New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-07-08
TO EXPLAIN INDIAN M1GIC
THOMAS STEVENS SAYS HE HAS UNRAV-
Filled ORIENTAL MYSTERIES

THE WEL1--KNoWN TRAVELLER TALKS FREELY
on THE SUBJECT OF MIRACLE-woRKING -
PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE TO BE PRODUCED.
Thomas Stevens. the well-known bicycc-rder
! who has been investigating Indian magic. and
has extracted the secrets Of his trade from
Yogi, said yesterday in conversation with Trib-
| unc reporter
have been inyestgating the mystery that
| the Gans's. which. he says. is Il greater and
more ancient riddle than that OF the Nile. TO
say nave peen investigating the Mahatmas. how
ever would be scarcely correct. am not pre-
pared To affirm or to deny the claims OF the Tho
".ophists in regard TO the Adopts OF the limaayas
! at present; but ] may have something TO say
India divided in Their opinions OF the Mahatmas
as we are, some believe IN them. and som" 90 uot.
cnce Of men able 70 work m .racics. ana II is ID.
miracle working Yogi or Fakir that have been
n'oatoS to penc Pg into %' ThS nio1 the % lah
mystery Of the Adopts Of he Hmaayas ana thlr
alleged power of working miracles, but dld not
what l went after Thc main ihins Vas to H.,
cover whether these Indian miracles that hay"
been puzzling ua oyer since Marco Polo first told
us about them SIN centuries ago .r. fact or nc-
zion. 1t seemed to me about time that somehow
e, to the bottom OF the whole mp s,ery
while even in India nine-tenths " The people hay~
pretcnce OF being a demigoi. interesting himself
/ in the eternal welfare Of the human race. such as
|
! The Yogi only claims to bee in touch with occult
forces Of na,ure unknown TO- the rest - The world
| parenty in defiance Of the laws ~ nature.
The result Of INVESTIGATIONS i that the stories
| OF the travellers. from Iarc1 POO 20 ,he .ates'
witness OF the In Han mirace- who is to-day giving
his experiences IN ihe pages OF one ~ our ,nsg,-
zines. are quite true Ii is 10 travellers ia.c ths,
these Yog!s. who devote their enfir" lives % the
TO play fast AMI Dose with the Impossible have
not only seen food produced apparently from goth
! NlIei tl.u
| touched. ana various things Aoatins 10 ne az.
| YES too numerous 60 mention.
! The EXPLANATION is no; 20 be sought IN legerle-
main. To mention just few Of the feats witnessed
By various rave..er.. Marco Poo saw 'ho nasc.ans
| their contents TO the lips of kub.ai Khan ieYa-
's'ion Of British officers a. The court OF Delhi
s ofchar 4 frr ICES to grow up and bear
frui' IN f." MIMI TIE 70 eec1H'r H.. -
ana listened 20 The cong birds They hon saw 'ae
earth after when ne cntre orchard generally sub
sided into Tho grodn1. whence 81 hta sprung jose
| yyorn.iirei az ,S",gI c,ighi In t.ok Tho n, .ao
command u tire Yoe.s. an. mas u seycra. -1rs ap
! isbrd mo soace Tb. r.t. rnracr Kim fl., aaI
! greatest ami most ineNpllcab.c f"ats ~ Indian
! mage. ), has been seen hy dozens Of travellers.
il Was saiI that oar late Secretary OF tao ~ iaf}
+ Mr.. Window, saN * On MS tour AROUND itr "'..i.
nothing " 3Soa, IN hi. Te,arn sr . har- are
! too incredible for ih~ average Western myrt'. .
IL must have often occurred 10 people mat u
there was any realty ia these miracle. j. ought NOT
/ - Doe beyond th. Ingenuity ~ i4-s as" 80 in'
nigh universal H5daker 90 round ~ Il mirac."-"orN,
ing yogi ana secure Geographic demons'rit.on Of
! Ms powers ina wolll shcd N''i az i'} l'Ft,' 80
/ TO speak on the subject for the benefit % All 4n-
! terestei people.
/ have ecn-mlrlcies performed by an Inllan l"sl
/ for my particular cnaSa ienmeni at -"Ance ~
/ things ha' mos pope are dpSo.1,'s "l'"', ~ '
lieve IN. aad when VIII Doc sure - cpnluie mp per-
people DO not understand M - say tha' I am
/ n9% able 70 work ihesr miracles. E9t 60 n'',
| in New-York VINO have it in them ana require but
to Guido ali the magclana Of the East whenever
We have picked up anything from the Orienia.s ~
| have usually managed beat them Al their own
game and predic; that the rule Will hold % a.
TO re.urn 70 he Mahatmqs. simply have an
open nina On me subJect Peniy OF peo2,e WIZ T.,
are no bigger fools man their n"lshbors brH"E ~
their existence. II = always safe enough - rlich"
turn Out IN me en1 TO be correct gu sidnI 'ti'
OF being looked upon AZ a knowing customer VIM n
| other hand. many things have come . pass that
have been rldcued az absurd that thoushitu peo-
others ! don't know but ! ought 70 become a
| TheosOphls; and believer in the Mahaimas aiicr
IS mistake. however TO think that all rneosophis
believe in the Hmaayan adopts or nai Taeos,ophy by
! demi-gods however. the Mahatmas are an interest
I1T s of iher Ves in India Without seeing anything
| Of genuine Indian magic; and were You 10 ask
them about II they would probably answer you that
| 1t is al humbug and imagination. certain san
| scrlt professor whom met on board snip going 20
India tod me that, although he had always been
| anxious to witness fsats OF Indian magic, ne nai
SO Ear found the genuine mirace working Yogi IN
| approac enable 70 a European eager to SATISFY ms
| curiosity. onlyi say that ] have been one o.
| the fortunate ones and l. OF course, snail Include
| I'm my disclosures my own recipe for getting N con
| tact with one Of these Interesting chafic'erS' 20
| tnlf others may pursue the dfroNcrN
r. return 10 the yalue Of ths pho'ographlc cyl
coueidcred in connection with TIE conditions unfr'
| which they on their face evdcrce, were taken.
| For instance. snapshot; photographs Of IN strange
| phenomena OF spr.tuaetic seanc,f: while iAcy
! 1vou1 be interfering evidence. would suffer- from
the fact thar they happened N a room. ,whero the
! eceptica, m,nl would inevitably imagine hil4rn ac-
| cessor.es az on the con1urer's stage But under
| :.vorablc conditions photograph is IN" .esi pos
Sine evidence next ~ being an aciud eyc'w. mess
That is what | exp"c; my Photographic 10 ~, "n
,hclr own face. They VIII convince al but nope
essly scep,.cll minds that there are men now living
able 20 perform miracles; and thy VIII open up me
uue..lon whether We may not. afer a time. be able
20 30 far defy the avs Of graviation and 0ihe[
laws OF nature as 10 cease 20 envy the blrcs ~
Ne air heir mower OF fight upward, or TO obtain