WCP3446

[1]¹

Parkstone, Dorset.

July 27th 1890

Dear Mr. Romanes²

You are quite mistaken in thinking I wrote with any ^{under a} sense of p injury & I do not think any letter shewed it. I merely pointed out that to assume ^{without any attempt at proof} that my writings on Vaccination and L. Nationalisation were ^shewed "incompetence and absurdity" without adducing any example of either incompetence or absurdity from them, was appealing to ignorant prejudice and was therefore both unscientific and in bad taste. My writings on these subjects are open to the world ^{public property.} No one has yet shown there to be either incompetent or absurd, which I know they have attracted the attention of many eminent men. Pray therefore refer to them as much as you like— when you have read them and can refer to them ^{or criticise them} with knowledge of their content ^{facts and} arguments. [2] But this is a ^{comparatively} small matter. The important part of my letter³ & your reply⁴ refers to the spiritualistic phenomena.

You now say you have found Williams⁵ to be an imposter. But I presume you did not write to Darwin⁶ trusting to [one word illegible] ^{any statements that he made. You set forth} Williams’ honesty but to your own observation and precautions ^{in proof of the facts.} Have you found out how the things you saw in your own room and in the presence of your own friends were done? Can you tell me how the head ^bust & face— "with moveable features and eyes"— appeared above your own table while Williams was sitting beside you & firmly held? Can you tell me how the "luminous hand" was formed ^{and worked} which lifted a bell from the "distant piano" rung it, and carried it about? and your brother walking round the table to see that no wire had [illeg.] fixed themselves in the room! You knew then, as well as you know now, that ^almost all mediums were accused of imposture, but you gave this as evidence which the presentations taken & the condition of observations did not [3] admit of being explained by imposture. How is this altered now, if you can no more explain the phenomena to me than you could when you wrote to Darwin? If you cannot account for ^{now explain} all these things now your change of opinion shows weakness and incompetence ^{has no logical justification.} If you can do so ^{explain them} I call upon you to do so, if not to the scientific world then ^get to me whom you have publickly accused “incompetence and absurdity” because I believe that phenomena of exactly the same character as yours are realities, and can not be proved to be impostures.

And were your relatives impostors when you obtained answers to your mental questions? Do not those exp^y & prove a non human intelligence now, as completely as they did when you wrote to Darwin?

As to your letters copies of them were handed to me to read by a person to whom ^{(I was told)} they had been given without restrictions, and who was thus quite justified in showing them to me. Of course I have treated them and shall treated ^them as private letters, [4] but they interested me so much that I made full notes immediately after carefully reading them, so that I possess their substance & many of their ^very expressions. After the way you have referred in public ^print to my belief in such phenomena many persons, perhaps most persons, would think I was quite justified in making known the fact of their existence ^{of these letters} & their general tenour. I hope however you will not render any such course necessary. I consider ^think your proper course would be [illeg.] to publish the letters ^together with the full details of your discovery of the imposture, which has ^{a discovery so} [illeg.] induced as [illeg.] you to change those convictions you so ^{earnestly and} solemnly expressed to Darwin. and has (you think) justified you in referring to those who have not had your advantage as "incompetent and absurd"

I remain | Yours faithfully | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

G. J. Romanes F.R.S.