That　is　true：　it　is　the　simplest　theory；　perhaps　too　simple；　and；　like　the　religious　theory；　it　dispenses　as　from　all　effort　or　seeking。　We　have　nothing　to　set　against　it　but　the　mediumistic　theory；　which　doubtless　does　not　account　exactly　for　a　good　many　things；　but　which　at　least　is　on　the　same　side　of　the　hill　of　life　as　ourselves　and　remains　among　us；　upon　our　earth；　within　reach　of　our　eyes；　our　hands；　our　thoughts　and　our　researches。　There　was　a　time　when　lightning；　epidemics　and　earthquakes　were　attributed　without　distinction　to　the　wrath　of　Heaven。　Nowadays；　when　we　are　more　or　less　familiar　with　the　source　of　the　great　infectious　diseases；　the　hand　of　Providence　knows　them　no　more；　and；　though　we　are　still　ignorant　of　the　nature　of　electricity　and　the　laws　that　regulate　seismic　shocks；　we　no　longer　dream；　while　waiting　to　learn　more　about　them；　of　looking　for　their　causes　in　the　judgment　or　anger　of　an　imaginary　Being。　Let　us　act　likewise　in　the　present　case。　It　behooves　us　above　all　to　avoid　those　rash　explanations　which；　in　their　haste；　leave　by　the　roadside　a　host　of　things　that　appear　to　be　unknown　or　unknowable　only　because　the　necessary　effort　has　not　yet　been　made　to　know　them。　After　all；　while　we　must　not　eliminate　the　spiritualistic　theory；　neither　must　we　content　ourselves　with　it。　It　is　even　preferable　not　to　linger　over　it　until　it　has　supplied　us　with　decisive　arguments；　for　it　is　the　duty　of　this　theory　which　sweeps　us　roughly　out　of　our　sphere　to　furnish　us　with　such　arguments。　For　the　present；　it　simply　relegates　to　posthumous　regions；　phenomena　that　appear　to　occur　within　ourselves；　it　adds　superfluous　mystery　and　needless　difficulty　to　the　mediumistic　mystery　whence　it　springs。　If　we　were　concerned　with　facts　that　had　no　footing　in　this　world；　we　should　certainly　have　to　turn　our　eyes　in　another　direction；　but　we　see　a　large　number　of　actions　performed　which　are　of　the　same　nature　as　those　attributed　to　the　spirits　and　equally　inexplicable；　actions　with　which；　however；　we　know　that　they　have　nothing　to　do。　When　it　is　proved　that　the　dead　exercise　some　intervention；　we　will　bow　before　the　fact　as　willingly　as　we　bow　before　the　mediumistic　mysteries：　it　is　a　question　of　order；　of　internal　policy　and　of　scientific　method　much　more　than　of　probability；　preference　or　fear。　The　hour　has　not　yet　come　to　abandon　the　principle　which　I　have　formulated　elsewhere　with　respect　to　our　communications　with　the　dead；　namely；　that　it　is　natural　that　we　should　remain　at　home；　in　our　own　world；　as　long　as　we　can；　as　long　as　we　are　not　violently　driven　from　it　by　a　series　of　irresistible　and　incontrovertible　proofs　coming　from　the　neighbouring　abyss。　The　survival　of　a　spirit　is　no　more　improbable　than　the　prodigious　faculties　which　we　are　obliged　to　attribute　to　the　mediums　if　we　deny　them　to　the　dead。　But　the　existence　of　mediums　is　beyond　dispute；　whereas　that　of　spirits　is　not；　and　it　is　therefore　for　the　spirits　or　for　those　who　make　use　of　their　name　to　begin　by　proving　that　they　must。　Before　turning　towards　the　mystery　beyond　the　grave；　let　us　first　exhaust　the　possibilities　of　the　mystery　here　on　earth。
  CHAPTER　II。　PSYCHOMETRY
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  Now　that　we　have　eliminated　the　gods　and　the　dead；　what　have　we　left？　Ourselves　and　all　the　life　around　us；　and　that　is　perhaps　enough。　It　is；　at　any　rate；　much　more　than　we　are　able　to　grasp。
  Let　us　now　study　certain　manifestations　that　are　absolutely　similar　to　those　which　we　attribute　to　the　spirits　and　quite　as　surprising。　As　for　these　manifestations；　there　is　not　the　least　doubt　of　their　origin。　They　do　not　come　from　the　other　world；　they　are　born　and　die　upon　this　earth；　and　they　arise　solely　and　incontestably　from　our　own　actual　living　mystery。　They　are；　moreover；　of　all　psychic　manifestations；　those　which　are　easiest　to　examine　and　verify；　seeing　that　they　can　be　repeated　almost　indefinitely　and　that　a　number　of　excellent　and　well…known　mediums　are　always　ready　to　reproduce　them　in　the　presence　of　any　one　interested　in　the　question。　It　is　no　longer　a　case　of　uncertain　and　casual　observation；　but　of　scientific　experiment。
  The　manifestations　in　question　are　so　many　phenomena　of　intuition；　of　clairvoyance　or　clairaudience；　of　seeing　at　a　distance　and　even　of　seeing　the　future。　These　phenomena　may　either　be　due　to　pure；　spontaneous　intuition　on　the　part　of　the　medium；　in　an　hypnotic　or　waking　state；　or　else　produced　or　facilitated　by　one　of　the　various　empirical　methods　which　apparently　see　only　to　arouse　the　medium's　subconscious　faculties　and　to　release　in　some　way　his　subliminal　clairvoyance。　Among　such　methods；　those　most　often　employed　are；　as　we　all　know；　cards；　coffee…grounds；　pins；　the　lines　of　the　hand；　crystal　globes；　astrology；　and　so　on。　They　possess　no　importance　in　themselves；　no　intrinsic　virtue；　and　are　worth　exactly　what　the　medium　who　uses　them　is　worth。　As　M。　Duchatel　well　says：
