The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-10-16
OUIJA BOARD
AND PALM ..
READING
FAITH
BY Garrett P. Serviss.

actions Of the "ouija
Board?" Should its
dictations be followed? Also,
should faith be given to readings
Of the palm? / mean readings
given by nonprofessionals. II so.
Few can the lines in your hand
have any direct indication of your
future? / shall be anxiously
waiting for your answer, as I'm
worried extremely by q reading Of
the palm which an intimate friend
of mine had recently.-P. L,
Bronx"
The plain implication Of your
question is that II science cannot,
or Goes not, explain @the actions
Of the Ouija Board" then those
actions must be supernatural
But there are many perfectly nat
ural" things which science has
not, as yet, fully explained. Fos
my part, and as far as my LnOwi-
edge Of the performance Of the
ouija Board, OF Planchette, goes, /
think that ordinary common sense
can furnish all the explanation
needed.
This toy Of mystifcation con-
sists, essentially, Of a small, light
board resting on three legs, two Of
which terminate in casters, or
sliding feet, while the third has a
pencil point When it is placed
upon a table with a sheet of pa
per under it and the fingers Of
one or more persons are rested
lightly upon the surface Of the
board, the apparatus moves about
a little on its feet and the pencil
often traces out words, and even
sentences, which sometimes ap-
pear to be answers to questions
ostensibly addressed to some mys-
FERROUS intelligence controlling the
movement.
Experiment Suggested
Since specimens Of these little
machines, as good as any employ
ed by professional performers,
may readily be purchased, it is
open to anybody to experiment for
himself on their pretended powers.
It is usually claimed that "disem-
bodied spirits" guide the motions
Of the board through the fingers
of the sitter" or "sitters." I
would suggest that you determine
by experiment whether the "spir-
It's" can produce writing through
the fingers Of persons who do not
know how to write, or whether the
sitter can write with the Planch-
cite in a language that he does not
understand.
The obvious explanation Of these
performances (where there is no
Intentional fraud or deeeption)
lies in unconscious muscular move
ments guided by mental sugges-
ton, analogous to those by which
the location of hidden objects is
disclosed &c an acute "mind-read-
err" who keeps hold of the sub
ject's hand while leading him
about the room or plying him with
questions.
Surely it must be a very simple
minded person, and one easily i'm
posed upon, who, knowing the con-
struction and manner Of operation
of a 0uija board and seeing how
completely its movements are IN
der the control OF the operator.
with no chance for effective super
vision by the innocent inquirer.
would allow himself to be troubled
by any pretended revelation, or
"dictation," derived from such .
source and ascribed to supernat-
ural agency.
About PaImIstry.
And now, as to palmistry. This
Is no more entitled to be regarded
as a means Of penetrating the flu
ture than is the three-legged writ
ing board, but 1t is one OF the old
est Of superstitious practices, and,
like astroloy, plays an interest
ing part in history. II has been
known ell over the world from the
earliest times among people repre-
senting the highest civilizations.
and famous personages learned for
their time and great rulers of na-
lions seem sometimes to have be-
lieved in (which only shows out
OF what a complex Of strength and
weakness, Of acUtenesS and OBJ
Justly the mentality Of man is
made up.
Il Is only necessary to consider
the basis Of palmistry in order 20
take its measure. 1t pretends not
merely to read the mental and
moral qualities OF men and women
in the lines of folding shown by
the skin on the inside Of their
hands and in the shape and size OF
the. muscular swellings at the base
of Nheir fingers and thumbs, but
also to detect the course OF the fu-
ture events OF their lives. Tie
form OF the hands and the charac-
ter Of the flesh and muscles are
also taken into account in forming
a Judgment.
In China, where palmistry "a
said to have been practiced at
least five thousand years ago, the