Salaried somnambulists.

One of our correspondents writes to us apropos of our last article on mercenary mediums, asking whether our observations also apply to salaried somnambulists.

If we wish to go back to the origin of the phenomenon, we shall see that, although the somnambulist may be considered as a variety of medium, he is a different case from the medium properly speaking. Indeed, the latter receives his communications from foreign Spirits, who may come or not, according to the circumstances or the sympathies they encounter. The somnambulist, on the contrary, acts by himself. It is his own Spirit that detaches itself from matter and sees more or less well, according as the detachment is more or less complete. It is true that the somnambulist finds himself in contact with other Spirits who assist him more or less willingly, by reason of their sympathies; but, definitively, it is his Spirit that sees and can, up to a certain point, dispose of itself, without others having anything to repeat and without their concurrence being indispensable. From this it results that the somnambulist who seeks a material compensation, at the cost of an effort sometimes great, arising from the exercise of his faculty, does not have to overcome the same susceptibilities as the medium, who is merely an instrument. Besides, it is known that somnambulistic lucidity develops through exercise. Now, he who makes of it an exclusive occupation acquires the more facility the more things he sees, with which he ends by identifying himself, as also with certain special terms that come back more easily to his memory. In a word, he becomes familiar with that state which, so to speak, becomes his normal state: nothing surprises him any longer. The facts, moreover, are there to prove with what readiness and with what clarity they can see, whence we conclude that the remuneration paid to certain somnambulists does not constitute an obstacle to the development of their lucidity.

To this an objection is made. Since lucidity is often variable and depends on fortuitous causes, it is asked whether the attraction of profit could not induce the somnambulist to feign that lucidity, even when it was lacking to him, through fatigue or other cause, an inconvenience that does not occur when there is no interest at stake. This is true; we answer, however, by saying that everything has its bad side. Everything can be abused and everywhere fraud insinuates itself it is necessary to discredit it. The somnambulist who acted thus would be lacking in loyalty, which, unfortunately, is also found among those who do not sleep. With a little practice we can perceive it easily, and it would be difficult to deceive an experienced observer for long. In this, as in all things, the essential is to assure ourselves of the degree of confidence merited by the person to whom we address ourselves. If the non-salaried somnambulist does not offer this inconvenience, it must not be supposed that his lucidity is infallible; like any other, he may be mistaken, if he is in poor conditions. In this respect experience is the best guide. In sum, we extol no one. We have come to observe notable services by some and by others. Our object was only to prove that one can find good somnambulists under one and under the other of those conditions. [1] [How the question of sensitives who professionally exploit their extrasensory faculties is viewed by Allan Kardec and what degree of confidence they merit.]