WCP2586

[1]¹

18 Cornwall Terrace

Regents Park. N. W.

Feb[ruary]. 17^th. 1880.

Dear Sir,

I am very glad that you have been so kind as to answer my letter in Nature², for the fact of your having done me [sic?] supplies me with an opportunity, which I have long [1 word illeg. struck through] desired to bring about, of obtaining the benefit of your advice upon the methods of conducting an enquiry into the facts of "Spiritualism". You will not wonder that I should have desired this opportunity, when I tell you that one or two facts which you [2] might consider almost commonplace, have profoundly staggered me, & led me to feel it a moral duty no less than a matter of unequalled interest, to probe the subject further. As a biologist I knew the [1 word illeg. struck through] quality of your scientific work, & the general character of your mind, and knowing also your intellectual attitude towards the subject in which my interest was [1 word illeg.] I greatly desired to meet you. But by some fate you always seemed to be the only scientific man of the day whom I never did meet, and I felt it [3]³ would be imprudent to force the any questions upon you unsolicited, as I knew W[illia]^m. Crookes⁴ to be very riticent [sic], and feared you might be the same.

Now for what you very truly say about the uselessness of any one man, "however eminent", trying to prove the truth of the phenomena to the world. This, I think is only as it ought to be. The phenomena are of an order so astounding that proof of their reality must rest upon the authority of more than one observer if the proof is to be commensurate with its own requirements. What the precise numbers [1 word illeg. struck through] of witnesses & [4] what amount of accumulated authority would ought to be, or would be, held sufficient to justify a man ^{or the world} in accepting the alleged facts as real facts — this is a question I need not consider, for there can be no doubt that some such examples of witnesses & amount of ^competent testimony would be sufficient for the purpose. But, looking into the astounding nature of the alleged facts, I do not think that this number & amount have yet been attained. But An exceedingly strong case ^however has been made out to justify full & patient enquiry by at least [5]⁵ several authoritative names persons. And this is what I desire to get done. The leading men of science have neither times time nor inclination to sift the grain from the chaff of these subjects; but if once the grain were placed before⁶ them we should soon have the bread. I think you are too despairing on the subject of prejudice. That prejudice should exist in the matter is only what common sense would expect, but I am convinced that the it should quickly yield to adequate proof. There is already more than enough proof were the subjects facts to be proved of any ordinary kind; but as they are nothing less than miracles [6] a fuller weight of proof is, I think, required to justify any one who has not himself witnessed the facts, accepting the latter on testimony. But Therefore it is that in Nature I implied that in my judgment the facts were not yet proven. But pray do not suppose that I am blind to the importance of the testimony already accumulated. I should rather infer that it is you who are blind to that importance; I think you underrate the impression which your own publications, & that of your few scientific co-operators, have produced. I know that this impression is in many minds profound, and has already prepared [7]⁷ the way to acceptance by the scientific world of the facts; but ^{before this can be} the latter must & ought to be attested to by some important body of well known men.

You will see then, that far from imagining that the world will take my authority on the subject as final, I do not think that looking to the nature of the facts, the world ought to do so; & I similarly think that the world is not altogether wrong in having weighed the amount of proof required to substantiate a miracle⁸ against the weight of authoritative testimony hither-to forthcoming, and in deciding to await further testimony[.]

[8] I am myself in the position of the world; I want more evidence to make me believe. If once I do believe I can get any repeatable results to show, I shall insist⁹ upon the best men in science and literature coming to see & telling what they see¹⁰.

I am greatly obliged to you for your advice, but some time I should like to have a talk with you to benefit of [sic] your large experience of a subject with which I have hitherto had but small acquaintance. Could you fix any date towards the latter end of next month?

I am, | Yours truly, | Geo[rge]. J. Romanes¹¹. [signature]

A. R. Wallace Esq[uire]