WCP1576

[1]

Parkstone, Dorset. Sept.[ember] 15th. 1891

My dear Mrs Myers¹

I have been reading your very interesting and suggestinve [sic] paper inthe "The Arena", and wish to say just a word or two of explanation, because I do not think there is really much if any difference of opinion between us. I say "those who have taken the trouble to make themselves acquainted with the testimony as a whole, generally accept the facts". You give the case of a gentleman who has read "Phantasms"² "out of personal regard"! and says, he does not believe a w word of it! In the first place reading a book through out of personal regard, — is not the "taking trouble" I meant, or the "studying" you must mean, when you say a man has studied the subject. And, secondly, what does he not believe a word of ?— the facts or the theories? I rather think he refers to the theories. Do you think he would repeat deliberately in every individual [the former word replaces a deleted and illeg. word] case given in "Phantasms" — I beli believe that never happened — it is a deliberate falsehood, or a total delusion." Would he not rather admit that the facts as narrated (in some cases) did happen as narrated, — but he would explain them as delusions or coincidences? I think so. Again, I take the facts as sufficiently proved, and sufficient in quantity to indicate some fundamental points in the theory that must explain them. You & Mr. Gurney did the same. Therefore you must have held the facts to be proved as facts, — otherwise you would not have even begun to theorise on them. No theory was propounded to explain meteorites so long as it was believed there were none!

Again, I do not quite agree with you about a greater mass of facts having any effect on sceptics. If "Phantasms" in 2 vols. will not convince them, then "Phantasms" in 20 volumes would not do so. What really influences them is the growing consensus of educated opinion, — and to get that I quite agree that you must go on collecting more facts, and new facts, and thus keep "pegging away" at scientific incredulity. I had a letter this morning from Mr Stead³ who seems to have been staggered by my articles (he says) and is determined to help you all he can to get more facts through his half-million readers. See to-day's "Review of Reviews"⁴ p.257. He makes a bold stroke (on my side!) in saying that now it is unscientific not to believe in Ghosts! That will⁶ startle people. Yours very truly Alfred R. Wallace.