  〃In　reality；　there　is　only　one　solitary　MANCY。　The　faculty　of　seeing　in　TIME；　like　the　faculty　of　seeing　in　SPACE；　is　ONE；　whatever　its　outward　form　or　the　process　employed。〃
  We　will　not　linger　now　over　those　manifestations　which；　under　appearances　that　are　sometimes　childish　and　vulgar；　often　conceal　surprising　and　incontestable　truths；　but　will　devote　the　present　chapter　exclusively　to　a　series　of　phenomena　which　includes　almost　all　the　others　and　which　has　been　classed　under　the　generic　and　rather　ill…chosen　and　ill…constructed　title　of　〃psychometry。〃　Psychometry；　to　borrow　Dr。　Maxwell's　excellent　definition；　is　〃the　faculty　possessed　by　certain　persons　of　placing　themselves　in　relation；　either　spontaneously　or；　for　the　most　part；　through　the　intermediary　of　some　object；　with　unknown　and　often　very　distant　things　and　people。〃
  The　existence　of　this　faculty　is　no　longer　seriously　denied；　and　it　is　easy　for　any　one　who　cares　to　do　so　to　verify　it　for　himself；　for　the　mediums　who　possess　it　are　not　extremely　rare；　nor　are　they　inaccessible。　It　has　formed　the　subject　of　a　number　of　experiments　（see；　among　others；　M。　Warcollier's　report　in　the　Annales　des　Sciences　Psychiques　of　July；　1911）　and　of　a　few　treatises；　in　the　front　rank　of　which　I　would　mention　M。　Duchatel's　Enquete　sur　des　Cas　de　Psychometrie　and　Dr。　Otty's　recently　published　book；　Lucidite　et　Intuition；　which　is　the　fullest；　most　profound　and　most　conscientious　work　that　we　possess　on　the　matter　up　to　the　present。　Nevertheless　it　may　be　said　that　these　regions　quite　lately　annexed　by　metaphysical　science　are　as　yet　hardly　explored　and　that　fruitful　surprises　are　doubtless　awaiting　earnest　seekers。
  2
  The　faculty　in　question　is　one　of　the　strangest　faculties　of　our　subconsciousness　and　beyond　a　doubt　contains　the　key　to　most　of　the　manifestations　that　seem　to　proceed　from　another　world。　Let　us　begin　by　seeing；　with　the　aid　of　a　living　and　typical　example；　how　it　is　exercised。
  Mme。　M；　one　of　the　best　mediums　mentioned　by　Dr。　Osty；　is　given　an　object　which　belonged　to　or　which　has　been　touched　and　handled　by　a　person　about　whom　it　is　proposed　to　question　her。　Mme。　M　operates　in　a　state　of　trance；　but　there　are　other　noted　psychometers；　such　as　Mme。　F　and　M。　Ph。　M。　de　F；　who　retain　all　their　normal　consciousness；　so　that　hypnotism　or　the　somnambulistic　state　is　in　no　way　indispensable　to　the　awakening　of　this　extraordinary　faculty　of　clairvoyance。
  When　the　object；　which　is　usually　a　letter；　has　been　handed　to　Mme。　M；　she　is　asked　to　place　herself　in　communication　with　the　writer　of　the　letter　or　the　owner　of　the　object。　Forthwith；　Mme。　M　not　only　sees　the　person　in　question；　his　physical　appearance；　his　character；　his　habits；　his　interests；　his　state　of　health；　but　also；　in　a　series　of　rapid　and　changing　visions　that　follow　upon　one　another　like　cinematograph　pictures；　perceives　and　describes　exactly　his　immediate　surroundings；　the　scenery　outside　his　window；　the　rooms　in　which　he　lives；　the　people　who　live　with　him　and　who　wish　him　well　or　ill；　the　psychology　and　the　most　secret　and　unexpected　intentions　of　all　those　who　figure　in　his　existence。　If；　by　means　of　your　questions；　you　direct　her　towards　the　past；　she　traces　the　whole　course　of　the　subject's　history。　If　you　turn　her　towards　the　future；　she　seems　often　to　discover　it　as　clearly　as　the　past。　But　we　will　for　the　moment　reserve　this　latter　point；　to　which　we　shall　return　later　in　a　chapter　devoted　to　the　knowledge　of　the　future。
  3
  In　the　presence　of　these　phenomena；　the　first　thought　that　naturally　occurs　to　the　mind　is　that　we　are　once　more　concerned　with　that　astonishing　and　involuntary　communication　between　one　subconsciousness　and　another　which　has　been　invested　with　the　name　of　telepathy。　And　there　is　no　denying　that　telepathy　plays　a　great　part　in　these　intuitions。　However；　to　explain　their　working；　nothing　is　equal　to　an　example　based　upon　a　personal　experience。　Here　is　one　which　is　in　no　way　remarkable；　but　which　plainly　shows　the　normal　course　of　the　operation。　In　September；　1913；　while　I　was　at　Elberfeld；　visiting　Krall's　horses；　my　wife　went　to　consult　Mme。　M；　gave　her　a　scrap　of　writing　in　my　handa　note　dispatched　previous　to　my　journey　and　containing　no　allusion　to　itand　asked　her　where　I　was　and　what　I　was　doing。　Without　a　second's