andthespiritoftheMaster，Krishna，wasout。HavingspentthegreaterportionofmylifeontheHimalayas，myrighteyehasbecomeinjuredbythesnows。“Thenpointingtohisrighteye，headded，“Myrighteyehasadefectinitwhichyoucannotsee；butonaccountofthat，Icanonlyseeinthedarkwithit。I
immediatelyturnedmyrighteyedownwardandIlooked!I
distinctlysawalady’shandreachedouttowardmyrobeinthedarkness，andthishandtookholdofitandjerkeditlightlyjustlikethis。“The“ReverendSwami“hereillustrated，byslightlyjerkinghiscoatdownward。Itwasveryamusingtohearhim，ingreatseriousness，relatethisinhislowandmeasuredaccentstohisfaithfulfollowers。
Shortlyafterthis，whentheLosAngelesHeraldwasconductingacrusadeagainstthenumerousmediumsofthatcity，andwhenithadanexhibitinitswindowsoftheconfiscatedmaterialofsomeofthem，this“Buddhistpriest“wasarrestedandimprisonedforsomeofhispractices。
HerewardCarringtonMoreTricksof“Spiritualists“
Thereisoneveryclever“test“thatissometimesperformedwhichwouldseemtoshowthatsomethingofthissortISaccomplished。Itis，however，nothingmorethananingenioustrick，andthismightbeagoodtimetoexplainitsmodusoperandi。Thegeneraleffectoftheillusionisthis：Themediumrequestssomeonetoassisthiminanexperimentinwhichheisgoingtoattempttopass“matterthroughmatter。“Asthetestisoneinwhichaconfederatemighteasilybeemployed，heisverycarefultochoosesomepersonwhoiswellknown，orwhosecharacterisaboveallsuspicion。Ifthiswerenotso，theentireeffectofthetestwouldbelostupontheinvestigators。Havingsecuredhisassistant，hehandshim，forexamination，asolidsteelring，justlargeenoughtosliponandoffthehandandarmeasily。Theringisperfectlysolid，andmaybeexaminedbyanyonedesirousofdoingso。Whenthispartoftheperformanceisfinished，themediumandhissitterthenjoinorclasptheirrighthandsasinhandshaking，andthesitterisinstructednottoreleasethehandforasingleinstant。To“makeassurancedoublysure，“however，thehandsarefastenedtogetherinanywaythesittersmaydesire；thehandsbeingtiedtogetherwithtape，e。g。，andtheendsofthistapetiedandtheknotssealed。
Thetapeconnectsthewristsandthehandsofthemediumandhissitter，andthistyingmaybemadeassecureaspossible。Apieceofthickclothisnowthrownoverthetwohandsandthelowerpartofthearms，concealingthemfromview。Withhisdisengagedhandthemediumnowtakestheironringandpassesitupunderthecloth，soastobringitincontactwithhisownarm。Heholdsitthereforsometime，butultimatelysnatchesoffthecoveringcloth，andrevealstotheeyesoftheastonishedaudiencethering——
nowencirclinghisownarm——inspiteofthefactthatthetiesarestillinstatuquo，andthesitterneverletgohisholdforaninstant。Thetiesandtheringmayagainbeexamined，ifdesired，beforethehandsareseparated。
Thisisanexceedinglyeffectivetest，andhaseveryappearanceofbeinggenuine——indeed，itishardtoseewheretrickerycancomein。Thetrickisoneofthesimplestimaginable，however，andisperformedinthefollowingmanner：
ThemediumhasprovidedhimselfwithTWOringsexactlyalike；oneofthesetheaudienceisfreetoexamine，theotherthemediumiswearingonhisrightarm，underhiscoat。Whenthetwohandsareclaspedtogether，therefore，itisasimplethingforthemedium，undercoveroftheenvelopingcloth，tosliptheduplicateringdownhissleeve，andontohisownhand，andthatpartofthe“miracle“isaccomplished!Itremainsonlytoexplainwhatbecomesofthefirstring。Thecloththrownoverthearmsisverythickandstiff，asstated，andtheinnersideofthiscontainsadoublepartition，orsortofbag，intowhichthemediumslipstheduplicatering。Theclothmaynowbeshownonbothsides，withoutdisclosingthering，andthemediummakesawaywithitassoonaspossible，inordertoavoiddetection。
Theobject[ofthispassage]istoenablethereadertosee，moreeasily，howitisthatthewatchfulobserverisdeceivedintobelievingthatathingisso，wheninrealityitisnot，andviceversa；andalsotogiveanideaofthevariousmethodsemployedbythemediuminordertoaccomplishhisresults。
Imustfirstofallcallthereader’sattentiontooneortworuleswhicheveryconjurerlearnsatthecommencementofhisstudy，andwhichhelearnstoapplysoconstantlythatitbecomessecondnaturetohim。Thefirstis：Neverlettheeyesrestonthehandthatisperformingthe“sleight，“butalwaysontheotherhand，oronsomeobjectonthetableorelsewhere，asthiswillhaveatendencytodrawtheeyesoftheaudiencetothatpointalso。Thesittersoraudiencewillalwayslookatthepointcloselywatchedbythemagician——theireyeshaveatendencytofollowhis，andwhereverhelooks，therewilltheonlookerlookalso。Needlesstosay，themagicianmakesuseofthisfact，andmanytricksandillusionsaredependentuponitfortheirsuccessfulac-
