WCP1581

Transcription (WCP1581.1360)

[1]

Parkstone, Dorset. Nov. 14th. 1894

My dear Myers1,

We have lately made the acquaintance here of a Miss White who became a curious sort of writing and drawing2 medium about a year ago. During the last two months[ ]she has written over 90 pages of the curious characters of which I enclose some sheets (12pp) in order that you may ascertain fro[m], the professors of Oriental languages at Cambridge whether they resemble any known writing. They are said (in answer to enquiries) to be very ancient Parsee, & to be given for a good purpose &c. &c. Miss White is an intelligent lady of middle age. She writes3 about the quantity sent at a sitting of an hour or an hour & a half. The characters are written from left to right but, as you see, they come in pretty accurate vertical columne[sic] entirely without volition on the part of the writer. A Mrs Butcher, a medium, not professional, has written what purpotgts[sic] to be translations of parts, — somewhat similar in style to the translations of the old Sacred books of India. I think it would be difficult, if not impossible for anyone to write imaginary characters so varied, so easy, & so regular, & so like some definite xx[?] writing. I have sent the sheets in an envelope address to Miss White to whom please return them when done with. I should also be glad of a P.card to say if they are recognisable in any way.

I was delighted to find that you and Oliver Lodge4 had such a splendid success with Eusapia in physical phenomena, I am anxiously waiting to read the report in full. I would not urge tha[t], as your results render the great bulk of the phenomena observed & tested by Spiritualists generally — from Hare & Edmonds to Crookes & Zollner — antecedrntly [sic] credible, the mass of this evidence to be taken into consideration before drawing any conclusions. I say this because some conclusions appear to have been suggested by O.L from his observations alone. This will mak mark an epoch in the Society’s work.

Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace

F.W.H. Myers Esq.

Frederic W. H. Myers, physical investigator (1843-1901)
The words "and drawing" were originally typed after the word "medium". A handwritten edit was made to move the words to the correct location.
In the original version of this letter, after the word "writes" appears unidentifiable characters — they appear to be crossed out.
Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge, (1851 — 1940), British physicist and writer

Please cite as “WCP1581,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP1581