![]() |
What Is A Ghost? |
“Real Ghost Stories! How can there be real
ghost stories when there are no real ghosts? “But are there no real ghosts? You
may not have seen one, but it does not follow that therefore they do not exist.
How many of us have seen the microbe that kills? There are at least as many
persons who testify that they have seen apparitions as there are men of science
who have examined the microbe. You and I, who have seen neither, must perforce
take the testimony of others. The evidence for the microbe may be conclusive,
the evidence as to apparitions may be worthless; but in both cases, it is a case
of testimony, not of personal experience.”
The
average conception of a Ghost is probably somewhat as follows: That it is a
thin, tall figure, wrapped in a sheet, walking about the house, clanking chains
behind it, and scaring out of his wits anyone who sees it. According to this
view, a ghost would be as material and substantial a thing as a buzz-saw or a
lap-dog, and exists just as fully “in space.” Such, however, is not the
conception of the ghost that modern science entertains. Many investigators who
have examined this question closely have come to the conclusion that ghosts do
actually exist; but when we come to the more troublesome question: What are
they? we are met at once with difficulties and disagreements. The recent
scientific theories and explanations of the subject are complex and subtle and necessitate a certain preliminary knowledge on the part of the student in order
for him to understand them. I shall explain as briefly and clearly as possible
exactly what these theories are. For the moment, I wish to speak, first of all,
of the history of psychic investigation; and particularly that portion of it
that deals with apparitions or “ghost hunting.”
Historic Investigations
Here and there, serious investigators have always existed. In the sixteenth century, Dr. Glanvil pursued this study with great genius and patience; Dr. Johnson also was a firm believer in the reality of “ghosts”; Sir Walter Scott and others of his time were investigators, and the famous Dr. Perrier wrote a treatise on apparitions, and similar investigations have been continued up to the present day. The first organized and systematic attempt to solve the problem, and to find out exactly what ghosts are, however, was made by the Society for Psychical Research (S. P. R.) in 1882. Practically all the investigations which have been carried on since then have led to important results.
Soon after the above-mentioned Society was
founded, and material began to be collected, it was found that many cases had
to do with haunted houses, many with apparitions, but the greater number of
them hinged around one point—the coincidence of apparitions with the death
of the persons represented. An apparition of a certain person would be seen in
London, let us say; and some hours later a telegram would arrive, conveying the
news that this person had just been killed. When the time was compared, it was
found to agree exactly; the hour of the death and that of the apparition
tallying to the minute.
Think your
friends would be interested? Share this story!
Post a Comment