The oasis., 1894-09-13

VI op AVdoO HltJ Ntuluilcc Dculuu bucul.
 The results of hypnotic experiments
 In the west are as mere child's play to
 the feats achieved by eastern adopts.
 There can be little doubt that the per-
 formances of Hindu conjurers have
 their source in an advanced knowledge
 and application of hypnotic phenome-
 ma. In stating this opinion l do not,
 for moment; wish it to be under
 stood that the term hypnotic pheno-
 mena" contains in itself an explana-
 tion or affords any kind of clew to the
 secret of these maryels, We have not
 as yet the slightest knowledge of what
 hypnotism really IS; to all intcnts and
 purposes it is an occult force, and to
 say of an apparent miracle that it. is
 worked through hypnotic influences
 does not detract from it's marvellous
 character If the brain of another,can
 make me see, hear, feel and taste
 things which either do not exist at all
 or are in reality quite different from
 what l imagine them to be, it only
 renders the phenomena more myster-
 ious. And it would really seem as if
 Hindu adopts had brought hypnotism to such degree of perfection that while under it's influence our senses are no longer criterion of the reality around us, but can be made to deceive us in manner that is perfectly amaz- ing. As it has been my fate to travel in India, Thibet, Burmah and Ceylon for number Of years, and as I have made a somewhat close study of Orien- tai life, history and philosophy, may, perhaps, be qualified to advance an opinion on this subject.
 The Hindu pundits, Yoghis and Rishis, exhibit their astounding feats in broad daylight-not in halls or on platforms, but in the streets, gardens and public squares of Inda's great cities. They usually work alone, per hitting the spectators to approach them very closely and to surround them completely. They appear half naked and if they make use of appa- ratus at all, it consists merely of ons or two commonplace objects, such as a couple of short sticks and half CO., coanut shell. But with these they do things which are perfectly marvel ous.
 The lowest class of conjurors are cer- tain fakirs, whose performances one can witness daily in the streets of Cal i cutta, Delhi, Hyderabad and other h. dian cities. They perform tricks which are insignificant compared with some 1f those of the higher orders, yet are marvellous enough to cause extreme surprise even in those who have seen the cleverest jugglery in Europe or America. These tricks give at once the impression that some totally diff ferent principle is at work behind them than the mere legerdemain or trickery of our western specialists. For instance, a fakir will .ake large dish, pour into it about a yallon of water, and hold it steadily lis left hand, the other hand being 'aised to his forehead Then the yes el will diminish in size while you look n. growing smaller and smaller, so hat at last 1t would take magnify ng glass to recognize it. Then it dis ppears completely. This will occupy bout minute and a half. Suddenly ou see again tiny brown object, not igger than a sand grain; this enlarges n the most inexpicable manner, till 1 { the end of another minute the ori- inal dish, foot in diameter, filled 'ith water to the brlm and weighing h least fifteen pounds, is again before l