,a ,,theory ,,of ,,the ,,mechanism ,,of ,,survival ,a ,,theory ,,of ,,the ,,mechanism ,,of ,,survival ,,the ,,fourth ,,dimension ,,and ,,its ,,applications ,,by ,w4 ,,whately ,,smith ,,london3 ,,kegan ,,paul1 ,,trench1 ,,trubner ,,co41 ,,ltd4 ,,new ,,york3 ,e4,p4 ,,dutton ,,co4 #aibj ,,to ,,my ,,mother ,when we can no longer interpret a phenomenon by the known1 we must needs try to do so by the unknown4444 ,it is well1 in spite of everything1 to seek an explanation of the inexplicable2 it is by attacking it on every side at all hazards that we cherish the hope of overcoming it4 ,,maeterlinck4 ,the ,unknown ,guest4 ,,contents ,,chapter ,,page ,i4 ,the meaning of ,four-,dimensional ,space #a ,,ii4 ,the scope of application and probable importance of the higher space concepts #ba ,,iii4 ,application to certain of the facts elicited by ,psychic ,research #ci ,,iv4 ,some other possible applications of the hypothesis #ib ,v4 ,vitality and ,will #aac ,,vi4 ,higher ,space and ,physical ,science #abb ,,vii4 ,the ,connecting ,link #acf ,,viii4 ,the ,religious ,aspects of the hypothesis #afh ,,ix4 ,summary and ,conclusion #aha ,appendix #ahg ,index #aif ,,preface ,the highly speculative and extrapolatory character of this book will be evident to all who are bold enough to read it4 ,i wish to make it perfectly clear that ,i have no intention of dogmatising on so obscure a subject4 ,the suggestions which follow are purely tentative1 and ,i am well aware that some of them are likely to prove mutually incompatible4 ,but it is only by the bold formulation and ruthless rejection of hypotheses that progress is made1 and even if we are compelled to abandon the ,higher ,space ,hypothesis altogether--as is very possible--the negative information so gained will be of the greater value if the hypothesis has first been given the fullest possible trial4 ,w4,w4,s4 ,a ,theory of ,the ,mechanism of ,survival ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,meaning ,,of ,,four-,,dimensional ,,space4 ,the main line of thought developed in these pages has no claims to originality4 ,professor ,zllner of ,leipsic was an ardent exponent of the theory in the seventies and some authors hold that even the ancient writings of the ,east contain attempts to express ,four-,dimensional concepts4 ,whether this is actually so is open to doubt but it must be remembered that in the days when these writings were produced mathematical knowledge was itself in its infancy and that there was1 therefore1 no terminology available in which the ,higher ,space concepts could be suitably expressed even supposing that the ancient philosophers had them in mind4 ,it is only through accumulated knowledge1 especially the work of ,gauss1 ,lobatschewsky1 ,bolyai1 ,riemann1 and others that modern mathematicians are able to deal easily with space of more than three dimensions4 ,it may be noted that ,kant says3 ,if it be possible that there are developments of other dimensions of space1 it is very probable that ,god has somewhere produced them4 ,for ,his works have all the grandeur and glory that can be comprised4 ,according to ,mr4 ,g4,r4,s4 ,mead similar ideas are to be found in certain of the ,gnostic cosmogonies4 7,fragments of a ,faith forgotten1 p4 #cah47 ,but a detailed historical review would be out of place here and ,i will therefore proceed at once to a discussion of what is meant by the term fourth dimension and will try to explain how it is that we can determine some of the necessary properties of four-dimensional space1 even although we cannot picture it to ourselves4 ,at this point ,i would urge the reader to try to believe that the subject is not one of great difficulty4 ,as a matter of fact it is really exceptionally straightforward if only one faces it and does not allow oneself to be frightened4 ,i know that it is impossible to form any clear mental picture of four-dimensional conditions1 but that does not matter4 ,the ideas involved are admittedly unprecedented in our experience1 but they are not contrary to reason and ,i do not ask more than a formal and intellectual assent to the propositions and analogies concerned4 ,let me start1 then1 by defining what is meant by a ,dimension4 ,the best definition ,i can think of is to say that1 in the sense in which the word is used here1 a ,dimension means ,an independent direction in space4 ,i must amplify this by saying that1 ,two directions in space are to be considered as independent when they are so related that no movement1 however great1 along one of them will result in the slightest movement along1 or parallel to1 the other4 ,that is to say1 at right angles1 or perpendicular to one another4 ,thus in ,fig4 #a ,,aoa and ,,bob are independent directions4 ,one might move for ever along ,,oa or ,,oa and yet one would not have moved in the very least in the direction of ,,ob or of ,,ob4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #a ,now on a flat surface1 such as a sheet of paper1 it is not possible to draw more than two such directions4 ,any other line that can be drawn1 ,,xox for instance1 is in a compound direction1 so to speak4 ,that is to say it is partly in the direction ,,aoa and partly in the direction ,,bob and it is possible to reach any point in it1 ,y for example1 by moving along ,,oa to a and then moving in the direction of ,,ob a distance equal to ,ob1 or vice versa or by doing the two simultaneously4 ,for the benefit of those who are absolutely ignorant of the rudiments of ,geometrical knowledge1 ,i would point out that ,parallel lines are said to point1 in fact do point1 in the same direction4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #b ,thus1 in ,fig4 #b1 the direction of the line ,,zz is the same as that of ,,aoa and the direction of the line ,,pp is the same as that of ,,xox4 ,thus we see that in a flat surface we find only two dimensions and consequently we can refer to a flat surface as ,space of two dimensions or ,two-dimensional space4 ,but if we refuse to be restricted to a flat surface we find that it is possible to draw a third line through ,o which is quite independent of the directions of the two lines we have previously drawn4 ,we can do this by drawing it vertically1 that is to say1 perpendicular to the plane of the paper4 ,call this line ,,coc4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #c ,i have shown it in perspective in ,fig4 #c4 ,this line fulfils the definition we gave of an independent direction in space for it is at right angles both to ,,aoa and to ,,bob4 ,but we have now exhausted our resources4 ,try as we will we are unable to draw a fourth line which shall be at right angles to ,,aoa1 ,,bob1 and ,,coc simultaneously4 ,on other words--,in the space we know we find only three dimensions and consequently we can refer to it as ,space of three dimensions or ,three-dimensional space4 ,now the idea of a fourth dimension of space is simply this3 ,that1 whereas in three-dimensional space1 we can draw1 through any point in it1 three1 and only three1 lines mutually at right angles3 in four-dimensional space1 it would be possible to draw1 through any point in it1 four1 and only four1 lines mutually at right angles4 ,extending the idea to ,higher space in general1 we may say that1--,in space of n dimensions we can draw1 through any point in it1 n1 and only n1 lines mutually at right angles4 ,now ,i admit1 that1 at first sight1 the idea that it might be possible1 under any circumstances1 to draw more than three such lines through a point1 seems utterly staggering and inconceivable4 ,and indeed the more one thinks of it and the more thoroughly one grasps what it means1 the more absolutely impossible does it appear4 ,all the same1 as ,i hope to show very soon1 it is1 as a matter of fact1 quite possible that there may be another independent direction fulfilling the prescribed conditions1 in spite of the fact that we are at present ignorant of it4 ,this we can only realize by a consideration of the time-honoured but indispensable analogy of a two-dimensional world1 or ,flatland4 ,this analogy ,i propose to examine in some detail in the paragraphs which follow4 ,but before doing so ,i wish to point out1 and ,i do not think it will be necessary to do more1 that a line which has length1 but neither breadth nor thickness1 can be correctly described as ,one-dimensional space i4e43--space having only one dimension4 ,a mathematical point1 which has only position and neither length nor breadth nor thickness1 can similarly be called space of no dimensions or ,zero-dimensional space4 ,also ,i wish to take the opportunity of defining one or two words which ,i may have occasion to use and have the merit of brevity4 7#a7 ,lines which are drawn through a point for the sake of determining direction are called in ,geometrical parlance1 ,axes4 ,thus in ,fig4 #a ,,aoa and ,,bob are axes4 ,the former would be known as the axis of ,a1 the latter as the axis of ,b4 ,similarly in ,fig4 #c ,,coc is the axis of ,c4 7#b7 ,the point in which two or more axes meet1 is called the ,origin and is commonly denoted by the letter ,o4 7#c7 ,when convenient1 ,i shall use the terms1 ,two space1 ,three space1 ,four space1 etc41 instead of writing ,two-dimensional space1 ,three-dimensional space1 ,four-dimensional space1 etc4 in full each time4 ,,the ,,analogy ,,of ,a ,,two-,,dimensional ,,world4 ,the consideration of the analogy of a two dimensional world is necessary because1 as ,mr4 ,c4,h4 ,hinton says in his book1 ,the ,fourth ,dimension1 p4 #f4 ,the change in our conceptions1 which we make in passing from the shapes and motions in two dimensions to those in three1 affords a pattern by which we can pass on still further to the conception of an existence in four-dimensional space4 ,let us start then by imagining a very large1 flat and perfectly smooth surface2 such for instance as the top of a highly polished table or the surface of a sheet of still liquid4 ,we have seen that such a surface constitutes space of two dimensions1 because through any point in it we can only draw two lines at right angles to one another4 ,in order to draw a third such line we must get out of the surface altogether and draw the line perpendicular to it4 ,next we must try to imagine that this surface is populated by a race of beings of an extraordinary thinness4 ,in order to grasp the analogy properly we must imagine them to be so constituted that they are incapable of realising any direction in space which does not lie in the aforementioned flat surface on which they live4 ,we can imagine this by supposing that their thickness1 i4e43--their extension in the third dimension perpendicular to their surface1--is so small as to be invisible to them and also that their nerve endings all lie on their periphery4 ,this last is equivalent to saying that they have no sense organs facing the third dimension and that therefore they cannot receive impressions1 or respond to any stimuli that come to them from that direction4 ,it follows1 therefore1 that unless they develope special sense organs which face the third dimension they will be acquainted only with such objects and events as lie1 or take place1 in their surface4 ,it is of course inconceivable that they should be truly plane beings in the mathematical sense and possess no thickness at all4 ,but if we suppose that their thickness is of the same order as the diameter of a chemical ,atom--that they are one atom thick so to speak1--the conditions laid down as to their limitation will be fulfilled4 ,now we have supposed the flat surface in our analogy to be perfectly smooth in the true sense of the word4 ,that is to say of such a nature as to offer no resistance whatever to the passage of objects over it4 ,this means that plane beings will not be sensible of any opposition to their movement as far as the surface is concerned4 ,also1 as we have supposed that they have no nerve endings facing it1 it follows that they cannot feel any pressure from it4 ,in short they will be totally unaware of its existence4 ,but for the purpose of strict analogy this is insufficient1 because a being placed on such a surface would be as incapable of movement as we should be if we were freely suspended in infinite space1 remote from all the material objects we know4 ,there would be nothing1 in any direction known to him1 from which he could push off4 ,we must therefore further suppose that the force of gravity operates in his world in a manner similar to that which we know1--every particle of matter attracting every other particle4 ,this will mean two things2 first1 that every particle on the surface will be held against that surface and that plane beings will1 therefore1 never be able to move away from it2 and1 second1 that matter on the surface will tend to collect together in a manner precisely analogous to what we observe in our space4 ,finally1 we may suppose that these hypothetical beings whom we are considering live on the rim of a very large disc of plane matter1 which has collected and is held together by the action of gravity1 just as we live on the surface of a very large sphere of solid matter4 ,they will be kept up against the rim of the disc by the force of gravity1 which will attract them towards its centre1 in the same way that we are kept against the surface of the earth4 ,it is easy to realise that the existence of such a plane being will be very limited indeed4 ,he will be conscious of two directions only4 ,one will be up and down that is to say1 towards or away from the centre of his plane earth3 the other will be forwards and backwards along its rim4 ,again any object1 that projects beyond the rim of the disc on which he lives1 will be for him an obstacle1 which can only be passed by climbing over or burrowing under it4 ,he cannot go round it1 because that would mean coming out of the flat surface1 which he is unable to do4 ,thus in ,fig4 #d1 if the curved line ,,ab represents a portion of the rim of the disc or plane earth1 and ,c a plane being1 then he can only pass from ,a to ,b by climbing over any intervening object such as ,d1 i4e43--by following the path indicated by the dotted line4 ,otherwise he would have to get out of the plane of the paper1 which is impossible for him4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #d ,now that ,i have described in outline the strict analogy of a race of plane beings inhabiting a smooth surface1 ,i shall take the liberty1 in the course of developing the idea more fully1 of treating it in a slightly less rigid fashion4 ,that is to say ,i shall assume that the reader has grasped the main idea and ,i shall not trouble about the ,plane earth etc41 unless it is desirable to do so for the sake of bringing out some special point2 and ,i shall substitute for the foregoing somewhat elaborate representation the simpler one of a thin object free to slide on a smooth surface lying in front of us4 ,but before doing so ,i would point out that already we begin to see our way a little4 ,we can understand for instance that the fact of a ,fourth dimension of space being unknown and inconceivable to us1 is no proof that it does not exist4 ,we have seen that a ,third dimension would be equally unknown and inconceivable to a being limited in the manner described above2 although we know that a third dimension does exist4 ,we have only to suppose that analogous limitations obtain in our own case to see that a ,fourth dimension might well exist of which we would still be unaware4 ,we must1 for instance1 suppose that we have no sense organs facing that way and that we are prevented from moving in that direction by some circumstance analogous to the smooth sheet on which we supposed the plane being to live4 ,the plane being would think that he could see all round his plane objects although we know that he could not really do so1 and similarly our conviction that we can see all round our solid objects may be an illusion4 ,thus we are already in a position to appreciate the fact that our inability to perceive or imagine ,four-dimensional space or objects in it1 is no argument against its existence4 ,there is1 therefore1 no 'a priori' reason for supposing that four dimensional space is not a reality4 ,it is a point which must be settled by an appeal to the evidence4 ,if1 in the course of our investigation1 we find that there are in our space phenomena1 which closely resemble those which would in two space indicate the existence of a third dimension1 then we shall be entitled to say that these phenomena indicate the probable existence of a fourth dimension4 ,we can now proceed with our consideration of a two dimensional world1 remembering that1-- ,shapes and events in four space bear to shapes and events in three space1 the same relation that those in three space bear to those in two space4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #e;a ,illustration3 ,fig4 #e;b ,the very small three-dimensional thickness which we have supposed to exist in all the objects of our plane world is imperceptible to the plane beings which inhabit it and the objects which they perceive they will accordingly think of as geometrical figures and of their boundaries as geometrical lines1 having length but no breadth4 ,a circle will appear to a plane being as a completely closed space4 ,he will1 as he thinks1 be able to go all round it without being able to find any opening in its bounding line4 ,it will in fact be to him what a sphere is to us4 ,a two space room will be a thing like the figure shown in ,fig4 #e;a4 ,he will be able to get into or out of it by the gap in the wall which is shown and which corresponds to the door4 ,but he will not be able to conceive of any other mode of entry or exit1 although we can see that from the direction of the third dimension it is not closed at all4 ,similarly1 if ,fig4 #e;b represents a closed two-dimensional box1 we see that this is absolutely open to us1 who are three dimensional beings1 though appearing to be closed on all sides to a plane being4 ,if we took advantage of this fact we could play all sorts of tricks on him for we could put things into the box or take them out of it1 by way of the third dimension1 while to the plane being the box would appear to be tightly closed the whole time4 ,it will be noticed that as the path of an object in transference would lie wholly outside the plane being's space he would not be able to form any conception of the nature of the process involved4 ,if he tried to understand it at all he would probably imagine that the object has been disintegrated into particles inside the box1 passed in this condition through the minute interstices which he might suppose to exist in its walls1 and reintegrated on the other side4 ,whereas the true explanation is far simpler4 ,the very great importance of this will become apparent when we come to consider the question of the positive evidences for the existence of a fourth dimension4 ,it is because of this importance that ,i have dwelt on a point which to many readers will have been obvious as soon as stated4 ,similarly we could make things appear from nowhere and disappear equally mysteriously simply by putting them down on to his flat surface and picking them up again4 ,i may as well repeat here that ,i do not for a moment expect that the reader will have been able to visualise four-dimensional space4 ,but ,i do hope that he will have seen the force of the analogy and will be prepared to admit that so far as we have gone at present four dimensional space is by no means inconceivable though it may not be distinctly imaginable4 ,the foregoing is really all that is necessary on the mathematical or theoretical side for the understanding of the basic ideas with which ,i am dealing but for the benefit of those readers who like that sort of thing ,i have added a few simple propositions and extensions of the analogy in the form of an appendix4 ,the only other question that need really concern us here is that of the phenomena of change in a two-dimensional world4 ,we have already seen that a cube laid on a flat surface will present to a plane being1 in that surface1 the appearance of a square4 ,it is also clear that if it is pushed through the surface it will continue to present the same appearance until it has passed right through1 when it will suddenly vanish away4 ,he would be unconscious of any movement on the part of the cube unless there was some difference between the first and last sections which he perceived4 ,if1 for instance1 the bottom face was red and the top face blue he would be conscious of a colour change on the part of the square which he perceived4 ,it would start by being red and would pass through various shades of purple till1 just before its final disappearance1 it would be pure blue4 ,but now suppose that it was pressed through his surface not normally but corner wise as indicated in ,fig4 #f--that is to say with one of its corners leading and one of its diagonals vertical4 ,the plane being would then see quite a different set of figures4 ,first would be a point2 this would grow into a triangle which would increase in size until it reached a certain maximum when it would begin to develope three new sides at its corners which would grow1 at the expense of the original sides1 until a regular hexagon was produced when the reverse process would set in and the hexagon gradually change back into a triangle which in turn would dwindle away and disappear4 ,it is easy to work out what would happen in the case of other solids1 e4g41 ,sphere1 ,cone1 ,tetrahedron1 etc4 ,all such changes would appear very mysterious to the plane being if he had formed no conception of three-dimensional space or the shapes of bodies therein4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #f4 ,let us now extend this idea rather further4 ,suppose we were to take a series of cinematograph pictures of the two-dimensional world1 from the direction of the third dimension4 ,we should obtain a succession of pictures each representing the precise state of affairs at some given moment in the two space world4 ,every thing in it would be represented in each4 ,there would be no question of one thing being hidden by another because we are regarding them all from the direction of the third dimension in which they have an inappreciable extension4 ,if we imagine the two space world to be very small or our camera to be very large there is no difficulty in supposing that each of our pictures includes the whole of the two space universe1--plane beings1 earth1 sun1 planets1 etc41 all complete4 ,imagine further that these pictures are reproduced1 as cinematograph films actually are1 on a transparent substance and then let us superimpose these successive pictures on one another in order so as to form a block4 ,by this means we can represent the disposition of all the objects in a two space system at a number of successive instants in one single three space figure4 ,for instance1 the motion of a two space planet round its sun would become a part of a helix or spiral4 ,if we now cut away from our block all the blank material which intervenes between the representations of the various two space objects we shall have a complete synthesis in three space of a succession of two space arrangements4 ,if we were now to pass this three space object through a penetrable two space surface1 e4g41 a soap film1 we should exactly reproduce for the two space beings in it the changes which we had originally recorded4 ,by analogy we can see that it would be possible to account for all the changes in our three-dimensional space by supposing them to be due to the passage through it of suitably shaped and arranged four-dimensional solids1 of which we only perceive at any moment a section whose extension in the fourth dimension is imperceptibly small4 ,it will appear later that ,i do not think that this is literally the case4 ,the point ,i want to make here is that the phenomena of change or successive arrangement in space of a given dimensionality are capable of explanation in terms of forms in the next space higher1 which latter do not change within themselves4 ,the precise import of this will appear when we come to consider the bearing of the higher space theory on the problem of the nature of ,time4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,scope ,,of ,,application ,,and ,,probable ,,importance ,,of ,,the ,,higher-,,space ,,concepts4 ,in the preceding chapter ,i have tried to explain what is meant by the term four-dimensional space and to demonstrate some of its more important properties from the point of view of ourselves who live in space of three dimensions4 ,i am now in a position to state the basic hypothesis which ,i propose to discuss in the pages which follow4 ,briefly stated it is this3-- ,higher space is a ,physical reality and not a mere mathematical idea4 ,in waking life the individual consciousness functions in a three-dimensional 'vehicle1' namely the physical body4 ,but it may also possess at least one other vehicle--a four-dimensional one--and in this it may function after death and1 possibly1 during sleep1 trance1 ansthesia and other forms of insensibility4 ,this hypothesis is not my own and ,i am not prepared to defend it as being necessarily correct4 ,but1 as ,i hope to show1 there are a number of considerations which tend to support it and ,i do think it is sufficiently plausible to make it worthy of serious consideration before it is finally rejected by those who are students of these matters4 ,in this chapter ,i propose to deal with the different ways in which it is likely to prove of importance4 ,first of all1 then1 it has strong claims to be adopted as a working hypothesis by those who are students of ,psychical ,research1 especially by those who are convinced of the validity of the ,spiritistic explanation of communications purporting to emanate from the deceased4 ,secondly1 ,i believe that if accepted as valid it would do much to provide a common meeting ground for opposite schools of religious and scientific thought4 ,between these there was a most marked and unfortunate cleavage during last century and though there has been a very considerable rapprochement since the days when controversy was at its height there is still much to be done before we can hope for a complete community of thought and expression4 ,it is hardly necessary to say that these two spheres of application are very closely allied1 but it is none the less convenient to separate them for purposes of discussion4 ,,the ,,need ,,of ,a ,,working ,,hypothesis ,,in ,,psychic ,,science4 ,the studies of ,psychical ,researchers must necessarily cover a very wide area which is bounded on the one hand by ,physical science proper1 on another by ,philosophy1 on a third by ,psychology and on a fourth by ,religion4 ,with each of these subjects it has close relations and yet possesses features which serve to distinguish it from any of them4 ,sir ,william ,barrett writes as follows of the scope of ,psychical ,research3 ,the subjects to be considered cover a wide range1 from unconscious muscular action to the mysterious operation of our sub-conscious self2 from telepathy to apparitions at the moment of death2 from hypnotism and the therapeutic effects of suggestion to crystal-gazing and the emergence of hidden human faculties2 from clairvoyance1 or the alleged perception of objects without the use of the ordinary channels of sense1 to dowsing1 or the finding of under-ground water and metallic lodes with the so-called divining-rod2 from the reported hauntings of certain places to the mischievous pranks of poltergeists 7or boisterous but harmless ghosts whose asserted freaks may have given rise both to fetishism and fairies72 from the inexplicable sounds and movement of objects without assignable cause to the thaumaturgy of the spiritualistic sance2 from the scribbling of planchette and automatic writing generally to the alleged operation of unseen and intelligent agents and the possibility of experimental evidence of human survival after death4 7,psychical ,research1 p4 #aj74 ,in view of the heterogeneous nature of this list ,i do not think it practicable to frame any hard and fast definition of ,psychical ,research4 ,moreover certain of the phenomena which it once studied--such as ,hypnotism--have been largely taken over by orthodox science1 and others1 such as ,telepathy and ,clairvoyance1 although of great intrinsic interest and some relevance1 may ultimately be regarded as comparatively remote from the main body of psychic phenomena4 ,roughly speaking1 the characteristic feature of the latter is a suspicion1 or prima facie appearance1 or allegation that they emanate from1 or are in some way connected with the activities of extra-mundane intelligences--notably the spirits of the deceased4 ,it is this feature which has caused their rejection by the sciences with which they would naturally appear to be associated and although our studies may in many cases show that the appearance is wholly spurious it must be remembered