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A HYPNOTIST TESTED

WIN FOE PROFESSOR. BARRADEN.

Professor Barraden, who lias given exhibitions of hypnotism in many parts of New Zealand, appeared at the Orand Opera. House last night in answer to a challenge that had been issued by a local returned soldier, Mr. J. Urr. Jhe conditions of the challenge, were that II r. Carr was to bring his own subjects and the -professor re to attempt to hypnotise them. If he failed .'to monstrate. to the ,public his influence o\ r the majority of these subjects the ta*j inc s wore to be handed to the ixeturued Soldiers' Association. There was a .tarty large audience, and it was obvious lhat =ome of the men present had decided ngainst Professor Barraden 111 advance. .Interruptions were frequent, ana tne pr**fessor had to make several appeals to fair plav, explaining that he could m\. hope to "succeed unless ho were able.; hold the attention of lns_ subject* com plained also that he hod not. , "square deal" from the City < which had put him to much expe refusing hiiu the itse of the low. . at the eleventh hour. 51r. Carr to men' on to the stage with him, t\\ them wearing returned soldiers bai ; , An eighth man, also a returned sold* piesented himself. Mr. Carr said tt-f: he had not accused Professor Barraden ii being an impostor. "I 6imply said I doubted his ability as a hypnotist, otated the challenger. "I have brought m\ committee here, and I want him to o a fair go." The professor called .the men to the front of tne stage one at a, time, asked them to stand still, look linn in the'eyes and think of nothing else, lio made the customary, passes and motions with his hands flud told the subjects uia* they would lose their balance and rail forward. Air. Carr was the first subject, and after nearly ten minutes he returned to his seat without having been hypnotised. Three otlier men appeared 10 ne easy subjects. They lost ilieir balance quickly and fell into the protestors anna. 1 There was hearty applause when the hypnotist asserted his influence mer a I'ourta man and then a fifth man. Ihe sceptical section of the audience indicated a belief that there had been prearrangement. The professor returned to tne men who had proved unsusceptible at the first test, - and' witlnn hlty minutes from the rise of the curtain he had been successful with the ei-'lit itr. Carr was tne seventh man to" sway and tall. Another man, who liad loudly expressed his disbehet, came down from the gallery, and. submitted himself to a test. lie tell over backwards after the professor had worked at him for a few minutes, and declined a further trial, Ptofessor Barraden.then pat Hie eight men into the hypnotic eleej), the process occupying mm lor about ten minutes. The subjects were now under complete control, and responded to Professor Barraden s suggestions. Tfley twirled their hands with ridiculous gravity, rolled about the stage ill lit-s of laughter, made love to their .chairs, under the impression that the unresponsive wood was a ballroom partner. and howled in anguish when told that they had been eating 'green fruit and had severe internal pains, when inloriued that they were all inoiike\s they'hopped about the stage, and searchoil oiie another's heads with the utmost earnestness. Thev nursed their coats in the belief that they were cariug for babies, scuffled about the stage as Charlie Chaplins, and sang under the delusion that they had become great vocalists. Professor Barraden pushed pins through the skin of the arm and ncclc of one subject, in order to prove the man's complete insensibility while ill the hypnotic sleep. * The sceptics in the audienco remained unconvinced to the end, but hearty rounds of applause showed that most of the people present "recognised that Professor Barraden, had I won the contest. There had been no room for doubt that the men wore genuinely hypnotised, and Ihe sole question that could be raised was whether or not Professor Barraden had met ihe'ii that evening for the first time. 'J no professor himself-said that the men were unknown to him. The challenger was called for at the close of the performance, but he did not come forward.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19190701.2.71

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 237, 1 July 1919, Page 8

Word count
Tapeke kupu
713

A HYPNOTIST TESTED Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 237, 1 July 1919, Page 8

A HYPNOTIST TESTED Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 237, 1 July 1919, Page 8

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