THOUGHT READING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1746, 26 July 1884, Page 2

THOUGHT READING.

The Paris correspondent of the " Daily News" gives an account of a " thought reading" geance at (he Hotel Continental in wjlich Mr Stuart Cumberland, whoi is 'exciting much curiosity on the Continent, was the thought" reader." The -Writer says':— "About 300 persons were invited most of whom came, and I never was at a first theatrical representation at which there were more distinguished persons. The thought reader, or feeler',' and I think the latter epithet more applicable to Mr Cumberland's pretensions having been greanly favored by the Austrian Dresden, and Munich Boyal families, and in Canada by the Marquiu -of Lome, and the Princess Louise, attracted the elite of the Yiennesse, Bavarian, Saxon, and English colonists here. Mr Cumberland who is a pleasanl-looking, and rather handsome fair-haired man, being unable to speak French,, addressed the Assembly in English, He declared that he set up no supernatural power, but only a natural gift which he had developed by assiduous practice; He was careful to say he was not • always successful, because those whose thoughts he wished to read should concentrate their minds upon the objects they wished him to designate. When he bandaged his eyes President Vieville stealthily hid M. Daudet's cane, and then gave his hand to Mr Cumberland, who after layir.g it on his own forehead, started off with him to seek for it, M. Yievillo afterwards said that his old practice as Judge of Instruction gives him great self-possession and control over his muscles, so that when he was near the cane no muscular movement in his hand betrayed consciousness of that faofc. The cane was also passed to a person who was to hide it in such a manner that only intimate friends knew where it was. Mr Cumberland's search being vain, he complained through an interpreter that the mental attention of the President coald not be concentrating on the object he thought of. A French journalist -was then experimented upon unsuccessfully, but he subsequently confessed that in passing by a charming pink bonnet he allowed his thoughts to wander to its wearer. Prince Hohenlohe was then asked to hide his breastpin somewhere. During a momentary absence of Mr Cumberland • he came to the easy chair on which T sat and asked me to let him stick it in the back thereof. Mr Cumberland, on returning and being blindfolded, took the German Ambassador's hand, and in a very short time laid it on tho breastpin. The query is whether Mr- Cumberland did lead Prince Hohenlohe, or whether the latter nnconsciously led him, his Serene Highness bei'ig an impressionable man.' The thought-reader then proposed, that somebody should think of the malady of an absent friend. The Princess Hohenlohe came forward at Mr Ouniberland's request. She removed her mantle, and he felt her hands, arms, chest, shoulders, and then said she thought of a pulmonary affection, on which the Princess cried out 'No, it is a sore throat.' That distinguished international commercial advocate and law reporter, Mr Barclay, was then asked to hide a bunch of keys, and before doing so to touch two places with them, while Mr Cumberland was out of the.room. He did so, and Mr Cumberland found the places and the keys, which were shut up on the key-board of the piano. Mr Barclay assured me that he did not lead the thought-reader, but that he was not quiet sure he was quite master of his nerves aud muscles and did not give •involuntary indications when near the hidden object. An experiment on Count Hoyos was not quite successful, but a fan that the Abbe de Meissas thought of and which was passed on to a lady he did not know was found on her by Mr Cumberland, The seance seemed to me like a spiritless game .of blind man's buff, and I must say that I have seen more interesting experiments of the kind at Neuilly and at gingerbread fairs. What was remarkable was the quality of the people who were experimentalised on, their apparent faith, and the seeming conviction of Mr Cumberland that he has a thought-reading gift."