Practical

MindReading

By

William Walker
Atkinson
 Practical Mind Reading

LESSON I.

THE NATURE OF MIND READING.

Only a few years ago the general public was in almost total ignorance of the great truth
of Thought Transference, Thought Projection, Telepathy, or Mind Reading. It is true
that here and there were to be found a few scientists earnestly investigating and eagerly
uncovering the hidden truths concerning the subjects. But the mass of the people were
either entirely ignorant of the subject, or else were intensely skeptical of any thing
concerning the matter, laughing to scorn the daring thinker who ventured to express his
interest or belief in this great scientific phenomena.

But how different today. On all hands we hear of the wonders of Thought Transference,
or Telepathy, as it is called. Scientific men write and teach of its fascinating
manifestations, and even the general public has heard much of the new science and
believes more or less in it, according to the degree of intelligence and knowledge
concerning the subject possessed by the individual. Listen to these words from the lips
of some of the greatest scientists of the day.

Prof. William James, the eminent instructor at Harvard University, says: "When from
our present advanced standpoint we look back upon the past stages of human thought,
whether it be scientific thought or theological thought, we are amazed that a universe
which appears to us of so vast and mysterious a complication should ever have seemed
to anyone so little and plain a thing. Whether it be Descartes' world or Newton's;
whether it be that of the Materialists of the last century, or that of the Bridgewater
treatises of our own, it is always the same to usincredibly perspectiveless and short.
Even Lyell's, Faraday's, Mill's and Darwin's consciousness of their respective subjects
are already beginning to put on an infantile and innocent look." These remarks are
doubly significant by reason of their having been made by Prof. James as the president
of the "Society for Psychical Research."

The eminent English scientist, Sir William Crookes, in his address as president of the
Royal Society, at Bristol, England, a few years ago, said: "Were I now introducing for the
first time these inquiries to the world of science, I should choose a starting point
different from that of old, where we formerly began. It would be well to begin with
telepathy; with the fundamental law, as I believe it to be, that thoughts and images may
be transferred from one mind to another without the agency of the recognized organs of
sensethat knowledge may enter the human mind without being communicated in any
hitherto known or recognized ways. Although the inquiry has elicited important facts
with reference to the mind, it has not yet reached the scientific stage of certainty which
would enable it to be usefully brought before one of our sections. I will therefore confine
myself to pointing out the direction in which scientific investigation can legitimately
advance. If telepathy take place, we have two physical factsthe physical change in the
brain of A. the suggestor, and the analogous physical change in the brain of B. the
recipient of the suggestion. Between these two physical events there must exist a train of
physical causes. Whenever the connecting sequence of intermediate causes begins to be
revealed, the inquiry will then come within the range of one of the sections of the British
Association. Such a sequence can only occur through an intervening medium. All the
phenomena of the Universe are presumably in some way continuous, and it is
unscientific to call in the aid of mysterious agencies when with every fresh advance in
knowledge, it is shown that ether vibrations have powers and attributes abundantly
equal to any demandeven the transmission of thought."

Prof. Crookes then went on to say: "It is supposed by some physiologists that the
essential cells of nerves do not actually touch, but are separated by a narrow gap which
widens in sleep while it nar rows almost to extinction during mental activity. This
condition is so singularly like that of a Branly or Lodge coherer (a device which has led
Marconi to the discovery of wireless telegraphy) as to suggest a further analogy. The
structure of brain and nerve being similar, it is conceivable that there may be present
masses of such nerve coherers in the brain whose special function it may be to receive
impulses brought from without through the connecting sequence of ether waves of
appropriate order of magnitude. Roentgen has familiarized us with an order of
vibrations of extreme minuteness compared with the smallest waves of which we have
hitherto been acquainted, and of dimensions comparable with the distances between the
centers of the atoms of which the material universe is built up; and there is no reason for
believing that we have here reached the limit of frequency. It is known that the action of
thought is accompanied by certain molecular movements in the brain, and here we have
physical vibrations capable from their extreme minuteness of acting direct upon
individual molecules, while their rapidity approaches that of the internal and external
movements of the atoms themselves."

A formidable range of phenomena must be scientifically sifted before we effectually

grasp a faculty so strange, so bewildering, and for ages so inscrutable, as the direct
action of mind on mind. It has been said that nothing worth the proving can be proved,
nor yet disproved. True this may have been in the past, it is true no longer. The science
of our century has forged weapons of observation and analysis by which the veriest tyro
may profit. Science has trained and fashioned the average mind into habits of exactitude
and disciplined perception, and in so doing has fortified itself for tasks higher, wider
and incomparably more wonderful than even the wisest among our ancestors imagined.
Like the souls in Plato's myth that follow the chariot of Zeus, it has ascended to a point
of vision far above the earth. It is henceforth open to science to transcend all we now
think we know of matter, and to gain new glimpses of a profounder scheme of Cosmic
Law. In old Egyptian days a wellknown inscription was carved over the portal of the
Temple of Isis: 'I am whatever has been, is, or ever will be; and my veil no man hath yet
lifted.' Not thus do modern seekers after truth confront Naturethe word that stands for
the baffling mysteries of the Universe. Steadily, unflinchingly, we strive to pierce the
inmost heart of Nature, from what she is, to reconstruct what she has been, and to
prophesy what she yet shall be. Veil after veil we have lifted, and her face grows more
beautiful, august and wonderful with every barrier that is withdrawn.

Camille Flamarrion, the eminent French astron omer, is a believer in Thought

Transference and Mind Reading, and has written the following expression of his
convictions on this subject: "We sum up, therefore, our preceding observations by the
conclusion that one mind can act at a distance upon another, without the habitual
medium of words, or any other visible means of communication. It appears to us
altogether unreasonable to reject this conclusion if we accept the facts. There is nothing
unscientific, nothing romantic, in admitting that an idea can influence the brain from a
distance. The action of one human being upon another, from a distance is a scientific
fact; it is as certain as the existence of Paris, of Napoleon, of Oxygen, or of Sirius." The
same authority has also said "There can be no doubt that our psychical force creates a
movement of the ether, which transmits itself afar like all movements of ether and
becomes perceptible to brains in harmony with our own. The transformation of a
psychic action into an ethereal movement, and the reverse, may be analogous to what
takes place on a telephone, where the receptive plate, which is identical with the plate at
the other end, reconstructs the sonorous movement transmitted, not by means of sound,
but by electricity."

We have quoted at length from this eminent authority to show once and for all that this
great science of MINDREADING is recognized, and ap proved of by the highest
authorities on Modern Science, and also to give our students the benefit of the current
scientific theories upon the subject. In this work we have but very little to say about
theory, but shall confine ourselves to facts, and actual instruction.

Science knows and has proven that thoughts may be and have been transmitted from
one mind to another, in some cases over thousands of miles of space, but it has not as
yet solved the mystery of the "Why" of the subject, and contents itself with explaining
the "How." The nearest approach to a correct theory seems to be the one which
compares the mind with the "wireless telegraph," and which supposes that the
vibrations of thought travel through the ether, just as do the waves of this high order of
electricity. The mind of one person acts like a "transmitter" of the wireless telegraph,
while the mind of the other acts as a "receiver" of the same set of instruments.

There are undoubtedly vibrations set up in the brain when one thinks, and there are
undoubtedly waves of thought just as there are waves of electricity. Science informs us
that there is an increase of temperature in the human brain during periods of
thoughtactivity, and also that there are constant chemical changes in the structure going
on when the brain cells are active. This is akin to the gener ation of electricity in a
battery, and undoubtedly acts in the same way in producing vibrations, and transmitting
them to the brain of another. Sir William Crookes, in the address just quoted, points out
the direction of the scientific theories concerning the matter. But, this is all that we shall
have to say about the theory of Mind Reading. We shall now pass on to the actual
practical instruction. The student is asked, however, to always carry in his mind the fact
that Mind travels in waves from one brain to another just as electricity travels from the
Transmitter to the Receiver. By holding this picture in your mind, you will have the
whole practical theory, in condensed form, right before you, so that you may be able to
act accordingly.
 LESSON II.

THE PROOFS OF MIND READING.

As we have said in the previous chapter, the general public is gradually awakening to the
knowledge of the reality of Mental Transference, and it is scarcely necessary to devote
the time and space to a proof of the reality of the phenomena in these days, although a
few years ago a work on the subject would have had to be composed principally of
evidences and proofs. But, nevertheless, it may be well for us to take a hasty look at the
nature of the proof in this work.

Nearly everyone has had evidences of Mind Reading or Thought Transference in his or
her own life. Nearly every one has had experiences of being in a person's company when
one of the two would make a remark and the other, somewhat startled, would exclaim,
"Why, that's just what I was going to say," or words to that effect. Nearly every one has
had experiences of knowing what a second person was going to say before the person
spoke. And, likewise common is the experience of thinking of a person a few moments
before the person came into sight. Many of us have suddenly found ourselves thinking of
a person who had been out of our minds for months, or years, when all of a sudden the
per son himself would appear. These instances are so common as to be generally
recognized, without question. These occurrences have given rise to the two common
"sayings," viz., "Speak of the devil and his imps appear," or "Speak of angels and you
hear the rustle of their wings."

Mark Twain, in an article printed several years ago, spoke of a plan that he had
frequently practiced, i.e., that of writing a letter to a person upon some subject, then
addressing the envelope and inserting the letter, and then tearing the whole thing into
pieces instead of sending it. He stated that in a large percentage of such cases he would
receive within a short time a letter from the person to whom the destroyed letter had
been addressed, answering the questions asked, or else speaking along the same lines as
those of the destroyed letter. We have known of this experiment being tried on people
thousands of miles away from the writer, and also in cases in which the other person
had not been heard of for many years. There is a field open for experiment along these
lines which some of our students might investigate with profit and satisfaction.

Perhaps the best available evidence of Mind Reading at the disposal of the public today
is that found in the records of the English Society for Psychical Research. The
experiments of the members of this Society and other investigators have resulted in the
piling up of a mass of facts more than sufficient to fully establish the correctness of the
theory of Mind Reading. Series of carefully managed experiments have been conducted,
the results of which have conclusively proven that the thoughtwaves set into motion by
the mind of one person may be consciously received by the mind of another. We shall
quote here from the reports of those investigators, in order to show you the important
results that have been obtained, and to set at rest forever any lurking doubts as to the
reality of the phenomena which may still find lodgment in your mind. Remember,
please, that these committees were composed of some of the leading scientific
authorities of Englandmen whose standing and reliability, as well as whose judgment,
was beyond question. These cases form a part of the scientific records of the English
Society.

THE CREERY EXPERIMENTS.

