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THE SIZE of this book compels me to summarize, in a somewhat dogmatic manner, the problems and the results of psychical research. It is impossible to give the evidence for the convictions expressed, as any after outlining the problems, would simply lead to the objection that the evidence was insufficient. I can, therefore, only send readers to the vast literature of the subject, and more especially to the records of the Societies for Psychical Research, in the belief that an intelligent study of those records will result in at least a favourable consideration of the views herein presented. It is, in any case, desirable that we shall have an outline of the main ideas at the basis of the work and of the possible conclusions to which the facts lead. These have been stated as briefly and cogently as possible, so that students of a philosophical turn of mind may have some conception of what the author thinks has been proved and what has not been proved scientifically. There has been a great deal of a priori criticism of the work, which has been as bad as much of the credulity or hasty speculation on the other side, and this summary endeavours to fix the bars for scepticism quite as definitely as for belief. The destructive critic has had his own way for a long while, and it is now time to do some constructive work. This small volume tries only to point out the direction in which this can be
done.
James
Hyslop, New York City.
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