Research source

Geley's work, he had foreseen that the only answer which any critic, however exacting, could make to the…

Date of account: Published 1921
Source: The Wanderings of a Spiritualist
Reference: The Wanderings of a Spiritualist · selected passage 92
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-24

Record summary

Geley's work, he had foreseen that the only answer which any critic, however exacting, could make to the evidence, was that the paraffin hand had been brought in the medium's pocket

Published source text

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Source passage

Source text · mention only

To show the thoroughness of Dr. Geley's work, he had foreseen that the only answer which any critic, however exacting, could make to the evidence, was that the paraffin hand had been brought in the medium's pocket. Therefore he had treated with cholesterin the paraffin in his bucket, and this same cholesterin reappeared in the resulting glove. What can any sceptic have to say to an experiment like that save to ignore it, and drag us back with wearisome iteration to some real or imaginary scandal of the past? The fact is that the position of the materialists could only be sustained so long as there was a general agreement among all the newspapers to regard this subject as a comic proposition. Now that there is a growing tendency towards recognising its overwhelming gravity, the evidence is getting slowly across to the public, and the old attitude of negation and derision has become puerile. I can clearly see, however, that the materialists will fall back upon their second line of trenches, which will be to admit the phenomena, but to put them down to material causes in the unexplored realms of nature with no real connection with human survival. This change of front is now due, but it will fare no better than the old one.

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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