BOOKS.

MR. HOME, THE MEDIUM.* Tuts is a very embarrassing book to review. "Of those," says Mr. Home, "who will openly condemn this narrative in their journals, hardly one does not reckon amongst his intimate and valued friends, or relatives, or co-contributors, several who are with good reason entire believers" in these spirit-manifestations. Now we are certainly not among this number. We cannot reckon among our "intimate and valued friends, or relatives, or co-con- tributors," a single person who is an entire believer, or, as far as we know, who is a believer at all. We ourselves have had no private opportunity of witnessing any phenomenon reputed to be of this kind, and having made one conscientious effort to test the truth of the class of marvels here related by a visit to Mr. Foster last year,—the result of which was a very clear conviction, reported in these columns, that sleight of hand, and nothing else whatever, was at the bottom of that gentleman's " faculty,"— the ardour of our investigation was natu- rally checked. Now, here we have a book to criticize which is brimfull of marvel from beginning to end,—a life of which the main thread is physical miracle, or at least physical phenomena which cannot be due to any of the recognized forms of nature. And so completely is this the case, that when, for a single year, Mr. Home was, according to his own account, deprived of his power of acting as a medium, he says "life seemed to me a blank," and accordingly he studied the theory of Roman Catholic extasy, and rashly got himself reconciled to the Roman Church, in order to fill up this blank. Nor do the marvels related to us rest by any means entirely on Mr. Home's own testimony. If that gentleman be a deliberate deceiver, it would still be very difficult to regard the stories here related as affecting his veracity alone, though, of course, we cannot tell how far the imagination of secondary actors might aid in the work of delusion. The facts of the book, whether false or not, all drive at one conclusion, that the gates between the world of the living and the departed are always open, and that the conditions are by no means very rare which enable us to receive proof that they are thus open, and to profit by the supernatural experience of those who have passed away. These phenomena are the a b c of life with Mr. Home, if we may believe him to be sincere; and yet, of course, if we could accept them as genuine, they ought almost to absorb the attention of the higher science, of the deepest faith, and of the truest human affec- tion.

Unfortunately, there is almost an insuperable difficulty about regarding the stories which form the bulk of Mr. Home's narrative in this serious light. They are, with a few exceptions, exceedingly ridiculous, and give the impression either that all the com- municating spirits have lost their intellects with their bodies, or that communication with us affects them, like a game of romps with children, and so completely restores the exuberant animal spirits of their school-boy days, that they exhaust themselves in noise and practical jokes too much for rational con- verse. At all events, we must say, if these phenomena do not get investigated as they ought, the fault lies with the spirits rather than with us. How can you ask grave old gentlemen of encyclopredic reputations, who have published works, say on Dioptric lights, or the Balance of Powers in the Constitution, to be proud of investigating the origin of spiritual sprees and rows, such as the lowest forms at Rugby, if sudden ly rendered invisible, would delight to engage in ? Mr. Home does not relate the story of the spirit which demonstrated its presence by enabling a

pocket-handkerchief to waft itself across a table, and blow (ap- parently spontaneously) a lady's nose; but very nearly all of Mr. Home'sstories (not all) are scarcely less dignified. Now, could a gentleman, who had published on the - Correlation of Forces, investigate with propriety the dynamics or hydraulics of such a feat as that ? Would it be decent for an eminent divine,--say a bishop or a dean, even though lie had published on the demoniacal possession of heathens eighteen hundred years ago,—to examine seriously into the practical tricks played by the late Mr. Robert Owen on a picture belonging to Mr. Cox, of Jermyn street, or the evidence that the spirits disposed privately of some good cognac at the Chateau de C., near Paris, of course only in order to prevent a mortal from drinking it? Surely if the spirits wish to be investigated by time philosophers and divines they might diplomatize a little, —waive the noise and the tricks, and cultivate the "grand style." At present they would seem to wish to convince us that when they left off having • Incidents in Ely We. By David Douglas Home. Longman.

brains, they also left off having reasons ;—for though a few of the stories here given are not ludierons, some of them—those especially connected with Mrs. Home's early death,—having even a kind of grave pathos, it is quite certain that no vestige of the growth of thought, indeed, no vestige of intellect at all, belongs to the utterances of these spirits from the other world.

Without, therefore, any predisposition to accuse Mr. Home of dishonesty,—which, if it be dishonesty, would seem to be shared by one witness, at least, in the honour of whose personal character we have good reason to believe, Dr. Wilkinson, the well-known biographer of Seyedenberg,—we cannot help approaching this book in the attitude of simple incredulity ; though if Mr. Home will give us the means of investigating personally, we will pledge ourselves to narrate the results with scrupulous impartiality.