that1 until every phenomenon is so disposed of and relegated to its appropriate orthodox science1 the ultimate problem of ,psychical ,research is largely a matter of the provision of answers to such questions as3-- ,is there any scientifically valid reason for supposing that ,individual ,human ,personality survives bodily death8 ,if so1 under what conditions does it persist8 ,what is the relation between these new conditions and those with which we are acquainted8 ,any investigation into ,human ,personality of a scope less than this can be included under the heads of ,physiology or ,psychology which are prepared to investigate any conceivable intricacy in the mental or bodily states of the living4 ,it is only when the investigator refuses to be limited by bodily death that ,psychic science differentiates itself as a separate study4 ,i do not propose to consider here whether psychical research has yet given any satisfactory answer to the above mentioned questions or even whether there is any considerable chance of its ever being able to do so4 ,i merely wish to point out the nature of the problems with which it is concerned and which alone distinguish it as a separate science4 ,it follows that any hypothesis advanced with a view to co-ordinating the observed facts may find itself called upon to give an intelligible explanation of discarnate personalities1 that is to say of human personalities not functioning through the flesh and blood bodies in which we are accustomed to meet them4 ,so far as our present knowledge goes and on the balance of all the available evidence ,i am inclined to think that this necessity is at least imminent4 ,the adoption of some form of working hypothesis is moreover imperative in the light of scientific history4 ,all who are interested in psychical research will agree that it is in the highest degree desirable that it should be recognised as a ,science of a dignity commensurate with its intrinsic importance and on a level with the sciences more generally accepted as such4 ,that it has not1 hitherto1 attained this position in the eyes of the world in general is largely due to the fact that it has not yet fully reached that stage of development which chiefly distinguishes a science properly so called from mere speculatory observation4 ,this is no reflection on the many able and genuinely scientific men who have worked on the subject ever since it first became prominent in modern times some seventy years ago but is1 on the contrary1 a necessary and inevitable stage in the growth of any science whatsoever4 ,the processes of acquiring scientific knowledge are as invariable as those of logical thought4 ,just as all accurate reasoning may be reduced to a series of syllogisms1 so the process of acquiring exact knowledge may be reduced to a series of analogous sequences4 ,these are3--7#a7 ,observation4 7#b7 ,induction4 7#c7 ,deduction4 7#d7 ,experiment4--,a special form of observation4 ,i do not say that this sequence of operations is always consciously performed any more than when thinking a thing out we always consciously reduce our reasoning to its simplest syllogistic constituents4 ,but every time we acquire a new item of knowledge it would be possible to reduce the process by which we acquired it to a series of the sequences mentioned above4 ,it is worth while considering these steps in slightly greater detail4 ,,observation in the last analysis means no more than the recording and classifying of sensations1 which are the only form in which we get any information as to the outer world4 ,,induction means the process of concluding from a study of the observed and collected facts that there is some specific co-ordinating principle at work by virtue of which the facts exist4 ,this is the process known as forming a working hypothesis4 ,,deduction4 ,in this stage we consider more closely the working hypothesis which we have formulated1 and we conclude that if it be true certain other consequences must inevitably follow4 ,,experiment4 ,this simply means that we turn again to the outside world and examine it to see whether these deduced results do actually obtain in practice4 ,if they do we argue that our hypothesis is1 probably1 a correct one and we retain it until it is shown that if it be correct some result must inevitably occur which in fact does not4 ,there is a difference between a valid hypothesis and a true one--or1 as the latter is commonly termed1 a ,law4 ,any hypothesis is valid which explains the observed facts or at least explains some of them and contradicts none4 ,but the epithet true can only properly be applied when it has been shown that all necessary deductions are invariably borne out in practice4 ,as a matter of fact we can never say this with absolute certainty for it is always conceivable that some exception may some day be found which would necessitate the remoulding of the hypothesis4 ,the most we can say is that certain hypotheses have stood the test in such a very large number of cases without a single failure that there is a very high degree of probability that they are really true4 ,the hypothesis that the ,chemical ,atom was the ultimate and indivisible unit of matter was a perfectly valid one in the light of the facts that had been observed at the time of its formation and of its apparent proof by ,lavoisier and others4 ,it is only the facts which have been elicited by the study of ,ionisation1 of ,radio-active substances and similar phenomena that have proved it to be untenable and necessitated the substitution of the electronic theory4 ,again the ,corpuscular theory of light affords a very pertinent illustration of the point ,i wish to make4 ,a number of facts regarding the phenomena of light were observed and classified and it was found that these could be explained by the hypothesis that light consisted of a stream of very minute particles moving at very high speed which impinged upon the eye and thus gave rise to the sensations observed4 ,up to a point this explanation was perfectly satisfactory and for a long time it held the field1 partly because of the great prestige of ,newton to whom much of its development was due and partly because it continued to explain subsequently observed facts without much straining4 ,but among other things it was demonstrated that in order to account for the observed phenomena of refraction it was necessary to suppose that the ,corpuscles travelled faster in water than in air4 ,at first there was no means of determining directly whether this was so or not4 ,but later the researches of ,foucault made it possible to settle the point by direct measurement4 ,when the velocity of light in air and water respectively was measured directly by ,foucault's method it was found that the velocity in water was less than that in air4 ,the ,corpuscular theory was therefore untenable4 ,it is only by this process of forming1 testing and1 if necessary1 rejecting hypotheses that we gradually attain to exact knowledge4 ,as ,prof4 ,richet says3 ,la science n'a jamais t qu'une serie d'erreurs1 approximations constamment evoluant constamment boulvers1 et cela d'autant plus vite qu'elle tait plus avance4 7,annales des sciences psychiques1 #aije1 p4 #ae47 ,from this brief resum of the steps involved in scientific progress it is clear that the formation of a working hypothesis1 by inductive reasoning from the observed facts1 is a normal1 necessary1 and invariable step in the progress of any science whatsoever4 ,for this reason ,i do not think it likely that ,psychical research will attain any widespread recognition as a science until it is in possession of a valid working hypothesis capable of explaining at least the more important of the observed facts4 ,i believe that the higher space hypothesis fulfills this condition and if so it is clearly worth while adopting1 purely provisionally and tentatively of course1 by those who concern themselves with the subject4 ,i have said that ,i think that the conception of higher space has a bearing on the relations between ,religious and ,scientific thought4 ,i shall reserve for a later chapter the treatment of the question from the purely religious stand-point1 and shall only examine here the reasons which seem to me to have led so many sincere and able scientific men to a position at variance with the religious and spiritual point of view4 ,this is1 of course1 closely bound up with the whole topic of the various attempts which have been made to satisfy the perennial demand for light on the mysteries of life and death and on the spiritual and non-material aspects of the universe4 ,it is out of the question for me to attempt to classify here the countless religions1 sects1 and philosophies which have arisen from time to time4 ,but they do seem to fall into three main groups and although it is impossible to label these in any really satisfactory manner ,i think one may say that the ,materialistic ,scientists are the representatives of one school1 the ,orthodox ,theologians of another1 and the ,occultists of a third4 ,by the ,materialistic ,scientists ,i mean those who see in matter or ether the ultimate and only permanent reality and who attempt to explain every experienced phenomenon in terms of matter and ether and of these only4 ,according to their view1 ,thought1 ,emotion1 ,consciousness1 are no more than electro-chemical changes in the protoplasmic constituents of the brain cells4 ,the brain secretes consciousness as the liver secretes bile4 ,the idea of spirit is inconceivable to them2 for the whole essence of ,spirit is that it is not matter nor1 so far as we can imagine1 ether4 ,now although this attitude is utterly repugnant to me1 ,i can yet easily understand and sympathise with the state of mind which occasions it4 ,i1 too1 feel that if there is one thing above all others to which one's intellect must cling at all costs it is the general proposition of the coherence and continuity of the universe--in other words the great ,law of ,causation4 ,if ever we let go of that we find ourselves in chaos--which is insanity4 ,within the ring-fence1 so to speak1 of matter and energy the law holds good1 but anything outside appears to the scientist as discontinuous and therefore1 quite rightly1 revolting4 ,as against this point of view my contention is that it is quite possible to form an intelligible concept of ,reality1 different from and yet perfectly continuous with1 the physical reality of the scientist4 ,this first purely materialistic school admits of fairly easy delimitation whereas the other two schools mingle together and diverge within themselves in so complex a manner that it is much more difficult to distinguish them from each other than to separate either of them from the first4 ,but ,i think the difference is something of this kind4 ,the school of which the ,occultists are typical seem to me to tend to replace logically coherent explanation by mere descriptive nomenclature4 ,on the other hand the ,orthodox ,theologians1 while dogmatically asserting the existence of spirit and constantly emphasising the supreme importance of the spiritual life1 are apt to ignore the intellectual demand for intelligible explanation altogether4 ,it is merely foolish to ignore or to ridicule on 'a priori' grounds the statements of those who claim to have investigated the problems with which we are concerned by the cultivation of abnormal or commonly latent faculties4 ,if such faculties exist1 as is very possible1 it is clearly no more than common sense that they should be exercised to the full in the solution of problems which present especial difficulties to the more normal methods of investigation4 ,the results might be of the very highest possible value4 ,indeed1 it may well be that the cultivation of such faculties is by far the best way of attacking the whole question4 ,i am by no means prepared dogmatically to deny it4 ,none the less ,i think we are entitled to expect that those who claim to have attained knowledge by these means should take some pains to make their results continuous with existing knowledge and to eliminate needless obscurities4 ,at present the application of the word ,science to the utterances of the ,occult schools--as commonly presented--is a complete misnomer4 ,in ,theosophical literature1 for instance1 we are confronted with a scheme of things built up of such terms as ,astral ,plane1 ,etheric ,double1 ,causal ,body1 ,karma and so forth4 ,with all due deference to my ,theosophical friends ,i submit that this is not scientific explanation and cannot be so unless its exponents are prepared to tell us what is the relation between the astral plane and the physical world1 between the etheric double and the body as known to physiologists4 ,thus it is intellectually unsatisfying and little calculated to arouse the sympathetic interest of the strictly logical thinker4 ,i do not mean to say that none of the words of the type quoted have any real significance4 ,on the contrary ,i think it very probable that many of them have and that they do represent real parts of the actual scheme of things4 ,the trouble is that they are only names2 and to name a thing is not the same as to explain it4 ,in common fairness ,i ought1 however1 to admit that in several passages ,mr4 ,leadbeater--one of the best known ,theosophical writers--makes a distinct effort to escape from this tendency and it has further been opined by a very eminent ,occultist that the bulk of contemporary literature on the subject will be out of date in a few years4 ,i am inclined to suspect that this failing was the cause he had in mind4 ,i repeat that my primary quarrel is not with the accuracy or otherwise of the statements made4 ,every word of them may be perfectly correct1 but so long as they are expressed in terms wholly unrelated to pre-existing concepts ,i must1 qua scientist1 remain unconvinced4 ,the third school which includes the ,orthodox ,theologians sometimes resembles the ,occultists in the use of unintelligible terms but their chief weakness is their failure to recognise and to cater for the intellectual demand for coherent explanation4 ,they never weary of insisting1 quite rightly1 on the paramount importance of ,spiritual things1 but no effort is made to show the continuity which must1 in a sane ,cosmos1 exist between ,matter and ,spirit1 or to state the common factor1 so to speak1 which unites them as parts of a coherent whole4 ,for myself ,i refuse to believe that no such common factor is discoverable4 ,as ,sir ,oliver ,lodge says1 ,i have learned to believe in intelligibility4 ,this omission on the part of theologians did not so much matter in the days before ,physical ,science had attained to its present degree of development4 ,men knew so little about the material ,universe that they experienced little difficulty in finding a place in it for ,spirit and the ,spiritual life4 ,heaven was conveniently represented as being somewhere above and ,hell as somewhere below4 ,but now things have altered and we know quite a fair amount about the material world4 ,consequently the scientist demands--not unreasonably1 ,i think--an explanation of ,spirit which shall not conflict with the fundamental laws of continuity and causation4 ,so far the theologians have failed to meet this demand and to provide the necessary habitat for consciousness which shall be independent of1 and yet causally continuous with1 the material world which the scientist knows4 ,it is this illogical discontinuity which has alienated the sympathies of so many men of scientific mind and forced them to attempt to reduce all mental and spiritual phenomena to terms of matter4 ,the foregoing should be sufficient to show how important it is that ,psychical ,research--the connecting link between the study of the material and that of the purely spiritual--should adopt as soon as possible some form of working hypothesis which is not repugnant either to religious or scientific thought4 ,it is only by doing this that we can hope to retain the sympathies of both classes of thinkers and this is surely worth an effort quite apart from all other considerations4 ,here again ,i believe that the higher space hypothesis meets the requirements of the case and this is my second chief reason for urging its adoption4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,application ,,to ,,certain ,,of ,,the ,,facts ,,elicited ,,by ,,psychic ,,research ,in this chapter ,i propose to give some instances of the way in which the higher space hypothesis throws light on certain ,psychic ,phenomena which1 without its aid1 appear extremely obscure and difficult of explanation1 but ,i shall make no attempt to cover the whole range of phenomena known to students4 ,some are not yet1 in my opinion1 sufficiently well authenticated to necessitate consideration1 and those which are1 some--such as ,telekinesis1 ,prevision1 and certain aspects of unconsciousness--are more conveniently treated in later chapters2 others are so mysterious as to render any attempt at explanation premature until we have a wider and firmer foundation of fact on which to build2 others again1 such as thought transference or ,telepathy1 will probably prove explicable without introducing the ,higher ,space hypothesis in any direct connection4 ,there are some1 however1 which may well be considered here4 ,the first1 and by far the most important problem which confronts us in attempting to form an idea of post-mortem conditions1 or of the existence of personality apart from the physical body1 lies in the fact that we cannot conceive of personality as absolutely disembodied--as pure essence4 ,yet we know that if personality does in fact survive physical death1 it must do so in some form1 completely non-material in the ordinary sense of the word1 which is invisible1 impalpable1 in short entirely imperceptible1 to our normal senses4 ,probably it is the difficulty of conceiving such a mode of existence which has chiefly prevented physical scientists1 as a whole1 from accepting the obvious interpretation of the evidence for ,survival offered by various ,psychic phenomena4 ,few people1 ,i think1 who have studied the literature of the subject1 would be prepared to deny that ,survival is1 at least1 strongly indicated by the evidence in question4 ,but this difficulty of conceiving a state of existence1 at once real and non-physical1 has induced scientists to prefer to seek an explanation of the observed facts in terms of ,thought transference1 ,secondary personality and so forth4#a ,but as soon as we introduce the concept of the ,fourth ,dimension this difficulty disappears4 ,we have but to suppose that after physical death the ,individual consciousness is embodied in a vehicle organised1 not from physical matter1 but from ,four-dimensional matter1 i4e41 that which1 in four space1 corresponds to what we call ,matter in three space4 ,such a vehicle fulfills the required conditions in every way4 ,it is scientifically real--that is to say1 it has its habitat in a region as subject to law and as susceptible to mathematical analysis as the three dimensional world in which we at present live4 ,and yet it must be supposed to be1 of its very nature1 inapprehensible by our normal physical senses4 ,we are thus enabled to understand how those who have left this physical world may1 although discarnate1 be none the less as truly alive as ever1 close to us and yet invisible1 constantly in touch with us and yet beyond our normal ken4 ,this is the first and supremely important application of the hypothesis and it is impossible to over-emphasise it4 99 99 99 99 99 ,of the more specific phenomena suitable for discussion here1 ,i will first deal with ,clairvoyance4 ,this is probably far from being a simple phenomenon of unvarying nature4 ,there would appear to be at least four varieties and it is possible that as our knowledge of the subject increases we shall come to recognise still more4 ,the four at present distinguishable may be denoted as follows3-- 7#a7 ,so-called ,etheric ,clairvoyance4 ,this is apparently no more than a heightening of the ordinary powers of vision4 7#b7 ,perception of objects and contemporary events more or less removed in space from the percipient and invisible by ordinary means4 7#c7 ,perception of non-material objects or events2 as when a clairvoyant describes the appearance of a deceased person alleged to be present in spirit form4 7#d7 ,clairvoyance in time4 ,that is to say the perception of future events--,prevision--or of past events--,postvision4 ,instances of each of these four forms are abundant and amply verified except1 perhaps1 in the case of class #c where verification is scarcely possible4 ,it is easy to understand how clairvoyance of the first type arises4 ,we know that light consists of very rapid vibrations in the ether which impinge upon the retina and cause the sensation of sight4 ,we also know that if a beam of white light is passed through a triangular glass prism it is bent aside and split up into the seven colours of the rainbow1 viz41 ,red1 ,orange1 ,yellow1 ,green1 ,blue1 ,indigo1 and ,violet4 ,the resulting band of colour is called a ,spectrum4 ,if the ,spectrum so obtained is thrown upon a screen and a number of people are asked to mark thereon the limits of what they can see it will be found that these limits vary considerably4 ,we know1 too1 that there is a wide range of light-vibrations beyond the furthest of these visible limits1 for although our eyes do not respond to them the photographic plate does4 ,we also know that some of these vibrations will penetrate substances which are opaque to ordinary light although the opposite is the case for some substances4 ,this is particularly the case with ultra-violet light which consists of vibrations more rapid even than those of violet light which are themselves the most rapid in all the visible spectrum4 ,it seems reasonable therefore to suppose that certain people with abnormal retin or in an abnormal condition might be especially sensitive to these ultra-violet rays and that they might not only see things invisible to us but even see them through obstacles which are opaque to the sort of light to which normal eyes respond4 ,this explanation may serve for certain simple cases of clairvoyant vision but it soon breaks down because the visual image of any object seen in this way must be liable to confusion by the superimposed images of intervening objects4 ,suppose for instance that a clairvoyant wishes to see1 by this method1 what is written on page #ajj of a closed book4 ,we will suppose that the covers and paper of the book are transparent to some kind of ultra-violet light to which the eye of the clairvoyant responds1 whereas the ink is opaque to the same light4 ,on looking at the book the writing on page #ajj would be visible all right1 but so would that on the preceding #ii pages2 it would1 therefore1 be practically impossible to read the #ajjth page4 ,it will be seen1 therefore1 that clairvoyance of this type must be of very limited scope and cannot be held to account for cases of the second type where the clairvoyant perceives events happening at a considerable distance1 amounting in some instances to a matter of hundreds of miles4 ,i freely admit that at present ,i am not prepared to give an explanation of all cases where the distances involved are very large4 ,but to cases where the incidents or objects perceived are reasonably near the percipient1 the higher space hypothesis offers a simple and elegant solution4 ,consider the two dimensional analogue4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #g ,suppose that ,a ,fig4 #g1 represents a two-dimensional observer and that ,x1 ,y1 and ,z are two-dimensional closed spaces1 rooms1 houses1 or what not4 ,the interiors of these closed spaces will be invisible to ,a4 ,all he will be able to see will be a straight line as at ,b1 for the boundaries of ,x1 ,y1 and ,z will be opaque and impassable to him4 ,but now suppose that he were to be lifted up vertically1 out of the plane of the paper altogether4 ,he would from this new position be able to see the interiors of ,x1 ,y1 and ,z1 together with any two space incidents occurring therein4 ,they would present approximately the appearance shown in ,fig4 #g and the degree of foreshortening would diminish with the height to which he ascended above the plane of the paper4 ,in a precisely analogous manner we must suppose that three-dimensional obstructions do not exist for1 and that the interiors of closed three-dimensional spaces are entirely open to1 anyone who could regard them from a point situated in four space1 i4e41 removed from three space to a suitable distance in the direction of the fourth dimension4 ,the greater this distance the less will be the foreshortening and the greater will be the range of vision4 ,there would be no question of intervening objects obscuring the view1 simply because1 in four space1 three space objects do not intervene--the view of ,x in ,fig4 #g is in no way obscured by the presence of ,y or ,z4 ,compare with this the statements of many clairvoyants to the effect that when in the clairvoyant state they can1 and do1 see the front1 sides1 back1 and every internal point of three space objects simultaneously4 ,the parallel is almost irresistible in its significance4 ,compare also the following case given by ,professor de ,morgan1 and which is typical of the very numerous cases of this nature on record4 ,in this case the percipient was a little girl who was undergoing mesmeric treatment for fits by ,mrs4 de ,morgan4 ,while in the mesmeric state she was desired to follow ,professor de ,morgan mentally to the house at which he was dining and which was totally unknown to the child4 ,the girl got there at once and gave an accurate description of the room in which the ,professor was1 the furniture which it contained1 the people to whom he was talking and various small incidents which took place4 ,on his return ,professor de ,morgan confirmed every detail of the description4 ,this is1 of course1 a very condensed resum of the occurrence4 ,interested readers should consult contemporary ,psychic literature which abounds with such cases4 ,the point is that no amount of retinal hypersensibility will so much as begin to explain this sort of case1 whereas it is not so utterly incomprehensible when we introduce the idea that the percipient may have been seeing four-dimensionally4 ,it is hardly necessary to observe that the sense organs involved cannot be the physical eyes4 ,they must be supposed to belong to the four dimensional vehicle4 ,in attempting to explain this second type of clairvoyance along these lines1 there seem to be two main difficulties involved and these are admittedly very great4 ,first1 how is it that the four space vehicle possesses organs capable of perceiving three space objects and incidents8 ,one would expect it to respond to four space impressions only4 ,secondly1 as soon as the distances involved become more than quite small it is very difficult to conceive how the percipient can simultaneously describe the events by the use of physical speech mechanism and also perceive them from a point of view which must be supposed to be very considerably removed in the direction of the fourth dimension4 ,a correspondent of my own who appears to possess this power of clairvoyance at a distance in a remarkable degree and to be able to exercise it at will1 tells me that when she is seeing a distant scene1 she is yet so closely in touch with her physical body that she is conscious of moving her hand1 for example4 ,it is difficult to account for this on the four dimensional or any other theory4 ,i have no wish to minimise these difficulties or to claim that the introduction of the ,higher space hypothesis clears up the whole matter4 ,it does nothing of the sort4 ,but it does give us a dim inkling of what the general nature of the causes at work may be1 especially as regards the power of internal vision mentioned above and which ,i particularly wish to emphasise4 ,this is more than can be said of any alternative theory with which ,i am acquainted4 ,future study will probably show that this class of phenomena is far from simple and is really capable of being resolved into a number of sub-classes1 each requiring its own appropriate explanation4 ,it is interesting to note that ,mr4 ,c4,w4 ,leadbeater1 the well-known ,theosophical writer and clairvoyant1 definitely introduces the four-dimensional concept in his book on ,clairvoyance and ascribes the power of long-range perception to the intervention of what he calls an astral telescope2 but there would appear to be no evidence in support of this idea beyond the ipse dixit of the writer and even he is very vague on the point4 ,the third form of clairvoyance1 namely1 the perception of non-physical things1 is readily explicable on the hypothesis which we are considering4 ,just as the physical body has sense organs adapted for the perception of physical things1 so the four-dimensional body or