he latter adjective would not
apply to the larger and most elaborate photograph, which represents a
very beautiful young woman of a truly spiritual cast of face. Some of
the faces are but partially formed, which gives them a grotesque or
repellant appearance. What are we to make of such phenomena? There is
no use deluding ourselves by the idea that there may be some mistake or
some deception. There is neither one nor the other. Apart from the
elaborate checks upon these particular results, they correspond closely
with those got by Lombroso in Italy, by Schrenk-Notzing in Germany, and
by other careful observers. One thing we must bear in mind constantly
in considering them, and that is their abnormality. At a liberal
estimate, it is not one person in a million who possesses such
powers--if a thing which is outside our volition can be described as a
power. It is the mechanism of the materialisation medium which has
been explored by the acute brain and untiring industry of Doctor Geley,
and even presuming, as one may fairly presume, that every materialising
medium goes through the same process in order to produce results, still
such mediums are exceedingly, rare. Dr. Geley mentions, as an
analogous phenomenon on the material side, the presence of dermoid
cysts, those mysterious formations, which rise as small tumors in any
part of the body, particularly above the eyebrow, and which when opened
by the surgeon are found to contain hair, teeth or embryonic bones.
There is no doubt, as he claims, some rough analogy, but the dermoid
cyst is, at least, in the same flesh and blood plane of nature as the
foetus inside it, while in the ectoplasm we are dealing with an
entirely new and strange development.

It is not possible to define exactly what occurs in the case of the
ectoplasm, nor, on account of its vital connection with the medium and
its evanescent nature, has it been separated and subjected to even the
roughest chemical analysis which might show whether it is composed of
those earthly elements with which we are familiar. Is it rather some
coagulation of ether which introduces an absolutely new substance into
our world? Such a supposition seems most probable, for a comparison
with the analogous substance examined at Dr. Crawford's seances at
Belfast, which is at the same time hardly visible to the eye and yet
capable of handling a weight of 150 pounds, suggests something entirely
new in the way of matter.

But