognizethat，ifthefutureexiststo-day，alreadysuchasitwillbewhenitbecomesforusthepresentandthepast，theinterventionofdiscarnatemindsorofanyotherspiritualentityadriftfromanothersphereisoflittleavail。Wecanpictureaninfinitespiritindifferentlycontemplatingthepastandfutureintheircoexistence；wecanimagineawholehierarchyofintermediateintelligencestakingamoreorlessextensivepartinthecontemplationandtransmittingittooursubconsciousness。Butallthisispracticallynothingmorethaninconsistentspeculationandingeniousdreaminginthedark；inanycase，itisadventitious，secondaryandprovisional。Letuskeeptothefactsasweseethem：anunknownfaculty，burieddeepinourbeingandgenerallyinactive，perceives，onrareoccasions，eventsthathavenotyettakenplace。Wepossessbutonecertaintyonthissubject，namely，thatthephenomenonactuallyoccurswithinourselves；itisthereforewithinourselvesthatwemustfirststudyit，withoutburdeningourselveswithsuppositionswhichremoveitfromitscentreandsimplyshiftthemystery。Theincomprehensiblemysteryisthepreexistenceofthefuture；onceweadmitthis——anditseemsverydifficulttodeny——thereisnoreasontoattributetoimaginaryintermediariesratherthantoourselvesthefacultyofdescryingcertainfragmentsofthatfuture。Wesee，inregardtomostofthemediumisticmanifestations，thatwepossesswithinourselvesalltheunusualforceswithwhichthespiritualistsendowdiscarnatespirits；andwhyshoulditbeotherwiseasconcernsthepowersofdivination？Theexplanationtakenfromthesubconsciousnessisthemostdirect，thesimplest，thenearest，whereastheotherisendlesslycircuitous，complicatedanddistant。Untilthespiritstestifytotheirexistenceinanunanswerablefashion，thereisnoadvantageinseekinginthegraveforthesolutionofariddlethatappearsindeedtolieattherootsofourownlife。

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Itistruethatthisexplanationdoesnotexplainmuch；buttheothersarejustasineffectualandareopentothesameobjections。Theseobjectionsaremanyandvarious；anditiseasiertoraisethemthantoreplytothem。Forinstance，wecanaskourselveswhythesubconsciousnessorthespirits，seeingthattheyreadthefutureandareabletoannounceanimpendingcalamity，hardlyevergiveustheoneusefulanddefiniteindicationthatwouldallowustoavoidit。Whatcanbethechildishormysteriousreasonofthisstrangereticence？Inmanycasesitisalmostcriminal；forinstance，inacaserelatedbyProfessorHyslop[1]weseetheforebodingofthegreatestmisfortunethatcanbefallamothergerminating，growing，sendingoutshoots，developing，likesomegluttonousanddeadlyplant，tostopshortonthevergeofthelastwarning，theonedetail，insignificantinitselfbutindispensable，whichwouldhavesavedthechild。Itisthecaseofawomanwhobeginsbyexperiencingavaguebutpowerfulimpressionthatagrievous"burden"wasgoingtofalluponherfamily。Nextmonth，thispremonitoryfeelingrepeatsitselfveryfrequently，becomesmoreintenseandendsbyconcentratingitselfuponthepoorwoman’slittledaughter。Eachtimethatsheisplanningsomethingforthechild’sfuture，shehearsavoicesaying：

"She’llneverneedit。"

[1]Proceedings，vol。xiv。，p。266。

Aweekbeforethecatastrophe，aviolentsmelloffirefillsthehouse。Fromthattime，themotherbeginstobecarefulaboutmatches，seeingthattheyareinsafeplacesandoutofreach。

Shelooksalloverthehouseforthemandfeelsastrongimpulsetoburnallmatchesofthekindeasilylighted。Aboutanhourbeforethefataldisaster，shereachesforaboxtodestroyit；

butshesaystoherselfthathereldestboyisgoneout，thinksthatshemayneedthematchestolightthegas-stoveanddecidestodestroythemassoonashecomesback。Shetakesthechilduptoitscribforitsmorningsleepand，assheisputtingitintothecradle，shehearstheusualmysteriousvoicewhisperinherear：

"Turnthemattress。"

But，beinginagreathurry，shesimplysaysthatshewillturnthemattressafterthechildhastakenitsnap。Shethengoesdownstairstowork。Afterawhile，shehearsthechildcryand，hurryinguptotheroom，findsthecribanditsbeddingonfireandthechildsobadlyburntthatitdiesinthreehours。

