be accounted for with ease. Like other myths, equally uniform and
widely diffused, they represent the natural play of human fancy.
Inanimate objects are stationary, therefore let us say that they
move about. Men do not float in the air. Let us say that they do.
Then we have the 'physical phenomena' of spiritualism. This
objection had already occurred to, and been stated by, the author.
But the difficulty of accounting for the large body of respectable
evidence as to the real occurrence of the alleged phenomena remains.
Consequently the author has little doubt that there is a genuine
substratum of fact, probably fact of conjuring, and of more or less
hallucinatory experience. If so, the great antiquity and uniformity
of the tricks, make them proper subjects of anthropological inquiry,
like other matters of human tradition. Where conditions of darkness
and so on are imposed, he does not think that it is worth while to
waste time in examination.

Finally, the author has often been asked: 'But what do you believe
yourself?'

He believes that all these matters are legitimate subjects of
anthropological inquiry.

London, 27th October, 1895.





INTRODUCTION.