The Electric ChildSeveral newspapers reproduced the following fact:
The village of Saint-Urban, on the limits of the Loire and the Ardèche, is in turmoil. Strange things are happening there, we are
told. Some attribute them to the devil, others see the finger of God in them, marking one of his privileged creatures with the seal of predestination.
In two words, here it is what it is about, says the
Loire Memorial:
“About two weeks ago, in this hamlet, a child was born who, as soon as he entered the world, manifested the most astonishing virtues, the most singular properties, as scholars would say. Barely baptized, it became impalpable and intangible! Intangible, not like the sensitive, but like a Leiden jar[1] charged with electricity, which one cannot touch without feeling a sharp concussion. Besides, it is bright! Shiny emanations escape from all its extremities, at times, making it look like a firefly."As the baby develops and strengthens, these curious phenomena are produced with more energy and intensity. Even new ones are produced. It is said, for example, that on certain days, when a small object is taken close to the child's hands or feet, such as a spoon, a knife, a cup, even a plate, these utensils are taken by a sudden shudder and vibration that nothing can explain.It is particularly in the evening and at night that these extraordinary facts are accentuated in the sleep as in the wake state. Sometimes then, - and this is a prodigy, - the cradle seems to be filled with a whitish clarity, like that beautiful phosphorescence in the sea water in the wake of ships, and that science has not completely explained yet.However, the child does not seem inconvenienced by the manifestations in any form or shape, of which that little person is the mysterious theater. He breast-feeds, sleeps and is doing very well, and he is neither less weeping nor more impatient than his peers. He has two younger brothers aged four to five, who were born and live in the manner of the most common kids.Let us add that the parents, brave farmers, the husband close to his forties, the wife to her thirties, are the least electric and least luminous couple in the world. They only shine in their honesty, and the care with which they raise their small family.The parish priest of the neighboring commune was called, who declared, after a long examination, that he did not understand anything at all; then the surgeon who touched, retouched, turned, auscultated, examined, and tapped the patient, not willing to clearly pronounce in the case, but who prepares a scientific report to the Academy, that will be talked about in the medical world.A rascal man of the region, there are some everywhere, sniffing a good little speculation there, offered to rent the child at the rate of 200 francs per month "to show him off in fairs". It is a great deal to the parents. But the father and mother naturally want to accompany such a precious son - at 2 francs a day - and that condition still precludes the conclusion of the deal.The correspondent who gives us these strange details certifies 'on his honor' that they are the most accurate truth, and he was careful enough to have his letter signed off by "the four largest owners in the region."***No Spiritist, certainly, will see in this fact anything supernatural or miraculous. It is a purely physical phenomenon, a variant in form of that presented by the so-called electric people. It is known that some animals, such as the torpedo and the gymnite, have similar properties.
Here is the instruction given on this subject by one of the instructor guides of the Parisian Society.
“
As we have often told you, the most singular phenomena multiply every day to attract the attention of science; the child in question is therefore an instrument, but he was only chosen for this purpose because of the situation that was created in his past. However eccentric it may be in appearance, any phenomenon produced on an incarnate, it always has as its immediate cause the intelligent and moral situation of that incarnate, and a relationship with his past, since all existences are solidary. It is a subject of study, no doubt, for those who witness it, but secondarily. It is a trial or an atonement, especially to the one who is the subject. There is therefore the material fact that is the responsibility of science, and the moral cause that belongs to Spiritism.But you might say, how can such a state be a trial for a child of such age? For the child certainly not, but for the Spirit who has no age, the trial is certain."Finding himself in an exceptional situation while incarnate, surrounded by a physical halo that is only a mask, but that in the eyes of some people may go as a sign of holiness or predestination, the Spirit, released during his sleep, prides himself on the impression that he produces. He was a thaumaturge of a particular kind, who spent his last existence playing a holy character amid the prodigies he had exercised to accomplish, and who wanted to continue his role in this existence. To attract respect and veneration, he wanted 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 alone.As for the phenomenon itself, it is certain that it will have little duration; science must therefore rush if it wants to study it first-hand;
but science will do nothing about it, afraid of encountering embarrassing difficulties; it will be satisfied with considering the child as a human electric-fish.”Dr. Morel Lavallée.”
[1] The Leyden (or Leiden jar) is a device for storing
static electricity, first appearing around 1745. It is large glass bottle, usually lined on both the inside and the outside with some type of metal foil. Some of the early ones had water inside. They allow the experimenter to collect a large amount of
charge. They are the first form of electrical storage. These methods are known today as ‘
condensers’ or '
capacitors'. Source:
Wikipedia (T.N.)
