The investigators then ruled out all instances of thought-transmission in which there was even the slightest muscular contact between the projector and the recipient.  They held that though there might be genuine telepathy in such cases, nevertheless, there was always the possibility of fraud or collusion, or of unconscious muscular action on the part of the projector.  They demanded absolute and actual separation of the two persons, in order that their experiments might be above suspicion.  They were wise in this, for while there is undoubtedly a psychic communication in the cases in which there is the slight physical connection between the two persons (as I shall point out to you a little further on), still the element of doubt or suspicion must be entirely eliminated from a scientific test, in order to render it valuable and valid.

They, therefore, confined their investigations in Telepathy to the two following classes, viz.:  (1) where actions are performed without physical contact with the person willing; and (2) where some number, word, or card is guessed apparently without any of the ordinary means of communication.  The investigators recognized the possibility that in the first of the above-mentioned two classes of experiments there is a possibility of suspicion of collusion, fraud, or unconscious suggestion, in the matter of the motion of the eyes of the party, or some member of it, which might be seized upon, perhaps unconsciously, by the recipient, and used to guide him to the object which was being thought of by the projector or the party.  They sought to obviate this difficulty by blindfolding the percipient, and by placing non-conductors of sound over his ears.  But, finally, they came to the conclusion that even these precautions might not prove sufficient; and, accordingly, they devoted their attention to the second class of experiments, in which all ordinary means of communication between projector and recipient were impossible.  They took the additional precautions of limiting their circle to a small number of investigators of scientific reputations, and well known to each other, always avoiding a promiscuous company for obvious reasons.

One of the earliest series of investigations by these special committees of investigators was that of the family of the Rev. A.M.  Creery, in Derbyshire, England.  The children of this family had acquired a reputation in what was known as the “guessing game,” in which one of the children, previously placed outside of the room, then returned to the room and attempted to “guess” the name or location of some object agreed upon by the party during her absence.  The results were very interesting, and quite satisfactory, and have frequently been referred to in works on the subject written since that time.  I think it well to give the results of this series of experiments in some little detail, for they form a basis for experiments on the part of those who read these lessons.