The age-herald., 1899-01-03
A Matinee Audience of
ImpressionIess Women

The fallacy in regard to that distinctive quality of credulity in womans nature was forever dispelled few afternoons ago at a matinee in Birmingham when the in- vitation to be hypnotized was extended every woman in front of the footlights To be sure ncredulty had led them to the very brink of hypnotism, and for little more all would have been over, but no one seemed willing to take the first plunge
 Everything was as stin as the proverbial mouse, while the authority on hypnotism, equal to the occasion, told of the most fascinating results from the delicate art.
 Every inducement was held out across the footlights without any perceptibie re- suits.
 In the first balcony five young girls were sitting in row. In tailor gowns they sat with their arms resting upon the railing and criticized the proceedings. The young CT of the hypnotists, under the spell of woman's smile, sauntcred past the audi ence below and appeared again with su- preme disregard of the audience by the s.de of the blonde girl above. He sat on the railing with his back to the stage, and every woinan reil to watching the power Qf there Was any) of hypno odsm.
 woman behind me sad she hoped the gIrl wouIu not go The man on the stage was still aadIess.ng the audience and in- vlung any woman interested to come for waro.
 Suddenly a woman in brown serge dress and walking hat came from the wings and seated herself in full view of the au- dience The Romeo and Juliet scene in the balcony above gave evidence of being continuous performance, and the girl looked bored.
 It was a scene that was at least divert ing. The man finally, with a rather sick looking smile, turned away, convincing every woman that hypnotism was fake
 The performance dragged. Not another woman would indicate by the S5ner of an eye lash that she wanted to be hypnotized, and everything had the appearance Of a theater during long waits when the mon go out and the only thing of any conse- quence is the shifting of the scenery. A row of chairs on the stage looked perfectly funeral and you felt as if you were wait ing for the sleep-walking scene in Macbeth.
 The man on the stage presently dis missed the volunteer" and she disappear ed as mysteriously as she came.
 Dear me! A ladies' matinee, ladies hypnotized exclusively and yet the most eloquent persuasion had failed to develop a subject.
 In the end it came to the men present marching upon IIe StdBe, put IL was very boring, for there were no new subjects and those who were supposed to be mental sub- jects went through their parts too much like a rehearsal
 The women n the audience began talking, and a few left the theater.
 The principal hypnotist, observing the trend, brought himself nearer the foot lights
 "Lad'es," he said. las you would not come upon the stage to be hypnotiZed. will proceed to hypnotze you in the audi ence." There was flutter of resentment and whispered consultations, he meanwhile directing in regard to the mental qual ties. He pushed a white rug forward and seated himself upon it. Then followed direc- tions and also results.
 In the rear of the theater. presently a slight commotion attracted the audience. The hypnotist smilingly walked from the stage. and every lady turned to the woman who had presumably succumbed. Sure enough in one of the opera chairs a person sat with closed eyes that could not be opened except by that silly little move ment of the hypnot st's hand.
 The women in the audience stood up and in the end it was found out that it was not woman after all who was asleep, but a man, who probably had been so bored that there was nothing else left to do. Anyway the entire performance proved that there were no women there of an impressionable nature, for there were none who yielded to any hypnotic influence.
 There were no Trlbys