Too Busy at Present

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 390, 26 June 1928, Page 1

Too Busy at Present

BUT ARGUS ACCEPTS TEST Professor Segar s Condition “I THINK Argus can do what he proposes to do,” Mr. Cope--1 land, manager for Argus, told The Sun to-day when shown further communication to this paper from Professor H. W. Segar, of the Auckland University College, in connection with the challenge declaring that the mind-reading of Argus was nothing more than “a code between confederates.”

“Argus has done tests exactly as Mr. Segar is claiming:.” continued Mr. Copeland, ‘and if Mr. Segar does not mind, Argus and I will ask for time to go through his letters. When our season slackens we will be only too pleased to attempt what Mr. Segar desires. I want it understood that I am willing to do any tests where there is doubt of what Argus claims to do. We are not in a position to do the test immediately, but I don’t want Mr. Segar and the public to think we are side-slipping.” PROFESSOR SEGAR’S LETTER Supporting his challenge to Argus. Professor Segar writes: “Mr. Copeland has hardly accepted my challenge, the intention of which was that he should carry out my proposal at one of his ordinary performances, the audience being judges. Without varying from his usual procedure of moving about among the audience, it would be difficult, though perhaps not impossible, to replace the spoken code by one of another character sufficiently efficient to obtain results that would meet with the approval of his audience. Mr. Copeland makes a counter proposal and is willing apparently to perform before a special committee. The circumstances then, however, would be very different and on similar occasions numerous subtle and cunning devices have been used to replace the spoken code. It is consequently necessary to guard against these, otherwise such a test would be

quite worthless. I therefore propose that: (1) Mr. Copeland and Argus shall be placed in separate but adjoining rooms in positions in them respectively approved by me. Being adjoining, these rooms will be closer than Wellington is to Auckland, and even than the IYA studio is to tho Prince Edward Theatre. “NO SECRET SIGNALLING” (2) These rooms shall be selected or at least approved by me so a & to secure that no secret signalling arrangements of an electrical or other character shall be made. (3) Mr. Copeland shall be accompanied in his room by one member of the committee whom I shall select to see that he makes no attempt at any form of signalling or communication. (4) I shall bring some articles which win be submitted one ata a time, but in each case the article shall be seen by no one but Mr. Copeland and this member of the committee until after Argus has attempted to describe the article which Mr. Copeland has at the time in his possession. It will then be submitted to the whole committee. (5) 1 shall interrogate Argus as to the nature of the article in each instance, but, of course, within the hearing of Mr. Copeland. (6) The proceedings shall be open to the Press. “None of these proposals conflicts in the remotest manner with the pretensions of Mr. Copeland and Argus, and so cannot be objected to. As, according to Mr. Copeland’3 condition, neither he nor I can nominate the committee, some impartial person must step into the breach. Will the committee that acted for IYA last week be so good as to act again? If the committee can be arranged, then, when Mr. Copeland is ready so am I; but I cannot see what wagering has to do with a scientific experiment. Will Mr. Copeland freely and unconditionally submit to the perfectly fair test I have proposed? Yes or no?”