THOUGHT-READING.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1427, 6 August 1884, Page 2

THOUGHT-READING.

Tiiy Pa>is correspondent oc the B;..iv Kews gives an account of a '• th ought leading " seance at the Hotel Continental, in / which Mr S te dart Camberiand , who', is exciting much attention on. the Coufciueut,. was the thought-" reader.'' The. .writer su\s: *' About- '31)0 persons were irrr vited, most of whom came, and I never was iit a ti--sfc theatrical representation at which the :e were more distinguished persons. The thou«!it-rea(!«n\ or feeler — and I tlrulc th<- latter <-pithet mo:e fij'ii'ica-i'e to M'- Cumberland's preten-K.m-.s — buvi.-.g be^n g^eatiy favou 1 ed by the Austrian, D edden, and Munich lluvni f.;.oii!ies, and iv Canada by the Mii-qnis oc Lo'iie and the Princess Louise, attracted the elite of the Vien-iif-se, Bavauau, Saxon, and English colonists be-e: Mr Cumberland, who is a pleasant-looking and rather handsome fair-hnirod man, boiifg unable, to speak French, addressed the assembly in English, He dec'ared that he set up claims to no supernatural power, but only to a natural gift which he had deve'opod by assiduous practice. He ■\yp.s ca v eiiol to say that hs was not alwivys successful, because those whose thoughts he wished to read should con-con-rate their minds upon the objects they wanted him fco designate. VVhen he bandaged his eyes President Vievllle steaitiiily bid M. D.iudsfs cane and then gave his hand to Mr Cumberland, who, after laying it on his own forhi'iui, started oiF with him to si;ek for it. M. Vieville afterwards Slid that his old practice as Jud^e of Instruction ; /ivcs him great self-posses-sion and contvo! over liis muscles, so that when he was near ihe cau<; no muscular movement in lii.-s hand intray ed fousoionness of that fact The cane was also passed to a person who was to hide it in such a manner thai, oniy intimate friends know where it was. Mr Cumberland's search being vain, he complained through an interpreter tli at the mental attention of the President could not be conceutrat d on the olijecthathoivjfhtof. A French journalist wjis then experimented upo.i unsuccessfully, but he subsequently confessed that in passing by a charming pink bonnet he allow jd his thoughts to wander to its \vt arer. Prince Hohi'iilohe was then asked to hide his breastpin somewhere. During a momentary absence of Mr Cumberland he I came to the easy chair on which I sat and asked me to let him stick it in the back thereof. Mr Cumberland, on returning and being blindfolded, took the German Ambassador's hand, and in a very short tivne laid it on the breastpin. The qnv.'iy is whether Mr Cumberland did lead Pi-ince Hohenlohe, or whether the latter unconsciously h;d him. IJis Scene Highness being f.ii iinpivrssionab'e man. The thonghtleacier then proposed that somebody should think • f the maiady of an absent tviend. The Princess Jj.obeulolie. came forward at Mr. Cumber land's request. She removed her mantle, and he .felt her hands, aims chose, shoulders, and then said she thoug.be of a polmonary affection^ oa which the Princess cied oat, • No, it is a sore throat.' That distinguished international commercial advocate and law repo'-lor., Mr Barclay, was then asked to hide a 'much of keys, and before doing so to touch two places with them while Mr Cumbe> .land was out of the room. He did. so, and Mr Cumberland found the places and the keys, which were shut up on the keyboard oc the piano. Mr- 'Barclay assured me that lie was not certain he was quite master of his nerves and muscles and del not give iuvoUuitivv indications when near the bidden object An experiment on Count Hoy es was not quite successful, but a fan that the Abbe de Meissas thought o'i, and which was passed on to a lady lie did noo know, was found on her by Mr Cumbctlaud. The seance seemed to tne like a spiritless game of blindma.i's bluff, and I must say that I have seen more intei esting experiments of the kind at Nenilly at a gingerbread fair. What was remarkable was the quality of the people who were experimented on, their apparent faith, and the seeming conviction of Mr Cumberland that he has a thought-feeling gift."