The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-10
TO PROBE HINDOO MAGIC.
HERRMAEN TO INTEsTIeIrB TEE
EAMOUa TRICKR OE LMDLA.

Hermann, the magician" is about 10 max,
asearoh for now tricks In the East. He hasn'
time TO no himself. 80 he and an EnglishmaI
hsvs decided IN Jointly send a commission .,
India TO investigate Hindoo magic. wher
asked about this commission no said.
II am determined TO find QUE II the Hindoc
fakirs do tho tricks they are said by many
travellers to do, and, II 30. how they do them,
A retired English officer, who is my partner
In tho commission, claims TO have seen these
miracles In India. He thinks that he wns
hypnotized, but wants to look into the matter
more carefully. The other members Of the
commission are my agent In London, who
UNDERSTANDS every trick that has been pro.
ouced on the stage for the last thirty years.
q photographer, a scientist, and a newspaper
man. Perhaps there may be one or two other
people. Two persons 20 from this country.
They will meet the others in England and sail
from there on Juno IL. They are free to use
as much timo and money as they choose, pro-
vtded they are back before 1 open here in
November.
Although the magic Of the Hindoos 10 by
far the most celebrated, IL Is not tho most
scientific In the world. While they were I'M
doubtedly causing flowers to grow and bios
som at the word Of command, rearing trees
from the seed and plucking ripe mangoes from
them In q few minutes time. doing d~ecapita-
ton tricks, aerial suspension, and others
equally marvellous centuries before any eau
casian attempted to entertain an audience
with anything of the kind, the Yogis and ma
Ricians that appear before the general public
In India continue to do exactly the same things
in exactly the same way that they did them
centuries ago, II the tales of old travellers
and those or the present day can be relied on
TO anv extent. Since Marcus Polo's account
Of the miracles performed by the jugglers Of
the East. daily journals, periodicals, books OF
travel. and even standard works, bristle with
long, deliberately written accounts OF the per.
formance Of the impossible by these Indian
fakirs. But while all India is now open to
Europeans and Americans. and has been care
fully canvassed by the agents of the greatest
showmen In all countrise, not one of them
has thus far succeeded In obtaining q single
novelty; In other words, 1t has never been
possible for a European or an American man
ager to import any sort Of performance from
Hindoostan sufficiently interesting to enter
tain an Intelligent audience. The attem pts
to transplant the magic of the East as done
by the native maRicians, to European, Ameri-
can, or Australian fields have invariably
proved decided failures. after Srecking their
managers.
''There Is no doubt that certain members of
certain societies In India. and In India alone,
perform experiments so truly wonderful as to
astonish modern scientists. i frankly admit
that I do not understand the workings of the
theosophists CT India any more than they I'M
derstand many natural effect, brought about
by natural causes in this country. Ole of the
most interesting experiments made by the ma
tives of India Is known as the basket trick. A
child 8 or 10 years of age passes through tho
audience and is marked for identification. Say
1t Is a boy. He is placed in q basket before the
audience and the lid securely fastened. The
principal performer makes a few passes with
his sword over the basket and finally thrusts
It through the basket several times; the child
groans and shrieks madly, the sword is with
drawn. dripping with blood, and at the same
time the child is shrieking a shot is fired In
the audience. The people look and see the child
there, pistol in hand. and the basket empty.
The growth of the mango Is even more as:
OF them together. They throw down a rug in
an open. square and that is their stage. Com-
ofsen s sass n great sG nam SH@e OF s pttt .nem sb s@a
them. Many people from. the West claim TO
have seen tn these things 5 Others say that they've
seen anything of the kind.
But to return 70 the growth of the mango.
passed through the audience. and any one has
the privilege Of stirring Il: up with a stick, to
The principal magician takes the pot, puts 1t
down before the people, plants a mango seed.
anu tnen HdkeS u lew mysterious passes with
his hands. The seed grows into a pant. then
to a bush. and finally into a mango tree bear
s"Anosher Of their tricks d is to charm a snake
nywher they wish; out shall not make Any
cause a panic. Then they put four sharp
polluted swords into the ground. hits down.
Der perfectly rigid. His body is placed on the
points of the swords, and after a few, passes
the subject lying on two. one Mt his head and
the, other at his feet. More passes are made
removed, and finally the one at the head .f ieav'
ing the man apparently without support. l
shall htye sockets in, IN The stage: which will be
this trick in November"
But how do you know that your commits
sion viii learn how to do these things2" in
thsR ara and 9dna, can't sItses see hat at t nj a. d!sI ,SS how Ss,
foSs my my OPEN s'! nisht I'm ITS going oil at to ' eivs a p se-
formance especially for the benefit Of the press.
and sa.i, ! shall al, do .,G Syery one Of 'fa the tricks I've de:
said to be fond of doing. They throw a rope
into the air and 1t stays there. without being
and the rope vanishas after him.. / don't be.
lieve they do this experiment, because they
always work out Of doors. and you know one
can't attach a rope to the sky. l can do the
trick easily on the stage. because. you know.
houses have roofs, and-but what does that
When asked II he thinks the people who
claim to have witnessed these tricks were hyp-
Noticed. he replied:
Il have been studying hypnotism for thirty
years for scientific purposes, and intend to
give an exhibition before the physicians IN Belle
London. My theory about th,se tricks is
that they are much .overrated. and II there
really Is anything in them, | shall bring II be-
fore the public at the proper time, Indeed. l
things are hynotized. and, as I said before,
I'm determined TO find out Ii these things are
done and how they are done. | want TO Aud
out whether the travellers who talk so much
about these things really saw them, or II they
have been eating hasheesh or 'hittin' dc pipe.'
as Chimmie Fadden says.
Il understand that the theosophists here.
who are nigh disciples of their sect. think that
q ey are able TO explain more about this alleged
Hindoo magic now than any commission after
returning from India So far as thu theoso-
phists are concerned l have nothing to say
about, their belief. for never Challenge
for theirs as | have for that OF a Roman
Catholic. a Presbyterian, a Methodist. or q
IIardshell Baptist. But ! do say this. III give
them the $4,000 that | expect e spend on
these uIhAoo magicians do and how they do It..