One of the interesting series of experiments conducted by members of the English

Society was that of the family of the Rev. A.M. Creery, of Derbyshire, England. This
investigation was made upon hearing the report of the Rev. Mr. Creery regarding a
number of experiments he had conducted with his four children. He reported that he
had begun by practicing a variation of what is generally known as the "willing game", in
which one of the party leaves the room, and the company selects some object to be
hidden, after which the person is recalled to the room when the company concentrates
its mind upon the hidden object, and the seeker eventually finds it by means of Mind
Reading. The reverend gentleman said in his report to the Society:

"We began by selecting the simplest objects in the room; then chose names of towns,
people, dates, cards out of a pack, lines from different poems, etc., any thing or series of
ideas that those present could keep before the mind steadily. The children seldom made
a mistake. I have seen seventeen cards chosen by myself, named right in succession
without any mistake. We soon found that a great deal depended upon the steadiness
with which the ideas were kept before the minds of the thinkers, and upon the energy
with which they willed the ideas to pass. I may say that this faculty is not confined to the
members of one family; it is much more general than we imagine. To verify this
conclusion I invited two of a neighbor's children to join us in our experiment, and very
excellent results we secured from them."

The Society then began a series of careful investigations extending over a period of one
year. The utmost care was taken to obviate the chance of fraud, collusion, mistakes, or
outside influences. The experiments were conducted partly in Mr. Creery's house and
partly in rooms selected by the members of the investigating committee. Having
selected at random one of the children, the child would be taken from the room and
accompanied by a member of the committee would wait out of sight or hearing of the
room. The remainder of the committee would then select a card from a pack, or else
write down a name or number which occurred to them at the moment. The following
verbatim report of what followed will give you an idea of the results generally obtained.
The report goes on to say:

"On reentering the room the little girl would usually stand with her face to the wall,
placed thus by us. But sometimes she would stand with her eyes directed toward the
ground for a period of silence varying from a few seconds to a minute, till she called out
to us some number, card or what it might be." The report states that in the case of giving
the names of objects chosen, the child scored six cases out of fourteen. In the case of
naming of small objects held in the hands of members of the committee, she scored five
out of six. In the case of naming cards she scored six out of thirteen. In the case of
stating fictitious names chosen by the committee she scored, at a first trial, five out of
ten.

One of the experiments is reported as follows:

"One of the children was sent into an adjoining room, the door of which was closed. The
committee then thought of some object in the house and wrote the name down on
paper. The strictest silence was observed. We then all silently thought of the name of the
thing selected. In a few seconds the door of the adjoining room opened, and the child
would appear generally with the object selected. No one was allowed to leave the room
after the object had been fixed upon; no communication with the child was conceivable,
as her place was often changed. Further, the only instructions given to the child were to
fetch some object in the house that we would fix upon and would keep in mind to the
exclusion of all other ideas. In this way we wrote down, among other things, a
hairbrushit was brought; an orangeit was brought; a wineglassit was brought; an appleit
was brought," etc., etc.

The report to the Society sums up the following results: Three hundred and eightytwo
trials were made in the series. In the test of naming the chosen letters of the alphabet,
cards, and numbers of two figures, the chances against the girl were to , to , and to ,
respectively. In the case of stating chosen surnames the odds against her were very
much in excess of the figures just named. In the cases of the experiments of naming
chosen cards it was calculated that a mere "guesser," according to the law of probability,
would be able to correctly name but seven and onethird out of a total of the three
hundred and eightytwo trials. The actual results obtained by the child were as follows:
On the first attempt, one hundred and twentyseven; on the second attempt, fiftysix
additional; and on the third attempt, nineteen additionalmaking a grand total of two
hundred and two successes out of a possible three hundred and eightytwo! On one
occasion five cards straight running were successfully named on a first trial. The
mathematical chances of a mere "guess" doing this feat, under the Law of Average, or
Probabilities, are estimated at over a million to one against the chance. And this was not
merely an isolated, exceptional case, for there were other "long runs"; for instance, there
were two cases in which runs of eight straight consecutive successes were scored, once
with names, and once with cards. In the case of the eight consecutive cards it has been
figured that the chances against the girl would figure up at least ,, to , according to the
Law of Average and Probabilities. To understand just what this means it may help you if
you will think that the feat was like picking out one chosen man in a population of one
hundred and forty millions, nearly double the population of the United States. And yet
there are people who would dismiss matters like this with the remark, "mere
coincidence"!

The interest in the Creery children attracted the notice of Prof. Balfour Stewart, LL.D.,
and Fellow of the Royal Society. This distinguished gentleman testifies as follows:

"In the first instance, when I was present, the thoughtreader was outside a door. The
object or thing thought of was written on paper and silently handed to the company in
the room. The thoughtreader was then called in, and in the course of perhaps a minute
the answer was given. Definite objects in the room, for instance, were first thought of,
and in the majority of cases the answers were correct. These numbers were thought of
and the answers were generally right, but, of course, there were some cases of error. The
names of towns were thought of, and a good many of these were right. Then fancy
names were thought of. I was asked to think of certain fancy names and mark them
down and hand them around to the company. I then thought of, and wrote on paper,
'Bluebeard,' 'Tom Thumb,' 'Cinderella,' and the answers were all correct."

Subsequent experiments with the Creery children, at the house of the well known
investigator, Mr. F.W.H. Myers, at Cambridge, England, proved equally successful. The
children, and their ages, were as follows: Mary, ; Alice, ; Maud, . The percentage of
successes obtained at Mr. Myers' house tallied very well with those obtained elsewhere.
One remarkable result was obtained, though, that had not been obtained before. On one
occasion the child was asked to name the "suit" of cards chosen one after another. That
is, of course, the child was asked to name which suit, "hearts," "diamonds," "clubs" or
"spades," were shown of the card drawn and seen by the committee, and then thought
of. On this occasion the child scored a run of fourteen straight running, consecutive
successes. The chances against this success were ,, to .

We will close by mentioning another remarkable series of experiments conducted by the

same Society. The Mind Reader was M.G.A. Smith, of England. Among other startling
feats successfully performed by Mr. Smith, that of the reproduction of Geometrical
Figures was perhaps the most remarkable. In this feat Mr. Smith sat blindfolded, in a
room belonging to the committee, with a pad of paper before him and a member of the
committee on each side of him. A selected member of the committee then would go
outside of the room, and behind a closed door would draw some geometrical figure at
random. Returning to the room the figure would be shown to the committee, and also
to Mr. Douglas Blackburn, who acted as the Transmitter for Mr. Smith, the latter being
known as the Receiver. The Transmitter, with closed eyes, now took his position
immediately back of Mr. Smith, but at a distance of two feet from him, no contact being
allowed, this precaution being taken to obviate charges of confederacy, etc. The
Transmitter would then concentrate his mind intently for a few minutes, and in a short
time Mr. Smith would receive the impression of the mental image in the mind of the
Transmitter, and would begin to attempt to reproduce it on paper. In the series of
experiments running over a period of four days thirtyseven drawings were made, of
which only eight were considered unsuccessful. Twentynine successes out of a possible
thirtyseven, remember.

The committee reports that it took all the precaution to guard against secret signals, etc.,
and that confederacy, fraud, collusion, or similar methods were out of the question. The
eight cases of failure consisted of four cases in which Mr. Smith received no impression,
and therefore could not reproduce the drawing; and four cases in which the drawing was
so vague and imperfect as to be called a total failure. Some of the figures were grotesque,
unusual, and complicated, but all were reproduced in a more or less perfect manner.
The drawing was made deliberately and without hesitation, and as if Smith had actually
seen the figure shown to the Transmitter a few moments before. On one occasion, in
order to be doubly guarded against collusion, they closed Mr. Smith's ears with putty,
tied a bandage around his eyes and ears, pulled a bolstercase over his head, and then
covered him all over with a blanket which completely enveloped his body and head. And
under these extraordinary conditions he reproduced the figures with his usual success.

We could proceed relating case after case, experiment after experiment, conducted by
these scientific bodies of learned and careful men. But the story would be no more
convincing than that related above. And, after all, there is a method of satisfying
yourself that is far more conclusive than the reading of any results of experiments of
othersand that is to learn to perform the feats of Mind Reading yourself. By means of a
very little practice you will be able to reproduce many of the demonstrations of the
public performers, as well as the experiments of the scientific societies, and then when
you have realized that you can do these things you will need no further proof of the
reality of the science of Mind Reading.
 LESSON III.

"CONTACT" MIND READING.

Mind Reading is divided by the authorities into two general classes, viz., "Contact" Mind
Reading and "Telepathic" Mind Reading.
The first of these classes, "Contact" Mind Reading, is demonstrated by physical contact
between the Transmitter (or active agent) and the Receiver (or passive agent) in order to
afford an easy channel for the passage of the vibrations, thoughtwaves, nervecurrents, or
magnetism of the Transmitter (according to the several theories favored by scientists).
The second class, "Telepathic" Mind Reading, is demonstrated by the transferral of the
"waves," "vibrations," "currents," or "magnetism" of the Transmitter to the Receiver
over the ether, through space (often for thousands of miles) without the more
convenient "wires" of the nerves of the two agents.

You will readily see that two classes of phenomena closely resemble the two classes of
telegraphic phenomena, i.e., the "wire" system and the "wireless" system. There is a
striking analogy between electric phenomena and mental force phenomena all the way
through the subject, and this subject of Mind Reading is simply one of the many forms
of the resemblance.

We shall begin by giving you instructions in the first formContact Mind Reading, as it is
the simplest and most easy of accomplishment and demonstration. And besides, the
best Telepathists have been trained by means of the practice of Contact Mind Reading at
the start. One leads to the other, just as the ordinary wire telegraph naturally led to the
"wireless" system, which is even now but in its infancy.

At this point we wish to point out to you a most grievous error, and unjust judgment,
that certain socalled scientists and investigators have fallen into regarding this matter of
Contact Mind Reading. In order to give you a clearer idea of the nature of this error, we
must call your attention to the fact that Contact Mind Reading has been given much
publicity through the advertisements and performances of several celebrated public
performers, and their lesserlight imitators.

These performers, like many others, have sought to give an attractive public
entertainment rather than a scientific demonstration, and some of them have found it
much easier to "fake" some of the demonstrations rather than to perform them
according to scientific principles. And the careful investigators soon discovered that in
certain cases there was no Mind Reading at all, but only a clever imitation which was
styled "Muscle Reading." In other words, instead of the performer receiving his mental
impressions from the mind of the Transmitter, over the nervous system of other
persons, he would push up against him, and by a clever system of pushing, pulling,
leading, and leaning would detect the muscular movements of the Transmitter, and by
careful practice would learn to interpret these movements so as to get an indication of
the location of the hidden objects and practically be led or pushed toward the spot. But
even in these cases, the performer would of necessity have to employ more or less
genuine Contact Mind Reading to finish the feats. The only advantage the performer
gained by resorting to these unfair methods was that it was less fatiguing to his mind
and enabled him to "fake" through the performance with less mental wear and tear.

The investigators, easily discovering the above mentioned "faking" performances, came
to the conclusion that the whole thing was a "fake," and could be explained by the
"muscle reading" theory entirely. And so the news was spread broadcast, and you will
find a number of books written explaining Contact Mind Reading on this hypothesis. Of
course some of the public may prefer to accept this erroneous theory, but we wish to say
here positively that if any person will honestly investigate for himself, and will learn to
make the demonstrations personally, he or she will soon discover that "muscle reading"
has nothing to do with the genuine phenomena. The proof of the thing is in the doing of
it, and you may learn the truth for yourself if you will but try the feats and
demonstrations, herein given, just as we teach them. The result of such practice will
cause you to feel with us the indignation arising from the attempts to belittle a noble
scientific principle, and practice, by an explanation arising from the witnessing of "fake"
imitations of the real thing.

