942. It was on May 9th, 1874, that Edmund Gurney and I met Stainton Moses for the first time, through the kindness of Mrs. Cowper-Temple (afterwards Lady Mount-Temple), who knew that we had become interested in "psychical" problems, and wished to introduce us to a man of honour who had recently experienced phenomena, due wholly to some gift of his own, which had profoundly changed his conception of life.

That evening was epoch-making in Gurney's life and mine. Standing as we were in the attitude natural at the commencement of such inquiries, under such conditions as were then attainable, - an attitude of curiosity tempered by a vivid perception of difficulty and drawback, - we now met a man of University education, of manifest sanity and probity, who vouched to us for a series of phenomena, - occurring to himself, and with no doubtful or venal aid, - which seemed at least to prove, in confusedly intermingled form, three main theses unknown to Science. These were (1) the existence in the human spirit of hidden powers of insight and of communication; (2) the personal survival and near presence of the departed; and (3) interference, due to unknown agencies, with the ponderable world. He spoke frankly and fully; he showed his notebooks; he referred us to his friends; he inspired a belief which was at once sufficient, and which is still sufficient, to prompt to action.

The experiences which Stainton Moses had undergone had changed his views, but not his character. He was already set in the mould of the hard-working, conscientious, dogmatic clergyman, with a strong desire to do good, and a strong belief in preaching as the best way to do it. For himself the essential part of what I have called his "message" lay in the actual words automatically uttered or written, - not in the accompanying phenomena which really gave their uniqueness and importance to the automatic processes. In a book called Spirit Teachings he collected what he regarded as the real fruits of those years of mysterious listening in the vestibule of a world unknown.

And much as we may regret this too exclusive ethical preoccupation in a region where the establishment of actual fact is still the one thing needful, it must be admitted that at that time the scientific importance of these phenomena had hardly dawned on any mind. Among all the witnesses of Home's marvels Sir William Crookes was almost the only man who made any attempt to treat them as reasonable men treat all the facts of nature. Most of the witnesses, though fully believing in the genuineness of the wonders, appear to have regarded them as a kind of uncanny diversion. The more serious sought for assurance that their beloved dead were still near them, and straitly charged Home to tell no man of the proofs which they said had brought to themselves unspeakable joy. An attempt made, in 1875, by Serjeant Cox and a few others (among whom were Stainton Moses and myself) to get these phenomena more seriously discussed in a "Psychological Society," languished for want of suitable coadjutors, and on the death of Serjeant Cox (in 1879) the Society was dissolved.

During these important years, therefore, while his experiences were fresh in Stainton Moses' mind, and while they were to some extent still recurring, he had little encouragement to deal with them from a scientific point of view.

943. When, however, in 1882, Professor Barrett consulted him as to the possibility of founding a new society, under better auspices, he warmly welcomed the plan. Edmund Gurney and I were asked to join, but made it a condition that the consent of Professor Sidgwick (with whom we had already been working) to act as our President should first be obtained. Under his guidance the Society for Psychical Research assumed a more cautious and critical attitude than was congenial to Stainton Moses' warm heart, strong convictions, and impulsive temper, and in 1886 he left the Society, in consequence of the publication in the Proceedings of certain comments on phenomena occurring through the agency of the so-called "medium" Eglinton.

From this time he frankly confessed himself disgusted with our attempts at scientific method, and as main contributor to Light, and afterwards editor until his death, he practically reverted to "Spiritualism as a religion," - as opposed to psychical research as a scientific duty. And assuredly the religious implications of all these phenomena are worthy of any man's most serious thought. But those who most feel the importance of the ethical superstructure are at the same time most plainly bound to treat the establishment of the facts at the foundation as no mere personal search for a faith, to be dropped when private conviction has been attained, but as a serious, a continuous, a public duty. And the more convinced they are that their faith is sound, the more ready should they be to face distrust and aversion, - to lay their account for a long struggle with the vis inertia of the human spirit.

Stainton Moses was ill-fitted for this patient, uphill toil. In the first place he lacked, - and he readily and repeatedly admitted to me that he lacked, - all vestige of scientific, or even of legal instinct. The very words "first-hand evidence," "contemporary record," "corroborative testimony," were to him as a weariness to the flesh. His attitude was that of the preacher who is already so thoroughly persuaded in his own mind that he treats any alleged fact which falls in with his views as the uncriticised text for fresh exhortation. And in the second place, - though this was a minor matter, - his natural sensitiveness was sometimes exaggerated by gout and other wearing ailments into an irritability which he scarcely felt compelled to conceal in a journal circulating mainly among attached disciples.

The reason for noticing these defects is that they constitute the only ground on which Stainton Moses' trustworthiness as a witness to his own phenomena could possibly be impugned. I mention them in order that I may say that, having read, I think, all that he has printed, and having watched his conduct at critical moments, I see much ground for impugning his judgment, but no ground whatever for doubting that he has narrated with absolute good faith the story of his own experience. He allowed me, before he left the Society, to examine almost the whole series of his automatic writings, - those especially which contain the evidence on which Spirit Identity is based; and in no instance did I find that the printed statement of any case went beyond the warrant of the manuscript.

My original impressions were strengthened by the opportunity which I had of examining the unpublished MSS. of Mr. Moses after his death on September 5th, 1892. These consist of thirty-one note-books - twenty-four of automatic script, four of records of physical phenomena, and three of retrospect and summary. In addition to these, the material available for a knowledge of Mr. Moses' experiences consists of his own printed works, and the written and printed statements of witnesses to his phenomena.

Of this available material a more detailed account will be found in 943 A, together with a brief record of Mr. Moses' life.