Part 11

When Mr. Duguid was first asked to come to London to give test séances to Mr. Taylor, it was hoped that Mr. Stainton Moses would have so far recovered strength as to be present at the experiments. He took great interest in the subject, and many of his photographs have been reproduced by Mr. Arthur Maltby and Mr. Acton. On March 19th and 26th Mr. Maltby gave lectures in the Athenæum Hall, and exhibited on the lantern screen a number of spirit-photograph transparencies. Here are a few notes made at the meeting on March 19th, by Mr. Burns, jun. Mr. Maltby said:—

“This lecture is given in memory of the late Mr. Stainton Moses, better known as ‘M.A., Oxon,’ editor of Light, writer of many valuable books on Spiritualism, and one of the best friends the cause ever had. Most of you have either read or heard of his marvellous book called Spirit Teachings, one of the grandest series of spirit controls ever published. It teaches a higher Spiritualism than is generally understood.

“My object in giving this lecture is to try to convince you that it is possible to obtain photographs of friends who have passed away. I shall also endeavour to explain the conditions necessary, how they are attained, and for what reason. This lecture was suggested by Mr. Stainton Moses, and the pictures I am about to show you were his. I knew him for over fifteen years, and have been favoured with particulars of the most remarkable events ever experienced.

“One morning last spring I called on Mr. Moses, and found him busy reading proof-sheets of Mr. Stead’s Real Ghost Stories. Whilst discussing these, the subject of spirit photographs was introduced, and he informed me that he had a collection of nearly 400, which he offered to lend me if I thought they could be suitably converted into lantern slides. After examining the photographs, I found it impossible in so short a time to select out of so many sufficient for a lecture. I therefore begged the loan of them all, and we are indebted to my friend and co-worker, Mr. Acton (who is now manipulating the lantern), for his patient efforts in converting so many photographs into lantern transparencies. It was a most laborious task.

“Three months later, when I returned the photographs, Mr. Moses kindly offered to take the chair at this lecture, but that was not to be. The day I was to submit my notes for his approval, with the promise of a further and more complete description of the spirit photographs, he had passed to the higher life.

“Many present to-night, who are aware of the reality of life after death—a life ever progressive, and as real as life on earth—can feel with me that this noble worker is not dead, but lives, continuing his efforts for the good of humanity as when on earth; ever with us in our efforts to spread this glorious truth, which is like the sunshine, dispersing the fog and mist of orthodoxy and ignorance.

“All the sittings he attended were under strict test conditions, so there could be no possibility of fraud or deception. These conditions were, that he purchased his own plates, marked each with his initials, put them in and took them out of the dark slide, not allowing them out of his sight until they were fully developed.”

Mr. Maltby then showed on the lantern screen about forty spirit photographs, and other pictures connected with the subject, all of which he explained. Many of the photographs of spirits had been recognised by the sitters and other relatives. He then spoke of the spiritual advantages to be derived from spirit communion, and after an invocation he thus concluded:—

“Should this lecture induce any present to seek communion with their departed friends, let me beg of them to seek only for spiritual aid in an earnest and prayerful manner, in their own homes, amongst friends who desire to know the truth and will investigate with unbiassed minds. To such success must come, sooner or later; but those who try to use God’s spiritual gifts for worldly and selfish ends will bring disaster on themselves and discredit on the cause.”

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At a séance held twenty-nine years ago, the following question was put as to spirit photographs: “We do not comprehend how these are produced. Can you give us any information as to the process gone through?” The answer given through the medium, Mr. Peter A. Chesser, marine engineer, may be of interest to some. It was this: “Spirits impress their image on the plate by depositing thereon repeated layers of magnetism. According to their respective powers of affording this, so is the impression more or less distinct. The magnetism must be of the same texture or affinity as that possessed by the operator; it is accomplished by a rapid vibration of the spirits’ magnetic emanation in depositing layer after layer, and the process is this: The operator by frequent manipulation saturates his materials with his aura—I do not mean the animal aura of mesmerism, but his spiritual aura; this, by repeated impression on his part from repeated manipulations (which require considerable time, since he is still in the body and has, therefore, more difficulty in, as it were, filtering this spirit-aura through the pores of his body than have the spirits, who are not trammelled in like manner), at last leaves a positive viscidity on his materials which serves to retain the first impressions thrown by the spirits upon it. When they from affinity cohere, the image is rapidly built up on this superstructure. Any person through the pores of whose body-material this spirit-aura can readily pass is in a condition to take photographs of the kind to which you refer. Much passiveness, however, is requisite.”

