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Agreeing to do readings for other visitors in her home, she soon gained attention from members of the [[American Society for Psychical Research]] and later its British associate, the Society for Psychical Research. Among these were Minot Savage, Richard Hodgson, and George B. Dorr. Later psychic investigators included [[Oliver Lodge]], Frederick W. H. Myers, James Hyslop, and [[G. Stanley Hall]] and his assistant Amy Tanner.<ref> Studies in Spiritism by Amy Tanner, Prometheus Books, 1994, Originally published by D. Appleton, 1910</ref> In 1885 soon after the death of his son, [[psychologist]], [[philosopher]], and SPR member William James had his first sitting with Piper at the suggestion of his mother-in-law.<ref name="Blum" /> James was soon convinced that Piper knew things she could only have discovered by supernatural means.<ref name="Gottlieb" /> James expressed his belief that Piper's mediumistic abilities were genuine, saying, "If you wish to upset the law that all crows are black, it is enough if you prove that one crow is white. My white crow is Mrs. Piper."<ref> ''William James on Psychical Research'' compiled and edited by Gardner Murphy, M.D. and Robert O. Ballou, Viking Press, 1960, page 41</ref> Later when Piper's readings were claimed to come from the suddenly deceased Richard Hodgson who James knew and had taken over the Piper case from James. James was no longer impressed and wrote, "I remain uncertain and await more facts, facts which may not point clearly to a conclusion for fifty or a hundred years."<ref>''William James on Psychical Research'' compiled and edited by Gardner Murphy, M.D. and Robert O. Ballou, Viking Press, 1960, Chapter 4 ''William James and Mrs. Piper'', page 209</ref>
Agreeing to do readings for other visitors in her home, she soon gained attention from members of the [[American Society for Psychical Research]] and later its British associate, the Society for Psychical Research. Among these were Minot Savage, Richard Hodgson, and George B. Dorr. Later psychic investigators included [[Oliver Lodge]], Frederick W. H. Myers, James Hyslop, and [[G. Stanley Hall]] and his assistant Amy Tanner.<ref> Studies in Spiritism by Amy Tanner, Prometheus Books, 1994, Originally published by D. Appleton, 1910</ref> In 1885 soon after the death of his son, [[psychologist]], [[philosopher]], and SPR member William James had his first sitting with Piper at the suggestion of his mother-in-law.<ref name="Blum" /> James was soon convinced that Piper knew things she could only have discovered by supernatural means.<ref name="Gottlieb" /> James expressed his belief that Piper's mediumistic abilities were genuine, saying, "If you wish to upset the law that all crows are black, it is enough if you prove that one crow is white. My white crow is Mrs. Piper."<ref> ''William James on Psychical Research'' compiled and edited by Gardner Murphy, M.D. and Robert O. Ballou, Viking Press, 1960, page 41</ref> Later when Piper's readings were claimed to come from the suddenly deceased Richard Hodgson who James knew and had taken over the Piper case from James. James was no longer impressed and wrote, "I remain uncertain and await more facts, facts which may not point clearly to a conclusion for fifty or a hundred years."<ref>''William James on Psychical Research'' compiled and edited by Gardner Murphy, M.D. and Robert O. Ballou, Viking Press, 1960, Chapter 4 ''William James and Mrs. Piper'', page 209</ref>


