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When Weissmann came in Serviss turned to him and said: "Doctor, I want to ask you a very unusual question"
"Proceed," replied the old man, who spoke with a little touch of the German now and then
"What do you think of the claims of spiritualism?"
Weissrave "I aenerally, I would say there are many phases to be considered There are soue some small basis of truth to start with On the other hand, the extraordinary credulity of these people is to be taken into account"
"You mean they are those bereaved and anxious to believe?"
"Precisely Again, speaking generally, I find few things impossible in this world of mystery To take an old rain of wheat in all this bushel of chaff Every genuine phenomenon in the world stands related to every other phenomenon, and I believe that the truth or falsity of the spiritualistic hypothesis can be deter and strong like you I would devote myself to the study of this delusion It should be studied by one like yourself--to whom death is no near presence; as for ment would be vitiated therewith You have no dead; you would ns"
Serviss, though a little awed by the old man's unexpectedly solemn manner, ventured further "Have you ever witnessed any of these unaccountable doings which Crookes and Zöllner instance?"
"I have had them in my own cha onearly, a faint cloud, like a puff of san to for towards me, and out of it a hand developed and extended I said: 'It is an hallucination--very curious! I will touch it and it will vanish' I reached--I grasped the hand--it arm and solid! I leaped from my bed with a yell" He chuckled at his keenly remembered discomfiture
"How do you account for it? It was an illusion, of course You thought the illusion only ocular--it extended to the sense of touch"
Weisso so The world of sense and the world of spirit curiously interle--as we know"
"But these e, are so foolish and childish--"
"Well, so one to the other world Death is not the beginning of wisdom I am an old man, Serviss, and already many of my loved ones are dead I should like to believe they are still sentient, and maybe they are I am German The blood of Kant is inpartly to hiladly as I once did As I do not know the essence of matter, it would be folly for me to assume to fathom the depth of spirit The essential hopelessness of science is co to render me humble Spiritualisladly ement This desire for another lifeill outgrow"