ous and without any
hallucinations; they knew who they were, where they were and
what they were doing, and they laughed as heartily at the absurd
results obtained as any spectator. Up to this time, too, I had
no means of ascertaining whether the apparent results were
genuine. I might be the dupe of cunning people who were
conspiring to fool me, for, in these early stages, there seems
to be no way of scientifically proving it.

"It was some time before I was able to carry the experiments
further and get control of the consciousness and senses of my
class. At last success came. I made them see and hear mosquitoes
and fight the tormentors with great energy. At this point they
became dazed, and it was easy to command their senses in other
respects. At a suggestion they heard music, the noises of a
riot, a thunderstorm, the roaring of lions, a speech by Col.
Ingersoll, and they gradually came to see vividly anything to
which I directed their attention. In this world of hallucination
they lost consciousness--or, rather, they abandoned their real
existence and assumed an abnormal existence, as one does in a
dream.

"I am not yet certain whether this strange condition is imposed
on them by my will, or whether it is self-imposed, subjective,
and the result of expectation on their part. I am inclined to
believe the latter theory is true, because, when I direct their
attention to a horse, for instance, each one sees a different
sort of horse, and his head is in different directions.

"By a few additional passes I can induce a cataleptic state, in
which the sensitive becomes perfectly rigid and can be laid out
between two chairs, his head on one and his heels on another,
like a log. They can also be easily made insensible to pain, so
that pins are stuck through their hands, teeth drawn, and
painful but harmless acids put in the eye, without extorting a
sign of feeling. In this way, and others even more conclusive, I
have demonstrated the good faith of my class.

"I have given several receptions for the entertainment of my
friends, and record here some results for the benefit of those
in other cities who choose to try similar experiments.

"The available class now consists of eight--four gentlemen and
four ladies, from seventeen to forty years of age. Two of these
(both la