The truth is that the muscles have nothing to do with the passage of the mental currents
or waves from the Transmitter to the Receiver any more than they have to do with the
transmission of nervous sensations from body to brain, or the motor impulses from
brain to body. When you wish to close your hand you send a nervous current from your
brain to the muscles controlling your hand. The current travels along the nervous
system, and is by it distributed over the muscles causing them to contract. A current
from a galvanic battery will cause the muscles to act in the same way. But the muscle is
the machinery affected and set into motion, and the nerves are the delicate telegraphic
wires leading to the parts.

And so it is with this transmission of the mental waves and currents. The brain of the
Transmitter, aroused by his active Will, sends a powerful current or wave through his
nervous system. When it reaches the extremity of his fingers it leaps over the tiny space
separating his nerves from the nerves of the Receiver, and enters the nervous system of
the latter, and influences his actions. The Receiver being in a passive condition, and his
brain sending practically no impulses over his nerves, he is in a receptive condition to
the imparted nervous current, which acts upon him something like an impulse from his
own brain, only weaker. That is the whole secret of Contact Mind Reading. It is "Nerve
Reading" if you like, but certainly not Muscle Reading.

The tips of the fingers of a person of fine sensibilities, and delicate touch, are known by
anatomists to be filled with masses of nervematter similar to that forming parts of the
brain. In fact they are tiny fingerbrains, and they will send out, convey, and receive
delicate impulses from one mind to another. Those of you who have experienced the
peculiar touch of some persons of this kind, can bear witness to the fact that a subtle
"magnetism" or current passed from them to you. This is a fact well known to
investigators of psychic phenomena, and such people laugh at the crude "muscle read
ing" theories, for they have disproved them repeatedly in actual careful experiments.
And you may do the same, if you will practice the demonstrations given in this book.
The fact that the developed Contact Mind Reader usually walks ahead of his
Transmitter, instead of being led by him; and that he usually allows the latter's arm to
hang limp, instead of muscularly contracted, is another proof of the absurdity of the
theory above mentioned. Besides this, wires may be used between the two persons, or
even a third person may be placed between them. But, as we have said, after all the best
and only real test is to try the experiments yourself and learn that "muscle reading" has
nothing to do with the real phenomena.

The experimenter will soon find that when he gets into the work and is engaged in a
search for a hidden object, by means of Mind Reading, he will forget all about the
Transmitter. He will almost forget where he is, and will feel himself floating and gliding
over the floor and scarcely touching it with his toes. He will find himself drawn or
impelled irresistibly toward the hidden object, as if by some outside energy or fine force.
He will feel the hidden object drawing him like a magnet, and attracting him to the spot.
He will forget his audience, and everything else, in his desire to reach the Centre of
Attraction. These experiences cannot well be explained in print, but the investigator will
soon learn to know them for himself, and he will be amazed and filled with wonder at
the strange psychical phenomena in which he is taking a principal part.

And, then, and then only will he be able to intelligently reject the absurd and unjust
theories of "muscle reading," and to see the crudeness of the attempted explanation. He
will see that the foolish theory is as far out of the way as the ignorant person's idea that
the telegraph messages are sent by the wires being "pulled" or "jerked," instead of being
but channels for the passage of the electric fluid, or magnetic waves. He will class such
pretended scientists with those "doubting Thomases" who, when gas was first
introduced in the British House of Parliament, insisted that the pipes rendered the
building unsafe, because they would become heated by the passage of the light; and who
when the system was seen in actual operation, would gently feel the pipes with their
gloved fingers, wondering why they felt no heat. We trust that we have said enough to
convince you of the ridiculousness of the "muscle reading" theory, and to give you
sufficient interest to demonstrate the matter for yourself.

Many of our readers have witnessed the public performances of the several wellknown
"Contact" Mind Readers who have visited the leading cities of this country and other
lands. Of course, the average public performer soon discovers that the average patron of
his performance attends principally to be amused, and entertained, rather than to be
instructed. And he is apt to gradually add sensational features to the performance, for
the purpose of thrilling and mystifying the audience, knowing that by so doing he will
better please his patrons than if he were to give them a strictly scientific demonstration
of the science of Contact Mind Reading as produced in the psychological laboratories of
the great investigators of the subject. Some of these public performers have even gone so
far as to add "fake" features to their performance, employing confederates, and in other
ways introducing unscientific methods in order to intensify the interest and satisfaction
of their audiences.

But notwithstanding this fact, the average public Mind Reader, in spite of his
sensational additions, generally gives his audience enough of "the real thing" to render
his performance of sufficient scientific interest to make it worthy of attendance by the
earnest student of the subject. And we believe that the time is approaching when a
strictly scientific performance will prove of sufficient interest to the public to render it
worth while for a new class of entertainers and lecturers to arise and take the field,
instructing the public regarding their great subject and illustrating their theories by
striking experiments along scientific lines. And we think that this little book will do its
part in the direction of educating the public mind to appreciate such an entertainment,
as well as serving to educate future entertainers for their life work.

However, in this little book, we shall treat the subject as if a parlor demonstration was
all that is desired, and our instructions and directions shall be chiefly toward that end,
although we wish to say that any man or woman who will carefully study these
instructions and directions, and who will carefully practice the feats and exercises, will
be able to gradually develop sufficient ability and skill to give a successful public
performance, and perhaps reap a goodly share of fame and financial reward. The
principles of the parlor demonstration, and the public performance are the same. These
same instructions and directions have been studied and applied by some of the best
performers now before the public, illustrating the wonders of Contact Mind Reading. So
that if any of the students of this work have ambitions in the direction of public
performance, they will find herein the methods calculated to develop them into a
successful public entertainer and demonstrator.
Anyone may develop himself, or herself, into a good Contact Mind Reader by practice,
and perseverance. As in everything else in life, some will succeed better than others; and
some will find the work easier than do others, but all may develop quite a respectable
degree of proficiency in a short time. A little careful, conscientious practice and
experiment will accomplish wonders.

Mind Reading feats depend upon the degree of Will and Concentration on the part of
the Transmitter, and upon the degree of Receptivity and Passivity upon the part of the
Receiver. We are taking it for granted that the student will wish to act as a Receiver (or
Performer of the feat of Mind Reading) rather than as the Transmitter (or person called
upon to have his mind read). And so we shall address him as such, with this
understanding. But we shall also give herein full directions for the Transmitter, as well,
in order to give the student the methods necessary to act in either capacity, and to also
enable him to instruct the Transmitter in his work. The Receiver should understand the
duties of the Transmitter, in order that the best possible results be obtained, and the
proper harmony and rapport conditions may be established.
 LESSON IV.

DEVELOPMENT EXERCISES.

The student should practice privately with the assistance of a few friends, before he
ventures before a parlor audience, for by so doing he overcomes the first lack of
confidence in himself, and the awkwardness natural to the beginner along any new line
of work. By careful and repeated practice he gains confidence in himself by reason of his
growing success in his experiments, and besides wears off the "rough edges" of his
actions, etc., so that when he finally appears before an audience he will feel perfectly
selfpossessed and at ease, and thus be able to devote his entire attention to his work,
without annoying selfconsciousness and awkwardness.
Begin the Development Exercises by selecting one or more friends who are in sympathy
with you, and who are interested in the subject. Do not have any unsympathetic or
uncongenial persons around when you are practicing, for such people tend to distract
your attention from your work, and really exert a detrimental effect upon the
preliminary work. Select one of your friends as the Transmitter and take the part of the
Receiver yourself.

Begin your practice by establishing a Psychic Harmony, or Rapport, between yourself

and your Transmitter by means of Rhythmic Breathing. Although this feature of the
work has been overlooked by many investigators of the subject, still it is a very
important feature of the work, and one that is conducive to the production of the very
best results along these lines of psychic demonstrations.

The term "Rapport" is one frequently met with in occult and psychic books. The word is
defined by Webster as "Relation; conformity; correspondence; sympathetic accord." It is
used by occultists in the sense of: "having harmonious vibrations with another," the
occult teachings being that every person has his or her own rate of mental vibration
which, when in harmonious accord with the vibrations of another, induces the most
favorable conditions for the production of mental or psychic phenomena, or mental
relations; sympathetic understanding, etc. This "harmonious vibration" does not
necessarily mean that the two persons must be attuned to precisely the same key, but
that their keynotes must harmonize, instead of producing discord. The comparison of
the notes of the musical scale will illustrate the principle thoroughly. When two persons
are in "rapport" with each other, there is a mental and psychic harmony between them,
which is productive of the best possible mental co operative work. Hence the necessity of
good rapport conditions in Mind Reading.

Rhythmic Breathing has been known to occultists of all ages as one of the important
adjuncts of Psychic Phenomena, and its use in bringing about Rapport Relations is
thoroughly understood by all Practical Occultists. Rhythmic Breathing consists in the
person breathing in slow measured regular rhythm. It may be acquired by counting the
indrawn breath, the retained breath, and the outgoing breath, by regular beats like the
ticking of a large clock. For instance, draw in your breath slowly, counting mentally
according to the ticking of an imaginary large clock: "onetwothreefour." Then hold the
breath, counting "onetwo." Then breathe out slowly: "onetwothreefour." The rule is that
the indrawn breath should have the same number of counts as the outgoing breath, the
heldbreath taking up but onehalf the counts of either of the others. The above count
illustrates this matter. The advanced occultists get their timebeat from the pulsebeats,
but this is not absolutely necessary in this connection. The principal point about
Rhythmic Breathing that we wish to impress upon you now is that the two persons, the
Transmitter and Receiver, should breathe in unison with each otherthat is in perfect
time and rhythm. This breathing in unison will soon establish the very best possible
rapport conditions between them. From four to seven Rhythmic Breaths will be
sufficient to establish the proper conditions in ordinary cases. In the performance of a
test, in case you should feel the power of the Transmitter failing, you should stop and
ask him to breathe in unison with you for a moment, and then restart your work. By
breathing a little loud the other person will catch your time, so that it is not necessary
for you to instruct him in the science or theory of Rhythmic Breathing. Simply tell him
to breathe in unison, and keeping time with you.

Begin all your practicing with this Rapport Breathing, and start each demonstration
with it, also. You will find that it will have a very soothing, calming, quieting effect upon
both persons, and will produce in each a mental earnestness and concentration that will
help along the demonstration of Mind Reading.

We shall not mention this Rhythmic Breathing or Rapport Condition when we proceed
to give you the detailed direction, for the demonstration, but you must remember that it
should be observed in each case. Of course, you will be able to get results without itbut
not so easily, or so thoroughly and satisfying.

It is well to conclude your practice by taking a few deep breaths by yourself, and not in
unison with the Transmitter. This destroys the Rapport Condition.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS.

