The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-10

marines have been before-safe from the danger of explosion, and with well trleo apparatus to enable officers and men 10 escape III case of collision.
 The "E' class mark a great advance on any vessel hitherto constructed, but no one who has followed the course Of development since the first little ship
 was built to the design of the Holland
 company, will doubt that the end or
 this chapter of naval evolution has not
 yet been reached. The displacement to-
 day is 800 tons in a few years time it
 may and probably will be, doubled, or trebled. We may in a comparatively short period sizeable cruises equip
 ped so as to cruise submerged by day and on the surface by night.
 A most remarkable change Is taking place In the metal make up of the Eng fish people, at least so far the higher classes are concerned. While the Eng fish gentleman and still more the Eng fish man of business was a somewhat stolid very much matter of fact person. who went on his way looking neither right nor left, he has now become great
 ly affected by the general spirit of un- rest which has swept across the world, has grown superstitious and seized with a mad desire to know what the future
 holds in store for him.
 Most evident of course, is the change in London society, whose strongest fad is now the cult of occuitsm.
 | Throughout the coronation season the palmists and fortune tellers of London reaped a golden harvest from society women of all ages who called to consult | them about love and marriage. Many, l too sought advice about contemplated l journeys or as to whom they should in clude among their quests al a particulag garden party or reception. Even the day and date of the function were often dic- tated by a disinterested seer. One wom- an came all the way from Devonshire to London in June to consult crystal gazer regarding the approaching marriage of her daughter, but fortunately the seer
 approved of the prospective bridegroom.
 and the wedding was allowed to take place.
 But the women are not alone in their enthusiastic belief in occult powers and
 divnation. Men of prominence in many
 branches of life have taken up the fad with equal fervor. A certain managing
 director of powerful corporation em- ploys a woman mystic at a regular sal-
 ary yearly to advise him in all his busi- l ness transactions, and he declares that he has never made a mistake or lost snlll ing since he adopted this policy. Another well known financier was told by an Egyptian" adept that the reason why certain ventures had turned out dis | astrously was that the mystic number of his house name gave our adverse "vi-
 brations." The matter of fact London
 county council would not permit him to change the name of his residence, so he sold it on the advice of the seer and 1 bought new home with the right kind of vibration" in it's name. Strangely e2ough, he claims that he has since been successful in all his business dealings. l revival of spiritualism has also fol- | lowed in the wake of the general re- | crudescence of occutlism in London.
 Every few weeks the arrival of some
 new medium with abnormal powers is | heraded among the elect and every 1 seance is crowded with believers and | seekers after the truth" I Most of these mediums come from the 1 United States, and though they have been highly recommended very few of them l have succeeded in producing anything be- | yond the familiar manifestations of ta-
 be tipping for the delivery of trance given messages of an important and un- convincing character
 | One of the few exceptions was Pro- | lessor Bert Riese, an American of Ger
 man Jewish parentage. He came to Lon don rom New YOrk With excellent cre-
 dentials from prominent transatlantic | spritualists as an occulist of wonderful gfts He had not been long installed in l luxurious apartments at one of the pa-
 latial hotels in Piccadilly when long lines | of wealthy and aristocratic visitors began
 calling upon him daily, including many English women and one foreign princess 1 The professor was also in great demand
 at evening receptions in Mayfair and Bel gravia. Rather short and stout, but inn pressive and magnetic, a fluent tallxer and a keen judge of character, he speedily became vastly popular, especially with the fair sex, who declared his dark fea-
 lures and brilliant, penetrating eyes to be ideally mystic.
 Although Professor Eiese did not court publicity at the time, he gave several pri- vate exhibitions of a rather startling character during his stay, and succeed ing in getting people to believe in his all legged powers as medium.
 Professor Riese recently left for St. Petersburg. announcing to his friends that he had a special message of the greatest importance to deliver, but nothing has since been heard of him.