The Lock and Key Library: The Most Interesting Stories of All Nations: Real Life
Science
The Lock and Key Library: The Most Interesting Stories of All Nations: Real Life
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction; Parapsychology
Referring to the second test which was given by the medium to my
father, I will state that when the subjects are writing the cities
and diseases, they will naturally pause after writing the city, to
think of a disease to go with it. Of course, when writing the
correct ones, which are already in mind, no pause will be
necessary. Also advantage may be taken of the fact that a small
per cent of persons die of smallpox or measles. If in giving the
directions one says, "Write like this: 'Philadelphia smallpox, New
York measles,'" and the subject writes smallpox or measles in the
list, it is safe to eliminate that from the case. This is
especially true if written in connection with some large city, the
name of which occurs readily to the mind. It is safe also to
eliminate Philadelphia or New York if these should be written,
providing you mentioned these names in the directions, and that the
test is not being given in their section of the country. A small
per cent of the people of a country die in any two places of
prominence. Yet these places will be written readily by most
subjects if they are suggested, or at least other places of equal
prominence will be written. If an unusual place or disease should
be written, it is almost certain these are the ones.
It can readily be seen how expert one can become at this by
continuous practice, such as a medium has many times a day; how one
can learn to take advantage of every little point, and use it with
telling effect on unsuspecting strangers, who do not know what is
going to happen, or what to look for.
I have been told that Dr. Schlossenger had a very sharp eye,
although wearing glasses; and that the glasses were probably to
make the subject think it impossible for him to read writing when
they were moved out of position and placed on the forehead, as they
were during the tests. It has also been suggested that his poor
hearing was feigned, to enable him to hear remarks made about
himself in his presence. I have suspected that his memory had
become trained to a high degree of accuracy, enabling him to give
his tests with such marvelous success, as he did with nearly all
wherever he went. That he does not use one set of principles only
in his tricks, I am certain, but has many more at his command which
he uses continually. However, I can only vaguely guess at them
from having seen his tests but once.
Now, I do not say that this was the method employed by the lady
with Rev. Savage, given in the account at the beginning of this
chapter. But as the experiments are practically the same, it is
safe to conclude that the methods used are the same, or nearly so.
If the test were genuine in the case of the lady mentioned, it was
probably genuine in the case of Dr. Schlossenger. On the other
hand, if it were trickery in one case, it probably was in both.
MIND READING IN PUBLIC
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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