vehicle will presumably possess analogous organs adapted for the perception of four-dimensional things4 ,in ordinary persons1 we must suppose either that these organs are almost completely undeveloped1 or else that the mechanism1 whereby the impressions received are conveyed to the consciousness and recorded as memories1 is defective or inhibited4 ,in the clairvoyant on the contrary we may suppose that they are well developed and active and that he is able consciously to perceive by their aid4 ,in advancing this explanation of the third form of clairvoyance1 ,i do not wish it to be thought that ,i attribute an objective origin to all visions of objects which have no obviously physical reality4 ,hallucination is often a vera causa and indeed it is comparatively seldom that we can eliminate it with certainty4 ,but ,i do not think it can legitimately be applied to all visions of this class4 ,the point is of some interest and worthy of a moment's thought even though it involves a digression from the main topic4 ,the essence of hallucination is that it should have a purely subjective origin and be unfounded on objective reality4 ,if ,i were to look round and find my sofa occupied by three green cassowaries playing nap ,i should1 ,i think1 be justified in assuming that ,i was the victim of an hallucination having no foundation in objective fact4 ,it would1 presumably1 have arisen from a simultaneous excitation of the memory centres associated with the game of nap1 cassowaries1 the number three1 and the sensation of greenness1 occasioned1 more or less fortuitously1 by over-work or alcoholic excess4 ,on the other hand if ,i were to see the figure of an old man with a long white beard1 one front tooth missing1 shaggy eyebrows1 black velvet smoking jacket1 gold watch and chain1 and so forth and were subsequently to find that such a person1 answering the description in every detail1 and previously entirely unknown to me1 had really once lived1 or was still living1 then the view that this vision was the result of pure hallucination1 would be untenable4 ,the probabilities against any chance stimulation of memory centres giving rise to precisely that combination of characteristics1 are immeasureably large4 ,in such cases--and they are by no means unknown--we must attribute some degree of objectivity to the origin of the vision4 ,this is of importance in view of the tendency in some quarters to dismiss all such visions as purely hallucinatory4 ,we shall see later that the problems connected with ,prevision and ,postvision are also1 if not completely explained1 at least rendered less utterly incomprehensible by the introduction of the higher space hypothesis4 ,with the third class of clairvoyant phenomena is closely associated that group of facts known as ,phantasms of the ,living1 of the ,dying1 and of the ,dead4 ,certain aspects of the dream state1 again1 seem to be related to clairvoyance at a distance and are conveniently dealt with here4 ,let us follow up the idea of a four-dimensional vehicle and see what light1 if any1 it throws on these questions4 ,let us suppose that the four-dimensional vehicle becomes detached from1 and loses touch with1 the three-dimensional physical body during unconsciousness2 or rather that unconsciousness is due to this detachment4 ,it follows that the ,ego embodied in this four-dimensional vehicle can no longer receive impressions through the three-dimensional sense organs and that it is wholly dependent for communication with the outside world on those which belong to the four-dimensional vehicle4 ,the nature of the impressions received will depend on the degree of development of these organs4 ,if they are completely undeveloped the ,ego will be utterly oblivious of its surroundings1 whereas if they are well developed the reverse will be the case and we may suppose the ,ego to be as fully cognizant of the surrounding world as we are in ordinary waking life4 ,it is interesting to compare with this the statements of those who claim to have consciously explored the ,astral plane or four space world4 ,they often describe sleepers as being present1 but in a brown study4 ,compare also the statement often found in communications purporting to emanate from discarnate personalities to the effect that1 ,we have seen so-and-so1 but do not know whether he is dead or not4 ,of course1 it by no means follows that it will be possible1 even under these latter conditions1 to remember in waking life the impressions received during unconsciousness4 ,on the contrary we should expect this to be the exception rather than the rule4 ,in their passage from sense organ to consciousness the impressions received will1 ex hypothesi1 not pass through the physical brain and the memory centres with which they become associated may be located in a position which is inaccessible to consciousness when embodied in the physical vehicle4 ,it would be possible1 though not perhaps absolutely necessary1 to account on these lines for the impression which most people have sometimes had1 of apparently remembering a place which they have certainly never visited previously in waking life4 ,they might1 however1 on this theory1 have done so in sleep4 ,it would also account for those dreams in which the dreamer perceives an incident at a distance which is subsequently verified4 ,as for the ordinary chaotic dream1 this1 it seems to me may be accounted for in either of two main ways4 ,if we suppose that the stimulation of certain cells 7memory centres7 in the brain causes an uprush into consciousness of the associated item of memory or souvenir1 it is not unreasonable to suppose that such stimulation is going on in the body all the time4 ,but it will only be in the state1 intermediate between profound sleep and waking1 that these aroused souvenirs will1 on the one hand get through to the consciousness--which in deep sleep is separated from the body altogether--and1 on the other will escape over-ruling by the ,will or obliteration by the influx of normal sensory impressions4 ,this would account for the fact that the majority of dreams appear to be of very short duration and to take place in the very act of waking4 ,the other cause of ordinary dreams is probably in its general nature suggestive4 ,that is to say the ,ego cut off from the outside world by the imperfections of its four-dimensional senses is quiescent1 and in a state peculiarly favourable for the telepathic picking up of stray thoughts which suggest dreams4 ,this of course is especially the case when the dream is deliberately suggested by a hypnotic specialist1 as is sometimes done4#b ,the subject of ,phantasmal apparitions is also both complex in its varieties and obscure as to its causes4 ,the commonest explanation1 namely1 the telepathic influence of the percipient by the agent1 does not seem to me to be applicable to every case4 ,for instance1 it is difficult to conceive how a man shot through the head can visualise himself sufficiently clearly at that moment to project a telepathic image of himself1 including the wound1 to the percipient4 ,and1 more generally1 it is probable that few of us could visualise our own appearance with sufficient accuracy to do more than convey1 telepathically1 a vague general impression4 ,on the other hand1 if we are to suppose that the details are filled up1 so to speak1 by the percipient1 how are we to explain accurate perception of clothing and so forth of which the percipient could have no knowledge8 ,finally1 the whole telepathic theory seems weak in this respect4 ,if ,i in the act of death1 vehemently long for1 or think of1 a certain person1 it is clear that the thought in my mind which is most likely to be transmitted to the brain of a percipient will not be the thought of myself--still less of my own appearance--but rather of the other person4 ,why should this suggest me to his mind8 ,in experimental telepathy it is the idea on which the agent concentrated his mind that is transmitted to the percipient1 not some other idea1 and ,i see no reason for supposing that this is not always the case4 ,in cases where the apparition has been deliberately produced as the result of an act of will on the part of the agent1 the apparition has invariably been preceded by the agent concentrating his mind on the person to whom he wishes to appear1 not on himself4 ,in view of these considerations ,i frankly do not see how the telepathic theory can be unreservedly maintained4 ,when we add that in some of these experimentally produced cases the agent has himself seen the percipient and given details1 subsequently verified1 of the circumstances prevailing at the percipient's end2 and then compare this with certain of the varieties of clairvoyance at a distance1 we must surely admit that the supposition that the agent was really present1 though not in the physical body1 is by far the simplest explanation4 ,for cases of this sort the reader should consult ,phantasms of the ,living4 ,some good selected instances are also given in ,death1 it's ,causes and ,phenomena1 by ,messrs4 ,carrington and ,meader4 ,the idea that conscious existence in a vehicle other than the physical body is possible even during life is borne out to some extent by the evidence of those who testify to having seen their own body1 from outside1 while in a state of unconsciousness4 ,an interesting one is given in the above mentioned work4 ,the narrator describes how as he lay in bed he felt a cold sensation creeping up his legs from the feet and gradually extending throughout his body4 ,after this had gone on for some time he became momentarily unconscious and on coming to himself again seemed to be walking on air and to be entirely free from his body4 ,he thought of a friend who was some hundreds of miles distant and in a few seconds he found himself in the presence of his friend in circumstances which he describes4 ,his friend spoke to him but he could not stay4 ,after much difficulty and perplexity he decided that he ought to return to his body and as soon as he had made up his mind on the point he found himself looking at his apparently dead body propped up in bed as he had been when this experience began4 ,he tried to control it and in due course was able to do so and after a time successfully re-embodied himself apparently none the worse for his experiences4 ,the credentials of this case are good1 and it is important to note that the friend referred to wrote spontaneously to say that he had seen the narrator at the time and in the circumstances which the latter describes4 ,for this reason it can hardly be dismissed as a mere hallucination or dream and it is relevant to the present discussion because the narrator saw his own body from outside and was apparently embodied all the time in a vehicle of some sort4 ,another somewhat similar and equally remarkable case is given in the same work4 ,this ,i shall deal with in a later chapter4 ,in view of the foregoing considerations1 ,i think it fair to say that the idea of a non-physical vehicle of consciousness capable1 under the proper conditions1 of temporary detachment from the physical body1 has strong claims to be adopted as a working hypothesis for future investigations even though it is too early1 as yet1 to accept it as a proven fact4 ,it certainly seems to clear up certain cases of apparition and abnormal acquisition of information as to distant events1 in a way which other theories do not do without being strained to an extent which ,i regard as unwarrantable4 ,it seems probable that the chief reason why such an hypothesis has not been adopted before is simply the difficulty of conceiving the nature of such a vehicle4 ,but this is overcome if we suppose that it is four-dimensional4 ,the theory has1 of course1 its own attendant difficulties and ,i have no desire disingenuously to ignore them4 ,first it may be asked3 ,how does the percipient see the apparition8 ,for four-dimensional objects are1 ex hypothesi invisible to three-dimensional sight4 ,second3 ,why does the four-dimensional vehicle present the exact appearance of the three-dimensional body--clothes and all8 ,third3 ,how can it speak1 i4e41 set up vibrations in three-dimensional matter1 as it is sometimes recorded as doing8 ,it is admittedly far from easy to answer these questions1 in the light of our present knowledge4 ,as regards the first1 ,i should feel disposed to say that such apparitions would be the rule rather than the exception1 were it not for the fact that only those whose four-dimensional organs are fairly well developed can see them4 ,even so it may be that they are only called into activity as a result of some special rapport existing between the agent and the percipient4 ,professor ,joire1 in his book ,psychical and ,supernormal ,phenomena points out that in nearly every case the percipient is in a state which he describes as superficial somnambulism or passive mediumship i4e41 in some condition which from the facts of ,hypnosis we may consider to be especially favourable to the receiving of supernormal impressions of any kind4 ,this observation appears highly relevant and important4 ,the second difficulty may be met1 though not1 ,i must admit1 in a particularly convincing manner1 by supposing that the four-dimensional vehicle is so mobile and plastic1 in respect to appropriate forces1 that it is capable of being moulded by the mere power of will4 ,it would thus take the form which the agent commonly associated with himself1 or which he observed his physical body to have after he had left it4 ,it would be possible to adduce a number of considerations in support of this view1 but none of them are in any way conclusive and ,i therefore leave the reader to form his own opinion on the matter4 ,as regards the third point1 there are two possible answers which might be offered4 ,on the one hand it might be suggested that the words heard are really objective2 the result1 that is to say of actual vibrations in the atmosphere1 and that this result is produced because1 in all such cases1 the percipient is sufficiently mediumistic to provide the necessary material for the agent to work up some form of speaking apparatus4 ,this is very difficult to conceive as possible1 and yet we must suppose some such process to be involved in the production of the ,direct ,voice1 a phenomenon which1 though baffling1 seems well authenticated4 ,but this is rendered improbable by the cases where the speaking agent has been a living person1 who records no such process as having taken place4 ,besides1 it is grossly improbable that a living person1 or for that matter a newly 'dead' person1 would know how to perform this operation4 ,the most probable explanation seems to be a combination of telepathic communication between the agent and the percipient accompanied by an auditory hallucination on the part of the latter4 ,this would be1 ,i think1 quite natural4 ,these difficulties are much reduced1 though not entirely removed1 if we suppose that the agent is embodied1 not in the four-dimensional vehicle1 but in what1 for lack of a better word1 is called the ,etheric ,double4 ,this appears to be of a semi-material nature and is discussed at length in the chapter dealing with ,the ,connecting ,link4 ,but this supposition would involve special difficulties of its own4 ,there is reason to suppose that the ,etheric ,double1 if it exists at all1 is incapable of moving far from the physical body during life and it does not appear well adapted for use as a vehicle after death4 ,but on this point ,i shall have more to say later4 ,generally speaking1 it seems probable that no one of these explanations will be found to cover all the cases in question4 ,but each is likely to prove applicable to some of them1 although much careful investigation and analysis will be necessary before we can hope to be able to allot each case to its true cause with any degree of assurance4 ,none the less ,i am convinced that the hypothesis of a four-dimensional vehicle1 detachable on occasion from the physical body1 puts us1 at least1 on the right track4 ,i will now turn to the consideration of a series of phenomena which1 from the point of view of the higher space hypothesis1 are of far greater interest and significance than any we have yet considered4 ,i refer to the phenomena of apport and of apparent penetration of matter by matter4 ,if we have a closed room1 of which all the windows1 doors1 and other apertures have been carefully shut and sealed1 it is clearly impossible to introduce any solid object into that room1 by normal means1 without breaking the seals and opening one of the apertures4 ,the same would apply to a closed1 locked and sealed box4 ,but the literature of ,psychical research abounds with instances where objects are alleged to have been introduced into such closed and sealed rooms and boxes--or removed from them1 which comes to the same thing--without breaking the seals4 ,this is the phenomenon of apport properly so called and it forms a special case of the more general class of apparent penetration of matter by matter4 ,other cases of the latter are the tying of knots in an endless cord of such a nature that they can only be untied by breaking the cord or separating its previously sealed ends2 or the passing1 on to the wrist or ankle of some person or other1 of a ring so small that it could not possibly be pushed on over the hand or foot4 ,a very good test would be the interlinking of two rings turned from different sorts of wood--as was attempted without success in the ,slade-,zllner investigation2 or the passing of a piece of weldless drawn steel tube on to the middle portion of an ordinary wooden dumb-bell4 ,with regard to these phenomena ,i propose1 first1 to show in what their very great importance lies and then to discuss the nature of the evidence we have for their actual occurrence4 ,if the reader will refer back to the first chapter1 he will at once perceive why ,i laid what must have appeared to be unnecessary stress on the fact that rooms and boxes which would appear to be absolutely closed to a two space being would be perfectly open to us who live in a three space world4 ,just as every point in the interior of a two space figure is absolutely open in the direction of the third dimension1 so we must suppose from analogy that the interior of a closed three space figure--a box or room--is perfectly accessible from the direction of the fourth dimension4 ,consequently on the hypothesis that four space actually exists as a reality1 and is peopled by intelligent beings1 possessed of the necessary apparatus--whatever that may be--the explanation of the phenomenon of apport is quite simple4 ,we have only to suppose that the object in question is moved out of the containing space1 in the direction of the fourth dimension1 and then put down again into three space outside the box or room in which it originally was4 ,or conversely1 when it is a question of introducing an object into a closed space4 ,during transit1 the object would1 of course1 be located entirely outside of three space4 ,i will not go at length into the question of how the tying of knots in an endless cord could be performed in four space4 ,any reader who cares to tie together the two ends of a piece of string for himself1 will soon realise that it is not possible then to tie a simple knot in the string without untying the ends4 ,if such an operation were to be performed1 under test conditions1 it would clearly be a case of apparent penetration of matter by matter4 ,consider this case which is analogous to that of the steel tube and the dumb-bell suggested above3 ,let ,a and ,b be two space objects4 ,fig #h4 ,a two space being could not conceive of their being brought into the second position shown in the figure4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #h ,but we1 having the advantage of a third dimension of space could very easily pick up the object ,a and put it down in the second position with regard to ,b4 ,similarly a four space being of sufficient knowledge and manipulative ability could1 theoretically1 slip on to the middle part of the dumb-bell a piece of steel tube of a diameter too small to be passed over the two large ends4 ,there are1 of course1 a large number of variations which could be introduced into this class of experiment but the foregoing will be sufficient to indicate their salient features4 ,for the purpose of detailed consideration ,i shall deal only with the case of the removal of a solid object from the interior of a closed and sealed box1 which is typical of the whole of this class of phenomena4 ,let it be clearly understood that at the moment ,i am not expressing any opinion as to whether this or any allied phenomenon has actually occurred4 ,i am concerned merely with the inferences we should be compelled to draw if such an occurrence were substantiated scientifically beyond all possibility of doubt4 ,we have seen that given four-dimensional space as a reality and an intelligent four-dimensional being equipped with the necessary knowledge1 powers1 facilities and so forth1 which ,i have included under the general term of apparatus the thing could be done in a comparatively comprehensible manner1 although the actual manipulative details would still require clearing up4 ,the question now arises3 ,is this the only conceivable modus operandi that could bring about the same result8 ,it is not4 ,there is one other1 and so far as ,i know only one other1 theory which has been advanced to account for this type of phenomenon4 ,it has been supposed that the solid object in question is dissociated1 by some obscure means1 into ultra-atomic particles1 is passed in this condition through the walls of the box and finally integrated again into its original form outside the box4 ,now1 apart from the obvious difficulty of imagining how these ultra-atomic particles are integrated into the precise form originally possessed by the object1 this theory has at first sight a certain plausibility4 ,we know that all matter is probably susceptible of dissociation in a fashion that was originally supposed to be the exclusive property of ,radium and other ,radio-active substances4#c ,if1 then1 we postulate the existence of intelligent beings in a non-physical state of existence1 there is nothing to prevent us from supposing that certain of them have acquired a sufficient knowledge of physical laws to enable them to effect a process of this nature artificially4 ,i do not say that this idea commends itself to me2 but it is the explanation most commonly offered for the phenomena in question1 and this fact taken in conjunction with its prima facie plausibility1 entitles it to careful consideration before we dismiss it as untenable4 ,the real objection to it is a mere matter of ,physics4 ,the work of the scientists mentioned above goes to show that what we call matter is no more than a condensation of energy in the ether2 and that the dissociation of matter is invariably accompanied by an enormous liberation of energy4 ,for calculations on this point the reader may refer to ,m4 ,le ,bon's book ,the ,evolution of ,matter4 ,without going into such calculations it may be said that the amount of energy that would be liberated in the dissociation of a gramme of matter1 would be amply sufficient1 if it were produced in the form of heat1 to fuse1 and for that matter vaporise1 the experimenters1 the room1 the whole house1 and probably about half the town as well6 ,what becomes of this enormous quantity of energy which must be liberated during the process if the dissociation theory of the phenomena is correct8 ,why is its liberation not apparent1 and painfully apparent1 to the experimenters8 ,how is it prevented from being dissipated and how is it collected again and recondensed into matter8 ,this point seems to me to be insuperable4 ,if the object within the box is dissociated1 then energy must inevitably be liberated4 ,if energy is liberated1 then it cannot conceivably escape detection in such quantities4 ,i hope ,i have made my point clear4 ,i am quite sure that any scientist accustomed to think in terms of energy will at once see the difficulty to which ,i allude4 ,i can see only one way out and that is to suppose that in some mysterious manner the liberated energy is stored in a reservoir1 so to speak1 which is not situated in our space at all1 and this at once lets us in for the original idea of a fourth dimension and higher space and all the rest of it4 ,hence ,i maintain1 and ,i think ,i have reason to maintain1 that if these phenomena do actually occur at all1 then we are compelled to admit that four-dimensional space does actually exist2 and this no matter whether we accept as the proximate cause of the phenomena a simple four-dimensional movement or the far more elaborate and less satisfactory notion of dissociation and re-integration4 ,the reader will now understand why it is that ,i attach such great importance to these phenomena of apport and of the apparent penetration of matter by matter4 ,if one of these phenomena could be established by absolutely incontrovertible experimental evidence1 with the same degree of certainty1 for instance1 as the phenomenon of levitation without contact has been established by the recent researches of ,crawford1 ,i should regard the four-dimensional hypothesis as virtually proven4 ,i should be much interested to hear whether any interested reader can get out of the difficulty1 assuming the authenticity of the phenomenon for the sake of argument1 but ,i do not think that it will prove possible4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i will now pass to the consideration of the nature of the evidence that exists for the actual occurrence of this sort of phenomenon4 ,i will preface my remarks by two quotations from writers who appear to hold somewhat different views on the subject4 ,in ,the ,physical ,phenomena of ,spiritualism ,mr4 ,hereward ,carrington says3 ,without now stopping to consider any a priori speculations as to the scientific possibility or impossibility of such a thing2 the mere historic evidence in the case would certainly seem to point to the conclusion that fraud and nothing but fraud has been operative throughout and is quite sufficient to account for all the phenomena observed 7save in the case of ,w4,s4 ,moses1 perhaps1 that stumbling block to the rationalistic psychical researcher71 in the presence of professional mediums4444 ,in fact all these cases sift themselves down to the one primary consideration3 could the medium1 in spite of the searching1 have introduced into the sance room1 unseen by his sitters1 the objects materialised4 ,it should be noted that the above refers to cases where the sance room is found1 after the sitting1 to contain objects which were certainly not there before4 ,in this connection the last sentence of the passage quoted above is eminently justifiable and it is for this reason that ,i prefer to deal with varieties of the phenomenon which are more amenable to experimental control on the part of the experimenter2 as for instance the removal of a solid object from the sealed box which we are considering4 ,compare with this first quotation the following taken from ,mr4 ,gambier ,bolton's book ,psychic ,force4 ,during my sixteen years of experimental investigation into the question of the existence of this ,psychic ,force1 the apparent penetration of matter by matter has been such a common occurrence at our experimental meetings1 that unless this happens to take place in connection with some unusually large and ponderous object that is suddenly brought into our midst1 or removed from the place where we are holding our meetings1 ,i take but very little note of it4 ,i could fill a large volume with instances where this has taken place in my own presence4444 ,i am not engaged in an attempt to explain such things1 but am merely recording phenomena which ,i myself have witnessed and which have been witnessed hundreds1 nay thousands1 of times by well-known investigators like ,sir ,william ,crookes and ,dr4 ,alfred ,russel ,wallace under the strictest test conditions4 ,these two views are1 to say the least of it1 somewhat divergent4 ,we must1 therefore1 see what is to be gathered from such original records as are available4 ,the locus classicus of this sort of phenomenon is the ,slade-,zllner investigation of #ahgg-i4 ,this investigation has received so much attention that it is impossible to avoid giving it somewhat careful consideration here4 ,johann ,carl ,friedrich ,zllner was born in #ahcd4 ,he was ,professor of ,physics and ,astronomy at the ,university of ,leipsic1 a member of many learned and scientific societies and the author of a number of scientific treatises4 ,he was assisted1 from time to time1 in his investigations by ,professors ,weber1 ,fechner1 and ,scheibner all of whom were men of considerable eminence in one branch or another of mathematical or physical science4 ,the medium in whose presence the phenomena were produced was the well-known ,dr4 ,slade4 ,this medium has been demonstrated to have resorted to fraud with a certainty that admits of no dispute4 ,but1 as ,mr4 ,hereward ,carrington points out1 we ought not to allow this fact to influence us in the consideration of any particular case4 ,in the first place it is fairly certain that mediums who are capable of producing genuine phenomena under suitable conditions are also liable to resort to trickery when the genuine thing does not come off4 7,cp4 the case of ,eusapia ,palladino47 ,in the second1 too great a reliance on antecedents is apt to produce an unreliable a priori prejudice4 ,every case should be considered on its merits alone and the medium's past history should only be allowed to influence our judgment if it can be shown that fraud has not been rigorously excluded and that the only argument against it is the argument from moral integrity4 ,in this case the argument from integrity is obviously inadmissible and as a matter of fact the precautions taken to guard against fraud were so very inadequate that we cannot accept the experiments in question as worth anything at all from the scientific point of view4 ,zllner's account of his experiments is to be found in his book ,transcendental ,physics1 translated into ,english by ,mr4 ,c4,c4 ,massey in whom the author found an able and enthusiastic champion against his many critics4 ,among the more important of his experiments were3 ,production of knots in an endless string4 ,slate writing under test conditions4 ,disappearance and reappearance of solid objects4 ,coins transferred from closed and fastened boxes4 ,other instances of the apparent penetration of matter by matter4 ,the careful study of this book is of the greatest value as an exercise in the criticism of evidence and as a guide for anyone who proposes to study such matters at first hand4 ,i do not think that ,i can illustrate my meaning better than by a description of my own impressions in connection with the book4 ,when ,i first read it ,i was much impressed by the scientific eminence of those who bore witness to the authenticity of the events described4 ,i reflected that here we had a ,physicist of no mean order1 assisted by other scientists of ,european reputation1 men trained1 presumably1 in the art of exact observation and not likely to be deceived by the manipulations of a conjuror4 ,surely we must believe their testimony if we are to assign any value to human evidence at all6 ,then1 as ,i thought over the matter more and became more convinced of the importance of the conclusions to be drawn from these experiments1 if genuine1 ,i felt that these considerations1 although possessed of their own importance1 were yet not sufficient to warrant acceptance of the evidence without careful examination of the intrinsic qualities of the latter4 ,on further study of the book ,i was struck by the fact that not one of the special experiments1 carefully designed by ,zllner to establish the genuineness of the phenomena and the validity of the four-dimensional explanation beyond all doubt1 had succeeded4 ,this was suspicious1 although not1 of course1 conclusive4 ,specially devised test experiments may very likely fail simply because they may involve the upsetting of some essential condition which is not fully understood by the experimenter4 ,but when such experiments fail1 while others of1 apparently1 identical general nature succeed1 it gives one cause for thought4 ,finally1 when ,i came to examine the records of individual experiments in the light of the criticisms of ,mr4 ,carrington1 of ,dr4 ,hyslop and others1 ,i realised that the nature of the evidence was emphatically not good enough to justify our accepting as demonstrated the facts which ,zllner claimed to have established4 ,i shall not waste my own time and that of the reader by giving numerous instances of the sort of thing ,i mean4 ,i will confine myself to the case that we are more especially considering as being typical of the whole of this class of phenomena1 i4e41 the case of the removal of a coin from a closed and fastened box4 ,zllner describes how in ,december #ahgg he put some coins in a small cardboard box and had closed it by glueing a strip of paper round the sides4 ,he had done this in the expressed hope that ,slade might be able to remove them and thus give a proof of the reality of the fourth dimension which was ,zllner's pet hobby4 ,in ,may #ahgh ,slade came again to ,leipsic and performed the feat1 at any rate to the satisfaction of ,zllner4 ,the box was put on a table together with some slates and other objects and ,slade and ,zllner and his colleagues sat round4 ,zllner satisfied himself by shaking the box that the coin was still inside and in answer to ,slade's enquiries explained the purpose of the experiment and its importance if successful4 ,there was a little preliminary slate writing and then ,slade began staring into a corner of the room and saying ,i see funf and eighteen hundred seventy six4 ,then a hard object was heard to fall on the slate which ,slade had held under the table all the time and on withdrawing the slate it was found to be a five mark piece of date #ahgf4 ,zllner then snatched up the cardboard box and shook it only to find that it was empty4 ,this is a very highly condensed description of the proceedings but ,i do not think ,i have been guilty either of suggestio falsi or of suppressio veri4 ,interested readers can refer to the original4 ,now1 if ,zllner had been writing no more than a casual account of a well-known experiment1 inserted for the sake of completeness or for similar reasons1 it would be well enough4 ,but to offer his account1 in the face of a very natural scientific incredulity1 as a conclusive demonstration of a highly controversial point1 was an insult to one's intelligence4 ,there are numerous criticisms that might be made1 but ,i shall confine myself to pointing out only the more conspicuous of them4 ,in this experiment there are two main methods by which the result might have been obtained by fraudulent means4 ,there seems no doubt that the coin was really in the box at the beginning of the sitting4 ,we may equally accept the statement that the box shaken at the end of the experiment did not contain a coin4 ,on the hypothesis of fraud1 therefore1 one of two things must have happened4 ,either ,slade must have contrived1 during the sitting1 to possess himself of the box1 open it1 abstract the coin1 close the box again1 and return it to the table2 or else he must have substituted for the box1 which at the beginning of the sitting contained the coin1 another 7empty7 box1 previously prepared to resemble the original4 ,i do not think the former method to be at all likely4 ,one cannot unstick a length of glued paper and stick it up again in a few seconds unobserved4 ,on the other hand everything lends itself to the supposition that the second method was actually adopted4 ,in the first place we know that the box was prepared some six months previous to the experiment4 ,it is true that ,zllner is a trifle hazy as to dates1 saying at the outset that ,slade's first visit to ,leipsic was in ,december #ahgg1 and1 later1 that the first and second visits were in ,november and ,december #ahgg4 ,but this is comparatively immaterial1 the point being that ,slade had presumably had ample time and opportunity for finding out all about these boxes and for preparing substitutes4 ,i say presumably because in the absence of definite evidence to the contrary1 we have no reason to suppose that these boxes were kept in an inaccessible place or that ,zllner had never mentioned his intentions with regard to them to ,slade himself or to anyone else4 ,i consider then that so far as the records go1 we are perfectly entitled to suppose that ,slade was able to prepare1 and1 in fact1 actually did prepare1 an empty counterfeit box1 externally similar to that prepared by ,zllner4 ,the second1 and almost incredible1 point to be noticed is that apparently no steps of any sort were taken by ,zllner to identify either the box or the coin after the sitting with those originally prepared by him4 ,in fact1 he definitely says that he had completely forgotten1 indeed had never so much as observed1 the value or dates of the coins used6 ,with such gross carelessness in the control1 the trick becomes exceptionally easy to perform4 ,slade goes to the sance armed1 among other things1 with an empty1 counterfeit box resembling ,zllner's1 also with a five-mark piece of the right date--,i think that even ,zllner would have been suspicious if the coin that fell on the slate had been dated #ahgh6 ,zllner shakes his box--the genuine one--and satisfies himself that the coin is really there4 ,then follows a little preliminary play with the slate and so on1 the simplest matter in the world to an artist like ,slade4 ,at the critical moment ,slade diverts the attention of the experimenters from the table by the world-old conjuror's dodge of gazing fixedly in some other direction and murmuring ,i see--see--funf1 etc4 ,while ,zllner and his colleagues are glancing in the same direction to see what he is looking at1 ,slade swiftly substitutes his counterfeit box for the original1 and the trick is to all intents and purposes done4 ,all he has now to do is to drop the coin which he brought with him on to the slate at any convenient moment and draw out the latter in triumph6 ,given the astounding guilelessness of ,zllner and the complete lack of control revealed by the records1 the thing was absurdly simple4 ,and yet ,zllner refers to it as having been performed under such stringent conditions6 ,the foregoing example will1 ,i hope1 make quite clear how much importance ,i attach to the ,slade-,zllner investigations4 ,i am not prepared to say that ,slade never produced genuine phenomena1 either with ,zllner or with anyone else4 ,on the contrary1 ,i think it probable that he possessed a certain amount of genuine mediumistic power which1 however1 he did not hesitate to supplement by cheating when occasion offered4 ,some1 or for that matter all1 of the ,slade-,zllner experiments may happen to have been genuine4 ,but in view of the known untrustworthiness of ,slade and the complete lack of proper scientific control revealed by a study of the published records we must write them off as quite valueless from a scientific point of view4 ,i have dealt with this particular case at some length partly on account of the vehemence of the controversies which have raged round it and partly because the discrediting of ,zllner's observations has done much to bring the whole idea of the fourth dimension into disfavour and even into ridicule4 ,this1 ,i feel1 is unfair and ,i wish to make it clear that my present advocacy of the claims of the higher space hypothesis is in no way based on the ,zllner experiments4 ,there are1 of course1 in the literature of the subject a large number of other cases which are not so obviously unreliable--some1 in fact1 which are distinctly good4 ,dr4 ,s4,a4 ,peters gives an account of an early experiment by ,dr4 ,hare--one of the pioneer investigators--in which two small balls of platinum were transferred to the inside of two hermetically sealed glass tubes4 ,it is not a bad case but is a very old one and the record gives no particulars of any special precautions taken to exclude fraud4 ,the ,milan ,committee appointed to investigate the mediumship of ,eusapia ,palladino failed to obtain any confirmation of ,zllner's experiments1 but they seem to have been puzzled by an unaccountable incident where the medium managed to get into1 or partially into1 a coat while her hands were being held by the ,committee4 ,i do not myself regard this case as convincing4 ,the ,american ,society for ,psychical ,research recorded some observations with a ,mrs4 ,roberts of ,new ,york1 who managed to liberate herself from a carefully made and sealed cage which was closed and sealed by members of the investigating committee4 ,i do not know anything at first-hand about the credentials of this case4 ,dr4 ,paul ,joire quotes it and ,i suppose1 therefore1 that he considers it reliable4 ,the same author also quotes at length a case observed by ,dr4 ,pogorelsky and other ,russian investigators with the medium ,sambor4 ,in this case a cane chair was passed on to the arms of two of the experimenters whose hands were clasped and bound together4 ,that is to say1 whereas to start with the chair was by itself and independent of them it was1 at the end of the proceedings1 found suspended from their arms by the opening at the back4 ,as the opening was too small for either of them to have wriggled through even if they had wished to do so this was a clear case of apparent penetration of matter by matter4 ,the evidence in this case seems to be well above the average although it cannot be said to amount to mathematical certainty4 ,mr4 ,gambier ,bolton gives a distinctly good case in his book ,psychic ,force1 p4 #fe4 ,under exceptionally favourable conditions he observed the removal of a light table from a sort of tent which he had constructed and very carefully closed and secured4 ,this is one of the best cases ,i know2 it took place in the observer's own room1 it was done impromptu1 it was well observed in light1 and all the objects concerned were the observer's property and not of a kind to admit of prestidigitation4 ,it is difficult to see any way out of it and yet ,i must confess that ,i am not wholly satisfied4 ,i feel that in every case there is just something more needed to carry complete conviction and ,i should very much like to see a good case myself4 ,other instances are common4 ,the records of the mediumship of ,stainton ,moses1 for instance1 abound with them4 ,but as there were never any test conditions imposed1 so far as ,i am aware1 it follows that the question of the genuineness of the phenomena is simply a matter of the integrity of the medium4 ,on this point every reader must be left to form his own opinion4 ,many authorities have professed the greatest confidence in ,moses4 ,mr4 ,podmore1 on the other hand1 presents the suspicious features of the case in a very able criticism in his ,modern ,spiritualism4 ,anyway on a point of such importance as this ,i do not think it would be right to allow the matter to be settled by any purely moral considerations of the type adduced in the case of ,moses4 ,in general1 then1 ,i should say that the phenomena of the apparent penetration of matter by matter are not established with the same degree of certainty which characterises certain other phenomena1 and which we ought to demand before accepting them as scientifically proven or utilising them without reserve as a basis for the construction of theories4 ,in the interests of the science it is in the highest degree important that experiments of this nature should be carried out under real test conditions4 ,should any of my readers be so fortunate as to be acquainted with any medium capable of producing these very rare phenomena with regularity1 ,i should esteem it a great favour if they would kindly inform me4 ,i would very much like to arrange some definite experiments to settle the matter--if possible once and for all4 ,there is one other direction from which1 in my opinion1 we receive a strong hint that four-dimensional space is intimately connected with ,psychic phenomena4 ,i refer to ,crawford's work on table levitation4 ,this investigation is undoubtedly destined to take rank as a classical research of the first magnitude and no one who professes to take an intelligent interest in the scientific and experimental aspects of ,psychic investigations can afford to be without his book4#d ,in a later chapter ,i shall have occasion to refer to certain aspects of his results and to show how they fit in with those of other investigators working on very different lines4 ,in the present context ,i propose only to call attention to the rigidity of his cantilever1 a phrase which perhaps needs some explanation4 ,as a result of the most careful and painstaking researches extending over a period of nearly three years and performed under conditions which were singularly favourable for observation1 he has been enabled to arrive at certain definite conclusions as to the mechanical causes of telekinesis in general and table levitation without contact in particular4 ,he finds that when the table is lifted clear of the floor it is supported by a definite structure or cantilever4 ,this structure is invisible and impalpable1 or nearly so1 and appears to be organised out of some form of matter actually taken from the body of the medium4 ,dr4 ,crawford has been able to work out the form and size of this structure with considerable accuracy4 ,for the details of method and results the reader should consult his book4 ,it is possible to pass a thin rod through this structure in any direction without causing a breakdown1 and without encountering any perceptible resistance4 ,nevertheless the structure can resist compressional1 tensional and torsional stresses of very considerable magnitude as ,i am able to testify from personal experience4 ,i may mention here that ,i have witnessed these phenomena myself under good observing conditions and that ,i am prepared to certify in the most unequivocal manner that they are absolutely authentic2 that is to say the result neither of fraud--conscious or unconscious--nor of illusion4 ,indeed1 ,i do not suppose that an intelligent person could suppose them to be due to anything of the sort after a careful study of ,dr4 ,crawford's book1 quite apart from any personal observation and ,i only add my own testimony as a small make-weight for what it may be worth4 ,we are here confronted with a sort of mechanical paradox4 ,how can we conceive that the structure manages to combine the contrary attributes of rigidity and impalpability8 ,rigidity means simply the power of resisting deformation under stress4 ,that is to say that in order for a body to be rigid it must be capable of developing within itself forces which shall counteract those which tend to deform it4 ,if we apply a stress--a deforming force--to a rigid body1 then this force must be met by some opposing force2 otherwise the body will be deformed4 ,normally this is a matter of molecular cohesion1 etc4 ,now1 this structure resists deformation under stress1 and it therefore follows that the deforming forces must be counteracted by opposing forces4 ,but the structure is impalpable1 and we can pass a rod through it in any direction without encountering any resistance4 ,this being so it is difficult to conceive how the forces resisting deformation can be applied from any direction in which we can move the rod1 i4e41 from any direction known and accessible to us4 ,the more one tries to think out what is involved in the idea of an impalpable and yet rigid structure1 the more hopeless it seems4 ,but ,i think that the concept of four-dimensional space will help us even here4 ,we know two things4 ,first that the structure is rigid and therefore that the deforming stresses are counteracted by opposing forces and1 second1 that these opposing forces are apparently not applied from any direction with which we are acquainted4 ,but is it not possible that they may be applied from some direction with which we are not acquainted8 ,from some direction1 in fact1 of which the hypothetical fourth rectangular axis of space is a component4 ,is it possible that the matter which is drawn from the body of the medium1 and which forms the structure1 is composed of molecules whose atoms are arranged not in space of three dimensions but in space of four dimensions8 ,i do not say that this is necessarily so2 but ,i must confess that to me it looks rather like it4 ,still less am ,i prepared to say that the atoms are arranged four dimensionally4 ,we do not know enough for that yet4 ,but it is1 ,i think1 a possibility1 although for all ,i know to the contrary there may be many other ways in which forces operating in four space might act on three-dimensional atoms and molecules4 ,consider a two-dimensional analogy again4 ,imagine a number of flat-headed drawing pins lying points upward on a flat surface4 ,taken collectively as a system they will have no rigidity4 ,now imagine a board pressed down on those points so that they penetrate into the board4 ,the points and the board alike will be invisible to the two space beings inhabiting the surface and yet the drawing-pins1 taken collectively as a system would have acquired rigidity4 ,deforming stresses would be resisted by cohesive forces operating outside the two space surface altogether4 ,this analogy is1 naturally1 imperfect2 but ,i think that it enables us to form some idea of the way in which the rigidity of the levitating structure might result from its being held together by binding forces operating outside our space4 ,the only alternative is to suppose that the particles of which the structure is composed are rendered rigid by virtue of some peculiar motion of the ether of a nature entirely unknown to us and different from any type of ethereal motion with which we are at present acquainted4 ,this is palpably unsatisfactory and has the grave defect1 in an explanation1 of failing even to begin to explain4 ,in an article published in ,light1 for ,july #ad1 #aiag1 ,i discussed this point in somewhat greater detail4 ,this is all that ,i have to say with respect to the phenomena which are essentially ,psychical4 ,in the next chapter ,i shall deal with two other applications of the theory to more general questions4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #a3 ,far be it from me to suggest that these last-mentioned factors play no part in the phenomena4 ,on the contrary1 their effect is at least very considerable1 and does much to obscure and complicate the work of interpretation4 ,footnote #b3 ,,note4--,the foregoing remarks on the subject of ,dreams might be taken to imply an ignorance of the views inaugurated by ,freud1 and extended by ,jung1 ,pfister1 and others of the ,psychoanalytic school4 ,but ,i do not think that there is any fundamental contradiction involved4 ,even if1 as this school tends to maintain1 there is no dream without it's hidden and esoteric meaning1 it is still perfectly legitimate to suppose that the form which a dream takes may be determined by causes of the type which ,i have been discussing here4 ,these would provide the raw material so to speak which would be worked up into the finished dream in accordance with ,freudian principles4 ,footnote #c3 ,compare the recent work of ,rutherford1 ,soddy1 ,le ,bon and others4 ,footnote #d3 ,the ,reality of ,psychical ,phenomena 7,watkins74 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,some ,,other ,,possible ,,applications ,,of ,,the ,,hypothesis ,in this chapter ,i propose to deal first with the questions of ,time and prevision and in the next to show how the higher space ideas help us to clear up certain difficulties in connection with ,vitality and ,will4 ,the question of the nature of time is one which brings us into close contact with ,philosophic and ,metaphysical thought and one is apt to find oneself in very deep waters indeed4 ,still ,i think it is possible to show how the higher space ideas come in without involving myself in controversial statements4 ,i shall leave it to others to decide whether1 as ,i am inclined to suspect1 the acceptance of higher space concepts as actualities would provide ,metaphysicians with a somewhat new field of speculation or modified methods of expression4 ,it has been suggested by some writers that the fourth dimension is time4 ,at first sight this definition would seem to conflict with our original statement that it is an unknown direction in space at right angles to every direction which we can find4 ,but1 as a matter of fact there is a certain amount to be said for the idea4 ,it might be pointed out1 for instance that for an object to exist at all it must possess some extension in time4 ,it must1 that is to say1 not only possess a certain length and breadth and thickness but must also exist for a certain time4 ,otherwise it simply does not exist4 ,then1 again1 if we were able to travel in time we might fairly claim to be travelling in a previously unknown direction1 different that is from any direction at present known to us4 ,moreover1 as ,i showed at the end of the first chapter1 changes in our space could be accounted for by supposing them to represent our perception of a series of parallel sections made by our three-dimensional space cutting an assemblage of suitably shaped and arranged four-dimensional solids4 ,it is here that ,i think we find a clue which may perhaps be relevant to the present discussion4 ,i am far from being prepared to say that the fourth dimension is time because ,i doubt whether time as commonly understood is an absolute thing4 ,it seems to me to be rather a limitation of our finite consciousness4 ,in the ,divine ,consciousness which ,i take to be alone ,absolute there can be1 surely1 no ,past or ,future2 all must be comprehended in the ,eternal ,now4 ,but ,i do think it possible that if we were not limited to three dimensions in thought and experience we might be able greatly to modify our present conceptions of time and to understand many things with regard to it which at present appear obscure4 ,let us start by considering for a moment our ordinary idea of ,time4 ,to start with we associate it with clocks and next1 if we go a step further back1 with the movement of the earth relative to the sun and stars4 ,a clock is merely a mechanical device for subdividing into equal parts of suitable size the intervals between successive recurrences of certain astronomical events4 ,in fact our ordinary ideas of time are determined by a wholly fortuitous arrangement of the component parts of the ,solar ,system4 ,if the masses etc4 were other than they are1 our day and year would be altered accordingly4 ,it is quite conceivable that in some highly complex system of several suns moving under the influence of their mutual attractions and attended each by its own sub-system of satellites1 there might be a world from which all the observable astronomical phenomena would be so complicated that its inhabitants could detect no regularity in them at all4 ,if1 for instance1 any given astronomical grouping of the observable bodies only recurred once in a hundred generations of the inhabitants1 the measurement of time from astronomical data would be scarcely practicable4 ,a similar state of things would result if the average life of a man on earth lasted about ten minutes4 ,again we know that the regularity of the changes in our system is really only apparent1 for all the motions by which we habitually measure time are gradually altering under the influence of tidal friction4 ,so we see that all our ordinary ideas of time are based on the fissiparous assumption that certain distributions of matter will occur regularly2 that is to say in such a manner that if we could observe any two successive cycles simultaneously they would appear coincident4 ,the same can be shown to apply to any other system of time measurement which we can substitute for the observation of astronomical phenomena4 ,this is so because1 apart from all other reasons1 every conceivable method must be based on the assumption that the properties of matter are invariable4 ,but these seem to be functions of the properties of ether and since the solar system is certainly1 and the whole universe probably1 moving through ether-filled space1 this means that our methods of time measurement must ultimately be based on the assumption that the ether is homogeneous4 ,very probably it is2 but there is no reason why it should be--on a priori grounds4 ,now ,m4 ,bergson has been at pains to discriminate between this time of succession which we know and true time--the time of duration4 ,his view1 as ,i understand it1 is that the succession of events or spatial simultaneities by which we measure time no more is time than the succession of marks on a foot-rule is the material which we measure with it4 ,what we actually experience as time does not necessarily correspond with the spatial recurrences which measure it4 ,we all of us say1 when we are bored1 that the time passed slowly or1 when we are happy and amused1 that the time flew and although this may appear at first sight to be no more than a loose way of speaking ,i think that there is more in it than that4 ,it is here1 in fact1 that we find what ,i can only call a check on the measurement of time4 ,it is the apprehension of something capable of undergoing change1 of ,psychic states to wit1 whose changes are yet totally independent of the spatial changes by which we ordinarily measure time4 ,a man who is hanging by a frayed rope over a precipice waiting for someone to come and rescue him might very likely say that ,it seemed hours although it might really have been no more than a very few minutes4 ,yet in one sense he might be speaking the