Professor Rice.

Thames Star, Volume XVI, Issue 5089, 9 May 1885, Page 2

Professor Rice.

A private seance was held by Professor Rice, a mind reader who has come here with excellent colonial credentials, in the commercial room of the Pacific Hotel last evening, when about seventy people were present. Mr J. McGowan took the chair, and at the request of the Professor, four members of the audience present, were selected as subjects for his experiments. These were Messrs Watson, Lush, Gellion and Turtle. Before commencing, Profes sor Rice stated that he did not propose to read the minds of his subjects as far as telling everything that was passing through them, but he undertook to find any article in the.room that was thought of by a person subjecting himself or herself to him. The method adopted was placing the hand of the subjec' to the mind reader's forehead, with the object —as he explained—of imprinting on bis brain the object thought of. In the first case—that of Mr Lush—the experiment was not entirely successful; this Mr Rice explained was not remarkable, as his first and. second trials at seances were his most resultloss ones. Mr Gellion thought of a pen in an ink bottle on a table in the room, and he was led up to it; Mr Heald thought of Mr Harcourt's spectacles, and the Professor put his 'hands on them; Mr Harcourt thought of the Professor's handkerchief which was on the table, and the mind reader brought him to it. In the case of Messrs Kirkpartrick, Turtle, and White, some vagueness in describing the object thought of was experienced, but something of its form was in each case given. A lady present submitted herself to the test, and the Professor led her to where she had placed her tablets. To night a public entertainment takes place in the Academy of Music when amongst other novelties promised, Mrs Rice who possesses a rich contralto voice, and bears the reputation of being a most accomplished vocalist, will sing two songs— "At the Ferry" and "The Wishing Cap," which are new to the Thames. A short lecture on physiognomy, and the performance of several mystifying tricks, are parts of the programme announced.