CONJURING 



1543 



is current in regard to the Oriental tricks, many 

 of which, as described, never happened. The 

 basket trick, in which a slender lad enters a 

 basket through which a sword is pushed to 

 and fro, and then reappears unhurt in the audi- 

 ence, depends upon the flexibility of the basket, 

 the adroitness of the lad in directing the thrust, 

 and the provision of a "double" in like dress. 

 The bush that grows flowers in a few moments 

 is a case of substitution. 



Its Psychology. The psychology of conjur- 

 ing is interesting. It shows how readily the 

 mind is deceived and what slight prepossession 

 will convert a trick into a miracle, how readily 

 the mechanism remains undetected, and how 

 completely natural means account for the ap- 

 pearance. The conjurer is thus the scientific 

 successor of the sorcerer. What has changed 

 is the attitude toward his wonders; they now 

 afford amusement and stimulate wonder and 

 curiosity, while in former days they aroused 

 fear and were accepted as proofs of super- 

 human power. 



It is related that Houdin was sent to the 

 Arabs to overcome their superstitious beliefs in 

 the power of their magicians. He performed 

 with appreciation his trick of making a chest 

 heavy or light (by turning on or off an electro- 

 magnet) ; the chest easily lifted by an Arab 

 one moment was immovable the next. But 

 when on another occasion he announced the 

 same trick as the power to take a man's 

 strength away, the Arabs fled in fear of such 

 uncanny powers. The same performance which 

 convinces a believer of the reality of spirit 

 influence becomes merely a clever trick to an- 

 other with a more scientific attitude. Yet it 

 remains difficult to impress persons with the 

 fact that what they cannot explain must be 

 accepted as proof of theories which they are 

 inclined to hold, although there is no estab- 

 lished connection between their theories and 

 the unaccounted facts. j.j. 



Relating: to Various Beliefs. The articles on 

 the following topics, while some of them do not 

 bear on conjuring, are of interest in this connec- 

 tion because they, too, deal with pseudo-sciences 

 or superstitions : 



Alchemy . Necromancy , 



Astrology Occult 



Clairvoyance Palmistry 



Demonology Phrenology 



Divination Physiognomy 



Faifh-Cure Psychical Research 



Hypnotism Psycho-Analysis 



Magic Spiritualism 



Medium Subconscious 



Mesmerism Suggestion 



Mind Reading Superstition 



Telepathy 

 Theosophy 



CONNAUGHT 



Trance 

 Witchcraft 



CONKLING, kongk'ling, ROSCOE (1829- 

 1888), an American statesman and lawyer, 

 prominent in the organization of the Republi- 

 can party and actively connected with its his- 

 tory throughout a long career in the Senate. 

 He was a typical leader in the old school of 

 American politics. When Conkling was Hrst 

 elected to Congress, in 1858, he was mayor of 

 Utica, N. Y., and had become widely known 

 through his campaign speeches for Taylor and 

 Scott. Except for the term between 1863 and 

 1865, when he held a position in the War De- 

 partment, he was a member of the House of 

 Representatives until 1867, and in that year 

 became one of the United States Senators for 

 the state of New York. 



Conkling was one of the best-known mem- 

 bers of the Senate in the administrations of 

 Johnson, Grant and Hayes, and he was an 

 especially active member of the "Stalwart" 

 faction that so strenuously fought for a third 

 term for Grant. He was out of sympathy 

 with the reform element in his party, a bitter 

 opponent of civil service and firm in his belief 

 that the Senators should be consulted in the 

 matter of appointments made by the President. 



In 1881 President Garfield nominated an 

 anti-Conkling man for the office of collector of 

 New York, and in spite of Conkling's opposi- 

 tion the appointment was confirmed by the 

 Senate. He and his colleague, Thomas C. 

 Platt, at once resigned, and asked for a re- 

 election from the New York legislature. Their 

 defeat marked the end of Conkling's political 

 career, and he spent the rest of his life in the 

 practice of law in New York City. 



CONNAUGHT, kon'nawt, ARTHUR WILLIAM 

 PATRICK ALBERT, Duke of (1850- ), a British 

 soldier and administrator, Governor-General of 

 Canada from 1911 to 1916. He was the third 

 son of Queen Victoria, and was born at Buck- 

 ingham Palace on May 1, 1850. He entered 

 the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, at the 

 age of sixteen, at eighteen was assigned to the 

 Royal Engineers, then served for a few months 

 with the Royal Artillery, and in August, 1869, 

 was transferred to the Rifle Brigade. He was 

 promoted to the rank of captain in 1871 and 

 step by step won promotion to the rank of 

 general in 1893. In Egypt in 1882 he com- 

 manded the Guards Brigade at the Battle of 

 Tel-el-Kebir. He was mentioned several times 

 in despatches, was made Companion of the 

 Bath and was thanked by Parliament. 



