Art by Unseen Hands: Conversations with Confucius and Shakespeare Leading lights in the Society for Psychical Research would be "spirit" moving, the brush was dipped into the colour and the in their clement were they able to: painting began, with the result attend the proceedings of the Five already stated.
Religions' Society just now attract-Both demonstrations were preceding numbers of 'Chinese to the ed by @ prayer, and the men who picturesque gardens of the Grain held the brushes were selected by Merchants' Guild in the native rit," a list of members' vity, Since Tuesday last, the ing laid upon, the table gardens have been thronged with and two of them being mysteriously Chinese and there has been a "ticked off" for performance of the curious mixture of sacred and office. In one of the rooms the profane activity, private devotions visitor may see displayed half a being paid at various shrines hard dozen pictures produced in this by groups of visitors indulging in way, and two of them represent the gossip of the day and ta 1 brushwork of no ordinary distinethei modest refreshment. The principal attraction undoubtedly has been the demonstrations of spirit" writing and painting, carried out under the auspices of the Shanghai Spiritualist Society. These afford matter for interesting speculation and are of at Toast as much, perhaps greater, intrinsic Interest than some of the "manifestations" which have elaimthe attention of scientific investigators in Exvope. Two may be described, tion. The most casual inspection of these impresses one with the fact" that, if it were possible to practise deception in their production by means of the bamboo ring, then the men holding it must exercise an uncanny degree of This, however, is not an investigation;" merely a record of what the Chinese saw and what they most firmly believed was the work of compatriots revisiting the glimpses of the moon.
On the floor of room, and facing the shrine of Confucius, there was laid a sheet of white Paper, measuring 15 fect by ten, with two strips of yellow paper on either side, The writing instead ment consisted of a huge brush, weighing 48 catties (about 60 Ib.) suspended from the entre of a bamboo pole, in length about the width of the paper. Standing on the yellow strips of paper, two Chinese took hold of the bamboo pole, one at each end, and at just sufficient height to allow of the brugh touching the paper. The brush having been dipped "into a bucket of indigo ink, the unseen writer did his work, producing a huge character, in firm bold out-me and taking just under 10 utes to perform the operation, The character produced was that meaning "'soul," and when this had been written down, the date was added and the name of the writer, one Toong Faung. Accord ing to a learned Chinese, Toons Foung ix known to history as a very' high official who flourished in the days of the Han Dynasty, 2,100 years ago.
'The second experiment resulted in the production of a couple of landscapes, not of any very great artistic quality, but showing fair brush work, "accuracy of design and correct' blending of colour. Both would have "passed" at the recent exhibition. These were proneed in the following way:
instrument used was a hoop about 12 fu. diameter, to which was affixed a Chinese writing brush, while on the table there was a sheet of white paper, framed, and a alette of four colours against Two Chinese, standing one on either side of the table, took up the hoop, holding it lightly by the fingers the brush the paper and then, the English or French, Please!
Yesterday the programme was to consist of "foreign means of the planchett. year—these gathering are an annual event—writing was done in script ranging from the most beautiful Chinese character letters which no man could understand, some, we believe, even old German text! To ensure that the writing shall be deeipherable, the following prayer has solemnly been offered:
"We humbly pray Thee who to-day graces our gathering with Thy presence and comes to give us Thy counsels, to make use either of the English or French language in Thy com-
In the most matter of fact way, though he were merely commenting upon the "rain pouring, down at the moment, a member the Society assured a "North-China Daily News" representative that among those who were expected to communicate on Thursday was hakespeat Tt remains to be added that the Chinese -in attendance take these proceedings seriously, some of them, children and women noticeably, performing devotional exercises before the various shrines in the manner of the most devout.
There is no distinction of creeds What more tolerant than a temple in which there are shrines of the Christian faith—which has its. conventional picture of the Good Shepherd—of Taoism, Confucianism, of Buddhism, and of Mohammedan-m? Lest the righteous be troubled, we shall not say which tone of. these it was—a retreat beautiful in its simplici where, against a censor giving forth fragrant perfume stood a box advertising somebody's brand of cigarettes.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.