So far I have been dealing with hypnotism. Now I am going to branch out into the broader fields of the occult and show how the Higher Phenomena can be produced on the stage. When I speak of these phenomena I wish it distinctly understood that I mean genuine phenomena and not fraudulent work. It is not the purpose of this book to argue upon the philosophy, or the theoretical side of these subjects. I have written it for those who wish to become professionals. Others may read it and comment, but the active ones will grasp its teachings and apply them. Therefore, I wish to state that it is immaterial in this work whether what I choose to term "mind reading" is due to muscular contact or to the transference of thought, pure and simple. For the sake of making my point clear, I wish to state that even though the work of mind-reading where there is contact may be due to muscular or nervous action entirely it is quite as wonderful as the transference of thought without material contact. Again, if we wish to be exact, we come to this proposition: It is impossible to get anywhere in the universe and not have physical contact. Scientists tell us that this element we call "ether" is an actual existing substance that permeates all solids - everything. If this is the case, there are merely degrees of solids. The sun, for instance, is a large collection of more compact substances. This being the case -if it really is - mind can get nowhere and find "nothing." It cannot break the bonds of physical communication. If all these things depend upon the laws of vibration, it is quite as wonderful to witness the feat of a blindfolded man doing "muscle reading" as it would be to know that the physical contact had nothing to do with it. For example, he opens a safe. He could not do this by the sense of touch in his normal state. Yet, it may be touch that does it. But it is so intensified that we cannot fail to see the wonders of Mind shining through the material covering.

Furthermore, the writer of this work has conducted long distance experiments in telepathy which convinced him that there is such a thing as the transference of thought. We will go to church ofttimes, listen to a sermon and believe that man has a soul. Then we will come home and say that there is no such thing as thought transference. That is one side. I believe in being liberal, so will give the other side. It is - this: Suppose telepathy were proved to scientists. What then? Would we cease to talk? Would we discontinue our mail service? No. We would be able to get demonstrations if careful, or they would come to us as they have come to others - without warning. What good would it do the world if telepathy were proven? No good at all.

But, the mind loves recreation. It dabbles often in the mire and longs for something elevating. The hypnotist bills his town and draws a certain class. Then time passes. The windows of the stores of that same town are billed with pretty, yet plain, "hangers," which announce an "Entertainment Extraordinary." There is a chill that passes down one's back when he reads it. Here is a man who says that he will "read unuttered thought." He is greeted with a goodly audience. He succeeds. His entertainment is refined and quite above the ordinary. It is not my duty to teach how these things are done. There are instructions enough to be had for almost the asking. It is not difficult to get hold of rules for practice if you are not proficient. One who takes up hypnotic work is destined to drift into other psychological branches. He soon learns how to produce these phenomena.

There is the fake operator. But I am not dealing with him. In hypnotism, the public often has to be faked to the extent of the operator having one or two subjects. But the work he does is genuine.

The hypnotic snow can be combined with the mind-reading, clairvoyant, or general psychic show. On the other hand, a complete entertainment of psychic phenomena without hypnotism could be given.

Before taking up the actual presentation of the work on the stage, I wish to make clear to my pupils the methods of approaching the public, in the matter of advertising and presenting the show. Or, to be more proper, the entertainment, or engagement. When the Professor gets up into the clearer atmosphere of psychic phenomena, and culls therefrom the ordinary, he must be somewhat different from the hypnotist who seeks only to please through somnambulistic and cataleptic feats.

Again, it is better to appear on your bills as "Mr." rather than "Prof." It is more dignified. The "Prof." is as essential to the hypnotist as the "Hon." is to the Senator. It is part of his life and if he drops it he ceases to "draw," as the managers say.

Plain white paper, type of unique style, and black ink, will make the best looking poster for this class of work. The hanger should be about twenty inches, long by nine inches wide. The "form" should be sixteen inches in length by six inches wide. Have your matter set "solid," but in type large enough to make it easily read. The style of the letters must be "fancy," as the public would say; that is, choose a face of type that has many graceful curves and which prints a clear black copy.

The "hanger" should be run something on the following lines:

In the first place, it should be modest, yet state clearly the nature of the entertainment. In the second place, it should leave on the minds of its readers the impression that there is about to be presented to them something quite extraordinary. In the third place, it should furnish food for deep thought, giving little sketches of the possibility of thought transference or the employment of Clairvoyance.

These are the essential points. As in the case of the large stands of the hypnotic show, one object is held foremost; that is the advertising value of the paper. A poster - or hanger - might be started on the following lines:

"There journeys a stranger from the far east, a man of mystery, a student of Oriental Sorcery, an adept in the fields of Mental Power, a reader of unuttered thought, a Seer. From the east he comes, and unto the east he shall return".