A CHALLENGE TO KEELY.
Two or three of our esteemed contemporaries in Philadelphia deny that the Mahatmas have taken lodgings in that city. They were there, however a few months ago, and we understand that they have not departed. If our friends in Philadelphia are really in doubt as to the presence of Koot Hoomi and Morya, they do know that Keely and his motor can still be found in their town, and we observe that the rejection of Koot and Morya by Chicago when brokers and certain other adepts has been followed by an attempt on the part of the editor of Electricity to annoy Keely and bring his powers into disrepute. Referring to an article recently published, in which the Philadelphia inventor proposes that his motor shall be subjected to certain tests, Electricity says:
"We will undertake to repeat, without recourse to other than well-known physical agencies, every phenomenon which Mr. Keely will produce by his so-called newly discovered force or agencies. To enable us to do this, we ask no especial privileges within the arcana of Keely's workshop. We ask only to be permitted to see the experiments performed as he will show them to other experts, in order that we may know the task that is before us. If Mr. Keely will give us this opportunity, we will agree to repeat everything which he does, before the same committee of experts, provided that they are men of recognized standing in the scientific world, within sixty days."
We do not see why Keely should consent to have his, extremely fine and ethereal force measured by comparison with ordinary and vulgar physical agencies, for we have come to believe that he is a prudent and saving man, but his faithful friends should be tempted by this opportunity to put a bold unbeliever to shame. If, as we suspect, Keely has one of the Mahatmas concealed in the recesses of his ponderous machinery, the failure of his enemy is a foregone conclusion." [The New York Times, June 14, 1895]
See Also