The Evidence of Spiritualism
The Evidence of Spiritualism is an article published in The Globe on 10 july 1919.
The Evidence of Spiritualism
FROM SIR A. CONAN DOYLE.
TO THE EDITOR OF "THE GLOBE."
Sir, — Your contributor Hal, in his good-humoured account of my lecture upon the above subject, has remarked that I have no perception of the value of evidence, and that I place my sole trust in a single female medium. I should be glad if you would allow me a few lines of comment upon this statement.
I would begin by pointing out that in defining and explaining any system of thought, be it Spiritualism, Christianity or any other, it is not usual to suppose that the case rests entirely upon the personal experiences of the speaker. He is naturally allowed to call his witnesses and their testimony is regarded as evidence.
Testimony of Scientists.
I began my remarks by showing how a long succession of sane and world-famous men, Judge Edmonds, Russel Wallace, Flammarion, and above all Sir William Crookes had by their experiences, described shortly in my remarks, convinced my reason that their united testimony was founded upon fact. This united testimony must necessarily far exceed in volume and in weight any experience of my own, and the whole case might very well rest upon it.
I also pointed out how D. D. Horne had for thirty years, without a fee, demonstrated the physical phenomena of Spiritualism to any earnest inquirer, in light or dark, at any place, and that there were such a cloud of witnesses that all disbelief became quite unreasonable. On this also the whole case might, in my opinion, rest.
Thirty Years' Inquiry.
I then showed that for thirty years I had studied and experimented, and that my conclusions had, so far as I could carry them, coincided with those of these great men. I showed that I had had in my own household a lady whose mediumship in automatic writing was under my own eyes for two years, during which she repeatedly wrote things, which I quoted, which were beyond all normal powers. It was after this, at the very last stage of my investigations, that I encountered the wonderful clairvoyant mediumship of Mrs. B., which yielded at the time I spoke 36 successes out of 44 attempts — successes which often included the name of the deceased and most intimate details. Therefore your representative was quite wrong in saying that "I founded my case upon this woman, since she only appeared. in it after my mind was entirely made up. None the less, the evidence from her performance is of a very cogent character, and I read a number of extracts from it, which, I am sure convinced my audience. I added, among many other personal experiences, that I had gone to the Crewe photographic circle with marked plates; that I had never let those plates out of my sight save in the camera (which I had thoroughly examined); that I developed the plates with my own hands; and that before I left the dark room I saw that the plates contained well-marked spirit forms.
"Idea of Evidence."
In the face of all this, I would ask if "Hal" is justified in assuming that I have no idea of evidence. I do not think that this view has been confirmed by my occasional incursions into criminology. — Yours faithfully,
- ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.
- Windlesham, Crowborough, Sussex.
