WCP3464

[1]

87, Sloane St.

S.W.¹

Febr. 12. 1904.

Dear Sir,

I am deeply sensible of the kind way in which you write of my paper on Mrs. Thompson,² and I should like to answer one point which you raise, namely the prominence which I give to the question of fraud. I was led to do this for two reasons: one particular, the other general.

As no doubt you know Dr. Hodgson³ concluded that Mrs. T. is fraudulent. He confined himself, of course, to his own 6 sittings; but in reality he thinks that Myers⁴ & the rest of us were taken in & that though Mrs. T. has occasionally genuine phenomena she is in the main an impostor. Now Hodgson's opinion carries great weight in these matters, & though no man is infallible I for one felt that he had very strong grounds for his suspicions, & that he made[2] out a formidable case which ought to be met, not only in justice to Mrs. T. but also in defence of the reality of the phenomena of other trance-mediums. I think Mrs. Piper's⁵ phenomena more remarkable than Mrs T's; but whatever the difference between them maybe it is not so great as to make it possible to suppose that Mrs. Piper is genuine & Mrs. T. not. If Mrs. T. is a fraud, then I should find little difficulty in supposing Mrs. Piper to be the same; & the latter's slight superiority I should attribute to greater skill or luck. If Mrs. T. can fraudulently initiate so well genuine phenomena, it seems to me that it would ^be hopeless to attempt to prove the genuineness of genuine phenomena. That is the chief reason why I addressed myself so particularly to the subject of fraud.[3]

But I had more general grounds as well. I have a firm belief in the reality of supernatural phenomena; and before I took an active part in investigation — so long, that is, as I formed my opinions on the published evidence only. I scented[?] the Podmorian⁶ attitude: the attitude, I mean, which assumes the prevalence of fraud & imposture. My experience had not led me, nor a priori was I disposed, to believe that a large percentage of some people was consisted of knaves and liars. Nor except where psychical things are concerned do I think so now. But since I have actively engaged in psychical research, though I retain to the full, & have even perhaps enlarged, my belief in supernormal faculty.[4] I have even been forced to my disgust to recognise the extraordinary prevalence of fraud — fraud dest deliberate, persistent & elaborate. I am not speaking only or chiefly of professional paid mediums, who, I think, when not genuine are rather credulous & silly than fraudulent, but rather of persons of all kinds of social standing & education.

Nor am I speaking of cases where fraud may be subconscious, but where it has been plainly & indisputably committed with full conscious intention. I have been genuinely grieved to come to this conclusion, because I realise how strongly this fact must militate against the acceptance of genuine phenomena.[5]

Nelly⁷ May have had in her mind the intention you suggest when she insisted on the presence of infants in the spirit-world. But she only once ^{now been specifically once only, & then not clearly,} referred to a child born dead; and it is unfortunate that her statements about deaths in babyhood met with relatively so small success. I took special pains to make the sitters verify carefully their answers on this head, because from my own experience I know how difficult it is to make sure of knowing about miscarriages, premature births &tc. In nearly two years I have been trying to discover whether after my birth my mother gave birth to another[[6] son; & so far I have failed to satisfy myself. The evidence is conflicting. There is no certificate of birth; & some authorities say definitely that a male child was born & lived a few hours or days, while others in just as good a position to know deny that there was a birth or a miscarriage or anything. I should not have thought, as you do, that the common belief was opposed to unborn babies possessing a 'soul' which would survive. But really people think so little about such problems that it is almost impossible to form an opinion.

Please forgive this rigmarole, and believe me

Yours very truly | J. G. Piddington [signature]