The prime requisite for a successful demonstration of Mind Reading is the acquirement,
or possession, by the Transmitter, of a clear idea of direction in his mind. The associated
requisite is that the Transmitter be able to concentrate his will upon the mind of the
Receiver, impressing upon him the Sense of Direction so strongly that he will move in
accordance with the Will of the Transmitter. Remember the two points to be observed
by the Transmitter.

Begin by having the Transmitter standing beside you in the centre of the room, you
being blindfolded. Have him mentally select some one corner of the room, saying
nothing to you of his choice. Then let him concentrate his mind upon that one corner,
forgetting every other part of the room. Then have the Transmitter grasp your Left Hand
with his Right Hand, you grasping his fingers in your hand and lifting the hand to your
forehead. Hold the hand against your forehead, just above your eyes. Instruct him then
to will that you go to the corner of the room that he has selected, shutting out all other
thoughts from his mind, and concentrating his entire Attention upon the projection of
his Will. He must not content himself merely form ing a Mental Picture of the selected
corner, but must think of the Direction of that corner, just as he would in case he were to
wish to walk there himself. He must not simply think "That Corner"he must think
"There!" using the sense of Direction. He must will that you shall go there, carrying the
words "Go There!" in his mind.

You, the Receiver, must place yourself in a perfectly passive and receptive state of mind,
resigning your own Will for the time being, and being perfectly willing and desirous of
being mentally directed or led by the Will of the Transmitter. He is the Active factor, and
you the Passive. It is the strength of his Will, and the degree of your Receptivity that
makes the demonstration a success.

Keep your eyes closed, even though you be blindfolded, for by so doing you induce a
Passive state of mind, and even the stray glimpses that you may catch through the
handkerchief will serve only to distract you. You must shut out sights, and even thought
of sights.

Stand quiet a moment or two, awaiting impressions from the mind of the Transmitter,
who is making the mental command: "Go there; go there, I say!" while at the same time
he is willing that you follow his command.

After a moment or two of passive and receptive waiting, you will begin to feel an impulse
to move forward. Obey this impulse and take the first step, which will often be in an
entirely opposite direction from the selected corner. The idea of this first step is to "get
started." While you are taking the first step or two, you will feel a clearer impulse toward
the real selected corner, and will find yourself swinging around to it. Do not grow
impatient, for you are but learning to receive the impressions. Advance one foot
forward, hesitatingly, resting your weight on the ball of the other foot, and you will soon
feel yourself being compelled to move in a certain direction, which will end in your
moving toward the right corner. You will soon become conscious of being directed by
the Will of the Projector, whose mind is acting upon yours and leading and directing you
toward the right place.

It is difficult to describe to you the exact feeling that you will experience, but a little
practice will soon make it clear to you. Follow the impulse, and you will soon begin to
feel the mental command, "This waythis wayno, not that way but this way," until you
will reach the desired spot, when you will feel the command: "That's rightstop where you
arethis is the place." If you start to wander off in the wrong direction you will begin to
feel the correcting impression: "This waythis way, I tell you," and if you will but
passively receive and follow the mental telegraph message you will find the impulse
growing stronger and stronger until you walk right into the corner selected, when you
will feel that you have "reached Base," as the children say in their games. When you walk
in the right direction you will feel the mental message, "Right, right you are"; and when
you move in the wrong direction you will feel the mental message, saying "No, no, not
that wayThis way, I say, come along, come!" By practice you will soon become quite
sensitive to these guiding thoughtwaves, and will act upon them almost automatically.
Practice will soon so sharpen your perceptive faculties that you will often be able to
move right off to the desired corner at once, sometimes actually running right to it,
dragging the Transmitter after you.

You will soon begin to notice that there is quite a difference in the power of
Concentration on the part of different people acting as the Transmitter. Some will be
able to Concentrate so forcibly that they will send you the message clear and sharp,
while others will send only a feeble and wavering message. The more Concentration the
Transmitter has the stronger will be the message. It will be very advisable for you to
experiment with a number of persons acting as the Transmitter, so that you may become
familiar with the different degrees of Concentration, personal characteristics of people
in Transmitting, etc. This will aid you when you begin your parlor performances.

When you find a lazy Transmitter who is sending only feeble messages, you must
remonstrate with him, telling him that he must exercise his WillPower more. This plan
will often arouse in them a desire to give a good exhibition of their Willpower, and they
will begin sending you strong mental impulses. It is a good plan, when you have an
unsatisfactory Projector, to extend his arm out its full length and hold it up about the
height of your eyes. In this way he feels the strain, and it arouses his Will in order to
hold it there, which seems to act in the direction of his sending sharper and clearer
messages and impulse. In case the Transmitter proves very unsatisfactory, substitute
another for him. But as a rule this unsatisfactoriness arises from the fact that he does
not fully understand his dutiesdoes not know what is required of him. A little practice
and instruction will bring him out all right. It is often advisable to let the Transmitter
read this book of instructions, if he happens to be a personal friend who is helping you
out in your practicing and experiments. The Transmitter will find that by looking toward
the selected corner, he will be aided in concentrating his attention and directing his Will
Power.

Practice this exercise and experiment, in different rooms, and with different
Transmitters, until you can go readily to the selected corner. Do not be discouraged, but
remember that "practice makes perfect," and that like any other thing the art must be
learned by patient practice and repetition. It is like learning to play the
violinskatingdancing, or anything else. If after a number of trials you begin to feel tired,
stop practicing and adjourn the experiments until the next day. Do not unduly strain
yourself, or tire out your mind. When the next day comes you will be surprised at the
added proficiency you have gained.

You may vary the above method by holding the Transmitter's hand out at arm's length,
instead of holding it up to your head. Some find one plan more effective, and others
prefer the second. The principle is the same in both cases, so adopt either plan, or any
variation thereof, providing it proves effective.

PRACTICE EXERCISE I. FINDING LOCATIONS.

After you have grown proficient in locating the corners of rooms, you may have the
Transmitter select other parts of the room, such as doors, mantels, windows, alcoves,
projections, etc. Try a number of these selected locations in turn, gaining a variety of
experiences which will prove valuable later on. In all of these experiments the
Transmitter must guard you from running into obstacles, furniture, etc., by telling you
to avoid them, guiding you past them, and in other proper ways prevent you from
bruising yourself or breaking or upsetting things. You must impress this upon his mind,
and then you should give yourself into his care with the utmost confidence, giving
yourself no further concern about these things, and keeping your mind as passive as
possible. Don't allow your mind to be distracted by outside thingsattend to the matter of
the experiment in which you are engaged.

PRACTICE EXERCISE II. FINDING LARGE OBJECTS.

The next step should be the selecting and finding of large objects in the room, such as
chairs, tables, etc. Proceed as in the previous exercises. Do not neglect this exercise in
your desire to do more wonderful things, for you need just this training. You will realize
the importance of these exercises after you begin to appear before friends and evening
companies, etc., when you will be called upon to find hidden objects, selected articles
secreted under tables, on persons, on furniture, etc. If you can find selected chairs you
will be able to more readily find persons seated on chairs. Continue this exercise until
you can readily find any and every piece of furniture in a room, and the other large
objects in a room as well, when they are thought of by the Transmitter.

PRACTICE EXERCISE III. FINDING SMALL OBJECTS.

After mastering the above exercise have the Transmitter select some small articles, such
as a book, vase, ornament, etc., on a table, mantelpiece, etc. Proceed as before, varying
the objects and places, endeavoring to get as wide a range of experiences as possible
along the line of Mind Reading of this kind.

PRACTICE EXERCISE IV. FINDING HIDDEN ARTICLES.

After you have mastered the last mentioned exercise, have the Transmitter select a small
object, such as a watchkey, matchsafe, etc., and secrete it in some part of the room, you
remaining out of the room until the article is selected and hidden. Proceed as before,
until you find the secreted object. Your Transmitter should endeavor to give you a great
variety in this exercise, in order to properly train you for the public demonstrations
before companies, etc. Have him place a key in a book, under a rug, back of a picture,
and in similar difficult places. Let him exercise his ingenuity in finding strange places in
which to hide the object. In the experiments in finding the hidden objects he must train
himself to give you the mental messages "up"; "down"; "to the right"; "to the left," etc.,
just as he did his old message or impulse "this way." And you must train yourself to
receive them. This training will be of the greatest possible benefit to you when you are
called upon later to find objects hidden in people's pockets, etc.

GENERAL REMARKS ON PRACTICE.

The above exercises will train the student to receive and act upon the mental commands
or messages of the Transmitter, under a great variety of circumstances and conditions.
Many of the most successful public "Mind Readers" started out in public work with far
less careful and thorough training. But there are now still greater degrees of proficiency
possible. The student will find in succeeding chapters a number of interesting and
startling feats and experiments which are intended for parlor audiences, etc., but which
may be most profitably practiced previously with the aid of a good friendly Transmitter,
in order that the Performer may familiarize himself with the details of the experiment,
and thus be more at his ease when he demonstrates it in public. Then other new
experiments and feats will suggest themselves from time to time, to the intelligent
student which, likewise, should be practiced previous to a public demonstration.

In finding a hidden object, the first thing to do is to get an idea of the direction. Then the
general location of the hiding place; and so on, from general impressions to detailed
ones, until at last the fingers close upon the object itself. The Transmitter will be greatly
relieved when the object is finally found, and the relaxing of his mental tension may be
distinctly felt, and then you will know that your search is at an end.

PREPARING FOR PUBLIC WORK.

Before taking you on with the work before an audience, we must urge upon you to
prepare yourself thoroughly by means of the above mentioned exercises. The great
tendency among students is to hurry through to the public work, and skipping the
exercises as much as possible. This is all wrong. You will never be a thoroughly good
demonstrator of anything in life, until you master the rudiments, and by practice
familiarize yourself thoroughly with the details of the work. And Mind Reading is no
exception. It is true that after a few exercises you may be able to give a fair
demonstration before an audience, but you will never get further than "fair" without
careful practice. And therefore we urge you to have patience and perseverance, and to
stick to the exercise until you become a Master of Mind Reading, when you need fear no
audience whatsoever, and will be able to give a demonstration that will be a great credit
to both yourself and to us, your instructors.

And, now for your work before an audience, remembering, always that the feats and
experiments that we shall mention, should be practiced by you privately, with the aid of
a friendly Transmitter, before you reproduce them in public. In the case of feats, in
which the audience is a party to the experiment, such as the finding of a scarfpin on a
member of the audience, you may practice with a dummy audience, that is with an
imaginary audience consisting of chairs, etc., until you familiarize yourself with the
details of the feat.
 LESSON V.

SIMPLE DEMONSTRATIONS.

