through the voice organs of any person
present. The phenomenon, so far as I have heard, occurs only in
darkness--and is an objective voice audible alike to every one present.
It corresponds to the phenomenon of "direct writing." But no attempt
that I am aware of has been made to treat the matter scientifically. One
of the earliest alleged occurrences of this phenomenon took place in
London, at a private seance at which I was present at the house of Mr.
Thos. Everitt, who departed this life in August of last year, and who
was one of the most prominent London spiritualists, Mrs. Everitt being
the medium. Some little time later, at a similar seance at the same
house, the sitting was terminated by the singing of a hymn by three or
four soft, gentle voices, purporting to be "direct" voices, which
sounded as if they proceeded from the top of the room close to the
ceiling. They were certainly not the voices of any of the company
present. It was one of the most beautiful and touching manifestations I
ever experienced. I can only compare it to the singing of a choir of
boys' voices, high up out of sight in Truro Cathedral, which I had heard
many years before. The seances at Mr. Everitt's were conducted in an
exclusively religious tone, and afforded no opportunity for obtaining
scientific evidence. It is much to be desired that a careful inquiry
should be made into the reality of so interesting a phenomenon.

FOOTNOTES:

[13] _Proceedings S.P.R._, vol. iv. pp. 29-30.

[14] _Proceedings S.P.R._, vol. iv. p. 31.

CHAPTER IV

THE APPEARANCE OF LIGHT WITHOUT ANY APPARENT PHYSICAL CAUSE

The appearance of Lights at Spiritualistic circles, apparently not due
to any physical cause, is very widely asserted. The character of the
Lights is as varied as it is possible to imagine. Faint, cloudy,
indefinite luminous appearances--brilliant stars which move or hover
among the sitters--globes or balls of light, like illuminated ostrich
eggs, or spheres of mother-of-pearl lit up from within--pillars of
light--are some of the many forms which this manifestation takes. But
anything approaching to scientific evidence of the reality of the
phenomenon is singularly scarce. And I am not aware that anything has
ever been done towards testing or endeavouring to ascertain the nature
of the light. One reason for this is, no doubt, that to investigate
light phenomena, the exclusion of other light is obviously requisite.
Hence the necessity