Relic on the Lethe

Some of the most interesting news tidbits are the ones, like Yellow Fever Feathers , that are presented as throwaway asides to fill out columns in a newspaper. I came across another one of these strange, out of context remarks in the Courier Record, May 6, 1932 : London—Sir Oliver Lodge, octogenarian scientist, testified in court that he had talked with his son, Raymond, after the latter had been killed in the World War. This brief sentence packs in loads of information ripe for speculation. Let's try to find some facts! Sir Oliver Lodge was a British physicist, best known for his work in radio and electromagnetic radiation. At the time of this news brief, we would have been in his early eighties, which confirms the court appearance mentioned above was a contemporary occurrence. He did have a son named Raymond, who was killed in World War I.  The first thought, given these twin streams of ideas, is that Lodge may have been continuing his work in radio on the spiritual side, perhap