complishment。Wheneverthemagicianormediumlooksintentlyatonehand，therefore，theOTHERhandshouldbewatched，asitisasuresignthatTHATisthehandwhichisperformingthetrick。
Anotherfundamentalrulethatisobservedbyallsleight-of-handperformersis：Nevertoletanaudienceknowbeforehandwhatistobedone；i。e。，thenatureofthetrickthatitisintendedtoperform。Ifthespectatorknewwhatwasforthcoming，hewouldbeonthelookoutformovementsoftheperformeratcertaincriticaltimes——justattheperiodswhencloseobservationisleastwanted——
andwouldquitepossiblydetecttheperformerintheactofexecutingcertainmovementswhichwouldshowhowthetrickwasperformed。Butnotknowingwhatiscoming，thespectatorisunabletowatchcloselyatthecriticalmoment——notknowingwhatthatmomentis——andsoisunabletodetectthetrick，hisattentionbeingdivertedbytheperformer，justbeforethismovementismade，tosomeotherobjectormovement。
Themethodsofdivertingthespectator’sattentionarevarious。
Thereistheuseoftheeyes，asbeforeshown。Thenthereisthespokenword，theperformertellingtheonlookerstoobservesomecertainobjectoraction，andtheeffectistocausethemtowatchit，astheyaretold。Theyfollowthelineofleastresistance。
Thecombinedeffectuponthespectatorofthespokenwordandtheeyestogetherisgenerallyirresistible。
Anotherimportantfactoristhis：Aperformershouldalwaysletanysuggestion，rightorwrong，soakwellintothespectator’smindbeforeattemptingtochangeit。Thisisfortworeasons。Inthefirstplace，ifthesuggestioniscorrect，if，e。g。，theperformerreallyDOESplaceanobjectinhislefthand，anditisshortlyfoundtohavevanishedfromthathand，heisannoyedbyhearingsomeonesaythathewasnotreallysureitwasthereinthefirstplace，as“itwascoveredupsoquickly。“If，ontheotherhand，thesuggestiongivenwasafalseone，if，e。g。，theperformersayshehasplacedanobjectinhislefthand，when，inreality，hehasnotdonesobuthaspalmeditintheright，thenitisstillnecessarytoallowacertaintime-intervaltoelapsebetweentheperformingoftheactionwhichapparentlyplacedtheobjectinthehand，andtheshowingofthehandempty，forthisreason。Ifthehandintowhichtheobjectissupposedlyplacedis
shownempty，thenaturalconclusionofthesitteristhattheobjectwasnotinrealityplacedthereatall，butwasretainedintheotherhand，whichwouldbethefact。If，however，theperformerallowedsometimetoelapse，betweentheactionofplacingtheobjectinthathandsupposedlyandtheshowingofthehandempty，he，meanwhile，keepinghiseyesfixedonthehand，suggestingtothesittersthattheobjectISthere，andineverywayactingasifitWEREthere，theideawillgraduallygainafirmholdonthemindsofthespectatorsthattheobjectisthere，inreality，andtheyarecorrespondinglysurprisedtofinditultimatelyvanished。Itisjustsuchaknowledgeof“thewaypeople’smindswork，“asafriendoncesaidtome，whichenablestheconjurertodeceivethepublic；anditispreciselythesamecastofmindthatthemediumpossesses。Heis，infact，agoodjudgeofhumannature。
Anotherfactthatmustbeborneinmindisthat，whenonceaspectatorhasseenamovementmadetwoorthreetimesinthesamemanner，hefrequently“sees“theperformermakethatmovementonanotheroccasion，whentheperformerhad，inreality，only
tomakethemovement，andsuggestedtherest。Thus，iftheperformerthrowsaballupintotheairtwoorthreetimesinsuccession，andonthefourthoccasionmerelypretendstothrowitup，reallyretainingitintheotherhand，thegreatmajorityofthespectatorswillreally“see“theballascendintotheaironthefourthoccasion，andwillsostate，onbeingasked。Weheredependuponassociationandhabit。[1]
[1]AverysimilarillusionismentionedbyProfessorHyslop，v。
BorderlandofPsychicalResearch，Pp。228-9，inwhichpelletswereapparentlyplacedinabox，reallybeingpalmedinthemedium’shand。
ProfessorJastrowsummedupthisportionofthepsychologyofdeceptionverywellwhenhesaid：[1]
FactandFableinPsychology，pp。
“Hetheconjurermustdissociatethenaturalfactorsofhishabits，actuallyattendingtoonethingwhileseeminglyattendingtoanother；atthesametimehiseyesandhisgesturesandhis’patter’misdirecttheattentiontowhatisapparentlytheessentialfieldofoperation，butreallyonlyablindtodistractattentionawayfromthetruesceneofaction。Theconjurerdirectsyourattentiontowhathedoesnotdo；hedoesnotdowhathepretendstodo；andtowhatheactuallydoes，heiscarefulneithertoappeartodirecthisownattentionnortoarouseyours。“
