On most occasions, since the automatic writing has become easy, two controls have manifested…
- Date of account
- English edition published 1904
- Source
- Mrs. Piper & the Society for Psychical Research
- Reference
- Mrs. Piper & the Society for Psychical Research · selected passage 88
- Rights
- public_domain
- Language
- English translation from French
- Translation
- English translation of Michel Sage with an Oliver Lodge preface
- Record updated
- 2026-08-24
Record summary
On most occasions, since the automatic writing has become easy, two controls have manifested simultaneously--one by means of the voice, the other by writing; Phinuit continuing to use the voice, according to his former custom
Published source text
Read the available text below. Archive transcriptions may contain OCR errors; later context is labelled separately. A recorded claim is not a finding that it happened.
Source passage
Source text · mention onlyOn most occasions, since the automatic writing has become easy, two controls have manifested simultaneously--one by means of the voice, the other by writing; Phinuit continuing to use the voice, according to his former custom. George Pelham, although he also uses the voice occasionally, prefers writing. On the 24th February 1894 a control wrote, "There is no reason why various spiritual minds cannot express their thoughts at the same time, through the same organism." This is really what happens. The voice may keep up a conversation with a sitter while the hand keeps up another in writing with someone else on a wholly different subject. If the sitter who is talking with the hand allows his attention to be distracted by what the voice says, the hand recalls his attention by its movements. When anyone is speaking to the hand control, it is necessary to speak to the hand, and close to the hand, or there is a risk of not being understood.
Historical context
Contextual commentary · mention onlyThis comes from historical psychical research. Methods, witness handling and standards of evidence differ from present-day research and should be assessed from the cited passage and edition.
Modern context
Contextual commentary · mention onlyThe passage can support a history of claims and recurring descriptions. It does not establish a paranormal mechanism, and competing psychological, social and physical explanations remain relevant.
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