CONFESSIONS OF A MEDIUM, 1882
Curiosity now took firm hold of me, to the exclusion of every other feeling. I looked about, half expecting to see mysterious forms issue from various parts of the room. I did not like to show my ignorance regarding the procedure, so I narrowly watched the others, to see what they would do. We were sitting in a subdued light, but quite sufficient to discern each other plainly. And now, all our hands being laid on the table, close to the edge, we patiently sat for about fifteen minutes, but nothing occurred, and I began to feel a contempt for such stupid conduct...
And an almost uncontrollable desire to laugh seized me, but my fear of sounding the feelings of the courteous host and his wife fortunately prevented the explosion; and as if to assist the repression of such unseasonable merriment, just trembling on the verge of open manifestation, somebody, much to my relief, proposed that we should sing a hymn, and, while joining in the strains of “Over there,” the hidden volcano of mirth harmlessly expended itself.
Nobody could think of more than the first verse, and that not very perfectly, so we sang it over and over again until—hush! —a rap! no—a tilt! yes, the table slightly oscillated. “Are you there, kind friends?” inquired one of the sitters. A slight undulatory movement of the table, repeated three times, was given by way of response. “If you are here, please give three raps or tilts for ‘yes’, two for ‘doubtful’ or ‘don't know’, and one for ‘no’. This simple code of signals was to be our mode of communication.
(Anonymous, Confessions of a Medium).
The Victorian séance is an iconic image in current media. A group of women in high-collared dresses and men in suits sit holding hands around a circular table in a dimly lit room, chanting or singing until something happens. Whether it be the table jostling or levitating, or a person suddenly feeling overcome to speak with words that are not their own, or sticky white ectoplasm (usually cheesecloth) coming out of the medium’s eyes, mouth, and other places.
The 1882 book, Confessions of a Medium, describes one man’s descent into and disenchantment with the world of spiritualism. The anonymous author admits, “It is with no feelings of exultation or pride that I view the publication of this work… I would rather that every fraud had been a fact, and every display of faith lost in a truthful sight." Later to revealed to be English ex-medium William Chapman, he peals back the curtain to reveal the secrets and tricks used by mediums to create increasingly fantastic spectacles for their clients. Confessions of a Medium would have attracted both supporters and opponents of spiritualism at the height of its public debate, with its graphic cover and provocative title. Even books like this one that rescinded spiritualism were essential for the popularity of the movement.
Although spiritual beliefs and practices varied enormously, the key to a successful séance was almost always a medium. Not everyone was as susceptible to spiritual energies or communication from the other world, although how one determined this is rather unclear. Particularly, people viewed young women as the most convincing and trustful mediums because their minds were especially mouldable and passive.
Several of the most famous mediums from the era were unmarried women who could travel and make money independently. Not to mention they could speak their mind on politics and current issues under the guise of channeling a male spirit.
Of course, anyone could claim or convince others they possessed the ability to conduct spiritual energies through their bodies like electricity. All most as soon as the phenomena began, researchers started to look for ways to channel these spiritual energies from mediums into other devices. It was the ability itself that made them valuable, not the person. In one message received by the prominent French medium Allan Kardec, he relayed that the medium’s purpose “is that of an electric machine, which transmits telegraphic dispatches from one point of the earth to another far distant. So, when we wish to dictate a communication, we act on the medium as the telegraph operator on his instruments."