Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-05-20
SPIRITUALISM AND MAGIC
- MdgiCidnS and Mind Readers

Most of the manifestations witnessed at
spiritualistic seances have originated with
the magician. This wonder-worker frank
ly admits that his whole art is based on
deception and merely challenges the I'M
initiated to discover the modus operandi
OF his tricks. Many magicians, however,
have turned mediums and have made
thousands to believe in spiritualism upon
no other evidence than they had to offer
as magicians, the only difference being
in the matter of pretension and sur
roundings Some one has observed that
the average commercial medium is only
a magician who was a failure as such,
and who has succeeded in his later
sphere by the aid of darkness and mystic
surroundings.
Turning to specific tricks borrowed by
the medium from the magician we find
one in which a medium seated in the
darkness OF the seance room reads mes
sages as we'll as If In broad daylight He
first asks his sitters, while the lights re-
main on, to write their questions on
cards which he hands them, and to seal
them up in envelopes which they mark in
any way they choose. He then takes
them all, seats himself by table at the
but a bare wall and the push button to
turn on and off the electric lights. At
q given signal he turns off the lights and
all is in darkness. In a moment he be-
gins to read the questions, one by one,
with never the slip of a single word.
AS soon as he has read every question
that has been asked, he turns on the
light again and asks the sitters to come
and get their messages. still sealed. As
the doors to the room were locked, the
windows examined, and a careful search
made of every wall and every piece of
furniture for the possibility Of assistance
by confederates, the sitters feel that
there is indeed an unexplainable somc-
thing about this performance.
The explanation of this trick is simple
indeed, and may be found in a magician's
book published years ago. After the me-
dunn has collected the sealed questions
and turned out the lights. he places over
the upper part of his body large hood
which is impervious to all rays of light.
He then takes a pocket electric light and
holds II under each card in turn. This
makes the writing in the sealed envelopes
as clear as II no obstacle interviewed at
all. After he has gone through the list
of messages he again secretes his pocket
lamp, macs MS nOOu, anu IuTHS Oh lhc
lights in the room again. OF course the
cards and envelopes provided are very
thin.
A mystfying act of the magician is
that OF the deviation of human body.
The person to be suspended in the air
lies down upon couch. In moment he
seems to rise In a most uncanny way,
without any effort on his own part and
without any apparent connection with
any natural force. When suspended in
mid air, an iron hoop which has been
examined by the spectators, is passed
back and forth over his recumbent body.
This trick has mystified it's thousands of
theatregoers and seance frequenters. In
another levitation act, the person to be
raised lies in a coffin. The coffin is first
raised some two feet of the floor. and
while suspended there the body rises out
of 1t and remains suspended in the air
about two feet above the coffin. In both
of these performances an iron bar of the
goose neck variety forms the connection
between an invisible hosting machine
under the stage or behind the curtain.
La passing the solid hoop from the foot