The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-03-23
MAGICIAN'S LIFE no ROSE BED.
Magician Tells Some Inside Fac+s
About This Work.

| ooi "iiiS " marry IhurStOn
whose tricks are mystifying au-
alences at the Colonial theatre this
week, the hardest profession in the
world IS that of magicians, says the
oalllmore Sun. 1t is possible for
most people to put their work ont q
thelr minds when the days tasks arc
over, but Mr.. Thurston claims that
ne never has waking moment when
MS mind is not either going over
present tricks or planning new ones
sometimes new ideas come by hard
'hought when he is alone; some-
t1mes' he says, they are an insnira-
tlon dropped straight from tho skioc
oel most often they are suggested as
ne is on the stage performing. in
tangible and complete enough form
TO be worked out later.
Thurston's start in the occu1t fold
IS somewhat unusual. He began az
scoffer, developed into student
and finally laid his mind open to he
heVlng everything and nothing-in
"hlcn open frame he continues. His
latner was spiritist, and when the
little boy was scarcely more than
child he decided that he wou1d got
to work and disabuse the old gen.
tlemans mind of all belief in super-
natural agencies. So successful was
ne that he completely mystifed every
one, and not only set his father
Alright, but began himself upon a life
work that today puzzles thousands.
However these tricks may impress
an audience, there is, of course, ab-
solutely no superhuman power in
voked.
81 believe" said Thurston yester
day preparatory to making his stage
entrance, that mystifying people
gratifies a certain instinct in them is
akin to religion. I mean this with
all respect, but 1 believe there is
something in all of us, in myself, !
know, that makes us wonder, and to
crafty this really fine and laudable
desire to wonder and touch things
we can't understand is the magician's
real value to the world.
"Yet there is something that l can
call real magic, and by that l mean
genuine demonstrations that cannot
be explained. I've seen original
magic from the takers, yogi and man.
hatamas of East India, but aside
from the Juggling feats I found
nothing extraordinary. In the sa-
cred city of Benoria, on the Ganges,
I met high priests of so-called Hindu
magic, who claimed to be the follow
ers of the Rosicrucians. For hours
and hours they sit on the river
banks covered with ashes, peering
into space. They claim that this is
the quintessence of magic, since by
concentrating the mind over the
body to phenomenal extent they
were able to make their kindred soul,
a thousand miles away, do their bid
ding. I never saw anyone doing
their bidding, however,
Thurston claims that his audiences
differ from those in any other place
of amusement, inasmuch as the peo>
pie come to be fooled, and if they are
not fooled they are much disappoint-
3D. Many, of course, claim that they
want to "catch" hi m, but their acute
interest in the subject makes their
minds just as easy to deceive as those
of the openly credulous.
''I remember" he said, when [
was youngster. went to theatre
in dread of a certain hypnotist. So
much in awe of him was that if he
had called even my name [ would
have been completely in his power.
You see he had my mind, and that is
exactly the hold that I have over
those who come to watch me.
1T is easy to see that magician
must not only be always on the watch
he must understand as we'll the psy-
Geological nature of his audience
and be quick to take advantage OF
it. can never stop work-let the
man who wants the hardest JOB in
the world follow my footsteps!'