The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-16

tain kind of influence can continue to
be eXerted upon one by the operator af-
Ter his subject has been walked; no, not
by the operator (for | believe his infu-
ence-as a hypnotist--ceases as soon as
his subject is aroused), but that the op-
GRAFTON itself may exert it's influence
over subsequent actions. Uninformed
persons pretend that u hypnotist can
compel man to commit a crime after
being awakened from his trance. | say,
emphatlcally, and am sure every prac-
tical hypnotist will bear me out in the
assertion, that hypnotist cannot make
a good man act after he has been arous-
ed, contrary to what his conscience die
tateS. Whether or not good man Will
do wrong, by suggestion while in the
trance" ] regard as still being open
Tor discussion. | have made many sub
jects steal and hide things away in their
pockets, and after being walked and
having their pilferings discovered their
confusion and chagrin have been pain
ful to behold. These persons have
borne good regulations and are ap-
parently good men; but who can say
with absolute certainty that they were
as good as they seemed. From the very
nature of the thing, the question will
remain always somewhat unsettled.
l do believe, however, that a
good subsequent influence can be
bad can be made to reform
to some extent. In fact by making
this kind of an experiment several
times on the same person, l have been
successful in curing a subject of bad
habits.
A FALSE IMPRESSION.
1t is also true, when you have a per-
son hypnotized, you can make him
have a false impression of something
that has happened before he was put
asleep. For instance, ] have made
agreements with new subjects who re-
fused to be hypnotized without re-
muneration, to pay them some certain
amount; and while they We're asleep 1
have told them that they would not
remember what / had promised to pay
them. In such case they would not
remember, and I could arterward pay
them just whatever l pleased. / have
also told them that they would remem-
Der what | had promised to give them.
and l would then name a much smaller
amount, and tell them that, when they
walked, they would know that the
smaller amount was what l had prom
ised to pay them. Invariably, they
would name this smaller amount. 1
have seen no mention made anywhere
of an experiment of this kind, and
know of no better one to try when an
operator wants to convince his friends
that hypnotism is no fraud. Let your
friends make a contract with some
person to be used as subject; and,
when he is hypnotized, change the
amount by suggestion. If he is sub
ject with whom you have had no con-
versation, and whom you have not
previously known, there can be no
room for doubt in the minds of your
audience, when the subject demands,
and is contented with, much smaller
amount, than they had agreed to pay
him. | always pay such subjects, as
have been deceived in this way, enough
to raise their remuneration to what |
had really agreed to pay; but | always
do it as gratutious contribution. A
person who would take advantage of
such a situation and rob man in this
condition would be the very meanest
and most degraded in the whole cate
CORY of mean and degraded thieves.
Once I made the mistake of telling q
boy, whom l had frequetly deceived in
this way, the real reason why l had
given him more, as he supposed than
/ had agreed. Afterward, whenever l
wanted to hypnotize him, he would
refuse to allow me to do so until he
had written down the amount on a
piece of paper and had carried it down
the street to some particular friend. He
would always tell his friend to give 1t
to him whenever he should see him
again. / sometimes would tell him to
write the amount on the paper and put
it in his pocket; but he would say tnat
could make him tear it up and forget
having done so, which, of course, |
could have done. Another subject, a
friend of this one thought he would be
safe in hiding the paper on which he
had written the amount | had agreed
to give him; SO, before being hypno-
tized, he carried it down from my office
and hid it very safely away The most
of you who honr me by reading this,
have really hidden them from yaur-
which you wanted to keep very, very
secure; and sometimes you have sue
ceded so well in hiding them that you
have really hiden them from your
selves. Just so with this boy: he hid
his paper so well that he has never
found il since-in fact, he has never
thought of finding it, 1t is needless to
say that he was paid even more than
/ had promised to pay him. l mention
the circumstance merely to show the
wonderful possibilities of this strange
influence. In this connection, | must
tell a joke on myself. | once told a
subject that he would remember a
much larger amount than the one / had
really agreed to pay. When he walked
he stOutly declared that / owed him
| the larger amount; and he was honest
in his contention. | was sorry the rule
| have known it would; nevrtheless,
| paid him the advanced rate, because
/ knew he would otherwise always be-
lleve that l had cheated him.
A FRUITFUL FIELD.
Such experiments suggest a fruitful
field to scientific investigation. Query
| Can an event that took place q month
| or more before be, by hypnOtism, sc
changed that it will appear to be diff
! ferent thing, or to be forgotten alto
gether? Suppose man sign note fol
500 and afterward, while hypnotized
| be made to sign one of the same date
as the first but for a larger amount
! Supposet hen, the first note is Destroyed
| and the man is made to believe thai
| he gave a note for the increased
amount. Will this belief be permanent
| | know such false impression of some
thing happened Immediately before viii
| be Dedmanent; for | have proven such
to be the case in great many harm
| less experiments.
A few evenings since, I gave an eX-
| hibition for the pleasure of my friends
and / expected, in order that might be
perfectly successful and they might no
! be disappointed, to use a subject whom
| have hypnotized before. AS has beer
often said, a subject works better af
ter having been hypnotzed a few
times. Thoughtlessly ! had told {
friend of this subject few of thu
pranks we had been playing on hin
at various times while we had hin
asleep. Well, the friend let the cat ou
of the bag. 1t was the subjects frs
information upon the real nature o
the affair, as l had always told hin
that / would only make him go t.
sleep and that / would not make min
| perform at all. The consequence was
being afraid that l would make him d'
some tricks to amuse the company
that he did not appear, Someone vol
unteered to get another person; unC