As with other mediums of the era, Piper claimed the use of spirit guides or "controls". Among hers was a personality referred to as "G.P." and another called 'Phinuit'. The latter was purportedly a French doctor. Phinuit's French was limited to salutations like "bonjour" and "au revoir" and had little apparent knowledge both of the French language and medicine. According to some accounts, medical people were surprised Phinuit did not know the French or Latin names for the many remedies Piper advised for her sitters, and Phinuit's historical existence could not be verified by SPR investigations.<ref>''William James on Psychical Research'' compiled and edited by Gardner Murphy, M.D. and Robert O. Ballou, Viking Press, 1960, page 105</ref> Among other spirit guides she claimed were assuming control of her were a young Indian girl named Chlorine, a man named Hodgson, Martin Luther, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, Henry Longfellow, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington.<ref name="Gardner">{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=z9jH9mYiO5IC&pg=PA252&lpg=PA252&dq=%E2%80%9CHow+Mrs.+Piper+Bamboozled+William+James%E2%80%9D&source=bl&ots=7Gzpym0WVB&sig=f5UTMBFqywO1HuNq6tMkka9ArrI&hl=en&ei=XxYfS7H-BZW3lAeBl8mADA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%9CHow%20Mrs.%20Piper%20Bamboozled%20William%20James%E2%80%9D&f=false|title=Are universes thicker than blackberries? “How Mrs. Piper Bamboozled William James”|last=Gardner|first=Martin|year=2003|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|accessdate=9 December 2009 | isbn=9780393057423}}</ref>
As with other mediums of the era, Piper claimed the use of spirit guides or "controls". Among hers was a personality named George Pellew or "G.P." He had been killed in a riding accident less than a month before he began communicating through her. 150 sitters came to Mrs. Piper at these times, some of whom were intimately acquainted with the man. Of those introduced while G.P. was in control, he treated 30 as acquaintances. Those 30, and only those 30, were known to Pellew when he was living, a result virtually impossible if left to chance.<ref>''Irreducible Mind'' Edward F. Kelly, Emily Williams Kelly, Rowman and Littlefield, 2007, page 358</ref> Another guide was called 'Phinuit,' a purportedly French doctor. Phinuit's French was limited to salutations like "bonjour" and "au revoir" and had little apparent knowledge both of the French language and medicine. According to some accounts, medical people were surprised Phinuit did not know the French or Latin names for the many remedies Piper advised for her sitters, and Phinuit's historical existence could not be verified by SPR investigations.<ref>''William James on Psychical Research'' compiled and edited by Gardner Murphy, M.D. and Robert O. Ballou, Viking Press, 1960, page 105</ref> Among other spirit guides she claimed were assuming control of her were a young Indian girl named Chlorine, a man named Hodgson, Martin Luther, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, Henry Longfellow, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington.<ref name="Gardner">{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=z9jH9mYiO5IC&pg=PA252&lpg=PA252&dq=%E2%80%9CHow+Mrs.+Piper+Bamboozled+William+James%E2%80%9D&source=bl&ots=7Gzpym0WVB&sig=f5UTMBFqywO1HuNq6tMkka9ArrI&hl=en&ei=XxYfS7H-BZW3lAeBl8mADA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%9CHow%20Mrs.%20Piper%20Bamboozled%20William%20James%E2%80%9D&f=false|title=Are universes thicker than blackberries? “How Mrs. Piper Bamboozled William James”|last=Gardner|first=Martin|year=2003|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|accessdate=9 December 2009 | isbn=9780393057423}}</ref>


Martin Gardner writes in his essays “How Mrs. Piper Bamboozled William James” and "William James and Mrs. Piper" that records of Piper's seances clearly illustrate that she used the technique of [[cold reading]] and "fishing", as vague statements were followed by more precise information based on how sitters reacted. Gardner reports that when caught in an error, Piper's "control" would invariably profess deafness and "leave" her, and that Piper was unable to discern between real and fictitious information fed to her.<ref name="Gardner" /> Skeptic [[Robert Todd Carroll]] writes that although James accepted that "spirits might be communicating" to Piper's "unconscious mind", most scientists rejected the work of the Society for Psychical Research and its American counterpart.<ref name="Carroll">{{cite web|url=http://www.skepdic.com/refuge/blum.html|title=Book Review - Ghost Hunters - William James and the Hunt for Scientific Proof of Life After Death|last=Carroll|first=Robert T.|date=April 6, 2007|publisher=The Skeptic's Dictionary|accessdate=9 July 2010}}</ref>
Mrs. Piper was able to reproduce with remarkable accuracy the mannerisms, expressions, attitudes and sense of humor of the deceased person communicating through her.<ref>''Irreducible Mind'' Edward F. Kelly, Emily Williams Kelly, Rowman and Littlefield, 2007, page 359</ref> However, Martin Gardner writes in his essays “How Mrs. Piper Bamboozled William James” and "William James and Mrs. Piper" that records of Piper's seances clearly illustrate that she used the technique of [[cold reading]] and "fishing", as vague statements were followed by more precise information based on how sitters reacted. Gardner reports that when caught in an error, Piper's "control" would invariably profess deafness and "leave" her, and that Piper was unable to discern between real and fictitious information fed to her.<ref name="Gardner" /> Skeptic [[Robert Todd Carroll]] writes that although James accepted that "spirits might be communicating" to Piper's "unconscious mind", most scientists rejected the work of the Society for Psychical Research and its American counterpart.<ref name="Carroll">{{cite web|url=http://www.skepdic.com/refuge/blum.html|title=Book Review - Ghost Hunters - William James and the Hunt for Scientific Proof of Life After Death|last=Carroll|first=Robert T.|date=April 6, 2007|publisher=The Skeptic's Dictionary|accessdate=9 July 2010}}</ref>


