only relative I
have been with at the last. For the moment it seems unnatural and
incredible that the living self with its special idiosyncrasies you have
known so long can have left the body, still more unnatural that it
should (as so many now believe) have utterly ceased to exist and become
nothingness!

With all my belief in, and knowledge of, Spiritualism, I have, however,
occasional qualms of doubt, the remnants of my original deeply ingrained
scepticism; but my reason goes to support the psychical and
spiritualistic phenomena in telling me that there _must_ be a hereafter
for us all....--Believe me yours very sincerely,

ALFRED R. WALLACE.

* * * * *

TO DR. EDWIN SMITH

_Parkstone, Dorset. October 19, 1899._

Dear Sir,--I know nothing of London mediums now. Nine-tenths of the
alleged frauds in mediums arise from the ignorance of the sitters. The
only way to gain any real knowledge of spiritualistic phenomena is to
follow the course pursued in all science--study the elements before
going to the higher branches. To expect proof of materialisation before
being satisfied of the reality of such simpler phenomena as raps,
movements of various objects, etc. etc., is as if a person began
chemistry by trying to analyse the more complex vegetable products
before he knew the composition of water and the simplest salts.

If you want to _know_ anything about Spiritualism you should experiment
yourself with a select party of earnest inquirers--personal friends.
When you have thus satisfied yourself of the existence of a considerable
range of the physical phenomena and of many of the obscurities and
difficulties of the inquiry, you may use the services of public mediums,
without the certainty of imputing every little apparent suspicious
circumstance to trickery, since you will have seen similar suspicious
facts in your private circle where you _knew_ there was no trickery. You
will find rules for forming private circles in some issues of _Light_.
You can get them from the office of _Light_.--Yours very truly,

ALFRED R. WALLACE.

* * * * *

PROF. BARRETT TO A.R. WALLACE

_6 De Vesci Terrace, Kingstown, Co. Dublin. November 3, 1905._

My dear Wallace,-- ... Just now I am engaged in a correspondence with
the Secretaries of the Society for Psychical Research on the question of
the Presidency for next year. I maintain that as a matter of duty to
the S