Out of twenty-three up on the stage, seventeen have found it impossible to open their eyes. Of course, many of these were subjects I had tried. But with seventeen subjects, the best entertainment possible can be given. But I believe that I can get even more and the more I have the greater will be the enjoyment on the part of the audience.

"When I snap my fingers, your eyes will open all right!" I snap my fingers and the eyes are all opened, some easily and some with great difficulty. I will now try them again.

"Now, I want you all to do the same thing again. Close your eyes and all of you will find them closed this time. Roll them back just as you did before. There is nothing to be afraid of. Now, that's right. You are feeling drowsy, every one. That is the reason your eyes stick. You are in want of sleep. You are drowsy, very drowsy. When I count to four this time, your eyes will be stuck; every one of you will find that it is impossible to open your eyes. One; your eyes are sticking tighter and tighter; two, you cannot open them; three, they are very, very tight and you are all sleeping. Four! You cannot open them. Sleep!"

And this time only two open their eyes. I can see that there is no use trying these two. They can stay upon the stage if they wish and watch operations close at hand.

I wish to add, to the student, that this is not an average number of subjects to get. But with the audience I have taken, and combining this with the fact that I have been in town for nearly two days, I have had every opportunity possible to work up subjects and become popular. That is the reason I have so many good subjects. Every one is genuine.

I will give the first test to them as a class. My reason lies here: If the show is started in reality with a good act, the interest of the audience is with me through the entire performance: if it is started with an act of little importance, it takes time to work up the interest of the audience and get them enthused. I have started out with acts so far that have given me the rapt attention of every one present. I have the attention of the entire audience. As an entertainer it is my duty to hold their attention and interest. That is part of the art of conducting an entertainment of any kind. The, ability to hypnotize is really small when all other things are taken into consideration. There is always an opportunity on the part of the hypnotist to work up a number of subjects in a town. Even if he does not, there will always be enough good subjects on the stage when the call for volunteers has been made, so that the hypnotist does not have to fear the outcome of his entertainment. The main object always is the entertainment of the audience, and that point must ever be kept foremost. In starting out, the audience are more interested in the process of putting the subjects under the "influence" than they would be in anything else. It is the natural opening of an entertainment and must follow the little speech the operator makes at the beginning of his show.

As I have stated, I will start out with an act that will capture the house. When this act has ended, I will be at liberty to go into various branches of the entertainment which would appear a trifle annoying at the outset.

Turning to the subjects, I say, "Now, close your eyes." They obey. I may find that half a dozen of these subjects are not somnambulists, in which case they would not obey the commands given them later on, or when they are asleep.

"Now, sleep, all sleep. You are going to forget your surroundings entirely. You will find that, as you go sounder and sounder to sleep, your eyes will be stuck tightly. You cannot open them. It is useless to try. Sleep, sleep soundly now, and when you awake you will all be in a passenger coach on the B. & O. The road will be very rough, but you will all be feeling first rate; you will feel good. I am going to have a conductor, a porter, a brakeman, a newsagent, and the rest of you will be passengers. Of course, when the train is well on its way, the conductor will collect fares and the brakeman will call out the stations. Sleep, sleep; your eyes are stuck tightly, and you cannot open them. Sleep!"

Some of them are sound asleep; others are on the borderland. It is impossible to get a group of subjects together like I have here and find that they will all respond to the same suggestions and to the same degree. There, on the extreme right, is a boy whose head has fallen away over. He is very sound asleep. Next to him, and with his head on his breast, is another sound sleeper. Then there are two who are not so sound asleep. In fact, they are thinking about their eyes and I have noticed that they have tried in vain to open them several times. They will come out of the sleep and go into somnambulism at the command rapidly, while the others will be longer in coming out of their sleep and accepting the suggestions that I will give them.

It is by far better to make sure of the subjects where that is possible, so I will command them again and get them all sleeping as soundly as possible.

"Deeper and deeper to sleep. Sleep soundly, and when I count five and set my foot heavily on the floor, you will all open your eyes and you will be in the day coach of an eastern train. You are sleeping soundly now, but I am going to count to five and you will all be awake. One, two, three, four, five! Awake and in the train!"

About 50 per cent have responded readily and are looking about them. One is completely awake and a little dazed over his sleep. The rest of them come out of it more slowly, but they accept the suggestions and they are now ready for the further suggestions which will assign them to their respective posts.

"You," I say, turning to a boy of large stature, "are the conductor. The train will soon be on its way and you will have to go through the coach and collect the tickets and punch them, giving those back to the people who have to change cars. And you (to another) are the brakeman. Your duty is to call out the stations as we come to them. You will think of the names all right and you will sing them out so that all in the car can hear you without difficulty. And you (to a boy who seems to be rather sleepy) are the newsagent. I want you to take this basket and go through the train and sell as much as you can. You have evening papers, apples, fruit and books. Don't be afraid of crying your wares. That will be the only way you can sell them. You are the porter (to still another) and you will look after the comfort of the passengers.