In beginning a public demonstration, it will be well for you to give a short preliminary
talk to the audience, somewhat along the following lines:

OPENING TALK.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, with your assistance I shall endeavor to give you a
demonstration of practical Mind Reading, beginning with some simple feats, and then
proceeding gradually to more complicated demonstrations. In these demonstrations, I
must have your cooperation, for the success of the experiments depends as much upon
you as upon myself. In the first place, I must ask that you refrain from conversation,
laughter, etc., while I am demonstrating, for these things distract the mind of the
Transmitter and prevent him from concentrating his Mind and Will upon mine; and also
prevent me from maintaining that Passive Mental State which is essential to the success
of the experiments. I trust that you will help me in this way. I also ask that during the
experiments, you will all concentrate your Mind and Will upon me, and help me in the
work. In order to obtain the best results all Mind Readers prefer that their audiences
concentrate their Wills upon the work, with the purpose of mentally willing that the
demonstrator be successful. In fact the success of the experiments depend very
materially upon the Willing exerted by the audience. If you Will in my favor, I shall be
successful; if you Will that I shall fail, I shall feel the effect. Therefore, kindly give me
your aid. I ask you to blindfold me and take such other means to prevent unfair methods
and practices, as your judgment may dictate. I am now ready to proceed with the tests."

CHOOSING THE TRANSMITTER.

Then have the audience select a committee to blindfold you and remain outside of the
room with you, while the remainder of the audience select the object that you are to
find, etc. When you return to the room, select someone to act as Transmitter. If possible
get someone with whom you have previously practiced, and established rapport
conditions. This will aid you very materially, of course. If this is not possible, select
someone of the audience that is in harmony with you, and who will have a strong
enough will to give you the vibrations. Sometimes women are very good at this work, as
they get very much in earnest when interested, and therefore Will intently. If your first
Transmitter is not satisfactory, test another, and so on until you get a good one. You
may change Transmitters during the evening, if you prefer; in fact this is a good plan, if
you are an adept, for it shows the audience that there is no collusion.
 INSTRUCTING THE TRANSMITTER.

You should instruct the Transmitter, along the lines indicated in a previous chapter, i.e.
that he must hold the thought of direction, fix his eyes on the chosen spot and then
concentrate his will upon it, and that your success will depend materially upon his
ability to concentrate his Mind and Will upon the task. You should explain to him that
you receive your impulses through his thoughtwaves or vibrations, and that the stronger
these are, the better you will succeed. Make this plain to him. When the Transmitter
fails to concentrate his Will, you will know it at once, and should call his attention to it,
saying "Concentrate, concentrate nowharderuse your Will," or words to that effect. You
should impress upon the Transmitter that it is the strength of his Will that produces the
mental vibrations that give you the impressions.

BEGINNING THE TEST.

Then, take the hand of the Transmitter, in the manner already described in previous
lesson, placing it to your forehead, or else holding it up high in front of you. Then begin
a wavering motion, or direction, preferably describing a circle, slowly. In this
meaningless wavering motion remain perfectly passive awaiting impressions. Soon you
will begin to feel a mental resistance to certain directions, and a mental willingness that
you move in another direction. Then move along the line of the least mental resistance.
In some cases you will receive a strong mental urge, pull, or push, in the direction of the
selected spot. Here is where your practice comes in, for in your practice experiments you
have acquired the art of recognizing these impressions as they come to you, in their
different forms, and so are prepared to yield to them and move accordingly. It is
impossible to describe in writing just how these impressions come, and feel like, for
actual experience is necessary before you will know just what is meant. But once you
have accustomed yourself to receive and recognize the impressions, the rest is all a
matter of practice and development.

And now for the demonstrations themselves. You should begin with the simplest feats,
and then work up gradually to the more complicated and difficult ones. This plan will
build up your own powers, and will develop the Transmitter's. We herewith give a
number of interesting feats and demonstrations, explaining the details of each. Of
course, the general directions we have given regarding the receiving of impressions, etc.,
will apply to all of these feats, for the principle underlying them all is the same,
precisely.
 FINDING A LOCATION.

DEMONSTRATION I. Begin by having the audience select a part in the room, which
may be easily reached by you. Then proceed as directed, until you feel that you have
reached the right place, or location.

FINDING A PERSON.

DEMONSTRATION II. Have the audience select a person, one of their number. Find the
general location of the person. Then standing still, reach out your right hand, and begin
"feeling about." You will find that as your hand moves away from the right person you
will feel a drawing back impression, whereas when you reach toward the person you will
receive an urging forward impression. A little practice will soon enable you to
distinguish these mental impressions. Then place your hand on the person who seems to
be the centre of the impressions. If this is the wrong person, you will receive a mental
impression of "Wrong"; in which case you must start up the moving your hand to and
fro, and around, until you feel the urge impression, when you should place your hand on
the person immediately in front of you. When you reach the right person, you will
receive an unmistakable impression and mental message of "All Right," followed by a
lessening of the Will tension, and you will know that you have succeeded. You should
practice this in private before attempting public demonstration.

FINDING A SMALL OBJECT.

DEMONSTRATION III. Have the audience select some small object in plain sight in the
room. Then find it in the manner described of above in the case of the selected person.
The rule is identically the same. But there are some other details to be observed, in the
matter of "up or down," for the object may be higher than your shoulder or lower, in
which case you will have to either reach up or down. In this reaching up or down, follow
the same general rule as given. When you reach the right location, you will feel an
impression of "not yet finished" from the mind of the Transmitter. Then reach up
slowly. If this is right you will receive a corresponding impression, and may go on to
centre the object. But if it is not right, you will receive a mental urge downward, which
you should follow. The rule always is to follow the line of the least mental resistance.
You will always receive the resistance when you are not succeeding, and will always
receive the lack of resistance when you are succeeding. Learn to focus these impressions
until they centre positively and constantly on the same spotthen you have succeeded, for
there will be your object right under your hand.
 FINDING A BOOK.

DEMONSTRATION IV. Have the audience select a book on the shelves of a book case,
and then find it in the manner just related. The two feats are precisely the same,
although the latter will appear more startling to the observer.

THE FLORAL TRIBUTE.

DEMONSTRATION V. This test is known as "The Floral Tribute." It is performed by

having a bouquet of flowers on the table. Then select some young man in the audience,
and let him pick out some young woman in the audience whom he wishes to have the
flowers. You must retire from the room, of course, while he selects the young lady and
mentions her name and position to the audience. Then returning to the room, pick up
the bouquet, and taking the hand of your Transmitter, find the young lady and present
her with the flowers. Of course this feat is merely a fancy rendition of the simple feat of
finding the person thought of, and is performed in the same way. (Study the directions
for Demonstration II, and apply in the present case, with appropriate variations.)

THE REUNITED COUPLE.

DEMONSTRATION VI. This test is known as "The Reunited Couple." It is performed by

having the audience select two persons, a young man and a young woman, and stand
them up in front of the room, like a couple about to be married. Then they should have a
third person, a man, selected and stood before them as the parson who will tie the knot.
The three persons should then take their seats, and when you enter the room, and take
the hand of your Transmitter, you must first find "the Parson"; then "the Groom"; and
then "the Bride," and arrange them in their proper positions. This is a highly effective
test, and invariably brings hearty applause, and the hunt affords much merriment to the
audience. But, as you will see readily, it is but a variation of Demonstration II.

THE HIDDEN JEWELRY.

DEMONSTRATION VII. Have the audience select some small article, like a scarfpin,
ring, etc., and hide it on the person of some one of the audience. Then you are to find it.
This demonstration combines the features of Demonstration II, and Demonstration III,
that is you have first to find the per son, as described in Demonstration II, and then the
object which is practically a variation of Demonstration III. Study the details of
Demonstration III, and practice the present demonstration in private before trying it in
public.
 THE DISCOVERED COURSE.

DEMONSTRATION VIII. Have a member of the audience walk around the room,
following a prescribed course selected by the audience. Have your Transmitter
memorize the course accurately, and then you must walk over the same course when you
return to the room. This is effective, but is merely a variation of the "Finding the Corner"
demonstration.

REPLACING THE PIN.

DEMONSTRATION IX. This is called "Replacing the Pin," and is very effective when
properly performed. Have a member of the audience take a pin and insert it in the wall
in a spot plainly visible to the audience, not too high up, howeverabout on the level of
your shoulder is best. Then have him withdraw the pin and hide it somewhere in the
room. Then when you return to the room, and take the Transmitter's hand, you should
first find the pin, (in the manner heretofore described) and then find the place where it
had been stuck; then circling your hand around in narrowing circles until you feel the
proper impression push the pin home in the spot in which it formerly was driven. This
final effort is really merely a modification of "finding the spot," and with a little practice
may be easily performed.

THE THEFT DETECTED.

DEMONSTRATION X. This feat is called "The Theft." Have one of the audience play
"the thief," and steal an article of jewelry, or similar small object from a second person
called "the victim." Then the thief should hide his spoil in a safe place about the room.
Returning you first find the thief; then the hidden article; then the person, according to
the methods already given. This is a very effective feat, but is merely a combination of
"Finding the Person," and "Finding an Object."

THE RECONSTRUCTED TABLEAU.

DEMONSTRATION XI. This feat is known as the "Reconstructed Tableau." It is

performed by having several of the audience form a simple tableau group, and then
retire to their seats. Returning to the room you are to find each person; lead him or her
to the former spot; then reconstruct the group. This is somewhat difficult, but not nearly
so much so as you might suppose. A little private practice will enable you to perform it
with ease.
 THE MURDER AND THE DETECTIVE.

DEMONSTRATION XII. This test is known as the "Murder and the Detective," and is
very spectacular and sensational, and is accordingly one that is in great favor with the
public performers. It is performed as follows: The audience selects one man to act as the
"murderer"; another to act as "the victim"; and also some object to act as the dagger;
and lastly a place in which the body is to be concealed. Then the "murderer" picks up the
"dagger," and "kills" his "victim," afterward concealing the body in some part of the
room (usually sitting in a chair) and the "dagger" in another place. Then when you
return to the room you first find the "body"; then the "wound"; then the "dagger," and
then the "murderer." This is usually announced as a wonderful piece of "telepathic
detective work," and is extremely effective, and may be reserved as the "principal effect"
of your series of demonstrations.

You will notice that the feat is merely an elaborate combination of the simpler feats of
"Finding the Person," "Finding the Object," etc.

THE RETURNED HATS.

DEMONSTRATION XIII. Have the hats of a number of men in the audience placed on a
table or other place, and then returning to the room, blindfolded of course, you pick up
the hats, one by one, and place them upon the heads of their proper owners, who are
seated in different parts of the room. This is a simple feat although very effective. It is, of
course, merely a variation of the feat of "finding the person." There is one point,
however, that must be remembered in this feat, and that is that the Transmitter should
know just whose hat is held in your handjust who the owner of that particular hat is and
where he is sitting or standing. Otherwise he cannot send you the mental impulses
which will enable you to find the owner. It will be well for the Transmitter to hold the
hat so that it can be seen by the audience, requesting the owner to rise in his seat so as
to indicate his whereaboutsyour back being turned to the audience while this is being
done in order to avoid suspicion of your "peeping," etc.

THE LADY AND THE RING.

