8 
TRANSACTIONS OF THE TEXAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 
Turning to a friend who had been watching others in an unsuccessful 
attempt at a like feat, I remarked: “ Doctor, you can’t lift this child.” 
He tried, but could not. Another, who only wanted to “ see how the 
child felt,” likewise failed. 
When, after many experiments, it had been definitely determined how 
the greater part of this performance could be reproduced by the very 
simplest means, the personal experiences of many individuals were care¬ 
fully compared. This comparison most clearly revealed the fact that 
each had been affected in accord with his preconceived ideas; that each 
one’s experience had been just what he had believed it would be. For 
example, I was one of the few who felt no “ electric shocks.” Being the 
only one who thought of any form of muscular paralysis, I alone discov¬ 
ered it. 
But so real had these experiences been that the simple theory that they 
were from no influence save our own beliefs meets with but little favor. 
It was generally declared that such simple methods of performing the 
various feats would not have escaped detection, and that mere beliefs 
would never give rise to such phenomena. I determined to make an ex¬ 
periment that would be conclusive. Tnis was nothing more nor less than 
to determine whether or not I could repeat the feats without being de¬ 
tected; and most of all, to determine whether or not I could obtain essen¬ 
tially the same hypnotic effects. The first favorable opportunity pre¬ 
sented was an invitation to deliver a lecture at Lampasas. In accepting 
this invitation, I stated that my subject would be “Occult Science,” and 
requested that it be made known that I would repeat the celebrated per¬ 
formances of Phyllis Bently and Annie Abbott, and would at the close 
fasten a boy to the floor by a hidden power that would defy every at¬ 
tempt to lift him. 
Some to whom my purpose was known feared that the attempt would 
end in failure and utter discomfiture. For it was well known to them 
that I had never attempted an experiment in hypnotism. Furthermore 
it was believed that the agencies upon which I relied were so simple as 
to make it highly improbable that any one would be deceived thereby, 
and that the proposed results had never been ascribed to such agencies 
by any investigator of hypnotism. To pose as an exhibitor of curious 
arts was but little to my taste; but I believed it to be indispensable to 
the solution of the problem in which I was deeply interested. Accord¬ 
ing to my theory, the one thing needed on my part was audacity, it 
being believed that others could be found who would contribute the re¬ 
maining essentials. 
It was deemed necessary that first of all the audience should be aroused 
to a high state of expectancy. With this end in view, I began by refer¬ 
ring to the prevalence of the belief that certain favored individuals 
