1882, the society's membership has increased to almost one thousand, and on its roll we find the honorable names of Gladstone, Ruskin, Tennyson, Earl Russell, Lord Rayleigh, the Bishop of Carlisle, the Bishop of Ripon, John Addington Symonds, Canon MacColl, and scores of others distinguished in politics, literature, and science.
That a thoroughly scientific spirit is actuating the society's work will be seen by an extract from its official publications. At the time of organization we read: "It has been widely felt that the present is an opportune time for making an organized and systematic attempt to investigate that large group of debatable phenomena designated by such terms as mesmeric, psychical, and spiritualistic. From the recorded testimony of many competent witnesses, past and present, including observations recently made by scientific men of eminence in various countries, there appears to be, amid much illusion and deception, an important body of remarkable phenomena, which are, prima facie, inexplicable on any generally recognized hypothesis, and which, if incontestably established, would be of the highest possible value. The task of examining such residual phenomena has often been undertaken by individual effort, but never hitherto by a scientific society organized on a sufficiently broad basis."
The field for operation was so extensive that there was naturally some difficulty in determining the point of beginning work. But, after due consideration, the following programme was drawn up, and a special committee was intrusted with each of the six subdivisions of the society's work:
"1. An examination of the nature and extent of any influence which may be exerted by one mind upon another, apart from any generally recognized mode of perception.
"2. The study of hypnotism and the forms of so-called mesmeric trance, with its alleged insensibility to pain; clairvoyance, and other allied phenomena.
"3. A critical revision of Reichenbach's researches with certain organizations called 'sensitive,' and an inquiry whether such organizations possess any power of perception beyond a highly exalted sensibility of the recognized sensory organs.[1]
"4. A careful investigation of any reports, resting on strong testimony, regarding appearances at the moment of death, or otherwise, or regarding disturbances in houses reputed to be haunted.
"5. An inquiry into the various physical phenomena commonly
- ↑ The phenomena described by Baron Karl von Reichenbach (born 1788) were these: Certain persons declared to him that ordinary magnets, crystals, the human body, and some other substances were to them self-luminous, presenting singular appearances in the dark, and otherwise distinguishable by producing a variety of peculiar sensory impressions—such as anomalous sensations of temperature, bodily pain or pleasure, unusual nervous symptoms, and involuntary muscular action. These are generally (but Reichenbach believed not necessarily) accompanied by abnormal physiological and mental states.