Piper made three visits to England at the request of the SPR. In subsequent years, Piper claimed her abilities would alternately cease and return, sometimes with a decade or more intervening. American psychic investigator [[Gardner Murphy]] wrote, "I had three years of sittings with Mrs. Piper in 1922 to 1925, near the end of her career. For the most part, my sittings were uneventful and lacking in the types of phenomena which characterized the zenith of her career."<ref>{{cite book|last=Murphy|first=Gardner |title=Challenge of psychical research: a primer of parapsychology|url=http://books.google.com/books?ei=o2wzTMn5L8WAlAeps5jBCw&ct=result&id=JFcqAAAAYAAJ&dq=Challenge+of+Psychical+Research&q=piper#search_anchor|series=World Perspectives Series|volume=Volume 26|year=1979|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=9780313209444|Original from University of Virginia}}</ref> Piper retired for good in 1927 and died on July 3, 1950.<ref name="Blum" />
Piper made three visits to England at the request of the SPR. In subsequent years, Piper claimed her abilities would alternately cease and return, sometimes with a decade or more intervening. Most contemporary investigators were convinced that some supernormal process (supernatural is not the preferred term because it implies separateness from nature) gave rise to her abilities<ref>''Mediumship and Survival'' Alan Gauld, Heineman, 1982, pages 32-44</ref> but American psychic investigator [[Gardner Murphy]] wrote, "I had three years of sittings with Mrs. Piper in 1922 to 1925, near the end of her career. For the most part, my sittings were uneventful and lacking in the types of phenomena which characterized the zenith of her career."<ref>{{cite book|last=Murphy|first=Gardner |title=Challenge of psychical research: a primer of parapsychology|url=http://books.google.com/books?ei=o2wzTMn5L8WAlAeps5jBCw&ct=result&id=JFcqAAAAYAAJ&dq=Challenge+of+Psychical+Research&q=piper#search_anchor|series=World Perspectives Series|volume=Volume 26|year=1979|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=9780313209444|Original from University of Virginia}}</ref> Piper retired for good in 1927 and died on July 3, 1950.<ref name="Blum" />


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 20:21, 24 July 2011

Leonora Piper (née Symonds, 1857–1950) was a famous trance medium in the area of Spiritualism.[1][2][3] Piper was the subject of intense interest by American and British psychical research associations during the early 20th century, most notably William James and the Society for Psychical Research.[4] Piper claimed to have no memory regarding her sittings.[5] Martin Gardner published two exposés about Piper the first in 1992 called “How Mrs. Piper Bamboozled William James” and in 1996 a longer one titled "William James and Mrs. Piper" both detailing techniques Mrs. Piper may have used such as fishing for information by gauging sitters’ responses to wrong answers and gaining information while her sitters believed she was unconscious in a trance and other methods.[6][7][8]

Biography

Piper grew up in Nashua, New Hampshire where, according to her parents, she first displayed psychic abilities as a child. At the age of 22 she married shopkeeper William Piper of Boston and settled in the city's Beacon Hill area. After the birth of her first child, Alta, she sought relief from recurring pain caused by a childhood accident. Upon visiting an elderly blind man who claimed he could contact spirits that could aid in healing, she said she heard voices that resulted in her ability to deliver a message by automatic writing to a local judge who claimed the words came from his recently deceased son.[9]

Agreeing to do readings for other visitors in her home, she soon gained attention from members of the American Society for Psychical Research and later its British associate, the Society for Psychical Research. Among these were Minot Savage, Richard Hodgson, and George B. Dorr. Later psychic investigators included Oliver Lodge, Frederick W. H. Myers, James Hyslop, and G. Stanley Hall and his assistant Amy Tanner.[10] In 1885 soon after the death of his son, psychologist, philosopher, and SPR member William James had his first sitting with Piper at the suggestion of his mother-in-law.[9] James was soon convinced that Piper knew things she could only have discovered by supernatural means.[6] James expressed his belief that Piper's mediumistic abilities were genuine, saying, "If you wish to upset the law that all crows are black, it is enough if you prove that one crow is white. My white crow is Mrs. Piper."[11] Later when Piper's readings were claimed to come from the suddenly deceased Richard Hodgson who James knew and had taken over the Piper case from James. James was no longer impressed and wrote, "I remain uncertain and await more facts, facts which may not point clearly to a conclusion for fifty or a hundred years."[12]

As with other mediums of the era, Piper claimed the use of spirit guides or "controls". Among hers was a personality named George Pellew or "G.P." He had been killed in a riding accident less than a month before he began communicating through her. 150 sitters came to Mrs. Piper at these times, some of whom were intimately acquainted with the man. Of those introduced while G.P. was in control, he treated 30 as acquaintances. Those 30, and only those 30, were known to Pellew when he was living, a result virtually impossible if left to chance.[13] Another guide was called 'Phinuit,' a purportedly French doctor. Phinuit's French was limited to salutations like "bonjour" and "au revoir" and had little apparent knowledge both of the French language and medicine. According to some accounts, medical people were surprised Phinuit did not know the French or Latin names for the many remedies Piper advised for her sitters, and Phinuit's historical existence could not be verified by SPR investigations.[14] Among other spirit guides she claimed were assuming control of her were a young Indian girl named Chlorine, a man named Hodgson, Martin Luther, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, Henry Longfellow, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington.[15]

