FAKIRS AND FORTUNETELLERS. A Pest to Society.

Free Lance, Volume V, Issue 243, 25 February 1905, Page 6

FAKIRS AND FORTUNETELLERS. A Pest to Society.

A SOUTHERN lady was haled before the magistrate last last week, charged with imposing on the King's subjects by means of palmistry or other subtle craft. It appears that the particular craft she phed was not subtle or was not palmistry, and so Madame escaped conviction Now, if His Majesty's lieges are fools enough to go into a dim room, and pay a woman or a man money in order to listen to a lot of rubbishy patter about fair-hair-ed gir sor dove-eyed men and fortunes the "Madames" will go on plying their calling as long as there is a iay to be plucked. ■m » * It is incredible that in New Zealand, where the people are supposed to be highly educated, these pests of society should get a footing and keep it, and make money m one town and fade away to the next where the gulls are thicker Always there is the bucolic who knows under ■which thimble lies the pea, the silly girl who desires to know whether her future husband is red-headed or blueeyed, and the hysterical person of either sex who visits these psychic quacks m order to "discover" whether a husband is flirting with thebarmaids or a wife has her eye on the baker's boy. * * ■» "Keiro," the London fortune-teller, had an easy income of many thousands a year until the newspapers got to work on him, and burst up his large clientele. It merely means that "Keiro's" clients now go to some other fraudulent quack to spend their money Although it is necessary for the protection of society in New Zealand that palmists, fortune-tellers, and the whole army of fakirs who batten on the credulity of people should be put down, it is much more necessary to make it a punishable offence for a person to encourage these people by visiting them. * * * If it is true, as alleged, that some of the police themselves are customers of fortune-tellers, it is quite evident these particular Roberts are much too confiding- to* be in the "Foorce " The injury done by these people is incalculable. Given a hysterical client, who will believe whatever is told her or him, the possibilities for evil are boundless, and suggestions from these people, whose reasons for taking up the profession are merely avaricious ones, have been known to lead to separations, suicides, and murder * • • That is why, wherever a "Madame" who deals in so-called mystery is found her career should be stopped, and her clients fined heavily for encouraging her. That fortunetelling is a cheap and easy way of making a very comfortable living in New Zealand is to be gathered from the newspapers, which still contain numerous advertisements relating to the ridiculous calling Although the tender interest of the police and the press has made the position of most of thess frauds 1 untenable m Wellington, the country reeks with them, and until they are engaged in Government tree-planting the public, in its stupidity, will go on being gulled. _^_________ — _ Messrs. Macdonald, Wilson, and Co., auctioneers, have foi bale bv public auction at the Exchange Land Mart, Lambton Quay, <m Thursday, March 30th, 1905. the freehold of the Prince of WaJes Hotel, Masterton, perhaps the most favourably known, hotel in the Wanaaapa, and certainly one of the most valuable. It stands in an acre of ground m the centre of the thriving Wairarapa town, and' has a frontage of 300 ft. The very high, prices realised foi business sites in Masterfcon make this property extremely valuable, apart from the fact of its worth as a hotel site. The attention of birewers, hotelkeepers, and investors is called to the full particulars of the property set out by advertisement in this issue.