Telepathy is the easiest by far to produce in public of any of the higher phenomena. The contact mind-reading is much easier than any other, because there is much in the physical contact that aids the reader in his work.

Clairvoyance is difficult of production on the stage. I refer to genuine phenomena. The reason lies principally in the fact that clairvoyants - so-called - deceive themselves more than any other class of psychics. They get to that point of concentration where they can close their eyes and "see things." Then, when this has been accomplished, they take for granted that everything they see is genuine and they give it out as that. They are mildly insane on the subject. In my travels, I have met them deranged to such an extent that they would want to have learning of clairvoyance, psychometry, etc., made compulsory. They would rant about their higher plane and then - well, then, they would go and do something quite beneath the lower mortals! Take care in selecting a clairvoyant, if you are not one yourself. Do not give the public fraudulent phenomena. If you give mind-reading, or muscle-reading, give real phenomena, and the public will appreciate it. Some will always decry it as fake. They are interested along different lines, so do not blame them or call them fools. They should be considerate enough not to injure a man's business, but the mind-reader has no moral right to try to disabuse their minds of their beliefs.

Thought-transference without contact is the most difficult phenomenon to produce. I would say that it is too difficult to produce with exactness. There is much fraud done in this line, but real mind-reading without contact is - well, it is rarely seen in public!

Except - in the case of a hypnotized subject. Here you can illustrate the transference of thought. You can sometimes get a subject trained down to that degree where you can hold cards behind him and he will tell you the card without error. But when the subject is not hypnotized, the work in public can be put down as nearly all fraud.

Regarding the production of these phenomena, I will divide this part into two sections, giving first the procedure of one just launching in the sea of public entertainments, and the other, the work for one fully established.

When I have outlined the work for the amateur, I will return to the town I have billed. Meanwhile, we will suppose that the society is doing its best to work up a good sale of seats.

The young man who has read my instructions, decides to give an entertainment. He bills a neighboring town as I have directed and has gathered a good-sized audience on the event of his debut in professional fields. He is attired in full dress and is ready to step out on the platform to make his speech. As a matter of fact, he has made speeches before. He has debated, delivered orations, etc. He has nothing to fear on those lines. All he now wants is something to say. He can make his speech original if he chooses. I give this speech merely to illustrate the points to be touched and the manner of touching them. It is highly probable that the society that has engaged him has decided to aid him - as he has suggested - by delivering a song or two of the classic order and a little music. This has put the minds of the audience in a good state. There are about one hundred and thirty present. They are the best class of people in town. This is another advantage of playing a well-established society. In these little towns, you do not have to bill extensively if you have something energetic at your back. Let other people do as much work for you - and, incidentally, themselves - as is possible.

There is great satisfaction in stepping out before an intelligent audience and telling them facts. Even though they may not believe in your teachings, they are thinking people and they will do their share of reasoning. There is much real live interest shown in these little towns. People think there; they are not "blase," they do not worry about the rise and fall of stocks, they do not spend their time and money in "leading a rag-time life;" they are thinkers, reasoners.

The songs have been completed and some twenty minutes of your time has been taken up. You step before the audience in company with the president, or secretary, of the society. He introduces you to the audience something after the following style:

"Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you Mr. Frank D. Smith, who will entertain and instruct us with his feats of mind-reading and other psychic phenomena".

You address the "chair" and then you are reading. Thus, turning to the officer: "Mr. President".

Then you turn to the audience with:

"Ladies and Gentlemen: In presenting psychic phenomena to you this evening, I wish to call your attention to a few simple facts regarding the underlying principles. My entertainment will consist chiefly of mind-reading, or reading the unuttered thoughts of those who shall be chosen as a committee by the audience. There are distinctly two classes of the reading of thought: The first is that in which there is no contact. This is difficult of production in public as it depends almost entirely upon the passive condition of the operator. The other kind consists of mind-reading through physical contact. This has been called 'muscle reading,' inasmuch as it is aided by the physical contact of the operator and the one whose thoughts are to be read. But muscle-reading does not express it exactly, even though there is some aid given by the contact. If there is anything transmitted to the mind of the operator other than through the transference of thought, the nerves of sensation transfer that message. If you burn your finger, your muscles have nothing to do with telegraphing the information to your brain. Your sensory nerves do the work. Therefore, if I am blindfolded securely and have hold of someone's hand, and if he thinks that he would like to have my right hand move, there is nothing in his touch that tells me that. I might get it from his nerves. But I perform the act and do it without the use of reason. Again, when I have a certain experiment to carry out, I will 'see' the object I am in quest of before I touch it, even though I have not been told the identity of the article.