628 Transactions of the American Institute. 



Now, has science taught us anything which either proves or dis- 

 proves the existence of such a force ? The experiments resemble so 

 much the tricks of legerdemain, as to create the suspicion that they 

 belong to the same class. As to playing on the accordeon, the 

 jugglers will play on an accordeon without having any accordeon. 

 We have had exhibitions in the Academy of Music surpassing any- 

 thing done by spiritualists. They will imitate the voice of birds, and 

 cause the sound to ascend until it appears to come from the top of the 

 house. But they do not pretend that it is anything more than ven- 

 triloquism. And as to the experiment with the spring balance, it is 

 so simple that it is scarcely worth speaking of. It is surprising that 

 Mr. Crookes should have considered as a new force a result so 

 easily explained by well-known principles of physical science of which 

 jugglers make constant use. 



It is impossible to give an explanation of tricks without seeing 

 them. An account of the 'performance is not enough. The person 

 relates what he noticed ; but there may be other things which, were 

 they noticed, would explain the whole thing. For instance, when 

 the Davenports came here, I was at first at a loss to account for their 

 experiments. I was selected as one of the committee to go upon the 

 platform, and tie them, and see if everything was rightly done. It 

 had been my good fortune to see a great many jugglers' tricks, for 

 my parents thought it a good way to teach quickness of perception, 

 and I saw all kinds of jugglers, and when I was a boy I was a juggler 

 myself, and performed thousands of tricks. When I came upon the 

 platform, I saw that the Davenports were to be tied with a new 

 manilla rope, which cannot be tightly tied. I called for an old- 

 fashioned hemp rope, and tied one of them so well that he was an 

 hour in getting out. The other one was tied with the manilla rope, 

 and soon got loose. They threw a speaking-trumpet out through a 

 hole in the closet in which they were tied ; but after they were gone, 

 I found, by trying the experiment myself, that I could lift the trum- 

 pet with my teeth and stick it through the hole. Of course, when 

 the doors were opened, their hands were found still tied. Now, to 

 show you the amount of perception of the public generally, I will say 

 that, suspecting how it was done, I thought I would give the .public 

 the key to it, and so I took up the trumpet in my teeth, thinking 

 they would perceive what I meant ; but instead of that, some of them 

 came to me after the exhibition was over, and said the most wonderful 

 thing of the whole was to see that trumpet stuck fast to my nose ! 