And first two preliminary criticisms. May we ask Mr. Home how it happens that the Crimean war appears to have been in progress early in 1858, or at the very end of 1857? Mr. Home mentions an incident which occurred to him at Paris, in an hotel on the Boulevard des Italiens at that date. "I was introduced to a family consisting of Mr. II., his wife, and their two sons, both of whom were at that time in the English army and had just returned from the Crimean campaign." The spirit of a gentle- man calling himself Grejoire, an officer in the French army in the Crimea," whom the two Englishmen " had just left then suffering under a slight wound, but so slight that it gave no apprehensions of an unfavourable kind," intimated through Mr. Home in the Boulevard des Italiens "that he had just passed from earth, giving the time of his departure,"—a statement which is subsequently substantiated by "inquiries in the Crimea." "In every detail they were informed the spirit was correct." (123-124). Now the peace of Paris was signed in May, 1856 ; and at the end of 1857, or beginning of 1858, such a story is impossible unless the spirits have power to alter the dates of past events. Neither does there appear to be any date at which the event could, according to Mr. Home's narrative, have happened, if it were really connected with the Crimean War. Mr. Home tells us that he sailed from Boston for Europe on the 31st March, 1855. He stayed in England till the autumn when he tells us that he left for Florence—apparently without any stay in France. am June, 1856," he says," I went to Paris," i.e., after the peace, and, moreover, this was the year in which Mr. Home's power as a medium ceased ; it was entirely suspended, be tells us, from the 10th February, 1850, to 10th February, 1857. Now M. Gregoire's communication concerning his own decease was cer- tainly one of the regular communications made through Mr. Home as a medium, and is dated by himself in 1857 or 1858. This historic doubt deserves some notice from Mr. Home.

Next we must say that the correspondence with Sir David Brewster is not decisive on either side, but that, as far as we can see, there is a certain amount of disingenouusness in Sir David's letters. It seems established by the clearest evidence that he felt and expressed at and immediately after his seances with Mr. Home, a wonder and almost awe which he afterwards wished to explain away ; and the suppression of Lord Brougham's half-promised testimony as to the first se'ance in question, though challenged by Mr. Home, is, on the whole, unfavourable to Sir David, as it might be presumed that Lord Brougham would sup- port his friend's testimony as far as possible. Nor does the passage at arms between Sir David Brewster and Mr. T. A. Trollope concerning the subsequent seance at Ealing, seem to us quite creditable to Sir David. If we may trust Mr. Trollope (tin. contradictedby Sir David Brewster), there also Sir David had testified to facts which on reconsideration he modified to square with a theory subsequently elaborated. We say this, though disbelieving entirely the genuineness of all phenomena of this sort, simply on the evidence of Sir David Brewster's own letters and that of the other witnesses of the two seances which he criticized. The controversy is not of any great importance one way or the other; still justice to this celebrated medium obliges us to admit that on the face of the published correspondence, the hero of science does not acquit himself as we could wish or expect.

And now for the phenomena themselves. Mr. Home's physical organization, it appears, like that of all other mediums, provides spirits who are always around us with some element absolutely necessary to them in order to manifest themselves at all to us. What this element is, remains still a problem. There is but one gleam of light upon it. Mr. Home's little boy, we are told, is also a medium. One evening when it was about six months old, and lying asleep with its mother and nurse, the accustomed raps were beard, in Mr. Home's absence, all about the room. "My wife asked who the medium was upon the occasion, and the reply was given that it was the sleeping child. It was further said that they had the power to manifest through him, but that they would not, as the atmosphere they made use of was necessary for his physical development in the natural world." This disinterested self-restraint of the spirits was only once subsequently broken through, when the child's bed took to oscillating, greatly to his terror. The spirits, however, in that case apologized elaborately. They had done it quite unintentionally—in a parliamentary sense in fact ; and of course the apology was accepted. Indeed, there appears as yet to be no way of calling a mischievous spirit to account ; that, too, is a matter for further development. However this " atmos- phere of the medium," whatever that is (a spirit in the Spiritual Magazine, perhaps a wag, said that some crayons and lead pencils were kidlen in it for forty-eight hours), is the plastic material by which the spirits communicate. The elementary stage, equiva- lent to the pothooks and hieroglyphs of early literatures, is mere noise. The spirits can turn the "atmosphere of the medium" into a source of vibrations on the ear much more easily than into anything else. Spirits can rap with ease in an "atmosphere" in which they could not tip a table : they can tip a table when they could not float a table: they can float a table when they cannot float the medium. They can even float the medium when they cannot float anybody else. We write under correction, but after careful study of the subject; and we should suggest that spirit-mediums might be examined and classed according to their proficiency in the following feats.