Mrs. Piper was able to reproduce with remarkable accuracy the mannerisms, expressions, attitudes and sense of humor of the deceased person communicating through her.[16] However, Martin Gardner writes in his essays “How Mrs. Piper Bamboozled William James” and "William James and Mrs. Piper" that records of Piper's seances clearly illustrate that she used the technique of cold reading and "fishing", as vague statements were followed by more precise information based on how sitters reacted. Gardner reports that when caught in an error, Piper's "control" would invariably profess deafness and "leave" her, and that Piper was unable to discern between real and fictitious information fed to her.[15] Skeptic Robert Todd Carroll writes that although James accepted that "spirits might be communicating" to Piper's "unconscious mind", most scientists rejected the work of the Society for Psychical Research and its American counterpart.[17]

Piper made three visits to England at the request of the SPR. In subsequent years, Piper claimed her abilities would alternately cease and return, sometimes with a decade or more intervening. Most contemporary investigators were convinced that some supernormal process (supernatural is not the preferred term because it implies separateness from nature) gave rise to her abilities[18] but American psychic investigator Gardner Murphy wrote, "I had three years of sittings with Mrs. Piper in 1922 to 1925, near the end of her career. For the most part, my sittings were uneventful and lacking in the types of phenomena which characterized the zenith of her career."[19] Piper retired for good in 1927 and died on July 3, 1950.[9]

References

  1. ^ The Spiritualists, The Passion for the Occult in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries by Ruth Brandon, Alfred A. Knopf, 1983
  2. ^ Modern Spiritualism (1902) by Frank Podmore The foremost history of spiritualism. Reprinted as Mediums of the 19th Century, vols. 1 & 2 University Books, 1963
  3. ^ Search for the Soul by Milborne Christopher, Thomas Y. Crowell, Publishers, 1979, page 152
  4. ^ Cohen, Patricia (August 14, 2006). "'Ghost Hunters': Seeking Science in Séance". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  5. ^ Studies in Spiritism by Amy Tanner, Prometheus Books, 1994, Originally published by D. Appleton, 1910, page 11 & 13
  6. ^ a b Gottlieb, Anthony (August 20, 2006). "Raising Spirits". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  7. ^ Are Universes Thicker Than Blackberries by Martin Gardner, W.W. Norton & Company, 2003, Chapter 30, How Mrs. Piper Bamboozled William James, pages 252-262
  8. ^ Also see: The Night Is Large by Martin Gardner, St. Martin's Press, 1996, Chapter 20, William James and Mrs. Piper, pages 213-243
  9. ^ a b c Blum, Deborah (2007). Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life. Penguin Group. p. 98. ISBN 9780143038955. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
  10. ^ Studies in Spiritism by Amy Tanner, Prometheus Books, 1994, Originally published by D. Appleton, 1910
  11. ^ William James on Psychical Research compiled and edited by Gardner Murphy, M.D. and Robert O. Ballou, Viking Press, 1960, page 41
  12. ^ William James on Psychical Research compiled and edited by Gardner Murphy, M.D. and Robert O. Ballou, Viking Press, 1960, Chapter 4 William James and Mrs. Piper, page 209
  13. ^ Irreducible Mind Edward F. Kelly, Emily Williams Kelly, Rowman and Littlefield, 2007, page 358
  14. ^ William James on Psychical Research compiled and edited by Gardner Murphy, M.D. and Robert O. Ballou, Viking Press, 1960, page 105
  15. ^ a b Gardner, Martin (2003). Are universes thicker than blackberries? “How Mrs. Piper Bamboozled William James”. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393057423. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
  16. ^ Irreducible Mind Edward F. Kelly, Emily Williams Kelly, Rowman and Littlefield, 2007, page 359
  17. ^ Carroll, Robert T. (April 6, 2007). "Book Review - Ghost Hunters - William James and the Hunt for Scientific Proof of Life After Death". The Skeptic's Dictionary. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  18. ^ Mediumship and Survival Alan Gauld, Heineman, 1982, pages 32-44
  19. ^ Murphy, Gardner (1979). Challenge of psychical research: a primer of parapsychology. World Perspectives Series. Vol. Volume 26. Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313209444. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help); Text "Original from University of Virginia" ignored (help)

External links

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