The Portland daily press., 1891-06-27
WHAT MIND READING is.
Nothing but Clever Trickery or Mus
Gle Reading

[Forum.l
The. credulity. of the American people
has often been imposed upon. The,
Locke "Moon Hoax" and tbs Cardiff
giant have been. followed by the modern
mind reader" who claims for himself
powers of divination excelling anything
that. has been known since the time of
Christ. Mind reading, in the sense in
which the word is used by those who
pretend to possess the alleged power,
maybe defined as the transference of a
thought-that is, mental conception,
or. an idea-from the mind of one person
to the mind of another, without the use
Of the known mediums of communica-
ton, which consist of the nerves of gen.
eral sensation and those of special sense.
Mind readers claim that this feat is
possible. In opposition to such claims,
l submit that profane history contains
no trustworthy account of its accom-
plishnent. 1t never will be brought
about so long as man remains constituted
as he is at present. 1t is opposed to the
principles of evolution and to all known
facts of physiology. Notwithstanding
all that may be adduced to the contrary,
many believe thatimind reading is one of
the possibilities, even if it is not one of
the actuahties of life. But the belief,
in every instance, is founded either on
insufficient evidence or on faulty OBJ
servation, or on disposition to mistake
the marvellous for the miraculous.
Many accounts of alleged mind read
ing are purely fictitious. Others are ex-
aggel atoms of trivial incidents or misin-
terpretations of observed phenomena.
Others still are accounts Of muscle read
ing. Those cases that do not belong to
the classes named are accomplished by
trickery.
NOT EVEN IN HYPNoTIsM
If there were any conditions under
which thought transference might occur
they would seem to be supplied by hyp-
notism. In the hypnotic state the mind
Of one person exerts over the mind of an
other an influence that surpasses any
thing with which we are acquainted
under ordinary conditions. But the i'm
possible cannot be accomplished even by
the aid Of hypnotism.
1t must be born in mind that in the
hypnotic state ones senses are intensely
acute. That which ordinarily escapes
the attention of the most careful observer
is quickly detected by the sharpened
senses of the hypnotist. 1t is impossible
to make a motion that he does not see
and interpret accurately. Thus, by virtue
of his sharpened faculties, the hypnotist
will sometimes divine, though he can
not tread" the thought of another.
Ofmodern mind readers the late Wash
ington Irving Bishop was the best known
in this country. Mr.. Bishop was at the
same time an expert muscle reader and
clever trickster. His,most famous feat,
the one from which hegained the great
est notoriety and eclat, was that of driv-
ing team of horses, while he was os-
sss.4ss.ha ~ &C 1zaz-a- - -
by circuitous route through crowded
streets and finding alta distant point an
object or a name ina book, previously
selected by committee.
For the amusement of my friends I
have several times performed this seem
ingly impossible feat, and IN no instance
have my methods been, detected. Its sue
cessful accomplishment depends upon
two things-the fact that one who is ap-
parently blndfolded, can see distinctly
all the time, and thetfact that the men,
bers of his committees are betrayed into
becoming his unwitti1sg accomplices.
HARDLY KNOW THEMSELVES.
The testimony of all muscle readers,
especially during their first attempts,
has been that they do not know what
their methods are. Early success is a
self surprise. It creates the impression
that one is possessed of weird power.
This was mysown experience. But, after
repeated experiment and close observa-
ton, am convinced that the facts adj
NIT Of rational explanation.
Primarily the results are all due to a
single cause, butt several different con-
ditions enter into their execution. In
making his!way to the location of a hid
den object!the subject usually does not
lead the muscIeireader,, but the muscle
reader leads theisubject. That is to say,
so long as theimuscle reader moves in
the right direction the subjectgives no
indication, but passively moves with
him. The.muscle reader perceiEes moth
ing unusual. But, the subjects mind
being intently fixed on certain course,
the instant that the muscle reader de-
viates from that conrse there is slight,
involuntary tremoEp or muscular thu. i,
on the part of the subject, due to the sud
den interruption of:his previous state Of
mental tension.
The muscle reader almosttunconscious.
lytakes note of the delicatel signal and
alters his course tothe prope1one, again
leading his willing subject. In word,
he follows the lines Of leastsresistance.
In other cases the conditionslare reversed
the subject unwittingly leads the prin-
cipal. He becomes SO muchs interested
and his mind isjso intently fixed upon the
object of his search that he isFohaiyious Of
everything savesthe attemptsto find it.
Subjects'haveled me in this manner
and have seenlprofessional mind read
ers enjoying like benefit, Again
have had subjectsywho would give pat
ent assistance at intervals and at otha
times leave me .tosmy own resources. II
must be.said thatTthis method of muscle
reading is exceptional, the usual one i
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