literal truth4 ,the changes which took place in his mental states during those few minutes might well be as complex and extensive as those he would normally experience in the course of hours4 ,this should suffice to make clear the difference between the real time process which we measure and the recurrence of spatial simultaneities by which we measure it4 ,if we consider the latter alone we soon find that they are difficult of comprehension4 ,as ,mr4 ,lindsay says in his book ,the ,philosophy of ,bergson1 p4 #abh4 ,if we eliminate real time altogether we get a number of simultaneities whose relation to each other we cannot understand4444 ,for the relation between the simultaneities is taken to be that of the parts to the whole1 but 444 that is itself a simultaneity 444 the relation of the simultaneities which are now taken as in their aggregate constituting change must be conceived of as necessary1 as somehow all existing at once4 ,and again3 ,we can only understand change by realising that it is incapable of spatial expression4444 ,this quotation seems to me to be important because it brings out clearly the points with regard to which ,i think that the higher space hypothesis may be important4 ,for although ,i am entirely in accord with the idea that there are1 so to speak1 two sorts of time ,i feel that in the light of the hypothesis we cannot allow the statement that change is something which is incapable of spatial expression to pass unchallenged4 ,if it were put in the form1 material change is incapable of expression in terms of space of three dimensions1 ,i should have nothing to say4 ,but in the course of my remarks on the phenomena of change in a two-dimensional world1 ,i pointed out that it is possible to integrate an infinite number of three-spatial simultaneities into a four-dimensional whole4 ,the introduction of this concept seems to me calculated to modify the whole aspect of the question4 ,for1 by its light1 we see that all the three-spatial simultaneities by which we mark time can exist at once4 ,they can do so because the arrangement of material particles which constitutes a given simultaneity may be regarded1 if we so wish1 as a thin section of a four dimensional solid4 ,we can say1 then1 that there are two sorts of time4 ,first there is ordinary ,physical time which is measured by the recurrence of three-spatial simultaneities and this1 if we choose1 may be regarded as produced by the passage across our space of something which has extension in four dimensions4 ,secondly1 there is what ,i am inclined to call ,subjective time1 consisting of changes in ,psychic states2 and which may be regarded1 provisionally1 as being perceived by virtue of changes in objects1 including the vehicles of our own consciousnesses1 in space of four dimensions1 or1 at any rate1 in space of a dimensionality higher than three4 ,i do not mean the foregoing remarks to be taken too literally for ,i do not regard three-dimensional change as produced by the passage across our space of actual four-dimensional solids4 ,this seems to me to be altogether too crude an idea and was only introduced to bring out my point that three-dimensional change is capable of expression in terms of four space4 ,whether it is solely a phenomenon of consciousness or whether there may be something in the nature of four-dimensional lines of force which cut three-dimensional space and determine material distributions ,i am not at all prepared even to surmise4 ,a side light on this matter of the two sorts of time is given by the phenomena of time in dreams4 ,it is well known that we may be awakened by a noise and that in the very few seconds between the occurrence of the noise and our becoming completely conscious we may experience a long and complicated dream in which we may do and say things which would take quite a long time in actual life and this without any sense of hurry4 ,this seems to show that the time scale for the dream state is not the same as that to which we are accustomed in our waking hours4 ,the difference should be sought1 as ,mr4 ,bragdon points out1 in the differing vehicle of consciousness4 ,this idea can be pushed much further4 ,i have suggested that there is a sort of time which is1 so to speak1 peculiar to our space and which is expressible in terms of four space2 and that there is another sort of time which appertains to four space itself1 associated1 that is1 with four space change in the same way that three space time is associated with three space change4 ,but if we accept the idea that there are more dimensions of space than three we cannot refuse to consider the possibility that there are more than four4 ,if so we must say that four space change is in turn expressible in terms of five space in just the same way that three space change is expressible in terms of four space4 ,now1 it is evident that a being embodied in four space and possessing1 either temporarily or permanently1 no three-space vehicle1 will be unaffected by three space change and will1 therefore1 be independent of three space time4 ,four space change would take the place of the three spatial simultaneities by which we1 embodied in three space1 reckon time1 and five space change would take the place of the changes in ,psychic states which for us give rise to the second aspect of time which we have been discussing4 ,the whole dual nature of time would be repeated but with the difference of being one dimension higher4 ,the same may be applied to five space and six space and so on1 indefinitely4 ,in each case the changes giving rise to the experience of subjective time would presumably be the resultant of the changes of all spaces higher than that of the lowest vehicle1 but that of the next higher space would predominate4 ,hence ,consciousness could never be altogether free of the experience of time until it was embodied only in the highest space of all1 which we must suppose to possess the attributes of infinitely dimensional space4 ,and this will only apply to the ,divine ,consciousness4 ,all this is admittedly highly speculative but seems to me the natural deduction if we assume the existence of spaces of dimensionality higher than four4 ,the nature of maximally dimensional space is a question which ,i do not propose to discuss here as it is somewhat conspicuously outside the sphere of practical politics4 ,for other observations on this subject1 including some remarks on the concept of curved time1 the interested reader may profitably refer to ,mr4 ,bragdon's book ,four ,dimensional ,vistas4 ,mr4 ,klein treats the question in a rather different1 but highly interesting1 manner in his book ,science and the ,infinite4 ,,prevision4 ,the subject of prevision is obviously closely allied to that of time1 since the only considerable difficulty lies in the fact that the incidents forseen are removed in time4 ,they are wrapped in the darkness of the future and we say that they have not happened yet4 ,there are two forms which an attempt to explain the fairly numerous good cases of prevision may take4 ,one way is to say that the future is latent in the present in that it is determined by factors at present in existence4 ,the other is to say that there is no such thing as ,past or ,future1 but that both are comprehended in the ,now and that it is merely on account of the limitations of our ,consciousness that we cannot apprehend them4 ,according to the former view the power of prevision is the result of a mere heightening of the faculties by which we can always foresee the future to some slight extent4 ,if we see a blind man walking towards the edge of a cliff it is not difficult to foresee that he will1 probably1 fall off it and be smashed at the bottom4 ,such a sight could easily be supposed to give rise to a visualisation of the corpse at the bottom of the cliff1 which might pass for a prophetic vision4 ,in such simple matters it is not difficult to imagine that a suitable clairvoyant state1 combined with unconscious but accurate reasoning and subsequent visualisation1 would enable the percipient to forecast the future4 ,but clearly the accuracy of such a forecast would depend on the perception of all the factors involved1 as well as on the precision of the unconscious reasoning4 ,hence1 although we might readily accept this explanation in the case of prevision of events in the immediate future1 or in the case of vague presentiments1 it becomes increasingly difficult to do so1 as the event prevised becomes more remote and the number of factors which may possibly influence the issue are proportionately increased4 ,i need hardly say that these factors of which ,i speak must include ,psychic states and so forth4 ,to use the terminology to which we have by this time become accustomed1 we could1 theoretically1 forecast the distribution of every particle of matter in three space1 provided we knew present distribution and velocities2 and provided also that no interference could arise from external1 i4e41 four space1 sources4 ,but in order to be certain of the latter1 we must know all about four space dispositions and so on to the ,nth degree4 ,absolute prevision could therefore only result from a complete knowledge of all the factors in every space combined with absolutely perfect reasoning powers4 ,although1 as will be seen1 certain of the ideas in the above have a place in what ,i believe to be the true theory of prevision1 the explanation as above described does not appear to me to be satisfying4 ,the heightening of faculty required in all but the very simplest cases is too great to be accepted except in the last resort4 ,now1 as regards the other theory1 that the future does actually exist now and that only our own limitations prevent us from apprehending it4 ,consider again the crude and metaphorical representation of change as resulting from the passage across our three space of a congeries of four space solids which supposes that the distribution of matter at any moment is simply a very thin cross section of this congeries4 ,if this were the case it is evident that to anyone who had the power of moving freely in four dimensions it would be possible to move up the mass and see what some cross section was like which had not yet arrived at our space4 ,this is desperately crude but it gives the general idea4 ,in order to grasp it better we will transpose it into terms of two-and three space at the same time altering it slightly4 ,suppose that a two space world consists of a colossal soap film4 ,imagine a thin thread passing through the film and stretched between two points1 one above the film and one below4 ,if these two points move perpendicularly to the film the thread will move accordingly4 ,the point where the thread cuts the film will remain stationary if the thread was perpendicular to the latter to start with1 but will move if the thread was originally slanting4 ,to a two space being inhabiting the film1 all that will be visible of the thread will be a minute circle1 an atom of two-space matter let us say4 ,now let us imagine an enormous number of such threads1 sufficient to produce all the atoms necessary to make up a complete two space universe4 ,suppose also that these are twisted and intertwined in the most complicated possible manner4 ,then as they pass across the soap film they will give rise to the most complex changes in the two space world4 ,a three space being1 however1 could see the filamentary structure as a whole and would not be limited to the particular section which happened to be crossing the film at any given moment4 ,i must again insist that ,i do not for a moment regard this as being anything like a true picture of what actually occurs4 ,the point ,i wish to make is merely that if1 as seems to be the case1 three space change can be represented spatially by the use of four space ideas1 then it is not utterly inconceivable that a consciousness free to move in four space and independent of three space limitations1 should be able in some obscure way to foresee coming changes4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there is a prevalent notion to the effect that if we admit the possibility of prevision we are bound to become involved in the slough of ,fatalism4 ,if we can foresee what is going to happen1 it is urged1 then the future must be already settled1 and we have no power of altering it4 ,this view appears to me to be fallacious4 ,consider again for a moment the filamentary world4 ,our forecast of events therein is based on the assumption that the filamentary structures remain unaltered1 that the cross-sections which will be traversed by the film will not be changed before it gets there4 ,this is pure assumption and quite unwarranted4 ,in the first place the two space beings themselves might be able to alter the arrangement of the threads during their passage across the film1 implying of course the exercise of three space forces1 and the possession of a certain degree of three-dimensionality1 on their part4 ,in the second place all sorts of extraneous three space forces might be applied4 ,the argument does not perhaps apply especially felicitously to this particular analogy1 but translated into more general terms it means that three space change1 although expressible in terms of four space1 and perhaps for the very reason that it is thus expressible1 is susceptible to modification under the influence of factors which have no three-dimensionality4 ,as stated at the outset1 absolute prevision necessitates every factor being accounted for1 and these factors may appear1 not merely in three space or four space1 but in ,n-space too4 ,in fact1 the more accurate prevision is to be1 the wider survey must the percipient take4 ,in order to attain absolute prevision the precipient must be able to function consciously in maximally-dimensional space4 ,but this ability ,i take to be the exclusive prerogative of the ,divine ,consciousness4 ,the purely speculatory character of the foregoing will be evident and ,i do not wish it to be taken as more than an attempt to convey a general impression of ideas which seem somewhat suggestive4 ,it seems appropriate to end a chapter frankly given over to inchoate and somewhat formless speculations1 with some remarks on the objectivity or otherwise of space in general4 ,these remarks have been more especially prompted by ,mr4 ,e4,l4 ,gardner's article on ,the ,fourth ,dimension which appeared in the ,theosophist for ,october #aiaf1 by a pamphlet for private circulation written by ,mr4 ,t4 ,olman ,todd1 #aiae1 and by ,mr4 ,klein's remarks on ,space in his book ,science and the ,infinite4 ,throughout this work ,i have treated four-dimensional space as an objective reality and1 as will appear1 ,i consider that this is perfectly justifiable4 ,the general tendency of the above-mentioned writers seems to be to suggest that this attitude is fallacious and that all space1 of whatever dimensionality1 is rather to be regarded as a phenomenon of consciousness4 ,in saying this ,i do not pretend to be reflecting with precision the views expressed by the writers in question4 ,i am merely giving the general effect produced on my mind by their ideas4 ,i may say at once that ,i think that they are probably perfectly right and that no space of any kind is really objective4 ,i am1 for instance1 disposed to agree with ,mr4 ,gardner when he says that ,however willingly we may grant that behind the description ',fourth ,dimension' there stands something that is real1 it is of importance that that reality should be described in terms of ,life and ,consciousness and not be regarded as a further extension of ,matter or ,form4 ,mr4 ,klein concludes that our very conception of space is one of the modes only under which motion or physical phenomena are presented to our consciousness4 ,i have neither the knowledge nor the temerity to embark upon a discussion of the point from the metaphysical point of view and all ,i wish to do is to show that ,i am aware that all our ideas regarding space are liable to be modified at the hands of the philosophers and that ,i have no desire to minimise the importance of their contributions4 ,on the contrary ,i think it probable that these may prove to be of the utmost value4 ,they may1 for instance1 by interpreting spatial experience in terms of consciousness1 throw light on the very considerable difficulty to which ,i drew attention on page #dh4 ,but ,i submit that for the present purpose we can legitimately disregard the whole thing4 ,it may well be that the change in passing from our present state of consciousness to that which ,i have described as consciousness in four dimensions is subjective rather than objective1 that the change would be in our consciousness rather than in spatial conditions4 ,but whatever may be the real nature of our three-dimensional space from the strictly academic point of view we can and habitually do treat it as an objective reality and ,i think it fair to claim an equal licence in dealing with four-dimensional space4 ,pure consciousness is an elusive thing to handle and if we find evidence to the effect1 for example1 that the state of consciousness in which we exist when separated from the body can be accurately represented by the higher space hypothesis1 then surely we had better say that it is existence in four-dimensional space and have done with it1 just as we say that our normal existence is existence in three dimensional space4 ,after all the whole matter is one of relativity so to speak4 ,the final effect with which we are concerned is the reaction of reality on our minds and1 just as we can in dynamics reduce any one member of a system to rest and treat all motions as relative to that so here it makes no practical difference whether it is our mind or reality which changes provided that the changed relation between them is correctly expressed4 ,,chapter ,v ,,vitality ,,and ,,will ,another and particularly happy illustration of the way in which the higher space concepts enable one to solve awkward dilemmas is to be found in the problems of ,vitality and ,will4 ,readers who are interested in these topics would do well to refer to ,mr4 ,hereward ,carrington's ,problems of ,psychical ,research or to his ,vitality1 ,fasting1 and ,nutrition4 ,there are in general two main views which may be taken about ,vitality4 ,we may either suppose that ,life is purely a product of the body1 that it is a mere physiological function and nothing more1 or one may suppose that so far from the body being the primary cause of ,life the exact converse is the case--that ,life is the raison d'etre of the body4 ,it may be that everything that we recognize as vital1 every attribute which enables us to distinguish animate from inanimate objects1 is no more than a purely physical phenomenon the product of unusually complicated chemical actions3 or it may be that the chemico-physical complex which we call the body is only the means whereby the pressing tide of ,life manages to manifest itself in the world4 ,this latter is the view held by ,m4 ,bergson1 by ,mr4 ,carrington and by myself4 ,m4 ,bergson regards matter as the dam which keeps back the rush of life4 ,organise it a little 7as in the protozoa71 i4e41 slightly raise the sluice1--and a little life will squeeze through4 ,organise it elaborately 7as in man71 i4e41 raise the sluice a good deal1 and much life will squeeze through4 7,the ,right ,hon4 ,a4,j4 ,balfour47 ,this is the transmissive as opposed to the productive theory and the whole position is very like that which obtained in ,psychology some years ago4 ,william ,james then showed that although it was possible to interpret the observed facts of ,psychology on the hypothesis that the brain produced consciousness it was equally legitimate to do so on the hypothesis that it transmitted it4 ,as he said 444 ,mere coincidence in two sets of phenomena does not prove that they are causally connected1 that one produces the other4 ,they may be quite separate from one another 7psycho-physical parallelism7 or both may be aspects of something else4 ,personally ,i should be prepared to admit only the latter possibility4 ,causeless parallelism is incredible2 as ,james himself admits elsewhere4 ,the analogy is very close4 ,just as consciousness is usually conceived to be due to the functioning of the brain but may1 on the contrary exist apart from it and merely use the brain as a channel of manifestation1 so also may ,life exist apart from and use the body4 ,i will not go into the various arguments which support this view4 ,perhaps the most striking is that from the necessity for sleep--a phenomenon which appears to be exclusively associated with ,life4 ,a mechanism needs replenishing with fuel1 it must have worn parts replaced and both these processes are accurately paralleled in the body of any living organism4 ,but an engine does not need sleep1 whereas a living organism not only needs it but cannot be satisfied with any substitute for it4 ,it looks therefore as if ,life could not be maintained from purely physical sources and this lends support to the view that it is an essentially extra-physical thing transmitted by1 but not arising from1 physical actions4 ,but this view leaves us with the difficulty that if we suppose that ,life is transcendent to the ,physical and uses it only as a means of manifestation we cannot see how it can do so without partaking of the nature of the physical and so losing its selective1 guiding or intelligent qualities4 ,for in order that things should be causally connected they must have qualities in common4 ,are then we to say that life is a form of energy or that it is not8 ,as ,mr4 ,carrington says3 ,we are 444 driven into this dilemma3 life must be an energy--but1 as such1 it cannot be purposive6 ,life is purposive1 yet it must be an energy--for otherwise it could not affect the bodily energies and the material world4 ,m4 ,bergson adopts the hair trigger theory and supposes the ,life only affects the physical energies of the body very slightly1 just enough to deflect them this way or that4 ,but this is not getting out of the difficulty at all1 for the problem is one not of degree but of kind2 it is just as difficult to imagine non-energy affecting energy very slightly as to imagine it affecting it a good deal4 ,nor does it help matters to suppose1 with ,mr4 ,carrington and other authorities1 that ,life is a wholly distinct and unique kind of energy2 an absolutely separate force per se different from any other mode of energy of which we have any knowledge4 ,if this is so we must ask ,how is it that this force combines sufficient of the qualities common to all the physical forces to enable it to affect them1 with characteristics of so different a nature that we can call it an absolutely different force per se and emancipate it from the ordinary laws and limitations of physical forces8 ,a very similar1 if not identical1 dilemma arises in the case of ,will which must either be supposed to be a purely physical force--which hypothesis commits us at once to a creed of thoroughgoing materialistic determinism or else we must suppose it to be distinct from physical energy by virtue of some added non-physical quality which must be wholly outside the physical realm4 ,yet this extra quality of conscious intent which is the essential characteristic of the act of willing does1 as a matter of common experience1 enable us to control physical matter and forces4 ,in fact1 the whole trouble is simply this4 ,the universe presents a closed circle of matter and energy4 ,anything within it must be bound by law1 blind and unintelligent4 ,nothing without it can affect anything within it--if for no other reason than that if it could it would violate the fundamental law of the conservation of energy4 ,but ,will does affect matter1 therefore it must be within the circle3 it is not blind1 for its very essence is initiative1 independence1 and intelligence and it must1 therefore1 be outside the circle4 ,now let us introduce the idea of higher space and see where it leads us4 ,suppose that the energy which we term ,life is located to start with in higher space--in four-dimensional space for example4 ,suppose that it is really pressing against the dam of three-dimensional matter trying to use it for a vehicle of manifestation4 ,the extent to which it will be able to do so will depend on the presence or absence in the matter concerned of those qualities which enable it to be acted on by four-dimensional forces4 ,what these qualities are it is at present impossible to say although one might hazard a guess to the effect that the essential factor might be one of greater or less molecular extension in the direction of the fourth dimension4 ,but wherever matter exists which possesses the suitable properties1 there will ,life squeeze through the dam to a greater or less extent and we shall have a living organism which will continue to live until the matter through which ,life is--in each particular case--manifesting1 loses the properties which enable it to be made use of4 ,whether there is any sort of matter which can truly be called completely inanimate or whether1 as some people hold1 all matter is to some extent alive ,i am not prepared to say4 ,personally ,i should be sorry to have to draw a distinct dividing line anywhere and it seems more in accordance with the general continuity of things to suppose that no such line can really be drawn4 ,for myself ,i tend more and more to the view that ,life1 ,vitality1 ,consciousness--call it what you will--is something which dips down1 as it were1 for the purpose of gaining experience and of self-evolution1 from its original location--wherever and whatever that may be--through successive limitations of consciousness until it reaches this1 the lowest1 the most restricted and the most individual state of all4 ,these successive limitations may conveniently be represented by saying that consciousness functions in spaces of successively decreasing dimensionality although it must be borne in mind1 as was pointed out at the end of the last chapter1 that this may be only a convenient way of expressing the effect of a change which belongs to the consciousness itself more properly than to its environment4 ,at each successive descent consciousness must find a suitably organised vehicle in which to function and through which it can receive impressions4 ,but each such vehicle will involve corresponding circumscriptions and1 conversely1 each upward stage will involve an extension of consciousness1 until finally1 when our evolution is entirely accomplished1 we shall be completely and fully ,conscious and independent of all limitations of any sort or kind4 ,on the downward half of the journey the characteristic process would1 on this theory1 be the gaining of individual at the cost of communal consciousness1 whereas during the second half the latter would continually increase and at last lead to complete communion in the widest possible sense without any loss of individuality4 ,this view1 which has a good deal to support it especially in point of continuity and general coherence with other well established ideas1 has much in common with that held by the ,theosophists1 which is1 to my mind1 the strongest plank in their platform4 ,but to revert to the original idea of ,life as primarily a four-dimensional force4 ,this does not involve any contravention of the ,law of the ,conservation of energy for we have only to suppose that the ,law is exact only for the ,cosmos and for the physical universe1 as commonly understood1 no more than a very close approximation4 ,the amounts of energy which we must suppose to enter the physical or three-dimensional universe from four-dimensional space may be very small1 so small as to defy detection by the methods we are able to apply to the study of living organisms in which alone they could be observed2 and yet1 by virtue of the hair-trigger theory to which ,i have already referred they might produce effects as large as we please4 ,the foregoing is clearly incomplete1 but ,i think ,i may fairly claim to have removed the fundamental dilemma which first confronted us4 ,we have seen that life may be supposed to exist entirely apart from ordinary physical matter and yet to affect it so long as we suppose it to do so from some region of higher space4 ,it is a form of energy if we wish to call it so and yet it is distinct from the ordinary forms of physical energy and free from the limitations which would be imposed upon it if we reckoned it as subject to the ,law of ,conservation as commonly understood4 ,and yet the latter is not broken but rather strengthened2 for we now suppose it to be not merely of ,universal but of ,cosmic application4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,higher ,,space ,,and ,,physical ,,science4 ,in an earlier chapter ,i defined a valid hypothesis as one which explained at least some of the observed facts and did not contradict any of them4 ,since then ,i have been trying to show that the ,higher ,space