PASS-EXAMLNATION FOR LOW-CLASS MEDIUMS.

1. In the power to enable raps.

2. Power to enable tables to tip on one leg Without disarranging articles upon it.

3. Power to enable spirits to flip on the knee and all parts below the table.

4. Power enabling the table to rise in the air.

5. Power to enable spirits to make brief ill-spelt communications by raps.

PASS FOR HIGEEER CLASS MEDIUMS.

1. Power to effect brief well-spelt communications.

2. Power to enable chairs to move freely as well as tables.

4. Power to enable spirits to flip on the shoulder and all parts above the table.

5. Power to knot handkerchiefs beneath the table.

6. Power to drive handkerchiefs and inexpensive missiles about the room and play accordions.

EXAMINATION FOR HONOURS.

In the pwer enabling the spirits to create phosphorescent hands and arms in a dark room.

- enabling the spirits to float the medium in the air in a dark room.

- enabling the spirits to prescribe for sick people.

Very high, indeed, and beyond even Mr. Home's ordinary powers, is the faculty of enabling spirits to communicate by human speech, or to appear in a complete human form, or to show themselves, or to float the medium, in a full light. Very few can manage that. Mr. Home has occasionally achieved it under very favourable conditions. We must give one rare in- stance of the apparition of a completely formed spirit, especially as he was a man of some note :—

" On the 3rd of April, 1860, I had been with some friends to a lecture given in St. John's Wood, by M. Louis Blanc, On the Mysterious Persons and Agencies in France towards the End of the Eighteenth Century.' His lecture was a good deal occupied with Csgliostro, and, during the time he was speaking, I had the strongest impression of the presence of Cagliostro, and the lady who was sitting next me was also aware of some strong spirit presence by having her dress pulled, and by other manifestations.

" On returning home I found that my wife had retired ear'ier than usual in consequence of a severe headache. In course of conversation together, she having asked how I had liked the lecture, I said, 'I have been haunted all the evening by Cagliostro,' on which she exclaimed, Pray do not use the word haunted, it sounds so weird-like, and quite frightens me.' I had by this time extinguished the light, and was now in bed, when to my amazement the room became as light as if the sun had for an instant shone fully in at the window. Thinking that this effect might have been only on my spiritual perception, I said, Sacha, did you see anything?' Her reply was, 'No, nor could I, for my face was quite buried in my pillow, the pain in my head is so intense.' I askEd her to observe, and I then mentally asked that if the light had been external, it might be reproduced. Almost simultaneously with the thought, came the light again, so distinct, and with such brilliancy, that no noon-day was ever brighter. My wife asked if this was the spirit of Cag,liostro, and the affirmative reply was instantly given by three flashes of light, so vivid as almost to be blinding and painful to the sight. Answers were given to various questions in the same wonderful manner, and then, in answer to a question asked, came a musical tinkle, as if a silver bell had been touched directly over our heads. In this way our farther answers were now given, and we then heard a footstep on the floor, falling so gently as if it feared to disturb us by its approach. My wife asked that it should come nearer, and it ap- proached us till we felt a form leaning over the bed. In doing this, it pressed upon the bedclothes just as an actual material pre- sence would have done. We asked him if he had been a medium when on earth, and a distinct voice, audible to both of us, said in answer, My power was that of a mesmerist, but all-misunder- stood by those about me, my biographers have even done me injustice, but I care not for the untruths of earth.' Both my wife and myself were by this tirno so impressed by such startling and almost terribly real evidence of the presence of one who was in no way related to us, that for a few moments all power of utterance seemed to have left Us. We were, however, soon recalled to ourselves by a hand being placed on our heads, and she, seizing my hands in hers, held them up, saying, 'Dear spirit, will you be one of my guardian angels—watch over me with my father, teach me what you would have me to do, and make me thankful to God for all his mercies?' Our hands were clasped by a hand, and her left hand was gently separated from mine, and a ring, which was the signet-ring of my father-in-law, was placed on her third finger. This ring was previously in the room, but at a distance of at

least twelve feet from where the bed stood. Good night, dear ones, and God bless you!' was then audibly spoken, and simultaneously with the sound came three wafts of perfume, so delicious that we both ex- claimed, How truly wonderful!'"

We much prefer this lightning to the raps. Cagliostro is still, we see, dramatic ; hut has he not tamed down a little in the Last century ? The "Good night ! dear ones," sounds to us a little motherly ; but his evident magnanimity to Mr. Carlyle and other biographers makes it probable that this appearance of weakly affectionateness is only due to our own unspiritual judgment.

