I had a young man reading with me as a private pupil at this time. On February 12th he returned from his vacation; and, on being told of our experiments, expressed his incredulity very strongly. I offered any proof that he liked to insist upon, only stipulating that I should see the question asked. Accordingly, Mrs. Newnham took her accustomed chair in my study, while we went out into the hall, and shut the door behind us. He then wrote down on a piece of paper:—
87. What is the Christian name of my eldest sister?
We at once returned to the study, and found the answer already waiting for us:—
A. Mina.
(This name was the family abbreviation of Wilhelmina; and I should add that it was unknown to myself.)
I must now go on to speak of a series of other experiments, of a very remarkable kind.
We soon found that my wife was perfectly unable to follow the motions of the planchette. Often she only touched it with a single finger; but even with all her fingers resting on the board, she never had the slightest idea of what words were being traced out. It struck me that it would be a good thing to take advantage of this peculiarity on her part, to ask questions upon subjects that it was impossible for her to know anything about. I had taken a deep interest in Masonic archæology, and I now questioned planchette on some subjects connected therewith.
February 14th.
92. What is the English of the great word of the R.A.?
After an interruption, of which I shall speak hereafter, one great word of the degree, but not the one I meant, was written, very slowly and clearly.
February 18 th.
112. What is the translation of the Great Triple Word?
A. (The first syllable of the word in question was written correctly, and then it proceeded.) The end unknown. Three languages. Greece. Egypt. Syriac.
115. Who are you that know?
(Answer scrawled and illegible.)
116. Please repeat same answer legibly.
A. Manifestation triune person.
March 26th.
166. Of what language is the first syllable of the Great Triple R.A. Word?
A. Don’t know.
167. Yes, you do. What are the three languages of which the word is composed?
A. Greek, Egypt, Syriac first syllable (correctly given), rest unknown.
168. Write the syllable which is Syriac.
A. (First syllable correctly written.)
169. Write the syllable which is Egyptian.
A. Second.
170. Can you not write the syllable itself?
A. Third Greek.
174. Write down the word itself.
A. First three and last two letters were written correctly, but four incorrect letters, partly borrowed from another word of the same degree, came in the middle.
176. Why do you write a word of which I know nothing?
A. Wife tried hard to tell the word, but could not quite catch it.
177. Catch it from whom?
A. Not quite sure.
178. Not quite sure of what?
A. I know nothing. Wife doesn’t quite know.
In the above series of answers we have, it seems to me, a very remarkable combination of knowledge and ignorance. There is a perfect appreciation of my thoughts, in the queries; but a strange, persistent, almost dogged, incapability of seeing my thoughts, in the replies. Especially in the answer to 116, and in some other answers [not here quoted], there is a reference to an opinion which was published by Dr. Oliver, whose works I had been carefully reading about four months before, but with whose theory, in this case, I most strongly disagreed. So that here was an opinion intimated which it was impossible that the operator could have been aware of, and which the questioner had absolutely rejected as untenable!
182. Write out the prayer used at the advancement of a Mark Master Mason.
A. Almighty Ruler of the Universe and Architect of all worlds, we beseech Thee to accept this, our brother, whom we have this day received into our most honourable Company of Mark Master Masons. Grant him to be a worthy member of our brotherhood; and may he be in his own person a perfect mirror of all Masonic virtues. Grant that all our doings may be to Thy honour and glory, and to the welfare of all mankind.
This prayer was written off instantaneously and very rapidly. It is a very remarkable production indeed. For the benefit of those who are not members of the craft, I may say that no prayer in the slightest degree resembling it is made use of in the Ritual of any Masonic degree; and yet it contains more than one strictly accurate technicality connected with the degree of Mark Mason. My wife has never seen any Masonic prayers, whether in “Carlile,” or any other real or spurious Ritual of the Masonic Order.
Here, then, assuredly was a formula composed by some intelligence totally distinct from the conscious intelligence of either of the persons engaged in the experiment.
I proceeded to inquire as follows:—
183. I do not know this prayer. Where is it to be found?
A. Old American Ritual.
184. Where can I get one?
A. Most likely none in England.
185. Can you not write the prayer that I made use of in my own Lodge?
A. No, I don’t know it.
In these last answers we see a new moral element introduced. There is evasion, or subterfuge, of a more or less ingenious kind; and totally foreign to the whole character and natural disposition of the operator. A similar attempt at deliberate invention, rather than plead guilty to total ignorance, is contained in the following answers:—
May 7th.
255. In what Masonic degree was the Triple Word first used?
A. Wife does not know.
256. Cannot you tell her?
A. How can wife know what no one else does?
257. Does no one, then, know the answer to this?
A. No one knows now.
258. What do you mean by “now”? Did anyone once know?
A. The last one who knew died at least twenty years ago.
259. What was his name?
A. In America; don’t know name.
[Many more instances of these evasive replies occur.]
May 10th.
Planchette again gave us an example of its sense of the humorous.
I had been obliged to engage a clergyman who was not a favourable specimen of his profession, as I could procure no one else in time to get the Sunday’s work done. He was much amused with planchette, and desired to ask:—
277. How should a bachelor live in this neighbourhood?
(The answer was illegible.)
278. Please repeat answer.
A. Three months.
(Planchette