ideas do throw a certain amount of light on quite a number of difficulties and enable us to clear up certain anomalies and dilemmas which seem to be insoluble without its aid4 ,we must now consider rather more definitely than we have hitherto done whether there is any thing in the hypothesis to conflict with those established conclusions of scientists which are the nearest approach we have to absolute certainties4 ,i think we shall find not only that there is no such conflict but that there are here and there distinct indications that the higher space ideas may some day find applications in the exegesis of even the most strictly physical sciences4 ,these indications are admittedly very nebulous at present1 it may be that they are all illusory and as will appear later they cannot all lead to anything1 for some are mutually exclusive4 ,i do not propose to express any very definite opinions on their comparative values but shall simply state them and leave it to my readers to decide what they are worth4 ,it must be remembered throughout that we cannot expect to find any very definite indications of the existence of higher space as a reality for the simple reason that physical science is concerned solely with those phenomena of matter and force which are ex hypothesi essentially three-dimensional4 ,it is worth noting at the outset that physical scientists have evinced no especial hostility to the concept of the fourth dimension1 as such1 however much they may have opposed to the more definitely ,psychic researches which ,i1 personally1 believe to be closely associated with it4 ,lord ,kelvin1 for instance1 saw in it nothing repugnant to scientific thought and professed himself quite willing to adopt it should such a course seem to be indicated by the evidence4 ,another distinguished physicist has gone so far as to evolve a theory of ether squirts from the direction of the fourth dimension in connection with the ultimate constitution of matter4 ,again ,m4 ,poincar the distinguished ,french ,physicist has said ,the characteristic property of space1 that of having three dimensions is only 444 a property residing1 so to speak1 in human intelligence4 ,mathematical physicists also find that certain experimental anomalies are resolved if they refer phenomena to four interchangeable axes involving homogeneous co-ordinates instead of to three space axes and one time axis4 ,if this is not dealing in four-dimensional space it is first cousin to it4 ,m4 ,poincar also pointed out that the postulates of ,euclid are not experimentally verifiable facts and as a matter of fact much work has been done in the elaboration of non-,euclidean geometries4 ,this is too mathematical a subject to be dealt with in detail here1 but ,i can indicate the general drift of it1 so far as it is relevant to the present discussion by means of the time honoured analogy of the two-dimensional world4 ,most of my readers will know what are meant by the terms latitude and longitude and that the lines of longitude are great circles which pass through the poles and cut the earth's equator at right angles4 ,it is also a matter of common knowledge that if on a plane surface two lines are drawn each of which cuts another line at right angles these two lines will be parallel--that is to say they will never meet however far they may be produced4 ,this holds good provided that the surface in which they are drawn is truly plane--i4e41 flat4 ,but it breaks down1 as we see in the case of the great circles of longitude1 if the lines are drawn on a sphere4 ,now imagine two-dimensional beings1 having no conception of the existence of a third dimension1 living on the surface of a very large sphere4 ,they might discover this principle about parallel lines and all would go well until they began making measurements over very large distances4 ,then their ,geometry would begin to go wrong4 ,they would find that lines drawn in their surface which ought not to meet however far produced would begin to show a tendency to do so4 ,this would be an indication to them that there was such a thing as a third dimension of space and that their two-dimensional world was curved in this third dimension4 ,now if a two-dimensional space can be curved in three dimensions there is no sort of reason why three-dimensional space should not be curved in four and in a precisely similar way three-dimensional geometry would1 if such were the case1 begin to go wrong where very large measurements were involved4 ,now1 the largest measurements we ever make are astronomical measurements and as a matter of fact1 according to ,mr4 ,bragdon1 there does seem to be a tendency for ,geometry to go wrong in certain cases4 ,he says that the number of negative parallaxes of stars is larger than would be expected having regard to the probable experimental errors4 ,the parallax of an object is the angle which it subtends at two different points of observation1 and so long as it is at a finite distance from these two points--which in the case of a star are the two opposite ends of the earth's orbit--this angle must be positive4 ,that is to say the lines drawn in the observed direction of the star from the two points must converge4 ,if1 as in certain cases seems to happen1 they diverge1 then one of three things must be the case2 either the observations are wrong or else light does not1 as is commonly believed1 travel in straight lines 7for after all what we call a straight line in astronomy is only the path of a ray of light7 or else our geometry is breaking down and we must suppose that our space is curved1 which would necessitate the acceptance of the existence of a fourth dimension4 ,it must be admitted that the explanation of negative parallaxes is more likely to be found in one or both of the two first alternatives than in the third4 ,mr4 ,hinton has a good deal to say in his books about various four-dimensional theories of electricity involving four-dimensional vortices4 ,these are highly ingenious but there does not seem to be any considerable reason for supposing them to be anything more and ,i shall therefore not describe them here4 ,two of his ideas however are so striking1 although for different reasons1 that ,i think a brief outline will not be out of place4 ,in his book ,a new ,era of ,thought he points out the remarkable analogy which exists between the properties of ether as postulated by physicists and those which a perfectly smooth solid sheet would present to the intelligence of two-dimensional beings living on it4 ,the hypothesis of the ether was introduced to account for the transmission of light1 heat1 electricity1 and so forth1 and has proved of the utmost service to physicists4 ,most of my readers are probably acquainted with the general idea and ,i need not therefore discuss it in detail4 ,it will be sufficient here to say that it is supposed to be a weightless1 homogeneous medium extending throughout all space and permeating all bodies4 ,indeed ,matter itself is supposed to be no more than the result of more or less complex disturbances in it4 ,but although it accounts for the phenomena in connection with which it was called into being it is necessary to ascribe to it very contradictory properties4 ,on the one hand it has been calculated that in order for it to transmit the forces which we know that it does transmit1 for instance the force of gravitation1 it must possess a rigidity some #c1jjj times greater than that of the strongest known steel4 ,on the other hand we must suppose it to be of a tenuity far in excess of the most perfect vacuum which we can obtain1 for otherwise the earth and other planets which are moving at immense speed through this medium would be slowed down2 which is not in practice the case4 ,now ,hinton points out that to a two-dimensional being1 a perfectly smooth solid sheet on the surface of which he lived would possess many of these properties4 ,being perfectly smooth it would be imperceptible to him and would offer no opposition to the passage of bodies over it4 ,yet it could1 being solid1 transmit vibration just as we know the ether does for us4 ,also it could be as rigid as you please without losing any of its imperceptibility4 ,it could not be weighed and it could not be eliminated from any vessel no matter what care was taken to do so4 ,the analogy is striking but it does not appeal to me and ,i do not think that even ,mr4 ,hinton means it to be taken strictly1 for in other passages he gives quite different suggestions as to the ether4 ,one of the latter is derived from a consideration of the phenomena of rotation in four-dimensional space and is of some intrinsic interest4 ,in two space rotation takes place about a point1 in three space about a line and we should therefore expect that in four space it would do so about a plane4 ,this is easily shown to be the case although ,i do not propose to go into the proof here4 ,the only important point is that whereas it is impossible to conceive a mass of three-dimensional spheres in a state of continuous rotation1--because they would be trying to drive each other in different directions and so would prevent the rotation1--in four dimensions this is not the case and a mass of hyper-spheres could be self-driving1 that is to say the rotation of each could be such as to assist and not to retard that of its neighbours4 ,this fact is of interest because ,lord ,kelvin showed that the contradictory properties of the ether referred to above could only be reconciled by supposing it to be animated throughout by a motion of a vortical character4 ,this self-driving effect of rotating hyper-spheres is worth glancing at a little more closely4 ,it arises from the fact that there are two distinct sorts of rotation which such a sphere may possess4 ,in three-dimensional rotation the motion may take place about any axis we please and the other two axes which can be drawn will change one into the other1 so to speak1 as the rotation takes place4 ,but in four-dimensional space we have four axes and while the ,x and ,y axes change place1 say1 there is nothing to prevent the ,w and ,z axes doing so too4 ,thus we might have the ,x axis changing into the ,y and the ,w into the ,z4 ,to reverse both of these motions so as to have the ,y axis changing into the ,x and the ,z into the ,w does not give us a new kind of motion any more than reversing the direction of an ordinary three-dimensional rotation does--it is only equivalent to looking at it from a different point of view4 ,but if in the case of the four-dimensional rotation we reverse one only of the two rotational components we do get a new kind of motion1 and this is of interest in view of the fact that electricity like other forces is regarded as a mode of etheric motion1 and if this be so there would seem to be a certain need for two distinct kinds of it in order to correspond to positive and negative electricity respectively4 ,it is just possible that there is some connection1 as ,mr4 ,hinton suggests1 between this need and the two kinds of four-dimensional rotation referred to above4 99 99 99 99 99 ,most writers on the subject of higher space make great play with the phenomena of symmetry and adduce its occurrence in nature as evidence of the existence of a fourth dimension4 ,this view is not warranted by the facts and ,i shall therefore touch on it only very briefly4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #i ,the point arises in the following way4 ,consider the two triangles ,,abc and ,,def in ,fig4 #i4 ,if these were cut out and laid on a smooth surface exactly as shown1 no amount of sliding about would enable us to fit one exactly over the other4 ,in order to do this it would be necessary to pick one up out of the plane of the paper and turn it over4 ,in a precisely similar manner two asymmetrical three-dimensional objects such as a right and left hand1 each of which is the mirror image of the other1 could not be made to coincide unless one of them were to be turned over in four-dimensional space4 ,the point made by ,mr4 ,hinton and other writers who attach importance to the phenomena of symmetry1 is that there seems to be a general tendency in nature towards a right and left handed symmetry in which the whole organism is symmetrical about a central plane1 each half being the mirror image of the other and that this symmetry is unlikely to have arisen through equal increments on either side of the central plane4 ,they suppose as an alternative that the ultimate elements of living matter are not right and left handed ab initio1 but become so by virtue of some of them being folded over in four-dimensional space4 ,this view seems to me to lack foundation especially in view of the fact that the work of ,le ,bel and ,van't ,hoff fully cleared up the analogous phenomena in the case of crystals without introducing the concept of higher space at all4 ,in general therefore ,i agree with ,schubert who says3-- 444 the only inference we can here make is that the idea of a four-dimensioned space is competent1 from a mathematical point of view1 to throw some light on the phenomena of symmetry4 7,mathematical ,essays1 p4 #ia47 ,none the less ,bragdon is right in his contention that ,could it be shown that the two-dimensional symmetry in nature is the result of a three dimensional movement1 the right and left-handed symmetry of solids would by analogy be the result of a four-dimensional movement4 ,i need hardly say that if we could experimentally obtain the changing of an asymmetrical right-handed object into the corresponding left-handed one it would be of the very first importance as a proof of the reality of higher space4 ,far more important than any of the foregoing1 however1 are the considerations arising from what is known as the ,principle of ,relativity4 ,this subject1 which has received much attention at the hands of mathematical physicists in recent years1 is far too abstruse to be dealt with in detail here and a partial and popularised account would almost certainly fail to satisfy those who are not wholly ignorant of mathematical physics and would weary those who are4 ,i propose1 therefore1 to dismiss it in very few words in spite of its great importance and relevance4 ,the ,principle of ,relativity is the hypothesis that it is impossible by means of physical experiments to determine the absolute velocity of a body through space4 7,cunningham ,relativity and the ,electron ,theory1 p4 #b74 ,we cannot1 for example1 determine the velocity of the earth relative to the ether4 ,this is of importance when we are dealing with the idea of simultaneity--an idea which1 as we saw in ,chapter ,,iv4 is closely associated with our notion of ,time4 ,for our criterion of simultaneity has in practice been based on optical communication4 7,cp4 ,ibid1 pp4 #e and #bh74 ,but it is easy to show that the setting up of a standard of simultaneity by means of light signals is not possible until a definite velocity is assigned to the observer4 ,thus the hypothesis of relativity requires a reconsideration of the way in which we measure time4 7,ibid1 pp4 #e1 #bh1 #bi74 ,this again reacts on the measurement of the length of a material body1 the 'distance between two points' being the distance between simultaneous positions of those points4 ,thus it becomes necessary also to examine the way in which we measure space4 ,it becomes impossible to consider space and time separately2 the two measures are interrelated to such an extent that ,minkowski felt himself constrained to say that 'from henceforth time by itself and space by itself are mere shadows1 that they are only two aspects of a single and indivisible manner of co-ordinating the facts of the physical world4' 7,ibid1 pp4 #e and #f47 ,when it is remembered that the ,principle of ,relativity is firmly established in scientific thought it will be realised that this conclusion arrived at as a result of purely physical considerations is of the very utmost importance as an independent confirmation of the general line of thought developed in the preceding pages4 ,i therefore feel it legitimate to claim that in so far as physical science throws any light on the subject at all its testimony is distinctly favourable4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,connecting ,,link ,in the foregoing chapters ,i have tried to show that there are1 scattered here and there over the field of ,psychic ,research1 sufficient indications to warrant our adopting1 as a tentative working hypothesis1 the idea that four-dimensional space is a reality and that the ,individual consciousness is capable of functioning in a four-dimensional vehicle quite apart from the three-dimensional physical body4 ,i hope that ,i have made it quite clear that in my opinion the two vehicles are entirely separate and independent1 and that ,i do not regard the three-dimensional body as being a mere section of a four-dimensional whole4 ,i propose in this chapter to consider in some detail the question of the nature of the connection which must perforce exist between the two vehicles4 ,we know that there must be some form of connection because impressions which are received by the three-dimensional sense organs are transmitted to the conscious ,ego1 which is1 ex hypothesi1 embodied in the four-dimensional vehicle4 ,furthermore it is clear that the connection can be interrupted with comparative ease1 since in sleep1 ansthesia1 and analogous conditions1 the conscious ,ego does not receive these impressions although the sense organs may still be subject to stimuli to a greater or less degree4 ,we are not1 of course1 able to draw detailed conclusions as to the precise nature of this connection by the exercise of pure deductive reason4 ,but ,i think that my readers will agree with me that the first and most obvious place to look for it will be in the realm of the nervous system4 ,further we may safely say that1 assuming the hypothesis we are considering to be correct1 the sense impression must1 at some stage in its transmission1 be deflected1 so to speak1 out of three space into four space4 ,in order for this to happen it is necessary that some part of the transmitting mechanism should be capable of producing this deflection and it is reasonable to suppose that a substance or mechanism specially differentiated for the purpose of deflecting impressions in this manner out of three space into four space1 will be distinguished by an abnormal four-dimensional complexity as compared with ordinary matter1 which1 as we have already seen1 probably possesses a very slight four-dimensional extension4 ,as a result of this abnormal four-dimensional complexity it is to be anticipated that the part of the transmitting mechanism concerned will possess characteristics sufficient to differentiate it from ordinary matter4 ,i submit1 then1 that we may reasonably deduce that if the four-dimensional hypothesis which ,i have outlined be correct1 there should exist1 either as an integral part of the nervous system or in close association with it1 some constituent or substance which1 in spite of having many of the properties of ordinary matter1 will also possess characteristics peculiar to itself--as1 for instance1 susceptibility to four-dimensional forces imperceptible to us4 ,at this point ,i would recall to the reader's attention the remarks which ,i made in ,chapter ,,ii regarding the processes of scientific thought and the sequence of operations whereby we attain to exact knowledge4 ,so far we have considered a number of observed facts and framed a working hypothesis which1 ,i believe1 explains some1 and is not contradicted by any1 of them4 ,in the immediately preceding paragraphs we have1 by deductive reasoning1 concluded that if this hypothesis be correct then something else must follow4 ,there must1 in fact1 be some sort of connecting link whereby sense impressions are deflected out of three space into four space and are thus enabled to get through to the consciousness4 ,we have also concluded that this connecting link is likely to consist of matter in some curious condition such as to invest it with properties unlike those of ordinary matter4 ,if on turning again to the realm of observation1 we find that this deduction is substantiated in practice1 we shall receive distinct confirmation of the correctness of our working hypothesis4 ,in the pages which follow ,i propose to show that there are a number of facts which strongly indicate1 even if they cannot at present be held conclusively to demonstrate1 the existence of some such connecting link4 ,i am well aware that there are numerous gaps in the body of evidence which ,i shall bring forward on this subject4 ,to some of these ,i shall draw specific attention in the hope that by doing so ,i may induce some of my readers to experiment on the points in question4 ,there is an enormous amount of research work to be done before we shall be able to have any considerable confidence in our speculations or to feel that we are working on anything like a firm foundation4 ,much of the evidence to which ,i shall refer in this chapter is in urgent need of confirmation and there is very little indeed which ,i should care to guarantee personally4 ,still the indications1 slight though they are1 do seem to point rather in the same direction and as my object is to stimulate investigation and1 perhaps to indicate some of the lines on which it may profitably proceed rather than to lay down the law on obscure points1 ,i have thought it worth while to deal with them fairly fully4 ,historically the first relevant experiments were probably those of ,reichenbach in the middle of last century4 ,but so little was known in those days about a variety of factors which might have vitiated his results1 and his work has been so strongly criticised by later authorities that ,i will not do more than mention him for the benefit of any reader who may have a fancy for probing into the historical origins of the subject4 ,none the less great credit is due to ,reichenbach for the thorough and painstaking character of his researches to which he brought immense industry and a truly scientific spirit which led him to fantastic and erroneous conclusions only because he had not our present knowledge to guard him from the many pitfalls which abound in these investigations4 ,the first phenomena to which ,i wish to call attention is that known as ,exteriorisation of ,sensibility4 ,this has been investigated by de ,rochas and later by ,joire and by ,boirac1 and ,i believe it is well established4 ,the gist of the phenomenon is that in certain hypnotic states the skin of the subject becomes insensitive to pain but the sensibility is transferred to a sensitive layer a few centimetres distant from the skin4 ,pinching or pricking the skin itself produces no effect but doing so in the region of the sensitive layer arouses the appropriate sensation in the subject4 ,furthermore1 according to ,joire1 this sensibility can be localised and transferred to various objects--a fact which gives the investigator a most desirable power of experimental control4 ,dr4 ,joire performed a number of experiments to determine whether the results could be attributed to auto-suggestion1 to unconscious suggestion by the investigator or to unconscious connivance on the part of the subject1 but concluded that they could not4 ,any reader who has doubts on the subject should read his book ,psychical and ,supernormal ,phenomena4 ,dr4 ,joire was unable to give any explanation of these phenomena1 nor shall ,i attempt to do so at the moment beyond pointing out that on the face of it1 it looks as if some definite substance of sensitive properties were exteriorised which1 however1 must be supposed to be to some extent under the control of the will1 since it was found that the seat of sensibility could be shifted at the word of command4 ,leaving this for a moment ,i would draw attention to the subject of the aura4 ,certain persons claim to be able to see this normally as a regular thing and describe it as being a bluish-grey haze surrounding the body and at a little distance from it4 ,dr4 ,kilner in his book ,the ,human ,atmosphere describes how he found it possible to induce this power of vision in normal persons by causing them to gaze at the light through suitably coloured screens which seemed to affect the retina in such a way as to make it more sensitive to the particular wave length of light which emanates from1 or is reflected by1 the aura4 ,in the course of his investigations he found among other things that the aura was apparently under the control of the will since it could in certain cases be made to change colour or to extrude rays by mere volition4 ,through the courtesy of ,dr4 ,kilner ,i have myself been able to try the effect of the screens and ,i certainly saw1 or thought ,i saw1 an aura of the type which he describes4 ,at the same time ,i am not altogether prepared to swear that the appearance could not be some sort of optical illusion or artifact and ,i should accept the aura with less reserve if it could be recorded photographically4 ,on the other hand some of ,dr4 ,kilner's experiments1 notably as regards colour of the aura and its uses in diagnosis1 are very remarkable and seem unlikely to be due to either of the above mentioned causes4 ,if we accept these experiments at their face value they certainly support the idea to which the phenomena of ,exteriorisation of ,sensibility faintly pointed1 namely that there may be some exteriorisable substance under the control of the ,will4 ,there are other experiments which also point the same way4 ,consider for example those of ,mac,dougal who weighed a number of patients at the moment of death and found in each case that this coincided with a sudden loss of weight of about threequarters of an ounce1 more than could be accounted for by loss from perspiration or from the emptying of the lungs4 ,he claims that ,we have experimental proof that a substance capable of being weighed does leave the body at death4 ,it is of course most important that these experiments should be confirmed by independent investigators but there seems no reason to doubt the facts as stated1 although ,i cannot agree with ,mac,dougal's view that what leaves the body is the soul4 ,dr4 ,baraduc1 again1 took photographs of his son and wife shortly after death and found that in each case a luminous1 cloudlike mass or masses were visible over the bodies4 ,this case is of exceptional interest in that the observations were not personal but were photographic records4 ,unless the case is inaccurately reported it follows that there must have been some objective foundation for the results1 and it would also seem that1 since the object photographed affected the plate but was invisible to the eye1 it must not only have been material or quasi-material in nature but also have emitted light of a frequency above the range of normal vision1 i4e41 ultra-violet light4 ,here again there is great need for confirmation but so far as it goes the evidence continues to point the same way4 ,surely this concatenation of evidences from such different sources cannot be purely fortuitous8 ,the foregoing are the most important and representative experiments on these lines but the whole of the literature of ,psychic ,research abounds with minor pointers which all indicate the same sort of thing4 ,let us turn again to the work of ,crawford1 to which ,i have already referred4 ,he started out to investigate the causes of telekinetic phenomena and had at the outset no sort of notion of what the explanation was likely to be and he found that his table is supported1 during levitation without contact1 by a rigid structure4 ,this structure is invisible to the eye and is practically impalpable4 ,it appears to be composed of matter taken from the medium4 ,the main conclusion is1 ,i think1 inevitable1 but for the experiments and reasoning which have led to it the reader must consult ,dr4 ,crawford's book4 ,again we have this same curious substance exteriorised from the body4 ,but there are two points in particular which bring it closely into line with the phenomena which we have been considering4 ,the first is that although ,dr4 ,crawford has not yet succeeded in photographing the structure in situ1 he has obtained a photograph of what appears to be the same substance issuing out of the medium4 ,furthermore1 the existence of the structure has been confirmed by clairvoyants1 and this fact1 taken in conjunction with the photographic results and with what ,i said about etheric or ultra-violet clairvoyance in ,chapter ,,iii1 forces us once more to the conclusion that this elusive substance possesses the property of emitting or reflecting ultra-violet light4 ,the second point is that the extrusion of this substance from the medium results in superficial insensibility1 although she is in full possession of all her normal faculties4 ,dr4 ,crawford discusses this point at some length in an article which appeared in the ,psychic ,gazette for ,september #aiaf4 ,into the minuti