something to be shirked but as a privilege of citizenship; the law, even if it be a penalty repugnant to the juror's private opinion, must be faithfully applied, as long as it is the law. The other improvements in our administration of criminal justice are a little more complicated to make, but they will speedily follow once the ideas of the people have been changed. The reason our law shields offenders so much, the reason our bar is authorized to defend the admittedly guilty, is because our lawmakers and our lawyers feel with justice that the public desire this laxity, that there is no insistent demand for rigorous punishment. Individual legislators or individual attorneys can at present do little. Once our public opinion adjusts its viewpoint and looks things squarely in the face, our bar and our public assemblies will do likewise.

It is not desired to make criminal justice too severe, so as to leave no loophole for the unfortunate accused. Though Draconian legislation has ever been found ineffective, there are some few, we are aware, who in their disgust at the present order of things, would rush to the opposite evil and take away even the necessary safeguards of the prisoner. But any form of Jedwood justice, of hanging first and judging afterward must be worse than the prevailing system with all its faults. These extremists fail to realize that there is such a thing as making punishment too summary and sweeping. They recall the Arabian Nights story about the zealous sultan. A fair lady, runs the tale, had been robbed by a porter, and his majesty, unable to find the culprit, and determined that justice must be done the petitioner, commanded all the porters in the city to be hanged! He would have carried it out too, had not the damsel confessed she was fibbing. Neither are we opposed to the benevolent changes for the benefit of the accused that have lately been recommended. The bitter irony of the law is that while it unduly favors the criminals who can hire costly legal talent, it is equally harsh on the petty offender. This,

though, is an ancient condition: for we find Solon complaining twenty-five hundred years ago, that laws are like spiders' webs that catch the small flies but through which the great flies break. The unjustified arrests that mar our police administration could well be stopped; in many parts of the country jailing conditions should be improved. It might even be advisable to supply in all states, as is done in some, paid public defenders for the poor prisoners. Above all, we must better the economic conditions that cause so many of the smaller crimes.

But for murder, the only check will have to be the deterrent of swift, certain punishment. Such swift, certain punishment, as being the characteristic of an efficient state, this country must earnestly try to insure. And it can be insured in no other way than by having strict, impartial laws, supported and executed - here is the root of the solution- by a strict, impartial public opinion.

A PSYCHIC MISCELLANY

HE attention this REVIEW has given to Psychical

T Research has brought us considerable material not

yet published, in which the growing portion of our readers who care for the topic may be interested.

We wish, however, before giving some extracts from that material, to call attention to a circumstance that well illustrates the growing realization of the importance of the subject. There was lately published a work on it that was at least the bulkiest that had appeared in many years. Its author expected ridicule and even contumely. But the book was reviewed by some two dozen of the leading critical organs, and not one but treated the subject with respect. The same seems to be true regarding the recent much smaller but perhaps more important work of Sir Oliver Lodge. The change in authoritative opinion which this marks is not less than a revolution. When this REVIEW was started nearly four years ago, we received an occasional remonstrance against the moderate attention we paid the topic. Of late we have received none. It looks as if the immense importance of the subject were at last becoming realized.

For many years after the foundation of the Society for Psychical Research, a generation ago, it was thought necessary to accompany reports of the mysterious phenomena it investigated, with corroboration from additional witnesses, with testimonials to the character of all the witnesses, and even with affidavits sworn to in such legal form as to make untruth subject to the penalties of perjury. But now there has accumulated such a vast mass of verified testimony regarding all classes of the phenomena, that the presumption is in favor of any testimony regarding them offered by a respectable witness,

and we present such without any more hesitation than we should feel if it were on ordinary subjects. Should any of it be false, there is probably on record enough authenticated testimony regarding similar phenomena to uphold any conclusions that may be drawn.

Telepsychic Telekinesis, with a Veridical Dream

The jaw-breaking name has been applied to any apparent molecular change, (usually indicated by sound or light) manifesting intelligence outside of the observer, and apparently due to a force exercised without contact by the observer or some other agent, often difficult or impossible to identify. There is latent in the human system, apparently much more in some systems than in others, a mysterious power of producing motion in inorganic bodies, and sounds and probably lights from them, without the exercise of muscular force. To the force in question students have applied the name Telekinesis. The records abound in accounts of such occurrences, the most frequent being "raps" of various qualities and degrees of loudness, principally in wood, and naturally therefore most often in doors and furniture, though there is a case where it has been manifested in the railing of a pier; one, in the stick of an umbrella; one in an iron fence railing; one in a letter containing bad news, which was lying on a mantelpiece. Our personal observation leads us to put faith in the general occurrences indicated, and in the first three of those specified. In regard to the last, our judgment is in suspense. The witnesses seem entirely honest, but the story is so contrary to general experience that it arouses suspicion of some sort of hallucination. On the other hand, it is nearly enough akin to the established stories to raise considerable presumption in its favor.

The force that causes these strange phenomena has already been correlated with the well known modes of force, to the extent that generally its exercise tends to produce

fatigue in the person exercising it, and that it is seldom, if ever, manifested unless there is present somebody with whom the experience is recurrent, and generally somebody with susceptibilities to various other experiences that are apt to impose upon the person undergoing them the name of "medium."

The converse, however, has not been so often observed. So far as we know, the celebrated medium for telepsychic phenomena, Mrs. Piper, has had no telekinetic experiences, and the same is true of the marvelous involuntary writer known as "Mrs. Holland," and perhaps with most involuntary writers.

Veridical dreams are probably more frequent than the phenomena with the jaw-breaking name. The following account of both has been sent us by Mrs. Kate Wade Hampton, a daughter-in-law of the famous Confederate general.

I was spending the summer at a small watering-place in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, three miles from the railroad and reached only by stage. It was September, and I stayed on after all the guests had gone. Telegraph, telephone, and stage connection were discontinued.

I occupied a two room cottage, not far from the Manager's house.

One night as I sat reading, the lamp on a small table, I heard the sound of tapping, several quick little raps in succession, on the head of the bed. It was very gentle, as if made by the rubber end of a pencil. But it kept up incessantly. I felt annoyed. I thought it was made by some insect.

It kept up so persistently that I got up and looked to see what it could be. I found nothing, and sat down again. I had no sooner taken my seat than the tapping came on the table, quick little taps just as had been on the bed. I did not feel in the least alarmed. I looked all about the table, a small affair with one drawer, but I felt worried, and took the lamp and went into the adjoining room.

I had no sooner taken my seat than the taps came on that table quick and persistent!

I had never had any experience of this sort, except through old Dr. S. But I did not connect the tapping, very strange to