The New York herald., 1920-12-26
PARIS SCIENTISTS
STTLLPUZNEDBY BY
MYSTICALPOWER
Coulon, American Boxer,
Subject of Report to Be
Given Academy of Sciences.
IMITATORS NUMEROUS
Champion Weight LITTER Is
FOiled, as Well as Many
Kinds of Theorists.

| Special Gable to THE New YORK HERALD.
| Copyright, 1920, bv THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureaull
Paris, Dec. 20. S
| Johnny Coulon, an American boxer
has held the limelight in Paris affairs
for moro than week now while the
greatest French savants are trying to
explain why the nations strongest
men are unable to lift him hairs
breadth off the floor once Coulon
touches them lightly behind the ear
and on the right pulse.
| After exhaustive experiments before
| the medical faculty the theory that
any mechanical interference such as
displacement of the centre of gravity
has been definitely discarded by doc
tors and physicists who are almost
ready to believe they are on the eve
of new discoveries in powers OF in
hibition or objective suggestion which
are possessed by everyone but have
never before been noticed.
| Only one husky Frenchman, Cadine
| the Olympic champion weight litter, has
| so far been able to bulge Coulon This
| feat is explained by the latter as in
| territorial" as he did not want to damage
| Cadine's reputation.
Charles Nordmann. the great military
mathematician, who personally conducted
| a score of experiments, discardS the
gravity hypothesis, as he found Coulon
was just as immovable when the fullest
force was applied as when merely
touched. NJ. Nordmann inclines to the
| belief that it Is question of the pro-
| lection of will power, as he noticed that
when the boxer at a given signal ceased
4 to exert his will he was lifted with the
utmost ease. although he had not
changed the position of his fingers
! Academy VIII Get Report.
I DR.. Ruftier, one of the earliest inter-
ested in this physical phenomenon,
| noticed on certain occasions that a sim
| liar result was obtained when he held
merely a sheet of paper or a towel be-
tween Coulon and the lifters The thor
oughness of the scientific inquiry which
has been made is shown by NJ. Nord-
mann's report, which will be transmitted
to the Academy of Sciences next month.
He shows that Coulon remained riveted
to the floor even when the litter formed
the central figure in a chain of six or
eight spectators, the subject touching
merely the persons who formed the eX-
treme ends of the chain.
This he believes, proved conclusvely
that there was no question of jiu jitsu
being involved. as Coulon was not in
contact with the person against whom
his will was eXerted. There also is be-
lieved to be n peculiar lack of coordina-
tion Of will power in the finger pressure,
as even after the pressure was released
Coulon could not be lifted for several
seconds. Electrical experts explain this
as indicating a new type of self-induc-
ton. Even when the litter was placed
behind Coulon in the above mentioned
chain formation the result was always
the same.
I'VE are undoubtedly in the presence
of force both psychical and physical
in a new category of phenomena not
hitherto observed" says NJ. Nordmann.
Personally | do not believe the force
TO be electrical, but at the same time |
must admit IL is "A force not even
slightly resembling anything recorded
by the worlds scientists in recent CEN
turies."
Fencing Expert Also Is Foiled.
Prof. Jacksonville of the College of
France, who first canned liquid air, has
followed the recent Investigations close
ly, but has not yet advanced n hypothe-
sis. He Is inclined to agree with Dr.
Ruffier as well as with Renaud, the
fencing expert, who points out that the
force is not of the jiu jitsu type, as
neither pressure, sudden shock nor in
reference with the circulatory system
is involved. And as IL is not question
Of voluntary hypnotism. as Coulon does
not respond to any ordinary psychical
tests OF this nature il is believed that
the future will reveal an ability in every
one to direct physical force without cx-
ertion, merely by the projection of mind
power.
An interesting phase In this thesis Is
found in the suggestion Of certain doc
tors that Coulons discovery may even
result In the explanation Of ancient in
cidents where vital force restored in
valids merely by the laying on of hands.
which was used with great effect in the
early days of the Christian era and even
by certain practitioners in Americas
early history.
Coulon's one regret Is that he failed
TO make use of his power on the stage
before he started the present sensation.
He has suffered himself to be grasped
by sinewy hands at least a thousand
times since he first made his declara-
ton His sides have been painfully
crushed and grazed almost TO the bleed
ing point after some experiments when
Investigators anxiously tried to alter
his equilibrium by the excessive squeez-
ing Of the short ribs.
But If Coulon is not gaining by his
experience. other French actors are not
letting the grass grow under their feet.
At least five vaudeville theatres already
have billed for next week so-called
strong men, who defy the audiences to
lift them off the boards n la Coulon.
Meanwhile interest In Coulon's feat is
growing so fast that It IS not uncom-
mon to see passengers In subways DEM
onstrating that they are as good as