The Coming Science in Bloomington, MN

Mr. Hereward Carrington is favorably known as the author of a work on "The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism," a book devoted chiefly to exposing the methods by which fraudulent spiritistic mediums prey on their credulous patrons. He now returns to the subject of spiritism in "The Coming Science," a volume made up of a number of miscellaneous essays on the problems and theories of psychical research, which he believes will be, or at all events ought to be, the principal object of scientific inquiry in the twentieth century. Certainly the opening years of the century have seen a growth of interest in psychical research on the part of men of science, particularly physicists and psychologists. But the great majority of scientists still hold aloof, and it may well be doubted whether such a book as Mr. Carrington's "The Coming Science" will serve to enlist them in sympathetic co-operation. It lays too much stress on the alleged necessity for proving life after death as the main motive of psychical investigation. And it betrays a too obvious tendency to regard such proof as having been already obtained. In his preface, to be sure, Mr. Carrington disclaims advocacy of any particular theory or hypothesis. But in his discussion of the Piper case, if nowhere else, he allows it to become quite evident that he is among those who accept the spiritistic hypothesis as the only one adequate to explain all the facts.
Moreover, he lapses at times into a carelessness of thought as well as expression which will scarcely strengthen his plea to the man of science. Thus, in examining the telepathic hypothesis, he agrees with Professor Hyslop in insisting that telepathy is not an explanation of anything whatever, but at once goes on to state his belief that telepathy "explains many... supernormal phenomena which are hardly explicable by any other means—short of invoking some sort of spiritism." This much by way of criticism. It should be added that, regarding the book not as an appeal to the incredulous scientist but as a brief exposition of the nature, problems, and theories of psychical research, it affords a helpful introduction to the reading of more elaborate works, such as those of Myers and Podmore, dealing with the subject in detail.
–The Outlook, Vol. 91