The electric child.

— Several newspapers reproduced the following fact:

The little village of Saint-Urbain, on the borders of the Loire and the Ardèche, is in an uproar. We are written that strange things are happening there. Some attribute them to the devil, others see in them the finger of God, marking with the seal of predestination one of His privileged creatures.

Here in a few words, says the Memorial de la Loire, is what it is about:

“About a fortnight ago there was born in this village a child who, from its entrance into the world, has manifested the most admirable virtues, the learned would say the most singular properties. Scarcely baptized, it became impalpable and intangible! Intangible, not like the sensitive plant, but in the manner of a Leyden jar charged with electricity, which one cannot touch without feeling a sharp shock. And, moreover, it is luminous! From its extremities there escape, at times, brilliant effluvia, which make it resemble a firefly. “As the infant develops and grows stronger, these curious phenomena become accentuated with more energy and intensity. New ones even occur. It is told, for example, that on certain days, when some object of small size, such as a spoon, a knife, a cup, even a plate, is brought near the child's hands and feet, these utensils are seized with a subtle shuddering and vibration, which nothing can explain.

“It is particularly in the late afternoon and at night that these extraordinary facts become accentuated, both in the state of sleep and in waking. At times, then – and here it borders on the prodigious – the cradle seems to fill with a whitish brightness, similar to those beautiful phosphorescences that the waters of the sea take on in the wake of ships, and which Science has not yet perfectly explained.

“And yet, the little boy does not seem at all troubled by the manifestations of which his minuscule person is the mysterious theater. He nurses, sleeps, fares very well, and is neither more given to crying nor more impatient than his fellows. He has two little brothers of four and five years, who were born and live in the manner of the most ordinary little ones.

“It should be added that the parents, simple farmers, the husband nearly forty years old and the wife approaching thirty, are the least electric and least luminous spouses in the world. They shine only by their honesty and the care with which they raise the little family.

“They called the curate of the neighboring commune, who declared, after long examination, that he understood absolutely nothing of it; then the surgeon, who palpated, palpated again, turned, turned over, auscultated and percussed the patient, without wishing to pronounce himself clearly, but who is preparing a learned report to the Academy, of which there will be talk in the medical world.

“A shrewd fellow of the region, and there are such everywhere, scenting therein a nice little speculation, proposed to rent the child at the rate of 200 fr. per month, to show it at the fairs. It is a fine business for the parents. But, naturally, the father and mother wish to accompany so precious a son – at 2 francs per day – and this condition still prevents the conclusion of the deal.

“The correspondent who gives us these strange details certifies to us, “upon his honor,” that they are the most exact truth and that he took care to have his letter subscribed by the four largest landowners of the region.”

— Certainly no Spiritist will see in this fact anything supernatural or miraculous. It is a purely physical phenomenon, a variant, as to form, of that presented by persons called electric. It is known that certain animals, such as the electric ray and the gymnotus, have analogous properties.

Here is the instruction given on the subject by one of the instructing guides of the Society of Paris:

“As we have frequently said, the most singular phenomena multiply day by day, to draw the attention of Science. The little boy in question is, then, an instrument, but he was chosen for that effect only by virtue of the situation created in his past. However eccentric, in appearance, any phenomenon may be, produced in an incarnate being, it always has as its immediate cause the intelligent and moral situation of that incarnate being and a relation with his antecedents, since all existences are interdependent. Without doubt it is a subject of study for those who witness it, but secondarily. It is, above all, for him who is its object, a trial or an expiation. There is, then, the material fact, which is within the province of Science, and the moral cause, which belongs to Spiritism. “But, you will object, how can such a state be a trial for a child of that age? For the child, no, surely, but for the Spirit, which has no age, the trial is certain.

“Finding himself, as an incarnate being, in an exceptional situation, surrounded by a physical halo, which is nothing but a mask, but which ought to pass in the eyes of certain people as a sign of sanctity or of predestination, freed during sleep, the Spirit takes pride in the impression he produces. He was a thaumaturge of a particular kind, who passed his last existence representing a holy personage, amid the prodigies which he had trained himself to perform, and who wished to continue his role in this existence. To attract respect and veneration, he wished to be born, as a child, in exceptional conditions. If he lives, he will be a false prophet of the future, and he will not be the only one. “As for the phenomenon in itself, it is certain that it will be of short duration. Science must, then, hasten, if it wishes to study it de visu; but it will do nothing, fearful of encountering embarrassing difficulties. It will content itself with regarding the little boy as a human electric ray.”

Dr. Morel Lavallée.