Mrs. Piper the Society for Psychical Research

Mrs. Piper & the Society for
Psychical
by Michael Sage, et al,
Translated by Noralie Robertson

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Title: Mrs. Piper & the Society for Psychical Research
Author: Michael Sage

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MRS PIPER & THE SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH
Translated & Slightly Abridged from the French of M. Sage
By Noralie Robertson
With a Preface by Sir Oliver Lodge

Scott-Thaw Co. New York 1904

PUBLISHER'S NOTE
It is obvious that such a body of men, pledged to impartial investigation,
as the Society for Psychical Research could not officially stand sponsor
to the speculative comments of M. Sage, however admittedly
clear-sighted and philosophical that French critic may be.
But the publication of this translation has been actually desired and
encouraged by many individuals in the Society, it has been revised
throughout by a member of their Council, and it is introduced to the
general reader by their President.
The Society, indeed, is prepared to accept M. Sage's volume as a
faithful and convenient résumé of experiments conducted under its own
auspices, and so far as it contains statements of fact, these statements
are quoted from authoritative sources. For the comments, deductions or
criticisms therein contained, the acute intellect of M. Sage is alone
responsible.
It remains only to state in detail the principles on which the original
text has been "slightly abridged" by the translator. No facts or

comments have been left out that bear directly on the main subject of
the book, the omissions are wholly of matters which might be regarded
as superfluous for the understanding of the case of Mrs Piper.
Occasionally paragraphs have been condensed, a tendency to vague
theorising has been checked throughout, and certain irrelevant matter
has been altogether omitted. Such omissions are confined, indeed, to
single sentences or paragraphs, with only the exception of a somewhat
technical discussion of the Cartesian philosophy in Chapter XVII. It
had at first been intended to omit the whole of Chapter XI., as
containing only fanciful and non-evidential matter; but statements of
this kind form an integral part of the communications, and so, on the
whole, it was thought fairer to retain M. Sage's chapter on the subject,
especially as it may be found of popular interest.
The original appendix has been incorporated, after modifications, in
Chapter XII.
, since the incident here discussed was in progress as M. Sage wrote
and has since been closed. His conjectures as to its possible
development are naturally omitted. Finally all references to the
Proceedings (or printed reports) of the Society itself have been
carefully verified. In every case the words of the reports themselves are
given in preference to any re-rendering of M. Sage's translations.

CONTENTS
PAGE
Preface by Sir Oliver Lodge xi
Objects of the Society xix
Chapter I
1

Mrs Piper's mediumship--Is mediumship a neurosis?
Chapter II
7
Dr Richard Hodgson--Description of the trance--Mrs Piper not a good
hypnotic subject.
Chapter III
13
Early trances--Careful first observations by Professor William James of
Harvard University, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Chapter IV
20
The hypothesis of fraud--The hypothesis of
muscle-reading--"Influence."
Chapter V
27
A sitting with Mrs Piper--The hypothesis of
thought-transference--Incidents.
Chapter VI
39
Phinuit--His probable origin--His character--What he says of
himself--His French--His medical diagnosis--Is he merely a secondary
personality of Mrs Piper?

Chapter VII
52
Miss Hannah Wild's letter--The first text given by Phinuit--Mrs
Blodgett's sitting--Thought-reading explains the case.
Chapter VIII
65
Communications from persons having suffered in their mental
faculties--Unexpected communications from unknown persons--The
respect due to the communicators--Predictions--Communications from
children.
Chapter IX
77
Further consideration of the difficulties of the problem--George
Pelham--Development of the automatic writing.
Chapter X
87
How George Pelham has proved his identity--He recognises his friends
and alludes to their opinions--He recognises objects which have
belonged to him--Asks that certain things should be done for him--Very
rarely makes an erroneous statement.
Chapter XI
99
George Pelham's philosophy--The nature of the soul--The first

moments after death--Life in the next world--George Pelham
contradicts Stainton Moses--Space and time in the next world--How
spirits see us--Means of communication.
Chapter XII
117
William Stainton Moses--What George Pelham thinks of him--How
Imperator and his assistants have replaced Phinuit.
Chapter XIII
126
Professor Hyslop and the journalists--The