Case LI: Telepathic Phenomena

P. Lodiel, S.J., published, in the Etudes des Péres Jesuites (Oct. 5, 1900, p. 49), a very interesting treatise on telepathy. The author states first of all that in recent times telepathy has again received much attention, and refers for France to the Annales des Sciences Psychiques, for Italy to the Civilta Cattolica, for England to the Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, etc. The most important work on telepathy is that by Gurney, Myers and Rodmore (Phantasms of the Living), which appeared in London in 1890. Scholars of various philosophical and religious views are of the opinion that the phenomena recorded in this work, probed most thoroughly and confirmed by reliable witnesses, can not be doubted. Of the many phenomena there recorded we can, for lack of space, only quote a few.

In the year 1855 Captain Colt, whose brother Oliver took then part in the siege of Sebastopol, had the following apparition: “In the night of September 9,” so Colt relates, “I was suddenly awakened, and beheld by the window of my room, quite close to my bed, my brother in a kneeling posture. I thought at first it was an illusion, caused perhaps by moonlight. But as I glanced at my brother again I saw that he was looking at me with a loving, yet sad and imploring expression in his eyes. Thereupon I arose and stepped to the window to investigate. I convinced myself that there was no trace of moonlight, on the contrary it was quite dark and rain lashed the windows. I turned around and had my brother again before me, looking sad and imploring help. I noticed then a wound in his right temple, whence blood flowed copiously. His face was pale as wax. It was a vision,” says Mr. Colt, “which I shall never forget to the end of my days.” A fortnight later news came from the Crimea that in an assault Oliver Colt was struck by a bullet in the right temple; thirty-six hours after his fall he had been discovered among a heap of corpses, in a kneeling posture.

A similar occurrence was reported during the Mexican war. One morning the mother of a young officer was seen to weep bitterly. When asked the reason of her grief she said: “Alas! I am to lose my son. This morning, as I greeted his portrait, as was my daily custom, I saw that one of his eyes had been shot out and blood was streaming over his whole face.” Soon after they were informed of this officer’s death. He had fallen at the siege of Puebla, shot in the left eye, at the very time that his mother had had the apparition.

Still more remarkable is the following occurrence: Young Philip Weld was a pupil at St. Edmund’s College, near Ware. He was a well behaved, good boy, and for this reason greatly beloved by his teachers and fellow students. On April 16, 1845, in vacation time, some of the boys went for a row on the Ware. Philip had finished a retreat and received Holy Communion that morning. He gladly joined those who made up the boating party. On the return trip of the boat Philip asked for an oar to do his share of the work, when a sudden turn of the boat threw him into the water, and all efforts to rescue him were in vain. Philip’s corpse was carried back to the college. Dr. Cox, the rector, was inconsolable over the accident; he had loved the boy dearly and he thought of the anguish of the family at losing so beloved a son. He decided to go and break the sad news to the bereaved parents. The following morning he drove

"for this purpose over to their home at Southampton. As he neared the house the father came out to meet him. Dr. Cox alighted and was about to address him, when Mr. Weld anticipated him, saying: “It is useless to conceal anything from me, I know that my son Philip is dead.” “How is that possible?” asked the priest. “Last evening,” replied Mr. Weld, “I went for a walk with my daughter Catharine. Suddenly I beheld my son, passing on the opposite side of the street in company with two persons, one of whom was garbed in black. My daughter saw him first. She exclaimed: ‘Oh, father! did you ever see any one who so closely resembled our Philip?’ ‘Resembled Philip? said I; ‘why, it is Philip himself.’ We crossed over toward the three men and I saw Philip happily smiling at the one dressed in black. As we came closer all three suddenly vanished. On my return to the house I said nothing to my wife about the apparition so as not to frighten her, but the following day I awaited with great anxiety the mail. To my great joy there was no letter for me and my fears began to be allayed. Then I saw you coming toward the house. Now I know that you have come to tell me of my dear son’s death.” One may imagine Dr. Cox’s amazement! He asked Mr. Weld if he had ever before seen the man in black. “Never,” replied Mr. Weld, “but his features are so impressed upon my mind that I should certainly recognize him, if I were to meet him again.”

Dr. Cox then related the story of the sad event, which had occurred precisely at the hour in which the father and daughter had seen the vision. The remembrance of the glad smile of their loved one afforded them great consolation. Mr. Weld arranged for his son’s funeral, and at the burial he closely examined the faces of ‘the clergy; but none of them resembled the black figure of the vision. Four months later Mr. Weld went with his daughter to visit a brother who dwelt at some distance. Incidentally he called on the local clergyman. While waiting in the reception room he inspected the pictures on the walls. Suddenly he stopped before one of them —there was no name on it—and exclaimed: “This is the man who was walking with Philip!” The priest, who now entered, said the picture was that of St. Stanislaus Kostka. Mr. Weld was deeply moved; he remembered his son’s special devotion for St. Stanislaus; he thought also of how his late father had been a great benefactor of the Jesuits and hoped that the saints of that order would in a special manner protect his family.

