A NOTE ON "THOUGHT-READING." 635 



hints by pressure, alteration of speed, and otherwise, to the guided 

 one, who is, as a rule, only too ready to quickly interpret them. The 

 same explanation would apply to cases where the person who is 

 "willed" to find something hidden during his or her absence is in no 

 contact with any of the " willing " party, but Avho often succeeds in 

 discovering the desired object by studying the unconscious indica- 

 tions given by the faces of the expectant circle. All this is, in fact, 

 nearly admitted by the writers we quote, though their denial of Mr. 

 Stuart Cumberland's own explanation of his performances in this line 

 is perhaps as unwarrantable as the " further inquiry " that they sug- 

 gest. 



The remarks in this paper will, therefore, be confined to the 

 alleged results obtained where there was no actual contact. It will 

 be at once admitted with the writers of the article that common 

 sense demands that every known mode of explanation of facts should 

 be exhausted before the possibility of an unknown mode is considered. 

 This is an all-important admission, obvious as it seems to be. It is 

 required by the method of common sense, which is no less the method 

 of science ; all true explanation consisting in a procedure from the 

 known to the unknown. 



In the next place, it is equally obvious that in all scientific in- 

 quiries the good faith of individuals concerned should form no part 

 of the data on which the conclusion is to rest. A person merits cre- 

 dence in proportion as the facts he alleges can be demonstrated or 

 reproduced, and to the jealous care he shows in avoiding fallacy. 

 But we can never, as our authors say, call on Science to put deception 

 out of court by a belief in any one's integrity. Half of the evidence 

 which has propped up the spiritualistic craze is based on the results 

 obtained through mediums of " unblemished character " in private 

 families, whose virtuous reputation has been largely sustained by the 

 fact that they did not take money for their trouble ; no regard being 

 paid to innumerable other motives and tendencies to deception. 



This being admitted, the cases before us in the paper alluded to 

 can be easily dealt with. They differ in no way from the ordinary 

 platform performances of the little " clairvoyantes " who from time to 

 time have amused us both in the name of Second-Sight and in that 

 of the humbler and honester one of Conjuring. It is well known that 

 a very simple code of signals will suffice to produce results much 

 more startling than those we are discussing. The first word or letter, 

 for 'instance, of the question asked of the "sensitive" medium may 

 denote the category to which the object fixed upon belongs. The 

 second and third, and so on, serve to specialize it further, and by a 

 series of questions and remarks it is easy to understand that any 

 amount of information may be conveyed. When the clairvoyante 

 is not blindfolded, other means of communication, of course, are pos- 

 sible, and in any case auditory signs other than words could be 



