Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-17
STUDY OF THE OCCULT
INVESTIGATIONS OF WORK OF
ADEPT IN THAUMATURGY,
Experiments Successfully Conducted
With Mrs. Eva Fay as the Subject
Astonishing Results.

During the past week a number of local
students of things scientific, not necessarily
persons VINO devote their entire time to
such studies but those who have taken up
mysteries of the occult as a relaxation
nave had opportunity to pursue their In
VesugatfonS under circumstances not usual
through the presence in Washington of
MIS-. ray an adept, in what she terms
thaumaturgy.' The opportunities for pur-
suing a serious investigation were In a de-
gree limited through the triviality of forms
IN which many of the tests of Mrs. Fav's
power, II 1t may be called SUCH We're an
piled. The fact that there was something
mysterious about the performance; that a.
pihdiolded woman seated on a plainly
hghted stage pretends to answer questions
written on slips of paper deposited in in
size pockets or concealed in some convent
ent place about the questioner, drew unus-
ually large crowds to the various perform
ances. In many instances the persons came
purely from curiosity and the Questions
Tsheu were IN some cases, utter nonsense.
mere We're, however, several opportunities
given those who came to scott to go awav
in bewilderment. When such concrete maj.
tiers as reading the numbers of watches
which the owners of them did not know
until the answer was verified: the addresses
on envelopes or the names of persons far
distant, not written or recorded In any
manner that could be made use of by the
strations of Mrs. Fay, the situation pre-
sented questions for conjecture that could
not easily be settled offhand
For thousand years thinking people have
been endeavoring to understand that which
does not seem possible of solution those
things which are known to have been with
out apparent cause for being. The education
that has come with the progress of the
IN ha
fact some things which had formerly been
shrouded with mystery. but there stiIl re-
mains some that are inexplicable. The nee
romancers who essayed experiments in sec
ond sight, from the old Hebrew prophets
to the modern clairvoyant, have always
been looked upon with askance until the
fulfillment OF their prophecies on the one
hand the interference Of the police on
the other. But despite the general refusal
to attempt a solution, there has always
been a problem before people who have
taken such matters seriously, and there are
many such, they have tried In vain to solve
AS rule opponents of these mvster,ous
arts turn out to be the veriest montebanks
and most OF them claim infallibiltty Mrs
Fay nor none OF those with whom she is
surrounded makes such claim She does
not claim to be always right; she does not
claim to know just what gives her the
power to see what to others has remained
unseen. But she does claim that she Is
generally correct, and because of her naive
manner of putting herself before the peo-
pie and her utter failure to set herself IN
as prophet whose works are absolute she
has attracted some little attention from
people who are usually regarded as hard
headed and who deal In nothing but the
most practical forms of business and pleas
&ure. Such things as predicting the sue
cessful candidate for the presidency at the
next election, who will come from Indiana.
says Mrs. Fay, and advising people in the
conduct of their business while probably
good tests, have not that element of imme-
date results that satisfies the students But
there were experiments witnessed at the
various performances Of the Fays last week
that did furnish food for thought and re-
Election. A well-known Washington busi-
ness man who carries memento of his
silver wedding was informed as to the
shape and size and condition of this trinket
in SO positive manner that he was alb
solutely bewiIdered as were those about
him. One young woman was informed by
RMS. Fay that she had passed civil
service examination recently with ~ mark