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Beforegoingfurtherandtheorizingaboutthiscase，letusoncemorestatethematterprecisely。Iknowthatthereadermaystraightwayandquitelegitimatelydenythevalueofanecdotesofthiskind。Hewillsaythatwehavetodowithaneuroticwhohasdrawnuponherimaginationforalltheelementsthatgiveadramaticsettingtothestoryandsurroundwithahaloofmysteryasadbutcommonplacedomesticaccident。Thisisquitepossible；

anditisperfectlyallowabletodismissthecase。Butitisnonethelesstruethat，bythusdeliberatelyrejectingeverythingthatdoesnotbearthestampofmathematicalorjudicialcertainty，werisklosingaswegoalongmostoftheopportunitiesorclueswhichthegreatriddleofthisworldoffersusinitsmomentsofinattentionorgraciousness。Atthebeginningofanenquirywemustknowhowtocontentourselveswithlittle。Fortheincidentinquestiontobeconvincing，previousevidenceinwriting，moreorlessofficialstatementswouldberequired，whereaswehaveonlythedeclarationsofthehusband，aneighbourandasister。Thisisinsufficient，Iagree；

butwemustatthesametimeconfessthatthecircumstancesarehardlyfavourabletoobtainingtheproofswhichwedemand。Thosewhoreceivewarningsofthiskindeitherbelieveinthemordonotbelieveinthem。Iftheybelieveinthem，itisquitenaturalthattheyshouldnotthinkfirstofallofthescientificinterestoftheirtrouble，orofputtingdowninwritingandthusauthenticatingitspremonitorysymptomsandgradualevolution。Iftheydonotbelieveinthem，itisnolessnaturalthattheyshouldnotproceedtospeakortakenoticeofinanitiesofwhichtheydonotrecognizethevalueuntilaftertheyhavelosttheopportunityofsupplyingconvincingproofsofthem。Also，donotforgetthatthelittlestoryinquestionisselectedfromamongahundredothers，whichintheirturnareequallyindecisive，butwhich，repeatingthesamefactsandthesametendencieswithastrangepersistency，andbyweakeningthemostinveteratedistrust。[1]

[1]See，inparticular，Bozzano’scasesxlix。andlxvii。Thesetwo，especiallycasexlix。，whichtellsofapersonalexperienceofthelateW。T。Stead，aresupportedbymoresubstantialproofs。IhavequotedProfessorHyslop’scase，becausethereticenceismorestriking。

15

Havingsaidthismuch，inordertoconciliateorpartcompanywiththosewhohavenointentionofleavingtheterrafirmaofscience，letusreturntothecasebeforeus，whichisallthemoredisquietinginasmuchaswemayconsideritasortofprototypeofthetragicandalmostdiabolicalreticencewhichwefindinmostpremonitions。Itisprobablethatunderthemattresstherewasastraymatchwhichthechilddiscoveredandstruck；

thisistheonlypossibleexplanationofthecatastrophe，fortherewasnofireburningonthatfloorofthehouse。Ifthemotherhadturnedthemattress，shewouldhaveseenthematch；

and，ontheotherhand，shewouldcertainlyhaveturnedthemattressifshehadbeentoldthattherewasamatchunderneathit。Whydidthevoicethaturgedhertoperformthenecessaryactionnotaddtheonewordthatwascapableofensuringthataction？Theproblemmoreoverisequallyperturbingandperhapsequallyinsolublewhetheritconcernsourownsubconsciousfaculties，orspirits，orstrangeintelligences。Thosewhogivethesewarningsmustknowthattheywillbeuseless，becausetheymanifestlyforeseetheeventasawhole；buttheymustalsoknowthatonelastword，whichtheydonotpronounce，wouldbeenoughtopreventthemisfortunethatisalreadyconsummatedintheirprevision。Theyknowitsowellthattheybringthiswordtotheveryedgeoftheabyss，holditsuspendedthere，almostletitfallandrecaptureitsuddenlyatthemomentwhenitsweightwouldhavecausedhappinessandlifetoriseoncemore，tothesurfaceofthemightygulf。Whatthenisthismystery？Isitincapacityorhostility？Iftheyareincapable，whatistheunexpectedandsovereignforcethatinterposesbetweenthemandus？And，iftheyarehostile，onwhat，onwhomaretheyrevengingthemselves？Whatcanbethesecretofthoseinhumangames，ofthoseuncannyandcrueldiversionsonthemostslipperyanddangerouspeaksoffate？Whywarn，iftheyknowthatthewarningwillbeinvain？Ofwhomaretheymakingsport？Istherereallyaninflexiblefatalitybyvirtueofwhichthatwhichhastobeaccomplishedisaccomplishedfromalleternity？Butthenwhynotrespectsilence，sinceallspeechisuseless？Ordothey，inspiteofall，perceiveagleam，acreviceintheinexorablewall？

Whathopedotheyfindinit？Havetheynotseenmoreclearlythanourselvesthatnodeliverancecancomethroughthatcrevice？

Onecouldunderstandthisflutteringandwavering，alltheseeffortsoftheirs，iftheydidnotknow；buthereitisprovedthattheyknoweverything，sincetheyforetellexactlythatwhichtheymightprevent。Ifwepressthemwithquestions，theyanswerthatthereisnothingtobedone，thatnohumanpowercouldavertorthwarttheissue。Aretheymad，bored，irritable，oraccessorytoahideouspleasantry？Doesourfatedependonthehappysolutionofsomepettyenigmaorchildishconundrum，evenasoursalvation，inmostoftheso-calledrevealedreligious，issettledbyablindandstupidcastofthedie？Isallthelibertythatwearegrantedreducedtothereadingofamoreorlessingeniousriddle？Canthegreatsouloftheuniversebethesoulofagreatbaby？

【推荐阅读】幽幽深宫，醒来一梦似千年，重生于下堂妃身躯中的她，将如何手刃仇人? 点击阅读