Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-11-25
Tablc-Tippcra.

| To the Editor OF the Dispatch:
Can Won tell one OF your readers why
| n licht wooden table free OF nails Will
| move about after IT has been covered by
! the hands OF several persons lying nat
| on the top touching each other for thirty
, minutes or longer? 1t Will also answer
ony questions asked. by one tap or several
| fans on the table. The writer has seen
| n done recently and somewhat believes
| that the table has connection with some
unseen agent but cannot tell what.
Is there anything In II? Please answer
through your Query Column. W. X. NJ.
professional table-tippers are arrant
! frauds. their marvels being mere sleight-
of-hand tricks. and even the amateurs are
by no means always absolutely above
suspicion Many OF the stories told about
table-moving cannot and ought not to be
credited by sensible people while the
most reasonable OF these stories, owing to
the mystical nature OF the subject, are
pretty sure to be at least little adorned
The genuine manifestations are commonly
explained by supposing that the table Is
moved by unconscious. and. what tne
performer honestly, but often erroneousiy'
believes TO be, unintentional action OF the
muscles OF the arms and hands. This
vagrant muscular action Is extremely apt
TO be induced by the great nervous strain
to which the honest performer subjects
himself or herself.
To test the validity Of the foregoing ex-
PLANTATION the writer Of this reply has on
different occasions made two experiments
one by the help Of young gentleman
and the other by the help Of two young Ia
dies. These persons claimed to be able TO
move tables with ease by merely placing
their hands upon them. They SAID that
they had done this repeatedly. state
mont which was vouched for by eye
witnesses. and willingly offered to demon
strate their powers TO the writer. They
were entirely trustworthy. and could be
relied upon 10 conform to the only con-
dition imposed. which was that they should
vieilantly watch for and strenuously re-
press any irregular muscular movement.
AS there was no wish to make the expert
ments difficult. very light objects were Sc
lected 10 be moved. The gentleman was
asked 10 manipulate a small and trivial
table. and to the ladies little stool was
assigned with something Of contempt Tor
such paltry tasks as these, they went TO
work gladly and confidently, took all the
time they wanted, faithfully observed the
caution as to the muscles. and up to this
present writing the young gentleman has
not moved the small table, nor have the
Young ladies moved the little stool. In
fact, not so much as a culver passed
through either of the objects. When the
experiment with the stool was ended I'M
der each hand OF the ladies was a pool
of perspiration, showing that great dis
turbance of the nervous energies may ac-
company such experiments as these ana
warning excitable persons to let them
alone.
So far, then. as the two experiments
have value they indicate that the usual
explanation of genuine table-turning is
true one. But even if we are not able TO
tell with certainty what the cause OF
these movements is. We can at any rate
safely say that II is not electrical, nor
psychical, nor hypnotical, nor spiritual
nor in any way supernatural. and that
when discovered 1t will be found to be a
mere phase Of something with which we
are already very familiar.