Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-21
MYSTIC PERFORM ANCE
PROF. AND MRS. FAY AT LAFAY-
ETTE THEATER.

People interested in psychology and its
phenomena have had opportunity to study
at first hand a demonstration of mysteries
that battle scientists in the work that has
been done by Prof. John T. Fay and his
wife at the Lafayette Theater through
out the week. Washington has never been
a very fertile field for the exploitation of
things that smack of the supernatural
There are too many scientists and students
Of the occult who make their homes here,
and who are free in making public the re-
suits of their researches The government
has lent aid to some of these researches
and public documents galore have been is
sued from time to time that endeavor to
explain things which have seemed mex
plicabe. 1t therefore required courage on
the part of Prof. Fay and his wife to enter
the District and set up their show, as it
were. in plain view of all who cared to see.
The professor and his wife have been CIV
ing series of demonstrations that appear
to the ordinary individual to be of such an
unusual nature as to attract TO the theater
scores of persons who have hitherto scoffed
at such things The demonstrators in this
case call their work "thaumaturgy." and
talk about it in plain American language.
Similar Experiments.
About ten years ago Washington was
aroused by a visit of the Baldwins known
as the "White Mahatmas," who endeavored
to put before the public series of expert
ments something like that which Prof Fay
has given to his audiences But the Fays
go farther than the Baldwins, and in addi-
ton to this. have practically nothing or the
paraphernalia which helped surround the
other show with an orientai-iike mantle OF
mystery.
There is absolutely no mystery about the
Fays Their work is on plainly set stage
without other appliances than are necessary
to assure the public that the performances
are genuine. Just what this "thaumaturgy
is neither Prof nor Mrs. Fay claim to be
able to satisfactorily explain. The whole
thing seems to be the result OF psychic
power that Mrs. Fay possesses, by means
of which she exerts most wonderful lnflu-
ence In the first part of the performance
the tricks of the common run of spirituails-
tic mediums are shown in fun view upon the
stage. Mrs. Fay is tied to a post winch Is
nailed to the floor of the stage in fun view
of the audience. A committee from the
audience does the tying. and bind not only
the arms of the subject to the post, but her
head as well.
slender rods is then placed over the per-
former and. concealed by this canopy, she
strums a guitar, rattles bells, tambourlneS,
etc at will, the canopy then being re-
,noved and the young woman found secure
Iy bound as before. This, of course. has
been done here before and has become the
stock trick of many who practice the magic
arts and the same may be said of levia-
than act that Prof. Fay does as second
part to the performance.
In both of these acts, however, the FayS
aIlay suspicion by their apparent lack OF
all mechanical assistance. leaving the au-
dience and the committee on the stage as
mystified by the actual performance as
they could have been skepticai during its
explanation.
Principal Demonstration at Close.
The principal demonstration is left until
the end of the performances. however. when
Mrs. Fay gives evidence OF the possession
OF power that is unusual and remarkable.
At the end OF the spiritual seance people
in the audience are requested to write on
small slips OF paper any question they de-
sire to have answered by the performer and
to conceal the paper with the question In
their pockets. Prof. Fay told his audience
that he preferred persons should write
their questions before coming to the thea
ter and keep them In their pockets or
purses during tho performance.
At the close of the excellent vaudeville
program presented In connection with the
show, Mrs. Fay IL seated on the stage and
her eyes are bound with several thicknesses
OF Opaque cloth. She than proceeds to an
swer the questions on the paper In the
pockets or purses Of the people In the audi
ence. The fact that In her answers Mrs.
Fay shows IN Intimate kneWfeAge - To