DEMONSTRATION XIV. This feat is performed by having a lady in the audience loan
the Transmitter her ring. When you return to the room, you find the lady and replace
the ring upon the finger from which she took it. The Transmitter must remember the
lady, and the particular finger, of coursethe rest is simply a combination of the "finding
the person" and "finding the spot" feats. It is very effective, if neatly performed.
 GENERAL ADVICE.

I. We have given you a great variety of Demonstrations or Feats, but you must not
attempt to produce all of them at an evening's entertainment. It will take some time to
perform a few of them effectively, and impressively, and you should avoid any attempt
to hurry through the feats. Nor should you spoil your good impression by cheapening
the demonstrations in the direction of performing too many at one sitting.

II. Neither should you tire or fatigue yourself by too many feats. When your mind or
body are tired, you do yourself an injury to perform these demonstrations, and besides,
you cannot obtain the best results while fatigued. You should rest a little while after each
feat, before attempting another one.

III. When the entertainment, or exercises are over, you should take a few strong deep
breaths, swing your arm around a little to promote the circulation, and relieve the
nervous tension. You may feel a little "dazed" at first after performing a few feats, but
will soon learn to throw off the passive condition, and engage in the laughing
conversation that will follow the entertainment. Do not take yourself too seriously and
remember that laughter and a little boyish or girlish spirits is a wonderful tonic.

IV. Do not become impatient if you do not progress as rapidly as you would desire. You
are practically developing a sixth sense, and are like a baby learning to walkit takes time,
but practice will surely bring you success. Take things calmly. The feats that will be
possible for you to perform, even from the start will be wonderful enough, without any
necessity for your complaining about your slowness in learning to perform the more
complicated ones.

ABOUT TRANSMITTERS.

I. If your Transmitter does not do his work properly, and you feel that he is not
Concentrating properly, or using his Will effectively, do not hesitate to change him. You
need not offend him, for you may say simply that the rapport conditions are not fully
developed between you, and that these things sometimes happen, etc. Your new
Transmitter will feel anxious to do better than his predecessor, and will be most likely to
Concentrate and Will to the best of his ability.

II. The Transmitter should be in earnest, and no levity or trifling should be permitted. If
you have the selection, pick out some earnest person, and avoid the trifling,
featherbrained class.
III. If your Transmitter does not seem to be Concentrating properly, you should speak to
him firmly, but kindly, about it. Say to him: "Please concentrate your Mind, and Will
earnestlyfix your Mind on the right Spotmake a determined Mental Effort that I move in
the right directionit is your Mind and Will that gives me the impression, rememberit all
depends upon you," etc. This will often have the effect of bracing him up to renewed
mental activity, and you will notice the improvement at once.

A WORD OF WARNING.

Beginning your entertainment, caution the audience about placing the hidden objects in
places that you cannot conveniently touchsuch as high up on the wall; under the strings
of a piano, etc. Tell them that you can find the article anywhere, but it must be placed so
that you can get at it with only ordinary care and work. Some "Smart Alicks" may try to
play pranks on you in this way, but discourage same vigorously at the start, informing
the audience that this is a scientific test and not a circus. And, remember this, tell them
that the article must never be hidden about the Transmitter, for the reason that he is
seldom able to think as intently about his own location as about some place away from
him. These are the only restrictions that you need make. Caution the Transmitter to
guide you away from obstacles over which you might stumble, or which you might
overturn. Tell him that you place yourself in his hands for protection, and then endeavor
to think no more about the matter, for such thought tends to distract your passivity.

The above feats or demonstrations are all performed along the same general lines as
indicated a little further back, and all are capable of being accomplished by anyone of
ordinary intelligence, with a little study, care and practice. Practice makes perfect, in
Mind Reading as in everything else, remember, so keep at it until you have worn off the
rough edges, and have polished up the details of the work. You may vary, improve, add
to, the above feats, and may also insert many new ones for yourself as you proceed with
your work. Use your inventive faculties.

THE WIRE CONTACT.

A sensational and effective method of performing some of the simpler feats is performed
by some public performers, and consists in having a piece of thick wire, about one foot
in length grasped by the Receiver's left hand, and by the Transmitter's right hand,
instead of the ordinary contact. A little practice will surprise you in the facility in which
the impressions are transferred over the wire from the Transmitter to the Receiver. The
methods of operation in this case are identical with those employed in the ordinary
methods. A wooden "ruler" may be substituted for the wire. Some performers succeed
even with a long walkingcane.
 THIRD PERSON INTERPOSED.

Another variation is that in which a third person is interposed between the Transmitter
and Receiver. Practice along these lines will enable the skilled Mind Reader to receive
the impressions as usual, notwithstanding the interposition of the third person. Do not
attempt to try these variations until you have thoroughly mastered the ordinary
methods.

(The student is here advised to turn to the conclusion of Lesson VI, of this book, and
acquaint himself with the "Simpler Method" there described. It may help him in this
phase of his work.)

We shall now pass on to the consideration of some of the more complicated or difficult
feats of Contact Mind Reading.
 LESSON VI.

DIFFICULT DEMONSTRATIONS.

We shall now direct your attention to a class of demonstrations of a rather more

complicated order than those related in the last chapter. But even these difficult feats
may be rendered comparatively easy of accomplishment by careful practice, and
development of receptivity.

PRELIMINARIES.

In these experiments or demonstrations the Transmitter stands by your left side, you
grasping the fingers of his right hand in your left hand, and holding as in the case of the
former experiments, i.e. either with his hand pressed against your head, or else held out
and up, as before described. You receive the impressions in the same way. The following
demonstrations may be performed after a little private practice, so as to be shown at a
public performance almost as easily as the simpler feats heretofore described.

DISCOVERING THE CARD.

DEMONSTRATION I. Spread a number of cards over the table. Then retiring from the
room, have the audience select one card of the number, which the Transmitter must be
sure to remember distinctlythat is the Transmitter should remember just where the card
is, the position being the important feature, rather than the name of the card. Then
taking the Transmitter's hand as above described, you should move your right hand
toandfro over the table, moving it backward and forward, and in circles. You will soon
find that this feat closely resembles the one of the last chapter in which you find small
objects; the pin hole, etc. You will soon find that the impressions tend to centre over a
certain spot on the table. Begin to lessen your circles and hand movements until you
gradually centre over this spot. Then slowly lower your fingers until you touch the card
resting on the said spot, when you will be sure that you are right, when you must pick up
the card and exhibit it to the audience. The same indications mentioned in the feats of
the last chapter will be felt by you. You will feel the "No, no!" impression when you are
wrong, and the "That's right" impression when you are moving in the right direction,
until at last you will distinctly feel the relaxation of the mental urge, which you will have
learned to translate into "Right you are!" when you finally touch the right card. This feat
is really no more difficult than the one in which the small object is found, and we have
included it in the list of "Difficult Demonstrations" simply because it is practically a
"connecting link" between the two classes of demonstration, as you will see as we
proceed.
 THE CHECKER MOVE.

DEMONSTRATION II. This is akin to the last experiment. Have a checker board
arranged by some of the audience who understands the game. Then let some one decide
on the next move. Be sure that the Transmitter thoroughly understands the piece to be
moved, as well as the place to where it is to be moved. Then, proceeding as above
indicated, first find the piece to be moved, and then move it to the proper place. This
feat consists of two parts, you will notice. The finding of the piece is like the finding of
the card. Then with the piece grasped between your thumb and forefinger, make a small
circular and backward and forward movement, until you feel the mental impression of
"There!" when you will place your piece directly on the spot. This may seem difficult,
and appears so to the audience, but you will find by a little private practice that it is
really as easily performed as some of the simpler tests.

THE GAME OF CARDS.

DEMONSTRATION III. Similar to the above is the feat known as the "Game of cards."
Two players sit opposite each other at a table, having dealt themselves two hands of
euchre. Have the Transmitter lead you behind the first player, and standing there have
the player silently point out the card he wishes to lead, to the Transmitter. The
Transmitter then should concentrate his mind on the card, and you will find it in the
usual manner, and having found it will play it on the table. Then leading you around to
the other player, the Transmitter repeats the process, and you find and play the card.
Then back to the first play, and repeat. Then alternate between the players, in the same
manner, until you have played out the game. This may be improved upon by the
Transmitter thinking of which player has won the trick, when you will push the cards
over to the winner, having discovered the direction in the usual manner. This feat is very
effective indeed when properly performed.

THE MAPPEDOUT TRIP.

DEMONSTRATION IV. Have a map laid open on the table, and have the audience
decide upon a trip between two points, either by rail or by water. Then returning to the
room, stand as above described, and with your forefinger find the place from which the
trip starts. Then move slowly along the selected course in the same manner in which the
checkergame was played, passing along the chosen route until the end is reached. These
feats are all really variations of the one principle.
 THE PACK OF CARDS.

DEMONSTRATION V. This is a very effective feat, and requires some little skill and
practice, but there is no reason why any careful, patient, and persistent student should
not be able to master it. It consists in the audience selecting any given card from the
pack, and then replacing it with the others, being sure that the Transmitter is familiar
with the card chosen, and knows enough about cards to recognize it when he sees it
again. Then the pack of cards should be placed on the table, face up. Returning to the
room, you take the Transmitter's hand as usual, and with your right hand pick off the
cards from the pack, slowly and one by one. As you pick up each card, slowly weigh it in
your hand, so to speak, and then place it aside if you receive no "stop" orders from the
mind of the Transmitter. Having previously practiced this feat in private you will have
learned that peculiar "heavier" sensation that comes to you when you lift the right card
from the pack, so that when you finally reach it you will know it. We cannot describe just
what this sensation will feel likeyou must learn it by actually experiencing it in private
practice. We advise you to diligently practice this feat in private, for it is wonderfully
effective. You will find that after a bit of practice you will be able to get the "heavy"
feeling when you lift up and "weigh" the right card. You should perform this feat slowly,
and carefully, shaking your head, "No," just before you discard a card. If by the lack of
concentration of the Transmitter, you fail to feel the "heavy" feeling when you pick up
the right card, the shake of the head will be apt to arouse him to exert his Will more
actively, and you will receive the "hold on" impulse immediately. Do not be in too much
of a hurry to discard, but make several feints at it before finally letting go. This feat may
be improved by having the audience select a "pokerhand," such as a "flush," a "straight,"
"threeofakind"; a "fullhouse," etc., etc., and having you find the hand one card at a time.
This latter is a fine effect, and always brings down the house. But be sure that your
Transmitter really knows and remembers the cards, else the feat will fail, of course. He
must remember each card, and recognize it when it appears face up on the pack before
you, as you proceed with the discarding. Never attempt this feat in public without
previous careful, private, practice, for it requires the most delicate perception and skill.
If you find that you cannot master it to your satisfaction, after sufficient practice, you
may try it by the "Simpler Method" given at the conclusion of this Lesson.

THE CHOSEN WORD IN THE BOOK.