This reply refers, of course, to the photographs in class No. I., mentioned in the Preface, not to pictures which are produced by spirit precipitation.

In experiments made with Mr. Chesser at that time (1864), we used the wet-collodion process, on new glass plates which were cut for us by a glass merchant. The plates were carefully cleansed and finally washed and rubbed by myself with spirits of wine. We never used a plate twice in such experiments. What is worth doing at all is worth doing well and carefully. We obtained some pictures which would have been of interest had we possessed more knowledge of the subject, but we aimed too high and were not satisfied with slow progress. In fact we wanted a clear and good likeness of one of our relatives, so several plates were broken and put in the dust-bin which, in the light thrown on the subject by later experience, we should have prized. One plate of that period was kept because it had a shadowy image of the medium, although he was not within the field of view when the plate was exposed. Unfortunately, the photograph was not intensified; for when I was washing it at the tap, the water got between the plate and the collodion, and away went the film, but, although torn, I managed to spread part of it on the glass again. The following statement was made by one of our unseen friends with respect to that picture. Our questions were put through the medium, and the answers were given by automatic writing.

QUESTION: We have here a photograph upon which there exists so much diversity of opinion that we want to know what it is?

ANSWER: It is yourself, distinctly enough, but as we see your next question we will proceed to explain how it came about that such impression was produced on the plate.

THE MEDIUM: Stop a moment—do you mean that it is my body or my spirit?

ANSWER: We mean your spirit-aura. Your body could not be taken without your being either directly in front of the camera or reflected into its focus. Perhaps it will be better to explain some of the peculiarities attending this phase, as it involves many points of interest. You were standing in front of the camera for about a quarter of an hour before the picture was taken or the plate prepared. In obedience to a suggestion, you were awaiting the approach of the spirit who told you he could be photographed, and, in order to retain your passivity, you remained standing where you were. When you saw him seated you went to prepare the plate, but not without leaving your emanation behind, which, on the plate being exposed, was duly photographed. The proof is easy. Again stand in the same position for, say, ten minutes, then leave the room, and let a good clairvoyant be introduced and questioned as to what he sees, when he will immediately describe you as supplying the place you have vacated, with all the accessories pertaining thereto. But although he could at all times see this, your emanation could not at all times be impressed on the plate. Returning to another matter: Man does not enjoy only one image of himself, but six, embracing three individualities, viz., body, soul, and spirit; and three emanations proceeding therefrom, respectively, body-odyle, spirit-aura, and soul-essence. These must on no account be confounded with each other, as is too often the case. Respecting the last—soul and soul-essence—as it is more remote, being seldom brought into play outside the human tenement (unless under peculiar circumstances), we do not intend speaking of it in connexion with the present topic; so direct your attention more particularly to the remaining four, partly in explanation of their attributes, and partly in reference to photography. First, then, the body is most easily impressed upon the plate, requiring fewer vibrations than its odylic form, after which, in order, come spirit, spirit-aura, soul and soul-essence, the last requiring millions of vibrations, which, although costing more effort, takes no more time, in many cases. It depends on the sphere of the spirit. You may form an idea of this by taking into account the incredible power of motion which spirits possess. Now, the odylic emanation may be projected by the will from the material body, but the spirit cannot itself be so projected; it must be, as it were, allowed to flow forth of its own accord. Similarly, the spirit, when thus free to move, can project its aura in like manner. In both these cases the emanation, by its velocity, becomes from necessary friction respectively electrified, or magnetic and spiritualised; that is to say, the emanations become endowed with a certain amount of vital energy, life-force, or, in fact, of existence. The mere life-force does not imply intelligence also, but it does when the emanation is spiritualised. Man’s will is from his spirit; hence, the will can project the odyle, but not the spirit, for when the spirit is absent the will is absent, dormant in reality (as the soul never interferes with the will), and the trance state results. It is quite possible for the spirit, under favourable conditions, to project its aura at the same time as the projection of the odyle. The two emanations coming into contact would form a union of the life-element with the thinking principle. We do not mean with thought, but with thought-material—thought being supplied only by the spirit, the ideas or germs of thought being suggested by the soul and elaborated by the spirit. Without this constant emanation, or fluid impulse (viz., the soul-essence) to urge it, the spirit would not think; it would be inactive, the soul-essence being its vivifying impulse to activity. Now, when the odyle and aura have coalesced, a new body, complete in all its functions, is not therefore the result, but merely a body-elementary, i.e., imbued with life-force, and furnished with thought-material, minus thought. This, then, is the eidolon, image, you occasionally hear of. Still, you must not suppose it to be severed from the parent body; by no means: it is linked to it by attraction, gravitation, and affinity, or that element of which you can form ideas for practical purposes, but of which you do not understand the nature. But, you may say, there are instances of eidolons speaking; now, if it has not thought, how can it speak rationally? Let us explain: thoughts are produced by vibrations of their materials, and vibration is produced by the soul-essence through the spirit, the soul being the prime reservoir of motion (intellectually). Now, suppose the eidolon to be questioned by the person to whom it appeared, this question being the result of thought, vibration would communicate the motion to the intellectual materials of the eidolon, and this vibration would be instantly felt by the parent body, and an answer returned accordingly.

