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Show LYTTON BEFORE CONAN DOYLE Early-Victorian Novelist a Student of the Occult Something Like a Century Ago. Bulwer-Lytton, the eccentric, preceded pre-ceded Sir Connn Doyle by more thnn ; half a century In the field of letters to the regions of the occult. Snys an old copy of Blackwood's Mtignzlno, quoted In the Detroit News: "Occult studies, comprising the mnglc ancient times as well as the aptrltunlisin of the present, had a great charm for Mm, and he entered en-tered on them with the enrntstness which marked the pursuit of less toys-. toys-. terlous knowledge. He dived Into wle- ard lore, equipped himself with magical mag-ical Instruments, rods for transmitting Influence, and crystal balls In which to dlnctn coming scenes and persons, - and communed with mediums and silr ltuallsts. There enn be little dnuht, whatever fnlth he might have In particular par-ticular manifestations, he believed In certain occult powers of nature, to deal with which Is the object of these mysterious mys-terious arts. On more thnn one occasion occa-sion we have known, him to tlllnte on such themes with grent copiousness of knowledge and apparent truthfulness In the reality of the marvels." |