Prof。MaxDessoir，inaveryfinearticleon“ThePsychologyofConjuring，“writesasfollows：“Byawakeninginterestinsomeunimportantdetail，theconjurerconcentratesthatattentiononsomefalsepoint，ornegatively，divertsitfromthemainobject，andweallknowthesensesofaninattentivepersonareprettydull……Whencausingthedisappearanceofsomeobject，theconjurercountsone，two，three；theobjectmustreallydisappearbeforethree，notatthree，because，theattentionofthepublicbeingdivertedtothree，theydonotnoticewhathappensatoneandtwo……Aspeciallysuccessfulmethodofdiversionisfoundedonthehumancrazeforimitation……Theconjurercountsonthisinmanycases。Healwayslooksinthedirectionwherehewantstheattentionofthepublic，anddoeseverythinghimselfwhichhewantsthepublictodo……Ifthetrickisinthelefthand，theconjurerturnssharplytothepersontohisright，presumingcorrectlythatthespectatorswillmakethesamemovement，andwillnotnoticewhatisgoingoninthelefthand……
Everysharp，shortremarkwill，foramoment，atleast，diverttheeyesfromthehandsanddirectthemtothemouth，accordingtotheabove-mentionedlawofimitation。“
Thesuccessfulconjurerhascarefullystudiedbeforehandeverymovementthatismade——everywordthatisspoken——duringaconjuringperformance，andhasseenthattheseallfitnaturallyintoplace，andhelpconcealtherealworkingsofthetrick。Therightandlefthandsmustbetrainedtooperateindependently，andwithouttheneedoflookingateither。Manyconjurerspracticedoingtwoseparatethingsatthesametime，onewitheitherhand；
andtheabilitytodothisisessential。Aboveall，theperformermustbefullofconsciousself-possession，andfeelhimselftobemasterofthesituation，nolessthantofeeltheabilitytocopewithanyemergenciesthatmayarise。
Turning，now，toaconsiderationoftheseance，wefindthatmanyofthesepsychologicalrulesstillholdgood，andtheiroperationenablesthemediumtoperformmanyactionswhichwouldotherwisebeimpossible。Acertainsuggestionisgiventothesitters，andimaginationandinferencedotherest。“Ourconclusionsastowhatweseeorheararealwaysfoundedonacombinationofobservationandinference；butindailylifeitisseldomnecessarytodistinguishbetweenthetwoelements，since，whentheobjectanditsmodeofpresentationarefamiliar，ourinferencesaregenerallycorrect。Butitisdifferentwhen，owingtocircumstances，suchasabadlight，wehavetoinfermoreinproportiontowhatweperceivethanusual；orwhensomeone，e。g。，aconjureroraventriloquist，istryingtodeceiveusbypresentingoneobjectunderthefamiliaraspectofanother，andsuggestingfalseinferences。Itisnotuncommontofindpeopleatseancesencouragingeachotherinthebeliefthattheysee，say，alivinghumanfigure，whenallthattheyactuallySEEissomethingmovingwhichisaboutthesizeofahumanbeing；therestisinference。“
Howtruetheselastremarksareisdemonstratedbythestatement，madeinTheRevelationsofaSpiritMedium，thatanoldwiremaskfrequentlyusedatmaterializingseanceshadbeenrecognized“bydozensofpersonsasfathers，mothers，sisters，brothers，cousins，sweethearts，wives，husbands，andvariousotherrelativesandfriends。Nonebutthemediumknewthatitwasonlyafifty-centwiremask，hencenonebutthemediumcouldenjoythehumoroftheoccasion。“
OneofthemostinstructiveincidentsIknow，inrelationtothisquestionofthepsychologyofdeception，istheonegivenbyDoctorHodgson[1]——thecaseoftheofficerandtheHindujuggler。Inthiscase，atrickwasperformedbeforeanEnglishofficerandhiswife，andDoctorHodgsonhappenedtooverhearthisofficertellingsometravelersoftheexperienceatdinnerthatevening。“Referringtothemovementsofthecoins，hesaidthathehadtakenacoinfromhisownpocketandplaceditonthegroundhimself，yetthatthiscoinhadindulgedinthesamefreaksastheothercoins。Hiswifeventuredtosuggestthatthejugglerhadtakenthecoinandplaceditontheground，buttheofficerwasemphaticinrepeatinghisstatement，andappealedtomeforconfirmation。Hewas，however，mistaken。Ihadwatchedthetransactionwithspecialcuriosity，asIknewwhatwasnecessaryfortheperformanceofthetrick。Theofficerhadapparentlyintendedtoplacethecoinuponthegroundhimself，butashewasdoingso，thejugglerleanedslightlyforward，dexterouslyandinamostunobtrusivemannerreceivedthecoinfromthefingersoftheofficer，asthelatterwasstoopingdown，andlaiditclosetotheothers。Ifthejugglerhadnotthustakenthecoin，buthadallowedtheofficerhimselftoplaceitontheground，thetrick，asactuallyperformed，wouldhavebeenfrustrated。