June 30, 1882.] 



• KNOV^^LEDGE 



the absolute certainty, the familiarity, quickness, absence 

 of all machinery, and actual face-to-face, hand-to-hand 

 fairness between the conjuror and the audience with which 

 it was done." 



It is clear that in this feat there was legerdemain, and 

 (in a sense) machinery, too. Several common school slates 

 were brought in, but one slate only was used. We may be 

 sure this, however it resembled the others, was not, like 

 them, a common school slate ; and that the name, Victoria, 

 was already written on it under the surface which was pre- 

 pared to receive whatever name the General's friend might 

 write. We might also explain the conjuror's knowledge of 

 what the General and his friend had written, by tlie 

 wonderful quickness and keenness of sight which conjurors 

 obtain with constant practice. That some can tell what 

 name is being written, by watching the movements of the 

 pencil-end remote from the slate or paper, is certain. I 

 am disposed, however, to consider this a case of mind- 

 reading, after the much more wonderful case cited before, 

 which can only be explained as an instance of mind-ruling. 

 In the following cases it seems doubtful whether mind- 

 reading or mind-guiding were in question. Prof. Barrett 

 is referring to trials made with the children and a young 

 servant-girl of the Rev. Mr. G, of whose personal integrity 

 he was convinced (though, of course, this statement re- 

 specting a person unnamed must be taken only for what it 

 is worth, that is, as an expression of opinion). 



" Having selected at random one child, whom we desired 

 to leave the room and wait at some distance, we would 

 choose a card from a pack, or write on paper a number or 

 a name which occurred to us at the moment. Before leav- 

 ing the room the child had been informed of the general 

 nature of the test we intended to select, as 'this will be a 

 card,' or ' this will be a name.' On reentering she stood — 

 sometimes turned by us with her face to the wall, often 

 with her eyes directed towards the ground, and usually 

 close to us, and remote from lier family — for a period of 

 silence varying from a few seconds to a minute, till she 

 called out to us some number, card, or whatever it might 

 be. . . . The first attempt was to state, without 

 searching, the hiding-place of some small object, the 

 place having been chosen by ourselves, with the full range 

 of the house, and then communicated to the other members 

 of the family. This was cflected in one case only out of 

 four. The next attempt was to give tlie name of some 

 familiar object agreed on in the child's absence, as 'sponge,' 

 'pepper-caster,' ifcc. This was successful on a first trial in 

 six cases out of fourteen. We then chose a card from a 

 fuU pack in the child's absence, and called upon her to 

 name it on her return. This was successful at once in six 



cases out of thirteen A harder trial was now 



introduced. Tlie maidservant liaving left the room, one of 

 us wrote down the name 'Michael Davitt,' showed it 

 round, and then put the paper in his pocket. The door was 

 now opened, and the girl recalled from tlie end of the 

 passage. She stood close to tlu; door amid absolute silence, 

 and with her eyes on the ground — all of us meanwhile 

 fixing our attention on the appointed name^and gave 

 after a few seconds the name ' Michael,' and then 

 almost immediately 'Davitt' To avoid any association 

 of ideas, we then chose imaginary names, made up by 

 ourselves at the moment, as ' Samuel Morris,' ' John 

 Thomas Parker,' ' Pha'be Wilson.' The names were 

 given correctly in toto, at the first trial in five cases out of 

 ten. Three cases were complete failures, and in two the 

 names given bore a strong resemblance to those s<'loctcd by 

 us, 'Jacob Williams,' being given as 'Jacob Wild,' and 

 ' Emily Walker,' as ' 'Enry Walker.' It was now getting 

 late, anil both we and the younger children were very 



tired ; and four concluding attempts to guess the name 

 of a town in England were all failures, though one of us 

 had previously obtained remarkable success in this very 

 experiment." 



It appears to me that the failures in these and other 

 cases yet to be cited, arc as important a part of the 

 evidence in favour of mind-reading or mind-ruling, as the 

 successes. For they tend to show that there was no 

 general system of deception by which the members of the 

 family who had been present when the names were selected 

 informed the children by .signals previously agreed upon. 

 However, as it will be obvious that there can be no abso- 

 lute certainty on this point in cases in which any members 

 of the family knew what was selected, we proceed to con- 

 sider cases in which only the committee of investigation 

 knew the words or things chosen. 



(To be continued.) 



HOW TO GET STRONG. 



WE have received, through the Editor, a great numbti 

 of communications, with which we propose to deal 

 consecutively before passing to the consideration of othc 

 exercises for the expansion and development of tin 

 chest. 



Several correspondents ask about the mstruracnt called 

 an inspirometer, which is mentioned in a quotation from 

 an American work. We must trust to American readers 

 to answer this question ; for we have not ourselves seen or 

 used this instrument. The breathing test, used at various 

 places of amusement, though on a diflerent principle, serve s 

 the same purpose when properly used. A'ery few people 

 seem to know how to use this instrument The Editor 

 writes to us as follows, very much to the point, en 

 this subject : — " Have you ever noticed what very poor 

 records most persons make with the breathing apparatus, 

 compared with what they can make when they go to work 

 properly ? You will see a well built man, standing some 

 six feet in his stockings, who, advancing to the instrument, 

 will begin to blow, watching the index with a look as if he 

 would send it round to 100 at least, yet will barely mark 

 200 ; yet there is nothing wrong with the big fellow's lungs, 

 as from such a record for such a height one might judge. Tell 

 him how to do it, and he will send the index well over 300. 

 I have watched a score of men who ought to reach 2fi0, 

 averaging not more than 150. Then I have taken the 

 tube, and though below the middle height, and too fleshy 

 for full breathing, have sent the index on beyond 200 to 

 250, to ;!U0 (till people began to ask whether I >>as breath- 

 ing out of my boots), and em to 340 or SoO^the greatest 

 I have reached being 353. Then one or two have a.'^keil 

 me, apart, how the thing was done, and I have explained 

 that before ex-spiring, the breath is to be drawn in till you 

 can draw in no more, and every atom of air so drawn in is 

 to be let out steadily through the tube, none e'scnpiiig 

 beforehand. I have then seen a man who had just., with 

 utmost eflbrts, readied 180, go easily above 300." 



Speaking of fleshiness, it should be added to the usual 

 instructions respeH-ting the use of the breathing apparatus, 

 that any addition to the weight beyond that due to fair 

 condition, is certain to aflect the record with the breathing 

 apparatus. 



Several correspondents ask our opinion of various exer- 

 cises, as rowing, riding, walking, tricycling, boxing, cricket, 

 itc. It will probably sound paradoxical, after the stress 

 we have laid on the necessity for exercise, to say that we 

 consider each one of these exercises, (is pur^tied ftf 



