PSYCHICAL RESEARCH, SOCIETY FOR. An association formed in London, England, early in 1882 (as the result of a conference convoked by Professor W. F. Barrett), for the purpose of making "an organized and systematic attempt to investigate that large group of debatable phe nomena designated by such terms as mesnierie, psychical, and spiritualistic." Through the aeenev of committees the society has gathered and pub lished a vast amount of material on the subjeets involved, with many discussions thereon. (For a discussion of the results attained by the com mittees, see PSYCHICAL RESEARCH.) Among the most notable investigations of the society have been those conducted by Richard Hodgson, J. H. Hyslop, and others on the 'trance medium,' Sirs. Leonora Piper, of Boston, _Massachusetts. The society's most conspicuous work was the census of hallucinations, which it carried on from April, 18S0, to May, 1892. The following. question was asked: "Have you ever, when be lieving yourself to be completely. awake, had a vivid impression of seeing or being touched by a living being or inanimate object, or of hearing a voice—which impression, so far as you could dis cover, was not (Inc to any external physical cause?" To this question exactly 11,000 answers were received, and a report thereon of about 400 pages was issued, embracing tabulated results and explanatory and discussional matter. (Mm 4-endings, vol. x.) Of the 11,000 answers 1684, or 9.9 per cent., were affirmative: of the 8372
answers of men 655, or 7.S per cent., were affir mative; of the 8628 answers of women 1029, or 12 per cent., were affirmative. The committee announced that it could make from this report one important deduction: that between the death of a person a ml the simultaneous apparition of that person to another person, at a distant spot, there is some connection.
The society is governed by a council of 24 members, who elect the officers and the new members. Meetings are held about once a month and are reported in the Proceedings. published monthly. The first president was Henry Sidg wick, who served 1882-84 and also 1888-92. The first vice-presidents were Arthur James Balfouu•, W. F. Barrett, John R. Holland, Richard IL Hutton, Rev. W. Stainton Moses, Roden Noel, Balfour Stewart, and Tlensleigh Wedgewood. Other presidents have been: Balfour Stewart. 1885-87; Arthur .Tames Balfour, 1893; William James, 1894-95; Sir William Crookes, 1896-99; Frederic W. H. Myers, 1900: Sir Oliver J. Lodge, 1901-02. Other prominent members have been Edmund Gurney, Lord Rayleigh, Frank Podmore. and ,T. J. Thomson. An American branch, estab lished in 1895, includes in its membership Josiah Royce, William Romaine Newbold. Richard Hodg son, and J. H. Hyslop. In 1902 the English society had about 900 members, and the Ameri can branch about 500.