of the discussion ,i need not enter here4 ,it is sufficient to say that the medium is to some extent insensitive and that in ,dr4 ,crawford's opinion ,it seems likely that the want of sensibility to heavy and varied reactions which undoubtedly occur upon the medium is due to some peculiar condition of her organism during the period of phenomena4 ,now1 these various experiments although they may be individually weak do seem rather to hang together4 ,there is an appearance of possible connection between the experiments of ,joire and recent views on the aura2 and it is possible that what ,mac,dougal weighed and ,baraduc photographed are the same thing4 ,it is obvious that all these experiments ought to be checked and re-checked by independent investigators and further experiments undertaken to discover whether there is any real connection between them4 ,but for the present purpose ,i think it legitimate to extrapolate and to assume that they are reliable and connected in the way that ,i suspect4 ,the experiments of de ,rochas1 of ,joire and of ,kilner suggest that a temporary loss of sensibility is accompanied by the extrusion from the body of a sensitive substance of peculiar properties4 ,in the ,baraduc and ,mac,dougal experiments a total and permanent loss of sensibility seems to be accompanied by the extrusion of a substance of somewhat similar properties4 ,finally in the case of ,dr4 ,crawford's researches we find that the extrusion of an apparently very similar substance is again accompanied by a certain insensitivity4 ,somewhat similar conditions are to be found in cases of materialisation--compare1 for example1 the work of ,dr4 ,schrenk-,notzing and ,mme4 ,bisson or ,dr4 ,geley's paper in ,part ,i4 of the ,annales des ,sciences ,psychiques for #aiai4 ,it is far too early yet to say that the extrusion of this sensitive substance is an invariable concomitant of insensibility2 but at present the evidence--assuming it to be reliable--does seem to point that way4 ,when we have made an exhaustive study of what happens to the aura during sleep1 in various states of hypnosis1 in local and general ansthesia and in death we shall be able to draw more definite conclusions on the subject4 ,i shall now turn to evidence of a more general type which deals with the existence of this mysterious substance viewed as a whole rather than with this or that indication of its presence or properties as did the previous experiments4 ,there are many references in ,psychic literature which bear on the point and the general trend of them seems to be that the substance we have been considering is not1 normally1 entirely formless and distributed fortuitously through the body but that it forms an exact counterpart of the latter or1 to be more strictly accurate1 of the nervous system4 ,lombroso states that ,durville has succeeded in separating this replica experimentally from the physical body4 7,after ,death--,what874 ,he says that it seemed to be connected with the body by a sort of cord and that the patient under observation was able to see through opaque objects and to discern events at a distance4 ,the apparent sense organs of the replica worked1 while those of the physical body were put out of action4 ,when approached1 it excited a sensation like that produced by cold1 by blowing air1 by shivering1 and if the hand were placed in it a cold1 clammy sensation was experienced4 ,compare with this last statement the remarks of ,crawford on the sensations produced by inserting the hand into the midst of the levitating structure4 ,m4 ,leon ,denis in ,christianity and ,spiritualism quotes experiments from the ,revue ,spirite for ,november #ahid1 and alleges that de ,rochas and ,barlemont obtained simultaneous photographs of the body of a medium and of the exteriorised double4 ,a long account of experiments on these lines by ,durville appears in the ,journal de ,magnetisme for #aijg and #aijh but although they tend to confirm the ideas at which we have already arrived1 there is nothing to be gained by going into their details here4 ,a very interesting case which has a considerable bearing on the subject is given in the ,proceedings of the ,society for ,psychical ,research1 ,vol4 ,,viii1 pp4 #ahj-aic4 ,the following is an abbreviated account3 ,the narrator is a physician and the case seems to have been singularly well attested and was carefully scrutinised by no less a critic than ,dr4 ,r4,h4 ,hodgson4 ,i passed some four hours in all without pulse or perceptible heart beat1 as ,i am informed by ,dr4 ,s4,h4 ,raynes1 who was the only physician present4 ,during a portion of this time several of the bystanders thought ,i was dead1 and1 such a report being carried outside1 the village church bell was tolled4 ,dr4 ,raynes informs me1 however1 that by bringing his eyes close to my face1 he could perceive an occasional short gasp1 so very light as to be hardly perceptible1 and that he was several times on the point of saying1 ',he is dead1' when a gasp would occur in time to check him4 ,he thrust a needle deep into the flesh at different points from the feet to the hips1 but got no response4#e ,although ,i was pulseless for four hours1 the state of apparent death lasted only about half an hour4 ,i lost1 ,i believe1 all power of thought or knowledge of existence in absolute unconsciousness4 ,i came again into a state of conscious existence1 and discovered that ,i was still in the body1 but the body and ,i had no longer any interests in common4 ,i looked with astonishment and joy for the first time upon myself--the me1 the real ,ego1 while the not-me closed upon all sides like a sepulchre of clay4 ,with all the interest of a physician ,i beheld the wonders of my bodily anatomy1 intimately interwoven with which1 even tissue for tissue1 was ,i1 the living soul of that dead body4 ,i realised my condition and calmly reasoned thus3 ,i have died1 as man terms death1 and yet ,i am as much a man as ever4 ,i am about to get out of the body4 ,i watched the interesting process of the separation of soul and body4 ,by some power1 apparently not my own1 the ,ego was rocked to and fro1 laterally as the cradle is rocked1 by which process its connection with the tissues of the body was broken up4 ,after a little while the lateral motions ceased1 and along the soles of the feet1 beginning at the toes1 passing rapidly to the heels1 ,i felt and heard1 as it seemed the snapping of innumerable small cords4 ,when this was accomplished1 ,i began slowly to retreat from the feet1 toward the head1 as a rubber cord shortens4 ,i remember reaching the hips and saying to myself1 ',now there is no life below the hips4' ,i can recall no memory of passing through the abdomen and chest1 but recollect distinctly when my whole self was collected in the head1 when ,i reflected thus3 ',i am all the head now1 and ,i shall soon be free4' ,i passed around the brain as if it were hollow1 compressing it and its membranes slightly on all sides towards the centre1 and peeped out between the sutures of the skull1 emerging like the flattened edges of a bag of membranes6 ,i recollect distinctly how ,i appeared to myself something like a jelly fish as regards colour and form6 ,as ,i emerged1 ,i saw two ladies sitting at my head4 ,i measured the distance between the head of my cot and the knees of the lady opposite the head and concluded there was room for me to stand1 but felt considerable embarrassment as ,i reflected that ,i was about to emerge naked before her1 but comforted myself with the thought that in all probability she would not see me with her bodily eyes1 as ,i was a spirit4 ,as ,i emerged from the head ,i floated up laterally like a soap bubble attached to the bowl of a pipe1 until ,i at last broke loose from the body and fell lightly to the floor1 where ,i slowly rose and expanded to the full stature of a man4 ,i seemed to be translucent1 of a bluish cast and perfectly naked4 ,with a painful sense of embarrassment1 ,i fled toward the partially open door to escape the eyes of the two ladies whom ,i was facing1 as well as others who ,i knew were about me1 but upon reaching the door ,i found myself clothed1 and satisfied upon that point1 ,i turned and faced the company4 ,as ,i turned1 my left elbow came in contact with the arm of one of two gentlemen1 who were standing in the door4 ,to my surprise1 his arm passed through mine without apparent resistance1 the several parts closing again without pain1 as air reunites4 ,i looked quickly up at his face to see if he had noticed the contact1 but he gave me no sign--only stood and gazed toward the couch ,i had just left4 ,i directed my gaze in the direction of his1 and saw my dead body4 ,suddenly ,i discovered that ,i was looking at the straight seam down the back of my coat4 ',how is this1 ,i thought1 how do ,i see my back8' and ,i looked again1 to reassure myself1 down the back of my coat1 or down the back of my legs to the very heels4 ,i put my hand to my face and felt for my eyes4 ,they were where they should be3 ,i thought ',am ,i like an owl that ,i can turn my head half way round' ,i tried the experiment and failed4 ,no6 ,then it must be that1 having been out of the body but a few moments1 ,i have yet the power to use the eyes of the body1 and ,i turned about and looked back in at the open door where ,i could see the head of my body in a line with me4 ,i discovered then a small cord1 like a spider's web1 running from my shoulders back to my body and attaching to it at the base of the neck1 in front4 ,i was satisfied with the conclusion that by means of that cord1 ,i was using the eyes of the body and1 turning1 walked down the street4 ,a small densely black cloud appeared in front of me and advanced towards my face4 ,i knew that ,i was to be stopped4 ,i felt the power to move or to think leaving me4 ,my hands fell powerless at my side1 my shoulders and my head dropped forward and ,i knew no more4 ,without previous thought and without effort on my part1 my eyes opened4 ,i looked at my hands and then at the little white cot upon which ,i was lying1 and1 realising that ,i was in the body1 in astonishment and disappointment1 ,i exclaimed2 ',what in the world has happened to me8 ,must ,i die again8444 ,now1 if this case stood alone we should1 perhaps1 be right to explain it all as a dream4 ,but it does not stand alone for there are numerous other cases to be found in the ,proceedings of the ,s4,p4,r4 and in ,meyer's ,human ,personality4 ,in my opinion1 therefore1 it merits the most careful consideration and contains many points of the greatest interest and significance4 ,i think it will be found to work in remarkably well with the whole idea of the detachable quasi-physical replica1 towards which hypothesis the whole of the observations in this chapter have been tending4 ,the narrator of the experience seems to think that the vehicle which he observed to become detached from the body and in which he was apparently functioning throughout the period in question1 was actually the ,soul itself1 the permanent and immortal post-mortem embodiment of consciousness4 ,on the whole this seems to be the view taken by ,mr4 ,carrington1 who quotes the case1 and to be that commonly held in ,france on the authority of ,,mm4 ,leon ,denis1 ,delanne and other writers4 ,these latter refer to the organism in question as the perisprit and it is represented as being the vehicle by virtue of which the ,consciousness persists after ,death4 ,with this view ,i cannot agree4 ,i suggest rather1 provisionally of course1 that the ,consciousness persists embodied in a four-dimensional vehicle to which the word physical as commonly understood cannot be applied at all4 ,the replica1 perisprit or ,etheric ,double as the ,theosophists call it1 is only the connecting link between the three and four-dimensional vehicles which1 as we saw at the beginning of this chapter1 must be supposed to exist if the four-dimensional hypothesis is to hold good at all4 ,it seems likely that it is no more permanent than the physical body1 and that it disintegrates after death in the same way that the bodily tissues do4 ,it is interesting to compare and contrast this case with the somewhat similar one of which a brief resum was given on page #eh4 ,in each case the consciousness of the narrator was separated from the physical body but the conditions after separation seem to have been notably different4 ,in the first case the patient seems to have been independent of space in that he was able to pay a visit to a friend at a distance of about a thousand miles and to return in the space of a few minutes2 while in the second he seems to have been tethered to his physical body by the cord to which he refers4 ,this is perhaps the most important point1 but others are easy to find--notably in the apparent constitution of the temporary vehicle of consciousness4 ,it seems probable that in the first case the vehicle was four-dimensional while in the second it was the quasi-physical replica which we have been discussing4 ,it is with this supposition in mind that ,i shall examine the second case4 ,first then we notice that the narrator seems to have been in error in referring to what he saw interwoven1 tissue for tissue1 with the physical body1 as the ,ego4 ,but this error was clearly a very natural one4 ,although the point is not brought out with precision1 the record seems to suggest that the narrator was viewing things with that internal or four-dimensional vision which ,i discussed in my remarks on ,clairvoyance in ,chapter ,,iii4 ,the process which is described as the separation of soul and body1 ,i should prefer to describe as the exteriorisation of the ,etheric ,double4#f ,as it happens1 this exteriorisation does result in the separation of the ,consciousness from the body1 but to say that it is the separation would be liable to confuse the ,consciousness and the four-dimensional vehicle with the ,etheric double4 ,that exteriorisation should begin at the feet is only what one would expect from the known fact that the extremities are the first parts of the body to grow cold at the approach of death4 ,throughout the account we notice the extreme plasticity of the vehicle in which the narrator functioned4 ,it seems to have squeezed out of the body in a formless condition and then to have recovered its normal shape as soon as the deforming stresses were removed4 ,this is entirely in accord with the properties we must postulate for a substance which can1 apparently1 be moved and shaped by mere volition or at least by mental forces1 whatever that may mean1 set in motion by the will4 ,at first1 that is to say during the process of extrusion1 the ,etheric ,double seems to have been under the influence of some repulsive force acting between it and the body4 ,this is admirably suggested by the analogy of the soap bubble4 ,when extrusion was complete1 however1 the ,e4,d4 fell lightly to the floor4 ,it was therefore composed of more or less ponderable matter1 which is what we would expect from ,mac,dougal's experiments4 ,the translucency and bluish colour are entirely consonant with the observations of ,kilner on the aura1 which1 as already mentioned1 ,i believe to be closely associated with the ,e4,d4 ,the part about the clothes is curious and ,i am not prepared to hazard any explanation about it1 beyond a very tentative proposal of auto-suggested hallucination4 ,scarcely less odd is the apparent ability to use both the physical eyes and those belonging to the ,e4,d4 ,but the fact that the latter were in operation is concordant with the observation of ,durville that the sense organs of the exteriorised ,e4,d4 were operative in his experiments4 ,the small cord connecting the ,e4,d4 with the physical body is also in accordance with his observations4 ,on the whole then ,i think it fair to claim that this case fits in admirably with the experimental work ,i have quoted4 ,there is one other source of information which may profitably be considered here1 namely the statements of the clairvoyants and of the ,occultists4 ,i hope that the criticisms which ,i have been moved to make about the ,occultists in preceding passages have been sufficiently stringent to clear me of any suspicion of being unduly credulous or over-ready to accept their statements as authoritative4 ,there are many things in their methods and their teachings which excite my distrust and antipathy4 ,none the less ,i think it foolish to ignore every statement which happens to be supported by1 or to form part of1 ,occult doctrine4 ,i think it highly probable for instance that clairvoyant descriptions of facts concerning the ,etheric ,double are often reliable4 ,we have seen that the whole question of its study is probably a matter of observing1 directly or indirectly1 by ultra-violet light4 ,we also have reason to suppose that the retina of the eye can be rendered abnormally sensitive to light of this frequency by artificial means4 ,but if such abnormal retinal sensibility can be induced artificially1 it is very probable that it may sometimes occur naturally4 ,hence1 if the ,e4,d4 actually exists1 as the evidence undeniably suggests1 it is not only possible but probable that certain people will be able to see it without invoking artificial aid4 ,it must be remembered that observations of this kind contain1 in themselves1 no sort of supernatural element1 although they may1 of course1 receive the most strange and erroneous interpretations at the hands of the uninformed4 ,when we turn to ,occult literature we find that the theory of the ,e4,d4 is worked out in considerable detail4 ,it is said to be violet-grey or blue-grey in colour and to interpenetrate the physical body4 ,the health aura1 i4e41 the physical aura dealt with by ,dr4 ,kilner1 is said to be that part of the ,e4,d4 which projects beyond the physical body4 ,it is stated that the physical body and the ,e4,d4 are not normally separated during life1 although in certain nervous conditions the ,e4,d4 may be more or less extruded from the physical body4 7,compare this with the diagnostic researches of ,kilner47 ,ansthetics drive out the greater part of the ,e4,d41 so that consciousness cannot either affect or be affected by the dense 7physical7 body4 ,in the abnormally organised persons called mediums1 dislocation of the etheric and dense bodies easily occurs1 and the ,e4,d41 when extruded1 largely supplies the physical basis for 'materialisations' 7and for ,crawford's structure4 ,w4,w4,s474 ,in sleep1 when the consciousness leaves the physical vehicle which it uses during waking life1 the dense and etheric bodies remain together4444 ,at what is called death the etheric double is drawn away from its dense counterpart by the escaping consciousness2 the magnetic tie existing between them during earth life is snapped asunder4444 7,taken from ,the ,ancient ,wisdom47 ,in other passages it is stated that the ,e4,d4 is connected with the physical body by a filamentary structure1 ,the silver cord1 and that so long as this is unbroken it is possible for connection between ,consciousness and the physical body to be re-established1 but that when it is broken as occurs in death1 the separation is final4 ,finally it is definitely stated that this ,e4,d4 is a quasi-physical structure1 disintegrates in the same way as the physical body and is perceived by a mere heightening of the ordinary visual faculty4 ,let it be clearly understood that ,i do not wish one whit more importance to be attached to this last-quoted evidence than each individual reader may choose to assign to it and ,i fully sympathise with those who prefer to allow it no weight at all4 ,i have myself a strong penchant in favour of good hard scientific experiments with apparatus and1 if the clairvoyant testimony stood by itself without any experimental evidence to support it1 ,i should make no mention of it here4 ,but ,i think that in common justice we ought to admit that the statements of the clairvoyants are1 in the main1 in close agreement with what we should expect from the indications afforded us by the experimental work which has at present been done4 ,in continuing the latter we shall be well advised to keep the former in our minds as furnishing1 at least1 useful hints for our guidance4 ,on the strength of the various considerations discussed above1 ,i am disposed to extend the four dimensional hypothesis as follows3 ,connection between the three- and four-dimensional vehicles is maintained by means of a substance of peculiar properties1 which is intimately connected with the nervous system in the conscious functioning of which it is an essential factor4 ,states of partial or total ansthesia or insensibility are accompanied and probably caused by the extrusion of this substance from the body4 ,we are now faced by the problem of the constitution of this substance4 ,to this there would appear to be two possible solutions4 ,the first of these is that favoured1 apparently1 by the occultists and the exponents of the perisprit doctrine4 ,the second is that to which ,i am personally inclined at present4 ,according to the former of these two hypotheses1 the ,e4,d4 is composed of a sort of rarified matter by which1 ,i take it1 is meant matter possessing a smaller complexity of organisation than that with which we are normally acquainted4 ,this would appear to be more especially the ,occult view2 although on technical details of this kind there is a somewhat unfortunate lack of precision and even of unanimity among ,occult authorities4 ,a variation on this is the idea that whereas ordinary matter is the result of vibratory1 or other periodic1 disturbances in the ether of a certain frequency1 the matter of which the ,e4,d4 is composed is the result of similar disturbances of a greater frequency2 that it is matter transposed into a higher key so to speak4 ,the experiments of ,le ,bon1 who claims to have obtained a temporary condition of equilibrium in the dissociation products of matter1 are sometimes adduced as supporting this hypothesis4 ,for my part ,i have grave doubts as to the correctness of this view4 ,in the first place1 there is nothing in ,le ,bon's work to indicate that these dissociation products are capable of being brought into a state of such very stable equilibrium as must be possessed by the constituents of the ,e4,d4 ,in the second1 the hypothesis involves us in all the difficulties which render so unsatisfactory all attempts to account for post-mortem existence on normal physical lines4 ,for1 on either hypothesis1 the ,e4,d4 is either the post-mortem vehicle itself1 as held by the ,french savants1 or it is the connecting link between the two vehicles1 as ,i consider4 ,if the latter is the case1 then in all probability the post-mortem vehicle is to the ,e4,d4 as the ,e4,d4 is to the physical body4 ,if the ,e4,d4 is merely rarified matter then the post-mortem vehicle is probably merely doubly-rarified matter4 ,for this and other reasons ,i prefer the idea that the ,e4,d4 is composed of matter having an abnormal four-dimensional complexity4 ,indeed1 as ,i pointed out at the beginning of this chapter1 this view seems to be a necessary corollary of the whole four-dimensional hypothesis ,i have been advocating4 ,it is very possible that we shall be compelled to reject the hypothesis in toto in the light of future research1 but until this becomes necessary ,i think that my present view of the nature of the ,e4,d4 is the only tenable one4 ,whether this abnormal four-dimensional complexity is molecular or atomic in its nature1 or whether it is neither1 ,i am not prepared to say4 ,the points in this chapter which ,i would wish to emphasise are1 first1 that if the four-dimensional hypothesis be true1 there should exist a connection between the three- and four-dimensional vehicles4 ,secondly1 that this link should possess properties of a peculiar nature distinguishing it from ordinary physical substances4 ,thirdly1 that there are distinct evidences to be found in very independent quarters which strongly indicate that such a connecting link or substance does in fact exist4 ,fourthly1 that this substance does present unusual features1 as for instance1 susceptibility to volitional control and to forces which appear to be applied from some direction unknown to us 7vide my remarks on the theory of ,crawford's structure in ,chapter ,,iii74 ,finally1 that1 as it appears to be intermediate between the physical body and the post-mortem vehicle1 it is well worthy of the closest study4 ,it will be very evident to my readers that this chapter is extrapolatory and speculative in the highest degree4 ,the ideas discussed are based on experiments which are very far from being conclusive4 ,i should be sorry indeed to guarantee them all as being of cast-iron reliability and ,i have no doubt that comparatively few will ever receive the amount of confirmation which is necessary before we can accept such things as proven facts4 ,still1 tenuous as the evidence is1 it all seems to point in the same sort of direction and ,i have therefore thought it worth while to give it the benefit of the doubt and see what could be made of it on the temporary assumption that it is really reliable4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #e3 ,note the insensibility4--,w4,w4,s4 ,footnote #f3 ,,note4--,in future ,i shall borrow the term ,etheric ,double from the ,theosophists and use it instead of the rather cumbrous phrase ,quasi-physical replica4 ,i do not think that the term ,etheric ,double is a good one1 but it is in common use1 and ,i will adopt it until some better word is suggested4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,religious ,,aspects ,,of ,,the ,,hypothesis ,although ,i have no wish to become involved in controversial theology1 ,i feel it incumbent on me to examine briefly the question of whether a general acceptance of the four-dimensional hypothesis would be fraught with any considerable consequences in the sphere of religious thought4 ,no one venturing to advocate conceptions so far-reaching as those ,i have been discussing1 would be justified in ignoring their relation to any important stream of thought with which they might be held liable to come in contact4 ,and it is evident that any hypothesis formulated1 however tentatively1 as a solution to the problems of ,survival of ,death and the nature of post-mortem conditions1 must inevitably come into very close contact with ,religion4 ,i shall try to show that it is a matter of contact only and not of conflict4 ,even so1 ,i might have omitted the present discussion had ,i not found a tendency1 on the part of certain representatives of orthodox theology1 to deprecate any attempt to find an intelligible solution to the problems involved4 ,it must be clearly understood that ,i am not concerned here with the defence of ,psychical ,research as a means of investigation1 but only with the legitimacy of the end4 ,generally speaking1 those with whom ,i am so unfortunate as to disagree on this matter accuse me on two counts4 ,first it is suggested that ,i am attempting to advance by ,reason or ,sight rather than by ,faith and1 secondly1 ,i am told that to explain such a matter as the ,survival of ,death or the nature of the connection between matter and spirit1 would tend to reduce everything to terms of mere mechanism and to leave no place at all in the ,cosmos for ,divine ,will and ,purpose or for the transcendental and mystical aspects of religion4 ,i need hardly say that ,i violently resent both these accusations4 ,the first charge seems to me to be easy of refutation4 ,in the first place the idea of ,blind ,faith or ,unreasoning ,belief is one which involves a contradiction in terms4 ,as ,whately well says in his ,logic3 ,if a man resolves that he will implicitly receive e4g41 in religious points1 all the decisions of a certain ,pastor1 ,church or ,party1 he has in doing so performed one act of private judgment 7i4e41 the result of reasoning71 which includes all the rest4 ,hence it is impossible to dissociate ,faith and ,reason4 ,secondly1 just as ,courage1 in its proper sense1 does not mean feeling no fear but the overcoming of it2 so ,faith consists1 not of having no doubts but of dispelling them1 and this involves a deliberate exercise of the will in choosing between two possible alternatives2 that is to say1 an act of reasoning4 ,thirdly1 ,i submit that ,life is not a sort of crazy competition in which special awards are to be received for completing the course blindfold1 but a phase in the general upward progress of man--whether considered collectively or individually--and that consequently any knowledge is desirable which will enable us consciously and intelligently to co-operate in the process4 ,finally1 and ,i think that this puts the whole matter in one sentence1 however clearly a man can see1 he must still be able to believe his eyes4 ,however plainly we can see the path1 we must still believe that it leads in the right direction1 however conclusively we may demonstrate a proposition1 we