DEMONSTRATION VI. Like the last feat, this is a complex and difficult one, but one
that always arouses enthusiasm in an audience when well performed. It will repay you
for the private practice that you will have to employ upon it, before you produce it in
public. The feat consists of the audience selecting a book from a pile, or a bookshelf, or
bookcase, etc.then a given page is chosenthen a line of printed matter on that pageand
then a word in that line. It is well to have the Transmitter draw a pencil circle around
the chosen word, so that he may be sure to remember it later. The book is then replaced
on the shelf. Then returning to the room, you first find the book, by the methods already
given in previous feats; then laying it flat on the table you should begin to slowly and
deliberately pick each leaf up separately. This part of the feat is almost identical with the
last one, in which you picked up the cards from the pack. When you get the proper
impression, you should announce that you have found the leaf. If satisfied that you are
right, ascertain upon which side of the leaf, the chosen page is. This can be done by
pressing the leaf to the right, or left, in succession, until you get the right impression as
to which way to press it down. Then, having thus found the page, pass your finger slowly
down and back over the page several times, until you get the impression of a centre.
This centre will be the chosen line. Then by passing the finger slowly along the line, you
will discover the Word when you reach it. This is a "ticklish" feat, but it may be mastered
by practicein fact some people have found it almost as simple as some of the easier feats,
while others require careful practice with it. Do not be discouraged if you do not succeed
at first trial, even in public, but try again, and after a bit you will seem to "get the knack"
all at once, and thereafter will have but little trouble in making the demonstration. If
you find that you do not meet with the desired degree of success in this feat, try it by the
"Simpler Method" given at the last of this part of the book. But do not give it up without
the proper practice. If you have carefully performed the previous feats, you should have
so developed yourself by this time that you should have no special difficulty in this feat.

BLACKBOARD DEMONSTRATIONS.

The following feats may be performed either upon a large blackboard hanging from the
wall, or upon a large sheet of cardboard, or stiff paper, spread upon the table. If the
blackboard is used, you should stand before it, the Transmitter standing in the usual
position. If the table is used, you should stand before it, the Transmitter in his usual
place.

DRAWING THE CHOSEN FIGURE.

DEMONSTRATION VII. Have the audience select a number, and think intently of it.
Impress upon the Transmitter that is to think of the Shape of the figure instead of
merely remembering its name. For instance if the figure "" is thought of, the Transmitter
should think of the Shape of the figure, and not of the word "eight." Then begin to circle
your hand around over the blackboard just as you did when finding the place of the
"beginning of the trip" of the demonstration mentioned a few minutes ago. Then bring
your pencil or chalk to a starting point, which you will soon perceive. Then hold your
fingers pressing lightly forward, and impart to your hand a trembling vibratory motion
as if in hesitation regarding the next movement, saying at the same time to your
Transmitter: "Will Hard nowWill the Direction to me," and you will soon begin to get an
impression of "Right," or "Left," or "Down," as the case may be, which you should follow
slowly. Be slow about it, for if the impression is not right you will soon be checked up.
Fence around a little until you begin to get the impressions clearly. You will find that the
principal trouble is at the start, for once you are started on the right track, your
Transmitter's Will will be freely employed, and he will pour the impressions into you.
Let him feel that it is his Will that is really doing the work, and he will exert it freely.
Once started, these drawing feats are easily performed, the trouble being with the start.
You should practice this feat frequently in private, before attempting it in a public
demonstration. It is very effective.

THE LADY'S AGE.

DEMONSTRATION VII. This is a variation of the above feat. A lady in the audience is
asked to whisper her age in the ear of the Transmitter, and you are to draw it on the
board or paper. The feat is performed precisely in the manner described above, the
Transmitter being cautioned to think of but one figure at a time during the drawing.

THE BANK NOTE TEST.

DEMONSTRATION IX. Akin to the last two feats, is the reading of the number of a
banknote held in the hand of the Transmitter. It is performed in precisely the same
manner as the preceding feat. Be sure to have the Transmitter understand that he is to
think of but one figure at a time, until it is drawn, and then the next, and so on.

THE WATCH NUMBER TEST.

DEMONSTRATION X. The feat of reading and drawing the number of a person's watch
is a variation of the last mentioned demonstration, and is performed in precisely the
same way.

THE GEOMETRICAL FIGURE TEST.

DEMONSTRATION XI. Have the audience select some simple geometrical figure, such
as a square, triangle, circle, right angle, etc., and proceed to draw it in the same way as
the figures in the demonstrations just described. Have the Transmitter hold the figure in
his mind and mentally draw it as you proceed. A little private practice will enable you to
draw these figures easily, and in fact, they are really simpler than numbers, although
more startlingly effective at times.
 THE "SIMPLER METHOD."

A simpler method of performing the feats and demonstrations which we have styled
"The More Difficult Feats," is that of having the Transmitter stand by your right side,
turning toward you and placing his right hand over yours, the tips of his fingers resting
on your fingers between your large knuckles and first joints, (instead of standing on
your left side with his fingers grasped in your left hand, as heretofore mentioned). This
method is not nearly so good so far as appearances go, for some critical members of the
audience might object that he was in confederacy with you and really helping you to
drawbut it is highly effective so far as simplifying the feat is concerned. His fingertips
with their nervous matter aroused into activity seem to fairly charge your fingers with
"nervous energy," or "magnetism," and your hand acts almost automatically. The
motion of the Receiver's hand and fingers, under this method becomes almost like the
motion of a "Planchette," and often writes and draws the numbers, figures, letters, etc.,
so easily and smoothly, that they seem to be fairly "running away" from the mind of the
performer. You should at least familiarize yourself with this method, so as to be able to
use it in emergencies, or in the case of a poor Transmitter, or else in the case of the more
delicate and complex tests. If you neglect this method, you will have failed to acquaint
yourself with one of the most startling features of Contact Mind Reading, which so far
touches the higher phenomena that it is closely akin to what is known as "Automatic
Writing." In fact, if you are disposed, and are naturally receptive and sensitive to
impressions, you may even write a letter through the Will of a good Transmitter, by this
method. By all means make yourself acquainted with its possibilities, and phenomena.

We now pass on to a consideration of the more Sensational Feats.

 LESSON VII.

SENSATIONAL FEATS.

In addition to the feats given in this work, which, together with their countless
variations, form the stock in trade of the majority of the professional Mind Readers,
there are a number of other feats essayed by the public performers which we have seen
fit to group under the general title "Sensational Feats." These feats are described here in
order that the student may understand the nature of them, and the manner of their
performance. But we consider such feats suitable only for the sensational
advertisements of the professional performers, and always dependent upon more or less
spectacular accessories, and attended by even dangerous features in the case of the
driving feat. And therefore we do not offer them for reproduction by the private student,
or the parlor demonstrator. The principal Sensational Feats performed by the
professionals, are as follows:

THE DRIVING FEAT.

This is performed by the performer, blindfolded as usual, driving a team along the
public streets to some selected point, which point is usually a hotel previously selected
by a public committee. Upon reaching the hotel the performer goes to the hotel register,
turns the pages and finds a name previously selected. The performer receives his
impressions from members of the committee who are seated beside him on the carriage
seat, with their arms on his shoulders, or having hold of his hands, or even connected
with him by wire. The feat is really a spectacular reproduction of the familiar feats
described in previous chapters, and the principles governing it are precisely the same.
The Transmitters impress the direction upon him, and he follows the line of the Least
Mental Resistance.

THE COMBINATION LOCK FEAT.

This feat is employed either separately, or in connection with the Driving Feat. It
consists in the performer opening the combination safe of a hotel or some business
establishment. In this case the Transmitter must know the combination perfectly, and
his mental impressions acting upon the performer give him the cue to turn "right" or
"left" or "repeat" as the case may be. Of course one must have cultivated a great degree
of sensitiveness to mental impressions before he will be able to receive and respond to
the direction impressions in this case. And yet almost any person by following the
directions given in this work, and carefully and repeatedly practicing the various feats
and demonstrations given herein, may be able to reproduce this feat of the professional
performer, who is in constant daily practice, and who is able to devote his entire time to
the work, as his "bread and butter" is concerned therein. Once the sensitiveness is
gained, the details of the work are nothing more than those employed in any of the
"finding" or "drawing" feats herein described and explained.

THE OFFICE DETECTIVE FEAT.

In this feat the public committee picks out an object on the desk, or about the office of
some one of its members, the office being located some distance from the place of
meeting. The performer then rushes along the public streets, dragging the Transmitter
with him, until the office is reached, then up stairs, and into the room selected, and up
to the desk, or other place, and lo! the object is found. Divesting this feat of all its
sensational features, the student will see that it is merely a variation of the ordinary
"finding" feat performed in the parlor. It creates a great sensation, but there is nothing
more wonderful about it than about the simplest "finding" feat.

THE POSTOFFICE FEAT.

Another feat favored by some of the professional performers is that of having a letter
placed in a post office lockbox, the key of which is given the performer at a point some
distance from the postoffice. Rushing through the public streets, dragging the
Transmitter with him, the performer finds the postoffice in the usual way, and then
locates the lockbox, into which he inserts the key and extracts the letter, thus
triumphantly completing the feat. This feat, as every student will see, is merely a
variation of the simpler feats manifested in a sensational manner for the purpose of
public advertisement.

THE FIREALARM FEAT.

This feat is another "free advertisement" demonstration, in which the performer, with
the permission of the city officials, discovers the location of a certain firealarm box, and
turns on the alarm with the key which had been previously loaned him. Some public
officials allow this test to be performed, using it as a test alarm for the department as
well, and the sight and sound of the clanging fireengines, the smoke, and confusion
following upon the sensational Mind Reading demonstration is calculated to cause great
excitement and interest in the town, which usually results in packed houses at the night
entertainment. But the test is really nothing but a variation of the simple "finding the
spot" demonstration, with sensational accompaniments.
 VARIATIONS.

We might enlarge our list of "Sensational feats," but to no real benefit to the student, for
they are all cut from the same cloth, and are but "improvements" upon the simple parlor
feats. If the student wishes to do so, he may invent a dozen similar feats, just as
sensational and just as effective. The purpose of the sensational feat is primarily to gain
free advertisements for the public performers. As scientific demonstrations they have
but very slight value.

"FAKE DEMONSTRATIONS" EXPOSED.

In concluding this part of the book, we wish to warn our students against some of the
socalled "Mind Readers" who are travelling around the country giving exhibitions of
socalled Mind Reading which while interesting enough in themselves are nothing but
cleverly devised devices intended to counterfeit the genuine phenomena. The majority of
these performers have a series of cleverly arranged "signalcodes" by which the
confederate conveys to the "Mind Reader" the name and description of the article
handed to the former by some one of the audience. One of the principal performers in
this line in this country had a signalcode of over fivethousand objects, which he and his
confederate had carefully memorized. This code was worked by the plan of asking the
blindfolded "Mind Reader" to name the object. You can see the possibilities of this
when you remember the many different ways in which the same question may be asked,
and when you remember that each word, and combination of words, conveys a distinct
and separate meaning to the blindfolded one.

Others employ sleightofhand, and legerdemain, in order to produce the illusion.

