Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-04

20 on tai the whole word is found out By a
IKE method one pin selected from among .
table can be pointed out
| one other feat remains to be described. A
muscle reader who is exceedingly expert can
| reproduce on q blackboard a letter, a geometri-
ca, ngure, the rude outlines Of an animal or an
| srpitrary character. The muscle reader may
De olindfolded or not The subject keeps well
IN mind the character after tracing IL on the
oosrd and then erasing il, but il is Of course
unknown TO the muscle reader. The latter,
holding the crayon in his right hand and lightly
elasping the hand or wrist Of the subject With
ms lett slowly traces and reproduces the char
scter with some approach 70 accuracy. OF all
muscie-reading feats this 10 the most marvel
GUS. Mr.. Stuart Cumberland and Mr.. Bishop
oeen able to learn, who have ever accom-
| plished II.
suRPRIsKp ~ THEIR own SKILL
The testimony OF all muscle readers, espe-
ciaily during their FIRST attempts has been that
tney do not know what their methods are.
Early success is a selfsurprise. II creates the
impression that one 10 possessed OF q weird
power. his was my own experience. But
after repeated experiment and close OBSERVE
uon am convinced that the facts admit OF "a
uonai explanation. Primarily the results are
al due 70 single cause. but several different
eonaitions enter into their execution. In max
ing ms way to the location Of a hidden object
the subject usually does not lead the muscle
leader, but the muscle reader leads the subject.
mat Is to say, so long as the muscle reader
moves In the right direction the subject gives
no no ihdicatlon, but passively moves with him.
Inc muscle reader perceives nothing unusual.
But. the subjects mind being intently fixed on
certain course the instant that the muscle
reader deviates from that course there is A
sngnt involuntary tremor, or muscular thrill.
on the part OF the subject, due to the sudden
interruption OF his previous state OF mental ten
SION. The muscle reader. almost unconsciously
| taxes note OF the delicate signal and alters his
course to the proper one, again leading his will
ing SUBJECT In word, he follows the line of
least resistance. In other cases the conditions
are reversed; the subject unwittingly leads the
principal. He becomes so much interested and
MS mind Is SO intently 6xed upon the object of
the search that he is obliyious of everything
save the attempt to fluid it. Subjects have led
me IN this manner and have seen professional
mind readers enjoying like benefit Again.
nave had subjects who would give patent assist
ance at intervals and at other times leave me TO
my own Resources 1t must be said that this
method of muscle reading is exceptional; the
usual one Is that first described.
The discovery of a bank-note number re-
CURES slightly different explanation. The
conditons are these: The subject is intently
thinking OF certain figure. His mind is in a
state OF expectant attention. He is waiting for
pnt one thing in the world to happen an
other to give audible expression to the name Of
,iat winch he has in mind. The instant that
the conditions are fI1hlied the mind Of the
| subject Is released from it's state of tension
ana the accompanying nervous action causes a
eilSht muscular tremor, which il perceived BY
the acute senses OF the muscle reader. This
explanation applies also TO the pointing out Of
one pm among many or OF a letter or figure
on a chart. The conditions involved in the
tracing OF figure on a blackboard or other
surface are OF a like order, although this is a
seVerer test OF muscle readers powers. So
long as the muscle reader moves the crayon in
the right direction he is permitted to do so. but
Wnen ne devIates from the proper course the
SUBJECT, whose hand wrist he clasps,
invoiuntsrily indicates the fact by the usual
sngnt muscular tremor. This, of course is done
involuntarily; but if he is fulfilling the condi-
mons demanded Of all subjects-absolute con-
centration of attention and absence of muscu-
lar eontrol-he unconsciously obeys his Impulse.
a blizzard PLAYER does the same when he follows
the driven ball with his cue. ss if BY sheer force
OF VIII he could induce it to alter its course
The ivory Is uninhueneed: the human ball
obeys. This explains Mr.. Cumberland's sue
cess In his experiment before the khediye Of
Egypt. IL Will be noted that the account SAYS
tnat the paper was 'gummed to the wall"
Ihis indicates that the writing was done in
large characters and Was not of the ordinary
size: Under the conditions it is no more re-
markable that Mr.. Cumberland should have
traced the Arabic characters than that. in other
instances, he should have traced letters figures
or the outlines of beasts or birds.
THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF THE suByEcr I
Success In muscle reading depends upon the
powers OF the principal and upon the suscepti-
biiity OF the subject. The latter must be cana
Die OF mental concentration; be must exert no
muscular self control; he must obey his every
impulse Under these conditions the phenom-
ena are IN accordance with known laws OF physi-
ology On the part of the principal muscle
reading consists Of an acute perception of the
sight action OF another's muscles On the part
OF the subject 1t involves a nervous impulse
accompanied by muscular action. The mind
OF the subject is in a state of tension or ex-
pectancy. sudden release from this state ex-
cites momentarily an increased activity in the
cells OF the cerebral cortex- Since the idea
tional centers as is usually held correspond to
the motor centers the nervous action causes a
motor impulse to be transmitted to the mus
eles Familiar examples of this are many Any
emotional disturbance of mental equilibrium
has a like effect The agitation of the impas-
stoned orator, the wringing of the hands of the
Dereaved mother, the threatening gestures of
the angry teamster, are instances of a like
action unrestrained.
The muscle reader receives from his subject
intelligence In regard to only two things-di-
reetlon and time. In seeking hidden object,
he learns nothing of its nature. of its locality
or or whether 1t lis one foot or one mile distant
from his outstretched hand. In determininp
the shape OF figure or in finding q letter on a
chart. he learns only the instant of time when
Ftain couultlons are 1ulnlled. III the coudl-
tons should not all be prearranged the signal
that he receives would be meaningless The
conditions amount to o tacit understanding L.
tween principal and subject that the one is to
signal the other at the instant when he shall
name or point to the letter or figure that is the
object OF inquiry. 1nvoluntarily the subject
carries out his agreement The signal always
means. The expected has happened"
CLEVER PEOPLE DuPEp
statement Of these facts is q sufficient
answer to those who contend that, since there
is nothing in q name, muscle reading NAV.
after all, be mind reading. An intelligent com,
prehension of the subject will establish the
fact that muscle reading is Just what the term
implies. But mind reading cannot be so favor
ably considered. 1t is a species of trickery in
the performance of which the ordinary commit
tee will, unwittingly, aid aud abet the per-
former. Moreover, the mind reader never per
mits himself to be subjected to test conditions.
nor does every one know how to impose them
Mr.. Bishop deceived the late Prof William d.
Carpenter by simple trick with cards that a
three-card-monte man would have detected in
an instant An expert should always be set
to catch an expert The average man is Q poor
observer. In recounting occurrences involving
the unusual or the marvellous he is especially
unreliable. He fails 70 take note Of half that
he sees, and he remembers things that never
occurred. The part that he does not tell con-
tains the key to the explanation.
The mind reader succeeds by virtue of two
conditions: First, he always has the use of
vision when vision is necessary to the accom- |