In reference to the suggestion that spirit manifestations may be the work of eidolons, the reply was: “As departed spirits do exist, and can communicate with mortals—of which there is abundant proof—there is no need to suppose a state of things which does not exist in order to account for what does.”

An explanation was also given as to how eidolons are formed, but that does not concern our present subject.

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Some investigators seem to think that the same spirit forms ought not to appear on plates with different people, and that if they do so the circumstance warrants suspicion, if it is not even a proof of fraud. This is an entire mistake, and a mistake which can only be made by those who have not investigated the matter in a practical manner for any considerable length of time. Apply the same reasoning to materialisation, or to direct spirit writing, and see what it will lead to. Mr. E. A. D. Opie, of Adelaide, in a lecture on “Spirit Photography,” delivered on July 1st, 1891, before the Adelaide Spiritualistic Association, made this remark: “It is necessary to accept all second-hand reports of this phase of Spiritualism with more than usual reserve, as, in one instance at least, I have discovered, on comparing reports of the obtaining of the same picture by different people.” Mr. Opie in these words probably expresses an opinion held by many others, held in London as well as in Adelaide. And what are we to infer from it? That if two sitters get on their plates a picture of the same spirit form, it will be a proof of fraud? Not at all. Of course, if the pictures have been produced by a dishonest operator, they may be fraudulent. That is not a thing to dispute. But the fact is that there are in existence a number of genuine spirit photographs in which the same abnormal images are found with various sitters. Most of these have differences in size, in attitude, and in spirit drapery on the forms, but the likenesses are identical. Some of them have been taken in different places, with different cameras, with plates purchased in different cities and used by careful investigators.

Mr. Opie’s lecture was published in Adelaide as a pamphlet of twenty-two pages; it is the result of much reading, and it is but fair to Mr. Opie to note that he had no practical acquaintance with the subject.

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Mr. Parkes gave some séances in 1875 in Mr. Burns’s rooms, 15 Southampton Row. On one occasion three sitters got spirit forms on three plates. At the same meeting I requested that I might be photographed. A clairvoyante sitting near me said I ought to get something good, for she could see a number of spirits near me. When the plate was developed there were eleven spirit forms on it.

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Several spirit photographs of children have been obtained. One of these is the interesting one of “Edina’s” little boy, a full account of which is in Mr. Robertson’s paper in this volume. Another child’s portrait was got unexpectedly at a test séance in April, 1892. The arrangements and operations were under my superintendence. I invited a lady (Mrs. J. N. Anderson) to take a place near the sitter in order to try whether her mediumistic power would aid the experiment. I was vexed at not getting the special result I wanted, but soon I had cause for gladness in the joy which the portrait obtained brought to the hearts of the child’s father and mother. To the notes of the séance, which were signed by all present, I added the following words as a postscript: “The child’s dress exhibits what was not known to any person outside of Mr. Anderson’s family.” That test is of a kind to impress a mother’s mind. Previous to the child’s departure he was lying cold in bed, when his mother took from a drawer a night-dress of one of her older boys, and put it on the ailing child. This night-dress had a certain kind of frill round the neck-band; and that night-dress, with its frill and long sleeves, is represented in the photograph. There was no picture in existence from which the photograph could have been copied; and the likeness is not only attested by the parents, but by friends of the family, and by Mr. James Robertson, president of the Glasgow Society, who had often seen the boy.

Some one may ask, how was the photograph of the child obtained, seeing he was too young to come unaided to stand before the camera, or to impress his image on the prepared plate without the camera? An interesting question, no doubt. To it I reply, “I do not know: I am stating facts, not trying to explain them.”

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