Prepared pads of paper upon which questions are written, and similar means, are
commonly used in such exhibitions. We do not purpose going into this matter in detail,
for such is not the purpose of this work. But we think it well to call the attention of our
students to the same, in order that they may get a clue to some of the various counterfeit
exhibitions of Mind Reading which are being advertised by some of the public
performers. There are other public performers, however, who give fine exhibitions of the
genuine phenomena. The student of this work should have acquired a sufficient
knowledge of its underlying principles to enable him to distinguish between the genuine
and the spurious when he sees an exhibition. If any wish to know more of the
counterfeit, there are many good works published on "Legerdemain" which will satisfy
his curiosity.
 LESSON VIII.

HIGHER PHENOMENA.

In the demonstrations described and explained in the previous parts of this work, the
mental impressions travel from one mind to another over the channels of the
"telegraphic wires" of the nervous system of the Transmitter and Receiver. In other
words the Mind Reading that is employed in the feats and demonstrations given, is akin
to the ordinary "telegraphic current" travelling over the wires from sending station to
receiving stationthe nervous system of the two persons furnishing a very close
counterpart to the telegraphic wire, etc. But there is a step beyond thismany steps in
fact. While the "Contact Mind Reading" which we have described and explained is surely
wonderful enough to attract the attention of all thinking minds, still when the advanced
student passes on to the field of the Higher Phenomena he is destined to meet with
marvelous results which in some cases almost surpass belief. This Higher Phenomena of
Mind Reading, or "Telepathic Mind Reading," when compared to the Contact Mind
Reading, is as the "wireless telegraph" when compared to the ordinary telegraph using
wires.
In Lesson I, of this book, we have given you the theories held by scientific men
regarding the nature of the waves or currents that proceed from one mind to another,
and the mechanism by which these waves are registered. We think it will be interesting
to many of you to know that certain Occultists have their own theory regarding this
matter, which while not widely known is still of the greatest interest to earnest students
of the scientific side of the subject. We allude to what is known as "The Pineal Gland"
theory.

The Pineal Gland is a small gland, coneshaped, and of a reddishgray color, situated in
the brain about the middle of the skull, nearly above the top of the spinal column. It is a
compact mass of nervous matter, containing a quantity of what has been called
"brainsand," which is composed of very small particles of gritty matter. The anatomists
and physiologists confess their ignorance of the function and purpose of the Pineal
Gland, and it remains for the Occultists to explain its real nature, which is the receiving
and registering of the waves or currents, or vibrations of thought and Will received from
another person. This Pineal Gland is, according to the Occultists, the receiving
instrument for the "wireless Mind Reading," and in fact it resembles the actual receiver
of the wireless telegraph in more than one respect.
 THE FIRST STEPS.

In the first place, the student who is practicing the experiments given in previous
chapters, and who is making the demonstrations given there, will find that at times he is
able to do away with the physical contact. He will loosen his hold upon the hand of the
Transmitter, and at times will sever the contact entirely, and after the feat is
demonstrated he will realize to his astonishment that he has performed the principal
part of the feat without contact at all. He may be almost unconscious of this fact, for the
reason that he was so much immersed and absorbed in his work that he did not have
time to think of these details. At other times he will find that even before he has made
the physical contact with the Transmitter, he will receive a flash of mental impression
which will enable him to proceed to the selected location, or object, at once.

DEMONSTRATIONS WITHOUT A TRANSMITTER.

These experiences will become so frequent and so strong that he may often (in the cases
of peculiarly sensitive people) perform the entire feat without the physical contact of the
Transmitter, and perhaps without any Transmitter at all. In well developed cases the
Receiver may perform the simple feats, and sometimes some of the more complicated
ones, merely by the aid of the Concentrated Will of the audience.

We have known of cases in which a pocketknife was the selected and hidden object, and
when the demonstrator would enter the room he would receive a sudden mental
impression of the word "knife," followed by the impression "under the sofapillow," etc.,
and upon going to the designated spot the knife would be found. Every person who
carefully practices the demonstrations given in this book will be able to add actual
experiences of this kind, of his own, which have been experienced by him during the
course of his work.

In order to develop the ability to produce the Higher Phenomena, the best course is for
the student to frequently practice the demonstration and experiments of Contact Mind
Reading, as this will develop the receptive faculties of the mind. Then the student may
occasionally practice with a few sympathetic and harmonious friends, endeavoring to
reproduce the demonstrations without physical contact.

EXERCISES FOR DEVELOPMENT.

He may also try the experiment of having a friend hold a certain number of small
buttons, etc., in his hand, and endeavor to will that the student shall "guess" the right
number. Some people attain a surprising proficiency in this work, almost from the first.
A similar experiment with the pack of cards, the student endeavoring to "guess" the card
drawn from the pack, naming color, suit, and number in turn, may afford successful
results. A number of these experiments may be thought of by an ingenious person,
remembering always that the "guess" is not a guess at all, but an attempt to register the
mental impression of the Transmitter.

REPRODUCING THE SPERRY FEATS.

The student may with great profit endeavor to reproduce the experiments of the Sperry
children related in Lesson II of this work, in our account of the experiments of the
Society for Psychical Research.

THE WILLING GAME.

The wellknown "Willing Game" will afford you an opportunity to develop this faculty of
"wireless" Mind Reading. Your audience is seated in the room, and you enter
blindfolded. An object has been previously selected. You stand in the centre of the room,
and the audience wills "to the right"; then "forward"; then "a little lower down," etc.,
etc., etc., until the object is found, just as was the case when the Transmitter sends the
impressions. The audience should Will only one step at a time, and you should take that
one step without thought of the succeeding ones. The mind should be held as receptive
as possible, that is "open" to vibrations. Take your time, and do not let hurry or anxiety
enter your mind. It will be well to practice this experiment with members of your family,
or with harmonious and sympathetic friends.

LONG DISTANCE EXPERIMENTS.

Experiments of "wireless" Mind Reading or Telepathy may be tried between friends at

long distances, space apparently presenting no obstacle to the passage of the thought
waves. Pick out some friend with whom you have established a strong rapport condition
by means of his having acted as your Transmitter in your Contact Mind Reading
experiments, and by having practiced Rhythmic Breathing, as heretofore described.
Have the Transmitter sit in his room at the appointed time, gazing intently at some
small simple object, such as a knife, a glass, a cup, a book, etc., and endeavoring to make
a clear mental picture of it, which picture he should also Will to be reproduced in your
mind. Remember he should think of the looks or appearance of the object not merely of
its namehe should think of the shape, etc., of the book, instead of thinking the word
"book." At the same time you should sit quietly in your room, placing yourself in the
same passive, receptive mental attitude that you have ac quired and practiced in your
Contact Mind Readings. Then wait patiently for impressions. After a while, if successful,
you will get the mental picture of a book, or whatever object was thought of by the
Transmitter. This experiment may be varied from time to time, the principle being the
same in all cases. It will be well for both the Transmitter and the Receiver to keep a
written record of the time of each experiment, and the objects thought of. Several
objects may be thought of at a sitting of say five minutes apart, a careful record being
kept by both parties of the time, and object, so that a later comparison may show the
result of the experiments. In case of the two people being in different cities, they may
mail each other copies of their record for comparison.

THE "AUTOMATIC WRITING" EXPERIMENTS.

Another way of conducting experiments along the lines of the Higher Phenomena of
Mind Reading, is akin to the "Automatic Writing" known to all students of Occultism.
The Transmitter concentrates his thought and Will in the usual manner, while the
Receiver places himself in the usual receptive, passive state of mind, and awaits the
impressions. But instead of the Receiver merely sitting as usual, he draws his chair to a
table, having a soft pencil in his hand and a pad of paper on the table before him. He
holds the pencil lightly between his fingers, with its point touching the paperand then
awaits impressions. Under good conditions, after waiting a time the pencil will begin to
twitch and move feebly. The hands and fingers should allow it full and free motion. After
a few moments of indecision the pencil will often begin to write out words. In many
experiments the word, or object thought of by the Transmitter will be written out, or
drawn in full by the hand of the Receiver acting automatically. Some experimenters
succeed much better with this plan than with the more common method.

THE STEAD EXPERIMENTS.

Mr. W.T. Stead, the wellknown London editor and investigator of Psychic Phenomena,
discovered this method while he was experimenting along the lines of Automatic
Writing from disembodied souls. He found that he was really coming in contact with the
thoughtwaves emanating from the minds of the living, instead of the dead. He persisted
in his experiments along these lines, and after a time was able to write out full letters
embodying the thoughts in the minds of persons of his acquaintance, and others. Other
investigators have reproduced his experiments with marvelous results. There is a great
field here, awaiting investigation, and it may be that some of the students of this work
are destined to add to the scientific testimony on the subject. The above simple
directions are all that are necessary, in order to conduct this scientific experiment.
 RAPPORT CONDITIONS.

There is a great difference in the degrees of rapport existing between different people,
and as the degree of success depends upon the degree of rapport, it is of the greatest
importance that you find some person with whom you are in harmonious vibration, in
order to try these experiments in the Higher Phenomena.

We will not burden the student with recitals of experiments to perform in this Higher
Phenomena demonstration. He may readily devise experiments for himself, from the
examples given in connection with the Contact Mind Reading. The Transmitter may
think of a card; an object; a name; a place; a scene; a thought; a feeling, etc., etc.,
without limit. And it makes no difference in the nature of the experiment or test,
whether it be tried at longrange, or in the same room, without contact. The feat is the
samethe principle is the same.

THE BLACKBURNSMITH EXPERIMENTS.

As a further suggestion to the student, we would refer him to Lesson II of this work, to
the report of the experiments with Mr. Smith and Mr. Blackburn. If you will carefully
read this report again, you will find a wealth of suggestions regarding the forms of
demonstrations. But, bless your hearts, the experiments may be varied without endthe
principle is the same in each case. The underlying principle is that the Transmitter
thinks intently upon the appearance of the object or thing, or else upon the feeling
connected with it if it be a feeling instead of an object; and the Receiver endeavors to
receive the impression. The Transmitter manifests an Active Will to transmit the mental
image, while the Receiver assumes a passive, receptive desire to receive the impression.
The one is all Willthe other is all Desire.

Concluding this chapter on the Higher Phenomena of Mind Reading, we would say to
the students that very few of them will have the perseverance to continue their
experiments beyond the point of Contact Mind Reading, or perhaps the simplest forms
of the Higher Phenomena. Contact Mind Reading is far more satisfactory to the average
person, for its results are very constant indeed, and comparatively little labor, time and
trouble are necessary to make the demonstrations. While on the contrary the results of
the demonstrations of the Higher Phenomena are less constant except in the cases of
very highly developed Receivers, working with Transmitters in almost perfect rapport
and harmony. Then the average experiments along the lines of the Higher Phenomena,
some days will prove highly successful, while other days will be almost barren of result.
In fact there seems to be a sort of spontaneous action in the production of the Higher
Phenomena, and the degree of success depends more or less upon some conditions of
the mental world, not as yet fully understood by science. But to those who wish to push
into the Unknown as far as they may do so, this field of the Higher Phenomena of Mind
Reading offers a fascination and attraction difficult to express to those who have not
experienced it.

FINIS