are still dependent on our ,faith in the validity of ,reason and the veridicity of the observations on which it is based--and this is equally the case whether the latter be scientific measurements or spiritual experiences4 ,the supreme effort of ,faith1 made by the most material of scientists no less than by the ,saint1 is the belief that the ,cosmos1 of which ,reason is a part1 is a coherent whole and not a ,chaos4 ,the second argument appears to me to be equally fissiparous4 ,in the first place ,i should never dream of attempting to reduce the whole ,cosmos to terms of mechanism4 ,any such idea would be infinitely repugnant to me4 ,moreover1 the attempt would inevitably be foredoomed to failure since there are problems which are essentially insoluble4 ,the first and most obvious of all--the problem of the nature and origin of ,consciousness--is one to which we can never hope to find an answer4 ,but quite apart from all this ,i entirely fail to see why the explanation of mechanism1 using the word in its widest sense1 should have any bearing on religion at all4 ,religion1 by which ,i mean something more than a mere code of morals1 is concerned rather with motives than with methods4 ,if a child were to ask one why the sun and moon did not fall on to the earth1 one might reply to the effect that they were prevented from doing so by the exercise of the ,divine ,will4 ,alternatively one might embark on a disquisition about the law of gravitation and planetary mechanics4 ,the two forms of explanation would be by no means mutually exclusive since the second does no more than expand the first by an exposition of the means employed4 ,if1 as required by the ,christian religion1 we believe in the survival of the individual personality after death1 it is evident that this survival must take place by virtue of certain properties inherent in the ,cosmos and the necessity of ,faith in our ultimate destiny will not be affected by any determination of the nature of those properties4 ,if our ,consciousness does in fact persist after death it must do so in some state of embodiment1 since the idea of pure essence is inconceivable4 ,for my part ,i utterly fail to understand why the study of the nature of the vehicle in which the consciousness functions after death1 or of the conditions in which it lives1 has any more to do with religion1 in the proper sense of the term1 than the study of the physical body and the physical world4 ,i need hardly say that ,i do not anticipate that ,psychic ,research will confirm the idea of the old-fashioned conventional ,heaven and ,hell of harps and crowns on the one hand and fire and brimstone on the other4 ,but it would be a bold person who would be prepared to maintain now-a-days that these ideas form an integral part of ,christianity4 ,modern research on ,evolution and the process of natural selection have somewhat notably discounted the story of ,adam and ,eve in the garden of ,eden1 considered as historical fact4 ,but it would be difficult to maintain that the ,christian religion has suffered as a consequence4 ,the account of the creation given in ,genesis has had to be re-interpreted in the light of geological and astronomical knowledge1 but ,christianity is as vital a force in the world to-day as it was when that account was taken literally word for word4 ,even so1 if any specific revelation existed on the subject of the manner of survival1 if1 for instance1 any of the words of ,christ could be held to contain any precise information on the subject1 it might be contended that no further knowledge was necessary4 ,but this is not the case4 ,immortality is insisted on1 but nothing specific is said of the conditions by virtue of which it obtains4 ,nor1 so far as ,i am aware1 is any veto laid on endeavours to ascertain those conditions4 ,i repeat that in my opinion1 cosmic mechanism and religion are distinct1 and no knowledge1 however full1 as to the former can possibly either impair or replace the latter4 ,in short ,i do not see that the necessity for religion as an integral part of life would be one whit diminished even supposing we knew as much about the next world and conditions of life therein1 as we know of this4 ,and this contention holds good no matter what results research may bring to light1 no matter how much they may differ from our preconceived ideas4 ,for the truth is there all the time although at the moment we may not have grasped it and the ,christian religion1 if it be the true religion1 as we believe1 was framed1 so to speak1 to meet the needs of a cosmos organised in this particular way and in no other4 ,unless1 therefore1 the ,christian religion be false1 it is impossible that the results of research1 supposing them to be accurate and reliable1--a matter which can only be ensured by the exercise of scientific reason1--should in any way conflict with religious truth4 ,in case any one should feel that ,i ought to specify more precisely than ,i have done1 what ,i mean by the ,christian religion1 ,i would refer them to the ,nicene creed4 ,or if it is a matter of the interpretation of this in terms of conduct1 ,i should cite ,my duty towards ,god and ,my duty towards my neighbour in the ,church ,catechism4 ,or in secular writings ,i would mention that view of ,christianity which is defended by ,mr4 ,g4,k4 ,chesterton in his book ,orthodoxy4 ,with these ,i am prepared to stand four-square1 although it is conceivable that ,i might find myself at variance with some authorities on the precise interpretation to be given to certain clauses1 as for instance the resurrection of the dead in the first mentioned4 ,but controversies about interpretation have been rife among ,christian theorists from the earliest times and differences of opinion on minor points do not constitute lack of adherence in fundamentals4 ,hitherto in this discussion ,i have been concerned only with negatives4 ,that is to say ,i have been trying to show that there is nothing in the attempt which has led me to adopt the four-dimensional hypothesis which is in any way contrary to the essential teachings of ,christianity4 ,there is however a positive side to the question4 ,i believe that so far from being antagonistic to ,christian teaching1 the general acceptance of the hypothesis would be of real value1 in that it would put into the hands of the ,church a very powerful weapon for the repelling of a certain form of attack1 that of the scientific materialist to wit4 ,i do not mean to claim this as a merit of the four-dimensional hypothesis as such1 for it would equally accrue to any other hypothesis which might prove to be true4 ,in the second chapter ,i gave my reasons for believing that the establishing of some such hypothesis would be calculated to remove the principle cause of dissension between religious and materialistically scientific thinkers4 ,i there pointed out that the chief strength of the materialist lay in the reluctance or inability of the ,church to give an intelligible explanation of the terms used in speaking of certain religious and spiritual matters4 ,i have explained that ,i see nothing in anyway repugnant to religion in the attempt to formulate an hypothesis to explain the mechanism of survival1 etc4 ,equally it should be observed that religion1 considered as something more than a mere ethical and moral code1 would be in no way freed from the necessity of justifying itself1 qua religion1 by the acceptance1 however unanimous1 of this or any other hypothesis4 ,such justification is a matter for an apologetic of quite another order1 of which order1 by the way1 ,i regard ,mr4 ,chesterton's ,orthodoxy mentioned above as a very admirable example4 ,what the general acceptance of such an hypothesis would do1 would be finally and for ever to deprive the materialist of the possibility of maintaining that matter1 as he knows it1 is the final and only permanent reality and that ,spirit therefore cannot exist4 ,it is true that this would only involve driving him back one stage4 ,if we suppose for the sake of argument that we could finally attain to as complete a knowledge of the next world as we at present possess of this1 he could always return to the attack1 using with regard to that state the same arguments as he originally used with regard to this4 ,but having once broken through the ring fence of matter and demonstrated that there exist other realities of which he was at one time entirely ignorant1 he could never deny that there might still be realms as yet unknown to him4 ,he could never catch us again1 so to speak4 ,i admit that the above is a somewhat fantastical supposition and scarcely within the sphere of practical politics1 but the point is1 that until we are prepared to give an intelligible explanation of things we are pent up in a sort of intellectual cul-de-sac bounded by matter4 ,we may know1 as the result of personal experience1 that there is a way out1 that matter is not the only reality2 but our knowledge is a purely personal affair and the scientist is perfectly entitled1 if he wishes1 to decline to take the steps that led to the experiences which have convinced us1 to dismiss them as mere hallucinations and to write off our alleged revelations as superstitious myths4 ,but let us once demonstrate to him1 in a manner calculated to appeal to his intellect1 that there may be a non-material reality and the cul-de-sac is at once broken through and becomes a vista4 ,it may be one of which we cannot see the end1 and we shall certainly require faith to believe that it leads to the right destination1 but the point is that it is a vista and not a cul-de-sac4 ,this is where ,i am convinced that the adoption of some hypothesis of the same general order as that which ,i have been advocating would prove of definite value to the ,church and that is why ,i am so strongly of opinion that the ,church1 by which term ,i mean more especially those whose business it is to concern themselves with the general trend of ,christian policy with regard to contemporary thought1 ought to encourage and not to deprecate or oppose attempts on these lines4 ,in thus venturing to criticise the ,church1 ,i should like to make it clear that ,i only do so because ,i am convinced that the ,church is a vital and indispensable part of human life1 and because ,i wish to see her influence increased and extended rather than diminished4 ,if ,i thought otherwise ,i should not take the trouble even to criticise4 ,so far ,i have said nothing about the religious significance of the four-dimensional hypothesis as such2 considered that is to say as to its four-dimensionality and not merely in its capacity as a hypothesis4 ,the reason for this omission is simply that ,i do not consider that there is any such significance4 ,in the main concept of existence in four-dimensional space after death there is1 so far as ,i can see1 nothing either to contradict or to confirm anything taught by the ,church except the bare fact of survival which both affirm4 ,i have carefully omitted all reference to the descriptions of post-mortem existence which have been obtained from time to time through mediumistic sources4 ,any such discussion would be both lengthy and out of place as it would involve a detailed critical examination of both the authenticity and interpretation of the pronouncements4 ,the only point about the four-dimensional hypothesis as such which ,i think at all likely to be called in question from the religious point of view1 is that involved in the suggestion that ,consciousness persists after death1 not in the form of pure essence but embodied in some form of vehicle4 ,but this is a matter which is fully included under the general arguments ,i adduced in favour of the legitimacy of investigating the ,cosmic mechanism to the utmost and there seems to be no need for a separate re-discussion here4 ,it is interesting to note however that a large number of the early ,christian thinkers adhered to the view that the soul had some sort of material or quasi-material vehicle4 ,a number of quotations on the subject are given in ,m4 ,leon ,denis' book ,christianity and ,spiritualism4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,summary ,,and ,,conclusion ,i will bring this work to a close by a brief recapitulation of its more salient points4 ,a dimension is defined as an independent direction in space4 ,a flat surface is two-dimensional and the space we know is three-dimensional4 ,the direction of the fourth dimension must be at right angles to every direction which can be drawn in our space and four-dimensional space is such that through any point in it1 four1 and only four1 lines can be drawn mutually at right angles4 ,from every point in our space a line can be drawn running off in the direction of four space4 ,consequently every point in our space is absolutely accessible from the direction of the fourth dimension4 ,the best way of drawing conclusions as to the properties of four space is by means of the analogy of the two-dimensional world2 since four space is to three space as the latter is to two space4 ,the fact that we cannot perceive four space1 or picture its nature to ourselves1 is no proof that it is non-existent4 ,i suggest as a working hypothesis that four space is a reality and that ,man possesses at least one other vehicle of ,consciousness--a four-dimensional one--besides his physical body4 ,in this vehicle he is embodied after discarding the physical vehicle at death and also during temporary absences from the body during life4 ,this hypothesis is likely to prove of importance in two respects4 ,first1 it provides ,psychic ,research with a working hypothesis which may be essential to its development as a science4 ,secondly the adoption of some such hypothesis should go far to remove the principle cause of recent cleavage between ,religious and ,scientific thought4 ,the hypothesis is capable of throwing light on a number of ,psychic phenomena which are otherwise very obscure4 ,it affords us a means of conceiving a mode of existence which is real and yet imperceptible to our senses1 thus surmounting one of the chief difficulties in the way of conceiving of post-mortem existence4 ,in the realm of ,clairvoyance it enables us to form some idea of the nature of the faculty of internal vision4 ,with regard to ,clairvoyance in space1 it also helps us to some slight extent1 although this phenomenon presents special difficulties of its own4 ,other varieties of out of the body experiences are much elucidated by its aid4 ,the phenomena with which it is most closely connected1 however1 are those known under the general title of apparent penetration of matter by matter4 ,to these it affords by far the simplest and probably the only explanation and1 if they are regarded as irrefutably established1 it will be difficult to avoid the conclusion that four space is a reality4 ,the locus classicus of such phenomena is the ,slade-,zllner investigation1 but this is worthless as evidence4 ,the literature of the subject abounds with records of similar occurrences4 ,the hypothesis also seems to offer a possible means of explaining the paradoxical rigidity of the impalpable structure discovered by ,crawford4 ,the hypothesis may also have a certain significance1 even in the realm of pure ,philosophy4 ,it enables us to conceive of the simultaneous existence of a series of three space simultaneities and1 consequently1 is of interest in the consideration of ,time and of the possibility of ,prevision4 ,it also works in well with a certain view of the nature of ,vitality4 ,as regards its relation to ordinary physical science1 we find nothing to conflict with it1 but1 on the contrary that there are a certain number of indications that four space is1 as ,i suggest1 more than a mere mathematical concept4 ,it is possible that it may some day come to be recognised as having some significance in the theory of the nature of electrons and of ether1 while recent views on ,relativity strongly indicate that ,physicists will soon regard the four-dimensionality of the ,universe as a common place4 99 99 99 99 99 ,if the four-dimensional hypothesis is correct there should exist some sort of connecting link between the physical body and the four-dimensional vehicle4 ,the function of this link would be to deflect sensory impressions out of three space into four space thus enabling them to reach the ,consciousness resident in the latter4 ,such a link must therefore be1 in some way1 intermediate between ordinary matter and four-dimensional matter4 ,that is to say1 it must possess some degree of four-dimensional complexity4 ,this may reasonably be supposed to endow it with peculiar properties4 ,if such a connecting link be found to exist in practice1 it would tend to confirm the hypothesis4 ,the experiments of de ,rochas1 of ,joire1 of ,mac,dougal1 of ,baraduc1 of ,kilner1 and of ,crawford seem to indicate that such a connecting link does1 in fact1 exist4 ,this is confirmed by the testimony of clairvoyants1 which1 though not of a nature to be rated too highly or accepted lightly1 should be allowed some weight4 ,the attempt to formulate an hypothesis of this nature is not repugnant to ,religion4 ,nor is there anything in this particular hypothesis which can be held to conflict with ,religious doctrines4 ,on the other hand1 the acceptance of such an hypothesis would cut the ground from under the feet of those who seek to maintain that matter is the only reality and that therefore ,spirit and the ,spiritual life are mere illusions4 99 99 99 99 99 ,no writer can expect to bring all his readers to his way of thinking4 ,indeed it would be unfortunate if he were to do so1 as the effect would be to eliminate that element of critical discussion which is so fruitful a source of progress4 ,consequently1 ,i do not anticipate that every reader will agree with me4 ,all ,i venture to hope is that ,i may have made good my contention that the four-dimensional concepts1 in spite of the scorn poured on them as a result of the ,zllner fiasco1 are worthy of very careful consideration as a tentative working hypothesis by those who are seeking to clear up the many obscure problems presented by ,psychical ,research4 ,if this little book is thought worthy of criticism1 ,i shall welcome it4 ,its purpose will have been amply served if it succeeds in arousing interest in what will prove1 ,i believe1 a very fruitful field of speculation and research4 ,,appendix4 ,to illustrate how the analogy of the relation between two and three-dimensional space enables us to determine some of the properties of four-dimensional figures3 7#a7 ,any figure in a space of a given dimensionality generates a corresponding figure in the next higher space1 by moving in a direction at right angles to any direction that can be drawn within itself4#g ,or1 in general1 space of any dimensionality generates1 by such a movement1 the next higher space4 ,thus1 the lowest sort of space is space of zero dimensions1 i4e41 a mathematical point4 ,if it moves a distance of one inch1 it traces out a ,line one inch long--that is to say a one space figure4 ,if this moves at right angles to itself for a distance of one inch1 it traces out a two space figure1 viz41 a square of side one inch4 ,if this again moves a distance of one inch in a direction at right angles to every direction that can be drawn within it1 that is1 in a direction perpendicular to itself1 it traces out a cube of side one inch1 i4e41 a three space figure or solid4 ,we must1 therefore1 conclude1 from analogy1 that if the cube were itself to move1 a distance of one inch1 in a direction at right angles to every direction that can be drawn in our space--in the unknown direction1 that is1 of the fourth dimension--it would generate a higher solid of side one inch4 ,the higher solid thus generated is called a ,tesseract and its properties are quite well known4 7#b7 ,every figure1 in a space of a given dimensionality1 contains an infinite number of the 'corresponding' figures--see 7#a7--;in the next lower space4 ,since a point is defined as having position but no magnitude1 it follows that it would require an infinite number of points to make up a line4 ,similarly a line has length1 but no breadth or thickness1 and it would therefore require an infinite number of lines laid side by side to make up a surface4 ,again a surface has1 theoretically1 no thickness1 and it would therefore require an infinite number of surfaces superimposed on one another to make up a solid4 ,we must therefore conclude1 by analogy1 that it would require an infinite number of solids to make up a higher solid4 ,in particular1 a ,tesseract must be supposed to contain an infinite number of cubes1 and1 in general1 four space must be conceived of as containing an infinite number of three spaces4 7#c7 ,the ,boundaries of a figure in a space of any dimensionality are themselves figures in the next lower space4 ,thus a ,line 7one space7 is bounded by ,points 7zero space74 ,a surface 7two space7 is bounded by ,lines 7one space74 ,a solid 7three space7 is bounded by ,surfaces 7two space74 ,we must conclude therefore that higher solids 7four space7 are bounded by ,solids 7three space74 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #aj ,to take the special case with which we are already familiar4 ,the line ,,ab1 is bounded by the points ,a and ,b4 7,fig4 #aj74 ,the square1 ,a ,b ,c ,d1 is bounded by four lines ,,ab1 ,,bc1 ,,cd1 ,,da4 ,the cube1 ,a ,b ,c ,d ,e ,f ,g ,h1 is bounded by six surfaces1 namely1 ,,abcd1 ,,cdef1 ,,efgh1 ,,ghab1 ,,adeh1 ,,bcfg4 ,similarly we must conclude that a tesseract is bounded by cubes4 ,we shall see later that there are eight of them4 7#d7 ,we may put 7#c7 in a slightly different way1 by saying that3 ,two adjacent portions of space1 of any dimensionality1 are separated by a space of the next lower dimensionality4 ,the portions ,,ab and ,,bc of the line ,,ac are separated by the point ,b4 7,fig4 #aa47 ,the portions ,,abef and ,,bcde of the fig4 ,,acdf are separated by the line ,,eb4 ,the portions ,,abefghim and ,,bcdemikl of the solid ,,acdfghkl are separated by the surface ,,bime4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #aa ,similarly we must suppose that any two adjacent portions of four space are separated by a three space figure4 ,or1 again1 to alter it slightly1 any space is no more than a boundary between two adjacent portions of the next higher space4 ,whence it follows that the whole of our three space is but the boundary between two adjacent portions of four space4 7#e7 ,a tesseract1 which is the four-dimensional analogue of the cube1 is bounded by ,eight cubes4 ,it has ,twenty-four plane square faces1 ,thirty-two linear edges1 and ,sixteen corner points4 ,this may at first sight seem difficult to grasp4 ,in reality however1 it is quite simple4 ,we have only to remember that the tesseract is generated by the movement of a cube1 in a direction at right angles to every direction that can be drawn in the cube1 and that whenever a figure of a given dimensionality moves thus it generates a figure of the next higher dimensionality4 ,thus every point in the cube will trace out a line1 every line a surface1 and every surface a solid1 and1 since the distance moved is equal to the length of the side of the cube1 these surfaces will be squares and the solids will be cubes4 ,but let us first consider the analogous case of the generation of the cube by the movement of a square4 ,let ,a ,b ,c ,d represent the original position of the square4 ,it moves1 a distance equal to one of its sides1 in a direction at right angles to every direction that can be drawn within itself--at right angles1 i4e41 to every one of its sides--and finally comes to rest in the position ,e ,f ,g ,h4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ab ,every side has traced out another square and we have1 in addition1 the old square ,,abcd1 with which we started and the new square ,,efgh1 with which we end4 ,thus even if we had no idea how many sides1 edges1 and corners a cube had we could deduce them4 ,we should say3-- ,every side of the original square has traced out a new square--that makes #d--;and we also have the original square and the final square making a total of #f4 ,a cube1 therefore1 must be bounded by #f square surfaces4 ,similarly we should reflect that the original square and the final square have each #d linear edges1 making #h1 and that each of the #d corner points of the original square would trace out a line1 making new lines1 and we would therefore conclude that a cube must have #h #d #ab edges4 ,finally1 since in a uniform motion no new points will be generated1 we should expect the cube to have a total of #h corner points1 i4e41 the four corners of the original square and the four corners of the final square4 ,now let us apply the same methods to the generation of the tesseract by the movement of a cube4 ,observe that just as in the case of the square generating the cube we had the original square to start with and what ,i called the final square to end up with1 so1 in this case1 we shall start and end up with a cube4 ,in the process of the movement every face of the cube will generate a new cube--that means #f new cubes1 since the cube must have had #f faces--and there will also be the original cube and the final cube1 making a total of #h cubes all told4 ,a tesseract must therefore be bounded by #h cubes4 ,similarly each line of the original cube will trace out a square4 ,this1 since a cube has #ab edges1 gives us #ab new squares plus #f from the original and #f from the final cube1 or a total of #bd4 ,a tesseract therefore has #bd plane square faces4 ,again each point of the original cube will trace out a line1 making #h new lines1 and there will also be #ab lines in the original and #ab in the final cube1 making a total of #cb4 ,finally1 there will be #h points in the original cube and #h in the final cube1 but none will have been produced on the way4 ,so a tesseract will therefore have #af corner points4 ,there is no reason why this process should not be continued indefinitely4 ,for a tesseract may be supposed to move1 in distance equal to the length of one of its edges1 in a direction not contained in itself and will generate a five dimensional figure1 bounded by ten tesseracts1 and having in it #dj cubes1 #hj squares1 #hj lines1 and #cb corner points4 ,thus a whole series of ,higher ,space figures may be produced4 ,but these are of little practical interest1 and ,i shall not deal with them here4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #g3 ,,note4--,the figures thus produced are not necessarily the strict analogues of the figures which generate them4 ,for instance a circle1 moving in a direction perpendicular to itself1 would generate a cylinder2 whereas the three-dimensional analogue of a circle is a sphere4 ,e4 ,,austin ,,and ,,son1 ,,ltd41 ,,printers1 -- ,,clifton1 ,,bristol4 -- ,,index ,ansthesia1 #adf1 #adg ,apologetics1 ,christian1 #agg ,apport4 ,two-dimensional analogue of1 #ae1 #af ,discussion of evidence for1 #fb1 #gc sqq4 ,astral plane1 #ce1 #ec ,aura1 #adb1 #adc1 #afa ,cantilever1 ,crawford's1 #hf-ia1 #ade ,carrington1 ,hereward1 #ga1 #gd1 #gg1 #aac-ada ,change--in a two dimensional world1 #ag1 #bj ,clairvoyance1 #db1 #dh ,crawford1 #hf1 #ade1 #adg ,death4 ,loss of weight at1 #adc ,dimension4 ,definition of1 #c ,direct ,voice1 #fb ,disembodiment1 cases of1 #eh1 #aej-aed ,dreams1 #ed1 #ee ,electricity4 ,hinton's theories of1 #abg ,etheric double1 #ce1 #fb1 #adg-adh ,energy1 conservation of1 #aag1 #abj ,ether4 ,hinton's analogy1 #abg ,exteriorisation of ,sensibility1 #ada ,faith and ,reason1 #afi ,fatalism1 #ajg-aji ,flatland1 #g ,geometry4 ,possible break down of1 #abd1 #abf ,hair-trigger theory1 #aaf1 #ada ,hallucination1 #ej1 #ea ,hypothesis4 ,need of1 #bd-ch ,valid1 #bi ,true1 #bi ,hyslop1 ,dr41 #gg ,internal ,vision1 #df-di ,kilner1 ,dr41 #adb-adc ,levitation1 #hf1 #ia1 #ade ,light4 ,theories1 of #bi1 #cj ,materialists1 #cb1 #agf1 #agg ,milan ,committee1 #hc ,occultists #cb1 #cd ,one-dimensional space1 #g ,palladino1 ,eusapia1 #gd1 #hc ,parallaxes1 ,negative1 #abf ,peters1 ,dr41 #hc ,phantasms1 #eb1 #ee1 #eg ,pogorelsky1 #hd ,poincar1 #abd ,postvision1 #db1 #eb ,prevision1 #ci1 #db1 #eb1 #ajc-ajg ,psycho-analysis1 #ee ,reason and ,faith1 #afi ,reichenbach1 #adj ,relativity1 #acc-ace ,religion1 #cb1 #afh-ahj ,richet1 #ca ,rotation in four space1 #abi ,sambor1 #hd ,secondary personality1 #da ,sensibility4 ,exteriorisation of1 #ada ,slade1 #fd1 #gc sqq4 ,space4 ,objectivity of1 #aji-aab ,spectrum1 #dc ,symmetry1 #aca-acc ,telekinesis1 #ci1 #hf ,telepathy1 #ci1 #da ,television1 #df1 #dh1 #aaa ,tesseract1 #ahh1 #ahi1 #aia ,theologians1 #cb ,theosophists1 #ce1 #aei1 #afj ,time1 #ib-ajc ,measurement of1 #id ,bergson's views on1 #if1 #ih ,subjective1 #ii ,two-dimensional world1 analogy of1 #g sqq4 ,ultra-violet light1 #dc1 #add1 #afj ,vitality1 #aac-ada ,vortices4 ,four-dimensional1 #abg ,will1 #aac-ada ,zero-dimensional space1 #g ,zllner1 #a1 #fb1 #gc sqq4