It should be noted that both father and daughter asserted they had never before in their lives had visions or hallucinations; furthermore the apparition did not occur at night, not in a dream, but in bright day light, in a public street, to two different persons, thoroughly credible, at one and the same time.

In the year 1898 there took place in New York a double apparition, the same person showed himself in two different remote places, at the same hour. H. M., as is related, awoke suddenly one night and saw before him his brother (who lived at a distance). The latter greeted him and said: “I am dying; you are to dispose of my fortune in the following manner,” then, having given full particulars of the disposition, the vision vanished. H. M. informed his wife of what happened. A few hours later a telegram was received announcing the death of the brother; it had occurred at the time of the vision. H. M. started out at once to carry out the wishes of the departed brother. On the way he meets another brother, from another town. He, too, had had the same vision, at the same hour and with the same details. Arrived at the place of death they were told that the departed shortly before his demise had, as if in delirium, conversed for some time with absent persons.

How are we to explain these and similar phenomena? Some seek to explain them as a morbid, nervous, hysterical condition. But the persons to whom these apparitions happened were in perfect health.

How can the sick, the dying, at such distances produce perfectly plain pictures, intelligible conversations?

Still less does the matter admit of explanation through hypnotism, suggestion, or magnetism. No one was near to influence the persons who have had these visions, and who could exert any such influence at such great distance? Nor has spiritism any explanation to offer. In all these cases no one asked for information, or did anything to obtain it, such as is done in spiritism; the information was offered unsolicited. Nor was there any medium to negotiate connection parties. Moreover the dead have not the gift of speech, and the Catholic Church rightly teaches that there is no natural connection between the dead and the living. For this reason she has at all times

\ constantly discountenanced the summoning of departed to satisfy curiosity. Even ardent spiritists like Allan Kardec, Eliphaz, Levi, Alexandre Aksakoff, admit that the dispositions of summoned spirits often are treacherous and immoral, a fact which demonstrates a co-operation of evil spirits.

Others, like Mr. Cookes, who attempt to explain everything by matter, presume that from the human brain innumerable vibrations are propagated in all directions and that these vibrations bring about such visions. But, let us ask what healthy person has ever had the power to produce such visions? How could the sick and dying alone have it? And how is it that the vibrations just reach the concerned person and none other?

There must, therefore, be supposed something supernatural. Only thus the image of living persons and their conversations can be explained. What then is this supernatural element? In spiritism evil spirits without doubt participate; this is admitted even by spiritists themselves, as stated above. In telepathy this is not the case, as frequently something good, providential, sacred even, proceeds therefrom. We are confirmed in this view when we see in the Lives of the Saints that such visions occurred to them. Thus, for instance, in the life of St. Francis de Chantal we read that at the time when the Baron was dying, his sick father, many miles from the Baron’s deathbed, beheld a number of fine looking youths leading his son into a distant country. The son approached the father, and touched him gently upon the shoulder, as if to take leave from him. The venerable old man said under tears: “My son is dead!” A servant, despatched to make inquiries, met the messenger bringing the news of the death. It was found that the son had died precisely at the moment when the vision appeared to the father.

At one time when St. Alphonsus Liguori was preaching in the small town of Arienzo, he suddenly interrupted his discourse and said to his congregation: “Let us pray an Our Father at the peaceful passing away of Bishop Lambertini of Caserta.” A few days later news came that the bishop had died exactly at the time when St. Liguori interrupted his sermon.

In the process of beatification of St. Philip Neri various instances were vouched for by credible witnesses, that the saint had beheld friends and disciples ascending into heaven.

In the year 1570 forty Jesuits embarked at Lisbon to go to Brazil as missionaries. Near the Island of Patmos they were captured by Calvinistic pirates and cruelly put to death on account of their faith. At the same hour St. Theresa beheld forty martyrs with palms in their hands and surrounded with glory (among them was a cousin of hers) ascending to heaven. She mentioned this vision to several persons.

Similar visions are found in lives of many saints. The intention of God in them is probably the glorification of His faithful servants, the consoling of the bereaved and the strengthening of them in the faith. These visions are incontestible proof that there is a higher immaterial world and that between the higher and the lesser world there exists relation, as even the English Society for Psychical Research is forced to admit. The materialists of our day would deny the existence of the soul after the death of the body. Telepathy offers facts which can not reasonably be doubted, and which not only prove that with death not everything is at an end, but even give us some information about the fate of souls after death.

J. Raef.