Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-08-09
1T IS NOTHING BUT A FINE
ART OF MUSCLE READ
ING ASSISTED BY QUICK
WIT AND A PERFOR-
ATED BLIND FOLD--HOW
BISHOP WORKED.

f
Suggestion. magazine devoted to
an expose of occult science, gives the
following explanation of how the great
mind-reading "blindfold drive" that is
classed as one of the great feats OF
mind.reading masters. Bishop and
Cumberland mentioned have visited
and given exhibitions in Honolulu:
SO many persons who see the blind.
fold drive performed believe firmly
that 1t is a positive demonstration of
telepathy, and many of our readers
have sent clippings from newspapers
referring to these performances, while
others have written to say that telep
athy can be the only explanation.
Now this blindfold drive is not an
evidence OF telepathy. All 1t requires
is little nerve. quick wit, some prac
tice. and anyone can accomplish 1t.
There are two ways of performing
the drive. and one Of these two meth
DDS, or a combination of the two. is
used by every professional entertainer
who attempts this feat.
In the first method the mind read.
err" is bindfolded with an ordinary
handkerchief and has to depend a
great deal upon muscle reading" dur
ing the drive and in finding the object
after alighting from the carriage. Even
in this test the operator can nearly al.
ways see fairly well through the hand.
kerchiet-well enough to avoid oh.
stacles when directing the horses. and
he can always see under II. For this
reason many operators are seen to
lean far back while driving.
II the guide" the operator has
chosen Is a good sensitive" II Is very
easy 10 read from his muscles where
to drive and which way to turn the
horses. This drive requires personal
contact and some practice.
See Through the Mask.
The other method, although appear.
ing more like telepathy, is much more
simple. The mask worn, although ap.
parently very heavy and opaque, Is
made in such a way that the operator
can see everything through II as clear.
ly as though nothing were covering
his eyes. The construction OF this
mask will be explained later.
All the average spectator sees Is a
blindfolded man driving furlOusly
through the streets without using any
personal contact. and because there Is
no contact he credits the results to
mind reading. But there Is one part
of the performance they do not see
q part which Is not fully grasped as
a rule by those who are not aware that
the operator can see them as clearly
as they can see him. This part Is
performed before the drive Is begun,
and generally occurs in room In
hotel Someone Is asked to leave the
hotel to drive a horse to any place in
the city and hide "A given object. When
the driver returns he is asked to trace
on the wall the course he took and the
position Ot the house in the block In
which the object was hid. This does
not seem to be an unreasonable re.
quest, since the operator appears to be
SO thoroughly blindiolded and the rea.
son given for doing II Is that II fastens
the route more firmly in the mind OF
the sensitive. However, when we
know that the operator can see every
movement that is made, the real rea.
son for this request Is very apparent
When the operator has reached his
destination with the horses, his mind
reading becomes more difficult and he
has to take the hand of the sensitive to
locate the object through muscle read
ing.
Muscle Reading Comes In.
Muscle reading looks difficult to one
who has never tried 1t. but II any read
er will practice 1t a little Its simplicity
will become apparent. Try 1t and see
for yourselves. You should know the
object to be found. and II you will hold
your arm slightly bent and keep II stiff
while holding your sensitive's hand,
you can fairly feel him lead you to-
wards It when he concentrates his
whole attention on the place where II
Is hid. II you do not succeed at the
first attempt change "sensitiyes" un.
Ill you obtain a good one. Do not let
those with whom you are experiment
ing know that you are trying muscle
reading or you will fail II they know
you are attempting muscle reading
their attention will be partly on their
muscles, and even though they should
be willing for you to succeed they will
unconsciously defeat you. Hypnotic
somnambules make good sensttives
for this test, but anyone who will CON
centrate his attention on the object
will do. Attention is motor force.
Keep your attention upon an object
and the tendency is to go toward it."
There are many tricks to learn about
blindfolding which would require Illus
.trations to describe fully, but anyone
with little ingenuity can soon master
these even without instruction.
: Frequently, when students are in at
tendance at the Chicago School of Psy.