Evening star., 1922-11-04
"Our American Adventure"
American Magicans' Society Given Treat of Mystif-
cation by Author of sSherlock Holiness Who
Calls Houdini Worlds Greatest
Conjuror.
BY SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.
Conjllror.

the exhibition of his ethereal mon
sters. that he had friendly feeling
Tor conjurors because they destroyed
the great enemies of true spiritual
lists, those enemies being the fake
mediums.
Lack OF Understanding.
Ion the other hand he said
when a conjuror does occaslonaily
attack spiritualism as whole, he
deals in a subject which he does not
understand
Sir Arthur said that it had taken
ten years and much laborious expert
ment to convince himself of the truth
of spiritualism, so that he had no
right to be indignant with persons
who were skeptics. On the other
judgment in regarding as foolish or
easily deceived such great men as the
late Sir William CTookes. Lord Ray
leigh and Alfred Russell Wallace, or
men now living. such as Sir Oliver
Lodge.
diums human hyenas and deplored
the fact that spiritualism was
brought into disrepute by "a fringe
Of camp followers who got into the
newspapers. The author then ask ed
permission of MIR. Houdini to give his
strange exhibition. He gave no IDEA
in advance as to its character, but
said nothing to discredit the sug-
gestion that he considered the COM
ing exhibition to be genuine.
"If | brought here in real exist :
ence what | show in these pictures II
would be d great catastrophe, ne
said.
".These pictures are not occult he
continued In the second place, TINS
is psychic because everything that
emanates from the human spirit or
human brain is psychic. 1t Is not
supernatural. Nothing is. 1t is pre-
ternatural in the sense that it is not
known to our ordinary senses.
1T is the effect of the joining on
the one hand of imagination and on
the other hand of some power OF ma
terialization. The imagination. l may
say, comes from me. The material
izing power from elsewhere.
THESE pictures are not occult: the
originals were shown instead of the
counterfeit. but what you will see is
a living presentment.'
No Questions Answered.
After this mysterious utterance Sir
Arthur said
~ would like to add. to save myself
from getting up again, that il per-
mission is granted for me to show
this they will speak for themselves.
l will answer no questions regarding
them either for the press or the 9TH
ers present.
1t would have been amusing to leave
it at that until the appearance of the
film partly cleared the matter up. but
/ reflected that I might cast doubt
upon the reality of my own psychic
pictures if, even for q joke, I were to
put forward what might be regarded
instrumentation. Therefore. on
the morning after the banquet. l
wrote the following letter and handed
ii to the various press agencies:
MY dear Houd:ni: My cinema in
terlude upon the occasion of the
explained now that its purpose Is full
filled. That purpose was simply TO
provide a little mystification for those
who have so often and SO successfully
mystified others. In presenting my
moving disosaurs I had to walk
warily in my speech SO as to pre-
serve the glamour, and yet say moth
ing which i could not justify as liter
ally true. Thus I was emphatic that
It was not occult. and only psychic IN
80 far as all things human come from
a mans spirit. 1t was preternatural
in the sense that 1t was outside nature
as we know 1t. All my other utter
ances were. as think you will agree.
within the actual facts.
The dinosaurs and other creatures
have been constructed by pure cinema
art of the highest kind, and are be-
ing used for the Lost World" picture,
which represents prehistoric life upon
South American plateau. Having
such material at hand. and being al
lowed by courtesy of Mr.. Watterson
Rothacker to use it. I could not re-
sist the temptation to surprise your
associates and guests. am sure that
they will forgive me II for a few
short hours had them all guessing.
And now. Mr.. Chairman. confidence
begets confidence. and want to know
how you got out OF that trunk. Yours
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.
June 3, 1922, Ambassador Hotel"
So ended a very amusing episode. 1t
looked for few days as II the magi-
cians might have the last laugh upon
their side. as some disgruntled inven-
tor threatened me with an action in
the press. but 1t all died away. and
certainly never gave mo q moments
uneasinesS.
Joy in spiritism.
One continually realizes what q
glorious thing Is this knowledge OF
ours. We had two examples of Its
workings in one day. A shopgirl on
getting an order from my wife broke
ouI dI ouSc dS " IAC CAlSSl OuT ScACHs
ing had upon her: TT makes every
thing happy again whenever 1 am
down." said she. The same evening
j met a man who stood high at the
American bar. 1T was 2 in the
morning when I assured myself that
this was true" said he. and l walked
as If on air until and hardly knew
where I was He had been. like
myself, a seasoned materialist and
the sudden change was staggering
1t fs the religion Of happiness, and
that Is what the race needs in these
years of darkness. Joy cometh with
the morning" and that morning is
dropped out Of religion. Love and
fear do not go together. The father
who is really feared Is not really
loved. We may fear ourselves and
our weaknesses, but love God, who
will help US like wise elder brother
the wrong word. 1t is. admit. hard
to love a great central creative force
To work in conscious harmony with 1t
is the most one can do. But the
Christ is different. There you have
something intermediate. something
human. personal, yet nearer the di-
vine: That Is why every religion has
it's Christ. just as each has its God.
and they are essentially and spirit
ually the same Christ and the same
God In such aspect as fits best that
stage OF human mental development.
So read the riddle. and II the world
would read 1t SO how quickly all re-
ligtous shadows would vanish.
Copyright By Sir Arthur Ososn Doyle, 1922,
for United States and Great Britain.
To Be Continued In Tomorrow's Star.
along. Attachment against Mexican
Mrs. Hall wasn't there" she tells
reporters at interview in New Bruns-
wick. United States turns down part