Chapter II: Part 2

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 things--attend 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, mantel-piece, 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 watch-key, match-safe, 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 scarf-pin 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 co-operation, 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 thought-waves 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 now--_harder_--use 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 spot--_then 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 scarf-pin, 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 person, 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, however--about 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 hand--just 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 whereabouts--your 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 course--the 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 walk--it 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, feather-brained 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_ earnestly--fix your Mind on the right _Spot_--make a determined Mental Effort that I move in the right direction--it is your Mind and Will that gives me the impression, remember--it 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 touch--such 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 walking-cane.

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 distinctly--that 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 to-and-fro 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 MAPPED-OUT 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 checker-game 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 like--you 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 "poker-hand," such as a "flush," a "straight," "three-of-a-kind"; a "full-house," 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 book-shelf, or book-case, etc.--then a given page is chosen--then a line of printed matter on that page--and 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 practice--in 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 card-board, 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 "8" 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_ now--_Will_ 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 bank-note 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.

DRAWING PICTURES.

DEMONSTRATION XII. The same principle described in the above mentioned test may be extended to apply to the drawing of simple pictures, such as the outline figure of a pig, etc. The copy is placed on the table or blackboard, so that the Transmitter may easily refer to it, and then you proceed as in the feats above mentioned. Practice this until you "get it down fine."

THE HIDDEN NAME.

DEMONSTRATION XIII. The same principle may be extended to the writing down of the name of a person, town, etc., previously chosen by the audience. Draw in large letters, so that the eye of the Transmitter may easily follow you at each step.

THE UNDERLYING RULE.

In all of the "Drawing Demonstrations," you should remember the primary principle, i.e. Follow the line of the least Mental Resistance, and the Will of the Transmitter will invariably lead you to the right direction.

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 draw--but it is highly effective so far as simplifying the feat is concerned. His finger-tips 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 lock-box, the key of which is given the performer at a point some distance from the post-office. Rushing through the public streets, dragging the Transmitter with him, the performer finds the post-office in the usual way, and then locates the lock-box, 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 FIRE-ALARM 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 fire-alarm 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 fire-engines, 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 so-called "Mind Readers" who are travelling around the country giving exhibitions of so-called 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 "signal-codes" 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 signal-code of over five-thousand 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 sleight-of-hand, 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 station--the nervous system of the two persons furnishing a very close counterpart to the telegraphic wire, etc. But there is a step beyond this--many 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.