But this is much above the character of the run of the pile- nomenahere described. The following gives us a better notion of them. Mr. Cox, of Jermyn street. Mr. Home's oldest English friend, was intimate with the late Robert Owen, the socialistic philanthropist, who, as is well known, took eagerly to "spiritual- ism" in the last few years of his life, and appears to have taken to it still more eagerly since his decease. Before his death he gave

Mr. Cox a desk, " which contained amongst other things a box of paints." Mr. Cox thought it right after his death to give this desk

to his son, Robert Dale Owen. "I felt, however, at the time, almost an irresistible impulse to retain the desk, but the feeling of right overcame it." At nearly the first séance with Mr. Home, "the spirit of any old and valued friend came and said, 'You must tell Robert to return you that writing-desk ; and 'why did you give it to him, for I did all I could to impress you not to part with it ?' " Mr. Cox wrote this to Mr. R. D. Owen,

and the desk was returned to him. After this, we of course ex-

pect an important use for it. And at a subsequent seance it does come into use.

"A little later, Mr. Owen's spirit came and desired his wife's writing- desk to be placed on the table ; and now the room was darkened to see if we could distinguish spirit lights, which were then seen by three of us, Presently we heard the writing-desk opened, and a hand was placed in mine, another in my wife's, and a third in Mr. Home's, each hand differing in size from the others. The alphabet was called for, and 'I fear I may have spoilt your Claude,' was spelt out. We could not under- stand this ; but when the lamp was relighted, we found that some paint had been taken from the box from inside the desk, and had been freely used on one of my paintings which hung several feet from where we were sitting."

The socialist is now clearly given up to pranks of a less injurious, perhaps, but also more childish class than his great American experiments. He employs his time in manceuvring that an old friend shall get back a desk in order to use a paint-box in it to spoil a Claude,—and then remorsefully apologizes for the boyish mischief. Seriously, Mr. Home, do you think this the sort of phenomena which should impress rational beings with your evangelic mission?

On the stories connected with Mrs. Home's death, related partly -by her husband and partly by her friends, Mrs. Howitt and Mrs. S. C. Hall, we have no wish to comment. Almost more marvel- lous than the rest, it is still written with so much feeling that it would be brutal to ridicule, and yet is quite impossible to believe. We should add, however, that, the absurd character of the phenomena once granted, Mr. Home's book is throughout

written with more simplicity, and less affectation of any kind than any other book of its class.

This article is not criticism—for the only true criticism on the book is one of three practical verdicts,—" sincere but insane," "sane but mendacious," or, " both sane and sincere." We see no

-sort of indication at all that Mr. Home is insane, and if he is, he must have made so many other people insane also that the first verdict would be irrational. Now we have no right to give the second, and no power to give the third. Without personal know- ledge of a man, it is unjustto decide against his veracity, especially when backed by men who, if enthusiastic, are at least known to us to be honourable. If Mr. Home will honour our office with his presence, and permit us in that prosaic retreat to witness for ourselves these remarkable phenomena, we can promise him a

courteous reception and an impartial narrative. We will even ex- plain to him the state of mind in which we should receive him, namely, one of profound faith in the supernatural world and of the life of those who have left u,—of sincere willingness tobelieve, on proof, in the possibility of personal communications,—but of profound scepticism on the subject ; further, of very deeply-rooted unwillingness to believe that those who once were dear to us would occupy themselves in knotting handkerchiefs, spelling trite observations imperfectly, swimming tabies, or tapping knees for our benefit, and of inclination to hope that they would rather be disposed to help us onwards in those deeper spiritual truths for which Mr. Home's spirits appear to care exceedingly little. Is it not curious that no one of them through this volume ever gives a single intellectual or moral hint?—though one spirit—a very magniloquent one, we should think—seems to claim the spiritual copyright in Sir E. B. Lytton's " Zauoni" (p. (5), and requests him to believe in the Cross. Mr. home belongs to the Roman Catholic Church—rather loosely, we suspect ;—his wife belonged to the Greek Church. The spirits never offered any theological hints on this or any other question,—but appear to have chanted the Greek service for the dying for Mrs. Home, though this may have been an " accommodation" to her mortal faith. No spirit gives any clue to the discipline or occupations of its present condition ; and, with very few exceptions, it is re- markable that their energies are entirely absorbed in answering trivial test-questions about the past, and " larkiug " boisterously in the present. This is certainly not what we should expect of communion with the spiritual world, and Mr. Home must, there- fore, pardon our complete incredulity.