Having again returned to the stage, I will make my next experiment a little more interesting. In the meantime, I wish to discuss briefly a few popular mistakes regarding the manner in which this work is done. At one time I had an orchestra with me and, because the audience knew that they were of my party, they immediately made the statement that the music did the work in directing me, not thinking that this would be next to impossible, due to the fact that I changed my locality nearly every day, that I was in strange halls and that the musicians had no way of telling some of the things most important. The statement was not made aloud, but it reached my ears. I then performed an experiment or two, forbidding the musicians to play a note or to make a sound of any nature. Those who have "solved" the system were somewhat nonplussed at this. Then the sense of touch is accused of being the criminal. Or, I have heard some say, it is easy to tell whether one is near an object or not as there is always that suppression of noise when the object is reached. This is always the utterance of one who has never done the work himself. The student who has done anything in this line, or the professional who has performed the work for years, both know that they would far rather not have these influences reach them. They pay no attention to them and are more annoyed than anything else at the occurrences.

As I said, I will see that things are a little more complicated for the next experiment. The audience like to have these called "experiments" or "tests" rather than acts. If a thing is an act, it is something that you have done time and time again without variation. With mind-reading the conditions ever change and the carrying out of the test is always different one night from the night before.

"For the next test, ladies and gentlemen, I will have one of the committee select six hats from gentlemen in different parts of the hall.

He will kindly keep track of the owners of these hats, or those owning them may let the committeeman know in some manner or other when I get his hat. When these hats have been selected, they can be piled up in some part of the hall and I will get them one at a time, return them to their respective owners and place them on their heads".

Again the man leaves and again there is the whispering in the audience. I have another drink of water and then, while the hats are being selected, I arise and say, so that the audience can hear me: "Now, will one of you gentlemen hold out your hand and show the rest a finger you wish me to touch?"

One of them having shown the finger he wishes me to touch, I am taken over to him and I stand so that every one can see. I take the hand he has selected - finding this by mind-reading - and extend the fingers. As I move my hand over the tips of his fingers - keeping the other one around his free hand, I gradually am inclined to stop at his little finger. That is the one! I repeat this test several times and when the gentleman has returned from the audience, I have held the attention of every one with this one act - or test.

Taking the hand of the committeeman I start out, first locating the hats and then picking one up and going about the hall to the place where the owner is located. I lift it to the right height without paying any attention to his posture and place it on his head. Every time this is done there is applause. But applause does not amount to much with a mind-reader. Sometimes be hears it as though it were far away and at others he can hear it more distinctly. In either case it makes but little impression on his mind. He is concentrated on one thing and that is never lost sight of.

There is no form of concentration any more intense than that exhibited by the public mind-reader. He hears nothing, feels nothing, experiences nothing aside from his desire to accomplish the feat he has set out to do, and he seldom fails. Without the use of sight, not knowing where he is going, having no desire for directions, he runs here and there, dragging behind him a man whose mind he reads. He finds the object he seeks and his task is finished. Then, and not until then, he realizes what a terrible strain he has imposed upon himself. He knows that he is suffering, that a terrible heat is burning within him and that he either must go through another test or be liberated from his prison.

I find the other hats, one at a time, and return them to their owners in the same manner as I did the first one. This feat does not differ materially from the others. It is not as difficult - or no more so - as the one in which I find the ring and place it upon the right finger. And yet it is so conceded by the audience.

The Mock Murder and trial forms an interesting test, but it is rather difficult to carry out as it takes a good deal of time, and time amounts to something in mind-reading work. The test, which I distinctly outline to the committee and the audience is this: The committee is to send out one or two men who will pick out a man or a woman somewhere in the audience who is to be the victim. He is supposed to be murdered and the body is supposed to be in some out-of-the-way place. However, he is seated in the audience. This is a great deal better than hiding the person, as it is much more difficult to find him in the audience than if he were alone. I tell the audience this and they see the point. When the murdered one has been selected, the committeeman will select the murderer. Like the victim, he is in some part of the hall, mixed in with many other people. The next step will be to select the weapon and hide it somewhere. A knife, or pencil, or anything that can be picked up without inconvenience will do. When this has been done, he selects six jurymen and the judge. Of course, it is sometimes difficult to remember the exact location of all these, but he is reminded of it by others present. This takes about ten minutes and in the meantime I have an excellent opportunity to rest. Here is a point that I wish to impress on the minds of the students: Always arrange your experiments, or tests, so that your committee relieve you of much of the work. The audience do not lose their interest for a moment, and, even though the coming test will take some time, the mind-reader will find himself equal to the task. As I have stated in other tests, it is best to give the student an idea of the feelings, the sensations of the operator while he is going through the performance of these feats, as they differ from those of the home entertainment. The entertainment at home can have a great many failures in it, but the one in public must be carried out without a flaw.